Need help: Mini-Displayport to HDMI to HDTV w/1360x768 native resolution

[sneezymarble]

Ok, I'm trying to connect my 13" Macbook Pro to my HDTV. My TV is a 37" 720p Aquos with a native resolution of 1360x768. I want my desktop mirrored. So I bought a Mini-Displayport to HDMI cable. When I connect an HDMI cable to the Mini-Displayport to HDMI cable and then to the TV my Macbook detects the TV, but when I select "1360 x 768, 60 Hz (NTSC Television)" as the desired resolution for the TV from display settings, all I get is a black screen and my TV notifies me that the resolution isn't supported...huh?

I downloaded SwitchResX and created my own 1360x768 custom resolution. After a reboot I set my new custom resolution and my desktop appeared on the TV. However, while the top and bottom of the desktop correctly align with the top and bottom of the display area of my TV screen, the left and right sides of the desktop do not. There are black bars on both sides of the desktop image.

The problem appears to be that when mirroring, the desktop size resolution can never be greater than the highest resolution possible on the Macbook; 1280x800 in my case. So, while I can select, using SwitchResX, the higher resolution of 1360x768 for the HDTV, and while the TV does indeed recieve a 1360x768 signal, the actual size of the desktop remains 1280x800 and the image displayed on the TV is just 1280x800 proportioned to my display with black bars on the sides.

Any advice? This is extremely annoying, I'm about to break down and Boot Camp Windows 7 onto my Macbook. At least in Windows I can perform the ridiculously simple operations of creating custom resolutions that work and resizing desktops.

 

[ftaok]

I downloaded SwitchResX and created my own 1360x768 custom resolution. After a reboot I set my new custom resolution and my desktop appeared on the TV. However, while the top and bottom of the desktop correctly align with the top and bottom of the display area of my TV screen, the left and right sides of the desktop do not. There are black bars on both sides of the desktop image.

how large are the black bars on the side? I ask because I think your TV is actually 1366x768, so you may have a few pixels of black on each side.

The problem appears to be that when mirroring, the desktop size resolution can never be greater than the highest resolution possible on the Macbook; 1280x800 in my case. So, while I can select, using SwitchResX, the higher resolution of 1360x768 for the HDTV, and while the TV does indeed recieve a 1360x768 signal, the actual size of the desktop remains 1280x800 and the image displayed on the TV is just 1280x800 proportioned to my display with black bars on the sides.

What exactly are you looking for? If you mirror your displays, then the resolution will be the lowest common resolution that each display can handle. In your case, 1280x800. What do you expect to show up on the TV?

Any advice? This is extremely annoying, I'm about to break down and Boot Camp Windows 7 onto my Macbook. At least in Windows I can perform the ridiculously simple operations of creating custom resolutions that work and resizing desktops.

I can't see how Windows 7 would handle mirroring any differently than OS X. Maybe I'm missing something.

 

[sneezymarble]

how large are the black bars on the side? I ask because I think your TV is actually 1366x768, so you may have a few pixels of black on each side.

Definitely larger than 3 pixels each.

What exactly are you looking for? If you mirror your displays, then the resolution will be the lowest common resolution that each display can handle. In your case, 1280x800. What do you expect to show up on the TV?

Right, that occurred to me as I was writing my first post. What I want is for the image displayed on the TV to be 1360x768 and for that image to correctly fill the screen.

I can't see how Windows 7 would handle mirroring any differently than OS X. Maybe I'm missing something.

Using the nVidia's display drivers I could re-size the desktop so that those black bars don't appear.

 

[ftaok]

Definitely larger than 3 pixels each.

It could be a combination of the TV's "format" setting and OS X's overscan setting.

Right, that occurred to me as I was writing my first post. What I want is for the image displayed on the TV to be 1360x768 and for that image to correctly fill the screen.

If you turn off mirroring and run just the TV as a display, you could probably select 1366x768 (or something close) and let the TV do the 1:1 pixel mapping. Just make the TV the primary display and the LCD will be the secondary desktop. Sleep the MBP, and wake it up using a USB device (or the Apple remote). When the MBP wakes up, only the TV will be active. Then you can open the lid on the MBP and the LCD will stay off.

Using the nVidia's display drivers I could re-size the desktop so that those black bars don't appear.

I still don't see how nVidia's drivers could make a 1280x800 screen work as a 1366x768 one ... unless it was a virtual screen (on the MBP) that scrolled. Personally, I find that annoying, but others might like it.

I've never seen a Mac desktop able to do virtual resolutions with scrolling.

 

[sneezymarble]

If you turn off mirroring and run just the TV as a display, you could probably select 1366x768 (or something close) and let the TV do the 1:1 pixel mapping. Just make the TV the primary display and the LCD will be the secondary desktop. Sleep the MBP, and wake it up using a USB device (or the Apple remote). When the MBP wakes up, only the TV will be active. Then you can open the lid on the MBP and the LCD will stay off.

Thanks. That did the trick!