Black Macbook and Sony Bravia 40" HDTV

[nauzerlvr]

My first post here, so, first off, hello everyone!

I just bought the black Mac Book, 2.2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo and nave 4 GHz or RAM. I bought the MiniDV to VGA adapter and made an attempt to hook up my 40" Sony Bravia to the laptop. It works but the picture is small in the center of the TV. I tried other resolutions but nothing seemed to help.

All my HDMI inputs are being used and I thought since it had the VGA port, why not try.

Am I wasting my time and should I try an alternate route?

TIA everyone.

N

[basesloaded190]

that might be the best your going to get because the macbook doesn't have the supported resolution you need to fill your screen. a macbook pro on the other hand would. i could be wrong but i think there really isn't anymore you can do

[nauzerlvr]

that might be the best your going to get because the macbook doesn't have the supported resolution you need to fill your screen. a macbook pro on the other hand would. i could be wrong but i think there really isn't anymore you can do


Yeah, I was afraid of that. The Macbook I have uses a chip set rather than a graphics card. I sold my Powerbook to get this one. I thought about trying to use one of the utilities like DisplayConfigX or perhaps SwitchResX. Anyone think that route might work? If not then I can still live with it. Doesn't hurt to try though.

[steveza]

It could be a settings thing. My mac mini uses the full area on my Sony 40" HDTV - just worked like that out the box so I couldn't offer any ideas on how to get it working though.

[anotherarunan]

try playing about with the settings on your tv?

[nauzerlvr]

try playing about with the settings on your tv?

I tried that and using the additional resolutions by "gathering windows" but still nothing. I just bought the MiniDVI to DVI adapter and the HDMI cable and will try that.

[CKtoph]

A VGA output to your HDTV won't do anything. Any movies or pictures will produce terrible quality regardless of your settings on your MacBook. Keep in mind that VGA outputs are analog and not digital.

Your DVI output will give you the digital signal you are looking for. It should give you up to a 720p display. The MBPs will support up to 1080p.

[Redline13]

A VGA output to your HDTV won't do anything. Any movies or pictures will produce terrible quality regardless of your settings on your MacBook. Keep in mind that VGA outputs are analog and not digital.

Your DVI output will give you the digital signal you are looking for. It should give you up to a 720p display. The MBPs will support up to 1080p.

I have used both the VGA out and DVI out on my Macbook to connect it to my HDTV and there is no difference in quality. The VGA connection actually offers me more choices of resolutions so I can get a picture that covers the screen from end to end. The original poster should give it a try.

[pattman247]

first of all, all these people are wrong :D (sorry lol)
the macbook has a mini-dvi connector which is basically a single-channeled dvi connection. This port can output to a display up to 1920x1200 pixels, which is what the 23 inch apple cinema display has and is also higher than all the 1080p displays on the market. The reason why it's higher is because there is more room on the top and bottom for the computer's operating systems taskbar.

The MBP on the other hand has a full-sized dual-channeled dvi connector. This can output to a display up to 2560x1600 pixels, the 30" apple cinema display. The MBP goes higher than 1080p.

I don't know why your television doesn't support all the pixels your computer is outputting to it, since both VGA and DVI support 1200p. Maybe fiddle with your television settings I don't know.

People saying the macbook has bad graphics capability is wrong. The intel gma950 and x3100 are both optimized to fully support quartz extreme and hd video. I did a test where I unloaded 8 quicktime divx movies at once, and used expose to see them all at once. All 8 movies were being played back at 24fps :eek:. The more I added later on, the slower the fps got overall. This is again probably not the chipset's fault, but the 5200rpm harddrive inside the macbook. I will try to play 8 movies, and perhaps 4 over the network and see if I get the same results. This was on the 2.16ghz macbook with gma 950 and 2.5 gigs of ram. Ur computer has more memory and a faster processor, so I am pretty sure running ONE 1080p movie will not be a problem.

For the record, 720p is 1280x720, and the macbook's 13 inch screen is 1280x800, so it can obviously run more than that.

[sealab2021]

I had something similar when I tried to connect my MBP running Vista to my 1080p TV. From what I read, there is no fix for it yet. I'm not sure if that is similar, but I thought I'd offer it up.

[BillyBobBongo]

I had a similar problem using with my Macbook and Samsung TV. I found that if I played with using either the 'clone' desktop or the 'dual' desktop abilities (option+f7) I could fill more of the screen using the 'dual' desktop ability.

[CKtoph]

I have used both the VGA out and DVI out on my Macbook to connect it to my HDTV and there is no difference in quality. The VGA connection actually offers me more choices of resolutions so I can get a picture that covers the screen from end to end. The original poster should give it a try.

I really don't see how this is possible. I've worked in settings where I've utilized both as well (albeit not on a MacBook, but still on the same PC) where the VGA output was clearly lesser in quality than the DVI. Purely by working mechanics, I don't see how you are getting no difference in quality from an analog versus a DVI signal. Keep in mind, I'm not trying to argue a point, but I'd be interested to know to what capacity you are making the comparison to equate the two signals.

Oh and my previous post was a little misleading...for some reason, I added the fact that the MBP supports up to 1080p while the MB supports only up to 720p. What I meant was the native resolution on the laptop itself, not the output :p

[pattman247]

dvi is obviously the better choice, only because it is all digital. The signal outputted is only 1s and 0s, so the quality wouldn't change depending on the cable, analog signals do

[MasterMacBook]

maybe u have the output mirrowed???
my bad about spleeing

[MasterMacBook]

maybe u have the output mirrowed???
my bad about spleeing

[SFStateStudent]

on your "beautiful" Sony Bravia LCD 40" (I have the same one), then turn on your MB, press "menu" on your Sony remote, select "external inputs" select your "PC" which should be "Video 7" and your "desktop" should appear. If it doesn't appear then go to "Displays" under "System Preferences" and select "Arrangement" and ensure that you check the BOX for "Mirror Displays" and you are good to go. You'll get the "FULL SCREEN" of your desktop as it looks on your MB (your display resolution should be set at 1360 x 768, but you can set it to whatever you like). After all, it's your MB and Sony Bravia LCD 40" TV! Enjoy; I've been running my MB/BlackBook to Sony since last year August! PM me if you like. :cool::p

[nauzerlvr]

on your "beautiful" Sony Bravia LCD 40" (I have the same one), then turn on your MB, press "menu" on your Sony remote, select "external inputs" select your "PC" which should be "Video 7" and your "desktop" should appear. If it doesn't appear then go to "Displays" under "System Preferences" and select "Arrangement" and ensure that you check the BOX for "Mirror Displays" and you are good to go. You'll get the "FULL SCREEN" of your desktop as it looks on your MB (your display resolution should be set at 1360 x 768, but you can set it to whatever you like). After all, it's your MB and Sony Bravia LCD 40" TV! Enjoy; I've been running my MB/BlackBook to Sony since last year August! PM me if you like. :cool::p

Thanks for the suggestions everyone, I'll try it again tonight and report back.

[bunzwsu]

I have a black macbook. What I use is a mini dvi to vga and from the vga to the vga on my TV. I have a 50" Pioneer plasma and it filled up the screen fine even when i play a movie. Like the earlier poster states you just need to fiddle around a little to make it a full screen

[SFStateStudent]

I have a black macbook. What I use is a mini dvi to vga and from the vga to the vga on my TV. I have a 50" Pioneer plasma and it filled up the screen fine even when i play a movie. Like the earlier poster states you just need to fiddle around a little to make it a full screen

I've used my MB/MBA/BlackBook in this same manner for my Sony Bravia LCD 40" and the campus overhead projectors without a "hitch." Feel free to PM is you should have any further problems. :cool:

[Fonzijr1964]

the MB does not support anything over 24 inches i believe

[pattman247]

the MB does not support anything over 24 inches i believe

like i said earlier, its not a matter about screen size, but the number of pixels. the macbook supports dvi and vga (both most common computer connections), and the macbook outputs to both 720p and 1080p (and interlaced) with both these connections. You can plug ur macbook to a 42", 80", whatever you have :D

[SFStateStudent]

the MB does not support anything over 24 inches i believe

and they are "perfectly" supported. See attached photos! These were taken with my iPhone and uploaded to my BlackBook 2.4 Penryn 250GB for your viewing pleasure. These are from "Black Hawk Down" from iTunes Movies, while the 1st pic is my Desktop on my Sony Bravia LCD 40" TV. Any questions??? :cool::p

[Fonzijr1964]

and they are "perfectly" supported. See attached photos! These were taken with my iPhone and uploaded to my BlackBook 2.4 Penryn 250GB for your viewing pleasure. These are from "Black Hawk Down" from iTunes Movies, while the 1st pic is my Desktop on my Sony Bravia LCD 40" TV. Any questions??? :cool::p

but how?

[pattman247]

on a macbook, if you set the display preferences to mirroring mode, you only get 1280x800p resolution, which means if you have a 1080p television, the picture will be either stretched to the full display, or scaled and centered

[Fonzijr1964]

on a macbook, if you set the display preferences to mirroring mode, you only get 1280x800p resolution, which means if you have a 1080p television, the picture will be either stretched to the full display, or scaled and centered

so what do you set it to?

how about on a MBP

[pattman247]

so what do you set it to?

how about on a MBP

Dual display mode, in system preferences. Then when your press arrangement, you can designate the position of your second display, as well as choose which monitor you want the menubar to lie. That way you get two displays to work with.
MBP gives you 2560 x 1600p, which is the equivalent to 2 1080p monitors :eek:

so mb = 1080p (single linked)
mbp = 1080p x 2 (dual-linked)

[SFStateStudent]

I'm interested in your results. PM me when you get a chance. Thanks. :cool:

[Redline13]

I really don't see how this is possible. I've worked in settings where I've utilized both as well (albeit not on a MacBook, but still on the same PC) where the VGA output was clearly lesser in quality than the DVI. Purely by working mechanics, I don't see how you are getting no difference in quality from an analog versus a DVI signal. Keep in mind, I'm not trying to argue a point, but I'd be interested to know to what capacity you are making the comparison to equate the two signals.

Oh and my previous post was a little misleading...for some reason, I added the fact that the MBP supports up to 1080p while the MB supports only up to 720p. What I meant was the native resolution on the laptop itself, not the output :p

I can't speak directly with regards to your computer and hdtv since different hardware will process signals differently but with my set up there is no difference. I just use a quality cable and calibrated the screen.

[hotsauce]

Wirelessly posted (Apple Communication Device: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU like Mac OS X; en) AppleWebKit/420.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.0 Mobile/4A102 Safari/419.3)

the MB does not support anything over 24 inches i believe

dude, what it supports is resolution dependent not size. Blacbook will output to a 108" monitor as long as the resolution is within blacbooks range.

[macdim]

If anyone here has a Macbook hooked up to an HDTV, can you check if Front Row is sluggish at 1080p? If not, is playing a DVD through Front Row slow at that resolution?

Thanks

[macornomac]

Hey guys how about if I get a mini dvi with S cable and I hook that up to my panasonic plasma? I don't have a vga with that tv but just wondering how that quality is and also is it true also I won't get sound thru the tv but thru the computer?

[SFStateStudent]

Hey guys how about if I get a mini dvi with S cable and I hook that up to my panasonic plasma? I don't have a vga with that tv but just wondering how that quality is and also is it true also I won't get sound thru the tv but thru the computer?

you would require a wire set-up (White, Red wire) to the headphone port and then to the plasma TV. It's not quite the HD quality, but it's a step-up from the Yellow Wire set-up. Just make sure when you go into the external inputs menu that you select the appropriate video label. You should be good to go! :cool:

[CKtoph]

I can't speak directly with regards to your computer and hdtv since different hardware will process signals differently but with my set up there is no difference. I just use a quality cable and calibrated the screen.

Hate to beat a dead horse, but this is simply impossible. You are most likely doing something wrong in terms of connecting your DVI. A "quality" VGA cable does nothing but dress up an analog signal to a very minimal degree, and I mean minimal to the extent of a $5 cable versus a $10 one.

I'm just going to assume you aren't using the digital signal to its capacity.

Just out of curiosity, what is your setup anyway? It'd be interesting to know why you aren't able to get the picture quality you should be getting.

[SFStateStudent]

and they are "perfectly" supported. See attached photos! These were taken with my iPhone and uploaded to my BlackBook 2.4 Penryn 250GB for your viewing pleasure. These are from "Black Hawk Down" from iTunes Movies, while the 1st pic is my Desktop on my Sony Bravia LCD 40" TV. Any questions??? :cool::p

I've got the Sony Bravia LCD 40" TV and I'm utilizing my BlackBook 2.4 Penryn 250GB with a Mini-DVI adapter to a VGA adapter to my Sony Bravia, then mirror my desktop. I took the pics with my iPhone and posted. Feel free to PM should you have further questions. Or were the questions for another poster? :cool:

[Redline13]

Hate to beat a dead horse, but this is simply impossible. You are most likely doing something wrong in terms of connecting your DVI. A "quality" VGA cable does nothing but dress up an analog signal to a very minimal degree, and I mean minimal to the extent of a $5 cable versus a $10 one.

I'm just going to assume you aren't using the digital signal to its capacity.

Just out of curiosity, what is your setup anyway? It'd be interesting to know why you aren't able to get the picture quality you should be getting.

I am not going to argue so this will be my last post on the subject. My DVI Cable was hooked up correctly. It looked fine and exactly the same as when connected by VGA. You seem to be under the assumption that DVI/HDMI is always a better method of transporting signals then analog cables such as VGA or component. The truth is that it's more complicated then that. Have a look at this article written by the guys at Blue Jeans Cable. They really know their stuff.

http://forum.ecoustics.com/bbs/messages/34579/122868.html

[CKtoph]

I am not going to argue so this will be my last post on the subject. My DVI Cable was hooked up correctly. It looked fine and exactly the same as when connected by VGA. You seem to be under the assumption that DVI/HDMI is always a better method of transporting signals then analog cables such as VGA or component. The truth is that it's more complicated then that. Have a look at this article written by the guys at Blue Jeans Cable. They really know their stuff.

http://forum.ecoustics.com/bbs/messages/34579/122868.html

After you brought up your point originally, I actually googled and found this article as well (it was one of the top articles found by google and I'm assuming you did the same :p).

Two key points that are being discussed in that article are the method of conversion by the television set and the type of cable carrying your signal. Also, let me start by saying that he is making his primary discussion of a digital versus an analog signal that is carried by a component cable specifically, and not a VGA cable. This is a very important point that does in fact matter.

The first point of conversion. Yes, it is true. Obviously, even a digital signal requires a bit of conversion upon reception by whatever television you are using and dependent upon your configurations. However, this article was written in 2005. Over the course of the past 2-3 years, digital signal systems have advanced. This portion of the article, however, is the most ambiguous part of the article, and he goes on to say the following:

As a general rule, with consumer equipment, one simply doesn't know how signals are processed, and one doesn't know how that processing varies by input. Analog and digital inputs must either be scaled through separate circuits, or one must be converted to the other to use the same scaler. How is that done? In general, you won't find an answer to that anywhere in your instruction manual, and even if you did, it'd be hard to judge which is the better scaler without viewing the actual video output. It's fair to say, in general, that even in very high-end consumer gear, the quality of circuits for signal processing and scaling is quite variable.

The next point made in the article that is 100% true is the method by which a DVI cable itself is designed and carries a signal. However, it is important to understand that a DVI cable and a VGA cable have the same problem. That problem is that signal quality is lost over distance. However, a composite cable carries a signal for a much greater length while maintaining its quality. For that reason, this part of the argument does not apply when comparing a DVI cable with a VGA cable.

As I mentioned before (and as mentioned in the article you referenced), it is probably due to one of two things: 1) your setup and configurations, and 2) the television you are using. Yes, dependent upon your setup, it is actually possible for you to be getting an equal picture quality with a VGA and DVI cable. Which is why I asked in my last post what your setup was :p

The point I was trying to make was that in optimal conditions, a digital connection will, in fact, provide a better picture quality than an analog one. Is this necessarily always the case? No. Hope that clarifies things! :)

[mbook25]

ive been reading about miny vga to sony bravia tv and alot of people have this problem... no ones givin a straight up answer yet.

what im trying to know is

how can i watch my computer screen on my tv using the miny to vga..
the computer reads the sony tv, but the tv doesnt get any sort of signal from my MB thats all

so if anyone can help pleeaasseeee do

[windowpain]

how can i watch my computer screen on my tv using the miny to vga..
the computer reads the sony tv, but the tv doesnt get any sort of signal from my MB thats all

so if anyone can help pleeaasseeee do

There are a few ways, but the way I went was

apple mini-vga to DVI adapter. here (http://store.apple.com/us/product/M9321G/B?fnode=MTY1NDA5OQ&mco=MTA4MzU1NjQ)

and then DVI to HDMI cable. here (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000653HI6/ref=asc_df_B000653HI6929352?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&tag=googlecom09c9-20&linkCode=asn&creative=380341&creativeASIN=B000653HI6)

You also may need a 3.5mm to 3.5mm audio cable to get audio to your tv.

If that doesn't work then try playing with the settings on the TV, it should work. Also open up the display section in system preferences, and see if it is recognizing the TV.
If that doesn't work, check that everything is turned on and plugged in.


As many have said, the macbook is more than capable of driving a HDTV display.