I have a 20" Intel core 2 duo iMac and I want to connect it to my Sharp 26" LCD HDTV. Apple TV seems like overkill for me since my TV sits about 7ft from my mac. How should I go about connecting the two? Mini-DVI to DVI Adapter, and then DVI to HDMI? How will the quality be with this compared to running the Apple TV? Any advice is greatly appreciated!
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iMac to HDTV
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Being that none of us have AppleTV yet it's hard to compare 1:1, my reasons are below.
My iMac is connected to my Samsung HDTV by mini-DVI to VGA adapter and it works very well. There are some risks in plugging in a computer into the HDMI port as, though DVI and HDMI are oin compatible, the signals those pins carry is a bit different. So most HDTV manufacturers do not support that use. That's not to say it won't work, but it might not be worth the effort in getting the resolution and overscan settings right.
I've got an Apple TV on order, even though the iMac is "right there" for three reasons.
1) Lets someone in the family use the iMac while another person is watching AppleTV. Not so much of an issue if you're the only user.
2) No need to switch around the primary display settings to get iTunes/FR to work on the TV.
3) Audio that makes sense. With the iMac set up as it is I usually use the iMac's speakers when watching TV as it makes for an easy switch in/out of the different uses of the two devices. If the audio is hooked up the TV and someone changes the channel, you have to unplug the cable to get audio from the iMac's speakers.
All of those are usability improvements that'll let my kids view their media more easily than asking for help about how do I get what's on the computer on the big TV.
B
My iMac is connected to my Samsung HDTV by mini-DVI to VGA adapter and it works very well. There are some risks in plugging in a computer into the HDMI port as, though DVI and HDMI are oin compatible, the signals those pins carry is a bit different. So most HDTV manufacturers do not support that use. That's not to say it won't work, but it might not be worth the effort in getting the resolution and overscan settings right.
I've got an Apple TV on order, even though the iMac is "right there" for three reasons.
1) Lets someone in the family use the iMac while another person is watching AppleTV. Not so much of an issue if you're the only user.
2) No need to switch around the primary display settings to get iTunes/FR to work on the TV.
3) Audio that makes sense. With the iMac set up as it is I usually use the iMac's speakers when watching TV as it makes for an easy switch in/out of the different uses of the two devices. If the audio is hooked up the TV and someone changes the channel, you have to unplug the cable to get audio from the iMac's speakers.
All of those are usability improvements that'll let my kids view their media more easily than asking for help about how do I get what's on the computer on the big TV.
B
I won't be able to use all of my 500GB of media on my external hard drive on the apple tv though will I? Also my audio runs out of an audio interface into a receiver, so that is not an issue. I appreciate the help.
WHY do you want to connect the two? the 20" is plenty big and is basically a high def monitor itself.