Wildabeast Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 Tony, here's something to also check out (assuming you're on a MacBook running Lion). I found it through "Help" just by searching "hdmi". << Video ports If your Mac has a Thunderbolt or HDMI port, it can send audio to your HDTV. If your Mac has a Mini DisplayPort, it may be able to send audio to your HDTV. To see if it can, open System Information (in the Utilities folder in Launchpad), and then select Audio (Built In) below Hardware in the Contents list. Open System Information A list of your computer’s audio devices appears. If HDMI Output or HDMI/DisplayPort output is listed, your computer’s Mini DisplayPort can send audio. >> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony L. Posted July 30, 2011 Author Share Posted July 30, 2011 So I have checked the system with a different device and my sound system is functioning properly. The problem is with the computer -- no sound is going to the headphones. I have checked my sound output devices and for some reason the headphones and the external speakers do not appear as an option. So obviously when the Mac Help explains how to switch output, it doesn't help because the options are not there. Is there something that I need to do to set up the headphones as an output option? Never used headphones with this laptop before, so never knew this until now. Any advice? Or should I just head to the Apple Store to confer with a genius? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wvu80 Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 (edited) Which cable are you using, Tony? DVI, or HDMI? Remember, the DVI cable carries video only, the HDMI carries audio and video. On my Win7 computer, when the HDMI is plugged in, no other audio out is functional, including headphones direct from the PC. Edited July 30, 2011 by wvu80 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony L. Posted July 30, 2011 Author Share Posted July 30, 2011 I am using a DVI cable for the video. And that part is working fine. And just to be clear, the headphone jack is not working just on its own. So I am a little baffled by the fact that the headphone output is listed as part of my audio device information under the "About This Mac" information, but does not show up as a sound output option. That's the issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piper Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 I would ditch the MAC in a heartbeat. MS OS systems are designed with what the computer industry calls "backward compatibility" meaning that I have some apps that were written for WIN 98 and will still ride on WIN 7. That's never been part of Apple's businuss model which is why most companies don't use them. Their ipods are OK though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corps-mudgeon Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 I would ditch the MAC in a heartbeat. MS OS systems are designed with what the computer industry calls "backward compatibility" meaning that I have some apps that were written for WIN 98 and will still ride on WIN 7. That's never been part of Apple's businuss model which is why most companies don't use them. Their ipods are OK though. I've never understood why people feel the need to attack Macs because they're not enough like Windows boxes. It feels a lot like people who want to add woodwinds and such to drum corps to make it more like high school marching band. "Your stuff should be more like mine because I like it better that way." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skywhopper Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 Criticizing the choice of computer is of no help to anyone. This isn't a thread about what computer should he buy. Hey Tony, it does sound unusual to me that the headphones aren't showing as an option on the sound output screen. If you have music playing on the Mac through its speakers, and then you put in headphones, do the speakers keep playing, or does the sound stop? There's a couple of things that might be going on either way: in some recent Macs the headphone jack doubles as an optical audio jack, depending on what you plug into it. It's possible it could be trying to send audio in optical mode instead of over the headphones. Is there a little red light shining out of the headphone jack by any chance? Another possibility is that there is a switch/sensor in the headphone jack that detects that headphones are plugged in and switches the output for you. Sometimes that switch doesn't trigger fully, so try jamming the headphones in and wiggling a little, etc. Taking it to an Apple store is an option, but if there's a hardware problem with the headphone jack, they might need to ship it off to get it fixed. So since you need the audio today, there also might be (and here I'm venturing into territory I'm less familiar with) peripherals you can buy that take audio out over the USB port and then take a headphone jack from there onto your stereo. Not sure how common they are or how much they cost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corps-mudgeon Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 Criticizing the choice of computer is of no help to anyone. This isn't a thread about what computer should he buy. By the way, kudos to some spectacular advice and supporting graphics during the course of this thread. Well done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skywhopper Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 Re: streaming over a DSL line. Depends on how fast and consistent your connection is. I had luck streaming the live shows over DSL in years past. I'm on cable now, so it's much better. You might try SpeedTest.net to get an idea of your practical speed. Even that will be a best-case. I'm not sure what speed would be required, but if other folks who have had luck can post their speedtest results here that might give you a good comparison. (I can't tell you because I'm on a trip and won't be able to watch the stream today because my connection where I am is way too unreliable.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skywhopper Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 Tony, no idea if something like this would work for you but it's relatively cheap, available in store at some Best Buys (but not many, based on a few zip codes I entered). I'm sure there might be other similar options at any given electronics store, but not sure about the prices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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