The Next Mac Pro And Mini Display Ports

[rpaloalto]

So it seems that Apple will be using this new connection method on all upcoming mac's.:mad:

http://www.macrumors.com/2008/11/26/first-24-led-cinema-displays-arrive/

Does this really mean the mac pro as well:confused:

Is this Apples answer to HDCP?
If Apple is to allow blue ray movies. They have to have some form of HDCP.
This would mean no blue ray unless you use one of the new Apple displays.

I was waiting to see what GFX cards. Apple would be releasing with the new mac pros in 2009. To see if any of them would be compatible with the 2008 mac pro as a upgrade card. But now with this custom mini display port. I wouldn't be surprised. If Apple made them only compatible with the new mac pro.

So if I were to upgrade my GFX card to something better than the 8800GT.
It would have to be the technically unsupported ATI HD 3870 .

[Tallest Skil]

People below me will say, "No way, Apple wouldn't do that."

They will. Assume they will. Dual Mini DisplayPort out on totally proprietary cards.

Whee. Now I have to buy two adapters for my displays that I've never even used.

[hayduke]

People below me will say, "No way, Apple wouldn't do that."

They will. Assume they will. Dual Mini DisplayPort out on totally proprietary cards.

Whee. Now I have to buy two adapters for my displays that I've never even used.

Still bitter about not having a cable? I just *can't* imagine...ugh.

Before someone else posts I will +1 Tallest Skil's post. Jobs said that Blu-ray was a "bag of hurt," but he didn't say we'd be the ones feeling the pain!

[Tallest Skil]

Still bitter about not having a cable? I just *can't* imagine...ugh.

Uh... what cable?:p:confused:

[rpaloalto]

So does that mean you two, think this is Apples form of HDCP as well.

I always new steve would never allow the the standard and current form of HDCP in his macs.

Having a totally closed and priority system. Like the the mini display ports. Cupeled with Apples own monitor. Might be sufficient to enough to please the movie studios.
That would mean you really would have to buy a cinema display. Just to watch blue ray.

[Umbongo]

Anything is possible, especially when it comes to proprietary connections and Apple.

I personally do not think it makes any sense for them to do this though. The most likely cards the next Mac Pro will used as far as I am concerned are from the pool of: Nvidia 9600GT, GTX 260, Quadro FX 4800, Quadro FX 5800 and ATI 4670 and 4870. All of those cards have versions with dual D-DVI and a DisplayPort connection. All it would take hardware wise for Apple to use them is a different firmware. Having to have 3 cards custom made with a Mini DisplayPort connection and removing the D-DVI just makes no business sense.

As for the HDCP issue, maybe I'm wrong as I don't pay it too much attention, but I was under the impression all the graphics cards I just listed support HDCP.

[OrangeSVTguy]

Still bitter about not having a cable? I just *can't* imagine...ugh.

Before someone else posts I will +1 Tallest Skil's post. Jobs said that Blu-ray was a "bag of hurt," but he didn't say we'd be the ones feeling the pain!

I also remember Steve Jobs saying that "Optical media is dead". So I can see if BR will never be fully supported with HDCP. Only time will tell though.

[QUiKSR20]

I also remember Steve Jobs saying that "Optical media is dead". So I can see if BR will never be fully supported with HDCP. Only time will tell though.

The funny thing is Bill Gates thinks its dead to digitial distribution is the future, I guess thats one thing they see eye to eye on.

[TheStrudel]

People below me will say, "No way, Apple wouldn't do that."

They will. Assume they will. Dual Mini DisplayPort out on totally proprietary cards.

Whee. Now I have to buy two adapters for my displays that I've never even used.

Out of curiosity, since I've heard you talk about getting a mac pro for a rather long time, and begun equipping before it got there, why did you start buying hardware for it so soon? The Blu-ray drive, for example - which you may have installed in another computer, I can't remember if you said - has dropped about $100 in price. Most tech hardware gets cheaper if you wait longer, so I can't help but wonder why you equipped so early.

I hope you're wrong about them using miniDisplayport exclusively - It would mean converters for everything, not to mention graphics cards on macs being an even bigger issue than before (and here I was thinking eventually I might be able to upgrade to a 4870...!). I'm interested in seeing what they do with the other display sizes when they refresh them. Could be that the existing display is being presented as the "laptop display," while everything else is aimed at actual desktop users, but we'll see.

If they do go that route, it'll really be inconvenient for future upgrades.

[Battlefield Fan]

So does that mean you two, think this is Apples form of HDCP as well.

I always new steve would never allow the the standard and current form of HDCP in his macs.

Having a totally closed and priority system. Like the the mini display ports. Cupeled with Apples own monitor. Might be sufficient to enough to please the movie studios.
That would mean you really would have to buy a cinema display. Just to watch blue ray.

Don't forget that apple went with adc(I believe that's correct) with a couple of it's computers and displays. They should have gone with dvi. Now look at what the standard has been, dvi not adc.

They also picked the smaller 2.5 mini jack foe the one line of g4s. That was also dumb because tons of musicans use macs and to have a non industry standard to connect your devices with makes apple look dumb.

I honestly do not think apple thinks sometimes. Adc and the 2.5 audio jack are perfect examples and mini display port is about to join the list.

[Joe The Dragon]

Anything is possible, especially when it comes to proprietary connections and Apple.

I personally do not think it makes any sense for them to do this though. The most likely cards the next Mac Pro will used as far as I am concerned are from the pool of: Nvidia 9600GT, GTX 260, Quadro FX 4800, Quadro FX 5800 and ATI 4670 and 4870. All of those cards have versions with dual D-DVI and a DisplayPort connection. All it would take hardware wise for Apple to use them is a different firmware. Having to have 3 cards custom made with a Mini DisplayPort connection and removing the D-DVI just makes no business sense.

As for the HDCP issue, maybe I'm wrong as I don't pay it too much attention, but I was under the impression all the graphics cards I just listed support HDCP.
apple can ship them with full DP + converters down to dvi and mini dp.

Apple will face big back lash if the mini and the mac pro are mini dp only and there is no converters shipped with the system.

[m1stake]

Whee. Now I have to buy two adapters for my displays that I've never even used.

Why spend money on something before you need it, or in this case before you can even use it? You know as well as anyone that technology moves at a quick pace.

Not that your problem was foreseeable, but still :o

[Bubba Satori]

The funny thing is Bill Gates thinks its dead to digitial distribution is the future, I guess thats one thing they see eye to eye on.

Biil doesn't keep folks from playing Blu-ray movies on PC kit. And if you want to watch an HD movie while you're on the go and want to pop a Blu-Ray movie in the non-existant drive. Sorry, Steve doesn't want you to have that.

Been selling lots of new 17" HPs with Blu-rays. Come with Core Duo 2 5800, 4Gb, 320GB HD, Nvidia 9600 vid, remotes, and Altec Lansing speakers for $100 less than a MacBook.

[aaquib]

Biil doesn't keep folks from playing Blu-ray movies on PC kit. And if you want to watch an HD movie while you're on the go and want to pop a Blu-Ray movie in the non-existant drive. Sorry, Steve doesn't want you to have that.

Been selling lots of new 17" HPs with Blu-rays. Come with Core Duo 2 5800, 4Gb, 320GB HD, Nvidia 9600 vid, remotes, and Altec Lansing speakers for $100 less than a MacBook.

But those run Windows...There is a premium when you want to own a Mac. It's been there since day 1 and it's not going away.

[Tallest Skil]

Don't forget that apple went with adc(I believe that's correct) with a couple of it's computers and displays. They should have gone with dvi. Now look at what the standard has been, dvi not adc.

ADC was DVI. ADC was a proprietary form of the standard DVI spec that included pins for power, FireWire, and USB. It was a BETTER idea to go with ADC, they just either didn't license it for free or at all, so it never caught on.

Out of curiosity, since I've heard you talk about getting a mac pro for a rather long time, and begun equipping before it got there, why did you start buying hardware for it so soon? The Blu-ray drive, for example - which you may have installed in another computer, I can't remember if you said - has dropped about $100 in price. Most tech hardware gets cheaper if you wait longer, so I can't help but wonder why you equipped so early.

Why spend money on something before you need it, or in this case before you can even use it? You know as well as anyone that technology moves at a quick pace.

Not that your problem was foreseeable, but still :o

I only got my GGW-H20L because it was right after Toshiba had given up on HD DVD. I wanted to preserve a piece of that, so I wanted to find a Blu-ray drive that also did HD DVD. How was I to know that it wasn't going to suffer a swift, merciless death with no company offering anything compatible ever again? I wanted a piece of history and at least I got a really good drive (one that I've yet to see surpassed) in the process.

And I got my displays because I could have gotten three 24" for the price of one of Apple's, plus change. I only got two, but they're great and have built-in speakers. I'll just get whatever adapter I need to change DVI to whatever they choose. No biggie.

Hey, at least I'm not stupid enough to have bought RAM a year in advance. :p

[m1stake]

So, you want to buy a piece of history do you?

Good candidates:

Arrowheads
Paintings

Bad Candidates

Computer hardware
The Elderly

[nanofrog]

So, you want to buy a piece of history do you?

Good candidates:

Arrowheads
Paintings

Bad Candidates

Computer hardware
The Elderly
LOL! :D

But how do you "buy" the elderly?
I always thought we were just stuck with them. Just like the rest of our families. :p

[Digital Skunk]

You know as well as anyone that technology moves at a quick pace.

Not Apple's tech though, we still have a Mac Mini from 2006.

[Tallest Skil]

...Computer hardware...

You're telling me you wouldn't want a working Apple II if given the chance?

[m1stake]

I have enough IICXs, LCIIs, LCIIIs, and SE30s already.

I knew someone would mention something like that.

Antique computers are collector's items, old computers are not. ;)