ThunderBolt + External Monitor = Mounds of Woe

Well you're certainly more than welcome to bring it in, but, at least in my opinion, it's an exercise in futility. You should try one of the various workarounds presented in this post, starting with getting a MDP -> HDMI adapter and seeing if that works (assuming the monitor has an HDMI in). I wish I could be of more help but this is clearly an engineering problem and not a fluke and is quite dependent on the model of the monitor and somewhat less on the model of adapter.

OK guys, forgive me since I am a newbie.

No stress. You actually tested like a pro 🙂

It seems to me that you've covered most of the bases, especially trying out multiple monitors/HDTVs. I get the flicker you're referring to on one of my monitors (using HDMI) but only after the MBP has gone to sleep. So that's a confirmed issue & has been posted here and elsewhere. Same goes for the MBP not detecting the monitor at all–this seems to be the most common issue.

Is my cable too long? How can I figure out if it is a bad adapter?

The only options left to try (going to the Apple store isn't necessary IMO) is to get a different make of adapter and a different HDMI cable. Most likely these won't help (especially the cable) but it never hurts to try. There seems to be a bit of voodoo regarding what adapters work with what monitors or if it's specifically a monitor issue (obviously the problem originates with the MBP, but some monitors work & some don't so there's some quality that works or doesn't. Some people, myself included, think it's a power issue, namely not enough juice flowing from the ThunderPort). I actually have a moshi knockoff that I got from amazon for like 9 bux and it works fine with most of my monitors. It's pretty much a crapshoot.

Not sure what my screen resolution settings should be set at

You shouldn't have to do anything to get a mac to work with an external. The way it (usually) works is you plug in the external, the mac recognizes it & your external becomes an extended desktop (or mirrored if you set it to that). You can then adjust the resolution to your preferred setting, although this is usually not necessary (it should detect its native res).

So to sum up you probably don't have a bad adapter or cable & your cable shouldn't be too long (I have tried 6, 10 & 15' cables & they've all worked the same), but it doesn't hurt to try different brands etc. However, you should definitely contact Apple tech support. The more ppl who contact them, the more data gets logged and the more aware the engineers are made of the issue. Explain the issue to them & what you've tried and refer them to this thread etc. They won't be able to help you, most likely, but in the off chance that they do, come back here and post. But until we see a fix from Apple, if it doesn't work with a specific monitor, you're SoL 😟

Am I in the same boat as everyone else and the Thunderbolt port just doesn't work yet as advertised?

Yes. Permission to board.

Hey Bundito-
I feel your pain 😉 I've been using macs for ages and pc's before (and during that time when required) and I must say that overall Apple has an excellent track record. This issue will get fixed, probably sooner rather than later. As I said to RLFox184, *make sure* to take the time to call Apple support. Even though it probably won't help your specific problem the more calls logged the more the issue will get noticed (the "squeaky wheel theory" and all that).

I think Macally is generally well respected, but don't quote me on that since I don't own anything of theirs. With regards to this issue, you generally read about Moshi, Apple and Griffin… along with a few others. As I've posted before, it probably isn't your adapter–but you never know. You may want to try a different brand.

I've heard of these issues happening while using analog, but you could always try a VGA or composite breakout (obviously you would then need to line audio out as well). Also amazon & some others ship very quickly and you could always have a different adapter delivered to your hotel.

As far as your stuff at home goes, HDTVs seem to be a bit more forgiving than monitors… I don't know why. I can get my HDTV to work with a MDP->DVI adapter and a DVI/HDMI cable! So you may be okay there. Again it's a crapshoot.

I would say, unless an external is necessary for work, just wait it out. It will get fixed soon (fingers crossed). If not Apple's going to have a lot of power users (haha) pounding on their door for exchanges or repairs. I really really hope this is a firmware/software issue, but who knows.

Welcome aboard the good ship Thunderbolt 😟