MBP 8600M GT DVI to Component?

Hi, I recently bought a MacBook Pro (15") with the NVIDIA 8600M GT with 128MB memory. I bought a DVI to HDMI adapter to try to connect it to my Sony 47" LCD TV, but the picture was very bad and did not fit on the TV screen correctly. After some research, I learned that Apple computers don't support HDMI video out.

So, I then decided to try DVI to component. I know there are several types of DVI connections (DVI-A, -I, -D...), so I was wondering 1. which one does the 8600M GT use, and 2. would a simple DVI to component adapter/cable work with it, or would I need a special box to convert the signal?

 

So the problem you're having is not what you think. The problem is that the TV is not set on PC mode (1:1 pixelmapping).

DVI and HDMI uses the same type of videosignals, difference is that HDMI transfers some other stuff as well. And the different connector, of course.

The MBP uses a Dual-link DVI-I connector. That can send out both analogue and digital signals. So a simple dvi to component will work.

 

It is true that Macs don't do HDMI out, as in they don't have a HDMI port, but they do have DVI-out. And, with the correct cable, it is possible to output to a High Definition display from a Mac regardless of whether or not your computer has a HDMI port or not.

Chances are you are simply unfamiliar with the OS X UI, and therefore did not configure your displays properly.
After hooking up your display, go to System Pref>Displays. In the arrangement tab, you can turn off Cloning, which will enable you to run at resolutions higher than your Macbook screen on the external display. You probably then want to click on the Color tab, and calibrate your display.

 

Actuallly, it's not an OS X thing. I went through something like this with a C2D iMac and a 40" Sony LCD. When connected, the tv doesn't automatically go to PC mode. So everything looks bad. You need to find the appopriate setting in the TV.

 

Let's make this easy. Or at least a easy start. If your tv supports 1080p (I will just assume it does). Then you need to make sure your computer is sending a resolution of 1920x1080. And shouldn't your MBP do "dual-view"? Where you can set the resolution of the output signal, without changing the resolution of your notebooks screen?

 

I think it might be a problem with the TV. My Sony 47" is actually only 720p, but strangely, the actual native resolution of the screen is something like 1366 x 768. I tried looking through the preferences on the TV, but when I'm connected with DVI the settings for PC mode are not available (they're only available when using VGA).

Also, I went in the the display preferences in OS X while using DVI, but there is no option for 1366 x 768, and when I select 1280 x 720, the picture is still bad quality and the top menu bar and dock are almost completely cut off the screen (This is all in clone mode).

When I switched to extended display mode, it helps with fitting everything on the screen, but the picture quality is still quite poor (text has artifacts around it, gradients are choppy). Also, in response to Tusin, I couldn't find any setting in Leopard for "dual-view"- every time I change the resolution of the outputted DVI signal to the TV, the LCD screen resolution changes to match it.

P.S. If I did go with DVI to component, would there be a difference between a DVI to component adapter and a DVI to component cable?