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How can I connect the monitor?
Friday, 14 December, 2007
Hi. I have a Mac notebook. I'm doing some creative work on it (home business) using Photoshop and InDesign. I'd like to add a second screen so I borrowed a 24" LCD monitor from a friend.
The trouble is the connector on the monitor doesn't fit the Mac at all. The Mac is six months old if that helps. What can I do?
Winnie , Braddon, ACT
 I'd suspect that you have two options. One that you can do without even leaving the house.
Unless I'm mistaken, the video output on your Mac is a DVI connector. But more importantly it's a DVI-I connector, which means it outputs both digital and analogue.
The lead that you have on the external monitor is probably a VGA (analogue) one and has a completely different connector to DVI. Your Mac would have come with an adaptor of some sort - either a one-piece adaptor of a short cable adaptor. One end will plug into the Mac and the other end will have a socket for the VGA connector. That's the easy solution. The only problem with that is that the analogue signal ((VGA) will never be as good as the digital one. (Not quite as clear on the screen).
However, I'd be surprised if that 24" LCD monitor didn't also have a DVI input. That means that all you have to do is get a DVI to DVI cable from the local computer shop. That's what I'd be doing.Paul Zucker
 Reader solutions
JeffPosted: 23/03/2008 re: How can I connect the monitor? TRUTH WARNING
The difference ?!
It's easy as this.....Analogue= square 'dots'/Digital= round dots.
Analogue, therefore, produces a 'ragged edge' circle.....while Digital produces a more pleasing 'perfect circle'. (naturally, it means more 'pixels' any given area = better quality to Screen Resolution....'theory-wise', that is).
(Not true at all Jeff. -PZ) Christopher BoothPosted: 16/12/2007 re: How can I connect the monitor? Just a comment about DVI connection being better than analogue. I've read heaps of reviews of LCD monitors and most of the reviewers (all experts in IT) reckon they can't see much difference between LCDs connected via a DVI and those connected with a 15 pin Dsub. How much better is it Paul?
(Beauty is in the eye of the beholder Christopher. Theoretically a digital connection is better, but I wouldn't lose any sleep over it. For instance, my tired old eyes wouldn't notice much difference but a young pair of eyes would. And don't forget that the higher the resolution, the greater the difference. -PZ) |