24" Apple LED Cinema Display With an HP Laptop

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24" Apple LED Cinema Display With an HP Laptop

Hey Everyone,

So I just purchased a used 24" LED Cinema Display today primarily for use with my Macbook but I'd like to hook up my work laptop to it on occasion. I went to monoprice and ordered the following two parts:

Mini DisplayPort to VGA

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?cid=102&cp_id=10246&cs_id=1024605&pid=6002&seq=1&format=2

Mini DisplayPort "Female to Female" Coupler

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?cid=104&cp_id=10428&cs_id=1042804&pid=6502&seq=1&format=2

My hope was originally to plug the VGA cable into the HP laptop and then use the coupler to connect the MiniDisplay Port "Male" end on the VGA cable to the "Male" end that comes out of the monitor. The more I read about it, however, the more it seems to me that this isn't going to work. Does anyone have any insight?

Thanks,
Nick

MacBook Unibody (2008) Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0 GHz, Mac OS X (10.6.6)

Posted on Mar 8, 2011 1:24 PM

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Answer 1

Mar 8, 2011 10:53 PM in response to kilburni

It won't work. If the HP is only VGA, you will need a VGA to DVI converter and a DVI to Mini DisplayPort converter. This will cost several hundred dollars. Also make sure the HP cn produce 1920 x 1200.

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Answer 2

kilburni Author

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Mar 9, 2011 7:57 AM in response to Malcolm Rayfield

Well, it's plugged into a docking station when I'm at the office and it pushes 3360x1050 (combined) to two monitors via a VGA cable and a DVI cable so the resolution shouldn't be an issue.

That having been said, I've used cable changers (VGA to DVI, etc) in the past and had no issue. What is it about DisplayPort that makes it not play nice with other formats? The display's been nothing short of amazing when hooked up to my mac but that just makes me more disappointed that I won't be able to use it when working from home.

Any idea where I may find a DVI to Displayport converter?

Thanks!

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Answer 3

Mar 10, 2011 12:11 AM in response to kilburni

Well, it's plugged into a docking station when I'm at the office and it pushes 3360x1050 (combined) to two monitors via a VGA cable and a DVI cable so the resolution shouldn't be an issue.

If it really has DVI, you can use a DVI to Mini DisplayPort converter. Have you actually tried it with a DVI display? The docking station may be designed for more than one type of laptop, and if your laptop is VGA only, the docking station DVI port won't work.

That having been said, I've used cable changers (VGA to DVI, etc) in the past and had no issue.

DVI-I includes analog video pins (DVI-D doesn't), so a DVI to VGA adapter just has to connect the correct pins between the DVI and VGA connectors. This is for connecting a VGA display to a computer with DVI-I. Going the other way is a lot more difficult since there are no digital video signals in VGA. You need analog to digital converters and logic to combine the digital output into the correct stream format.

What is it about DisplayPort that makes it not play nice with other formats?

DisplayPort is even worse. The digital data is not just a stream of bits, but must be send as packets with the correct headers.

Any idea where I may find a DVI to Displayport converter?

<http://www.atlona.com/Atlona-DVI-to-Mini-DisplayPort-Converter-p-17859.html>

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