Macbook Pro 2011 to tv display

I purchased a thunderbolt to HDMI cable but when I use it I can only see some items on the TV, such as the screensaver.

Some other things come up but the same screen as on the MAC does not show on the TV. For instance DVDs show a blank background scene but not the video.

I tried to change some of the display settings but nothing worked.

How do I get it to do so?

Check out Post # 2 - Item # 3 and see if that gets you headed in the right direction.

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