Vincent_L

Q: I want to connect an old eMac to an LCD TV.

Hi, all. Thanks for reading this.

 

I visited my parents and found my old eMac from 9 million years (and Macs) ago. It's the 700 MHz Power PC G4 model.

 

I would like to connect it to my LCD TV. The TV has PC inputs (VGA) and I have the Apple mini VGA adapter and a VGA cable that I know works. I have it connected now, but the TV says "Not Supported." The TV works fine connected to my MacBook Pro and other PCs. I know that the eMac in question is a bit old- but it's a Mac!

 

I just want what's on the computer to display on my LCD. I'm not terribly concerned with screen resolution or whether or not I can use "screen spanning."

 

Does anyone have any ideas?

 

Thanks for reading!

 

-Vincent.

eMac, Mac OS X (10.4.11)

Posted on Jun 20, 2011 6:53 PM

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Q: I want to connect an old eMac to an LCD TV.

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  • by Allan Jones,Solvedanswer

    Allan Jones Allan Jones Jun 20, 2011 9:57 PM in response to Vincent_L
    Level 8 (35,039 points)
    iPad
    Jun 20, 2011 9:57 PM in response to Vincent_L

    The eMac allows only display mirroring, so what goes to an external will be limited to the res on the eMac, and with a 4:3 aspect ratio. The video chipset in that eMac is pretty dated---that might be where the trouble lies.

     

    There are other factors like color depth and refresh rate. The TV will have to be able to work with the limited options that the eMac video hardware offers. I would start by setting the res to 1280 X 960 (the largest I have on our eMac 700) and millions of colors. See if you are offered different refresh rates. If so, try different ones

     

    Something more basic: Have the TV connected and ON when you start the eMac. That helps the compuer find the second display. Also look on the TVs options to see if there is a setting for a 4:3 aspect ratio.

     

    Beyond that, I'm out of ideas!