Problem connecting iMac to HD TV

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vickerm

Registered
I have a 2G iMac and I have it connected to a Philips HD TV with a mini-dvi to dvi adapter that is connected to a HDMI-to-DVI video cable. I also have a Y audio cable connected iMac to the AV1 on the TV.

The problem: I can only select one source on my TV, either AV1 or HDMI 1. If I select AV1 I can hear the audio from the video streaming on my computer (no video shows on the TV), but if I select HDMI 1 I can only see my desktop background no audio or video.

Questions: How can I get both the video and audio to play at the same time? Why am I only seeing my background and not video?

Thank you.
 
vickerm said:
Why am I only seeing my background and not video?
Click to expand...

Because you have your displays set up in "Extended Desktop" mode, where your secondary monitor (your TV) is an extension of your first monitor -- like one, big monitor.

You can drag windows from one monitor to the other... you can control the positioning of the monitors with the "Displays" preference pane.

You can also switch to "mirroring" mode, whereby both monitors show the same thing.
 
Typically on HDTVs, both video and audio are carried through the HDMI cable -- cable boxes, satellite boxes, and the like all output both video and audio through HDMI typically, so only one connection is needed.

In your case, though, you're only outputting a video signal over HDMI. A lot of TVs allow you to input the audio portion through a different input -- which, in the cases I've seen, is typically an optical audio port. Look on the back of your TV for any audio connections -- specifically, TosLink (optical audio) -- that are located relatively close to the HDMI input. There may also be a set of L/R analog inputs (RCA jacks, specifically) that will allow you to input sound and have it play while the TV is in HDMI mode.

Many newer models of Macintosh manufactured in the last few years can output both analog and optical audio out of one jack on the back. I believe an adapter like the following can be used to plug into the headphone or audio-out port on the back of the mini, and then a TosLink cable can be used to connect to an optical audio jack on the back of the TV:

http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Optical-Toslink-Female-3-5mm/dp/B000I97H54

Again, refer to your mini's manual to verify that indeed it does support optical audio out.

You may need to refer to your TV's manual (probably freely downloadable from the manufacturer's website, if you've lost yours) to see which audio inputs will pass through while the TV is in HDMI mode.
 
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