[Macworld]

Post your comments for Connect your Mini DisplayPort Mac to your HDTV here

[flybynight]

I got the one from Griffin and it works great. My only complaint is that the name: "Griffin Video Display Converter" doesn't really tell you that it is a MDP to HDMI adapter, so it's difficult to search for it. Apple sells it for $40 online, but you can find it for under $25. Works great with the new MBPros.

It also includes a HDMI to DVI adapter. I'll probably never use that, but it's there for those that might need to use a TV and a DVI monitor at times.

[buzglyd]

I've been fiddling with my Mac Mini connected to a 50" plasma for a while. ONce it's up and running it looks great but there is still far too much button-pressing for my tastes just to watch MLB.com or Netflix. (I'm not a movie torrenter).

With PS3 recently adding MLB capability (and it's works fantastically I might add), I think I'm going to sell the 3 month-old Mini and buy another PS3 for my downstairs set.

I'll get Bluray, Netflix and MLB in one device. No fiddling.

[hiway20]

Using your Mac, your PS3 and a media server software like TwonkyMediaServer you can get the best of all worlds. Any media you have on your Mac, such as your iTunes library or digital movie files, is available to the PS3.

The Mac runs Twonky and streams media to the PS3.
Your PS3 is connected via HDMI to your TV and stereo.

So, you can listen to your iTunes music on the stereo or watch your digital movies very easily, all accessed using your PS3.

As a bonus, the PS3 is excellent in upscaling video.

Not all digital music or video formats/codecs are supported, but many are. Convert any files not supported directly.

My system: MacPro w/ Twonky Media Server software, PS3, Denon AVR 988, Panasonic 47" plasma.

(edited: to include a description of my system to provide an example of what your might look like)

This post has been edited by hiway20: 21 May 2010 - 07:05 AM

[buzglyd]

Sounds like it's time to get the Mac Mini on Craigslist.

[Paulyboy]

Can anybody confirm that this adapter passes audio on the 27" iMacs?

http://eshop.macsale...ogy/CBLMDPHDMI/

And if not which one does for certain? Thanks.

[Jon Seff]

Paulyboy, on 21 May 2010 - 07:34 AM, said:

Can anybody confirm that this adapter passes audio on the 27" iMacs?

http://eshop.macsale...ogy/CBLMDPHDMI/

And if not which one does for certain? Thanks.

The descriptions says "One cable audio/video solution: fully supports the VESA DisplayPort 1.2 specification found in the Mid 2010 MacBook Pro® and Late 2009 iMac® models" so I think the answer is probably yes.

[BobForsberg]

Yo Apple! Build an HDMI port into your computers....even sub-$300 netbooks have them. We are not going to buy an AppleTV to get one.

In the past, you lagged with IDE drives hanging on to SCSI, mice/keyboards with interfaces long extinct with the introduction of USB and even took 2 years after the introduction of USB to use that. Motorola kept you in the dark until you finally introduced Intel chips and now you refuse to use the industry standard HDMI for HD video & audio.

"Why I will like a MAC?" Not without HDMI I won't.

[heisetax]

I'll soon check out my Gefen HDMI to mini displayport adapter to see if it actually passes audio on my new 17" i7 Intel MacBook Pro.

[Martian]

I find that digital photos display noticeably sharper on my 54" plasma when Mirroring is turned OFF on my MacBook. I don't know if turning mirroring off would also benefit HD video as its resolution equals the TV's native res whereas a typical photo has several times this resolution.

Perhaps more powerful graphics processors handle mirroring better???

Mirroring is usually handier, but you would want to experiment and compare results with mirroring off.

BTW, I agree with a previous post that it is unreasonable that Macs don't have native HDMI ports like some cheap PC's. Jobs' obsession with minimizing ports is ridiculous. There is nothing sleek, elegant, convenient, efficient, or cool about having adapters and dongles hanging off your Mac.

This post has been edited by Martian: 21 May 2010 - 06:38 PM

[MichaelPitogo]

FYI We've been using a macmini for nearly 2 years as our family tuner for atsc and net programing with the toslink optical out built-in. You make it sound like digital out is a new thing. the best part of the optical digital is the ability to pass through 5.1 from atsc sources or media encoded with ac3.

[trip1ex]

Martian, on 21 May 2010 - 06:26 PM, said:

BTW, I agree with a previous post that it is unreasonable that Macs don't have native HDMI ports like some cheap PC's. Jobs' obsession with minimizing ports is ridiculous. There is nothing sleek, elegant, convenient, efficient, or cool about having adapters and dongles hanging off your Mac.

? You're going to have a cable hanging off your Mac if you are connecting via HDMI. I don't think a Dongle is going to ruin the scenery any further. Keep it plugged into the cable when not in use.

Even more pointless to complain now that there is a nice adapter available.

And btw, mini-display port has much more bandwidth for driving higher resolution monitors/tvs if I remember correctly.

[jessicadittrich]

Hey! My name is Jessica and I have a MacBook version 10.6.8, made in 2009. I want to buy a cable so I can connect my MacBook to my HDTV, but someone told me if your mac wasn't made in 2010 or later the cable won't work, only transferring image, not audio, is this true? Is there any way I can watch movies located in my MacBook on my HDTV?

[bluscarab]

Martian, on 21 May 2010 - 06:26 PM, said:

BTW, I agree with a previous post that it is unreasonable that Macs don't have native HDMI ports like some cheap PC's. Jobs' obsession with minimizing ports is ridiculous. There is nothing sleek, elegant, convenient, efficient, or cool about having adapters and dongles hanging off your Mac.

Not only is it unsleek, its uneasy. Finding the "right" doohickey for anything external to a mac is pure nightmare. I have a beautiful Vaio S with HDMI, a superlight Portege R835 with HDMI, a cheap Dell with HDMI and even an ancient Toughbook with HDMI. Piece of cake to connect all of them to my beautiful Aquos 10-bit 60" lcd. Why change a good thing with bad design? One cable - all devices. Please stop forcing us into dongle disaster!