Is mini-dvi to video with higher resolution possible?

so i have an imac24 with an adapter to run to my flatpanel 1080i tv. when i plug in the adapter tiger obviously lowers the resolution and when it go to try and up the resolution it is not possible. i understand that it has to do that when the mac's display is cloned onto the flatpanel but when i want it to span, is it possible for me to have FULL resolution on my mac display and what ever resolution on my flatpanel?
on the pc, i have it set up like that and its able to handle both resolutions fine.
my objective is to be able to do one of the following:
run quicktime FULLscreen on my flat panel while still having access to my FULLresolution mac display (so i can play a movie or tv show on my flatpanel and still surf the net or run other apps simutaneosly(sp?) on the mac display)
or
run FRONT ROW on the flatpanel while my mac display is still at the full resolution doing its own thing.
i've worked with macs most of my life, but never got around to owning my own until now (i had to wait for intel chips =P) so i guess you could say i'm sort of a switcher although i work with them all day everyday for work.
anyways, i can do this with my PC just fine, the card in my pc is about 3 years old so i dont think its a hardware problem, i'm just not settled in with aqua yet so i'm asking for help.
anyone know how i would do this?
so to recap:
one imac display at full resolution (and no movie clone, at least not at full screen anyways) while the mac plays a movie full screen to another display (ie, my 1080i flatpanel tv).
thanks everyone.

i understand that if i have the mirror turned off it works if i have quicktime running on my secondary monitor (my flat panel) but if i'm working on something else the audio will switch to what ever else i'm working on. it also renders my little apple remote useless.
can i tell quicktime to be dominant audio when its playing anything?
on another note, could i run frontrow independently on my flatscreen and still use my apple display for other applications without effecting playback on my flat panel.
with nvidia's media control (on PC) i'll have windowsmediaplayer running on one screen, and it clones the video only to the secondary monitor/tv while still giving me complete control to windowsmediaplayer on my primary screen.
can quicktime do that? or am i stuck just not-mirroring the displays and moving the movie over to the secondary screen and run fullscreen?
thanks JD for your post.

Similar Messages

  • Mini DVI-to-Video Adapter troubles with MacBook

    Hello,
    I recently purchased a Mini DVI-to-Video Adapter (the one with Composite and S-Video output) to use with my MacBook to use my computer to watch movies on my TVs. The TVs are very late model, so they may not work, but when I plug the Adapter into my computer and then plug the Composite Video cord into my TV, the TV's picture is black and white and has four replications of the desktop. It is very fuzzy but the TV is clearly receiving some input from the desktop. Does anyone have any ideas of how to correct this, or is it just because the TVs are so old? Thanks for the help.
    -Bill

    Welcome to Apple Discussions, schumawm.
    Most likely the wrong timing/resolution is being sent to the TV. If mirroring is turned on in Display preferences under the Arrangement tab, uncheck the mirror box to turn mirroring off. Then set the TV's resolution to 640 x 480 as a starting point. 640 x 480 may be all that an older TV is capable of.

  • Mini DVI to Video Adapter - S-Video Resolutions / HDMI

    Hello,
    I just got my Mini DVI to Video Adapter and I using a S-Video cable to plug to my HD LCD 32'' TV.
    When I connect everything, the resolution drops from 1280x800 to 1024x768.
    How can I change back to 1280x800?
    I don't know but I'm kind of disappointed with the QUALITY of the video... is there any way I could improve this? Perhaps using a Mini-DVI to HDMI Adapter? Does it exist? Will upgrade the resolution and/or the quality of the video?
    I've read that audio is not supported using the Mini-DVI. To be honest, I don't really care about the audio... I can use the analog. But I'm very very disappointed with the quality of the video...
    Thanks anyone

    Well,
    Based on what you said, I should have three options:
    A: MacBook -> MiniDVI to DVI Adapter -> DVI to HDMI cable -> TV with HDMI input
    C: MacBook -> MiniDVI to DVI Adapter -> DVI to DVI cable -> TV with DVI input
    B: MacBook -> MiniDVI to HDMI Adapter -> HDMI cable -> TV with HDMI input
    What should work best?
    My TV does not support DVI input, so that's kind of narrow it down, right?! Leaving options A and C.
    I don't have any of the adapters. In both ways I'll end up having to buy stuff. Which is less expansive?
    Thanks in advance
    Cheers.

  • Resolution using Mini-DVI to Video Adapter

    I have a Mini-DVI to Video Adapter that I connect to a television set. When I connect it my resolution drops from 1280x800 on my MacBook to 1024x768 on the television. On the MacBook tech specs screen it says: "Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display and up to 1920 by 1200 pixels on an external display, both at millions of colours".
    Is it just something that I'll have to live with when switching to the television, or is there any way that I can increase this resolution?

    You can make the TV the main monitor by dragging the menu bar to it in the "Arrangement" pane of "Displays" System Preference, or if you connect the power adapter and an external mouse and keyboard, just close the lid. It will sleep, but will wake when you use the mouse or keyboard.

  • Messed up color display and resolution because of mini-DVI to video adapter

    Once I connected the mini-DVI to video adapter to the tv and got weird colors on my screen for a while but then it worked out, then after a while I disconnected the cable and turned my computer off. After that, everytime I turned my macbook on, the color is fine for two seconds and then it turns into a weird offset color, really bright colors, kinda sketchy and just a few colors, and a weird resolution and display obviously, but then I just connect my Mini-DVI to video adapter and disconnect it again (quickly) and the color returns to normal. How can I make the normal colors stay and not have to connect the mini-DVI to video adapater everytime I want to see the normal color display and resolution??
    please help!

    Open the Universal Access pane of System Preferences, click on Seeing, turn off the White on Black, VoiceOver, and Zoom options, and drag the Contrast slider all the way to the left. If the issue persists, create a new folder on the desktop, drag half of the items from the Library/Preferences/ folder of the item in the Finder's sidebar with the house icon into it, and narrow down the files until you've isolated the one responsible.
    (30807)

  • Not detecting tv display when connected with Apple Mini-DVI to Video Adapte

    I am connecting my macbook to my older tv using a Apple Mini-DVI to Video Adapter to an RCA (yellow video prong) and then into the tv. The red and white audio prongs hang loose, not hooked into anything on both ends. When I go into Displays there is no option for mirroring displays. I hit 'detect displays' but nothing happens. The Apple Mini-DVI to Video Adapter is brand new, just ordered it from apple. And I use the RCA cord all the time with other machines into my tv and it works fine.
    Any help is really appreciated. Thanks!

    Which generation MacBook do you have because at some point Apple dropped support for that adapter. Here is a link to a list of Apple adapters and compatible computer models:
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3235

  • Will the Apple mini DVI to video adapter work with a macbook? What to Buy?

    I went to my local Apple Reseller and asked for a mini dvi to video adapter to use to connect my macbook to a tv using either s-video or the yellow RCA cable. I was told that they only had the one that was for an ibook and Power book and that this would not work with a Macbook. I would need a different one. Is this correct. If so, what do I need? I have looked on the online Apple Store and cannot find anything that fits this description. They only list one type of Mini DVI to tv adapter? I just want to be able to connect my Macbook to a TV.

    As it happens, I just bought the mini-DVI to video connector for my wife's Macbook (C2D) yesterday. I am in Australia (which is a PAL country), but I didn't see anything on the device or the packaging which indicated it as being PAL-specific. In fact, in Display Preferences when it is connected to the Mac and TV and in use, the panel relating to the TV output (which is shown by the Mac on the TV screen) is where you select between PAL-50Hz and NTSC-60Hz, so I'd guess it is a single worldwide device, rather than their being separately-manufactured PAL and NTSC variants of the connector.
    Anyway, on the back of the top cardboard part of the packaging is a picture of the connectors (because you cannot really see the pins in the Mini-DVI connector itself when packaged, due to an opaque plastic "keeper" over the end of the plug).
    To reconfirm what is said above, the pin configuration on the mini-DVI port on the MacBook and what you need on the Mini-DVI connector is a horseshoe or "U" shape. I don't remember if any specific model of Mac is listed, but I believe as long as it is that U-shaped connector you'll be fine with the same connector kit.
    The "mini-VGA to video" connector is not what you want for a MacBook; mini-VGA is not "U"-shaped inside, but rather two rows of pins in "II" configuration (even though the outside dimensions of mini-VGA and mini-DVI look very similar).
    ted.h.
    Mac Mini (Pro Duo) and MacBook (C2D)   Mac OS X (10.4.8)  

  • '09 mini not compatible with mini-DVi to video adapter?

    I hooked up my new '09 mini to my AV receiver via Apple's mini-DVI to video adapter but got no picture. My previous mini ('06 model) worked fine w/ the DVI to video adapter. I'm thinking the mini-DVI port on the new mini doesn't pass analog signals anymore, i.e., it's now DVI-D vs previously being DVI-I.
    Anyone else have this experience w/ the '09 models? I know it works with the older models. I'm just trying to figure out if I have a defective adapter or if the '09 mini's DVI just doesn't pass analog. I noticed the supplied mini-DVI to DVI cable is DVI-D, so maybe that is a hint.

    I doubt that'd work. Usually these adapters work by connecting "legacy" wires on the newer connectors to an older interface. The mac actually produces all the appropriate signals, and the adapter just hooks the wires together appropriately.
    It sounds like the only analog signals the mac is producing are Red-Green-Blue signals, like you'd use for VGA or component video. It's not producing a composite video signal. So if you convert mini-DVI to VGA, the composite line is going to be dead on both.
    The only kind of adapter that could help you would be one with some amount of circuitry that actually pastes the Red-Green-Blue signal into a composite signal. Something like:
    http://www.svideo.com/appletv2tv.html (I do NOT vouch for this site/product, just an example of what I mean)

  • Problem with apple mini dvi to video adapter cable

    I recently bought an apple mini dvi to video adapter cable and all that it would display on my television screen was black and white colors. The quality of the screen seemed to be okay but it was hard to tell since i did not have any color. Is there something that i can do to fix this problem

    Your probably not doing anything wrong. There are thousands of users with Similar issues and it seems to be with many different adapters.
    We have Mini DP to VGA (3 different brands) and they all fail most of the time. This seems more prevalent with LCD Projectors. I've tested some (50+) with VGA Monitor (HP) and they all worked, LCD Projector (Epson, Hitachi, and Sanyo) and they all fail, DLP Projector (Sanyo) and one worked.
    My Apple Mini DP to DVi works most of the time. My Mini DP to HDMI (Generic non Apple) works every time.
    The general consensus is that Apple broke something in the OS around 10.6.4 or 10.6.5 and its not yet fixed. As we are a school we have logged a case with the EDU Support group so will see what happens.
    Dicko

  • Can't get my mini dvi to video adapter to work with my tv

    Ok so I bought a mini dvi to video adapter to hook my imac up to my tv, and I when I go to detect displays all it does is flash white for a split second, and then doesn't work
    any suggestions?

    OK... so I figured it out. Firstly, the RCA cable I was using was faulty. Secondly, I think the adapter I bought is also faulty. I found that it only works when it is hanging down from the computer... as in the computer is sitting on the edge of, say, a desk, and the the cable hangs over the side. If I move the cable upwards, it stops working. So, I'm going to call an Apple store and see if this is most likely the problem, and I'll probably exchange it.
    Thanks again,
    Zeb

  • Macbook + mini-DVI to video adapter problems!

    Hi,
    My roommate and I both have Macbooks - I got mine in June '06, it's one of the older black 80 gb models and hers is a white 120 gb that she got in August '07. We bought a mini-DVI to video adapter so we could watch DVDs and video files on our TV, but have been having some trouble with it lately. At first, it worked perfectly with her computer, but in the past few weeks has been malfunctioning - when she plugs it in, the default background shows up on the TV screen but nothing else, any windows she has open only show up on the TV if she drags them to the right on her screen until she can't see them on her computer anymore, so we're unable to watch anything fullscreen. Any tips on how to fix this?
    Also, the adapter has never worked with my computer - any time I plug mine in, my computer display becomes enlarged and slightly distorted, and on the TV screen is distorted by horizontal lines that move up and down the screen. Any ideas here?
    Thanks so much for the help!

    Hi cbeth,
    welcome to macbook forum.
    For your friend macbook, try to press F7 back and forth to switch between mirror and expanded mode.
    Try to update your macbook hardware firmware and software using software updater and repair permission after that...application/utilities/disk utility/repair permission.
    Also reset your PRAM and PMU.
    Open your friend system preference / display and try to compare and set yours similar to hers, including resolution, color depth, refresh rate.
    Good Luck.

  • Mini-DVI to Video Adapter No Longer Compatible

    This is an infuriating subject for me. I had a 2007 2.0Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo White Macbook. On a daily basis i used it with my widescreen TV. I am not made of money, so it is an old tube screen that requires a composite connection.
    When that macbook decided to not work anymore, even after several repairs, they replaced it with a new 2009 2.0Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo white macbook. Of course, the higher spec that came with this seemed like i should have been grateful. No, I've just been P.O'd ever since. I can no longer use my Macbook to watch movies on my big screen as the DVI adaptor which i paid a completely stupid amount of money for no longer works. I'm sure this problem could be fixed with some kind of a patch for the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M it comes with. But i guess they have just forgot about the white macbook now. Great.
    Does anyone out there know of any way around this problem? Again, i want to connect a 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo white MacBook introduced after January 2009 to a composite connection as once used in the Mini-DVI to Video Adaptor. Anyone know of a solution?
    I ask again for this to not be deleted like all my other negative posts. It DOES contain a question, which i very much wish to be answered.
    Regards,
    Steve.
    Message was edited by: skeletal_wreck

    I dont think you understand. Yes, it does use the same connections - it all connects up properly. But after 2009 the white macbooks no longer recognize the TV-Out when you connect the mini-DVI to Video adaptor.
    On my old 2007 white intel macbook that had the old graphics card, i was able to connect it all up then go into display preferences and it allowed me to set up the screens as i wanted (ie mirrored, side by side etc). Now, under displays settings, that is no where to be seen.
    Its a nothing to do with anyhting being wrong, its just known that Apple discontinued support for it. Even on the apple store website here, you will see in small print under the adapter that it is not supported on white macbooks from 2009 January onwards.
    I want to know is there any other solutions.

  • Mini-DVI to Video

    Hi,
    I've read that the Mini-DVI to Video Adapter is "not compatible with the 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo white MacBook introduced in January 2009". I purchased my white shell Macbook less than half a year ago. Does it fall into this category? I suspect it does...
    Here are my specs:
    Model Name: MacBook
    Model Identifier: MacBook7,1
    Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
    Processor Speed: 2.4 GHz
    I'm hoping to use my Mini-DVI to connect to a projector, but am fearful it won't work. Any help in this regard, including alternatives, would be much appreciated!
    Source: http://store.apple.com/ca/product/M9319G/A

    Unfortunately you will have to jump through a few hoops to get this done. In the future realize a VGA, DVI, or HDMI projector would be better.
    Here's how
    http://www.ehow.com/how5335075watch-using-mac-mini-displayport.html
    Note, the resolution is likely no better than a standard TV, which is worse than the lowest Macbook 1024 x 768 resolution.

  • Mini DVI to Video Stretches Screen

    When I plug the Mini DVI to video attachment into my MacBook, the MaBook screen seems to zoom in and I cannot see everything. This makes presentations difficult. I sope to a friend with a MacBook and this is not an issue for him. Any advice?
    Thanks!
    MacBook 2Ghz   Mac OS X (10.4.7)  

    When you do display mirroring, that means both the external display and the MB's built-in display will run at the same resolution. If the external display has a lower resolution than the MB's (probable) then that will be the one used. In other words, mirror mode defaults to the lower of the two resolutions.
    If you don't want this to happen, you need to turn off mirroring and use extended screen mode. But then the two screens will be independent and will not be showing the same information.

  • Mini-DVI to Video shows w/o color and atleast 2 of everything

    I just bought a mini-DVI to Video converter for my Macbook. I tried to hook it up to my 42" Panasonic Viera and had white static lines going up my screen with no picture. I then tried to hook it up with the composite and lowered the resolution all the way down and had picture but only in black and white and it divided my TV almost in half and put the images on my monitor up twice. How do I get the whole picture to take up the whole screen in color so I can watch my iTunes movies and DVDs on my TV.

    From your posting, I can't tell what Viera model you have. However, I was just over to the Panasonic website and one 42" Viera advertised 4 HDMI inputs with 2 of them with separate audio inputs. If you have a similar model, you should go with the HDMI option. As per the posting above, you should be using the Apple mini DVI-->DVI cable. Couple that up with a DVI-->HDMI cable and you should be in business with the best video on your big screen. Works great on my 40" Sony.
    Re your problem with double images in black and white, I had a similar problem in a different vain. My problem was a DVD player that I had hooked up to my TV with a s-video cable and it did the exact same thing. It was driving me nuts until I had the bright idea of reading the DVD manual. Sure enough, there was a setting in the DVD setup that had to be checked in order to view through a s-video output. Once I changed the setting, I only had one picture and the color reappeared. You probably had a similar setting in your Viera manual that would correct that problem.
    Go with the HDMI option. Note that it will be necessary to run a separate cord for the audio.

Maybe you are looking for