Horrible time connecting 2007 macbook to TV

[keanureevesfan1]

Hi, anyone who might be out there. I'm having one of the most intractable computer problems of my lifetime. I want to attach my 2007 macbook with the Intel GMA 950 graphics processor
to my 27" Sony Wega CRT television. Don't ask me why I want to do this. The basic explanation is that I'd rather not drop thousands on a new computer and TV, and need another monitor for video editing work that I do.

I bought two adapters, mini-dvi -> VGA and VGA-->s-video/composite from monoprice so that I could watch ashton kutcher's youtube channel on my TV. Plugged them in and immediately had two problems:

1. the picture looks terrible. As in, it doesn't look like anything at all. At certain resolutions/refresh rates I can barely make out what appears to be the desktop background, only there are 16 of them, they're all screwed up, and they're rolling downward nauseatingly

2. the display preferences doesn't offer me anything resembling a logical setting (like, 640x480 @ 60hz or 29.97 hz or whatever), no matter what I do. I even got an application called "SwitchResX" which is supposed to allow you to install custom resolutions, but that doesn't work at all, it only offers A LOT of incorrect settings, and refuses to actually install the custom ones I created.

So I said, maybe it's the fact that I used 2 adapters instead of one? Maybe the computer thinks it should be outputting VGA? So I go and buy the ORIGINAL adapter which is MADE for my computer, the one that directly adapts mini-dvi to S-video/composite. I wait a week for it to arrive from Ebay. I excitedly plug it in. Nothing. same problem. Now, display preferences offers even worse choices for resolution/refresh rate, like 1280x800 at 95hz. What? Throughout this process, I've been doing all the things the internet tells you to do when you have a problem. Plug it in and reset. Shut down, reset, plug it in, turn it back on. Clear the PRAM and the other thing by taking the battery out and holding the power button. Nothing.

I asked a friend who is a Mac Expert what he thinks, and he says he found references to people saying that they had upgraded to snow leopard 10.6.3, causing it to stop working, but upgraded to 10.6.5 and it worked again. Well, taking this tack, I upgraded to Lion in the hopes that it was a Snow Leopard specific bug. Still nothing. Same problem, different OS.

Some searching around seems to suggest that since I have a 2007 macbook, I should be able to output analog video to my TV through the Mini-DVI to S-Video adapter (apparently, they eliminated this feature sometime ins 2008 or 2009). I looked up the product specs for the video processor (Intel® GMA 950 Graphics) and it mentions being able to do TV-out. What's going on?

Do I need to trash my display preferences, even after upgrading my OS because some bad prefs were saved from the last install? Would that even make a difference?
What should I try next? Should I try and find an old version of the video drivers and install them? Should I really go over the deep end with this and try installing linux?

HeLP!

 

[GGJstudios]

TL;DR

This may help: How to: Connect a MacBook, MacBook Air, or MacBook Pro to a TV

 

[Intell]

When connecting a Mac to a TV using the S-Video adapter, you must use Apple's adapter. Third party ones do not work. Apple's say "Designed in Cailifornia" on the wire part of it. Get a mini-DVI->S-Video from Apple. It'll work. This is what I use with my 2007 Macbook all the time. Never once had a problem with it.

 

[keanureevesfan1]

TL;DR

This may help: How to: Connect a MacBook, MacBook Air, or MacBook Pro to a TV

thanks for the extremely unhelpful post.


Intell:
What's the explanation for that? Now that I look at the adapter I bought (cheaply) it makes no mention of being made in california. And what version of OS X are you running?

Theoretically, shouldn't the macbook be able to detect the type of display you've connected and select the correct output, as long as the adapter is the right type?

Interestingly, I had the same ****** image with the single adapter and the combination of 2 adapters, but the display preferences panel offered different resolutions and refresh rates (the ones for the single adapter were even worse).

Let's say I do decide to give up on the adapters I have and track down an "official" one. How would I be sure that it's made by apple given that the apple website itself no longer sells them and I'll be dealing with a reseller?

 

[Intell]

The Apple adapter triggers the GMA950 to output the correct signals. The third party ones, like the one you have, doesn't. Thus all it does is output a garbled signal. Just because the adapter is the right type, doesn't mean the internal circuitry is correct. The two adapter thing is an even a worse idea. Those adapters are only for use with a system that is designed to be used with one of them. The Macbook is not one of them. Just because adapters fit together, doesn't mean they'll work. The official Apple adapters have "Designed in California" on the wire part of them. Those are the only ones that will work. My Macbook has properly worked with an Apple OEM one on 10.4.9 through 10.7.5.

 

[keanureevesfan1]

Well, that's the best answer I've gotten so far. That you're aware of, are there any

a. applications that can manually trigger the graphics processor to output an analog signal

or, if I absolutely must purchase an "official" adapter (which it seems like I do)

b. any problems with later versions of OS X that would prevent it from working, even with the right adapter?

and what's with 3rd party manufacturers selling adapters that will never work? is it a scam through and through, or do they work SOMETIMES for SOME things?

 

[Intell]

A: No, you must use the official Apple one.
B: No

There are other computers that have a mini-DVI port. The adapter works fine with them.