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TV on a 27" imac?

D

dwink

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Aug 7, 2010
1
0
Hello all!

I have recently taken a new position that will require me to maintain another residence (a small apartment in Vegas). I am hopeful that an imac 27 would be a nice machine that could meet my personal computer needs and also serve as my TV for watching and recording TV.

I am a lifetime PC user, but I have been impressed with my iPhone4 and want to give it a shot.

On a PC, it seems pretty easy, but the imac does not seem as straight forward.

Any advice is appreciated.
 
You would need a miniDisplayPort to HDMI adaptor. If watching over the air, you would need a ASTC Tuner also.
 
You could go the al a carte route and watch your shows via iTunes download or streaming through a service like Hulu.
 
was about to ask same question. what's the best way to stream basic cable on my new 27"er?
 
After buying a new iMac I replaced my 32" tv with the elgato eye tv, little USB attachment which you plug your ariel into, works like an absolute charm, I wAtch tv on my huge screen whilst multi tasking other things, would highly recommend, you can also record, pause and fast forward live tv :)
 
so the eyetv is for local hd antenna channels? can you connect the cable to the antenna coax and watch the cable channels?
 
maldoror said:
so the eyetv is for local hd antenna channels? can you connect the cable to the antenna coax and watch the cable channels?
Click to expand...

you connect the cable/satellite/whatever you're getting your source from directly to the iMac using a miniDisplay to HDMi adaptor. You need nothing else unless you're watching over the air.
 
drjsway said:
You would need a miniDisplayPort to HDMI adaptor. If watching over the air, you would need a ASTC Tuner also.
Click to expand...
those cables cost $250. not worth it, and i dont even think that is what the OP was asking.

CaptainChunk said:
You'll want something like this.
Click to expand...

now thats what im talking about :) these devices have become pretty stable of late, and the dual tuners in them are great!
 
JAPears said:
After buying a new iMac I replaced my 32" tv with the elgato eye tv, little USB attachment which you plug your ariel into, works like an absolute charm, I wAtch tv on my huge screen whilst multi tasking other things, would highly recommend, you can also record, pause and fast forward live tv :)
Click to expand...

I am considering moving away from PCs purchasing a refurbished 09 iMac partly for this and hooking it up to my LCD TV. However, I am wondering 2 things...

Is it true that there is no way to switch the display to ONLY the external source (TV) and switch of the display on the iMac itself. I have heard this is the case but seems strange as why on earth would you not be able to do such basic functionality ???

Also is there a mini dsiplay port to HDMI adaptor for the 09 iMac that ensures audio as well as video is carried over HDMI to the TV and that costs less that £50($75)?
 
cobrasneverdie said:
question, if I wanted to use my ps3 with that hdmi, adapter is it possible?
Click to expand...

Making a bit of a guess here...

I'd say yes for games and DVDs. More problematic would be Blu-ray playback where copy protection issues come into play were an HDCP connection is requested by the PS3 Blu-ray but denied by the iMac's input port.

If Blu-ray wants an HDCP port but doesn't find one, the video output is down converted from HD to SD quality or blacked out completely. Yes, this is a crock of feces. But the Entertainment industry has more bribe money than I to offer Congress.
 
cobrasneverdie said:
question, if I wanted to use my ps3 with that hdmi, adapter is it possible?
Click to expand...

No. That cable is for connecting an HDMI based television as a primary/secondary display to a Mac's mini displayport connector. It will *not* allow you to connect your PS3 to an iMac or an Apple LED Cinema Display. The only option there is to buy a very expensive signal converter. The only one that I know that can actually display 1080p properly is this one. There are some cheaper ones on the market but they don't actually display 1080p. They downscale video to 720p which the iMac then upscales to it's native resolution - not ideal. Atlona also do a dual link DVI version for a bit cheaper, $199, which you'd need to use an HDMI to DVI adapter cable but in that case you wouldn't get audio passed through to the iMac. Both adapters are HDCP compatible (i.e. you can pass through copy protected Bluray videos etc to the iMac's screen).
 
DoFoT9 said:
a mDP to HDMI/DVI cable WILL most certainly cost you at least that amount. cables can be purchased for $5 off of ebay - but i can guarantee you they will not work with any Mac.

the signal needs to be converted, thus why the cables are so expensive.
Click to expand...

Considering Apple sells mDP -> DVI adapters for $29...

Then there's this combo DVI / HDMI adapter for $22:

Or a $57 cable: http://www.google.com/products/cata...ekGafawwX9udmnBQ&sa=title&ved=0CFAQ8wIwBzgA#p

So the whole $250 thing...yeah.
 
ProwlingTiger said:
Considering Apple sells mDP -> DVI adapters for $29...

Then there's this combo DVI / HDMI adapter for $22:

Or a $57 cable: http://www.google.com/products/cata...ekGafawwX9udmnBQ&sa=title&ved=0CFAQ8wIwBzgA#p

So the whole $250 thing...yeah.
Click to expand...

you are going the WRONG WAY. that is for OUTPUTTING data from the iMac to another panel.

the instance we are talking about is INPUTTING data from another source (ps3 or other) to the iMac.

completely different. sorry for being upfront, bad day :(
 
By far, your best bet is the new EyeTV HD from Elgato. I just got it last week and it's awesome. You hook up your digital cable box via component cables to the device, and then USB to the iMac.

This gets you ALL of your digital cable channels in 1080i or 720p HD! Plus the included EyeTV software makes it SUPER easy to record, edit and export videos to iTunes for use on an iPhone. It can even record shows in iPhone ready format for automatic transfer to iTunes so you'll be ready to sync and watch.

Best of all, you can buy the $4.99 EyeTV App in the App Store which allows you to watch live TV streaming over wifi and 3G from your computer at home on your iPhone 4. It really is the perfect solution for your situation.:p

Watching live TV in one window of your 27" iMac while you surf Safari is awesome!
 
Please tell me all of the uses for this EyeTV One and if there are any different options or models when you buy:

I have Satellite TV and stuff recorded on my DVR that I would like to edit (take out all the adverts) and put onto DVD and was going to buy a DVD recorder but this sounds so much better ..
Can you tell me if it comes with any software for editing ??
I would also like to know if this would work with my Apple Airport Extreme so I could watch TV on my computer which is in a different room ??
 
iread said:
Please tell me all of the uses for this EyeTV One and if there are any different options or models when you buy:

I have Satellite TV and stuff recorded on my DVR that I would like to edit (take out all the adverts) and put onto DVD and was going to buy a DVD recorder but this sounds so much better ..
Can you tell me if it comes with any software for editing ??
I would also like to know if this would work with my Apple Airport Extreme so I could watch TV on my computer which is in a different room ??
Click to expand...

it comes with "Eye TV" software. :) it features the ability to take out adverts and then save as a mp4 etc.

you can then use free software such as "Burn" to burn this mp4 onto a DVD for watching on a DVD player.

your best bet would be a dual tuner EyeTV - much more flexible :)
 
DoFoT9 said:
it comes with "Eye TV" software. :) it features the ability to take out adverts and then save as a mp4 etc.

you can then use free software such as "Burn" to burn this mp4 onto a DVD for watching on a DVD player.

your best bet would be a dual tuner EyeTV - much more flexible :)
Click to expand...

Thank you for your response .. I was unable to find the product you mentioned on their web page ??
 
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