Connecting to a plasma TV

Hi,

Not to sure if this is the right section but here it goes.

I'm looking to connect my iMac to my samsung plasma. Whats the best way to do this? the ports that i have on my TV are HDMi, VGA, Scart , and s-video. I connect my mbp to the same tv via the s-video port but this way doesnt give a good picture quality other than when watching movies. Any surgestions?

cheers

mini-dvi to hdmi will give you the best picture.

My suggestion is to use the VGA.

I have read about people having problems with getting the TV to display the image properly when using the DVI>HDMI adapters.

I hook my MacBook up to my LCD TV using the Mini DVI -> DVI adapter, then a DVI -> HDMI cable... It's perfect!

Should i get the mini dvi adaptor from apple or just any brand. I did'nt get a mini dvi adaptor with my adaptor

cheers

The clearest connection you will get is through a HDMI. I have noticed a bunch of computer places sell Apple's mini DVI to DVI adapter. It should only be $19. Purchase a DVI to HDMI cable as well.
I had one slight problem the first time I connected my computer to my Samsung but it is super easy to fix. There are settings on my Samsung for 16x9, wide fit, and 4x3 when watching cable, movies and such. Accidentally, I came upon a 4th setting on my TV when I connected to the iMac I had at the time. It was called "Just Scan." The setting only ever appears when I connect it to my computer. On my remote it is the blue button "P. Size." Once I switched my TV to "Just Scan" the image was perfect.
VGA is a analog connection. I wouldn't recommend it when you're using a digital source and your output will also be digital. S-Video will not provide a much higher quality picture than the standard RCA connection provides and the RCA connection is at the bottom of the list when comparing image quality.

nice one . Gonna get all the leads today

cheers

Hi,

I've just read that the dvi/hdmi will only carry a picture signal so will i have to connect a audio cable from my iMac to my plasma? if so i would imagine that i would have to connect the audio lead to my the microphone port on the iMac but wont this mean that no sound will come thru the iMac speakers as long as it's plugged in?>

cheers

Yes, you would have to disconnect the audio cord from the iMac if you wanted to use the speakers from the iMac.
DVI is a video only connection.

thanks for clearing that up

cheers

The new iMac has new ports on the back? My iMac wont allow me to do anything, its last years model

Pixel_Donkey said:

The new iMac has new ports on the back? My iMac wont allow me to do anything, its last years model

Click to expand...

Your iMac has a MINI-DVI port... It's right next to the Ethernet Port... You just need the mini-dvi to DVI adapter. It is Port "1" on the image below:




.




And what you need looks like this:

Pixel_Donkey said:

The new iMac has new ports on the back? My iMac wont allow me to do anything, its last years model

Click to expand...

I originally had the 2GHz Core Duo model from early 2006. It will work with the mini DVI cord as stated.

Well just got my dvi to hdmi cable and the picture quality is less than perfect. Infact i get a better picture when viewing thru my old composite adapter. Any ideas whats wrong? I've not yet received my mini dvi to dvi adapter from apple yet so i tried on my MBP. I have a dvi to hdmi cable i just plugged the dvi into my MBP and the the hdmi into my samsung. The picture is dark and slighty orange tint? Also i cant get the desktop to fit my samsung screen perfect always to big so the top of the dock can only be viewed? Thinking i should have bought an VGA lead instead now? any ideas?

cheers

bryphotoguy said:

The clearest connection you will get is through a HDMI. I have noticed a bunch of computer places sell Apple's mini DVI to DVI adapter. It should only be $19. Purchase a DVI to HDMI cable as well.
I had one slight problem the first time I connected my computer to my Samsung but it is super easy to fix. There are settings on my Samsung for 16x9, wide fit, and 4x3 when watching cable, movies and such. Accidentally, I came upon a 4th setting on my TV when I connected to the iMac I had at the time. It was called "Just Scan." The setting only ever appears when I connect it to my computer. On my remote it is the blue button "P. Size." Once I switched my TV to "Just Scan" the image was perfect.
VGA is a analog connection. I wouldn't recommend it when you're using a digital source and your output will also be digital. S-Video will not provide a much higher quality picture than the standard RCA connection provides and the RCA connection is at the bottom of the list when comparing image quality.

Click to expand...

I assume you didn't tryusing the advice above. Use the remote and change the picture setting. You describe the exact problem I had till I fixed the pic size on my TV. This might help make it look clearer.
I had to calibrate my TV with my monitor's spyder tool. My TV was slightly blue. But my TV is a lot brighter than my computer monitor.
I am confused though. You say you have connected to the MBP but you don't have the miniDVIfor the MBP. What do currently have conneted to the TV now??

bryphotoguy said:

I assume you didn't tryusing the advice above. Use the remote and change the picture setting. You describe the exact problem I had till I fixed the pic size on my TV. This might help make it look clearer.
I had to calibrate my TV with my monitor's spyder tool. My TV was slightly blue. But my TV is a lot brighter than my computer monitor.
I am confused though. You say you have connected to the MBP but you don't have the miniDVIfor the MBP. What do currently have conneted to the TV now??

Click to expand...

Ok I applied "just scan" and the picture on my TV now fits but is smaller than the actual screen. Tried watching some movies via front row and the picture quality is still not as good as before I played around with the contrast etc... on the tv and made it slightly better
I bought the cables to connect my samsung tv to my imac. I'm currently waiting for my mini dvi to dvi adapter to arrive for my iMac, so at the moment to try the cable out I plugged one end into my MBP (dvi port) and the other end into my TV (hdmi). My imac has an mini dvi and my mbp has a standard size dvi port. Also what audio cables would I buy as i've tried using my composite ones that I use with s video but there dont work?

cheers

Just got back from my local store with a dvi to vga adapter. It works perfectly as soon as i plugged it in my tv flashed a msg up saying adjusting picture than bam a perfect picture. looks like I got a surplus 10m dvi to hdmi cable now Now just gotta get sound to the tv what to use and where to plug it in?

cheers

Picture quality for watching DVD's is pretty low. I get a much nicer picture from my PS3 using component cables or DVD player via HDMI than through my Mac Pro or any other mac I've tried.
As for audio, use the audio out jack from your computer. I had to purchase a Y splitter to turn the headphones jack into the audio composite connectors. Or does your TV or receiver accept the headphones jack as well?

my mini dvi adapter for my iMac turned up today. A better picture when using my hdmi cable with the iMac than my mbp but still now where as clear as with vga. I do have a couple of questions tho:

1. when the mini dvi is plugged in to the back of my iMac is there any way to stop my imac display from changing. I was planning to leave it plugged in all the time and just switching to the source on my tv but i have not yet worked out how to do this.

2. I normally watch all my vids etc.. thru frontrow. Is there any way to get front row to appear on my tv and my iMac display stays on what ever I was doing? I have to use mirror image as the option as I cant work out how to do it.

3. I do have a small dvi to vga cable but the dvi end doesnt fit into the mini dvi adapter it seems to have some pins in different locations. How come?

cheers

ferritt said:

my mini dvi adapter for my iMac turned up today. A better picture when using my hdmi cable with the iMac than my mbp but still now where as clear as with vga. I do have a couple of questions tho:

1. when the mini dvi is plugged in to the back of my iMac is there any way to stop my imac display from changing. I was planning to leave it plugged in all the time and just switching to the source on my tv but i have not yet worked out how to do this.

2. I normally watch all my vids etc.. thru frontrow. Is there any way to get front row to appear on my tv and my iMac display stays on what ever I was doing? I have to use mirror image as the option as I cant work out how to do it.

3. I do have a small dvi to vga cable but the dvi end doesnt fit into the mini dvi adapter it seems to have some pins in different locations. How come?

cheers

Click to expand...

Not sure how a VGA connection would be clearer than HDMI. Did you go System Preferences > Displays. Did you go to the display tab and configure the resolution to your TV properly? btw, don't use the highest setting either. Under the display tab it says I can change it to 1920x1080 but my TV only supports up to 720p. Make sure the resolution is set to your TV.

1. Define changing... If the TV is connected and turned off or the TV is not set to the source you have it connected to (HDMI 1,2,3), it should not matter. My TV is constantly connected. It's currently off so my computer does not recognize it. I can flip it to play some TV or a movie and my computer will stop recognizing it and switch back to the single screen mode.

2. Not that I know of. Front Row is cool visually but it's not an app I am familiar with. It didn't become a usable part of OS X on the Mac Pro till 10.5 and after a few tries to get front row to only show up on the TV while being able to use my monitor for web surfing or something else, I gave up using it. Extended desktop still makes it show up on both screens.

3. There are a million types of DVI connections. Ok, there are only a few. Because it has to be both a digital and analog cable (DVI to VGA), it has different pin settings. The DVI Macs use are digital specific so they display a higher quality picture. All About DVI Maybe the link will help you out...