MacBook Pro Support for Dual Monitors (TV's)

[The X Factor]

Good morning everyone,

In anticipation of an imminent refresh, I had a question. I just bought a Samsung Series 7 Chronos (17") laptop. It's a great laptop, but I'd really like a Mac (the hardware specs just barely edge out the Samsung). I'm still within my 30-day return window for the Samsung...

My sticking point is this. I'll likely install Windows right away, and when in Windows (through Bootcamp) I need to be able to hook-up the MacBook Pro to TWO (2) televisions at the same time - so that I can give presentations for work. Basically, one TV needs to be a mirror of my laptop screen, and the other TV needs to be an EXTENSION of my desktop (so a typical "dual monitor" setup). Not being familiar with Mac hardware, is this possible?

I've always leaned toward Windows laptops simply because the hardware typically includes both HDMI and VGA outputs - making the connection to the TV's plug-and-play.

Any advice would be much appreciated. From what I've read on these forums, it's kind of "hit or miss" - sometimes it works well, other times not so much. I'm looking for an elegant solution with as few "adapters" as possible.

tldr; Has anyone had success with this (specifically, hooking a MacBook Pro up to TWO televisions at once creating an extended desktop environment)?

Thanks!

 

[dusk007]

Are you running Windows mostly or is it just for that one use.
If mostly stay with the Samsung. A MBP running Windows works if your attach a mouse and a power cable but otherwise it is pretty poor. Touchpad and Batterylife aren't that great.

You can only attach one screen unless it is Thunderbolt.
The only way I see your setup working is if you run the MBP in Clamshell mode. Internal screen off.

Two run more than one Screen that isn't Thunderbolt you'd need a special external GPU solution.

Just forget about it. MBPs are for the average joe they suck at special wishes.

I would keep the Samsung, more options and way better with running Windows.
Get a Mac if you want OSX and don't need the special stuff.


An alternative for one of the screens could be streaming. If you use some set top box like an Apple TV you can stream the screen content to that box over wifi or lan and display it there. It usually only does mirroring and consumes quite a bit of juice.

 

[Stetrain]

One of the rumors said that the new MBP would have two Thunderbolt ports. That makes sense since the current iMac also has two of them.

That would allow you to plug in two adapters to go from Mini-Displayport to whatever connection type you need for the televisions. HDMI would probably be best if the TVs support it.

There are also USB display adapters available that would work fine for presentation purposes:

http://www.amazon.com/Diamond-BVU195-USB-Display-Adapter/dp/B002GHBW4S

If the new model does include two Thunderbolt/Mini-Displayport ports, then you could simply buy two of these:

http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10246&cs_id=1024603&p_id=5995&seq=1&format=2

 

[The X Factor]

Are you running Windows mostly or is it just for that one use.
If mostly stay with the Samsung. A MBP running Windows works if your attach a mouse and a power cable but otherwise it is pretty poor. Touchpad and Batterylife aren't that great.

You can only attach one screen unless it is Thunderbolt.
The only way I see your setup working is if you run the MBP in Clamshell mode. Internal screen off.

Two run more than one Screen that isn't Thunderbolt you'd need a special external GPU solution.

Just forget about it. MBPs are for the average joe they suck at special wishes.

I would keep the Samsung, more options and way better with running Windows.
Get a Mac if you want OSX and don't need the special stuff.


An alternative for one of the screens could be streaming. If you use some set top box like an Apple TV you can stream the screen content to that box over wifi or lan and display it there. It usually only does mirroring and consumes quite a bit of juice.

You're probably right

One of the rumors said that the new MBP would have two Thunderbolt ports. That makes sense since the current iMac also has two of them.

That would allow you to plug in two adapters to go from Mini-Displayport to whatever connection type you need for the televisions. HDMI would probably be best if the TVs support it.

There are also USB display adapters available that would work fine for presentation purposes:

http://www.amazon.com/Diamond-BVU195-USB-Display-Adapter/dp/B002GHBW4S

If the new model does include two Thunderbolt/Mini-Displayport ports, then you could simply buy two of these:

http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10246&cs_id=1024603&p_id=5995&seq=1&format=2

This is really what I'm hoping for, but I'm skeptical that we'll see dual thunderbolt ports - just doesn't seem to be the Apple approach (at least when it comes to laptops).