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Apple Preparing to Add HDMI to Macs?
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To my knowledge Display Port is free to use for anyone who wants. Get your facts straight, troll.
While this is great especially since it makes it easier to do what this device does best. However, to be a truly good home theater server it needs a better UI and a more compelling pricing structure.
This is great news !
And may I add , about time !! > !!
I was just saying , gee it is about time I should go and buy a new Mac Mini.
I have the older 06 /07 1.83 GHz and I`m still running Tiger
However it is a solid Op / Sys , so I had no need to upgrade , that is until I needed OS-X.6 to watch content on Comcast`s "Fancast" website ( just like Hulu ).
Anyway , now I`m going to wait.
No one knows for sure what Apple will do but if there is even a remote chance that this is true it will be worth the wait ! IMHO
Now how long DO we have to wait ?
Keeping ALL fingers and toes crossed for an upgrade ( refresh ) soon.
Later ,
Gary
And may I add , about time !! > !!
I was just saying , gee it is about time I should go and buy a new Mac Mini.
I have the older 06 /07 1.83 GHz and I`m still running Tiger
However it is a solid Op / Sys , so I had no need to upgrade , that is until I needed OS-X.6 to watch content on Comcast`s "Fancast" website ( just like Hulu ).
Anyway , now I`m going to wait.
No one knows for sure what Apple will do but if there is even a remote chance that this is true it will be worth the wait ! IMHO
Now how long DO we have to wait ?
Keeping ALL fingers and toes crossed for an upgrade ( refresh ) soon.
Later ,
Gary
Um that would be nice but I'm not sure if eSata supports the new 6Gbps (theoretical) transfer rate yet, so I'd rather have a regular SataIII port
Sure, and for some people it makes sense. In current hardware it is still outdated, but that doesn't mean valid uses for it don't exist. I mean my personal Dell 2209wa has two inputs, a VGA and a DVI. I use them both.
I certainly wouldn't say that people using VGA are "behind the times" but if I bought a new device I certainly wouldn't shoot for VGA personally. I guess my point was simply that...there are still uses and the posters rhetoric towards it was a bit unnecessary.
Looks like DisplayPort 1.2 (which will run over the same cables as DP 1.1a) can run 3840 x 2400 resolution at 60Hz.
Linky: http://www.displayport.org/consumer/sites/default/files/VESADP1_2Final.pdf
I can see HDMI and DisplayPort as complementary technologies. HDMI for TV connections (supports CEC for better remote control support etc). If HDMI 1.4 can support massive resolutions, that's great, but I only need 1920 x 1080.
DisplayPort is great for computer display connections (can daisy chain four 1920x1200 displays). Supports 3D stereoscopic displays, etc. Supports transmission of Blu-Ray audio and USB signals. One cable to connect my computer to my monitor and get audio, video and USB connectivity.
I'm happy to see they may be adding HDMI to the Mac Mini. I'll use it for sure.
Linky: http://www.displayport.org/consumer/sites/default/files/VESADP1_2Final.pdf
I can see HDMI and DisplayPort as complementary technologies. HDMI for TV connections (supports CEC for better remote control support etc). If HDMI 1.4 can support massive resolutions, that's great, but I only need 1920 x 1080.
DisplayPort is great for computer display connections (can daisy chain four 1920x1200 displays). Supports 3D stereoscopic displays, etc. Supports transmission of Blu-Ray audio and USB signals. One cable to connect my computer to my monitor and get audio, video and USB connectivity.
I'm happy to see they may be adding HDMI to the Mac Mini. I'll use it for sure.
Wikipedia's article on DisplayPort says that since DP is micro-packet based, it's easy to update the standard so maybe DP will be able to do whatever DP does w/ just a firmware update? I don't know for certain, just pure speculation on my point.
That reminds me of one MacRumors member who's signature says something along the lines of "If Jesus were to come back today and turn water into wine, half of MacRumors would say 'Meh, this is white. I wanted red.'"
It supports 2560x1600@120Hz so this is the only up-to-date technology. It can also carry 100 Mbps ethernet.
Two things. First of all, please note that "48bpp" is incorrect terminology. Nobody ever refers to "48-bit" video because it's ambiguous. Is "48-bit" supposed to mean 12-bit 4:4:4 RGBA? Or 16-bit 4:4:4 RGB? Or 24-bit 4:2:2 YCrCb? That's why nobody says "48-bit" these days.
Second, please note that while the HDMI 1.4 spec supports either one of those, it does not support both at the same time. The 1.4 spec supports only 1080i resolution at 16-bit. At 4K/1.85:1/24, the spec tops out at 12-bit color. Which is fine for HDMI's target market: home entertainment. The 1.4 spec is targeted purely at D-cinema trickledown. There's a big push in the industry for a compressed 4K delivery format for home presentation, and the HDMI guys want to be out in front of that. This is fine and good; consumer electronics is a large and thriving market. But it's a different market from professional computer workstations, and this is what so many people here seem not to understand.
HDMI and DisplayPort are apples and oranges. HDMI is older technology, and it's targeted for the consumer electronics market. DisplayPort is newer technology, which means it's not backwards compatible, but it's targeted for the computer workstation market. Different needs, different standards.
(Incidentally, HDMI 1.4 is totally incompatible as well. It uses a different physical connector with a different pinout; it requires new, short-run, shielded cables; and it has to be implemented on an all-new ASIC. That's the primary reason why HDMI 1.4 remains a specification without a product base, and why there's still significant doubt in the industry about whether home 4K will take off soon enough to keep HDMI 1.4 relevant. But that's a whole 'nother topic, one even less related to computers and to the Mac than this rambling tangent.)
I'm looking forward to the next Mac Mini refresh as I'm in the market for one. I'm willing to wait it out. Hope it is soon but if it isn't till November 2010 so be it. It will replace the aging PC my wife uses.
That's why this site's forums can also be called: MacWhiners.com
Having HDMI and mini Display Port is a good thing.
Many people use a Mac mini as HTC (I do too, next to my TV) and HDMI would have made this setup easier.
If Blu-Ray would be adopted on the Mac mini too then HDMI is a must.
Wouldn't it be cool... a quad core i5 (i7), 4 GB, neat grfx (needs to be inserted here), HDMI & mini Display Port, Blu-Ray Mac mini for $ 799,-?
This.
I wish Apple would make the Apple TV software available on all its' macs. I'm using my old Powerbook G4 as my home theater PC now, with FrontRow.FrontRow is nice but it doesn't have all the goodies that Apple TV has: No-movie/show renting or buying in the app, No Flickr integration, No YouTube integration. All that requires switching applications and mousing around from the couch. This is fine for me, but my wife simply won't mess with all that non-friendliness. Also, when streaming photos from another computer, FrontRow doesn't recognize Events. It recognizes events in the library onboard the local computer, but now while streaming: only recognizes albums.
Also, synching an iPhoto Library, iTunes Library and Movies folder that are stored elsewhere (say, on my main desk computer) onto the home theater pc automatically is more of a hack and takes more effort to get running. Apple TV just does the sync easily through iTunes.
I'd love it if Apple made the ATV software available. The moment Apple upgrades the hardware on the Apple TV so that it can stream Hulu content without looking all choppy (using ATV Flash), I will buy one.
I don't understand why so many people here think HDMI in mac minis mean Apple TV's will become less popular. . . Mac Minis already win for storage space and versatility, but Apple TV wins for convenience and price and user-friendliness. The HDMI issue doesn't change that.
I think Apple wants the mac mini to be somewhat appealing but not really appealing. They would rather sell you the imac or the mac pro. If the mac mini was configured as you suggest they would sell many more but many less imacs.
I might not be able to drive the overpriced 30" Cinema Display but it can clearly drive my 32" LCD and auto-adjust its resolution to fit the screen without tweaking
Yeah, but that's not how Apple works.
What are you talking about? I never said anything about a 32" HDTV being similar to the 30" Cinema Display.
Edit: Looks like your comment was directed ppdix, not me despite your quote.
Nahh, HDMI would take them to the current level. The same level that every other PC manufacturer is at right now. The next level would be HDMI, Blu-ray burning, eSata, Express Card slot & SD card slot, Core i5, and IPS display technology in a $1200 MBP.
Pretty much a non story
DP's higher bandwidth and packet architecture are significant advantages over HDMI for computers, hence the adoption by the computer industry. Given the rapid rise in availability for DP to HDMI adaptors, price drops for the same, this really becomes a non issue. At the same time, replacing DVI with HDMI would be straightforward, so maybe this rumor is accurate.
The mini DP issue with audio comes down to Apple implementing it in hardware, as the mini DP spec allow audio. We will most likely see this arrive at the same time as USB 3.0 as Apple has to make fairly major board changes. January of next year if I was a betting man.
I would expect to see some home theater devices with DP in addition to HDMI to test the market, probably BD players if anything.
DP's higher bandwidth and packet architecture are significant advantages over HDMI for computers, hence the adoption by the computer industry. Given the rapid rise in availability for DP to HDMI adaptors, price drops for the same, this really becomes a non issue. At the same time, replacing DVI with HDMI would be straightforward, so maybe this rumor is accurate.
The mini DP issue with audio comes down to Apple implementing it in hardware, as the mini DP spec allow audio. We will most likely see this arrive at the same time as USB 3.0 as Apple has to make fairly major board changes. January of next year if I was a betting man.
I would expect to see some home theater devices with DP in addition to HDMI to test the market, probably BD players if anything.