connect macbook pro to an old tv

ltoothey

Just wondering how to connect my new macbook pro to my old tv. my tv is an old school sanyo with a large back. what kind of cables will i need?

Hal Emmerich

I looked at this before and it was a bitch, I kinda gave up, without getting into why you bought a Lappy that costs as much as a new Windows Lappy and a new 40 inch TV (why did you?:eek:)

• Native Mini DisplayPort output
• DVI output using Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter (optional)
• VGA output using Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter (optional)
• Dual-link DVI output using Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter supports 30-inch Apple Cinema HD Display (optional)
• HDMI audio and video output using a third-party Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapter.

Macbook has no S-Video out port which would have made it abit easier.

Has the TV an S-video port? If it has, you could try and get one of those optional Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapters and then a VGA to S-VIDEO / RCA CONVERTER CABLE ADAPTER but even if this works I'd imagine the display will be s*it.

HDMI option if you can find one at a decent price. I don't know how well this works, if at all.


Ideally the Tv needs an S-Video, HDMI, DVI port or VGA port to display right.

Unless someone else has a tried and tested way???????

partyatmygaff

For the expense you'll go to of buying the appropriate adapters and cables you'd be better off buying a cheap (Used perhaps?) LCD Monitor or TV.

The resolution on your Macbook Pro is more than likely 1440x900. The resolution on your old TV is probably no more than 640x480. The image quality will be unbearably bad.

ltoothey

that sucks.funds are tight. thought i could get a dvi to s-video cable for around 19 euro?

ltoothey

my tv does have an s-video port but if the picture is goin to be bad id probably be better off getting a new tv? i got a macbook pro over a pc because im a graphic designer and their is no question that a mac is far more superior for designing than a pc.

partyatmygaff

No good. As far as I'm aware, modern Macbook Pros only output a digital signal through the mini displayport. S-Video and your TV are both analog devices.

Unless you want to buy a Digital -> Analog transcoder I don't think any amount of cabling and adapters will help.

partyatmygaff

ltoothey wrote: »

my tv does have an s-video port but if the picture is goin to be bad id probably be better off getting a new tv? i got a macbook pro over a pc because im a graphic designer

Graphic design on an old TV with a resolution of 640x480 sounds like a crazy combination. You're better off getting a new TV.

and their is no question that a mac is far more superior for designing than a pc.

Dell Precision M4600/M6600 with an IPS RGB screen or a Lenovo W520 with an RGB screen would actually be better suited (IMO) for graphic design than a Macbook.

Take a look at the difference in colour reproduction

Macbook Pro 15
Lenovo W520

Hal Emmerich

ltoothey wrote: »

that sucks.funds are tight. thought i could get a dvi to s-video cable for around 19 euro?

Is there a dvi port on the Mac without getting an adapter?

ltoothey

i dont want to hook it to my tv to do my design work. really just want it to use my internet through the tv. it sounds like i should just forget about it until i get a new tv???

partyatmygaff

ltoothey wrote: »

i dont want to hook it to my tv to do my design work. really just want it to use my internet through the tv. it sounds like i should just forget about it until i get a new tv???

Definitely. Your TV's resolution is less than that of most smartphones. It's not worth the money or the hassle tbh.

ltoothey

well i disagree that those pcs are better than a mac for designing. macs are industry standard.you get any job in any decent design agency expect to use a mac. once you design for a few years on a mac and then resort back to a pc you realise how better macs are for designing.

Hal Emmerich

if mac has dvi port,

Apple DVI to S-Video & Composite Adapter

don't know what it'll look if you have to go through the mini display port aswell though.

partyatmygaff

ltoothey wrote: »

well i disagree that those pcs are better than a mac for designing. macs are industry standard.you get any job in any decent design agency expect to use a mac. once you design for a few years on a mac and then resort back to a pc you realise how better macs are for designing.

You didn't actually give any proper reason as to why Macs are better for design work in that post...

I don't see how you consider laptops with IPS screens that almost fully cover AdobeRGB to be inferior to a Macbook Pro. Surely something as fundamental as the screen plays a role in deciding what is the better platform for graphics design?

ltoothey

yeah thats the cable i was thinking of getting but sounds like the picture will be bad either way cause my tv is old.

ltoothey

here ya go says everything better than me and you could http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/04/26/five-reasons-why-designers-are-switching-to-mac/

mordeith

ltoothey wrote: »

here ya go says everything better than me and you could http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/04/26/five-reasons-why-designers-are-switching-to-mac/

In fairness that article is over two and a half years old. Surely it doesn't matter whether you use a mac or a PC. Its the software and the user's skill that ultimately determines the final product (not whether the one screen is infinitesimally more adept at reproducing a particular colour tone). Its like that Fr Ted episode about the colour of priests socks . . . are they black or are they very, very, very, very, very, very, very dark navy

ltoothey

in fairness that quote from father ted is over 10 years old.

mordeith

ltoothey wrote: »

in fairness that quote from father ted is over 10 years old.

true, but more relevant than yours

ltoothey

i didnt write a quote