powermac connecting to tv

[POWERMACG5help]

i just bought a used powermac g5 without a monitor with the intention of using my tv for that function, so i went to currys to buy a dvi-hdmi lead and they gave me hdmi lead with a mini display port to hdmi adaptor so i connected it to the hdmi port on my tv but it says 'check signal' and displays nothing ? what do i do ?

 

[pigoo3]

...so i went to currys to buy a dvi-hdmi lead and they gave me hdmi lead with a mini display port to hdmi adaptor so i connected it to the hdmi port on my tv but it says 'check signal' and displays nothing ? what do i do ?

Are you 100% sure you got an adapter with a "mini-display port" on it? Unless you have some sort of special video card...I do not believe any of the video cards that shipped with Powermac G5's had a mini-display port on them.

As far as the "check signal" message...you either have to go to your TV's settings & change the "active" input port (the one from the computer)...or go into the Powermac G5's "System Preferences"...then open the "Displays" control panel...then check the settings there.

You should probably also let us know what OS your Powermac G5 is running...since this is a 6+ year-old computer...the OS it's running may be on the older side.

- Nick

 

[POWERMACG5help]

well on the packet it came in it says mini displayport but i was told to put it into the firewire 400 port, cheers for the reply

 

[pigoo3]

well on the packet it came in it says mini displayport but i was told to put it into the firewire 400 port, cheers for the reply

Wrong wrong, wrong! There's no way you should be plugging the mini-display port part of that cable into the Firewire 400 port...whomever gave you this info should be SHOT!

The firewire 400 port is a data transfer port...it has nothing to do with a video signal...which would obviously explain why you are not getting any video signal to your TV.

You need to identify what ports are on your Powermac G5's video card...and then get the appropriate cable. Most likely your video card has a full-sized DVI port...so you will most likely need a DVI-HDMI cable.

This is just an educated guess on my part since almost all Powermac G5 video cards had a DVI port on them. And just so you know...once you get the video signal to your TV figured out...you're probably going to need a 2nd cable if you want your Powermac G5's audio (sound) to come out of your TV's speakers.

HTH,

- Nick

 

[POWERMACG5help]

aaah thats £50 down the drain then, i thought that's what i needed but they said APPLE MB570Z/A Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter buy online | Currys is what i need with a hdmi cable. if its not asking too much what hdmi-dvi cable would i need ? also what would i need for audio ? really appreciate the help

 

[pigoo3]

aaah thats £50 down the drain then,

Can't you return the cable if it's the wrong one? Especially since the "Curry's" folks were the one's responsible for recommending the wrong cable?

I'm very familiar with that video adapter you linked...and that's why I knew that it wasn't for your computer. In fact...the mini-display port didn't even show up in Macintosh computers until around 2008. Your computer is from 2005 or before...so you can see why it wouldn't work (the cart BEFORE the horse sort of thing)!

if its not asking too much what hdmi-dvi cable would i need ?

You still didn't verify what video ports you have on your Powermac G5...but my educated guess is that you need a "full-sized" DVI to HDMI cable (you choose the length).

also what would i need for audio?

The "audio-out" port on your Powermac G5 is just a standard "mini-jack" the same connector you find on any pair of headphones for an mp3 player. You need to check your TV for what sort of "audio-in" connector it has.

HTH,

- Nick

 

[POWERMACG5help]

yeah its a dvi, thanks a lot for the help

 

[pigoo3]

yeah its a dvi, thanks a lot for the help

I think that you'll find much more success with a DVI-HDMI cable to get the video working from your computer to your TV.

Just remember...you need a full-sized DVI-HDMI cable (the DVI part is full-sized). I mention this...since there are "mini-DVI" video adapters out there which can confuse the issue.

Good luck,

- Nick

 

[POWERMACG5help]

when it comes to audio would a 'Toslink to 3.5mm optical cable' work ? or is it possible to use headphones/ speakers connected to the mac ?

 

[bobtomay]

4 cables here - 3' to 15' - or approx 1 meter to 5 meters. Check for similar at Amazon UK.

If you're attempting to take sound to the TV, an optical cable will not work. I have not seen a single TV by any manufacturer that allows for a separate optical port to work in conjunction with HDMI.

You really need to look up the manual for your TV to see what it says about using any HDMI port with separate audio. Every TV and manufacturer handle this differently and some not at all.

You could start here - post # 3 - to learn what to look for both in the manual and at your ports on the TV.

I am a post-PPC Mac user, so I know nothing about a G5. Nick can probably assist more as to whether you can use optical if you want to take the audio to an A/V receiver instead of the TV.

 

[pigoo3]

when it comes to audio would a 'Toslink to 3.5mm optical cable' work ? or is it possible to use headphones/ speakers connected to the mac ?

The Powermac G5's do have an "optical" audio out port. I didn't suggest it, since I didn't want to complicate things further ...and I actually don't know of too many folks using it (thus I only mentioned the "regular" audio out mini-jack).

If you want to go the optical audio-out port...and have found the correct cable...go for it!

- Nick