Q: Mini display port to HDMI problem

You have the display set in Extended Desktop mode. In System Preferences>Display thereshould be an Arrangement tab when you have the MacBook hooked up to the TV and both screens working. When you click the Arrangement tab do you see two monitors side by side? One of them will have a Menu Bar at the top. Just click on the Menu Bar and drag it to the second monitor. That will make the second monitor your main screen.You can now use your MacBook in Clamshell Mode with a wired or Bluetooth keyboard and mouse.  http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3131 When you disconnect from the TV your Menu Bar will automatically change back to the MacBook.
Or if you want to work on the MacBook screen while showing it on a TV you can check the Mirror Display box on the lower left hand side of the Arrangement tab under the two monitors box.

normg33,

It sounds as though what you want is to see the same thing on both your MacBook display and HDMI display?

When you first plug in the HDMI cable that second display will become an "extended" portion of your desktop. It will be completely empty except for your background image. Notice that you will be able to drag windows etc from your MacBook's display over to the HDMI display. This HDMI display is showing a portion of your desktop located either to the right or to the left of the desktop area shown on your MacBook's display.

If you want to have the same desktop area showing on both displays at the same time, you need to turn on "Mirroring". Go to System Preferences. Click on Displays. A window will appear on each display. One of these (probably the one on your MacBook) will have a tab that says Arrangement. Click on that, and you will see a checkbox to turn on Mirroring. When you check that box both displays will show your primay desktop.

Also notice that in this Arrangement window, with mirroing turned off, you can drag the two displays around and position them next to each other in any arrangement you like. The white bar at the top of one of the displays designates the primary display. The primary display will be the one that has your Dock and all of the File Menus. You can drag that white bar to whichever display you like.

mini Display port to HDMI problem

I've a 13" early 2011 macbook pro & a SHARP aquos HDTV. Yesterday i purchased a KANEX minidisplay port to HDMI cable-10 feet(3 metre) with audio support. This forum was helpful to solve my display & audio output problem.

1. connect the cable to minidisplay port of macbook pro & other end to HDMI port of the HDTV. then in system preferences, select display-arrangement & check mirror display. this'll bring the mac desktop on the HDTV display.

2. in system preferences, select sound under hardware, then select your HDTV as output in the OUTPUT tab.

3. Play audio & video.

ENJOY.

Well I'll add my experience to the list.  Just purchased a new imac 21.5" with i7.  I bought a Kanex Mini Displayport to HDMI cable (10FT) from the Apple Store yesterday.  Got home and plugged it in to my Vizio SV320XVT.  No go. 

It'll either just display a static blue screen with "No Signal!".  Or it will display a black screen with "Retrieving Data..." for a while then just display black with no text.  On the iMac end there was nothing.  No response, no normal blue flash, no display external display options, nadda.

Today I returned the cable for a replacement.  Got home and plugged the new one in.  Again, no go.  Oh but wait, after a minute of fiddling with it I got a blue flash and for a split second my TV displayed the OSX Lion Andromeda Galaxy desktop wallpaper.  Ah but the moment was fleeting and it turned out to be a one time occurrence. 

I found that if I press the info button on my remote it will let me know a bit about the current display, and in doing so I realized the TV was displaying some crazy resolutions: 195x37@0Hz; 1332x1@0Hz; 461x18@0Hz ect.  These resolutions were only visible on the TV during the situation after the TV would spend some time on the "Retrieving Data..." screen.

So now here I sit after browsing google for an hour to no avail.  Tomorrow I'll see what the apple store tells me, I think I'll try out a Mini Displayport to HDMI adapter and a HDMI cable instead of Kanex's all-in-one cable.

if I may ask your comment on " miniDisplayPort to DVI adapter with a DVI to HDMI cable " conbination, does this work with Lion ?

I have managed to get my Samsung TV to display my Macbook Pro. Took me about half hour to suss out though which is shamefull. All I did was went to the Display Menu in System Preferences and ticked the box "Show Displays in the menu bar". From doing this an icon pops up in the right hand corner (near the Time Machine/Bluetooth/Airport links) that looks like a Display funnily enough!! Click this and you should see whatever you have plugged in to your DisplayPort. Mine came up with SAMSUNG (as i'm just trying it out on my TV in my room through a HDMI cable in the DisplayPort). From there I tried a few different things because there were three options to choose bellow where it said SAMSUNG (i'm sure if you had ever port on the DisplayPort in use there would be the names of whatever you are using here). I finally clicked what says "1080i (Television)" and my TV screen lit up with my laptops screen. RESULT!!!!!! Just for reference, the other two options were 1024 X 640, 60 Hz (NTSC Television) AND 1440 X 900, 60 Hz (NTSC Television). When I tried these options my TV screen said "Mode Not Supported" so mabye it was something to do with these options...?

Hope this has helped people (specially people using a Samsung TV!!!)

(PS. I'M ONLY USING A PLAIN "MINI DISPLAYPORT to DISPLAYPORT/HDMIDVI ADAPTER" which cost me next-to-nothing!!!"

I have a 17-inch macbook pro early 2011 model ... Also, I have a LG TV with HD Display 42 inch... I bought a linksys mini display to HDMI and I already have a HDMI cable to connect it to my TV.. Also, I am on LION... After all the setup, I see a blue screen on my macbook screen for 3 seconds and everything is back to normal... No Display on LG Screen ....is this the problem due to thunderbolt port... can I connect minidisplay end of the wire to thunderbolt port..???? is that the problem..?????

fed up with it.... trying it for days now.... still no result.... When will apple fix this issue ....

All,

I experienced symptoms identical to many in this forum when connecting my mid-2010 Macbook Pro (15.4") to my Sharp Aquos using the Griffin Technology Mini DisplayPort to HDMI converter (GC17096). When I connected the HDMI cable to my computer and the television, the screen on my MPB would turn blue for a moment (as it does when I use the same cable to connect to an external display) and then - nothing. I tried the steps I found in this forum (thanks to all for posting). These steps included:

1. changing the screen resolution - nothing

2. downloaded gfxcardstatus from codykrieger.com (great utility) to ensure the dynamic switching was enabled (it was) - nothing

3. used the Apple mini display to DVI aadapter with a DVI to HDMI adapter - this worked, but no audio (of course)

In the end, it turned out to be my choice of HDMI cable. My Wife had recently purchased a bluray player and the 13 year old at Best Buy talked her into the expensive HDMI cable. I gave her a hard time about it fo' sho'. I used the overpriced cable with the Griffin converter and it came right up. The other cable works with my BluRay and my IPad, so I do not know what the difference is. But it worked.

I'm not saying that you should go out and buy the most expensive HDMI cable you can find, but do try swapping the HDMI cable when troubleshooting.

Just thought I would pass this along in case others have the same issue.

Cheers,

denismcd

I was having similar issues when using a Cablesson adaptor, which had been working flawessly for months....

Just sussed it, the HDTV ony works when the macbook is plugged into a power source.

Very frustrating nonetheless.

Ell.

Apple, stop spamming my mailbox with this topic's renewals!!!111

I don't need no notification from here anymore. I turned off every crappy option in your idiotic notification preference form already.

@borisfrommanhattan

Sign in and go to the top of this topic, click "Stop email notifications".

if you want, call apple and tell them the miniport display to hdmi issue really *****, then you can stop your notifications .

Merci, my friend! Hope it'll help.

I just bought a Rocketfish brand mini displayport to HDMI adapter from bestbuy and brand new HDMI also from bestbuy. tried plugging them into a plasma and a LCD tv..no luck can anyone help?

New lion update: 10.7.1

They fixed an issue with hdmi and sound, but they did not do anything about the mini display to hdmi handshake issue. Still the same crap, mac screen blinks once and no signal on th other end, tried different hdmi brand, powering off and on, blablabla.

I'll send another message to apple, but this is getting me mad, I'm using my mac and netflix to watch movies on my 40", it worked well with my old mac I sold with dvi cable, now that I have a new computer and bought every ****** addons I needed, the result is "No signal".

ENJOY

I just called apple care, the case is supposed to go higher, I told them to google "Mini displayport to HDMI problem". They told me to bring my mac with my cable to the nearest apple store to determine if the probleme is the computer or the cable. I'll call the store and see what they can do.

They will probably try to sell me the apple branded minidisplay port to hdmi.

I'll update soon.