Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

MacBook + ACD - HD = ?

Kashchei

Kashchei

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Apr 26, 2002
1,168
7
Meat Space
I am a complete noob when it comes to HD, so please help me with these basic questions.

My wife has a Core Duo MacBook and she desperately wants a 23" ACD. We went to the Apple Store today and were told that the monitor was HD ready but that the GMA 950 didn't support HD. She wants to watch movies on this monitor (as well as do her work), but we are both wondering this: what will she be missing with this setup? I don't know anything about HD, so I can't sort out the ramifications of an HD monitor and a non-HD graphics chip. Any and all help will be greatly appreciated--thanks in advance!
 
Using a HD display with a GFX not capable of HD will result in no picture on the display, so she will be missing quite a bit...in fact the whole thing!

Post the model number of the display she wants...sometimes companies claim HD but only use upscaling, in which case there's a possibility of it working.

Another option would be a smaller screen that her GFX card CAN handle, or a screen with a lower resolution. Or upgrading to a Macbook Pro or iMac (in which case the imac's screen should be big enough as it is!)
 
She wants the 23" Apple Cinema Display. Will the 950 really not drive the display at all, or am I misunderstanding you? (I told you I knew nothing about this!)
 
Okay, the 23" Cinema Display will work with the MacBook (for future reference, list the model number or product info in the first post, it usually leads to quicker responses as well:D).

In which case the HD they are talking about 720p, which the macbook can hanlde since it's screen does 800p natively anyway (geeky talk that you don't really need to know)

Had it been 1080p, it (probably) wouldn't have worked (more geek talk)

See 720p is HD, but then 1080p came out and people named it "True HD" for marketing purposes...really stupid move, because it confuses the public... :mad:

720 is the resolution height wise and p stands for progressive, so they are full screens, not alternating lines like with interlaced video...again of little consequence to you

All you really need to know is that the macbook will drive the 23" cinema display.:)

edit: scratch that...the display can do 1080p...wow...anyway, it will work with it, just not the 30" screen.

Also, may I suggest buying a display from another company? Mac displays are especially overpriced...my 22" screen cost 260$ when I got it, compared to Apples 23" which is about 1000$. The adapter is the only thing you might need to buy from Apple.
 
Thank you so much for the information, and for the hint about posting (advice I will follow in the future).

It is good to get the true story since the Apple person we spoke to today was self-admittedly not the best-informed employee. My wife will be happy to hear the good news!
 
Happy I could help :D

I've had to do this before when my dad wanted to buy a new LCD TV :rolleyes: It's funny how at a certain point the old start to rely on the young :D
 
I just purchased a MacBook last Friday. As we speak I am using it on my 32" Sharp Aquous 1080p. As another poster pointed out, the 1080 is the resolution height. My TV supports 1920x1080 (widthxheight) in progressive scan, being the highest HD protocol (right now). I can use the TV as my monitor for regular computer usage, or to watch movies. The quality of the movies show up great;however, it depends on what quality the content is stored in (either the DVD, or a file on your hard drive).

For your reference, on the APPLE website they have this posted...
Extended desktop and video mirroring: Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display and up to 1920 by 1200 pixels on an external display, both at millions of colors

I haven't noticed a problem, but when I am connected to the HDTV, it says it is in interlace, and not progressive scan. This may be noticeable if I had true 1080P content, but alas, I do not.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back