Mini display port to HDMI problem

Same problem here with OSX Lion. Upgraded two machines. Macbook pro 15" and Macbook air 11" neither will connect to my TV now. They both work with an external monitor, but Mini display port to HDMI no longer working. Very frustrating. this needs to get fixed!

I’ve had a MacBook Pro for about a year and bought my moshiMiniDisplay Port to HDMI Adapter early on. It’s always been kinda flaky. I have two HDMI flatscreen TVs – 2 different Panasonic models. Sometimes I can get it to work with one but rarely with the other. When it decides it doesn’t want to work there is no getting it to. I started out with Snow Leopard and just upgraded to Lion yesterday. After the Lion upgrade it worked at first on the one TV but when I tried to get it to work on the 2^nd it stopped working for either, at least for now. So, judging by my experience and all the other people having this same problem I don’t think it’s the HDMI cables or my port. It appears the device or the software is flaky. Apple needs to address this.

It isn't Apple products that are the problem. It's the HDCP handshake between the Macbook and the TV. Lion probably has the latest HDCP protocol.

HDMI is a badly designed interface developed for the purpose of controlling content not a superior signal. Since control could not be done with analog connections, HDMI was a new digital alternative to allow whoever wanted to control the content with HDCP.

Problems with HDMI are not usually with the cable but is in 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.

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

I am about to go pick up a mini displayport to hdmi and give this a try. i will report back my results.

while researching the correct way to do this, i found the following site -

http://www.macgurulounge.com/view-macs-screen-tv/

it had some helpful info. not sure how much of its content has already been discussed here, but hopefully someone will find it useful.

If you have a model 5,1 Auminum Unibody or a model 6,1 White Unibody. These Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapters claim to marry the audio to the video. Here's a MacWorld article on all the ones out there http://www.macworld.com/article/151410/2010/05/minidisplayport_hdmi.html

Everyone with macbook pro 13" and mini displayport to VGA adaptor problems try system preference>displays>arrangement>then check mirror display. That should fix your problem. If it works be my friend at http://www.facebook.com/carlleemcgill and join me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/carlleemcgill

There are a few posts on here saying it's the mirror display button, or the audio needs selecting to get sound through, I think we all know about those methods. The problem goes beyond that. If I had to guess I would say the main problem lies in the HDMI handshake protocol for copyright infringement. For those who occasionally get the system to appear on the TV screen, I have found that I get more chance of success if the Mac is plugged in at the wall, not battery. This weekend it connected a bit more often (like 1 in 10) than I'm used to, but haven't been getting the audio through this time, despite knowledge of those settings that need switching in audio.

I have exactly the same problem

MBP Early 2011 + Cablesson MniDisplay Port to HDMI adaptor.

Before upgrading to 10.6, it kind of worked but flaky. I had to plug and unplug a few times.

After upgrading to Lion, it doesn't work. I get a blue screen blink and nothing.

Brought to Genius Bar, they tried on their screen and it worked. So they told me to buy some very expensive cable.

What solutions other ppl had? I am really ****** off about this.

What you have to do is first hook up the adapter to your computer and TV. Then go into system setings, click on display icon, once that opens, click on the "ARRAGMENT" tab, then click "MIRROR DISPLAYS"!!!! And now you should have video on yur TV from your computer. Now for sound what you do is again go into system settings, click on the "sound" icon, then click on the "OUTPUT" tab and then click on your TV that should be recognized in the coulm below. Once you click on that, you should have audio from your computer to your TV. Now i am running OS X Lion on a MacBook Pro 13" model. "Sound and Audio" work PERFECTLY!!!!!!

*** rynefromstruthers, we already know this.

THERE'S ANOTHER BUG OUT THERE, it's all about hdmi handshaking.

Sorry for those caps but nothing seems clear for anyone out there, sounds like we should start a new post. The'res a No Signal Bug where macbook screen blinks once and then, nothing happens.

What works with Lion: (Would need confirmations here)

Mac Computer + Apple Minidisplay to HDMI ≈50$ Adapter + 100$ HDMI cable + TV with HDMI

What doesn't work with Lion: (confirmed not working)

MacBook Pro (17-inch, Mid 2010) + MonoPrice Minidisplay to HDMI ≈10$ Adapter + 5$ eBay HDMI Cable + TV with HDMI

Note that my config (the non working one) did work a few times before and even sound worked well. I updated to Lion and it's not working anymore so the issue seems to be software related. My HDMI Cable works fine with ps3, xbox 360 and everything else I've tried.

I will go to the nearest certified apple repair store with my mac and cables tomorrow and I'll try that f*ckin apple branded adapter.

I GUARANTEE it is software related. It worked fine on both machines untill I updated them to OSX 10.7 Lion.

Now I also have bootcamp with windows on them. SAME cable setup. works great ! Apple needs to fix this asap!

The only resolution that works with LION is 480p

this blows

I tried hooking my Macbook Pro again to my Philips TV using an Amazon.com HDMI cable and Mac adapter. But this time I noticed that in Display Preferences the refresh rate default option for Philips TV at 1080i was 50hz. Changing that setting to 60 Hz (NTSC) solved the problem — at least for me, at least tonight. (60Hz is standard for U.S. televisions.)

So for my TV, the correct settinge were:

Display: 1080i Resolution, 60hz Refresh Rate

Arrangement: Mirror Displays

Note that I did all this after downloading and installing the latest OSX Lion patch, which may or may not have made a difference.

Did setting the correct refresh rate solve the problem for anyone else who was having problems?

DC Proud,

It looks like your second monitor is being recognized, it just wasn't displaying a signal. Most of us here can't get the second display to be recognized by the mac at all, or maybe just sporadically. I don't have a second monitor in my Display Preferences to adjust the settings for.

-Aaron

I had the problem too and the answer for fixing it is rather idiotic. For some reason most display port adapters to hdmi only take hdmi cables with a silver input, gold doesn't work i've tried it with multiple brands, multiple lengths so on and so forth (work in a surplus store and had many different hdmi cables to work with and it is only the hdmi cables with silver male inputs that works with the adapters.

I am having the same problem at the moment. I have a Samsung 40D8000 LED 3D TV and i have been using it with my MacBookPro for 10 days without anyproblems.But somehow this morning when i wanted to work with my macbook it did not work. I couldn't get a signal from HDMI. I have a mini display port to hdmi adapter. It worked fine for 10 days. I even got some work done last night and didnt exprience any problems. Shut down the system properly. But in the morning it decided not to work. I do not use hdmi to get sound i have surround system for it, plugged into my macbook. I am using lion. I tried with other LCD's and still didnt work. I created a new profile on my laptop in order to have brand new untouched preferences but that didnt work either. Screen kept going blue and back to way it was. Didnt get the signal. Is there any way to fix it. I have read many posts but i do not believe its about having a silver or gold output, or having diffrent kind of hdmi cable. It worked for 10 days and suddenly it stopped. I believe it's a software issue. Is there any release from apple about this?