Q: Mini display port to HDMI problem

What is the problem?

i have macbook pro 13" Mid 2012, panasonic led full hd 3d tv, i bought hdmi cable from panasonic and thunderbolt to hdmi belkin, also a good cable.

i plugged hdmi to tv's hdmi port and than thunderbolt to hdmi, then to macbook, just the display started and was working just very fine. than i removed it for couple of days and now i pluggged in the cables back and no display. even sometimes its like macbook is trying to get the display as a blue screen came for some seconds but nothing happen.

I really hate this.

has anyone know any solution?

any help, anyboby?

thank you.

Would you think this would be the same set up for an imac? I have a mid 2011 27" imac with OSX Mt. Lion. I just bought a MDP to HDMI to put into the Thunderbolt port so that I can use my TV as a screen. I tried Apple TV but my internet is not always that great on wifi. My mac is hooked up to Ethernet cable. Thanks

Problems with HDMI are not usually with the cable but The handshake between the MacBook and the TV and the HDCP copy-protection protocol. There was a technical paper from the HDCP group pointing out that some developers of switches are making incorrect assumptions about the way to handle HDMI/HDCP standards. When you disconnect and reconnect it may cause problems with the HDMI handshake.

http://www.eetimes.com/design/communications-design/4013366/HDMI-DVI-HDCP-handsh ake-problems--how-to-avoid-them

HDMI is being pushed because of the copy protection. High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP) is a form of Digital Rights Management (DRM) developed by Intel Corporation to control digital audio and video content as it travels across Digital Visual Interface (DVI) or High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) connections. The specification is proprietary, and creating an implementation of HDCP requires a license.

HDCP is licensed by Digital Content Protection, a subsidiary of Intel. In addition to paying fees, licensees agree to limit the capabilities of their products. For example, high-definition digital video content must be restricted to DVD quality on non-HDCP compliant video outputs when requested by the source. DVD-Audio content is restricted to DAT quality on non-HDCP digital audio outputs (analog audio outputs have no quality limits). Licensees cannot allow their devices to make copies of content, and must design their products in ways that effectively frustrate attempts to defeat the content protection requirements

Like many before me, I am having difficulty getting my MacBook to recognize my plasma TV as an external display. (Although the TV has internet connectivity, it won't play flash videos so I'd like to use my Mac for that.)

SPECS |

Macbook 2.1 w/Intel Core2Duo (bought 2006) w/MiniDVI port

Panasonic TC-P50ST50 w/3HDMI ports

CONNECTORS |

Apple MiniDVI to VGA connector

Ativa VGA cable w/2 male ends

Belkin Mini DisplayPort to HDTV cable

None of the cables are more than 2 months old. Regardless of which HDMI port I attempt to access, I can't get the MB to recognize an external display. (I have used an older, smaller LCD TV as an external display without issue.) Any help is greatly appreciated!

I've had the same problem forever mate. You know what the solution is? Apple TV and OS Mountain Lion which supports airplay. Goodbye cables.

I've had the same problem forever mate. You know what the solution is? Apple TV and OS Mountain Lion which supports airplay. Goodbye cables.

Ok.. I figured it out (after reading all f the 44 pages of solutions/non-solutions and complaints starting back to 2009 and trying some) It seems as though a simple fix was missing....  I did this and it works just fine...Here ya go!!!!!

You can see from my post 5 above ^ that I have a 27' imac. I used the Thunderbolt port on the back to a MDP to A HDMI to my 55" Vizio HD 1080p TV. It didn't work until...... I called my Boeing engineer son-in-law (who is a very part time mac person (but smart) and he had me go to...HERE IT IS STEP BY STEP!!!

Open SYSTEM PREFFERRENCES click DISPLAYS. A window opens that will say your mac on the top of the window (mine said- iMac). Then....click ARRANGEMENT (there will be 2 little blue screens inside--1 portrait and 1 landscape view) and check MIRROR DISPLAYS. Now a second window opens with the name of your other display (mine said- VZ55.....which is my TV)  (the two little blue screens will now be overlapping) then go to DISPLAYS on same window and choose your RESOLUTION arrow pack on window to SYSTEM PREFFERRENCES click SOUND click on whatever your other display is (mine was VZ55....) choose your resolution (mine was 1080p) and ****POOF****  there it was.... my computer on my TV!!! WALLA! 

Good Luck All! 

I have a mid-2012 MacBook Air.  Ever since I got it I, whenever I hooked it up to my Panasonic plasma TV the picture flashed to black every 8 seconds.  I have bought about 7 hdmi to miniDisplayport adapters, none of which worked (and all of which worked with my wife's mid 2011 MacBook Pro).  I have tried almost all of the suggestions on this post.  Today I finally got it to work, and it was reproducible multiple times with different adapters.  The frustratingly easy fix:

1. Plug in the adapter.  The screen on the TV flashes as usual.

2. Sign out (with the adapter still plugged in)

3. Sign back in

4. It flashes once, then it works! Finally!  No more flashing.

To get the audio to work I had to go to Utilities, MIDI Audio, HDMI, and configure the speakers, then sign out (once again), and sign back in.  This is described in detail here:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2639905?start=0&tstart=0

Hope this helps.

Hi guys.

Well I recently purchased Samsung Smart TV (7 series, 40') and couldnt wait to connect it to my iMac (27', i5 3.1, OS X ML, 1GB Radeon).

But like many of you here I experienced the same problem - after pluging in MDA and HDMI cable to both devices, all I got was a blue screen on Mac and "No signal" message on TV.

Wierd thing though is that Mac shows settings window for TV as display (even calls it Samsung), but I cant get anything happening on TV itself.

As I happen to have Bootcamp Windows instalation on Mac as well, decided to check if Windows will handle it (W7 home premium) to see if problem is mechanical or software.

The same issue happens in Windows - "No signal" message on TV, and Mac acting as if it is actually sending signal to the device.

So my conclusion is that it is connection part, or better said cables and HDMI protocols.

Though from this position I can't be sure if HDMI issue is on Samsung or on Apple side.

Still hopping that Apple gives maximum efforts and solves this issue, because in my opinion AirPlay mirroring is only suitable for home multimedia sharing & use.

So Apple - you REALLY DO HAVE A PROBLEM with this very important issue for your users because it doesnt simply JUST WORK. Please solve it as soon as you can.

Did you see my response above?  I think it may help you!  I hope it does!

Not sure if you saw my post!  I am new to this forum!  But...here it is...

Ok.. I figured it out (after reading all f the 44 pages of solutions/non-solutions and complaints starting back to 2009 and trying some) It seems as though a simple fix was missing....  I did this and it works just fine...Here ya go!!!!!

You can see from my post 5 above ^ that I have a 27' imac. I used the Thunderbolt port on the back to a MDP to A HDMI to my 55" Vizio HD 1080p TV. It didn't work until...... I called my Boeing engineer son-in-law (who is a very part time mac person (but smart) and he had me go to...HERE IT IS STEP BY STEP!!!

Open SYSTEM PREFFERRENCES click DISPLAYS. A window opens that will say your mac on the top of the window (mine said- iMac). Then....click ARRANGEMENT (there will be 2 little blue screens inside--1 portrait and 1 landscape view) and check MIRROR DISPLAYS. Now a second window opens with the name of your other display (mine said- VZ55.....which is my TV)  (the two little blue screens will now be overlapping) then go to DISPLAYS on same window and choose your RESOLUTION arrow pack on window to SYSTEM PREFFERRENCES click SOUND click on whatever your other display is (mine was VZ55....) choose your resolution (mine was 1080p) and ****POOF****  there it was.... my computer on my TV!!! WALLA!

Good Luck All! 

I did see this post man..

And I did try steps you described (though I did not understand all of it to be honest.... like "choose your RESOLUTION arrow pack on window to..." part).

Anyway, no working result in my case...

dude you just saved me HOURS of fiddling.  best tech advice ever.

Same problem(ish), no solution:

Macbook 6,1 OS X 10.6.8 ->

mdp to hdmi adapter -> HDMI cables ->

samsung hd 43"

i have no problem seeing tv from macbook. i get perfect picture right away for about 2 heartstopping seconds, then it goes to snow/static screen and/or flashes from snow to picture like in the Mutara Nebula. if apple or samsung has no fix, who has? am i going to have to learn how to program this stuff to use it??

has anyone had this specific error?

sorry to add more, hopefully it's the straw that breaks the camel's back (hint, hint, apple)

After o spend 100€ on hdmi cables, i went to an apple store bought a black apple hdmi and everything works fine.. Till now!