Mac mini on tv with dvi to video adapter

I just tried my dvi-to-video adapter with my macmini. It does not seem to work on my tv. I can see during boottime 0.5 seconds an apple logo and then the display just goes blurry and out of sync. I cannot see anything usefull. First guess is the display resolution, but I have already set that to 640x480 so that should not be the issue. Any guesses on a solution?

radavi,
It sounds like you can sometimes remedy the problem. I'd love to see this solved, but I'm not clear on a few things.
1) If you shutdown and disconnected everything then startup do you get a picture w/o problems
2) If you leave your machine and television on does it lose the picture
3) Does rebooting your machine cause the problem consistently.
4) Does turning the television on and off cause the problem.
Once the settings are nailed down there has to be a way to script the driver reload into your startup settings so you even have a picture on a reboot from power failure.
Any luck? and Good Luck,
-j

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Mac Mini with DVI to video adapter REFUSES to display on TV!! Please help!!

I purchased an apple DVI to Video adapter - which says for Mac mini and power mac G5 on the package. However not matter what I do, I can't get a picture on my TV, I have tried on 2 TV's and I get nothing but blank screen on both, with occassional grey flicking.
I thought maybe the adapter was faulty so had it changed, the new one shows the exact same behaviour. I have started up in safe mode, with the TV connected and still nothing, I have reset the PRAM and still nothing. Trashed the windowserver plists - and still nothing!!
I have searched through the forums as much as I can and can't find any answers.
Someone please help me out and tell me what I'm doing wrong.
Thanks very much.
Naj

Hi Thesserax,
Thanks for your reply, however I have already tried your suggestions - my tv's do not let me switch manually between PAL/NTSC, and I am definately on the correct channel.
I also tried connecting it to the TV and VNC'ing into it to try to change the resolution, however I although I see the correct CRT resolution opions i.e. 800x600 and 1024x768 only, I notice that I don't see any tv specific options such as overscan, and that the rates are stuck at 60Hz (NSTC) - I am in europe so the tv is PAL 50Hz and the adapter is also labelled PAL.
Any other ideas, please?
Thank you

Scrolling TV screen with DVI to Video Adapter

I just purchased a DVI to Video Adapter from the Apple store. When I initially hooked it up (disconnected the monitor, and plugged the new adapter in with TV connected), it worked fine, but the entire screen was not visible.
I tried to change the display preferences while connected to the TV... From this moment on, my screen on the TV continuously and quickly scrolls up in a loop - similar to old TVs that need fine tuning with the horizontal hold or a hard hit on the side.
Is my adapter faulty or is there a setting issue?
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

I believe that preference is stored in PRAM.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1242
So resetting PRAM as noted earlier should be the method.
However, there may be a supplemental preference file that is involved. I opened two Finder windows to
<startup volume>/Library/Preferences/
<user folder>/Library/Preferences/
and set them to display as a list and to sort by date (most recently changed at the top).
Then, I opened System Preferences Displays pane and changed resolution or refresh rate. The preferences files that changed were.
<startup volume>/Library/Preferences/com.apple.windowserver.plist
<user folder>/Library/Preferences/ByHost/com.apple.windowserver.001b6337b3a2.plist
<user folder>/Library/Preferences/ByHost/com.apple.preference.displays.001b6337b3a2.p list
So you can try move those to the desktop and restarting. The problem is that they may get recreated before you can restart, but if they were somehow messed up, it may work to recreate them.
You can do a test by creating a new admin user account in System Preferences Accounts pane. Log out and log in to the new user. Does the TV work if you are logged in as the new user?
Also, try starting up using the your Mac OS X installation disc, with your TV connected. Does the TV then display properly?

Problem with DVI to video adapter on MBP 2.2 (using FInal Cut Pro)

When I plug an Apple DVI to video (composite and S video) adapter into the DVI socket the screen reduces its resolution and the higher screen resolutions are no longer available from system preferences. This happens on both my MBPros so is this a fault with the adapter or what ...? The reason I'm doing this is to have dual display for Final Cut Pro 7 although this behaviour happens withourt FCP running , which is why I ask in this section.

Setting it to FireWire Basic didn't work. It still only played thru the first few frames, then came back with the same message- that there were dropped frames detected (not bad sectors, as I reported earlier). One other thing I noticed: after the failed capture attempt, it resets the In point to the same time code as the Out point.
I'm going to try capturing by just clicking Play, then clicking the Capture Now button, and see if that works.

Apple Mini-DVI to Video Adapter and Mac mini (2009)

Can anyone tell me whether the Apple Mini-DVI to Video Adapter listed here:
http://store.apple.com/ca/product/M9319G/A
works with the latest Mac mini (early 2009)?
If it does not what other solutions are there to connect to composite, component or s-video?

KC from Ann Arbor, MI had this to say as a review on the page to which you have linked;
10-May-2009
I bought a Mac Mini (May 2009) and this Mini-DVI to Video adapter with plans to use it to send an S-video signal to an analog TV. Though the sales staff at the Apple store said it should work, it does not. The graphics card apparently should support it, and it may be addressed with a future driver update, but as of now this does not work. I have used a mini-DVI to VGA adapter and monitor to verify that the port is working, and also verified that the S-video cable and TV input work. There are third party VGA to S-video/RCA adapters available so I plan to use one of those for my purposes. This is probably a 5-star product when used with the right Mac; however, Apple should have made it clear that having a mini-DVI port on your Mac is necessary but not sufficient for this to work - hence the 3 stars.

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)

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.

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

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

HT2998 Hi, I try to conect Mac Mini from 2009 with my HD Tv Samsung F 6400 . With Mini Dvi conection and adapter to HDMI input in TV I got picture but not sound! I have analog cable from the phones out from mac but imposible to conect to TV? Can you HLP

Hi, I try to conect Mac Mini from 2009 with my HD Tv Samsung F 6400 . With Mini Dvi conection and adapter to HDMI input in TV I got picture but not sound! I have analog cable from the phones out from mac but imposible to conect to TV? Can you HLP?

You really need a newer Mac Mini with a true HDMI output, because that Mac Mini's DVI output does not support Audio.
You might try a 3.5mm to RCA adapter
from the Mac Mini's headphone jack to the TV's audio input,
but that would require being able to select the Audio input in the TVs menu while using it's HDMI input.
Optionally you could also use an external 2.1 Speaker System or patch the audio from the Mac Mini to your home stereo system to enhance that older Mac Mini's audio.

2012 mac mini i7 or imac i5 for video editing with final cut pro 7 ?

Hello,
I am totally new to mac world.
I read some posts but not clear to me if better a mac mini 2012 i7 2,3Ghz and video card Intel HD Graphics 4000 or an imac 2012 i5 2,7GHz and NVIDIA GeForce
GT 640M with 512MB of GDDR5 memory.
The software is final cut studio 3 from final cut pro 7.
So better more performance in the l cpu or in the videocard?
Thank you
Gianni

If the Mac Mini has not had its hardware changed since the release of Mountain Lion, July 25, 2012, Final Cut Pro 7 is reported as not working in some situations under Mountain Lion. If it has been hardware changed by Apple on or after July 25, 2012, you won't be able to run Lion, and may not be able to run all Final Cut Pro 7's features. The two entries for Final Cut Pro 7:
http://roaringapps.com/app:4449
and
http://roaringapps.com/app:4909
Appear to conclude it launches, but there must be something that doesn't work. There are some issues both with Lion and Mountain Lion with Final Cut Studio 3:
http://roaringapps.com/app:1384
My advice, check the Final Cut forums to see what people have experienced with both. And make sure to follow specs exactly.

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

When were the first Mac Mini's made with two video outputs?

I'm thinking of getting a used Mac mini but it must have two video outputs, not mirrored. When were the first ones made? And what sort of processor did they have?

One last question. Will the 2009 Mac Mini support 1366 x 768 resolution? My other resolution is 1920 x 1080 and I'm pretty sure it supports that, but what abot the 1366 x 768?

Using S-Video w/ the Mini DVI to Video Adapter

I just purchased a MacBook last week and I also purchased a Mini DVI to Video adapter for it so I can use the built-in DVD player to watch movies on my TV. I have a composite to composite cable and that worked fine when I connected the cable between the Mini DVI to Video Adapter and my TV. However, when I tried to use a S-Video cable and connected that between the Mini DVI to Video Adapter and my TV; then I got no picture at all. All I saw on the TV was a picture of the MAC desktop w/o the dock and the movie or nothing else played at all.
Is the composite connection a better connection for the MAC, or, are there some settings I need to work with on the MAC to get the S-Video connection to work?

I managed to figure this one out, by fluke. The MacBook has to be powered on and ready for user input prior to connecting the mini DVI to video adapter with the s video already connected to it, and to the TV. Once I did it this way, it worked fine. I just thought I'd share this.

Mac mini on tv with dvi to video adapter

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