AVI to TV Screen Issues

Hello,

Was wondering if anyone knows what's happening here. I often watch internet videos on my TV with an AVI to TV cable. Yesterday, suddenly, while watching a movie from my computer, I got a blank screen, without any of my desktop icons displayed.

The only window I can view is the Display window.

I know the blank screen is not caused by the TV because I tried it on another TV and I get the same blank screen.

Anybody can help me solve this problem?

Strange, as the cable must be ok, considering you can see your settings window.
I would get your install discs and run disk utility to verify permissions first, and then verify the disc.
Also worth a try is trying a different media player (not knowing what you use here, but VLC is worth a try).
Report back an findings please.

Kevriano said:

Strange, as the cable must be ok, considering you can see your settings window.
I would get your install discs and run disk utility to verify permissions first, and then verify the disc.
Also worth a try is trying a different media player (not knowing what you use here, but VLC is worth a try).
Report back an findings please.

Click to expand...

Thanks for reading. The media player wouldn't make a difference since the desktop is not displayed on the TV screen. It's the d*mnest thing!

Actually, what you are seeing appears normal. Why it changed from whatever it was to what it is now, I have NO idea (maybe a setting got toggeled or it interpreted the external display being off at a time when it was really on and reset which screen was the main screen, no clue)

But, I don't think There is anything wrong with the computer, or the screen, or the cable.

If I recall correctly - the default operation for an external screen, when a laptop is open is to act as an extended desktop - the laptop shows the main screen, the external display is an extension that you can drag your apps over to. You may want to try dragging a open folder from one screen to the other - of course, you'll have to experiment to find out where the placement is (ie: can you scroll off to the right or to the left of the main screen to get to the secondary screen)

You can make the screen the sole display easily - connect a mouse to the laptop, close the lid - let it go to sleep, then use the mouse to wake it up (with the lid closed) - the external screen will now become the default - and only (for now) active screen and your desktop will exist there.

You can also move your desktop to exist on the external screen to be your "main" desktop then your laptop should act as the extended display (this is what I do on my laptop at work, but it and its' external monitor are sitting at work atm, so I can't grab screenshots of what it would look like ).

I figured something out, though I don't understand it.

In my Display window, I clicked on the Arrangement tab. I found two screen boxes, which can be moved around with the cursor (pic Display1.jpg). I thought maybe the mac thinks there are two screens, and it is simply displaying on my TV the screen w/o my desktop icons. I tried moving both screens, but could not superimpose them or make them one. I then clicked on Mirror Displays at the bottom of my window (pic Display2.jpg) and the two screens (sort of) superimpose upon one another, without becoming one. I now can see my desktop screen on the TV (pic Tv.jpg).

Easiest way to fix it - as I mentioned - close the laptop lid, leave it closed, wake up the computer with an external mouse - no more internal display, all external. Won't have to worry about mirroring (which can get ugly when the two screens are two different resolutions) or extending which is the mode you were first seeing.

If you have a IR remote, you can get plex, and have a very powerful media center setup for when you have it hooked to the tv.

Thanks for your help. I seemed to have fixed it. I used to have three computer screens at my desk at my work, I should have figured this out earlier!

Hahaha, I'm envious - I could never get them to buy me extra screens best I could do was my laptop acting as one, and the screen I had in my office from before acting as a second... Sucked as I had a mini with me at work first, and really wanted to use 2 screens with it.

I use to work in Geographic Information Systems. I needed several screens for the maps and the sheer number of windows I would have open.

I just wanted it for a few things...

When I was video editing with FCP, it did make it easier to have more screen real estate, when monitoring the network its nice to have more info on the screen at once, when running multiple VM's and/or remote desktops, it makes it easier to have more info. Granted, I don't think I need near as much as you would need in a GIS type of setting, but more than 1 does make things easier.