Using Bravia TV as second display with Macbook Pro

After waiting weeks, my Mini DisplayPort-HDMI cord finally arrived, only to find that my TV wouldn't connect to my computer. After a full day of fiddling and lots of (mostly unhelpful) Googling, I managed to get them working.
My TV is a Sony Bravia HDTV LCD tv, and the Macbook is a mid-2010 running Lion; if any of that is helpful.
I have a cheap Mini DisplayPort-HDMI adapter, and a mid-priced Rocketfish HDMI-HDMI cable.
The Issue:
     When connecting the tv and computer, there was a visual connection (both flashed momentary blue screens), but the tv would show it's 'menu' background and in the corner it would say 'Invalid Format'.
What I tried:
     - using each HDMI port on the tv, to rule it out that it was an issue with the tv (however my cable box uses HDMI, and works fine)
     - connecting when the Macbook is on, when it's off, and during start-up
     - a lot of fiddling with the tv's menu, trying to find out if unsed HDMI ports were disabled or something (we found nothing)
     - changing the Macbook's resolution to the very worst to see if the tv could find that (didn't help)
     - contacing Sony to see if they had heard of this and had tips: to which the rep said that Macbooks don't work through HDMI, so I'd wasted my money on the cable.
What worked:
     I shut down the Macbook and booted it up in SafeBoot (hold Shift key during start up). In SafeBoot, my computer's desktop background showed (nothing else) and a little computer monitor icon appeared in my upper menu bar, which when selected showed a few of the display options available in System Preferences>Display. In this menu, it gave me a few resolution choices for 'Colour Display' and also a few for 'Sony TV'. I picked the highest one under Sony TV, and selected 'Turn on Mirroring' (which allows all my desktop icons and task bar to show, in addition to just the Desktop background). After this, I shut down the computer, still connected, and started up out of SafeBoot. Now in normal mode, my TV recognised the computer and I was able to sign into my Macbook user account while it displayed on the TV.
     (If your sound isn't going through to the TV, go into System Pref>Sound>Output and select your TV. If the option isn't there, or this doesn't work, I don't think your Macbook's compatible yet, so you'll just need one of those stero cord which you can get anywhere and are super easy -- plug into Mac's headphone jack, other into the tv's audio jack.)
So, try Safeboot! I think someone, somewhere said that both the computer and TV try to guess and remember the settings they think the other need. If they're wrong, nothing happens but they always remember to go to those settings anyway. By going into SafeBoot, the computer is open to changing those settings and you're more likely to establish a connection.
(For sanity's sake, I would suggest turning off all of your 'Launch on Start-up' apps, since you'll have to wait for all these to load, and if your resolution's low in SafeBoot, you'll have a very crowded screen with a lot of apps going.)
Hope this helps someone; I wish I'd known to try this from the start.

Thanks

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Using Bravia TV as second display with Macbook Pro

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