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How to connect an iMac to a Sony Bravia HDTV with a VGA connection (not HDMI) ?

F

FrenchPB

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Sep 15, 2005
389
0
Hey all,


I just replaced my HDTV with a new Sony Bravia 32EX500 (Full HD, 1080p). My previous TV (HD Ready, 720p) was linked to my 2008 iMac with a VGA cable (with a mini-DVI to VGA adapter on the Mac end). It worked perfectly fine, but I can't get it to work with the new TV.

Could you please tell me what resolution, frequency, and colours I should use to make it work ?

Please not that I do not want a HDMI cable. I know it'd be better and easier, but my computer is quite far away from the TV and an HDMI cable of that length would be way too expensive. I'd rather find a way to make it work with the existing VGA cable.

I just need to find the right settings for that VGA input. The TV doesn't recognize the signal right now.

Thanks for your help, I hope you guys will find the solution.
 
MacHamster68

MacHamster68

macrumors 68040
Sep 17, 2009
3,251
5
i wish good luck , you will need it ,if you ever get it working let me know i tried that too as i have a sony bravia here but after 2 weeks trying out all sorts of vga cables and display settings i gave up , god knows what that vga port is for on the sony bravia but i doubt its for connecting a new Mac, besides it didn't even work with my dell zino so didn't even work with a new pc , and why buy a full hd 1080p tv in first place and using analogue connection to it ,on my G5 imac it was a necessity as that one only has mini vga out , but surprisingly it did work on that ,but on the intel i got mini dvi and didnt work ,so even i who looks after every penny i spend choose the dvi/hdmi adapter and extension
a 10 meter hdmi extension cable cost just £10-15 nowadays so i used that one and at least its plug an play
 
F

FrenchPB

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Sep 15, 2005
389
0
MacHamster68 said:
i wish good luck , you will need it ,if you ever get it working let me know i tried that too as i have a sony bravia here but after 2 weeks trying out all sorts of vga cables and display settings i gave up , god knows what that vga port is for on the sony bravia but i doubt its for connecting a new Mac, besides it didn't even work with my dell zino so didn't even work with a new pc , and why buy a full hd 1080p tv in first place and using analogue connection to it ,on my G5 imac it was a necessity as that one only has mini vga out , but surprisingly it did work on that ,but on the intel i got mini dvi and didnt work ,so even i who looks after every penny i spend choose the dvi/hdmi adapter and extension
a 10 meter hdmi extension cable cost just £10-15 nowadays so i used that one and at least its plug an play
Click to expand...

Last time I checked (2 years ago), those HDMI cables were quite expensive, but I guess time change fast ! I need a 5-meter cable to link my iMac to my TV.

Would this work : http://www.amazon.co.uk/PREMIUM-HDM...4FCI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1286197894&sr=8-2

I'd then have to buy a mini-DVI to HDMI adapter, and I'd be all set ?
 
MacHamster68

MacHamster68

macrumors 68040
Sep 17, 2009
3,251
5
yes ,but its easier if you already got a mini dvi to dvi adapter
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Neet®-adapter-cable-Apple-DVI-D/dp/B002V88FCY/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1286199219&sr=1-1
and just buy one of those
http://www.amazon.co.uk/5m-HDMI-DVI-Cable-Premium/dp/B001NXPR92/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1286198505&sr=1-2
just remember it doesn't deliver sound so you need the 3.5 " male to male too for the sound

on ebay you might find all that for less i payed for the mini dvi to dvi adapter just £4 on ebay including postage and original apple part
 
F

FrenchPB

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Sep 15, 2005
389
0
MacHamster68 said:
yes ,but its easier if you already got a mini dvi to dvi adapter and just buy one of those
http://www.amazon.co.uk/5m-HDMI-DVI-Cable-Premium/dp/B001NXPR92/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1286198505&sr=1-2
Click to expand...

Is that mini-DVI to DVI adapter included in the iMac or MacBook box when you buy one ? If not, then I probably don't have it.

I bought the mini-DVI to VGA for my previous TV, but I don't think I have an other adapter.

Now, if I have to buy an adapter in any case, what should I do :
- get a mini-DVI to DVI adapter, and a DVI-HDMI cable
- get a mini-DVI to HDMI adapter, and a HDMI-HDMI cable
 
MacHamster68

MacHamster68

macrumors 68040
Sep 17, 2009
3,251
5
minidvi2dvi3.jpg
the mini dvi to dvi is usually included just check it out it looks like that
 
MacHamster68

MacHamster68

macrumors 68040
Sep 17, 2009
3,251
5
and just remember not to mirror the display as then you get a funny picture as then it will have full screen 1920x 1080 if you mirror but you will get the desktop at the max resolution of the iMac display which means as its smaller black borders , so turn mirror off
 
F

FrenchPB

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Sep 15, 2005
389
0
Someone in an other thread told me that 1360x768 60hz should work perfectly fine on my HDTV. But it doesn't :-/

I'd be perfectly fine as long as I could displayed 720p videos on my TV using my iMac as the source.
 
F

FrenchPB

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Sep 15, 2005
389
0
Bernard SG said:
You may want to consider the new Apple TV to avoid cables. It's "only" $99.
Click to expand...

I'd rather use a USB key directly on the TV than buying an Apple TV ! I don't want to put all my videos on itunes, reencode them if needed, then have the stream on Apple TV...
 
Bernard SG

Bernard SG

macrumors 65816
Jul 3, 2010
1,354
7
FrenchPB said:
I'd rather use a USB key directly on the TV than buying an Apple TV ! I don't want to put all my videos on itunes, reencode them if needed, then have the stream on Apple TV...
Click to expand...

Good point.
On the other hand the Apple TV is already jailbroken so it's not too far-fetched to imagine that the guys will find a way to stream to it using other media players than iTunes.
 
V

Vylen

macrumors 65816
Jun 3, 2010
1,026
0
Sydney, Australia
Bernard SG said:
Good point.
On the other hand the Apple TV is already jailbroken so it's not too far-fetched to imagine that the guys will find a way to stream to it using other media players than iTunes.
Click to expand...

Not really worth the hassle and the money when a (cheaper) HDMI cable seems to be perfectly sufficient here.

As for knowing what resolutions the TV is capable of, nothing beats reading the manual to see exactly what (page 46)
 
F

FrenchPB

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Sep 15, 2005
389
0
Vylen said:
Not really worth the hassle and the money when a (cheaper) HDMI cable seems to be perfectly sufficient here.

As for knowing what resolutions the TV is capable of, nothing beats reading the manual to see exactly what (page 46)
Click to expand...

Thanks Vylen. If my iMac is able to send a WXGA signal (1360 x 768 for example) at 60 Hz, should it work using a VGA cable then ?
 
MacHamster68

MacHamster68

macrumors 68040
Sep 17, 2009
3,251
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based on that manual via vga only 640x480 :eek: page 46 thats not really a big resolution but matches my experience on the g5
considering with hdmi you get the full 1920x1080 if you got like me now a intel with dvi out
 
AlphaDogg

AlphaDogg

macrumors 68040
May 20, 2010
3,417
7
Ypsilanti, MI
I have a Bravia TV. It would not accept input from my MacBook with mini-dvi. So, I had to grab my mother's Sony VAIO, so it could recognize an input. At which point, I would disconnect the VAIO, and connect the MacBook. It would display. I think the issue lies in the signal that the mini-dvi to VGA adapter puts out. When I got my MacBook Pro, I connected it to the TV with the mini displayport to VGA adapter. Once the adapter was connected to the VGA cable (not the MBP), it would detect input. Then when I connected it to the MBP, it displayed an image. I hope I helped! :)
 
F

FrenchPB

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Sep 15, 2005
389
0
AlphaDogg said:
I have a Bravia TV. It would not accept input from my MacBook with mini-dvi. So, I had to grab my mother's Sony VAIO, so it could recognize an input. At which point, I would disconnect the VAIO, and connect the MacBook. It would display. I think the issue lies in the signal that the mini-dvi to VGA adapter puts out. When I got my MacBook Pro, I connected it to the TV with the mini displayport to VGA adapter. Once the adapter was connected to the VGA cable (not the MBP), it would detect input. Then when I connected it to the MBP, it displayed an image. I hope I helped! :)
Click to expand...

It got me confused ! Should I plug the VGA cord to an other laptop before plugging it back to my iMac ? Should I do that the first time only or would I have to do that every single time ???

I had a 32D3000 Sony Bravia before, and I didn't have any issue with that setup.
 
M

MonkeyET

macrumors 6502
Aug 7, 2009
291
1
Indio, CA
I guess where I am confused with your problem lies in what the TV tells you. The TV accepts the incoming signal so if it is a 1080P TV, sending the 1980X1080 signal out should work just fine. I have a 2007 Sony TV which will take any input though the VGA input. I would verify your settings on your iMac as I don't see the TV being the problem here.

When you go to settings and detect displays, does the TV show up?
 
F

FrenchPB

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Sep 15, 2005
389
0
MonkeyET said:
I guess where I am confused with your problem lies in what the TV tells you. The TV accepts the incoming signal so if it is a 1080P TV, sending the 1980X1080 signal out should work just fine. I have a 2007 Sony TV which will take any input though the VGA input. I would verify your settings on your iMac as I don't see the TV being the problem here.

When you go to settings and detect displays, does the TV show up?
Click to expand...


The iMac detects an secondary screen, and offers me a choice of resolution. However, the 1980x1080 resolution is not a choice on the list. I have two windows with display settings : one for my iMac, a second one for the secondary screen.

The TV doesn't detect any signal on the PC IN.
 
M

MonkeyET

macrumors 6502
Aug 7, 2009
291
1
Indio, CA
FrenchPB said:
The iMac detects an secondary screen, and offers me a choice of resolution. However, the 1980x1080 resolution is not a choice on the list. I have two windows with display settings : one for my iMac, a second one for the secondary screen.

The TV doesn't detect any signal on the PC IN.
Click to expand...

Have you checked the TV manual for resolutions that the TV supports? It may be that a 720 resolution output would be sufficient.
 
M

mrsblucher

macrumors newbie
Mar 2, 2011
4
0
I screen share my Mini from my PowerBook and the Sony tv IS picked up in the display settings with 1980x1080 res. But the Bravia won't recognize the PC input.

As alphadogg pointed out you can trick the Bravia into recognizing the Mini by plugging in another machine first (I used a PowerBook), but once you choose to watch TV the PC input is lost, and you have to swap cords again. This is SO unacceptable!!

Has anyone had success with a mini DVI to HDMI female adaptor? (to avoid VGA). Or is the problem to do with the Mac Mini (e.g. Doesn't send HDCP compliant signals like PowerBook does)??

Would really appreciate solutions since there doesn't appear to be one from the original post.

TIA

Matthew
 
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