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Question

HDMI/Apple problem.

Apr 17, 2014 11:24PM PDT

Hi,
I attached an HDMI cable from y macbook to my LG42" tv (at the moment the tv is in France and I don't know the model number - it's about four years old) and it worked perfectly. However I forget to keep the macbook on charge and it ran out of battery and the screen then went black. When I attached the power cord to the computer the TV picture was only of the desktop picture (no icons) - when I used the macbook to select and play a film nothing happened - just the desktop picture. This was the same with either HDMI TV ports. I assumed the power shortage has damaged the cable but when I returned to the UK and connected the macbook to my sanyo TV via HDMI it worked perfectly.
Is it possible the the power cut off with HDMI cable connected blew something out on the TV so that it could no longer receive video and sound or icons but only the static desktop picture?
I powered the tv off, reinserted cable etc but the problem remained.
It works fine with my other TV so it must be the LG.
Any advice most gratefully received.

Discussion is locked

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Answer
My guess is the Apple is now in dual display mode.
Apr 18, 2014 2:19AM PDT

I alerted your post so an Apple expert will reply soon.
Bob

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Many thanks Bob
Apr 18, 2014 3:07AM PDT

Thanks Bob - I'll await the Apple expert - though the fact that it doesn't happen on my other tv does suggest the problem somehow is about my other TV not recognising video and sound signals via HDMI - but I am very much a beginner in these matters.

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Someone call?
Apr 18, 2014 8:40AM PDT

I think what you had there, in France, was a slight case of extended desktop.

When using a Mac, or a Windows machine for that matter, there are a number of choices to be set when you have two monitors. The TV counts as a monitor.

Copy (clone) where the picture on the two monitors are exactly the same.

Nothing on the built in screen and the Finder window on the monitor.

Extended Desktop, where the picture in the main monitor (1) is the desktop with the menu bar and the picture on the second monitor (2) is just the desktop picture without the menu bar. Assuming (2) is to the right of (1), then dragging the mouse, to the right, across (1), you would end up with the mouse cursor on (2).

It is the latter that I suspect you experienced after the battery shut down the Macbook. A trip to the Monitors preference pane would have sorted out the problem.

Hope that helps.

P

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Many thanks
Apr 18, 2014 5:30PM PDT

Thanks a lot - extremely helpful - sounds like that would be the problem - won't be able to finally tell till I return to France but it sounds very optimistic.
Cheers mate

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(NT) you're welcome
Apr 18, 2014 10:37PM PDT