The Missing User Guide + Troubleshooting Tips For...

Hi,
I have 2 questions:
1. How can I use my iMac (27") and my TV (42") in Mirror displays mode and keeping the resolution of my iMac in 2560x1440 and my TV in 1080p ? My Imac switch automatically in 1080p and I can't change it after.
2. How can I easily switch the sound between TV and iMac whithout unplug the USB cable and optical fiber cable ?

Thanks a lot

an answer to "Michael posted on January 19, 2010 9:07 AM" :

1- minimac needs to save your tv resolution to take it at first screen.
but when you unplug your main screen ( when you are on dual screening)
minimac try to send your main screen resolution to your tv and tuis is not working.
that is why you see nothing on your tv when you have tv, your only screen.

2- you need another mac.
a- run ichat on both.
b- send a demand to share your minimac screen with the other mac.
c- take the hand on your minimac using the other mac.
d- now unplug your main screen.
e- you loosing image on tv but on your other mac you have minimac screen.
f- change the resolution on your tv using your "system preferences : Display", to one it can supports

g- now you will see that image reappears on your tv and you can use it as main screen.
h- but you still need a mouse plugged on your minimac, if not it is not working :=)

hope it can help you, this is how i did to have image on my tv when i got my adaptor.

well now i have another one, but well ....

hello everybody

i bought :
Kanex iAdapt 51 - MDP to HDMI w/5.1 Channel Digital Audio

i use it with:

1- minimac
(2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4GB memory, 320GB hard drive
8x double-layer SuperDrive, NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics
Mac OS X Snow Leopard)

2- and toshiba HDMI TV ( HD ready : 720p )

and i used it for 2 weeks at 720p resolution, and got no problem.
now the image on my tv is shaking and i'm loosing image every 3 to 5 seconds.

but at 480p i have no more this problem.( but i have a small image :( )

is there anything to do to fix this ??
thank you for your help.

I, too, have tried installing the Kanex adapter. I am trying to use it exclusively with my Hitachi 42" plasma TV. Using the mini-DVI to HDMI adapter, the display works, and I can use the Kanex with the display port. I can see the MDP Adapter, and configure it to various resolutions (though 720p is "native"). I ensured that the digital output is selected in Sound (it won't show up if plugged into the wrong port on the Mac mini).

And, if I switch between the two HDMI inputs on the television, if BOTH mini-DVI to HDMI and the Kanex are plugged in, the screen works on both inputs. Sound, however, does not. And, if I unplug the mini-DVI and use just the Kanex adapter, the Mac mini will NOT boot with a display on the TV (even though it works when plugged in in addition to the mini-DVI output). I have tried EVERY resolution possible and rebooted each time, but no luck.

So, what am I not doing right, or what is the issue?

Clearly, the intent of purchasing the Kanex was to run audio AND video together through the adapter. Currently, I can't get audio and video to work with the adapter, nor can I get it to show on a native boot. If I am unable to get it to function, I shall have to return it!

Almost there?
Got my brand new 2009 Mac mini set up with a Philips HDTV 32" PF 9731D via the Kanex cable. Works in 720p and 1080i which is the max resolution of this TV. Two issues remain though:
TV's native resolution is 1366x768p - is there a way this can be accurately achieved?
Bigger problem: I cannot make the TV work through the mini-display and Kanex cable unless a standard computer monitor is connected via the mini-DVI port. The second after I pull the mini-DVI plug - the TV connected to the mini-display goes blue screen until some seconds after I put the DVI back in.
Isn't there a way the TV will work without also having a computer monitor connected????
Thanks for any reply that will help me out here.

skazda,

I don't know if this will help you, but I ran into a problem that sounds similar. I initially tried hooking up my TV to a Mac Mini, and couldn't use anything other than 1080i - any other resolution would show a black screen. Then I plugged the Kanex into my MBP (late '08) and noticed that any resolution other than 1080i would default the Refresh Rate on the Display Preferences to 50Hz; thus a black screen (my TV doesn't show an error message, I guess). I don't know what controls the default Refresh Rate value and why 1080i was correct at 60Hz, but changing it to 60Hz made 1080p and 720p work for me. This is of course, assuming that you are using NTSC.

Not quite satisfied with this device yet....

I'm using a 15" MacBook Pro (2009), following all directions. I'm using an RCA HDTV with 1080p. The 1080p setting on the device won't work-- only 720p (I get "unsupported" with every other option). And, with 720p, the screen is offset to the left so the Apple menu is off screen, and there's black space with a little noise on the screen edge on the right. Anyone else have this issue and know what to do?.... Help, please! I WANT to be happy about this purchase!

Hi

I have just received (in Denmark) the adaptor, and I am having some problems/questions.

1. On my old setup i used: mini dvi -> dvi converter -> dvi to hdmi cable and I had no problem running in 24 hertz. With the adaptor I got from you I can only choose between 50 and 60 hertz.
This is a problem for me because a lot of my movies are ripped from BD in 24 hertz to get the real cinema feel :)
Is it possible to force the system to run in 24 hertz?

2. In the left most side of my display there are a one pixel bar in some kind of static. any solutions. I have tried with and without overscan.

I am using a mac mini, a sony str-dg820 av receiver and a optoma hd-20 1080p projector.

thanks

I previously sent in a comment because I could not get my adaptor to work. I've done more research and have many changes to my comments.

No Audio -- I was plugging the cord into the digital input rather than the output port. Once properly plugged in, I got audio without further problems. You might want to make it clear in your instructions that it is the same place that headphones go

Bad Color -- I tried two Insignia 32 inch 1080p displays. The results were identical: no display at all on 1080p of 1080i; display exists in 720p but very bad colors .. all the whites were pink, the blacks were green, etc. I tried fiddling around with the calibration tool in System Preferences but it didn't even come close to correcting the problem. However I also tried your cable on a Sharp 1080p display and it worked perfectly first time in 1080p. Colors were perfect.

Obviously the problem is not with the cable but with the monitor. Any advice on how to adjust is appreciated. I am confused because the monitor displays colors perfectly with DVDs. Thanks.

Hi,My macbook pro has the ports i need to work with this cables but the led will not burn and i smell a burny smook from the device.
Is it possible that i received the device broken?

Greetings from the Netherlands

I'm using this adapter with a mid-2009 13" MBP and a Samsung 42" 720p plasma. I also have an optical cable going from my TV to Logitech Z-5500 speakers. The initial setup took about 5 minutes: very straightforward, esp. after reading this page, to readjust the adapter to 720p.

The first time I used it, the edges of the desktop were just slightly cut off. However, the 2nd time I used it, I plugged it in and it detected all my prior settings and the desktop screen fit perfectly on the TV. I've watched both 720p and 1080p movies on it and either way, the picture is really great, the sound is really great --this thing just works. Recommended.

Oh, and just a note -- someone above asked if the adapter works with your laptop closed. As this is my first MBP, I don't know if there's a setting to change it, but no, the TV loses signal when the computer is closed all the way.

Also, when the adapter is plugged in, the volume symbol in the taskbar is grayed out, but the audio works fine.

Great product. Works flawlessly. Fast shipment to Finland.

Thank you!

Hylje2

when will ship your divices to Europe and France in particular

I'm interested in your Kanex Mini DisplayPort Adapter To HDMI 1080p Video w/ USB Audio. Does the adapter support a MacBook Pro when used in closed clamshell (display closed) mode with an external display? Please see http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3131

Thank you

To Charlie, Our adapters cannot be backward use.

Does this adapter work in the opposite direction? For instance, if I wanted to connect my Playstation 3 to my new iMac. Could I run an HDMI cable from my PS3 (carrying both audio and video) to this adapter, which would be connected to the MiniDisplayPort, USB, and Audio-in ports?

Thank you.

To ChicagoGuy:

Please try switching to 60hz NTSC which is for North America video content. PAL video format is mainly use in Europe. Your HDTV may only accept NTSC signal and your Macbook is broadcasting PAL which will not work.

I keep getting "Not Supported Mode" on my TV, which is a 46" Samsung DLP with a max res of 720p. I'm running a MacBook Pro.

The only setting it will work on is mirroring at 720x576 50hz PAL, which is pretty useless. I am getting audio.

So, do I just need to get a 1080p tv or can I get this to work better on the one I have?

Thanks for your reply. As is often the case, my problem was "user error". The reason I was not seeing the MDP configuration panel in System Preferences-> Display was I had not connected the USB piece of the adapter which gives the adapter its power. The second error I was making was that to see the MDP configuration screen, one has to turn on Display Mirroring. Once I had done that and configured the MDP preferences to 720p, your device began working as advertised.

The problem for me now is that configuring Display preferences using your device to 720p reduces my Mac's screen image on the HDTV considerably. Turning on "Overscan" enlarges the 720p image so much that one can no longer see the Mac's menu bar on the desktop..

My current set-up using the DVI to HDMI adapter (with separate audio cables) senses the Sony TV's settings regarding the display and actually has a profile in its Display called Sony TV. And by increasing that display setting resolution to it's maximum (1360X768) and turning on "Overscan" the TV's screen is filled completely with my Mac desktop including the Menu Bar, and it does so without distortion. I have gotten used to that more complete screen image.

So, I will save my Kanex adapter cables for the day when I upgrade my two Sony HDTV's (26" and 42") to full 1080p. I bought them earlier in the HDTV evolutionary process when 720p was the better bargain.

I have a 1080p Aquos HDTV (am in Tokyo, Japan) and use a standard Mini DisplayPort-to-VGA adaptor to connect my Macbook Pro (late 2008 model), but that connection refuses to allow a full 1080 resolution--it only lets me get something closer to 720.

Will this cable let my MBP get a full 1080p resolution on such a TV, or is the external resolution limited by the TV itself?

Scott Hackock:

Yes it does! Woo Hoo! When in overscan, the Kanex adapter fills every glorious inch of my screen with the entire menu bar visible.

Now, if I could only get the digital audio to work <:-(

I just tried it on my iMac with un-mirrored screens, putting the desktop on the TV. The desktop exactly filled the TV with no problems. No black bars on the TV, no lost pixels. (I am using Snow Leopard.)

This may have been an easier case than Mr. Hancock's, since the iMac resolution is 1920x1200, and the TV is 1920x1080. So when I connected, the iMac screen went to 1920x1080, leaving a black bar on the bottom of the computer monitor. The dock was appropriately moved up, so no functionality was lost other than the screen real estate.

By the way, unlike the MacBook Air, the iMac worked great with this adapter, including getting 5.1 audio to the receiver through the HDMI connector.

@Scott

Are you using a monitor that doesn't have 1:1 pixel mapping (like a projection screen). If so, you might need to use something like DisplayConfigX or SwitchResX to set up a custom resolution to fill the full screen.

I didn't try to put the desktop on the TV, but when I played full screen, hi-def video with this adapter, it exactly filled the screen. I turn off mirroring so my desktop remains on the computer's screen, and the TV is a second monitor.

I'm wondering if this device will solve the ever annoying display shrinkage problem with TV's. Even with Snow Leopard, I the screen is not filled by the image. This seems to be a big issue and I don't know why Apple hasn't addressed it. If I choose overscan, then the menu bar and most of the dock are hidden and you can't see them. If overscan is left unchecked, then there is a black border all the way around the desktop.

Yes thank you for pointing the wrong compatibility in the sku description. This has been fixed.

Though the web site says (currently) that this adapter will work with a MacBook Air, it won't.

The MacBook Air does not have an optical digital output for the audio, and this adapter apparently requires it. I bought it thinking that it would revert to the USB connection for audio when the optical cable isn't plugged in. However it doesn't do that, so for the MacBook Air you need to buy the next model down with USB audio.

Every Mac currently sold *except* for the MacBook Air does have optical audio, and so should work with this adapter.