Connecting a MacBook to a TV - Paper Example

Technological intervention has made it possible to connect a MacBook to a television through various ways. One of the ways is through the use of a display adapter. Also, the connection can be done using AirPlay Mirroring as well as Apple TV. The procedures to connect a MacBook to a TV are simple, but some considerations have to be made; especially if one is to use a display adapter. One of the considerations is the type of ports that a MacBook can support, which has changed through technological evolution. The ports supported by the TV are also an important consideration. Two methods will be presented since old MacBooks have ports while new MacBooks do not have ports.

Connecting using a video connector

When using the old MacBooks, it is important to establish the ports on both the MacBook and the TV. The connector ports available include the HDMI port, Thunderbolt port, mini-display port and the micro-DVI port. For this connection, a Thunderbolt port which allows the use of the Thunderbolt adapter will be used. The Thunderbolt adapter is shown below.

The selected thunderbolt adapter should be compatible with the port on the TV. For instance, the image above displays a thunderbolt adapter for a modern TV. The next step is to identify the cable that connects the MacBook to the thunderbolt adapter. These two cables enable one to connect a MacBook to a TV set.

Alternatively, it may be simple to connect a TV and a MacBook that both have HDMI ports. However, this is only possible in situations where both the television and the MacBook have HDMI ports. The HDMI cable is shown below.

The cables should enable to establish a connection between the MacBook and the TV set.

After connecting the two devices, the TV should be turned on and the correct input selected. Input options include HDMI 1, HDMI 2, DVD, VGA/PC, video and USB Media as shown below.

Select HDMI 1 or HDMI 2 depending on the port used to establish the connection. This selection will automatically display the desktop of the MacBook on the TV.

Click on the Apple Menu which will display a list from which the system preference option should be selected. From the system preference, select the display icon which presents a list of mirroring options.

The TV can be made to serve as the primary display by dragging a menu bar (the white menu bar) from the MacBooks display on the screen to the TV display.

AirPlay mirroring

In the airplay mirroring approach, one requires an Apple TV and a MacBook. The first step in this process is to set up as well as configuring the Apple TV. The Apple TV is a gadget that enables one to establish the AirPlay mirroring connection. The gadget is shown in the image below.

During the connection, the running operating system should be compatible most preferably the OS X 10.8, mountain lion. The next step is to establish a network connection between the MacBook and the Apple TV. To achieve this, the two devices have to be connected to an identical network.

The display on the screen will be as shown in the image below. The icons on the screen allow various settings to be made.

This interface allows a user to make adjustments to the display settings and select the AirPlay display from a drop-down menu. In case the Apple TV is not listed, there might be a problem with the network connection, or the system is running on software of a lower version such as iOS 5.1. Successful selection of the Apple TV displays the contents of the MacBooks desktop on the TV.

It is important to note that establishment of a network between the MacBook and the Apple TV gadget can be achieved using the 5KPlayer application. Installation of the 5KPlayer application establishes an interface on the computer which allows one to select the Apple TV icon. Upon, selection of the icon, it turns red implying that a network connection has been created between the MacBook and the Apple TV.

These are the two simple procedures that can be used to connect a MacBook to a TV. The connection allows one to display contents of the MacBook on the TV screen. This includes watching movies and other media files contained in the MacBook. In some instances, MacBooks may not connect with TV sets due to outdated software (OS). In such cases, one has to look for software expert to update all the software on the MacBook before attempting to connect it to a TV.