Connecting your Mac to your TV

I have an LG 20LC1RB.

When I try to download a copy of the Owner's Manual I get some message about the DjVu Manual only being available in Internet Explorer. I downloaded and installed the DjVu plugin for Safari and tried using Safari but I still get the same message.

I assume it is not going to work with my MacMini if I can't even download a copy of the Manual using a Mac?

The webpage is here

Nighthawk4:

Assume what's not going to work?

I can't get the manual to open in FF or Opera with both of them set to spoof IE.

Look at the back of the TV. If it has DVI, I strongly encourage you use that. On a 20", my 2nd choice would probably be trying VGA next instead of HDMI. Third choice - HDMI - is the HDMI labeled as HDMI or as HDMI/DVI and is there an audio port labeled either PC/DVI or RGB/DVI?

It has a scart socket, which is used to connect to the Sky box (satellite), three phono sockets, coloured red, white and yellow, an S-Video mini-DIN socket and what looks like a VGA socket which is labelled 'For Service'. There is also a headphone socket.

I am guessing the VGA socket is only for sevice use, leaving either the S-Video or three phono sockets.


The MacMini is the older style with a sealed box and appears to be the Intel-based 2007 version. Manual is here.

The only output seems to be DVI (or VGA with the adapter), with the headphone or optical digital audio out port for sound.

Is that any help Bob?


Edit - The odd thing is the TV is only a 20", whereas my external monitor (normally used with a Win7 box) is a 22" - so it might be easier and better to use the monitor. Connections are much easier for that.

Incidentally, I considered buying an Apple TV to use instead. How would this connect to my TV? Would it also work with the Monitor please?

The main advantage as I see it is the Apple TV starts more quickly and doesn't need a keyboard and mouse.

I only have minimal knowledge pertaining to scart since it's not in use here in the U.S. But, Gefen, one of the major adapter/cable manufacturers use to have a scart to DVI adapter (since discontinued) and never manufactured a DVI to scart adapter.

You could get the video adapter to get to composite or S-video (US site link). The picture would be, to put it mildly, not good for anything except maybe watching movies. Text would be... bad.

Personally, I would give up on connecting your mini to that TV considering you have a computer monitor sitting there.

Can't comment on the Apple TV with anything resembling reasonable intelligence. Haven't even looked at it in at least 2 years as it's a waste of space for my personal needs. Could be useful to others, just not for what I want. Currently using a homebuilt quadcore Win7 machine as my HTPC.

Thank you for the great info and your time! That is what I needed to know. You said to change the resolution... Is that on the tv or on the computer?

bobtomay said:

aaron427:

Almost everything you want to know about your Mac is here.

Your Mac has a mini-DVI port. I would suggest HDMI instead of VGA with that TV.

Video - You'll need a mini-DVI to HDMI adapter and a HDMI cable.

Audio - You need to decide where you want your audio. If it's up to me, it's going to my surround sound and not to the TV.
Connecting to your receiver, about 95% odds, you need a mini plug to RCA cable - you need to verify this.
Connecting to the TV you need a mini plug cable - not one of the first 3 that say "Two 3.5mm".

Read pages 66 & 67 of the manual while you're waiting for the cables. Pay attention to the section on "Just Scan". This will take care of the overscan issue for you.

Set the resolution at 1920x1080.

Click to expand...

aaron427 said:

Thank you for the great info and your time! That is what I needed to know. You said to change the resolution... Is that on the tv or on the computer?

Click to expand...

You will open 'System Preferences - Displays' while you have the TV connected and turned on. You'll have a separate preference window for each screen.

Ok so the Mini-display cable arrived today. I plugged it in via the HDMI cable to my Sharp LC-46D77X (Australian model #) TV, and I get no sound or picture at all, the screen on the MBP flashes blue and then nothing? It works perfectly fine on the other Lg in the house?

Really annoying because the sharp is the TV I wanted to use for-sure any ideas appreciated. The MacBook Pro is the mid 2010 15" 2.4GHZ i5 if that makes a difference.

Ps the MBP wont even detect the Sharp in Displays. Hmmmm

Thanks
Leon

Leon5:

Once you know it works on one TV but not the next, you know there is something going on with the TV itself.

From the Sharp manual:



What these type of notes tell me from all the manuals I've read and TVs I've seen that don't work, is that this TV does not pass EDID info along to the devices it is connected to. Meaning, it doesn't tell a device when it's connected and depends on that device to just send it a signal as a DVD player, satellite receiver, etc. would do. Typically, a note like this means it won't work with anything except Windows. But, don't give up yet.

If you're using HDMI 2, I would suggest moving it to HDMI 1. That is the port the manual is saying to use with a DVI device where you need a separate audio input with it. It's possible the HDMI 1 is the only port that will pass this EDID info along.

If that doesn't work, then you might try clamshell mode (staying with HDMI 1) to see if it will force the Mac to put out a signal without detecting the monitor.

Continue trying the detect displays function in the Displays preferences.
The only resolution this TV supports from a PC in 16:9 aspect ratio is 1360x768.
That should be good for watching videos, but you're not going to like text on it.

Here's a link to download a copy of your Owner's Manual if you've lost yours. Head for pages 54-59.

Thank-you very much I try what you recommended. thanks again..

Notebook to T.V. - No Sound

I have the 2009 Macbook Pro set up to go to with my 42" Samsung LED. I was able to connect it fine to the TV through a DVI to HDMI cable however I am unable to get any sound through the TV. Instead the sound is coming from the MacBook. I have bought a 3.5mm ST PLUG-2 RCA Plug cable for the sound. I plug the 3.5mm into the headphone jack and the RCA cables into the TV, but no sound comes out. Can you tell me what the cause could be? When I plug the PS2 or the DVD player into the TV I get sound from those systems. Am I just missing a setting on the laptop maybe to set up the sound.

You'll need to provide the info requested in the first post here.

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

Or, to figure it out yourself, see the second item in Post # 3.

1. 2008 MacBook Pro 15 inch A1260, 2.4GHZ
2. Samsung Series 6 LED HD Model: UA40B6000 Software T-CHL5DAUC-2001.1, Version
3. Sound to come out of the t.v.

Gillette:

From the owner's manual.



You must use HDMI # 1 if you want audio through the TV.

For the audio, it appears to be a stereo mini-plug.

You'll also notice, that both ports are labeled "DVI" on your TV.



(Am also moving this to combine it with the sticky.)

Ok so I placed the HDMI/DVI Cable into port 1 as you suggested and bought and plugged in a sound/audi cable 3.5mm and still no sound?

HALLUJAH!!!!!!!!

Finally got it working. Feedback for others who are not savvy on the computer....

Once I had the sound cable plugged in, I had to go to my Mac/System Preferences/Sound/Output and select head phone jack. Sound came through straight away.

Thank you for your time and assistance. ;D

Thanks for reporting that Gillette. Keep forgetting that some Macs do not auto output the audio to an external device when plugged in. Need to add this to the troubleshooting area.

TV: Samsung PN58B550

Receiver: Yamaha RX-V665

Computer: Mac Mini 2.26GHz, OS 10.6.4, Model 3,1 2009 model if i recall correctly.

Cable: Mini DisplayPort to HDMI Cable

Right now I have all devices (except the Mini) going into the receiver via HDMI, with one HDMI leaving the receiver, to the TV. I hate wires, and will simplify any place I can, reasonably.

I would like to run HDMI to receiver, so I can use the same HDMI out to the tv, however I'm not sure if I can tell the receiver to look at toslink for audio seperately. So if necessary, I'll just use a second HDMI input on the tv with toslink to receiver for audio.

When I first hooked things up with HDMI, I got a picture, at a poor resolution so I changed it in the display settings. It was set on a ___x___ setting, I changed it to 1080p, and I lost my video signal. The tv flashes "searching for signal" on and on and on.

I currently have the Mini hooked up to the tv's PC connection via MDP>VGA connection. I've done everything I can to get my video back via HDMI.

The guys at AVS Forums didn't have a solution, so I'm coming to you guys, please help, thanks. Let me know if i forgot any information.

Yet again, another Samsung. I'm really getting to hate that name.

Won't be until tonight when I can do some digging. There are some technically knowledgeable folks there at the AVS forums. Not sure I'll find anything they haven't. What else have they had you try? And you're saying it works, just not at 1080?

Have you already tried connecting the HDMI to the Yamaha or only directly to the TV?

Which HDMI port are you using on the TV from the receiver and which port did you try direct from the mini?

Getting the audio to the receiver via HDMI is not a problem. At worst, it'll just take a different adapter at the computer.

Well I only got 1 reply at AVS, just had me turn on tv first then mini and vice versa, also clear PRAM. Thread got pushed to 2nd or third page and I had other stuff going on so it didn't get explored further, lol.

To be honest I haven't messed with it in awhile, so i'm not 100% sure abbout the HDMI inputs at the tv, but believe I tried both 2 and 3.

I did notice that one of the HDMI ports is labeled as DVI/PC, is this input actually any different than the others?

It worked, and now I can't get it to work again, at any resolution.

And you say I can use the HDMI for audio from the mac? I was under the impression that these minis weren't capable of audio through HDMI, that'd be an extra bonus!!

I have to rearrange everything anyways because I'm totally unhappy about the wiring mess, so let me know how you would set it up, and I'll do it.

Also if it helps, I have an imac that I can use to screen share so I can access the Mini even if I have no video.