Connecting MBA 2012 to three External Displays

I am looking to purchase a 2012 MBA, contingent upon connecting to three external displays. As the MBA 2012 has a USB3.0 and a Thunderbolt port, I plan to use -
- A Plugable UGA-2K-A USB 2.0 adapter to convert the USB3.0 to a HDMI/DVI input on a 21 monitor (For text only)
- Use a DualHead2Go Digital SE to connect it from the Thunderbolt port to the HDMI/DVI inputs of the two external monitors (run two different applications and not a stretched image)
I am wondering if this would work (albeit with minimal lag) or if are there any other alternatives to hooking it up to three external monitors. Thanks

Did you ever get this figured out?

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HT3924 Using a 27-inch iMac (Mid 2012) as an external display?

As I have been using MacBook Pro (Mid 2010) and Mac Air (Mid 2011) for business purpose, I wanna use them working at home.
I really expected that there was new cinema display with Retina display, but there wasn't. However, New iMac looks really nice & I would love to buy it.
But Using a 27-inch iMac(Mid 2012) as an external display is one of my important required function to buy it.
What do you think? is a 27-inch iMac (Mid 2012) able to use target display mode?

there's a lot of misinformation so far here. Yes you can use all the 27-inch iMacs as external displays.
However there a few problems.
2009-2010 27-inch iMacs can only work with Apple computers that have the Mini-DisplayPort.
2011-2012 21-inch and 27-inch iMacs can only work as a display with Macs that have thunderbolt ports.
so as long as your 2011 MBA has thunderbolt, the new one will do fine. your 2010 MBP will not be able to use the iMac as a display.

How could i use my three external Display's as one Big?

I'have an Mac Book Pro 15,4" and i would use My three external Display's as one!! How can i do that without using an Adapter? The external DIsplay's are Connectet by the two integrated Thunderbolt adapter and one is connected by the integrated HDMI adapter! Wich Application do i need? Or is it not Possible to use the thre external Display's as one?

Thanks for your Help but i think that what i would to do does not work with Mac! Did you know the Game Crisis 3 i had see an Video on YouTube there ist somwone he use 6 Thunderbolt Display and have a Resulution fromm 4k That is what i want to do with my 3 External Display i know that i couldn't do this resulution with my thre Display's! but i had to say he use BootCamp and Windows 8 with Eyefinity from AMD! And i search an Application where i can do it ! My Driver is from NVidia and i don't find something by the NVida Homepage
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=WmlsePKH6AY

Connecting a MacBook to an external display or projector

I have tried to connect my MacBook to a projector and to a TV using the mini-DVI to Video adapter, both with the same poor results. Here's the steps I took:
- Turned on the TV
- Connected the video cable to the TV "video in"
- Connected the video cable to the MacBook with the mini-DVI to vieo adapter
- Opened the MacBook
- Turned it on
The MacBook boots up, the MacBook resolution changes and the video on the TV is distorted, showing essentially three images of the MacBook display. Any attempt to adjust the resolution using system preferences just makes it worse.
Has anyone had success using a MacBook for presentations using either a TV or a projector and, if so, what procedure do you use to connect?

Greetings from Hong Kong-
I have a major presentation to give in a couple of days and have NOT been successful connecting to an external display. I am starting to freak out. Any instructions would be helpful!

Connecting an Air to an external display?

When checking out with a new MBA you have the option of purchasing an adapter to connect to a DVI. However, it looks like this is a mini DVI to DVI cable, and I can't see that the new MBAs come with a mini DVI port. Why would there be an option to buy a cable that won't even fit with the computer? Or will it? I have a DVI display I'd like to use with a new MBA - is this possible? Is there a thunderbolt to DVI converter?
Also, if I do find a display that will work with the Air, how does it work? Can I use it with the screen closed, or does the computer just go to sleep? Can I use it in dual mode, so that I can have both the Air screen and the external display working seamlessly together (not mirrored) or will the Air display automatically turn off when connected externally?
Thanks!
Amber

Well, before you run off to buy anything read the documentation in the user manual to see what it tells you on P. 26.
Thunderbolt port (high-speed data, video, and audio)
Connect Thunderbolt-compatible devices for high-speed data transfer, or connectan external display that uses Mini DisplayPort. You can purchase adapters to connectdisplays that use DVI, HDMI, or VGA.

MBA doesn't see external display

Folks,
This is *really* frustrating. Last night I tried, for the first time, to use an external display for my MBA. I have a Thunderbolt-to-HDMI Apple cable I bought for this purpose (the only way to do it on my MBA), and I connected it to the external display via an HDMI cable. I plugged in the monitor, turned it on, and opened up the MBA (it was in sleep mode) and it was glorious -- full, beautiful color (well, after I adjusted the gamma and brightness/contrast appropriately to calibrate it).
So I went ahead and turned on bluetooth so I could use my BT keyboard and I was able to then close the MBA and work on my Mac just like it was a desktop. It was the greatest thing since... well, since cheap gas. I could see that I would be using my MBA even more than I already do. I put the Mac to sleep and tried to see if it would revive from a mouse movement and it did, with the display working perfectly. I put it back to sleep again and went to bed.
This morning I tried to revive it with a mouse movement and no-go. Okay, so I opened it up -- still no life. Hmmmm, I pressed the power button a while so it would come back on, and it finally did, but no external display. I read online about getting it to see external displays (something I didn't have to do yesterday) and tried "Detect Display", tried turning it completely off for five minutes and powering back on, tried disconnecting and connecting the cable, turning the display power on and off... nothing. No matter what I do, I can't get the external display to work again.
What in the #$%@# am I doing wrong? I can't even think of anything else to try. Leaving aside the fact that it somehow stopped working in the night during sleep mode, what can I possibly do now to get it going again?

I thought I'd add a couple of things here that might be helpful to others searching for a solution to this or a similar problem.
I happened to leave my MBA turned off for a while but with the external monitor connected. When it came time to turn it back on I connected it to power (although it was pretty fully charged) because I had been reading this:
http://gizmodo.com/5938452/a-trick-to-make-using-an-external-monitor-with-your-m acbook-way-better
and in the bottom comments there was a section that read as follows:
"Closed Clamshell Mode is still a function of the OS. Here's how: close the lid of portable, plug into power, monitor, and keyboard/mouse, wake portable by clicking the mouse or hitting a key on the space bar. Important note: portable has to be plugged into power, even if the battery is full."
It was the last bit that seemed to make a connection in my mind that perhaps the big issue here was that I was trying to do things without the power connected, even with the Clamshell open. In any case, the external monitor came back on and then worked just fine. So I shut things completely down (power down) and restarted several times and each and every time it worked, and kept working even when I went to Closed Clamshell mode.
So I tried with the Clamshell open but NOT connected to power and I had the same issues -- no display and couldn't get it working properly again until I completely shut down, connected to power, and brought it up again. I am now of the opinion that, at least in my particular case (with the particular thunderbold to HDMI adapter, Dell monitor, and 2011 MBA) that the power needs to be attached no matter if the battery is full or not. (Note: I realize in the above quoted paragraph the big point is that in closed clamshell mode you need to be connected to power. Still, it seems to me it also makes a difference in open clamshell as well, at least based on my limited tests).
The MBA may still be faulty -- perhaps it should work otherwise -- but I'm happy with things the way they are now. I will continue to play with this (I had, in the meantime, ordered both another thunderbolt to hdmi adapter as well as a thunderbolt to DVI adapter just to see if they made a difference -- they will come Wednesday and I'll give them a try to see what difference, if any, they make) but at least at the moment I feel like the key to solving this was to keep it plugged into power (it also may have helped to reset the PRAM because I had made some changes to the LCD display that may have screwed things up. No matter what, that's still good information to know).

Can I use my macbook pro mid 2012 as an external display using thunderbolt port

Hi,
I want to use my macbook pro (mid 2012) screen as an external display for a raspberry pi using a HDMI to Thunderbolt cable, via the thunderbolt port on the macbook pro. Would this be possible? Can the macbook pro's thunder bolt port act as an input and is any additional software required?
I look forward to hearing from you.
Thanks in advance!

Welcome to Apple Support Communities
You are referring to Target Display mode. Target Display mode can only be used in 27-inch iMacs and iMacs with Thunderbolt, not MacBooks Pro > http://support.apple.com/kb/PH11302
Unfortunately, you can't use the MacBook Pro as a display. It doesn't support the monitor mode

How can i connect to a LAN and external display at the same time using the mini-displayport?

Hi all,
At work i'm connected to the Lan via an adapter and the mini displayport. I want to use my external display at the same time, which use the same mini displayport. Are there any splitters available to use both at the same time? Are there any other alternatives?
Thanks,
Dennis

There are USB to ethernet dongles:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC704ZM/A/apple-usb-ethernet-adapter?afid=p219 %7CGOUS&cid=AOS-US-KWG-PLA

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Hi,
I have a 2011 MBA and use it on a external display (Dell 2709w) with the lid open. The issue with this MBA is that after sleep it often (every second time I wake it up) doesn't show anything on my external monitor. In order that the external monitor works again I have to plug the DVI cord out and in or press recognize monitors under monitor settings.
I also did a PMC and SMC reset but both did not help.
I have also done a complete reinstall witch did not help as well.
I also did a test with a MBA from a friend (exact same model) and his always works with the external display after sleep while mine only works every second time.
Could this be a hardware defect? sound pretty strange to me, but who knows...

I have managed to make the Apple Hardware test by just pressing "D" while restarting. The test, however, did not find any error - but this does not surprise me as I think it only tests the ram.

Can I connect to iMac 27" as external display?

I'm considering buying 2 iMac 27" to run Windows 7.
Can I connect these two together so iMac 1 can use iMac 2 as external display and visa versa.
In other words... is the mini display port both for input and output?
If yes... does this work under Windows 7 as well?

tjementum wrote:
I just love Mac hardware, and an iMac (two in my case) on a desk is just such a nice clean setup, with only one cable. Just counted 16 cables for my current PC mini tower setup with 2 screens - don't ask
Just so you know, I'm well aware of Apple's "cableless" marketing for this thing. But on my new iMac, I actually only have a single port, the FW800, that doesn't have a cable sticking out of it.
But Mac OSX is just not a nice operating system IMO
At least we can use you as an example of a 100% legitimate Mac owner of a Windows OEM install.
Anyway... I just ordered 2 x 27" iMac's. If i somehow succeeds in getting them connected in Windows, I'll post here... if not feel free to ask me, in 6 months.
Please do post back, because if someone tries it, then everyone will know if it works. I have seen reports of a PC driving the iMac display and I have done it with my MacBook Pro. I'm still not 100% sure that two iMacs will cooperate in this way. They both have the same cable connected to the same input/output port. Which one is the target? I have never heard of Windows or any PC hardware having the ability to convert a video port to input, so Windows would have to be the broadcaster. You may need MacOS X to detect the input and use it instead of trying to send out its own signal. Hopefully this won't short out the video circuitry on both.
And in 6 months when you are reinstalling Windows to clean off all the malware, you can still use the Mac machine

Connecting a Macbook to an external display

My imac broke.
I have a white macbook 2.16ghz intel core 2 duo with 2 gb of memory.
While I assume I can connect my macbook to an external monitor, I'm wondering if I can connect it and improve the resolution. I do a lot of work on photoshop and need a resolution of at least 1600 x 1200. My macbook is only 1280x800.
Is there a special connector I can get to upscale the resolution, or do I need to buy an aluminum macbook.
Thanks

Hi emalen: The web link below is for the adapter required to connect a DVI type monitor. It may not be the exact one you need but it will give you the idea of what you are looking for.
http://store.apple.com/us/product/M9321G/B?n=adapter&fnode=MTY1NDA3Ng&mco=Nzk5MD E0NQ&s=topSellers
Stedman

Connecting Mid 2012 MBPro to External Monitor

I've recently purchased a Mini Display Port to Display Port cable to connect my Mid 2012 MacBook Pro (Non Retina) to a 23" Asus PA238Q IPS Monitor, when I connect it It displays an image ok, it sometimes flickers but the main problem is it won't display an image in any other resolution other than the MacBook Pros native resolution.
The main reason I wanted to use an external monitor from time to time is for photography related work and using an IPS Monitor with a resolution of 1920x1080 would be hugely beneficial, not to mention the fact it's 23" not 15"
Is there a way I can get my MBPro to display the image properly at 1920x1080?
Huge thanks in advance for any help!

Can you post a screen shot of your Displays preference pane -> http://support.apple.com/kb/PH4391?
Should look something like this:
(I'm running in clamshell mode.)
Clinton

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Forum,
I am using FCP for my current project. While logging footage from my camera I thought it would be easier if I could hook up the Preview area of the Log & Capture window to an external device such as a display. Is this possible?
How do I achieve this? What kind of an adaptor is needed?
Thanks.

#8 External Monitor Viewing.
Shane's Stock Answer #8:
A simple path is mac > firewire > camera or deck > rca cables > tv
Then start up your camera and tv, then open fcp.
Then go View > External video > all frames
Video playback should be Apple firewire NTSC (If you are using an NTSC set)
Audio playback should be Audio follows Video
Techinially, this should send synched video to your TV
If for some reason you can't view your timeline on your external monitor, there are a few things to try:
1) Make sure that the camera/deck is connected and powered on BEFORE you open FCP.
2) In the Final Cut Pro menu select AUDIO/VIDEO Preferences and make sure your signal is being sent out thru Firewire DV.
3) Go to the menu and select VIEW>EXTERNAL>ALL FRAMES.
4) Click in the % box above the image and select FIT TO WINDOW.
5) Go to VIEW->refresh A/V devices
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HOT HOT HOT HOT!!! Mac Book Pro Retina, Mid 2012 with 2 external Displays HOT HOT HOT HOT!!!

Hi,
i think i have a serious heat problem and i am a bit afraid of melting the mac book (It happend before with an older mac book pro, graphic card melted...yes, it did...)
i own a Retina, Mid 2012
Processor 2.6 GHz Intel Core i7
Memory 16 GB 1600 MHz DDR3
Graphics NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M 1024 MB
Software OS X 10.8.4 (12E55)
in use with 2 external Monitors, one TB Display and one Eizo (27" same resolution as TB) via display port and doing lots of stats with Stata and R on it and it get hot like **** (temperature monitor says around 95-100° degrees on graphic processor diod and around 80° on the chip.
furthermore, it creates kind of random kernel tasks with % CPU usage up to 500% (i read somewhere it does it to keeps internal cooling up...(??) ) and it is getting really slow... almost unusable.
Is this still healthy and the way it should be when i use it with 2 monitors?
Will i ruin it by using it like this all day long?
Apple says it could handle two displays. I think it can`t without killing itself on the long run (if you still USE it)
any ideas what to do? i allready use a cooling pad for it (cheap revoltec) but it does not really help, the macs and the pads fans run like crazy, its pretty noisy and gets really hot anyway
Any experiences with 2 displays?
is there anything i can do about it?
Better cooling pad solutions???
Any other solutions??
Any ideas welcome
Thanks & Best
Franz

Hm, i cannot reproduce the kernel_task thing right now, but this is my temp after working with 2 screens for 10 minutes. is this normal?
100° cpu, 96° on the diode, and 78 on GPU chip? it even was 82 once.
when do i reach critical limits?
apple?

Three external displays with 13" Retina Display

Hello,
I have a 13" Macbook Pro Retina Display...I have two 22" displays that I connect up using a thunderbold/minidisplay port to VGA and I have a third 22" display which I want to connect up using the remaining HDMI port.
I am only able to connect two monitors at any one time, whether it's both VGA displays or one HDMI and VGA. I have tried shutting the laptop screen (clamshell, without changing any settings or installing anything) and even still my mac can only see two displays.
Is there something you can do to get all three screens to work for you or is there something anyone can recommend for me?
Thanks in advance

Did you ever get this figured out?

Connecting MBA 2012 to three External Displays

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