I'm having trouble connecting my macbook to my Sony hdtv. I am trying to use the mini dvi to video cable using s-video. It shows up on my tv, but with all kinds of lines, not really viewable. I have tried all kinds of settings in the displays properties, to no avail. The tv is a Sony 50" Grand Wega 720p native resolution.
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Macbook, mini dvi to video cable, and 50" Sony hdtv
- Thread starter det2004
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I use the miniDVI to DVI with an DVI to HDMI adapter, and I love the way it works, specially when using Front Row.
Why you want to use the S-video input in your TV instead of using an HDMI one?
i think S-video will only give you 480p of video, and with HDMI you'll get more.
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Why you want to use the S-video input in your TV instead of using an HDMI one?
i think S-video will only give you 480p of video, and with HDMI you'll get more.
________
buy silversurfer vaporizer
Last edited:
Yeah, I know, but I only have one dvi input on my tv, and It's already in use. I picked up the s-video cable for my macbook openbox from best buy for cheap, so I was just trying to figure out how to get the tv to display it properly to see if it looked decent, but i keep getting lines in it, or a severely scrambled picture. I guess I could get a mulitple dvi selector, but I was just hoping to avoid further cost.
Did you have any trouble setting it up, or did you just plug it in and have it work?? I was expecting the mini dvi to video one to just plug in and detect the settings for my tv, but no go.
Can you tell me where I can buy these? I used to connect my mbp with an hdmi cable, but now I got a MB, and I'm dying to connect my mb to my hdtv. thanks
Edit: This one right?
AJ Muni:
Right that one is.
Where to buy them:
miniDVI to DVI from apple at the apple store, best buy, circuit city, amazon, etc... aroung $20.
The DVI to HDMI adapter I bought mine form Radio Shack, also you can get them in any video store, amazon. Also you can use a DVI to HDMI cable. By checking your link those Xtreme Mac cables also seem to have a good price.
det2004:
When I connected my MB to my Sony LCD TV it worked fine, my suggestion to you is to check if your Mac is recognizing the TV, check if it shows all the TV details on your System Preferences and check which is the best setting to use it like the refresh rate and all that.
Before buying my Sony LCD 40" I had a small 14" regular TV and I used the RCA video input with the same adapter you are using and it also worked fine, chekc if you have the same issue with the RCA port.
One thing about some Sony LCDs when playing old recorded media is that they don't reproduce very well and show some lines during due to a refresh rate issue, that is a known issue from some Sony LCD TVs, mine is an XBR2 and has that condition, but I don't care too much about it because 100% of what I watch looks fine.
________
Yamaha YZ250
Right that one is.
Where to buy them:
miniDVI to DVI from apple at the apple store, best buy, circuit city, amazon, etc... aroung $20.
The DVI to HDMI adapter I bought mine form Radio Shack, also you can get them in any video store, amazon. Also you can use a DVI to HDMI cable. By checking your link those Xtreme Mac cables also seem to have a good price.
det2004:
When I connected my MB to my Sony LCD TV it worked fine, my suggestion to you is to check if your Mac is recognizing the TV, check if it shows all the TV details on your System Preferences and check which is the best setting to use it like the refresh rate and all that.
Before buying my Sony LCD 40" I had a small 14" regular TV and I used the RCA video input with the same adapter you are using and it also worked fine, chekc if you have the same issue with the RCA port.
One thing about some Sony LCDs when playing old recorded media is that they don't reproduce very well and show some lines during due to a refresh rate issue, that is a known issue from some Sony LCD TVs, mine is an XBR2 and has that condition, but I don't care too much about it because 100% of what I watch looks fine.
________
Yamaha YZ250
Last edited:
I don't see any details for my tv in system prefs....I have tried the s-video cable and the rca video out. I'm starting to wonder if the cable I bought could be defective...
Tomorrow I will test my Sony LCD 40" with the RCA / S-video adapter and will let you know what happen.
Do you know how to upload pics to this forum, so I can send you details of my findings?
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Do you know how to upload pics to this forum, so I can send you details of my findings?
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Last edited:
Does your TV have a VGA input? If so, you could probably use a mini DVI-VGA adapter to get a better picture. It's a 15 pin D type connector that is sometimes labeled as PC input on some TVs.
I don't know what kind of quality you are expecting with s-video/rca anyway beings as the adapter converts it from a digital to an analog signal. If you want better quality, DEFINITELY go with the mini-DVI/DVI/HDMI option. (It would be extra crappy anyway on that big of a screen using analog signal)
S-Video test results
Guys,
With the Apple video adapter mini-DVI to S-video and my MacBook the best resolution I obtain is 1024x768 interlaced and the MacBook identifies my Sony LCD TV as a NTSC/PAL device.
I didn't test the RCA one.
For using it as a Big Screen Monitor with my MacBook is really bad the letters look like in a bad old Nintendo game out of focu and without an uniform color, however when using Front Row with it most of the things look acceptable: photos, movies, etc.
I used this adapter in the past with old 480i analog TVs and the result was totally different, as matter of fact this was my DVD player solution meanwhile I saved money to buy my LCD TV and my Home Theater System.
My suggestion is go with the digital solution using either HDMI or DVI, the difference is huge.
________
Toyota TF103
Guys,
With the Apple video adapter mini-DVI to S-video and my MacBook the best resolution I obtain is 1024x768 interlaced and the MacBook identifies my Sony LCD TV as a NTSC/PAL device.
I didn't test the RCA one.
For using it as a Big Screen Monitor with my MacBook is really bad the letters look like in a bad old Nintendo game out of focu and without an uniform color, however when using Front Row with it most of the things look acceptable: photos, movies, etc.
I used this adapter in the past with old 480i analog TVs and the result was totally different, as matter of fact this was my DVD player solution meanwhile I saved money to buy my LCD TV and my Home Theater System.
My suggestion is go with the digital solution using either HDMI or DVI, the difference is huge.
________
Toyota TF103
Last edited:
McGiord,
It looks bad cause the TV has a higher resolution than S-Video can provide. Why not use a mini-DVI to DVI cable?
It looks bad cause the TV has a higher resolution than S-Video can provide. Why not use a mini-DVI to DVI cable?
Not sure if this is appropriate, but i remember hearing something about the macbook not being able to support displays larger than 30" due to its restricted graphics capabilities.