# Connected MacBook to Samsung TV But No Sound **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 16, 2008, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/connected-macbook-to-samsung-tv-but-no-sound/477437 "2008-12-16T19:09:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nobody\_Special](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbce88/32.png) [@Nobody\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody_Special)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/connected-macbook-to-samsung-tv-but-no-sound/477437/1 "2008-12-16T19:09:04Z")
I’ve connected my previous generation Apple MacBook to my Samsung LN-T4069F TV using [Apple’s mini-DVI to DVI](http://store.apple.com/us/product/M9321G/B) adapter and a [Radio Shack DVI to HMDI adapter](http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2110440). I’ve then used a [3.5mm Stereo to 2 RCA Y-Adapter Cable](http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2453699) to connect the laptop’s headphone jack to the TV’s audio input ports, however, I’m unable to get the computer’s audio to play through the TV’s speakers. Is there something I’m doing wrong? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/connected-macbook-to-samsung-tv-but-no-sound/477437/2 "2008-12-16T20:15:08Z")
Something needs to be set to disable the internal laptop speaker and output the sound to the headphone jack. Or, on the TV, the audio setting needs to be set to receive the input from the audio jack in question. Or both. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/connected-macbook-to-samsung-tv-but-no-sound/477437/3 "2008-12-16T20:15:31Z")
Reading through the LN-T4069F’s [user manual](http://org.downloadcenter.samsung.com/downloadfile/ContentsFile.aspx?CDSite=us&CttFileID=1659858&CDCttType=UM&ModelType=C&ModelName=LN-T4069F&VPath=UM/200710/20071012162346875_BN68-01310B-00L03-0914.pdf), it seems to require that you use HDMI input 1 along with the RCA inputs under the “DVI IN (HDMI 1)” group. Is that where they’re plugged in? The correct RCA ports should be to the left of HDMI 1, NOT below it – the ones below are for “AV IN 1”. ---
**Author:** ![Driver8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5a626/32.png) [@Driver8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Driver8)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/connected-macbook-to-samsung-tv-but-no-sound/477437/4 "2008-12-16T20:31:28Z")
> [@Philster](#): > > Something needs to be set to disable the internal laptop speaker and output the sound to the headphone jack. Or, on the TV, the audio setting needs to be set to receive the input from the audio jack in question. > > Or both. I am sure the issue needs to be resolved on the TV side, not the laptop (assuming the volume isn’t set to off or something). The laptop will automatically switch to the headphone jack from its speakers based on plugging something into the headphone jack. I don’t think there is even a software setting you can change to pick and choose this. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody\_Special](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbce88/32.png) [@Nobody\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody_Special)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/connected-macbook-to-samsung-tv-but-no-sound/477437/5 "2008-12-16T20:49:29Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > Reading through the LN-T4069F’s [user manual](http://org.downloadcenter.samsung.com/downloadfile/ContentsFile.aspx?CDSite=us&CttFileID=1659858&CDCttType=UM&ModelType=C&ModelName=LN-T4069F&VPath=UM/200710/20071012162346875_BN68-01310B-00L03-0914.pdf), it seems to require that you use HDMI input 1 along with the RCA inputs under the “DVI IN (HDMI 1)” group. Is that where they’re plugged in? The correct RCA ports should be to the left of HDMI 1, NOT below it – the ones below are for “AV IN 1”. Excellent. I’ve no idea where the manual is, and I thought I’d tried almost every combination. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/connected-macbook-to-samsung-tv-but-no-sound/477437/6 "2008-12-16T20:52:46Z")
Did that work? ---
**Author:** ![Nobody\_Special](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbce88/32.png) [@Nobody\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody_Special)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/connected-macbook-to-samsung-tv-but-no-sound/477437/7 "2008-12-16T20:55:23Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > Did that work? Yup. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/connected-macbook-to-samsung-tv-but-no-sound/477437/8 "2008-12-16T20:59:25Z")
Awesome. I’m glad it worked. Aren’t manuals grand? You really should give the people who write manuals cash and praise. [sub]Disclaimer: I write manuals.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/connected-macbook-to-samsung-tv-but-no-sound/477437/9 "2008-12-16T21:00:18Z")
Woot 🙂 Glad to hear it. FYI, you’re lucky that somebody at Samsung had the foresight to give you an RCA audio input for your HDMI port. HDMI typically expects a combined video + audio input in one cable, so not all TVs have those additional audio ports. Just letting you know (in case you didn’t already) to watch for TVs with that feature or for notebooks with an HDMI output next time. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/connected-macbook-to-samsung-tv-but-no-sound/477437/10 "2008-12-16T21:04:53Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > Awesome. I’m glad it worked. Aren’t manuals grand? You really should give the people who write manuals cash and praise. Yeah they are 🙂 I interned for a year for a technical writer and good manual-writing was much harder than I imagined. It’s one of those things I use to take for granted, but man, now I realize that good documentation is so incredibly valuable and often underappreciated. So… thanks! Now if more people would write more comprehensively and more people would RTFM, the world would be a (slightly) better place.