I have a Macbook and I want to hook it up to my RCA flat screen TV. I have seen people hook up their computers to TVs before so I know it is possible, but I have no idea how to do it. If you could tell me how to do it step by step, I am electronics retarded so I need all the details. Please help, thanks!
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Hooking a Macbook up to a TV
- Thread starter taylorkorrin
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You will need some specail cables.
but watch out the small end of the cable:this is different for a macbook or a macbook air.
So watch carefully with past in your Macbook.
Further has your Tv a S-video input or is there a vga input?
s-video
vga input
first let me know that and then I will tell the rest.
I think it has both, but I am positive it has the "S-video" input. And I have just a Macbook, not an Air.
Is your TV an LCD or a CRT? If it is LCD or Plasma, it should have HDMI inputs. In that case, you just need a mini-DVI to DVI adapter (some Macs ship with this adapter already), and then a DVI to HDMI adapter and an HDMI cable (or a DVI to HDMI cable).
If you have a CRT, it gets trickier, and the results are going to be horrible picture quality. If this is the case, you are probably better off not bothering.
If you have a CRT, it gets trickier, and the results are going to be horrible picture quality. If this is the case, you are probably better off not bothering.
Just hooked up a MacBook Pro to a Plasma this past weekend. My Flat Panel has an HDMI connection. I went from the DVI out on the MBP to the HDMI with a 12" ExtremeMac cable. Then I used a ExtremeMac TosLink with adapter to go from the headphone port to my Sony A/V receiver. Works great and considering dumping cable TV.
Huh? I don't know what DVI or HDMI or MBP or TosLink is... Like I said I am electronics retarded and need more help than that.
What MacBook version do you have?
Do you know what connections are available on your Flat Screen TV or tell us what the model number is.
Do you run connections through an A/V receiver? (Audio/Visual) Or go directly to the TV? If you have an A/V receiver provide brand/model number.
Do you need surround sound?
Answer these questions and I can assist.
This is all I know: I have a white Macbook, I don't know what you mean by version, it just says "Macbook" and it is only like a year old. I have leopard (I don't know if you needed that or not) the TV is an RCA flat screen and it has a "S-video" hook-up and something that looks like the picture of the "VGA input" also my Macbook has a hook-up thingy that has a symbol that looks like the symbol next to the "VGA input" in the picture. It also has a thingy with a symbol next to it that looks like a Y. I don't know what else I can tell you.
Please, please, PLEASE use the most basic descriptions and names!
Please, please, PLEASE use the most basic descriptions and names!
this video from youtube can get you further:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBMOisbsmlY
and what kind of quality do you want? a HMDI is de best quality, but not alway's the best for a computer.
VGA is just normal quality.
in the clip the use the adapter:
A VGA CABLE
and a cable for the audio.
this is a way you can do it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBMOisbsmlY
and what kind of quality do you want? a HMDI is de best quality, but not alway's the best for a computer.
VGA is just normal quality.
in the clip the use the adapter:
A VGA CABLE
and a cable for the audio.
this is a way you can do it.
Taylor,
The previous post with the link to youtube looks like it should get the job done. If not, please look on the back of your flat panel and provide the model number. Otherwise we are just shooting in the dark.
Bottom line, we have a MBP (Macbook Pro early 2008) running from the DVI output of the MBP to the HDMI input on a 42" Panasonic Plasma (circa 2005) with a Belkin cable purchased from the Apple store. The cable has a DVI plug on one end and a HDMI on the other and is 12' feet long. The sound is carried from the Headphone out plug on the MBP to an optical input on a Sony Audio/Video receiver. The cable is an ExtremeMac purchased from the Apple store and it comes with the adapter needed to extend the Toslink connector for the MBP. We can send 5.1 Surround sound from the MBP to the Sony A/V receiver. The whole setup is really astounding. With all the TV/Video available on the web who needs cable TV.
The previous post with the link to youtube looks like it should get the job done. If not, please look on the back of your flat panel and provide the model number. Otherwise we are just shooting in the dark.
Bottom line, we have a MBP (Macbook Pro early 2008) running from the DVI output of the MBP to the HDMI input on a 42" Panasonic Plasma (circa 2005) with a Belkin cable purchased from the Apple store. The cable has a DVI plug on one end and a HDMI on the other and is 12' feet long. The sound is carried from the Headphone out plug on the MBP to an optical input on a Sony Audio/Video receiver. The cable is an ExtremeMac purchased from the Apple store and it comes with the adapter needed to extend the Toslink connector for the MBP. We can send 5.1 Surround sound from the MBP to the Sony A/V receiver. The whole setup is really astounding. With all the TV/Video available on the web who needs cable TV.
THIS IS THE CRITICAL PART!!! We can only tell you what cables and adapters you need if you are crystal clear on exactly what type of video inputs your television has. You mention S-Video and VGA, but nothing about HDMI. That's an odd combo. Usually HDTVs will have HDMI, and perhaps VGA and maybe S-Video too. It's pretty rare to have S-Video and VGA, but not HDMI.
So, I'll reiterate: is your television an LCD or Plasma screen, or is it one of the older-style CRT (cathode ray tube) sets with the big bump coming out of the back? If it is an LCD or a Plasma, then we can help you pretty easily. If it is a CRT, then it might be trickier. And, in the case of hooking up a computer to a CRT, the resulting picture quality will look really, really bad.