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Using macBook, MacBook Pro with external display

10K views 3 replies 3 participants last post by  krs 
#1 ·
Further to this post:
http://www.ehmac.ca/mac-ipod-help-troubleshooting/67530-combination-desktop-notebook-mac.html

I'm back on this idea again to use a MacBook as a "desktop" with an external display and keyboard/mouse.

Sounded like a straight forward set up, but I have two macBook Pros, a 2.2 and a 2.4 GHz Intel version where I tried to connect them to the DVI input of an Acer 32-inch TV and I couldn't get that to work with either MacBook Pro, so now I'm wondering why and if the MacBook will work with an external display the way I have envisioned it.

The 32-inch Acer worked fine with an older PPC Mini, but I couldn't get it to work with either of the MacBook Pros.
With the 2.2 GHz macBook Pro the display on the Acer kept saying no signal, no matter what resolution I tried - with the MacBook Pro 2.4 Ghz I got the screen on an intermittent basis but the dock for instance would not show up.

I did a bit of research on the net and found many people who had similar problems - some suggested that I need to connect a keyboard and mouse and close the lid and then wake up the MacBook Pro using the keyboard - tried all that, but nothng really worked - I never got the full proper screen and playing an.avi video which was my ultimate purpose to try all this, didn't work at all.

The video played fine on the MacBook Pro by itself, but connecting the Acer via the DVI cable just didn't work at all.

The Acer can handle up to and including 720p and 1080i video - worked fine connected to the Mini as I said, but wouldn't work with the DVI port of the MacBook Pro.

Any suggestions - comments?
 
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#2 ·
Further to this post:
http://www.ehmac.ca/mac-ipod-help-troubleshooting/67530-combination-desktop-notebook-mac.html

I'm back on this idea again to use a MacBook as a "desktop" with an external display and keyboard/mouse.
That's exactly my setup. A BlackBook connected to a 20" widescreen display (which runs as the main screen when the MacBook is at home).

Sounded like a straight forward set up, but I have two macBook Pros, a 2.2 and a 2.4 GHz Intel version where I tried to connect them to the DVI input of an Acer 32-inch TV and I couldn't get that to work with either MacBook Pro, so now I'm wondering why and if the MacBook will work with an external display the way I have envisioned it.
Why = user error. There's no reason at all that it shouldn't work, although I very much doubt it will work at the native resolution of the MBPs. Acer's a pretty crappy brand, it's possible that none of their preset resolution options match anything the MBP is capable of outputting, but I rather doubt that.

The answer to your question is yes, MacBooks/MBPs work fine connected to external monitors.

The video played fine on the MacBook Pro by itself, but connecting the Acer via the DVI cable just didn't work at all.
Having hooked this BlackBook up to every kind of VGA & DVI device you can imagine, from conventional TVs to projectors to all kinds of monitors, I'm very inclined to say the problem is something you're doing wrong.

Have you tried connecting the cables to the MBP when it is completely turned off, then turning it on? Have you checked to make sure the Acer TV is ignoring other inputs and only "looking" on the DVI connector? If both of those things are happening, just go to your Displays control panel on your computer and click the "Detect New Displays" (assuming the TV isn't working fine at this point).

If you still get nothing, it's the Acer.
 
#3 ·
I've set up both MacBooks and Pros to all kinds of external displays with no problems at all. My set up at the office is almost identical to what krs wants to do.

KRS: this is unlikely the issue, but is the display settings set for "mirror displays"? If so, perhaps there is an issue with trying to mimick identical displays on both screens.

Other than that, I would guess it's a cable issue, but not if it works on other systems.
 
#4 ·
Thanks for the input and comments.

Couple of points:

Chas_m - I agree that Acer is usually a pretty crappy brand and I would never buy an Acer PC or an Acer monitor. But for some reason this particular Acer TV is absolutely excellent all around - fantastic picture and sound, tons of inputs - I bought it a while back partially based on feedback from RFDers:
The Bay: Acer 32" LCD HDTV, 8ms, 1200:1, HDMI - $637!!! - RedFlagDeals.com Forums

And that the price I ended up paying was less than $500.- didn't hurt either.

Somehow this whole episone reminds me of the Mac Mini incompatibility with certain DVI displays - I have a NEC 19-inch display which the mac Mini won't work with and there are a whole range of other DVI displays the Mini - at least the early 1.42 GHz version, is incompatible with.

As far as this particular problem is concerned, there are a fair amount of threads when you google of people having the same problem I'm having - can't get a MacBook or macBook Pro to work with an LCD TV, no matter what brand.
here is just one example but there are many more if you google:
1366 x 768 resolution LCD TV + MacBoook Pro: settings? - Mac Forums

Facts are as follows:
1. DVI input on Acer works perfectly connected to the 1.42 GHz Mac Mini (the same one that is incompatible with the DVI input of a 19-inch NEC LCD).
So that rules out a cable issue and DVI compatibility of the Acer in general

2. On a new MacBook Pro 2.4 GHz which I received just a couple of days ago - only the user set up was done so far - the TV LCD display does work intermittently but the dock for instance does not show up. That's with an external keyboard/Mouse plugged in which I understood you needed.
Not sure about 'mirroring' or not - I couldn't even find that in the display option. The display preference was whatever the default was.
I didn't really pursue this further because the display would sometimes work and other times not - no rhyme or reason that I could see.

3. On a one-year old MacBook Pro 2.2 GHz I could never get anything on the LCD display - came up with "no input signal" and that was with the same DVI cable.

If I hadn't seen so many posts on the net with the same type of problem using a macBook or macBook Pro, I probably would have tried longer to get something to work, but it sounded as if this was a general problem with the MacBooks.

One option that seems to work for some people is to go the VGA route - I may try this next time I try this hook up.

BTW - I did try "detect new displays" - that did nothing; the Acer selects manually between DVI and VGA and all the other inputs - so yes, it's only looking atthe DVI input, nothing else.
I woke the Mac fron sleep - that's how at least one of them gave me some video on the screen, the second one didn't - wonder if the videop output is defective, but I never shut the Mac down completely and then plugged the cables in and started the Mac.

Is there not a proper way that should get this to work? At least on the Mac side?
What I see alot in these postings on the net is "try this and try that" - almost a trial and error set up and if you are lucky, it works.
When I connected this TV via DVI to the Mini, it just worked.
 
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