Need help hooking up 2008 Macbook Pro to new Samsung LED

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Hi Everybody,

I just bought a new Samsung LED and am having some trouble hooking up my mid 2008 Macbook Pro to it with audio.

Before I get into the issue I'm having, here is the exact TV I purchased:
http://www.samsung.com/us/video/tvs/UN60F6300AFXZA

And here is an image I took of the back panel of the TV:
http://imgur.com/sXqdd3D

As for my Macbook Pro, its a mid 2008 model so I'm working with a DVI port and the headphone jack for audio. Here is an image of all the ports I have to work with:
http://blog.800hightech.com/wp-conte...-pro-ports.jpg

My old TV had an HDMI port with accompanying audio-in ports. This new TV doesn't have anything like that, despite the Samsung website stating that there is a "DVI Audio In Mini Jack". I actually just called Samsung to ask about this and they said that is incorrect information and the TV doesn't have any such port. I'm also not sure why the "HDMI IN 4" port is labeled as "(DVI)"...

I can get video from my Macbook to show up just fine by using a DVI to HDMI cable, but cant figure out how to get audio along with it since there is no paired audio-in ports. I thought of a couple of options, but upon doing a bit of research it seems that neither of them produce consistent or good results

Option 1:
Purchasing a DVI + Audio to HDMI adapter. The goal here is to merge the separate audio and video sources from my Macbook into one single HDMI cable so the TV would pick it all up. I found items such as this one on Amazon, but this one and all similar products have mixed reviews: http://www.amazon.com/StarTech-DVI2H...pr_product_top

Option 2:
Purchasing a DVI to Video Component converter. This sounded like a great solution until I read in several places that Macs don't convert video to component well at all, causing a completely distorted image. Here is an example of this cable converter: http://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-1025...i+to+component

I apologize for the length of this post, but I wanted to make sure I gave adequate details on my situation. If anybody has experienced and solved an issue such as this I would love to know what you did. Also, if anybody has any ideas on different methods of solving this it would be much appreciated.

Thanks! :)
 

chscag

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Hopefully our resident expert - Administrator Bobtomay will see this post and give you his recommendations.

However, if it were me, I would return the Samsung and buy another TV, one more friendly toward using it with a computer.
 

pigoo3

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I've said it before...I HATE Samsung products!:(

I will never purchase another Samsung product again. And if I'm given one...I would return it at my earliest convenience!

- Nick
 

bobtomay

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Based on the owner's manual I found for that TV - it agrees there is no separate audio input with any of the HDMI ports.

HDMI-to-DVI Connection
Refer to the diagram and connect the HDMI-to-DVI cable to the TV's HDMI (DVI) port and the
computer's DVI output port. The HDMI-to-DVI connection is available through the HDMI (DVI) port
only.
DVI cannot carry audio. To listen to the computer sound, connect the external speaker to the
computer’s audio output connector.

First, they're full of malarkey that you have to connect a DVI to HDMI cable to the HDMI (DVI) port only - unless Samdung themselves are using non-standard HDMI ports. (As you can see, I dislike this company also - their products are not allowed in my house.) You should be able to connect DVI to HDMI to "any" standard HDMI port.

Someone got lazy in the redesign for this model and kept the same label for that input that is on their TV sets that do provide a separate audio input and just didn't change the label on this TV. Then, whomever is writing the owner's manual doesn't know what they are talking about and is making an "assumption" about what that label means.

Option 2 above: While the amazon link(s) above are not working - you're not going to use a DVI to component cable or adapter. As far as I am aware, there is no such thing as a DVI to component "converter". There do exist DVI to component cables and adapters, but they are all for specific devices that actually output component video internally through the analog DVI port. ATI's All-in-Wonder combo GPU/TV tuner cards did this years ago (think I still have one of these around here some where). There were also some camcorders, projectors, etc... that used the analog version of the DVI interface (due to it's reduced size) to output component video and used cables like these.

None of those "convert" DVI to component. The device itself must output component in order for any of them to work.

Option one above: don't know about the startech since the link is not working - I'd probably recommend this one from monoprice. (For some reason - ? - need to scroll up to see the device on this link.) You'll also need a DVI-D cable (or DVI-I), a mini-toslink to toslink cable and a High Speed HDMI cable - I actually like the Amazon basics cables.

Option three - take back the Samdung and get a real TV. ;)

Option four: upgrade your entertainment system to include a 5.1 surround system and you no longer need to get the audio to the TV at all.
 

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Option three - take back the Samdung and get a real TV. ;)

This would be my first choice!;) I wish I could figure out a cost-effective way to get rid of my 5 year-old 52" Samsung flat panel...especially with the cost and features of flat panels getting better & better.

I guess I'm just old-fashioned...since I grew up believing that a TV is supposed to be used until it "craps-out". When in reality...a flat panel TV could or should be replaced about as often as a new laptop computer. And it would probably be cheaper!!!:)

- Nick
 

bobtomay

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Nick - since you've lived with it this long - grab a Panny plasma while they're still available or see if you can hang on until the 4k sets drop into reasonable territory for us common folk. Of course, who knows how long it will take for 4k content to get into that reasonable price territory.
 
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I had no idea I was diving into a sea of Samsung hostiles, haha. Beyond this one connectivity issue I have always been a fan of Samsung displays. That being said, I am no pro on the topic of televisions, but comparing all of the options I looked at in the price range I was aiming for this set appeared to be the best. I am happy with the set's performance and intend to keep it. If I legitimately cant get my old Macbook connected properly I'll probably just upgrade my media computer to a used / refurbed Mac Mini featuring an HDMI out.

Bobtomay:
Thanks for the detailed response, it is very much appreciated! I asked one of my more trusted tech friends about this issue earlier today and he also pointed me to the Monoprice unit along with all of the cables you listed out. For around $60 on Amazon this is surely worth a shot. Is there a better option between DVI-D or DVI-I?
 

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Nick - since you've lived with it this long - grab a Panny plasma while they're still available...

Maybe I can convince the wife we can make the Samsung flat panel the "basement TV" or the "PS3 TV"...and get a new flat panel for the living room!:)

- Nick
 

pigoo3

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I had no idea I was diving into a sea of Samsung hostiles, haha.

Sorry about that. Just a bit of casual venting (psycho-therapy)!;)

I've had negative experiences with Samsung computer monitors, Samsung flat panel TV's, and Samsung printers. The problems I've had with Samsung products were always easily resolved by purchasing a competitor product!:)

- Nick
 

bobtomay

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I only mentioned those two DVI cables in case you have one of them already.

DVI-D - carries digital signal only - this is all you need
DVI-I - carries both digital and analog signal - will work - most DVI cables use to be this type
DVI-A - carries analog signal only - will not work

With a quickie google image search for DVI - you can get a pic of what the connectors in the different types of cables look like to compare against any you may have already.
 
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@Bobtomay

Great, thank you. I ordered everything last night, should have it all by Friday evening. Gotta love Amazon Prime! I will write back once I have it all set up to let you know how it all works out. I'm sure this problem will come up for somebody else in the future, so the more people I can report to on the matter now the better. Thanks again for all of your help.

@Nick
I have only owned one Samsung product in the past, and its my old TV which was (and still is) completely fine. The only reason I wanted to upgrade was to get a larger screen to accommodate my current apartment better. The thing has held up perfectly fine for over 5 years now, so I figured sticking with the same brand was a solid decision based on that experience. As for computer monitors, I am a Dell man, haha :)
 
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Hi Guys,

Just wanted to give you a follow up post on the performance of the Monoprice unit.

It works great! No issues thus far, simple plug and play. Both audio and video are perfect and all running through a single HDMI cable to my TV. My only gripe with the Monoprice box is that the power cable is one of those wide ones that takes up 2 spots on my power strip, but thats a very minute issue considering it solves my MacBook Pro to LED problem.

Thanks again for your help :)
 

bobtomay

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Good deal - glad it's all working for you.
 

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Congrats. Thanks for the update!:)

- Nick
 

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@Bobtomay Thanks for the Monoprice link to that connector. Missed that somehow. Would have come in handy a while back when I was connecting the old receiver to my Mac.

Count me into the "starting to dislike Samsung" crowd. I bought one of their 32' sets a while back when our old CRT type Mitsu gave up. Bought the TV because I had good luck with one of their monitors. The TV is fine but the Samsung Blu-Ray player has been a nightmare.

The initial documentation lead me to believe the player would work with a wireless dongle and that with the right server software the player could play my iTunes library. Nice idea since the TV was already connected to the stereo. After purchasing the player I found out that:

1. Wireless support requires a certain chipset. The Samsung dongle with this chip was about $75. That was more than I payed for the player.

2. DLNA support was a joke. Tried three different programs as server software and the Samsung didn't play nice with any of them or they were a huge system drain.

3. The player does a poor job playing back Blue Ray discs. A brand new disc from the Harry Potter series brings it to its knees about 2/3 of the way into playback.
 

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