Use TV as Wired Monitor for Laptop

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Use TV as Wired Monitor for Laptop

I want to connect my MacBook Pro M1 Max 16” 2021 laptop to my LG TV (50QNED80UQA) via my Kensington docking station (SD5780T). I have it connected via a fancy HDMI cable to get the most out of the HDMI 2.1 connection. This setup is for my music equipment so the display will mainly be displaying my Logic Pro X.

At first I didn’t get an image on the tv. Then I remembered to go into the Display settings on my laptop. I add the display. It now mirrors what is on my laptop’s screen. I can close the laptop and use my wireless track pad and keyboard. But if my laptop goes to sleep or is restarted, I lose my connection to the tv and I have to go back into settings to get it back.

I noticed the laptop appears to be connected via screen mirroring which I think is using Airplay. I suspect it’s not using the HDMI connection at all.

I want this to behave like a wired connection. I want the laptop to remain closed and to be able to walk up to my desk, tap my wireless keyboard or trackpad to wake things up and work. I might have to turn on the tv, which is fine. I’d like to be free to turn off the tv when not in use. But since I think it’s using Screen Mirroring/Airplay, I have to go to settings and add the monitor every time I wake up my laptop. I want it to remember that it’s connected to a monitor.

Should I use a usb connection to my tv instead of the hdmi connection? What am I missing?

MacBook Pro 16″

Posted on Aug 29, 2023 6:00 PM

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Answer 1

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Paul Oldewurtel Author

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27 points

Aug 29, 2023 7:13 PM in response to Paul Oldewurtel

I figured it out. My laptop was trying to use Screen Mirroring to connect. When I restarted my laptop, I noticed that my tv was trying to display my computer screen but it kept flickering to a black screen. I googled this and discovered that for another docking station the solution was to set the display in the Mac's settings to be 30 Hertz refresh rate. When I did that, the screen stopped going black and is now working. And when my laptop went to sleep, my tv stayed on but went to its screen saver mode. When I returned to my desk, I was able to wake up the laptop with my wireless trackpad and sign in with my wireless keyboard. This is what I wanted. I just didn't realize the 60 Hertz setting didn't work with my setup. The desktop image is slightly too big for my tv, so the edges are getting cut off a little, but I think I can live with that. (I'm not able to fix it via the TV's settings - I tried.)

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Use TV as Wired Monitor for Laptop

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