Can iMac be used as an external monitor or in external display mode? How to connect a MacBook to an external monitor
If you are the owner of one of the iMacs, you have a great opportunity to get a lot of pleasure from “widescreen” watching videos or playing games on the big screen. To do this, just connect your gadget to the TV. We'll show you how to do this using an HDMI connection.
To connect your iMac to your TV using HDMI, make sure the former has one of the following ports – Mini-DVI, Thunderbolt, or Mini-DisplayPort. The TV also needs an appropriate HDMI input (almost all modern models have them). In addition, you will need an adapter (Mini DisplayPort/Thunderbolt to HDMI with audio support) and an HDMI cable (for greater convenience, it is better to take a longer one).
New HDTVs have more video inputs than before. There are likely 2-3 HDMI ports, a DVI connector, a VGA connector, and at least one component connection. It is a pity that most of them will remain unclaimed. Therefore, if there is a MacBook nearby, why not take advantage of it?
The article is intended for those who would like, but do not know how, to connect a MacBook to a TV. This is, for example, necessary to use the latter as a giant external monitor to run computer games on a large screen, watch streaming videos and movies.
This is actually a pretty simple task. Some won't even need an adapter, but in other cases the connection procedure will be more complicated.
Choosing the right port
How to connect a MacBook to a TV for the best picture? Preference should be given to HDMI and DVI connectors. They provide the same high digital quality. The only practical differences are the shape and support for HDMI video and audio in the same connection.
An alternative option is to use the VGA port. It can supply high-definition resolution, and many TVs provide special connectivity options that are only available through it. For example, some models allow you to configure scaling exclusively for the VGA port. Another possible option is the pixel-by-pixel transfer mode, in which the image from the computer is displayed without any manipulation - stretching or compressing the frame.
Of course, you can try connecting your MacBook to your TV via HDMI, DVI and VGA in turn, and then choose the connection that works best.
MacBook video output
Depending on the year and brand, Mac laptops may have DVI, Mini DVI, Mini DisplayPort, or Thunderbolt ports. Apple has used other types of video connectors, but early models do not have enough bandwidth to adequately process, decode, and display a 1080p signal.
DVI and Mini-DVI on a Mac can play both digital and analog (VGA) video signals. If you connect DVI or miniDVI to the VGA port of an HDTV, you will need an inexpensive adapter. Similarly, you need an adapter to connect the miniDVI connector to the standard DVI input of the display.
Mini DisplayPort and Thunderbolt, on the other hand, are digital connections. There are adapters that can convert the video signal coming from these connectors to VGA format, but the quality they produce is not suitable for a home theater system.
Adapters and cables
So, before you connect your MacBook to your TV via HDMI, you need to purchase a suitable adapter. There are many sellers of adapters and cables. Apple offers its own models in its online store in the “Mac Accessories” section.
While most simple adapters are inexpensive, some can be expensive. Fortunately, Apple is not the only manufacturer of them. There are many places where you can buy them - from online stores to retail stores, and they are cheaper there. For example, the price of a miniDP-DVI adapter from Apple is 2000 rubles, and an equivalent model from another company will cost 720 rubles. Therefore, it is worth spending a little time searching to find the necessary cables and adapters at reasonable prices.
Popular sites that offer inexpensive MacBook accessories include Amazon, Monoprice, and Newegg.
Creating a connection
If you have purchased the necessary adapter and have the necessary cable, before connecting your MacBook to a Samsung, LG or other manufacturer's TV, you must disconnect both devices. After connecting them, you should first turn on the HDTV. There is no need to make any special settings for the TV, but it does need to be powered up early so that when booting the laptop can recognize both it and the required resolution. Then you should turn on your Mac. The laptop must independently determine the screen format and resolution and automatically select the most suitable video parameters. After a few seconds, you will be able to see the desktop on the display.
By default, the laptop tries to use the TV as an external monitor, and it does an excellent job of this function. But if the goal is to watch movies or games, then it is better to configure the function. To do this, in the system settings, select the “Displays” item and check the duplication option on the screen layout tab.
Image scaling
After turning it on for the first time, it sometimes becomes noticeable that the desktop is slightly larger than the screen and its edges are cut off. Or it doesn't take up all the display space and there are dark areas around the edge. So how do you connect a MacBook Air to your TV so that the image scale is correct?
This can usually be fixed by adjusting your TV settings. Please refer to the user manual for settings related to image zoom. If your HDTV has a pixel-by-pixel display feature, you can try it. This should eliminate any issues with the image being too big or too small. Some models only offer special monitoring functions on certain inputs, so be sure to connect to the appropriate port.
No image
It is possible that the user has followed all the instructions in this manual, but the laptop desktop still does not appear on the screen. How to connect a MacBook to the TV in this case? There are a few things to check.
First, you need to make sure that the correct input is selected. Some models try to simplify input selection by disabling unused ports. If you have not used this video input before, you may need to enable it in the TV menu.
You can also try a different connector. If the HDMI port is not working, you should check the DVI or even VGA input. This way you can find the connector that will work correctly.
Sometimes the TV doesn't tell the MacBook the correct resolution. The laptop may supply a video signal in one format when the display expects another. As a result, there is nothing on the screen. How to connect a MacBook to the TV in this case? The situation can be corrected using the SwitchResX utility. It allows you to change the resolution that your MacBook sends to the display device. How to use it can be found on the developer's website.
It is now possible to wirelessly display images from a computer directly to the TV screen using the AirDisplay function. However, to do this, it was necessary to use exclusively the mirroring mode, which did not allow broadcasting a single video without displaying the entire screen.
In contact with
Apple has addressed this limitation in OS X 10.11 El Capitan, adding fuller support for AirPlay, allowing you to stream video from Safari and other apps to Apple TV.
So, for comfortable streaming you will need: a Mac based on an Intel processor running OS X 10.11 El Capitan or higher, an Apple TV set-top box (you can buy it), a TV with an HDMI connector. Using AirPlay involves connecting your Mac and Apple TV to the same local network. You can check for AirPlay support as follows: Apple menu () → « System Settings» → « Monitors" If the option " "is not displayed, it means your Mac does not meet AirPlay requirements.
1 . Launch Safari and play any video.
2 . While playing a video, click on the AirPlay icon located in the lower right corner of the YouTube video player (the AirPlay icon may be located in a different location depending on the service).
If the video is hosted on a video hosting site that does not support AirPlay, then click on the corresponding icon on the Mac panel:
3 . Select Apple TV from the menu.
4 . The video will start playing on the TV screen.
1 . Launch QuickTime Player on Mac by clicking on the plug-in icon in the Dock, or by double-clicking on the application icon in the " Programs" You can also use the Spotlight feature to quickly search.
2 . Open an already downloaded video or use the URL from QuickTime Player's file menu.
3 . When playing a video, the AirPlay icon should appear in the QuickTime Player playback controls.
Click on it to see the available options.
4 . Select your Apple TV from the menu.
5 . The video will begin to be broadcast to the TV screen via the Apple TV set-top box.
The benefits of using AirPlay to display video from your Mac to HDTVs
Using AirPlay is less expensive in terms of CPU resources. Wireless video streaming from a Mac using AirPlay is the same as on iOS devices: macOS simply sends the URL to the Apple TV, and the rest of the work of extraction, decoding and display is done by the set-top box itself, which significantly relieves the load on the CPU and GPU Mac.
How to stop streaming a video
If you're streaming video from Safari or QuickTime Player to an external monitor, but for some reason decide to switch back to your Mac screen, click the AirPlay icon in the playback controls and select the " Turn off AirPlay" You can also stop the broadcast by clicking on the " Menu" on the Apple TV remote, or by selecting the " Turn off AirPlay» in the Mac menu bar.
If the AirPlay menu is not visible, go to the Apple menu () → " System Settings» → « Monitors" Select the option " Show video replay options in menu bar when available».
macOS will automatically detect your Apple TV on the network (if it's in working mode) and display the AirPlay icon in the menu bar.
Possible problems when working with AirPlay
For the most part, problems using AirPlay occur due to Wi-Fi not working properly or hardware mismatches. If your Mac and Apple TV are on the local network in working mode, and the AirPlay icon still doesn’t appear, this may mean that your computer’s hardware does not meet AirPlay requirements. Make sure your Mac hardware meets the AirPlay system requirement and that your Apple TV is connected to an electrical outlet and to your TV. If everything is in order, but the icon is still not displayed, then the problem may lie in the firewall settings. To check the settings, you must perform the following steps:
Step 1. Open menu → « System Settings» → « Protection and safety» → « Firewall».
Step 2. Click on the lock icon and enter the administrator username and password.
Step 3. If the feature is enabled, select the " Firewall».
Step 4. Uncheck " Block all incoming connections».
Step 5. Select the option " Automatically allow signed software incoming connections».
Sometimes AirPlay may turn off on its own. This means that the Wi-Fi network is overloaded or the connection is interrupted due to a lot of interference.
System requirements to use AirPlay
You can use AirPlay mirroring mode to wirelessly share content from your Mac screen to another monitor via Apple TV. To use this feature, you need the latest Apple TV software 2 or later and a Mac running OS X Mountain Lion 10.8 or later:
- iMac (Mid 2011 and later);
- Mac mini (mid 2011 and later);
- MacBook (early 2015 and later);
- MacBook Air (Mid 2011 and later);
- MacBook Pro (Early 2011 and later);
- Mac Pro (Late 2013 and later).
AirPlay also supports peer-to-peer networking, allowing your friends to connect their Mac or iOS devices to the Apple TV without having to enter a password or connect to Wi-Fi. To use the feature, you will need an Apple TV 3 (model A1469) or later, or any Mac 2012 or later running OS X Yosemite 10.10 or later.
For many years now, TV manufacturers have been offering their customers more and more new ways to transfer screen images from phones, tablets, computers, and other devices to a large TV screen. It's worth taking just the technology Wi-Fi Direct, or Miracast, or a number of other technologies, but all of them do not allow comfortable viewing Full HD films without lags and delays, which are very annoying when watching an interesting movie.
Recording a 10 GB movie each time onto a flash drive or portable hard drive, then connecting it to the TV and searching for the desired movie through the TV explorer is quite tedious, especially when it comes to watching TV series whose episodes are released weekly. In fact, one wonderful company has released a special application that allows you to bypass almost all restrictions.
It's about the application SofaPlay For Mac, which allows you to simply select the desired movie on your computer from Apple, and it will automatically start playing on the big screen TV. The app works with TVs from a variety of companies, including Sony, LG And Samsung. To use the application you must connect your TV and computer Mac from one WiFi network, and make sure that the TV supports Smart TV.
After this, just launch the application SofaPlay on the computer Mac, and then after a few seconds your TV should appear in the application (it must be turned on first). In our case this is a TV Sony Bravia which is connected to WiFi router via a regular wired Internet cable, and the computer Mac connected to wireless WiFi network of this router.
You just need to drag the movie or TV series file you need into the application window, and after just a few seconds the movie will start broadcasting on your TV automatically (depending on the TV). Directly from your computer Mac You can turn the sound on and off, pause the movie, and even rewind it. Film in Full HD format works very quickly, so in this regard there are no complaints about the application.
Program SofaPlay works on the principle DLNA server, but it has a number of features that distinguish it from the same well-known application Plex. In fact, Plex offers similar functionality, but for it to work you will have to bother with sharing certain folders on the computer, searching for a media server on the TV and manually launching all media files.
The only negative SofaPlay You can only name unexpected application crashes. This happens extremely rarely (once every 1-3 hours), but in any case, departures take place, at least for OS X Yosemite. When developers completely solve this problem, their application will have no flaws.
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