How to I toggle my iPad to an external VGA monitor thru the Apple dongle?

I think the answer to your queation is "You don't. Apple does it for you".

I just tried out my VGA adaptor to connect my iPad to my big screen TV and was less than impressed. It would be nice if Apple would give details up front about what a device will & won't do.

This is what I found out:

After hooking up the iPad to my Sony TV, turning on the iPad & selecting the appropriate input, my TV said it had no signal.

I selected "Videos" on my iPad. Selected a movie I had purchased from iTunes. Got message on iPad that selected monitor was not authorized to play copyrighted material. Huh? Guess I'll have to look for a work-around to play MY movie on MY iPad via MY TV. Apparently only an Apple TV is acceptable.

Selected "Videos"' then "Podcasts". When I selected a (previously downloaded) video podcast, it DID appear on my TV, but the quality wasn't very good on my big screen HDTV.

Next, I tried YouTube. On the iPad I navigated to the video I wanted to watch. Nothing appeared on the TV until I selected a specific video. Then the iPad screen went blank and the video appeared on my TV. (The quality, streamed through 3G, was atrocious).

I then went to my Photos. I was unable to view any of my photos UNLESS I played them as a slideshow. I selected an "event" with 10 photos & selected "slideshow". This time I saw my photos appear on both my iPad AND my TV. Since slideshow parameters are set in the overall "Settings" site, there are no controls present when the slide show is actually playing. I found I could stop / freeze the show on a particular photo with a tap to the iPad screen, but couldn't easily restart the show, nor could I zoom in on photos being shown on the TV screen.

It would seem Apple has put strict limits on both WHAT media can be viewed on an external monitor and HOW it can be viewed. I was hoping for much more versatility than what I've experienced today. I'd really like to be able to play all my movies and any TV shows I've purchased on my big screen TV. I'd also like to look at individual photos - zoom in on parts of them - and step through a slideshow at my own pace, pausing and restarting at will.

So that's it for my "first-look" ... Not real happy with what I've got so far. I'd be very interested to hear what others have found.

Sounds like the VGA Adapter is more restrictive. I use the Apple Composite AV cables to watch all my videos (DVDs as well as purchased movies) and photos on my iPad up on my tv.

So, it appears that the displays given at the introductory keynote by mr Jobs were truly by magic...

Originally Posted by iVan

So, it appears that the displays given at the introductory keynote by mr Jobs were truly by magic...

Yeah, whats up with that? Was it like the ad pics of a Whopper hamburger that never looks like the thin mashed thing you actually get?

My first question when the presentation was over was:"Where can I get that presentation gear."

Yup, unfortunately, the adapter doesn't work with all iPad's apps. Actually, it alot like the Apple composite cable adapter - except with some app support.

Apple says the VGA adapter works with the following apps: Keynote (when playing a slideshow), Videos, YouTube, Photos (when playing a slideshow of photos), and Safari (when viewing video content from YouTube, Vimeo, FunnyOrDie, and other video sites).

It doesn't work with streaming video apps like NetFlix.

If you want to use your iPad as a WIRELESS external display to your Mac or PC, search for "Air Display" in the App Store. it looks interesting.

I jailbroke my ipad and now I can display everything on my ipad on a tv/monitor. I can even display my spring board - everything!

I highly recommend using Spirit Jailbreak and checking out Cydia to help relieve some of Apple's Iron Grip.

Can we do this with 4.2.2, non jail broken?

Originally Posted by Carnut

Can we do this with 4.2.2, non jail broken?

Do what?

If you have cables, only certain things are allowed to be viewed.

Photos, some videos, not sure what else because I'm JB.

If you are jailbroken, look into displayout.

It projects eveything on the tv. I mean EVERYTHING!

Doesn't seem to lag too!