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iBook and external monitor help!!

jgw1283

jgw1283

macrumors regular
Original poster
Aug 6, 2007
153
2
Tempe, AZ
I have a 14'' iBook and recently bought an LG 19'' Widescreen monitor. I am testing a Dell 17'' on it right now before I open the LG one, but my problem is that the same screen shows on my ibook and the external. This isnt what I want. I have read you are supposed to be able to close the laptop and then it shifts to the external display but this is not working for me.

this is my goal:
use my bluetooth keyboard full time
have my ibook closed at all times
have my external as my main display

how do I make this work?
 
jgw1283 said:
this is my goal:
use my bluetooth keyboard full time
Click to expand...
You can do this; however either you need to have an internal Bluetooth module (a BTO option for some of that series, IIRC) or you need to buy an external USB to Bluetooth adapter.

have my ibook closed at all times
Click to expand...
If it's closed at all times, how are you going to get any work done? :p

Seriously, the iBook series ONLY supports video mirroring, and it does NOT support running with the lid closed. So, unfortunately, you will never be able to have it operate in that mode. FWIW, the PowerBook series could do both those functions, and is how I usually run my PB.

have my external as my main display
Click to expand...
Since you can only run the unit in video mirroring mode, this isn't really a relevant option.

The only solution to your dilemma is to get a different laptop. These are model feature/capability restrictions; there's really no way to improvise around them. Sorry!
 
wow, this is very interesting info, I'm glad I haven't opened the monitor yet. I dont really see the point of a bigger monitor if its just going to mirror it. I guess I need a new computer lol
 
jgw1283 said:
how risky is this?
Click to expand...
Not very. Back when I had an iBook I had the hack installed. Never caused me any issues. Even with the hack I'd not recommend running with the lid closed for long periods. Running with the lid closed (called clamshell) mode is not supported by Apple for a reason: the iBook needs the lid open to correctly cool itself.

jgw1283 said:
also is what I'm hoping to do with the monitor possible on the new MacBooks?
Click to expand...

Yes. Macbooks (all of them) support spanning as well as mirroring and clamshell usage.
 
If you intend on running the hack and going "clamshell" mode (and, for that matter, even if you were planning on running the unit normally) I would HIGHLY recommend using a notebook cooler. I'm personally a huge fan (pun not intended) of the Antec series of notebook coolers. I have one for my PB and can't imagine using it in what I call "desktop replacement" mode (that is, clamshell with 100% CPU speed) without the fan.
 
How big an external display can I get for 14" iBookG4?

(Is this the right place to post this question? Are there any better places to do so?)

I have 14" iBookG4 with the following specs: Largest resolution: 1024x768; ID: PowerBook6,5; Processor: PowerPC G4 (1.1); 1.2 GHz; 512 KB, 768 MB, 133 MHz; OS X 10.5.1.

Its small screen has been driving me crazy (due to the wide excel files that i need to work with), and I would like to buy a larger (as large as possible) external display. What information do I need to look for to make sure that it will be compatible with iBook? Does anyone have recommendations for any particular monitors?

I understand that I will not be able to close the lid, or clamshell, while using the external display, and it is OK with me. I will just put away the iBOOk to the side of the external monitor (this works, right?)

Also, is there any extension cable available for the very short GVA cable that came with the iBook? (Or would I not need to worry about this?)

Or is it possible to use an external display that can be connected to a USB port?

Thank you very much for your help. I look forward to receiving advices.
 
The largest flat Display monitor that work w/iBookG4?

Thank you for the last post/reply, but what I need is a recommendation for a large flat display monitor that is compatible with the iBookG4 (Specs given earlier). What do I need to know to insure compatibility?
 
keowee said:
Thank you for the last post/reply, but what I need is a recommendation for a large flat display monitor that is compatible with the iBookG4 (Specs given earlier). What do I need to know to insure compatibility?
Click to expand...
It only needs a VGA input but I won't use anything beyond an external with a 1280 x 1024 resolution.
 
Is 19" the largest compatible display?

Eidorian, thank you for your post.

I googled using "1280 x 1024, flat display" and hit a list of "19" display monitors." Is this the largest? Does anyone know if there are any larger models for this resolution?

Or is there way to upgrade my iBookG4 so that I may get a better resolution?

Thank you for your help!
 
keowee said:
(Is this the right place to post this question? Are there any better places to do so?)

I have 14" iBookG4 with the following specs: Largest resolution: 1024x768; ID: PowerBook6,5; Processor: PowerPC G4 (1.1); 1.2 GHz; 512 KB, 768 MB, 133 MHz; OS X 10.5.1.

Its small screen has been driving me crazy (due to the wide excel files that i need to work with), and I would like to buy a larger (as large as possible) external display. What information do I need to look for to make sure that it will be compatible with iBook? Does anyone have recommendations for any particular monitors?

I understand that I will not be able to close the lid, or clamshell, while using the external display, and it is OK with me. I will just put away the iBOOk to the side of the external monitor (this works, right?)

Also, is there any extension cable available for the very short GVA cable that came with the iBook? (Or would I not need to worry about this?)

Or is it possible to use an external display that can be connected to a USB port?

Thank you very much for your help. I look forward to receiving advices.
Click to expand...

Hi, I have an iBook g4 as well and I also have a 26 inch RCA LCD TV, I connect the short GVA cable to my TV through a male/female VGA cord. It works perfectly and the picture is very crisp, even more so than the iBook screen. I cant help you about monitors but I can tell you that LCD TV's work perfectly with iBooks. Just make sure the TV has a VGA output. Cheers :cool:
 
^that's cool, i take it that you are mirroring your 1024x768 display onto your tv then? that would be a great idea for mine as well if i hadn't sold my bt mouse and keyboard:(

also if you want to run it while it's closed, you can take it apart and remove the magnet inside that tells the computer that the lid is closed and then puts it to sleep. it's under the left hand palm rest near the bottom of the keyboard.
here's a nice tut but it won't be easy, page 13 describes the magnet
 
What are the differences between LCD TVs and LCD monitors?

iPinoy said:
Hi, I have an iBook g4 as well and I also have a 26 inch RCA LCD TV, I connect the short GVA cable to my TV through a male/female VGA cord. It works perfectly and the picture is very crisp, even more so than the iBook screen. I cant help you about monitors but I can tell you that LCD TV's work perfectly with iBooks. Just make sure the TV has a VGA output. Cheers :cool:
Click to expand...

Wow! That's a great news. Does this mean that iBookG4 (1280 x 1024 max capacity) may work with LCD monitor displays that are larger than 19" without distortion? Aren't TV and computer monitors essentially the same? Or Am I wrong?

Does anyone else use iBookG4 with monitors bigger than 19" successfully? If so, please let me know!

iPinoy, what's the model of your 26" RCA LCD TV? I will consider getting one as I can use a big screen TV, too. (Currently, my TV is also 14".).

I'm excited that I may be able to hook up my iBookG4 to a bigger screen after all. Thank you for your help!
 
keowee said:
Wow! That's a great news. Does this mean that iBookG4 (1280 x 1024 max capacity) may work with LCD monitor displays that are larger than 19" without distortion? Aren't TV and computer monitors essentially the same? Or Am I wrong?
Click to expand...

Basically they are the same but TVs have normally have much lower resolutions for their size. For example my 40" LCD TV gas a resolution of "only" 1920x1080. If it was a computer monitor I would expect it to be nearer 4800x2700.

Basically you need to start ignoring the size and only consider the resolution.
 
keowee said:
Wow! That's a great news. Does this mean that iBookG4 (1280 x 1024 max capacity) may work with LCD monitor displays that are larger than 19" without distortion? Aren't TV and computer monitors essentially the same? Or Am I wrong?

Does anyone else use iBookG4 with monitors bigger than 19" successfully? If so, please let me know!

iPinoy, what's the model of your 26" RCA LCD TV? I will consider getting one as I can use a big screen TV, too. (Currently, my TV is also 14".).

I'm excited that I may be able to hook up my iBookG4 to a bigger screen after all. Thank you for your help!
Click to expand...

Hey, no problem.

My TV is this one,
http://www.beachaudio.com/Rca/L26wd23-p-113835.html?utm_campaign=froogle&utm_content=AD_ID&utm_term=l26wd23&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=froogle&GTKW=l26wd23&GCID=C12585x003#

bought it for about $550 canadian at a local superstore, helluva deal IMO.
Good luck with your setup.;)
 
on my 12" ibook i used the screen spanning doctor app to run an external at 1440x900 with no problems. hook it up through vga with the adaptor supplied with the ibook. to run the way you were describing (ibook shut) what you need to do is wake the ibook from sleep with a bluetooth keyboard with the lid shut. after the computer has recognized and begun displaying on the external you are then able to open the ibook to help keep it cool. i read that the ibook was not designed to be run with the lid shut as it dissipates heat through the keyboard and so i followed that recommendation. for what it's worth i ran both the 19" external at full resolution and the 12" internal in span config. with no issues. i now use the monitor keyboards & mouse on my mac mini. hope that helps.
 
People, DO NOT RUN THE iBOOK WITH THE LID CLOSED!!

The iBook is designed to radiate heat from the keyboard/trackpad/plamrest area. Blocking this will bollocks up your machine quicksmart.
 
How to use "Display Calibrator Assistant"?

Thank you everyone who helped me with getting an external monitor for my iBookG4. Due to a limited availabilities in town (Fairbanks, AK), I decided to give a try to Vizio VX20L (20" HDTV). I watched a HD DVD last night, and the picture was really good. However, I am having trouble adjusting colors when I use the HDTV as an external monitor. I called Visio Tech Support, and a guy told me to set at "1028x768 @60hz and NOT 75hz as their user manual says. This did help sharpen letters, but the colors are still very bad. The support tech told me that I need to adjust the colors on my iBook.

I went to:
System Preference ---> Display --> Color --> Calibrate --> "Display Calibrator Assistant."

After doing some adjustments in Experts Mode, the colors on Vizio HDTV got much better and I was also able to remove horizontal lines (which, Vizio tech support said, are computer output problems and not the monitor/TV's). The display is at last in a usable condition, but the colors are still off. The worst is that Gray on iBook displays as Pink on Vizio. While I was doing the adjustmets with the calibrator, I tried my best but was not able to achive Gray (i.e. the apple logo in the center was somewhat pink instead of gray). Will anyone please help me so that I can have gray on my Vizio HDTV?

Another problem is that the color on HDTV is so flashy, or bright colors look like florescent. Is there way to tone down this florescent like shine? Where on my iBook can I adust this?

Thank you in advance for your help! I eagerly await for your helpful advices!
 
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