Connecting iMac to TV via HDMI

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paulnbec


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I have recently purchased a 21.5" iMac and am attempting to connect it to my Samsung 55" Smart TV but am having the following problems;
I have purchased a Mini Display Port to HDMI cable, connected it to a 3m HDMI lead and then to my TV and everything works great and was very easy to set up. The only problem is my computer is about 12m from my TV so I purchased a quality HDMI cable (15m), connected it the same way and I get 'no signal. I have tested the 15m HDMI cable on other equipment and it works fine. As previously stated, the MDP to HDMI also works fine but for some reason when I join the 2 they aren't working. Does anybody have any advice or help??
 
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ycl1688


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HDMI is identical and different length and do not work ? that is strange. Have you plug in real tight ?
 
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Did you make sure the black end is attached to the TV and the orange end to the adapter at the computer?
 
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paulnbec


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Thanks for your replies. I have now tried it with a few different short HDMI cables ranging from good quality to poor cheap ones and it all works fine. Then when I plug in the 15m quality cable I get no signal. I have tried selecting different resolutions but this did not help. I know the 15m cable works though as it is fine with my blu-ray connected to the same HDMI port. I have checked many times to make sure all cables are plugged in correctly and tight.
The TV I am using is - Series 7 55 inch (UA55ES7500M) - OVERVIEW | SAMSUNG
I have made sure that I am plugging the black end to the TV as well. For some reason it does not work???
What else can I try?
Don't know if my iMac details will help but here they are;
21.5-inch, Mid 2011
Processor 2.7 GHz Intel Core i5
Memory 4 GB 1333 MHz DDR3
Graphics AMD Radeon HD 6770M 512 MB
Software Mac OS X Lion 10.7.4 (11E53)
 
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ycl1688


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do yourself a favor upgrade your operating system to ML use AppleTV to airplay, mirror image on your TV.
I do not think using 45 feet of hdmi cable is flexible, you are operating a mini movie hall ?
 
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Actually, 15 meters is 49.5 feet. A very long distance even for "quality" cable. I once helped to setup a projector for a church where the projector was 90 feet from the control booth. We purchased commercial cable at a cost of over $100 in order to avoid drop outs and video loss.
 
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you could try fitting a cheap powered hdmi 1 input 2 output splitter, as 1 of the other functions of the splitter box is to amplify the hdmi signal. I run an hdmi feed up to 2 of my bedrooms and the bathroom as well as the lounge via hdmi<>cat5 baluns and cat 5 pulled around the house from my av server rack in the cupboard under the stairs. I have 2 4 way hdmi splitters so i have my home entertainment pc and my sky hd satellite system fed in hd into every room I have a tv in. on the longest run up to my bedroom the cable take a long route under the floor, up the duct where the soilpipe from my bathroom runs up to the attic then back along and down into the bedroom tv. If I just try to feed the tv straight off the hdmi out of the graphics card I get no signal, but the powered hdmi splitter also boosts the signal and I get a perfect picture.
 
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paulnbec


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Might be a stupid question but is the output strength from the imac going to be weaker than that from the blu ray player that the cable works on?
 
bobtomay

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Not stupid...

I've been connecting my computers to TVs since around '97-'98. In my experience computer graphics cards have always put out a weaker signal than any other type of box from VHS/DVD players, satellite/cable boxes, etc. I quit trying to make long runs from computers around '03 and switched to the network/cat5e cable to another device sitting next to the TV.

Looks like a nice cable you bought and was hoping you didn't know about the directional aspect of it and just had it connected backwards. But, petrolhead has it right... you'll more than likely need a powered HDMI signal booster to move it along a run that long.

Don't know what the electronics in that "active" cable requires in order to boost the signal, but it's probably not getting it coming out from the mdp of the Mac and has become just a passive cable when connected to it.
 
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pendlewitch


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I thought optimum signal over HDMI peaked at about 8m and problems could occur thereafter ?

This was a figure often quoted by Hi Fi/AV techies however if you follow this URL and click on the link' HDMI Demystified' at the bottom there is an interesting read to be had about the subject.

http://www.audioquest.com/hdmi/

p.s. Have you tried a different HDMI input on the TV yet...they are sometimes configured differently? I can't tell from the manual but it's worth a try.On my Samsung Series 6 , HDMI 3 is annotated for DVI.

I've also just been looking at the specs on your cable...it's high speed with ethernet which is version 1.4. When you're swapping it out are you using v1.3 or 1.3b cables?
 
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Went to look at the online owner's manual for this TV.

Samdung sucks worse than ever. Stupid owner's manual available online has a generic connections section having nothing to do with any specific TV. Doesn't even have a pic of the connections available on any TV much less this one specifically. Each pic shows a single HDMI, DVI, etc. and says yours may look different than this depending on which TV you have. Just reminds me to never, ever, let any of my cash pay for anything with their name on it - don't care how good it is... and don't even get me started on their customer support if you have a real issue with any of their hardware.

Back to the problem at hand - the specs for HDMI does not carry with it any spec related to how far the signal is suppose to travel. Why even audioquest only rates their 10m cables as 'high speed' and all longer runs at 'standard speed'. At least they do rate them and have spent the time analyzing and verifying the signal strength / error loss being received at the end of the cable.
 
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bobtomay said:
Went to look at the online owner's manual for this TV.

Samdung sucks worse than ever. Stupid owner's manual available online has a generic connections section having nothing to do with any specific TV. Doesn't even have a pic of the connections available on any TV much less this one specifically. Each pic shows a single HDMI, DVI, etc. and says yours may look different than this depending on which TV you have. Just reminds me to never, ever, let any of my cash pay for anything with their name on it - don't care how good it is... and don't even get me started on their customer support if you have a real issue with any of their hardware.

Back to the problem at hand - the specs for HDMI does not carry with it any spec related to how far the signal is suppose to travel. Why even audioquest only rates their 10m cables as 'high speed' and all longer runs at 'standard speed'. At least they do rate them and have spent the time analyzing and verifying the signal strength / error loss being received at the end of the cable.
Click to expand...

Lol..I got the same manual download...just a lot of cartoons of cables and sockets with no explanation. Audioquest do mention the 8m rule though. I think that the problem here is the cable which is described as 'active'....boosting signal etc and is possibly conflicting with the adaptor set-up. I bet your bottom dollar that if the OP put a straight forward 15m v1.3 or v1.3b cable into the chain that it would work...I can't however issue a refund if it doesn't work:)
 
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paulnbec


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ycl1688 said:
do yourself a favor upgrade your operating system to ML use AppleTV to airplay, mirror image on your TV.
I do not think using 45 feet of hdmi cable is flexible, you are operating a mini movie hall ?
Click to expand...

Thinking I might just use this advice, if it works as it should it actually works out to be cheaper than the HDMI cable I bought (and can return). Unless any one has any valid reasons why this is not a good option???

The HDMI port I was plugging into was the one labelled HDMI/DVI but I also tried it in all other ports to no avail.

I have also tried a 15m 'cheap' cable that wasn't active (v 1.4) - also didn't work!
 
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petrolhead69


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I believe the pc hdmi output is a weaker signal than my sky hd satellite receiver as that can send the picture upstairs without the splitter boosting the signal but my pc cant.
I dont know if the mac output is weak as well, I've never had one but I'm toying with the idea. They are very expensive in the uk though I need to try to find a used bargain.
 
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pendlewitch


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paulnbec said:
Thinking I might just use this advice, if it works as it should it actually works out to be cheaper than the HDMI cable I bought (and can return). Unless any one has any valid reasons why this is not a good option???

The HDMI port I was plugging into was the one labelled HDMI/DVI but I also tried it in all other ports to no avail.

I have also tried a 15m 'cheap' cable that wasn't active (v 1.4) - also didn't work!
Click to expand...

I'm glad I didn't bet my own bottom dollar then ;D. Apple TV is certainly valid and well worth considering. Just worth noting...I had a couple of wasted weeks trying to make a quality cable work with my Apple TV and my Denon AVR/Samsung set up and it turned out be a poorly seating connection between the cable and the ATV because the moulding on the HDMI plug was oversized.
 

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