Mini DisplayPort to DVI to VGA doesn't work (why?!)

I purchased a Mini DisplayPort to DVI adaptor from eBay. It works just fine when connected to a DVI cable to a monitor, but there's no signal when I put a DVI to VGA adapter in-between to connect it to a VGA only display. I was hoping to use a single Mini DisplayPort cable to handle both DVI and VGA connections - am I missing something here?
Here's an image of the connection path: http://img690.imageshack.us/img690/313/photors.jpg
Thanks

Someone on Twitter mentioned the Mini DisplayPort to DVI output is DVI-D only, which means the VGA adapter wouldn't receive an analogue signal to convert to VGA.
Exactly correct. When you plug a DVI adaptor into mDP the port only sends out the digital signal. Likewise, when you plug a VGA adaptor into mDP the port sends only the analog signal. So using two adaptors in tandem is not possible. You need a separate adaptor for DVI and for VGA, unfortunately.
--Travis

Similar Messages

Mini DisplayPort to DVI and VGA - Does it work or not?

I have just received my new aluminium MacBook Pro, and I think it is awesome. I can even get over the fact that it lacks the full-size DVI connection like the old one has just because it is so nice and shiny. I do need it to work with both DVI and VGA displays though, so I know I will need to buy an adaptor.
My question is: If I buy either the mini DisplayPort to DVI or the dual-DVI adaptor from the apple store, will either one of them work with a DVI-VGA cable? I have heard so far that the single-DVI adaptor does NOT support the VGA pass-through, but would like some confirmation. Even if it is cheaper to buy both the DVI and VGA adaptors I would prefer the dual-DVI adaptor as long as it can do VGA as well, because one adaptor is better than 2.

As far as I know daisy chaining adapters will not work for the MiniDisplay port. http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=8300784#8300784
You will need to buy both adapters, the MiniDisplay to DVI and a MiniDisplay to VGA. I would also suggest you voice your opinion at http://www.apple.com/feedback/macbookpro.html and let them know how you feel about needing to purchase an adapter when one should be included with the computer purchase.

Does Mini Displayport to DVI adapter support analog VGA signal?

I'm just about to buy a macbook pro. Since the MDP (mini displayport) to DVI and MDP to VGA adapters are £20 a pop, I can only afford to get one. Obviously DVI is better in general, but VGA supports more older hardware, CRTs, and the spare VGA input on one of my displays (where the desktop uses the DVI).
What I'd like to know is does the MDP to DVI adapter also support the analog VGA signal on certain pins (like most physical desktop DVI ports do)? If it does, since I have about 3 or 4 DVI to VGA adapters lying around, I can get the MDP to DVI adapter and use the DVI to VGA adapters with it if necessary, but if it doesn't I might be better off getting the MDP to VGA...

No. Unlike DVI, which in the DVI-I configuration has both digital and analog pinouts, DisplayPort (and mini-DisplayPort) are purely digital. Mini-DP to DVI then DVI to VGA will not work. If you look carefully at the Apple Mini-DisplayPort to DVI adapter, you'll notice it's a DVI-D connector - digital pins only.
The Apple mini-DisplayPort to VGA adapter contains a digital-to-analog converter.
So, you'll have to choose. If you want VGA, get Apple's mini-DisplayPort to VGA adapter.

Mini-Displayport to DVI adapter not working, but Mini-Displayport to VGA and Thunderbolt work fine

Mini-Displayport to DVI adapter not working, but Mini-Displayport to VGA and Thunderbolt work fine.
This is a brand new MacBook Pro (15-inch, mid-2012) just received. I suspect that this is a hardware problem as:
The mini-displayport to DVI adapter and the external monitor that I am utilizing connect and operate just fine using my older MacBook Pro (mid-2010) with the same OS.
The new MacBook Pro powers the external monitor with a mini-displayport to VGA adapater without issue.
The new MacBook Pro powers an Apple Thunderbolt display without issue.
Both MacBook Pro's are running OSX Lion 10.7.4.
The only combination which does not work is the mini-displayport to DVI adapater used in conjunction with the brand new MacBook Pro (mid-2012).
All adapters and components (mini-displayport adapters) are Apple retail adapter.
I have tried several external monitors, including my Dell U2412m.
When I connect the mini-displayport to DVI adapater to the new MacBook Pro (mid-2012), nothing happens. The external monitor reports "no signal" and attempts to go into sleep mode. Using the "Detect displays" button has no effect, even when used multiple times. Rebooting does not help, nor does resetting the SMC or PRAM.
Any other suggestions before I take it to the Genius Bar?

I turns out that the logic board of my MacBook Pro was faulty (despite being brand new).
I took it to the Apple Store, presented the problem, and one of the Tech's came to the same conclusion that I had -- hardware failure. Phone support was no help in the matter (and even told me that what I was trying to do wasn't a supported option, which is rediculous). However, the Genius Bar did take care of the problem, and my MacBook Pro was back to me with a replaced logic board within a few days.
Hope that htis helps.

Mini DisplayPort to DVI + DVI to VGA Display Adapter, will it work?

Hi,
I have a MBP, and I have just purchased an apple Mini DisplayPort to DVI adapter.
I want to connect it to a VGA port.
Can I buy an Apple DVI to VGA Display Adapter and connect it to the connector above.
Will that work? Any one with experience who could advise me on that?
Thanks.

This does not work, because the Mini DisplayPort to DVI adapter has a DVI-D port that transmits only digital signals. VGA uses analog signals.

My VGA output using Mini DisplayPort to VGA doesn't work.

Since I upgraded to Mavericks, my VGA output using Mini DisplayPort to VGA doesn't work. When I was using Mountain Lion, as soon as you plugged in the Mini adaopter into the mini display port, the screen would shrink and format to where it would project via a RGB cable to a projector. No such luck since Mavericks! Also, I had a lot of trouble with the DVD player when I tried to play a DVD and project it via a projector. It all worked seamlessly with Mountain Lion. Can anyone help me?

I think if you go to System Preferences >> Displays and Option-click on the "Scaled" radio button, it will show you all of the resolutions that you would have had before under Mountain Lion. I just upgraded to Maverick and my resolution preferences (mirrored on a TV using the Mini DisplayPort to VGA adapter, using 1280x768) were completely reset (my display was no longer mirrored, and the resolution on my main iMac screen became 2560x1440). I found my answer here: https://discussions.apple.com/message/23599645#23599645. Hope that helps.

Mini DisplayPort to DVI not working, No Multi-Monitor, Jerky Mouse

I have an iMac, 27 inch, 2009 model.
Until today I've had a second monitor attached via the Mini DisplayPort to DVI adapter. The monitor is a Samsung SyncMaster T260. This setup has worked perfectly well so far.
Until today that is. Now the monitor is not recognised any more and if I try to select "Detect Displays" the mouse pointer hangs every few seconds - stops dead and then restarts again.
What did I do to make this happen? Nothing (that i'm aware of). Haven't installed anything, not done a software update, just literally rebooted and it's not working anymore.
_*Things that still work...*_
The Mini DisplayPort to DVI adapter works on a Mac Mini, so that's OK
The DVI cable works fine when plugged into a PC or Mac Mini, so that's OK
The Monitor works fine when plugged into a PC or Mac Mini, via DVI, HDMI or VGA, so that's OK
So I've established that, in isolation, each part of the system is functioning perfectly well.
*_Things I have tried - without success..._*
1) Rebooting - both iMac and monitor
2) Unplugging all cables and reconnecting then rebooting again
3) Clearing the PRAM - done it twice just to make sure
4) Updated to OS X 10.6.7
5) Reset the SMC
6) Deleted the com.apple.windowserver.plist files at /Library and ~/Library
7) Googled for solutions - plenty of people seem to have one or the other of these symptoms...
Can anyone shed any light on what's happened here ? Please help!
Cheers
Mart
** Sorry if this is in the wrong place, I just found a forum specifically for the iMac so posted it there but not sure how to delete this one. **

Well, it would be interesting if that's when it had occurred. At the time, I hadn't installed 10.6.7, and hadn't installed anything immediately prior to the problem occurring.
It doesn't seem like there's any way (a-la System Files Checker on Windows) of checking the integrity of system files which may have been corrupted, nor a way of reinstalling any update in the case of this happening - or is there a way of doing this? You don't seem to have any control over updates apart from applying them - if something does go wrong, there's no way of backing out. I guess Time Machine is the answer to my own question there.
I'm happy that it's working now, but it was a pretty extreme fix to have to wipe the entire system. At least it wasn't a hardware issue, I'll be thankful for that!

Trouble with 30" HD Cinema Display using Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter

I bought a new MacBook Pro and I am having trouble getting the full resolution to work with my 30" HD Cinema Display (purchased in 2007 max resolution 2560 x 1600) using a Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter.
According to the specs page, http://support.apple.com/kb/SP581 , the max resolution of the HD external display is supported. Unfortunately the max that I can set it to is: 1280 x 800
Has anyone else had the same issue?
If this isn't resolved I'm likely going to exchange my MacBook Pro for one that can support this display.

So I went and bought the Mini DisplayPort To Dual-Link DVI Adapter as suggested and it seems to work great.
Now the problem that I have is when I open up Apple's DVD player, the screen is blank but I can still hear audio.
If I unplug the display, the movie will display properly. Rebooting with the display plugged in doesn't help either. I also deleted all the DVD players enc setting files so that they would re-initialize but no luck.
Any idea what this problem might be??
Chipset Model: NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M
Type: GPU
Bus: PCIe
PCIe Lane Width: x16
VRAM (Total): 512 MB
Vendor: NVIDIA (0x10de)
Device ID: 0x0a29
Revision ID: 0x00a2
ROM Revision: 3532
gMux Version: 1.9.22
Displays:
Color LCD:
Resolution: 1920 x 1200
Pixel Depth: 32-Bit Color (ARGB8888)
Mirror: Off
Online: Yes
Built-In: Yes
Cinema HD:
Resolution: 2560 x 1600
Pixel Depth: 32-Bit Color (ARGB8888)
Main Display: Yes
Mirror: Off
Online: Yes
Rotation: Supported
Adapter Type: Mini DisplayPort To Dual-Link DVI Adapter
Adapter Firmware Version: 1.03

Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter is actually DVI-D? *** Apple!

I just purchased a new MBP (and I love it), along with an Apple Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter. I figured whatever monitor I wanted to plug into, if it was VGA, I could just stick a DVI to VGA adapter on there. Turns out, this adapter only supports DVI-D (digital only). A little fact that Apple fails to mention in their product page.
What a rip.
That said, does anyone know of a REAL MDP to DVI-I adapter? Do I need to buy the dual-link adapter?

I just purchased a new MBP (and I love it), along with an Apple Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter. I figured whatever monitor I wanted to plug into, if it was VGA, I could just stick a DVI to VGA adapter on there. Turns out, this adapter only supports DVI-D (digital only). A little fact that Apple fails to mention in their product page.
They do say that it is for a "digital monitor, ... that includes a DVI connector."
<http://store.apple.com/us/product/MB570Z/A?fnode=MTY1NDA5OQ&mco=MTA4MzU1NTE>
That said, does anyone know of a REAL MDP to DVI-I adapter?
No.
Do I need to buy the dual-link adapter?
If you are going to use a 30" DVI display. It's still DVI-D (but dual-link). It will also work with single-link DVI displays.
For a VGA display you need the Mini DisplayPort to VGA adapter
<http://store.apple.com/us/product/MB572Z/A?fnode=MTY1NDA5OQ&mco=MTA4MzU1NDg>

Mini Displayport to DVI working in Bootcamp but not in Leopard

I've got a new unibody MBP together with a mini displayport to dvi adapter.
When I connected the dvi cable with the MDP2DVI adapter to my new MBP and my 3-months-old Benq 20" LCD monitor, nothing shown up no matter how I tried. The monitor just kept saying no signal could be detected.
Being frustrated so I did some googling, and I'm surprised by the vast number of people who have got problems with the external display!! I really didn't notice this before I decided to buy this MBP and I'm a little regretted, coz the 2nd monitor is so essential to the productivity of my work...
After searching around for a solution for some time, I am pessimistic of waiting for a solution from apple as I see some people had already address this issue in late 2008 but till now seems no solution had came out.
Last night when I use bootcamp to enter Windows XP, surprisingly it can recognize my external display!!! So now I am quite sure that it's the problem of Leopard but not the display hardware nor the adapter nor my monitor/cable. Did anybody have the similar problem as me tried this in bootcamp??

keepyourpower,
For what its worth I've been having much the same issue with my Macbook Pro. Leopard will refuse to see the external display while Windows Vista on bootcamp 90% of the time will but not without some effort. I've been able to get Leopard to use the display after going in to Windows and manually selecting display attached in the display properties menu. It doesn't always work but it will sometimes.
I'm 100% sure there is a flaw in the logicboard on some of the 2.4 Ghz that is causing this issue. I recently sent my portable in for repairs and they replaced the display which is why it was in and the Logicboard. I'm not sure why they replaced my Logicboard nothing was wrong with it, but with the new one its having much the same problem as you. As I said before I'm 100% sure this is a hardware defect in the Logic Board and if you are within your 14 day return window I'd see about asking your local Apple store to exchange the unit for a new one.
Not really sure if this will help you at all but didn't want you to think you were alone with this issue..

New Mac Book Shuts Down when I plug in the Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter

I have a new 15" MacBook pro and every time I plug in the Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter, it shuts down. I installed the Mini DisplayPort to VGA Firmware Update (http://support.apple.com/kb/dl799) and it still shuts down. It shuts down whether I have a display/projector plugged in or not.
Any suggestions???

Try turning the MBP off before you connect or disconnect an external monitor. I could be wrong but I do not believe that the DVI interface was designed to be a hot swap interface.

Mini DisplayPort to DVI issues

I just recently purchased the new aluminum MacBook, having previously owned one of the very last iterations of the white MacBooks.
With my old white MacBook I had purchased a Mini-DVI to DVI adapter, and was using that to connect to a DVI to HDMI cable, and that cable was going into my HDTV. I would select and check Overscan under the Display Options of my HDTV, which appeared as PDP-xx50SX under my MacBook, and two black bands would be added to the top and bottom of my MacBook's display, and I would get a full screen crisp image on my HDTV that I was very satisfied with, I would use this to view TV Shows and Movies on Hulu without any issues.
I no longer have that MacBook as a few days ago I got my new aluminum MacBook, and with it my Mini DisplayPort to DVI adapter. 4 hours ago I wanted to catch up on The Office, so I plugged in my new adapter to the Mini DisplayPort, hooked up my DVI to HDMI cable, and that into my TV, just like I did with my previous MacBook. That was 4 hours ago, and I am still unable to properly configure it like my last MacBook.
I have been beating my head for 4 hours now looking across every forum on the internet, every thread, and every possible way to type out this issue on Google to find any and all results. For some reason I just do not get the Options tab like I was able to on my old MacBook where I could then select the Overscan checkbox.
This is really frustrating, I've tried every possible combination of resolution, mirrored and not, and nothing works like it did with my old MacBook. I simply cannot get a correct full screen image on my HDTV.
Is this a firmware issue? Has it already been addressed and I somehow missed it? Is there any fix? Is this the cause of DisplayPort? Why wouldn't nVidia's 9400m be able to do the same thing Intel's GMA X3100 did? So many questions, and I didn't know where to turn to so I came here to the Apple Support forums hoping I'd get some resolution or reassurance this is something that will be/is being addressed. The only fixes I've seen online are programs like SwitchResX or DisplayConfigX, but I'm not that technically savvy and would rather not fry my screen, especially when it worked perfectly out of the box with my older MacBook. Help!

I am also frustrated by the new display port. I have purchased a DisPort to DVI connector from the Apple store and the pin configuration is different than previous all other Apple adapters (DVI-I). The 4-ins around the blade are missing in the new adapter. The genius bar said in Orlando that the new adapters are a new version of DVI called DVI-D. So all my previous investment cabling is hosed. I was away from the home 20 so I purchased yet another $29 VGA adapter from the Apple store to complete my mission.
Moral of the sad story - Buy a DVI-I to DVI-D adapter if you own and use a MacBook for presentations. The Apple Store does not carry them.
Hey wait a minute is this tied to the disappearing Firewire connector???
Mike
PS - I was ablt to find a DVI-D to HDMI connector that I will try when I get back home...stay tuned!!

Question about Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter

I want to transfer the display from Dell XPS 15 to Dell ST2220M monitor.
Purchased a HDMI - DVI cable from ebay and tried using it. The laptop shows the monitor name but the display doesn't get passed onto the monitor. The monitor reads "No DVI-D cable".
Does anyone know if Apple Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter works in my case?

srikat,
Welcome to the Apple Discussions. You will have better help from people who read the questions in the laptop section. Check this location and see if you get a better response.
Check Here
Jim

Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter - Monitor not recognizing

I have a new MacBook purchased last month from Apple to replace an older MacBook. I used a Scepter X20 monitor on the previous MacBook with an adapter with no problem. With this new computer, I had to puachase a Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter. I plugged it in as I did for the other computer, and the monitor doesn't recognize it at all. I checked the monitor by plugging it into another Mac (older version) with adapter and it works fine. Why will my Mac not recognize the monitor or the monitor recognize that it is connected?

On the very slim chance this might be problem, it happened just last week to another poster and it's happened to me, the mini display port really takes a good shoving into the graphics card. Sometimes it will look perfectly seated in there, but it's not quite.
Aside from throwing that out there, I would think if that wasn't the case, you may be having problems with the adapter itself. The whole mini display port is ridiculous in itself, but the two lessor expensive adapters I bought from Apple worked very poorly anyway. And on Apple displays!
The $99 dollar one Apple sells has a reputation for working the best, but I haven't tried it. There are also devices now, still pretty expensive, that seem to bypass those altogether.
I can't say if some other issue is going on or not, there may be. But just know you're not alone in having display problems of this kind.

No Video from Mini-DisplayPort or DVI, only Dual-Link DVI

Just got my new Mac Pro 6-Core delivered. Out of the box, there were problems. I have a Dell 27" monitor that takes Dual-Link DVI, DisplayPort, or HDMI and a Dell 22" monitor that takes DVI, VGA, or HDMI. I am using a DisplayPort to Mini-DisplayPort cable to connect my 27" monitor to the Mac Pro and a DVI cable for my 22" monitor. I have the ATI 5870 graphics card installed OEM.
The problem is that the graphics card appears to not be switching to Mini-DisplayPort or DVI for output. It only works when I plug in a Dual-Link DVI cable to my 27" monitor. At that point, I get a video feed on my screen on a hard boot. At this point, I can then plug in my Mini-DisplayPort cable to my Mac Pro and unplug the Dual-Link DVI cable, and it switches video feeds perfectly. The problem then is that when I restart the computer, or power off and power on, the problem starts all over again. I HAVE to boot using the Dual-Link DVI cable for anything to work.
Ideas? Called AppleCare, waiting on engineering to see what they have to say. All the cables work perfectly when I plug them into my MacBook Pro (Late 2008). I am stumped.

I seem to be having similar problems. I bought the same system (6-core Westmere with the 5870 graphic card installed OEM) last month and I seem to be having problems running two Dell monitors which I know to be perfectly fine.
For the past month, I've been using a 24" Dell U2410 monitor with my Mac Pro using a DVI cable. Absolutely no problems at all. I then purchased another 24" Dell U2410 with the intention of running with dual displays. To prepare for this, I bought two mini-DisplayPort to DisplayPort cables from Monoprice. When I finally received the second display, I turned off the computer, hooked up both monitors through DisplayPort using the two mini-DisplayPort connections on the graphics card and turned on the system. I got two black screens. I tried to use keyboard commands to bring up the shutdown dialog box but it wasn't working. So I was forced to do a hard shutdown by holding down the power button for 10 seconds.
I went through a series of combinations of power cycles for the displays and computer and still two black screens. Finally, I went back to square one, a single display through a DVI cable. Again, a black screen. At this point, I disconnected the display from the computer. Power cycled the display (this initiates the self-test for the Dell display), hooked it up to the Mac Pro, turned it on, and it worked. I had one working display. Then I plugged in the second display using the mini-DisplayPort to Display port cable and that worked also. Finally, two working displays. For some reason, the Mac Pro recognized the display using the DisplayPort as the primary monitor. I rebooted the Mac Pro and the monitors continued to work properly. I booted into Windows 7 and again, no problems. I went back to OS X and used the computer for the night. When I was done, it put it to sleep.
This morning, when I tried to wake it up, same problems. I had to go through a series of power cycles and cable swapping to finally get a single screen to work.
I went through some of the troubleshooting documents here in the Support area and found this one:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4279
I am going to pick up the Apple mini-DisplayPort to DVI adapter and try running the display as two DVI monitors. Hopefully this will fix those problems. If the AppleCare engineer is able to give you anymore information, please let us know. This is a worrisome issue.

Mini DisplayPort to DVI to VGA doesn't work (why?!)

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