How to keep imac display sleeping while keeping external display active?

[wesk702]

Just wondering if anyone could help me figure this out.
I have my 40" flat screen plugged into my imac via VGA cable to mirror the image.
I'm just trying to have the imac display sleep while I play a movie full screen through the external TV.

I've tried two different ways but both have failed.

1-I set up a hot corner in the imac to sleep display but this results in both the display and the TV sleeping.

2-I just set the power settings to sleep after 1 minute. This works but then If a movie is playing the computer won't go to sleep.

Any other way of doing this? any help would be great, thanks!

 

[Poncho]

Damn! There IS a way to do this but can't remember exactly. Basically it's along the lines of putting the Mac to sleep then waking it up by putting a USB stick into the USB slot. This wakes the mac up but the screen stays asleep. Honest!!

 

[daveseibert]

Can't you just turn the display brightness down? It's on the keyboard. I can't speak for imacs, but when I lower the brightness on my macbook the attached monitor doesn't go dim.

Also, change the tv to the main screen in display preferences, then play whatever you want through front row. It's always annoyed me that this makes secondary screens go dark, but it looks like it'll be perfect for you!

 

[cpnotebook80]

Just wondering if anyone could help me figure this out.
I have my 40" flat screen plugged into my imac via VGA cable to mirror the image.
I'm just trying to have the imac display sleep while I play a movie full screen through the external TV.

I've tried two different ways but both have failed.

1-I set up a hot corner in the imac to sleep display but this results in both the display and the TV sleeping.

2-I just set the power settings to sleep after 1 minute. This works but then If a movie is playing the computer won't go to sleep.

Any other way of doing this? any help would be great, thanks!

see here
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1742590&tstart=0

 

[JMax1]

see here
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1742590&tstart=0

+1

And for anything that doesn't let you go fullscreen and turns off the other screen (hulu?), what I do is make the second monitor the main display, and have a black wallpaper on my iMac so that it just appears to be blank. Not the ideal solution, but it works. But the screen often wants to go to sleep, so I just use my remote to turn up and down the volume to "remind it" that I'm not ready for sleep yet. Or I use "remotetap" on my iPhone too (if I have to click on continue while watching Lost on abc.com)