My goal: stream Internet from G5 to TV, but having trouble

Good evening, forum members:

I'm a longtime Mac user (learned computers on the Mac Plus many years ago), but I'm not tech-savvy with Mac anymore as it's so complicated now. I'm seeking help from people who are tech gurus.

I decided a while ago that I'm fed up with paying my TV cable bill and I want to bypass them, connect my G5 to my TV and get my programs off the Internet (but with no new subscriptions like NetFlix or Hulu). My cable bill has just gone up to $86 per month for basic cable, and I've just had enough!

So after some trial and error, I finally have the right cables (video DVI from Mac to HDMI port on TV; audio cable), adapters and connectors. I hooked them all up and thought I had succeeded. I saw my Mac desktop show up on the TV and was elated! Then I went back to the Mac to send something to the TV, and the desktop files and folders weren't there. There were no menus and the cursor didn't show. The monitor showed only the desktop pattern.

When I detach the DVI/HDMI cable from my G5, the desktop shows immediately on the computer monitor, and when I reconnect the cable, the desktop disappears from the monitor and shows up on the TV again. So it's toggling back and forth. I need some way to get the desktop on both the monitor and the TV.

I hope someone can help me with this. It seems I'm 90% there after a lot of frustration, and I'm just missing the final piece of the puzzle. Please share your knowledge with me!

Regards,
Mimi

That would be called 'Extended Desktop' mode with the TV set as the primary display.
You can change that to make your Mac the primary display.

For 'Mirrored' mode:

Open System Preferences - Displays - put a check next to Mirror displays.

You can check out Post # 2 - Item # 3 in the following thread:

http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/other-hardware-peripherals/193239-connecting-your-mac-your-tv.html

Thank you, Bob, for posting a reply

I tried the display preferences, but I don't have the extended desktop or mirror options. I'm running OS 10.4.11. Do I need to upgrade to 10.5 to get these options?

I looked around and there are some free downloads. I'm not sure what Leopard means. Is that just a nickname for OS 10.5?

I would very much appreciate your advice.

Thank you,
Mimi

I'm not sure what display preferences are available in Tiger (OS X 10.4.11) but I would think that both Extended Desktop and Mirrored mode should be. I know for a fact that they are available in Leopard (OS X 10.5.X) because I ran my MacBook with an external monitor that way.

However, in order to upgrade your G5 to Leopard you're going to need a retail version of Leopard which is going to be expensive. Retail copies of Leopard are scarce and generally sell for around $90 to $100 on eBay.

The Mirrored option is definitely available in Tiger - at least it was on my first Mac as I had it attached to my TV within a few days.

Note: I am an Intel Mac baby - I have never touched a PPC Mac.

Update:
From what I have found, many of the PPC models that supported an external monitor, including the G5 models, could only do mirroring.
Thus, there was no option to turn it on and off.
A 3rd party firmware update was required to enable Extended Desktop mode.
Has this machine had that firmware installed at some point?
All links I found led to this page.
If this, or some other firmware has been installed, I have no idea how to turn it on and off - or even if it can be.

@mimi2013 I could be wrong (haven't used 10.4 in years) but I think extended desktop and mirroring are there as options. If I remember correctly they do not appear until both screens are connected. Open the Displays preference with both screens attached and look for an Arrangement tab. The settings you need are probably at the bottom ov the tab.

Note: The arrangement tab only appears on the monitor /screen that has been designated the "primary monitor.

Thank you all very much for your advice.

If the mirroring and/or extended desktop are available with 10.4.11, I'm still stuck because when both displays are connected, my computer monitor seems to expand so that I can't see menus or anything on the desktop. All the items seem to be going out of the range of view.

Do you know any fix for this?

Reggards,
Mimi

I should add that when the above happens, the desktop pattern doesn't get bigger. I put on the ladybug pattern and the ladybug didn't get bigger when the menus and desktop items went out of sight. So that makes me doubt that "expansion" is what's going on.

My drama is at an end

I finally figured the workaround to my problem and want to pass it on. I opened System Preferences and Displays, then dragged the Display window to the center of the monitor. I then connected the video cable and the Display window was still visible while everything else "expanded" out of sight. The Arrangement window popped up, I clicked the Mirror box and everything was fine from there. Menus and desktop items reappeared.

Thank all of you so much for taking the time to help me. Your information and advice enabled me understand where I needed to go, and I never would have figured this out without your input.

You have assisted me in saving $1000+ per year by not having to fork it over to the fiendish cable company. I haven't been this excited in a long time!

Best regards to all,
Mimi

Way to go.

@Mimi2013 Nice bit of troubleshooting. I should have thought of that. I think I had something similar happen a while ago.