# MacBook and dual display



## lurk (May 22, 2006)

Howdy,

I have a question for the new MacBook owners out there.  I heard that they have removed the restriction from the iBook that you could not hook up a monitor and get dual displays, but I am not so sure after reading the marketing literature on this one.



> *Apple sez * Extended desktop and video mirroring: Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display and up to 1920 x 1200 pixels on an external display, both at millions of colors



Which I interpret as saying that both monitors will still show the same thing but the built in one might only show a subsection of that.  The powerbook description in contrast is



> *Apple also sez * Dual display and video mirroring: Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display and up to 2560 by 1600 pixels on an external display, both at millions of colors



So that really says that you cannot do *dual display* on the MacBook, I would like to be proven wrong though.

Thanks!


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## ra3ndy (May 22, 2006)

"Extended Desktop" is used interchangably with "Dual Display". Extended Desktop means that when you move your mouse to the right side of the display (or however you have your displays set up), it goes to the next monitor, which is acting as an EXTENSION of the DESKTOP.  i.e dual monitors.

The first quote only says that if you have a second monitor hooked up, your MacBook will support full native res (1280x800) on the MacBook AS WELL AS up to 1920x1200 on the second monitor.  If it was only mirrored, it wouldn't support two separate resolutions, and it would be silly to crop the MacBook's viewing area

The second quote states simply that he MacBookPro can run a second monitor better than the MacBook (surprise surprise) 

The fact that they use two different terms for the same function shows that the description was probably written by different people.  They do it all the time.


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## lurk (May 22, 2006)

That is good to hear.  I have always heard "extended desktop" in the case of having a desktop that is larger than the physical monitor that then scrolls as you move the mouse about.  If you are right it is really unfortunate that the tech writer was not aware of the existing meaning the term

I tell you what, can someone plug their MacBook into an external monitor and do a quick screancap of the display preferences pane.  If it looks anything like this one from my powerbook I will be psyched.







Thanks!


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## ra3ndy (May 22, 2006)

The terminology I always heard for the "zoomed in" desktop is Expanded Desktop, not Extended.  In my world, adding a second monitor has always been called Extended Desktop.

These days, the zoomed-in desktop is put in the universal access features, and is not used in reference to product specs ever.


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## ElDiabloConCaca (May 22, 2006)

Yes, lurk, the MacBooks can do extended desktops no different from the MacBook Pro, the G5 tower, and the Intel iMac.  No screencap necessary -- we're 100% sure it can do it.  In fact I just saw one today at the local Apple store.


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## lurk (May 22, 2006)

Thanks a plenty ElDiablo.  I am reassured.


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## ignorantcow (May 27, 2006)

What about two external monitors as once? Particularly, two external 19" LCDs, both at 1280x1024?


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## fryke (May 27, 2006)

Nope. Since you only have one DVI (or mini DVI) port, you can only connect one external monitor. There's no way of driving a secondary display on any Apple notebook. There _might_ one day be a solution with an ExpressCard on the MacBook Pro line, but certainly not for the MacBooks, which lack an ExpressCard slot.


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## Lt Major Burns (May 27, 2006)

the MBP is only better because it has the DUal-Link DVI that supports outsized monitors like the apple 30" and the similar Dell.


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## fryke (May 27, 2006)

Yeah, I think "dual-link" is a bad name for it - even if correct. It lets users believe they can do more with it...


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## McSedgley (May 27, 2006)

Ive just got a macbook, and the 23 cinema works fine with it- you can arrange and swap just the same  as you could on the powerbook.  The cable costs £15.


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## ignorantcow (May 28, 2006)

Hmm "dual-link", meaning two externals possible? Or what? D:


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## fryke (May 28, 2006)

You're kidding now, right? We just _talked_ about all this... No, that's _not_ what it means.


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## ignorantcow (May 28, 2006)

Gah, too bad..

*hugs frkye* thankie anyway.


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## Lt Major Burns (May 28, 2006)

outsized displays like the apple 30" have more than twice the amount of pixels normally found in a display.  this means that the pipeline has to be more than twice as big.

dual-link dvi.


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## funkyplanet (Oct 5, 2006)

Hello,

what I found is that you can work only with the lid closed AND the power adaptor attached. On battery power you cannot use an external monitor with the lid closed.

Has anyone else found this also?

Regards,
Peter


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## fryke (Oct 5, 2006)

Not me. I haven't ever had a situation in which I used an external display, keyboard and mouse but didn't have external power for the MacBook...


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## mkoivula (Oct 5, 2006)

Thank you Fryke for your posts.. helped me alot. I was about to buy two 19" widescreen monitors and hook them up to my MBP 15" ATI128mb. I was planning to use only those two screens and have laptop lid closed but there is no way to make it work, right?

Then quick question, should I get 20" screen instead of 22", resolution is same in both so does 20" look better because 22" screen has to stretch pixels right? (both screens are widescreen models and resolution is 1680 x 1050)

Thanks again!


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## Galley (Oct 5, 2006)

funkyplanet said:


> Hello,
> 
> what I found is that you can work only with the lid closed AND the power adaptor attached. On battery power you cannot use an external monitor with the lid closed.
> 
> ...



It's designed that way.  I'm guessing their reasoning is that no one is going to have a portable monitor.


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## eric2006 (Oct 5, 2006)

Galley said:


> It's designed that way.  I'm guessing their reasoning is that no one is going to have a portable monitor.



Plus, think heat. With a closed lid, on battery power, things will get hot.


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## eric2006 (Oct 7, 2006)

ignorantcow said:


> What about two external monitors as once? Particularly, two external 19" LCDs, both at 1280x1024?



FYI, it is possible to run two displays, using this. It wouldn't be too pretty, because it's VGA, but it would probably work. In PowerBooks, you could get a PC Card video card and plug it in, but the MacBook Pro's use ExpressCard, and the MacBooks lack expansion slots altogether.


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