MacBook Pro with an External Display - Won't go Full Res?

[earth.mark.two]

I have a Unibody MacBook Pro from the Late 2009 line.

When connected to a TV, it used to be able to make the TV 1920x1080 but for some reason it won't do that anymore. It's not on mirrored, and I can't think of anything I've done to mess this feature up. Some people are saying that MacBooks can only support full res on externals by putting the computer to sleep, but I HAVE done full res before with both screens awake.

Any ideas on how to fix this would be much appreciated, it's driving me insane!

UPDATE : I think the port on my MacBook may be slightly damaged. A small wiggle of the cable makes the screen go black. I then have to fiddle with the Display Preferences or replug it. Should I call Apple or something?

I have a 40" Samsung LCD TV

 

[mikeherdes]

What type of cable are you using (HDMI, VGA, DVI).

 

[chopper dave]

My 1st gen MBP won't get the correct resolution with my TV over DVI->HDMI but works great over VGA. I checked the internet for a while and the general consensus is that it's the TV's fault (Sony 40" 720P LCD).

 

[earth.mark.two]

What type of cable are you using (HDMI, VGA, DVI).

It's a VGA cable. I haven't changed any of the cabling or plugs since I began using it, and it's gone from working perfectly fine at 1920x1080 to just not working at 1920x1080. So it must be something to do with my computer. I just cannot figure out what.

 

[shadygrove]

It's a VGA cable. I haven't changed any of the cabling or plugs since I began using it, and it's gone from working perfectly fine at 1920x1080 to just not working at 1920x1080. So it must be something to do with my computer. I just cannot figure out what.

What version of OSX are you running? If you updated from an early version (that worked) to 10.5.8 (that doesn't) this may help. It sure fixed my problems. If I were you though I would go get a display port (or dvi, whatever you have) and convert it to HDMI. The clarity and display will be much better in general. I got the chord and adapter for less $15 if you know where to go and don't buy name brands. Try this software though... I bet it can fix your problem.

http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/15467

 

[andyone]

I agree, forget VGA. This is the 21st century.

 

[Dozerrox]

Have you a/b'd VGA and a digital connection? I struggle to tell the difference. Maybe I haven't tried it on a huge enough screen.

 

[andyone]

Unless you are using low resolutions or only top quality graphics cards, cables and monitors you can almost always see a difference between VGA and DVI. Look for smeared edges or vertical blurry stripes across the whole screen.