MacBook to Vizio LCD TV

[AFPoster]

So I bought my MacBook a year ago and I just bought cords for my laptop to my TV. I bought a Mini DisplayPort to DVI cord than an Xtreme HD cord thats DVI to HDMI. For some reason however I can't get the sound to play off of my TV no matter what, it only plays on my laptop and I was told it would be able to just fine, however for me thats not the case. Second when I link the two screens up together my TV will just have the Background no icon's or anything just the plain simple background. Once I click "Mirror Screens" then my laptop screen is completely small for me and my TV one is just fine, but when I open applications b/c my laptop screen is so small like the "Play" button for movies is nearly impossible to hit because its right behind the dock.
So my questions are: How do I get sound out of my Mini DisplayPort to DVI & DVI to HDMI cord instead of buying an audio cord from laptop to TV.
How can I mirror screens correctly to keep the same size on my laptop screen for when I open things they aren't smushed or hard to play.
Finally my buddy has a Windows PC and he can close his Windows PC and be able to still use it on his TV, when I close my MacBook it closes out on the TV, how can I keep them simultaneously running?

 

[Shawnstra]

So I bought my MacBook a year ago and I just bought cords for my laptop to my TV. I bought a Mini DisplayPort to DVI cord than an Xtreme HD cord thats DVI to HDMI. For some reason however I can't get the sound to play off of my TV no matter what, it only plays on my laptop and I was told it would be able to just fine, however for me thats not the case. Second when I link the two screens up together my TV will just have the Background no icon's or anything just the plain simple background. Once I click "Mirror Screens" then my laptop screen is completely small for me and my TV one is just fine, but when I open applications b/c my laptop screen is so small like the "Play" button for movies is nearly impossible to hit because its right behind the dock.
So my questions are: How do I get sound out of my Mini DisplayPort to DVI & DVI to HDMI cord instead of buying an audio cord from laptop to TV.
How can I mirror screens correctly to keep the same size on my laptop screen for when I open things they aren't smushed or hard to play.
Finally my buddy has a Windows PC and he can close his Windows PC and be able to still use it on his TV, when I close my MacBook it closes out on the TV, how can I keep them simultaneously running?

First of all, although HDMI carries both audio and video, DisplayPort and DVI only carry video, so it is impossible to stream audio. What you have to do is get a 3.5mm headphone jack (male) to audio composite cables (red and white) (male), to get sound.

For the video issues, that is what mirroring does, to accommodate the resolution, it'll be stretched/shrink appropriately. I suggest unless you really need it, you should use it as two separate screens.

For the closing the lid bit, you need to make sure your MB does not sleep when closed. http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3131?viewlocale=en_US

 

[ftaok]

So my questions are: How do I get sound out of my Mini DisplayPort to DVI & DVI to HDMI cord instead of buying an audio cord from laptop to TV.

As shawnstra pointed out, you'll never be able to get audio out using a single cable solution (at least not cheaply). However, depending on your TV, the HDMI input that you are using needs to have auxiliary audio inputs assigned to it. These audio inputs are usually RCA L/R (Red/White) connectors, but sometimes they are 3.5mm minijack. If you have a model number for the Vizio, that could be helpful. Or take a picture of the back of the TV and post it here.

How can I mirror screens correctly to keep the same size on my laptop screen for when I open things they aren't smushed or hard to play.

Personally, I prefer to use screen spanning when connecting the MB to the TV. This is because I want to fully use the TV's resolution (1920x1080 in my case). When you first set it up, the MB's screen will be the primary, so it has the toolbar and dock. However, if you go into the Display System Preference, you can set the TV to be the primary so when it's connected, the toolbar and dock are on the TV and the MB's screen is just a clear background picture.

Finally my buddy has a Windows PC and he can close his Windows PC and be able to still use it on his TV, when I close my MacBook it closes out on the TV, how can I keep them simultaneously running?

MB's can run in clam-shell mode. I do it all the time. The easiest way to do this is to connect the MB to the TV with the lid closed. Then use the Apple Remote to wake up the MB. At this point, the MB's screen will be off, even if you open the lid to use the keyboard .. to type or eject a DVD.

If you don't have an Apple remote, you could use an USB mouse or Keyboard to wake up the MB. Or perhaps a Bluetooth device (although I've never tried that).

ft