Connecting your Mac to your TV

[invictusm7]

Ok thats good to know. So what should I do then, if the 3.5mm end of the cord I got doesn't fit anywhere?

 

[bobtomay]

It shouldn't fit anywhere except that single port in the pic above.

 

[fashionistaslov]

Please help me figure out audio!

1. What Mac do you have? Personally, I prefer to have the year, model and processor speed. Example: 2008 iMac 2.8, 2006 Mac Mini 2.0, or 2009 MBP 2.6.

I have a Macbook Pro 2009 (5.5)
2. What TV do you have? This means make and model #. A link to your owners manual (not the spec sheet) would be helpful. But, if you can't find it, still provide your model # and we'll try to work from there.

Sharp Aquos LED TV Model: LC-52LE640U
should have all the ports...

3. Where do you want the sound? On the TV, a stereo, a 5.1 A/V receiver? If you want it someplace other than the TV, you'll need to provide the make and model of that piece of equipment also.

Want the sound to come through TV, thanks!

I have bought a dvi-hdmi cord and a separate A/V cord but cannot get this to work!

 

[bobtomay]

fashionistaslov

See the bottom of pg 13 in the owner's manual - link.

When it indicates using HDMI 1, you need to use HDMI 1, not HDMI 2, etc.

Also, note the audio setting you need to make along with the connections.

 

[BwilderBholden]

Many years later....are you still out there?

Hello, Mac Forum newbie here, I was wondering if I can still get some help, please?

I would like to connect a 2015 macbook pro retina (see info below) to a 2004 LG LCD TV model RU-23LZ21 (see info. Below), no other devices to be connected. I would deeply appreciate help with the cables and ports involved, and where I may purchase them online.

Preferably, I would like audio and video, but worst case, having video ability, will do.

Recently, the display on macbook pro was damaged ($488 repair), but as a work around, I can use an external device, to access the hard drive and/or continue working on macbook, until funds are available. Currently, I’m caring for my seriously ill father, and finances are almost non-existent and do not forsee the repair, any time soon.

Info on devices:
2015 Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch high-performance notebook with Retina display, Part no. MF839LL/A, Serial no. Model No. A1502, With a 13.3inch., 2.7GHz, 8GB, and 128GB. Thunderbolt 2 ports with up to 20gb’s of bandwith, two USB.3 ports, an HDMI port, an SDXC card slot, and a headphone port. Attached are the manuals for: Essentials, Info Guide, and Quick Start.

2004 LG LCD TV, see attachments for pics. of the lable and the ports, including an attachment of the manual.

Any assistance would be appreciated.

Sincerely,
B&B

27138[/ATTACH]

 

[Slydude]

Judging from the specs that you have provided for the TV a connection to your Mac should be possible. Good thing you provided that summary though because I was having trouble finding a more detailed manual. It appears that this model of TV wants the computer connected to a computer via the VGA port Here's what you will need to make that work:

1 Thunderbolt 2 to VGA adapter similar to the ones here. Connects to the computer.
1 VGA Cable such as these. Runs from the adapter to the VGA port on the TV.
1 3.5 mm to 3.5 mm cable for sound such as one of these. Runs from the headphone port on the computer to the sound port on the TV.

As you can see the parts needed aren't expensive but I can say from experience that the quality of some of those Thunderbolt to VGA adapters can vary considerably. It may also take a bit of fiddling with the Displays preference pane to get things working well. The screen resolution is less than you're probably used to since the connection is VGA.

 

[BwilderBholden]

Dear Slydude,

I read this and acted on your response from my email. Responding now to you here.....dude!!!! Thank you so much, you have opened my world back up again, so desperately needed....this will certainly get me by, until my and my father's life improves. Cheers to ya.

 

[Slydude]

You're welcome. Glad that sorts things out for you.

Thanks for posting back and letting us know the outcome. There are lots of things that can go wrong with these connections--especially with older sets.