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Will base model Mac Mini be usable with a 4k screen?

hwojtek

hwojtek

macrumors 68020
Jan 26, 2008
2,274
1,276
Poznan, Poland
The answers are:
1) No. The base Mini will not allow you to comfortably view true 4K footage (it will display only up to 24 Hz, which is way too slow a refresh rate for a human eye for extended periods of time. Current movie productions tend to shift to high frame rates, like 60 Hz in "Hobbit" for example).

2) Whatever resolution you'd set in your YT player, there is no "spill" and would never be. You can set 4K and she player will scale down the stream to the actual display resolution. Set your res to 1280x720, select "4K" in YT and play it full-screen. See? It's the player scaling down (or up) the stream to always fit the real estate of the display.
 
N

NICKXXXXXX

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 9, 2014
215
29
hwojtek said:
The answers are:
1) No. The base Mini will not allow you to comfortably view true 4K footage (it will display only up to 24 Hz, which is way too slow a refresh rate for a human eye for extended periods of time. Current movie productions tend to shift to high frame rates, like 60 Hz in "Hobbit" for example).

2) Whatever resolution you'd set in your YT player, there is no "spill" and would never be. You can set 4K and she player will scale down the stream to the actual display resolution. Set your res to 1280x720, select "4K" in YT and play it full-screen. See? It's the player scaling down (or up) the stream to always fit the real estate of the display.
Click to expand...
I thought the mini was capable of 60hz in 4k? Or is it only the 2 higher priced models?
 
N

NICKXXXXXX

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 9, 2014
215
29
hwojtek said:
The answers are:
1) No. The base Mini will not allow you to comfortably view true 4K footage (it will display only up to 24 Hz, which is way too slow a refresh rate for a human eye for extended periods of time. Current movie productions tend to shift to high frame rates, like 60 Hz in "Hobbit" for example).

2) Whatever resolution you'd set in your YT player, there is no "spill" and would never be. You can set 4K and she player will scale down the stream to the actual display resolution. Set your res to 1280x720, select "4K" in YT and play it full-screen. See? It's the player scaling down (or up) the stream to always fit the real estate of the display.
Click to expand...

also forgot to say that I wont actually use a 4k monitor. Just a high resolution. 3440x1440. Someone said earlier that I will be able to get 60HZ with that. If I go with the cheapest model now I can buy it today. Higher specced model I would buy next year
 
hwojtek

hwojtek

macrumors 68020
Jan 26, 2008
2,274
1,276
Poznan, Poland
NICKXXXXXX said:
also forgot to say that I wont actually use a 4k monitor. Just a high resolution. 3440x1440. Someone said earlier that I will be able to get 60HZ with that. If I go with the cheapest model now I can buy it today. Higher specced model I would buy next year
Click to expand...

Why wouldn't you just look at http://www.apple.com/mac-mini/specs/ ?

Thunderbolt digital video output:
Support for up to two displays at 2560 by 1600 pixels, both at millions of colors
Click to expand...
No 4K here, sorry.

HDMI video output:
Support for 1080p resolution at up to 60Hz
Support for 3840-by-2160 resolution at 30Hz
Support for 4096-by-2160 resolution at 24Hz
Click to expand...

4K output only in 24 Hz, your resolution in equally mind-blowing 30 Hz. It's not exactly what you'd call comfortable viewing experience.
 
hwojtek

hwojtek

macrumors 68020
Jan 26, 2008
2,274
1,276
Poznan, Poland
OK, good point.
Still, this is quite unfortunate a resolution, as true 4K content will need to be scaled down and 1080 will be upscaled. Neither will render satisfying results (the former will produce fine moire and the latter will be blurry).
 
M

Mago

macrumors 68030
Aug 16, 2011
2,789
912
Beyond the Thunderdome
I was reluctant about the base mac mini, but this post make me to consider it as Media Centre, I get mine and now I'm happy, is not a Mac for every thing, but for things like web surf, email, watch movies and all the handoff magic, Plus IR remore, its too much you cant get without any other mini pc (i was a zotac fan), you only need to order an bigger/faster HDD if you have a hughe library or want to twice use it as Mac Server. (I'm considering to upgrade later to a 2tb WD RED NAS Slim HDD which maybe available soon from WD), also consider you have two thunderbolt ports, so yuy can attach upto 12 external hdd/raids.
 
Last edited:
W

waveboreale

macrumors member
Sep 20, 2012
89
28
Paris
http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202856

Here you go for the computers supporting natively 4K 60Hz.

I guess I will wait for next gen Mac mini which hopefully will support this feature.
 
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