27" iMac Video Input With Xbox 360?

[freddiecable]

this must mean that it will work as external for any source...

"In a clever touch, the 27-inch iMac has a new feature that dramatically increases its versatility. Via a series of adapters Apple says will be available shortly, users will be able to attach external display sources, such a DVD players or even other computers, to the iMac’s display. At that point, those sources will take over the iMac’s display, effectively turning it into an external monitor or an HDTV."

Originally Posted by NEBaghead

http://www.macworld.com/article/1433...9/10/imac.html

He notes 2/3 through the article about the inputs and specifically states the adapters are needed and they will support items such as DVD Players.

[fpnc]

Originally Posted by PassMeAGuinness

Hey everyone.. hope this isnt a double post ( ) but I found this one on Amazon for about $10 shipped... looks like you plug your PS3 HDMI cable into the dongle, and then to the minidisplay on the 27' iMac....

thoughts ?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B0021YDRUI/ref=sr_1_olp_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1256221688&sr=8-1

Unfortunately, these cheap cables will most likely not work. This has been discussed multiple times before in this thread and elsewhere on MacRumors. If you want the details just read any of the technically-relevant posts that have been made on this topic.

[wodeh]

Originally Posted by fpnc

Unfortunately, these cheap cables will most likely not work. This has been discussed multiple times before in this thread and elsewhere on MacRumors. If you want the details just read any of the technically-relevant posts that have been made on this topic.

None of the posts are technically relevant, for not a single one of them is actually based on real world testing. It's still rampant speculation and nobody, from what I can tell, has actually given it a go.

Apple, in my opinion, have really dropped the ball by not being crystal clear about this feature.

That said, give me a £50-£60 box with 3-4 HDMI ports that both switches them and converts them to displayport for input into the 27" Cinema display and I, frankly, won't give a frack whether or not a $10 converter works or not.

[Crevice]

Originally Posted by wodeh

None of the posts are technically relevant, for not a single one of them is actually based on real world testing. It's still rampant speculation and nobody, from what I can tell, has actually given it a go.

Apple, in my opinion, have really dropped the ball by not being crystal clear about this feature.

That said, give me a £50-£60 box with 3-4 HDMI ports that both switches them and converts them to displayport for input into the 27" Cinema display and I, frankly, won't give a frack whether or not a $10 converter works or not.

Yeah for the love of god, will somebody just buy one of these converters and just try this out. I know it's not cheap...but hey you would help a lot of people out

[fpnc]

Originally Posted by freddiecable

this must mean that it will work as external for any source...

"In a clever touch, the 27-inch iMac has a new feature that dramatically increases its versatility. Via a series of adapters Apple says will be available shortly, users will be able to attach external display sources, such a DVD players or even other computers, to the iMac’s display. At that point, those sources will take over the iMac’s display, effectively turning it into an external monitor or an HDTV."

MacWorld is just doing a statement on what they believe they heard at a press briefing. It's entirely possible that they misinterpreted what was said or that they are simply jumping to conclusions based upon their limited technical understanding of the issues involved.

However, as suggested in that statement Apple may eventually offer some converters/adapters that will allow HDMI/DVI input into the new 27" iMac but that is far from being the same as claiming that it will simply work with any external video source (such as a DVD, PlayStation, of Blu-ray player). These adapters could be expensive or have serious shortcomings (or both). It's unlikely, however, that you'll be able to take just any inexpensive, third-party cable that has HDMI on one end and Mini DisplayPort on the other and have it work with your DVD player or PlayStation (to cite two examples).

In any case, we do know that it will work with Apple's other Mini DisplayPort equipped Macs and in those cases all you will need is a simple, straight-through cable.

[fpnc]

Originally Posted by wodeh

None of the posts are technically relevant, for not a single one of them is actually based on real world testing. It's still rampant speculation and nobody, from what I can tell, has actually given it a go.

Apple, in my opinion, have really dropped the ball by not being crystal clear about this feature.

That said, give me a £50-£60 box with 3-4 HDMI ports that both switches them and converts them to displayport for input into the 27" Cinema display and I, frankly, won't give a frack whether or not a $10 converter works or not.

There seem to be two types of posts that are being made on this topic. Those who are saying or claiming that it will just work and those who are offering reasons for why it may not. The former appear to be from those with limited understanding of the issues involved or from those operating on simple, blind faith. The other group, however, is offering technical analysis as to why it may not work.

Frankly, if I had to flip a coin on this matter I'd put my money on the technical analysis group.

Does anyone know for certain? Yes, probably a handful of engineers and product managers at Apple. Does first-tier Apple support know? Probably not. Does anyone from Apple who has yet talked to the press know? Probably few and far between. Does anyone within the press know for certain? It appears (IMO) that they do not and I'd be very wary of any statements coming from the press until someone has actually seen a working demonstration up close and in complete detail.

Thus, for the time being we'll have to wait and see.

[Crevice]

just found this: http://reviews.cnet.com/desktops/app...&tag=_Desktops


More interesting than the SD Card slot is that the Mini DisplayPort on the back of the iMac is now bidirectional. Right now you can find a cable with two Mini DisplayPort connectors, which lets you use the new iMac as a second display with another Mini DisplayPort-equipped Mac. You can hot-swap the cable between different systems without having to shut down, and the display management software is the most intuitive and most flexible we've seen. You can switch between extended and mirrored modes, and an icon-based orientation system lets you switch the extended orientation from side to side, up and down, or virtually any other configuration, as long as the two screens border each other. This capability also extends the useful life of the iMac, addressing a long-standing criticism of all-in-ones. Even if you someday demand a faster computer, you can always use the iMac as a secondary display.

Snow Leopard's multiscreen management software is the best we've seen.
Unfortunately, the dual Mini DisplayPort cable from Belkin won't let you input video from other devices. For that you'll have to wait until January. Details on what Belkin's cooking up are scant, so we can't offer much information about the forthcoming adapter other than that it's on the way and it does more than connect two Macs. But given that you can output the iMac over HDMI, DVI, and other formats with the Mini DisplayPort adapter cable, we'd expect that any updated input adapter would include those formats as well. Our hope is that, similar to all-in-ones from a variety of PC vendors, the new cable from Belkin will allow you to input video to the iMac from game consoles, cable boxes, Blu-ray players, HD camcorders, and other such devices currently bound to your television. The appeal of such capability should be obvious, but we'll unfortunately have to wait until the adapter hits before we can test it out.

[phairphan]

Interesting. Unfortunately, it doesn't sound like they actually tried displaying other video sources. They simply gave up because the $30 MDP to MDP cable they had from Belkin wouldn't fit into anything else except, well, MDP. If whatever Belkin is "cooking up" isn't arriving until January, I bet it's a signal (and not just electrical) converter.

Edit: After a bit of digging, I believe I've found what Belkin is "cooking up." Definitely a signal converter (under specs it says it comes with a USB cable). The only reason this device would come with a USB cable is for power and the only reason it would need power is for active signal conversion. Unless Belkin has some special tricks up its sleeve (yeah, right), you're probably best off going to get one of the already available converters. Given that it's from Belkin, this thing will likely top $200.

Now for a better question, I wonder how the new iMac will handle scaling? It sounds like the ifixit folks have determined that the input signal is fed through the graphics card and not directly to the display.

[Crevice]

Originally Posted by phairphan

Interesting. Unfortunately, it doesn't sound like they actually tried displaying other video sources. They simply gave up because the $30 MDP to MDP cable they had from Belkin wouldn't fit into anything else except, well, MDP. If whatever Belkin is "cooking up" isn't arriving until January, I bet it's a signal (and not just electrical) converter.

Edit: After a bit of digging, I believe I've found what Belkin is "cooking up." Definitely a signal converter (under specs it says it comes with a USB cable). The only reason this device would come with a USB cable is for power and the only reason it would need power is for active signal conversion. Unless Belkin has some special tricks up its sleeve (yeah, right), you're probably best off going to get one of the already available converters. Given that it's from Belkin, this thing will likely top $200.

Now for a better question, I wonder how the new iMac will handle scaling? It sounds like the ifixit folks have determined that the input signal is fed through the graphics card and not directly to the display.

Awesome find, so there WILL be a way. We just don't know how much it is going to cost, but regardless I will buy it because I need something to play my games on in my room. I am sure in the long run, there will be cheaper ones. Hopefully it comes out sooner then January

[phairphan]

Originally Posted by Crevice

Awesome find, so there WILL be a way. We just don't know how much it is going to cost, but regardless I will buy it because I need something to play my games on in my room. I am sure in the long run, there will be cheaper ones. Hopefully it comes out sooner then January

These sorts of devices are available now. They're linked to in several places in this thread. I have never seen a review from someone who has actually used one. Caveat emptor.

[ziggyonice]

The simple answer is that no one knows for sure until someone tries it. Personally, I'd get a Mini DisplayPort to HDMI cable, and just see if it works. No idea if it would or not. The other possibility is waiting and seeing if Apple comes would with the adapters mentioned in the Macworld article that would allow this.

We're just going to have to wait for someone to try it.

[fruitpunch.ben]

The only reason this device would come with a USB cable is for power and the only reason it would need power is for active signal conversion

Thats not exactly true, the current mini-display port outputs like on the mbp's are video only, so some existing third party cable makers such as monoprice have a dual mini-display port & usb input to HDMI output so that you can get video and sound on your HDMI tv.

That product does look like a signal converter based on the product description, but the fact it has a usb connection doesn't necessarily make that certain It could just be for sound.

[Crevice]

Originally Posted by phairphan

These sorts of devices are available now. They're linked to in several places in this thread. I have never seen a review from someone who has actually used one. Caveat emptor.

I know that, but this is advertising to actually be used on the imac, and apple products, and it is advertising everything we all want. Which means that it may actually support the full res of the new monitors. It could be the same, and it could be different, but as you said....SOMEBODY just needs to man up and test this out with the converters out now, or anything...JUST TRY haha

[phairphan]

Originally Posted by fruitpunch.ben

Thats not exactly true, the current mini-display port outputs like on the mbp's are video only, so some existing third party cable makers such as monoprice have a dual mini-display port & usb input to HDMI output so that you can get video and sound on your HDMI tv.

That product does look like a signal converter based on the product description, but the fact it has a usb connection doesn't necessarily make that certain It could just be for sound.

Very good point. It could well be for audio. I forgot about the Kanex (and the Monoprice version) adaptor. Have any of these shipped yet?

[fpnc]

Originally Posted by ziggyonice

The simple answer is that no one knows for sure until someone tries it. Personally, I'd get a Mini DisplayPort to HDMI cable, and just see if it works. No idea if it would or not. The other possibility is waiting and seeing if Apple comes would with the adapters mentioned in the Macworld article that would allow this.

We're just going to have to wait for someone to try it.

I'm not certain that would be a good idea. Although the voltages are low if the input on the iMac is strictly designed to handle DisplayPort you could end up damaging either the source device or the iMac (although I would think that modern data ports would be designed to prevent such damage though some type of sensing, fuse, or diode arrangement). Besides you're not likely to find any type of simple HDMI/DVI output to DisplayPort input adapter since as far as I know there are no products that are designed to use such a cable. The existing Mini DisplayPort to HDMI/DVI adapters are designed to work on the output from Apple's Mini DisplayPort products (as well as with some PC products). They aren't simple, straight-through cables since they have circuitry to help with the conversion of the DisplayPort signals to HDMI/DVI. Besides that, they adapt in only one direction (going from Apple's Mini DisplayPort to HDMI/DVI, not the other way). Attempting to directly bridge HDMI or DVI to DisplayPort would be just about like trying to plug a Firewire device into a USB port (does anyone want to try that?).

However, there are DVI to Mini DisplayPort video converters which run anywhere from $150 to $200 which might work (probably) on the video input to the new iMac. The only caveat being that they may not work that well.

[dog299]

anyone know if a graphics with a display port such as the ATI 58xx series would work? it outputs a displayport signal all be it from a non mini socket (you can by adaptors that convert the phsyical full to mini)

[DominionExodus]

That should work just fine Dog, DisplayPort and Mini DisplayPort work together just fine. The issue at hand is trying to output HDMI/DVI into a DisplayPort input, which apparently requires some type of conversion and/or adaption. I sincerely hope that someone comes up with a working/lag-free solution, as this is the deciding factor for my purchase of this wondrous machine.

[amnr]

guys ive had an idea.
what if(please correct me if this is not possible) we just use the imac as a video source and attach external speakers to the console or whatever using a cheap convertor/adapter(a/v to 3.5mm audio jack)?

[glitch44]

From a new gizmodo review:

"Eager to test this ***** and be the first to the internet with an image of an Xbox linked into an iMac ("World's collide!" would be the headline, I decided), I ordered a monoprice Mini-DisplayPort-to-HDMI adapter. Unfortunately, I discovered that the inputs would not work with a PS3 or Xbox at any res, HD or otherwise. The current adapters on the market are unidirectional, I was told, and so they won't work to take HDMI sources and pipe them into the iMac. I'm sure someone is making a cable as we speak for this very abominable purpose of piping in Microsoft gaming to a desktop Mac—but it's not here yet. (New cables, by the way, will include audio, which the iMac is capable of taking through its connector and the iMac is able to display video sources up to its native resolution.) The issue is, this could take months. That's a long time, so don't buy an iMac planning to use it with a gaming console or Blu-ray player right away."

[Chris 123]

I hope over time this stuff gets cheaper b/c everything people have said is highly priced...although i would love to plug the 360 into my imac.

[fruitpunch.ben]

Originally Posted by amnr

guys ive had an idea.
what if(please correct me if this is not possible) we just use the imac as a video source and attach external speakers to the console or whatever using a cheap convertor/adapter(a/v to 3.5mm audio jack)?

That is possible, but the problem is that the active signal converters required to convert the HDMI signal to MDP may cause a lag in the video signal. Thus the audio coming straight from the console would come before the video.
No one has yet answered the question of if there is any lag.

[Frozentoast]

Originally Posted by glitch44

From a new gizmodo review:

"Eager to test this ***** and be the first to the internet with an image of an Xbox linked into an iMac ("World's collide!" would be the headline, I decided), I ordered a monoprice Mini-DisplayPort-to-HDMI adapter. Unfortunately, I discovered that the inputs would not work with a PS3 or Xbox at any res, HD or otherwise. The current adapters on the market are unidirectional, I was told, and so they won't work to take HDMI sources and pipe them into the iMac. I'm sure someone is making a cable as we speak for this very abominable purpose of piping in Microsoft gaming to a desktop Mac—but it's not here yet. (New cables, by the way, will include audio, which the iMac is capable of taking through its connector and the iMac is able to display video sources up to its native resolution.) The issue is, this could take months. That's a long time, so don't buy an iMac planning to use it with a gaming console or Blu-ray player right away."

Thank you for posting this!

[fpnc]

Originally Posted by phairphan

Interesting. Unfortunately, it doesn't sound like they actually tried displaying other video sources. They simply gave up because the $30 MDP to MDP cable they had from Belkin wouldn't fit into anything else except, well, MDP. If whatever Belkin is "cooking up" isn't arriving until January, I bet it's a signal (and not just electrical) converter.

Edit: After a bit of digging, I believe I've found what Belkin is "cooking up." Definitely a signal converter (under specs it says it comes with a USB cable). The only reason this device would come with a USB cable is for power and the only reason it would need power is for active signal conversion. Unless Belkin has some special tricks up its sleeve (yeah, right), you're probably best off going to get one of the already available converters. Given that it's from Belkin, this thing will likely top $200.

Now for a better question, I wonder how the new iMac will handle scaling? It sounds like the ifixit folks have determined that the input signal is fed through the graphics card and not directly to the display.

That link to the Belkin catalog sure looks like they will be offering a converter so that you can input HDMI sources into the new 27" iMac. It's odd, however, that they also mention the "new" MacBook Pro and MacBook Air as working with this same converter. Is this a hint that Apple is going to add video input on the MacBooks?

[EasyRider]

Why is it so hard for apple to add a hdmi input on the back of the imac? It can't be a money issue, they could of saved it by sticking with a wired keyboard.

Why can't they just say: yes, we will have an adapter in X amount of months?

The 24" LED Cinema Display has been out for almost a year and there is no adapter yet. Lots of apple users were left out in the cold not being able to buy that sexy Cinema Display and use it with their current macbook or mac pro.

This type of functionality adds great value to the 27" iMac and it doesn't cost much. It's little things like this that really piss off valuable customers.

[fpnc]

Originally Posted by EasyRider

Why is it so hard for apple to add a hdmi input on the back of the imac? It can't be a money issue, they could of saved it by sticking with a wired keyboard.

Why can't they just say: yes, we will have an adapter in X amount of months?

The 24" LED Cinema has been out for almost a year and there is no adapter yet.

This type of functionality adds great value to the 27" iMac and it doesn't cost much. It's little things like this that really piss off valuable customers.

I'm not certain how much it would have cost to add an HDMI input to the new iMac. It's potentially more than just the connector. They might have needed to add a video scaler in addition to the circuitry to support HDMI.

As for the existing 24" Cinema Display, there are now adapters/converters that will allow a DVI/HDMI source to drive the display. However, they cost anywhere from $150 to $200 (U.S.).

http://www.atlona.com/Atlona-DVI-to-...r-p-17859.html