macbook pro connected to tv but no picture

I have a mid-2009 macbook pro and have it connected to my Samsung flat screen TV that is about of the same age. I used a direct connection cord (no adapter) from the mini display port to the HDMI connection on the TV. I selected that under "input" and all I see is a big picture of the solar system. Under system preferences, I can choose SAMSUNG as the display, but only the solar system picture shows on the TV. Any help would be greatly appreciated!