27" Cinema LED audio: Mini DisplayPort Only?

[JonB3Z]

Nothing I've seen so far suggests that there is any way to get audio into the new display other than through the MDP connection. That would seem to leave us 2009 MBP owners out in the cold as far as audio is concerned.

Of course, it could be that the USB connection supports audio as well, but I'm leery because I haven't seen anything that indicates that.

Thoughts?

 

[kfscoll]

Good question -- I was wondering the exact same thing.

 

[hitekalex]

Nothing I've seen so far suggests that there is any way to get audio into the new display other than through the MDP connection. That would seem to leave us 2009 MBP owners out in the cold as far as audio is concerned.

Of course, it could be that the USB connection supports audio as well, but I'm leery because I haven't seen anything that indicates that.

Thoughts?

The 24" LED supports audio input via USB. There is no reason to believe 27" is any different.

 

[kfscoll]

The 24" LED supports audio input via USB. There is no reason to believe 27" is any different.

Sure there is. From Apple's splash page on the new 27" Cinema Display:

"...the Mini DisplayPort connector is easy in, easy out. And because it carries both video and audio, there’s one less cable to worry about."

This implies that the MDP connector will do the work of carrying the audio signal to the display, not the USB connector.

I hope you're right, but we likely won't know for sure until the manual and/or monitor is actually available.

 

[JonB3Z]

I hope you're right, but we likely won't know for sure until the manual and/or monitor is actually available.

You're probably right. Guess I won't be ordering one of the first ones.

 

[TEG]

However, it does come with a USB cable, so it is likely, that along with including the iSight, it will do audio over USB for those systems without audio on the mini-DisplayPort.

TEG

 

[hitekalex]

Sure there is. From Apple's splash page on the new 27" Cinema Display:

"...the Mini DisplayPort connector is easy in, easy out. And because it carries both video and audio, there’s one less cable to worry about."

This implies that the MDP connector will do the work of carrying the audio signal to the display, not the USB connector.

I hope you're right, but we likely won't know for sure until the manual and/or monitor is actually available.

OK, but you still need the USB port to carry the iSight video input.. I can't imagine why Apple would *remove* audio support from USB input and basically break the speaker sound for any pre-2010 Macs.

Also, the same 27" LED splash page states that the monitor is compatible with MacBook Air. None of the MBA's support Audio over MDP, so that also implies that the sound will continue working with the USB, as it is now.

I guess we will find out soon enough.

 

[JonB3Z]

It wouldn't be the first thing Apple has removed that people couldn't imagine until it happened: floppy drives, Firewire from MacBooks, ExpressCard from MBP, etc. Apple tends to provision their machines following a roadmap that isn't always obvious to observers, and sometimes they break backward compatibility substantially.

I'm hopeful audio via USB will be available. I think it should be. I'm just not so sure it will be.

 

[hitekalex]

It wouldn't be the first thing Apple has removed that people couldn't imagine until it happened

True but.. Apple can't state that 27" LED is compatible with MacBook Air (like they do in their specs).. while it doesn't support sound, which is an integral feature of their LED screens.

 

[kfscoll]

True but.. Apple can't state that 27" LED is compatible with MacBook Air (like they do in their specs).. while it doesn't support sound, which is an integral feature of their LED screens.

That's a good point and I hadn't noticed that on the splash page. We'll find out, but perhaps you're right.