Thunderbolt to Hdmi cable works for windows laptop but not macbook air

Question

Thunderbolt to Hdmi cable works for windows laptop but not macbook air

Hi everyone,

I have spent all day trying to get my Macbook Air (OS X 10.8.4) to display on various televisions via a Thunderbolt-HDMI cable, however I am yet to suceed. I have scrolled and read through a VAST amount of forums and so-called "help pages" on the internet but can't find anything that works for me, however there do seem to be many people with the same or similar problems.

I tested to see if it was the cable which is the problem by connecting it the Thunderbolt port of a laptop supporting Windows 7 and it worked PERFECTLY on my Samsung television. Therefore, the problem lies in my Mac.

When connected to the TV via the Thunderbolt-HDMI cable, a blue screen briefly appears on the Macbook. However, when looking in System Preferences/ Displays, there is no trace of any external screen. Many of the forums I have read say there should be an "Arrangement" tab, but this is not appearing on mine.

I find this very strange, as the product specifications of the Thunderbolt-HDMI cable implied it would easily work for my Macbook Air. This leads me to believe that there is something within the software 'inhibiting' the use of this cable.

Can anybody help me solve this problem, allowing me to display my Macbook's screen on an external display via a Thunderbolt to HDMI cable?

Luke

MacBook Air

Posted on Sep 4, 2013 1:12 PM

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Answer 1

sberman

Level 10

273,684 points

Sep 4, 2013 3:11 PM in response to lukeandfergus

Thanks for this info.

Indeed you do have a real Thunderbolt port as shown here:

http://support.apple.com/kb/SP670

... so my fear and resulting explanation does not apply. (That's good news for you, I think.)

Sorry, this leaves me perplexed.

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Answer 2

sberman

Level 10

273,684 points

Sep 4, 2013 2:43 PM in response to lukeandfergus

Please tell us exactly which model MacBook Air you have. It would be good if you could do About This Mac (under the Apple logo in the menu bar), then press "More Info" and tell us what it says at the top.

The reason for this request is some of the older MacBook Airs, while they have ports that look like Thunderbolt, actually came out before a full Thunderbolt capability was introduced. Tell us which MacBook Air you have and I'll check.

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Answer 3

Sep 4, 2013 3:02 PM in response to sberman

It's a 13 inch, mid 2012 Macbook Air with the following specifications:

Processor 1.8 GHz Intel Core i5

Memory 4 GB 1600 MHz DDR3

Graphics Intel HD Graphics 4000 512 MB

Software OS X 10.8.4 (12E55)

Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

Luke

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Answer 4

natcort

Level 1

0 points

Nov 14, 2013 2:11 PM in response to lukeandfergus

Hi, how did you solve your problem? Im having the exact same issue.

"When connected to the TV via the Thunderbolt-HDMI cable, a blue screen briefly appears on the Macbook. However, when looking in System Preferences/ Displays, there is no trace of any external screen. Many of the forums I have read say there should be an "Arrangement" tab, but this is not appearing on mine."

plus the cable works on my boyfriend's Macbook Air, which is an older version than mine.

I have the Macbook Air Version 10.8.4, bought July 2013 (newest version).

Can someone help me?

Thanks

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Answer 5

OGELTHORPE

Level 9

57,329 points

Nov 14, 2013 3:26 PM in response to lukeandfergus

This is a shot in the dark. Delete your System Preferences.plist and see if then the 'Arrangement' option appears.

https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-4301

Ciao.

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