Questions about Thunderbolt cables

[JFC]

I want to connect my MBP to a 46 inch TV.

The people at the apple store say you need the TB to hdmi adaptor and an hdmi cable. I've also seen people on MR say the same. I can't understand why I need two things (adaptor and cable) to do one thing.

I started searching around and I found this mini display/TB to hdmi cable. It is half the price of the TB adaptor alone.
http://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-...ref=pd_sim_e_1

What options to other people use to connect TB to a TV or display? And will this cable on amazon work for what I want to do? Can someone explain why apple has TB adaptors and not TB to hdmi cables?

Thanks for the help.

[Macman45]

If you are not using an Apple display, why not just use the mini display port adaptor? That and a long enough HDMI cable will do the job for you:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Apple-Displa.../dp/B002ERBFYM

Just add a good quality HDMI cable. I use one of them with my MBP works fine, good sharp picture quality.

My thunderbolt stuff is reserved for data transfer, and since I have a 27" iMac anyway I rarely connect it to the TV, but I have tested it and it works fine...Also on my MBA

[JFC]

If I wasn't clear, I don't want an adaptor and a cable, I just want one cable.

Thunderbolt is for data transfer only? Then why is there a thunderbolt display?

[pdjudd]

Originally Posted by JFC

If I wasn't clear, I don't want an adaptor and a cable, I just want one cable.

I don’t think you can get that anymore - the HDMI group has not licensed the spec to do that.

Thunderbolt is for data transfer only? Then why is there a thunderbolt display?

No, TB can carry multiple protocols as I understand it. Apple’s display uses DP over TB to transmit it’s signal. Read up on it here. It is not purely data, but you would use TB to carry display signals on the chain.