Connecting to HDTV for the first time.

like the title says i am trying to connect to a HDTV with the cables that i purchased and i am having a little issue. first i want to be able to connect to the tv with the laptop closed. second do i have to have the computer shut down before hooking audio video cords to it or can i just plug them in any old time. third i have had it working already once but on the tv it doesn't show the top of the screen where the file,edit, etc. are can i fix that? any help would be much appreciated. btw i am using a mini displayport to hdmi adapter and going from male rca to 3.5mm.

You can connect the laptop to the video and close it I believe - you may need an external mouse or keyboard connected. You could also use insomniax - just watch out for heat issues. I use it but it can get hot. I tend to use insomniax with a laptop chiller pad.
semaja2

Second - you should be able to plug and unplug with little effort. The mac should detect the display and set it up correctly

It isn't clear to me that you have a cutoff screen - usually mac only displays one menu bar. You can try second bar - or if you close your lid - the hdtv should become your primary display.
What is Secondbar? SecondBar & BetterTouchTool Blog

i am not using the tv as a second display i am mirroring it. i know the file,edit, ect. tabs are there because i can hit them because i know where they are i just cant see them. thanks for your other input though.

For the problem with the Menu Bar not showing up, try playing with the overscan options on your HDTV itself, and in the Mac display settings.

As I said it wasn't clear what you were doing, the more details you give the better the answer you will get. So if it is mirrored - you'll probably have to change your resolution. If I read your specs correctly you have a 17" MBP which is 1920x1200. Most HDTVs are 1920x1080 or less - which is probably why you are seeing only parts of the screen. The mac should have adjusted it when connected but you should be able to force the proper resolution in system preferences. Just start up system preferences before you plug in the monitor so you don't have to guess where you are on the menu bar.

If you have a 1080p - you'll want to set the display to 1920x1080, the other common one is 720p which would be 1280x720 or so or try using detect display.

Hopefully that helps.

when i connect to the tv it gives me 4 options 480i 480p 720p 1080i i chose the 720p option and it changes the res both on the pc and the tv to 720p.

Hey RustProof this sticky that bobtomay did up might be of some assistance to you

Connecting your Mac to your TV

Very informative

Cheers

thanks! between this and what 6string said in a different thread i have it all working perfectly. with my laptop closed i am actually typing this from my iphone while watching hulu desktop. this is perfect just perfect

Nice is always good to see a happy customer lol
Seriously though, it is good you have the outcome you where looking for

Cheers

the one thing i would still like to know is if it is ok to have the computer on when unplugging the audio cables. from what i have read the displayport cable is fine to unplug while turned on but not sure about the audio. i have shorted a soundcard out by doing this before but they were powered speakers. so anyone that knows please post..

I find when im unplugging my 5.1 surround unless i have the speakers themselves unplugged i get a lot of distortion through them. That high pitched crackling noise. I turn them off now as im not sure if it is doing anything to them or my MB, but i do it as a precautionary now.
Not sure if it will short anything out though. Better to be safe than sorry

Cheers

ok sounds good Tattoo thanks for the advice. i think i might just turnoff my tv just in case. i think it was the power from the speakers i had plugged in that fried my sound card. so as you said i will just be safe and shut everything down before i unplug..