Thunderbolt to HDMI not reliable

[JanSr]

Several times it proved not easy to establish a solid connection between a Macbook (Air and Pro) and an external HDMI screen or projector.
I used several brands of adaptors, no difference.
Lately I heard the same complaints in my network.

Rocking a bit with the thunderbolt connector until the image appears mostly soves the problem.
It lookes like fiddling araound with the utmost flimsy Chinese junk.

I wonder if Apple does know about it.

 

[Boyd01]

I have used my 2013 MBA many times with an adaptor on 5 or 6 different televisions with very few problems. The adaptor I have is a cheap Best Buy store brand that I purchased in 2012. I don't care for the thunderbolt connector though, can be awkward to insert, especially in a dark room where the top and bottom look about the same.

 

[ftaok]

I have two of these. One is an Amazon basic, the other is from monoprice. Both work perfectly. No need to jiggle.

Maybe your adapters are bad or perhaps your thunderbolt port is loose.

 

[pika2000]

I have used cheap and Apple branded dongles. The one that didn't work well was a cheap mini-DVI to VGA, and that's because the dongle itself failed (using Apple branded one was fine). So if the cheap ones failed, I would try Apple branded one first.

If you still have problems, I would actually check with Apple support on the port itself. In an enterprise environment, the port can malfunction/worn out due to wear and tear. It happened to one of my friend's work Macbook Air. Cheap dongles can make this worse due to the poor materials used for the metal contacts.

 

[ftaok]

I have used cheap and Apple branded dongles. The one that didn't work well was a cheap mini-DVI to VGA, and that's because the dongle itself failed (using Apple branded one was fine). So if the cheap ones failed, I would try Apple branded one first.

Unfortunately, there is no Apple branded Thunderbolt->HDMI adapter.

 

[kiwipeso1]

I don't have problems with my el gato dock unless I shift it too much, then everything disconnects and has to be ejected and plugged back in.
What your problem is that the cheap adapter probably registers an eject without much wiggle or shift.

 

[Mrbobb]

I've been using THIS and seems OK but I admit to have to "shove" it in for a good connection.