MacBook and HDMI

[Croatian]

i sometimes like to watch videos from my MacBook on my 46inch LCD TV ... right now i am using an mini-dvi to video adapter and i use an video cable to connect it to my tv

i was looking and apple has mini dvi to dvi adapter, and if i got a dvi to hdmi to connect it to my tv, would the video quality improve or don't bother that wont do anything for me

[TBi]

If you have a 1080P screen then you will get a good increase in quality from using the DVI/HDMI cable.

I'm interested to know what resolutions are available if you use a 720P screen with a HDMI cable.

[BulkHedd]

How do you get audio, just plug a cable into the headphone jack?

[Maclomaniac]

I don't think this will work at all because of HDCP (high definition content protection). You will likely get a black screen. When you have a source that is HDCP and a display that isn't (or vice versa, as in your case), you get a black screen. HDCP is a digital encryption which is why it works now with your regular video cables, which are analog.

It is possible Apple has HDCP on their DVI ports now, but I'm not sure, and it seems unlikely because computer manufacturers don't usually use it (which is why you don't usually see HDMI inputs and outputs on computers or monitors). DVI sometimes has HDCP (like when you see it on TVs) but not always, unlike HDMI, which always does.

Sorry if this comes across inarticulately...

[killmoms]

HDMI doesn't demand HDCP. You can send an unencrypted signal down an HDMI cable to a TV that supports HDCP just fine. You only run into problems if you're trying to play a signal that NEEDS HDCP and you DON'T have it, not the other way around.

[smythey]

DVI sometimes has HDCP (like when you see it on TVs) but not always, unlike HDMI, which always does.

Are you sure this is correct? If so, that great, as I thought that my 2 yo Sony flat screen didnt have HDCP because there is absolutely no mention of it anywhere in the manual. It does have HDMI though. I wasnt aware that HDMI means you definitely have HDCP.

[killmoms]

Are you sure this is correct? If so, that great, as I thought that my 2 yo Sony flat screen didnt have HDCP because there is absolutely no mention of it anywhere in the manual. It does have HDMI though. I wasnt aware that HDMI means you definitely have HDCP.

You are correct. Just because you have HDMI in doesn't mean you definitely have HDCP. However, this is ancillary to the discussion, as lacking HDCP only affects your ability to view content protected by it. Having HDCP doesn't affect your ability to view content that is unprotected though, which is the subject of the OP's inquiry.

[smythey]

You are correct. Just because you have HDMI in doesn't mean you definitely have HDCP. However, this is ancillary to the discussion, as lacking HDCP only affects your ability to view content protected by it. Having HDCP doesn't affect your ability to view content that is unprotected though, which is the subject of the OP's inquiry.

Thanks - so if the OP bought a blu-ray/HD-DVD drive for his macbook and tried to play it with the cable and TV mentioned it wouldnt work.

Just like if I tried to play a Blu-Ray movie through a PS3 on my TV it wouldnt work either. That is mad..... SONY+SONY+SONY = still wont work.

[Maclomaniac]

Whoops, sorry for the incorrect info. I had never tried it in reverse, but I thought it went both ways...

[steve77uk]

I have a MacBook and I got a MiniDVI adapter which I plug in a DVI to HDMI cable into the back of my Panasonic HDTV 42" and the picture is amazing... The MacBook automatically puts it out as 1080 (not sure if P or I didn't notice)...

I have not tried it with another source, only from my Computers...

Just thought you may like to know that bit!

[dvd]

How do you get audio, just plug a cable into the headphone jack?

You can go analog or digital with the audio. For analog, you can connect a standard headphone jack that splits out to RCA-style connectors for Left/Right channels.

Or you can instead do digital by hooking an optical cable up from the same jack on your Macbook to the TOSLINK/Digital-Optical In on a receiver. This gives you the ability to do 5.1 out so your audio sounds as good as your video looks!

I've also had no problem going from the Mini-DVI-out to an HDMI-in on my HD TV.. looks great!

[CarlySz]

Firsly, I want to say that I, too, had my 15" MacBook Pro stolen from my home and it was DEVASTATING!!!! Needless to say, I now have a MacBook. I really want to stream things on my MacBook, and watch them on my TV. Do the MacBooks have an outlet for the HDMI cable? I am not even sure what those cables look like, as I have never owned one.

Thanks!

CS.