Macbook battery time with lid CLOSED?

[onlytobbe]

How long would the battery last if you for example watched a DVD on a external screen? Couldn't find any thread about it, but i guess it should be much longer then the regular three hours

I’m thinking about buying a macbook if the mac + ipod deal comes to Sweden….

 

[someguy]

How long would the battery last if you for example watched a DVD on a external screen? Couldn't find any thread about it, but i guess it should be much longer then the regular three hours.

Why would it be any longer?

I would imagine it would be about the same amount of time as watching a DVD on the attached LCD monitor. If anything, I would imagine more power would be drawn when using a secondary display over the primary one, but I'm not 100% positive about that.

 

[onlytobbe]

Why would it be any longer?

I though the screen was powered off when you closed the lid => draws less power => longer battery life?

 

[someguy]

I don't know how much power the backlight draws, but I don't think that using an external display would conserve as much battery life as you think. Maybe another 30min or so?

 

[onlytobbe]

I don't know how much power the backlight draws, but I don't think that using an external display would conserve as much battery life as you think. Maybe another 30min or so?

Oh okay, I was under the impression that these new "XXX% Brighter displays!" were the big power hogs for potables, but then again I have never owned one so I’m just speculating. 30 mins extra is better than nothing, but maybe someone with a Macbook could test this?

 

[someguy]

Yeah, I'd be interested to see the results as I honestly have no clue as to what they would show, I could only assume that it wouldn't make too much difference.

 

[spencecb]

The display is the biggest drainer of energy for portables. When I am using my MacBook Pro in the kitchen, listening to music, the display is set to power off after 5 minutes, and when I touch the trackpad to activate the display, I often see battery time remaining upwards of six hours. So, yes, I think you would save a cinsiderable amount of time if you used an external display when watching a DVD. Maybe an extra hour.

 

[Josias]

Let's see: I tried watching a DVD. The screen turned off, and I moved the trackpad. It briefly displayed 5:43 hours. So, around 5.5 hours, since sending the videosignal through Mini-DVI consumes a little power. You would get around 3 hours more than the predicted 2.5 hours on Apple's website. BTW, why do you ask this? This is not a relevant situation. If you have a powerplug to power an external monitor, why would you run the MB on battery?

 

[onlytobbe]

Thanks for the help guys!

Haha, good question Joasis, it's just good to know that you have the possibility to do so, like if some family members visits and you want to show them some photos on the TV, you don't have to struggle with that many cables

Hmm I’m still unsure about my purchase, free iPod or wait for Leopard...