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Are there any HDMI to ThunderBolt adapters yet?
- Thread starter mbarriault
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Ok i have read through this tread and other places on the net and am left confused on a few things. i have a mid 2010 MBP, I am not trying to connect a display monitor but I am curious as to if I could use the black magic ultra studio recorder on it to connect my prosumer camera. trying to find an HDMI capture device that will work with my sony nex FS100 camera to my MBP and I keep seeing people saying use certain things and then others say I can't use the ones I was told I could use and now I am left confused as to what will work on it and not, I really would like to use the BM Ultra Studio if I could!
I tried to connect a (mini) Display Port Notebook (running Windows) to the Thunderbolt port of iMac 2011 using a Display Port Cable and can confirm that this setup does NOT work. The iMac did not show any reaction when entered the Target Display mode. Hence, Display port is NOT backward compatible with Thunderbolt ports.
Like the original poster, I am seeking to plug an Apple Thunderbolt display into an HDMI device (a Windows computer) to use it as a real-time (streaming video) display. I see no reason why such an adapter would be unavailable, but I cannot find one. Anyone have an idea?
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I just found this:
Thunderbolt
Thunderbolt monitor support varies from computer to computer. PCs that are equipped with Thunderbolts on their motherboards can use Apple's Thunderbolt-sporting monitors. According to PC Magazine, Thunderbolt was designed for high-speed video editing across multiple monitors. Thunderbolt technology works differently than VGA, DVI and HDMI in that it doesn't just transmit visual data: it can be used to daisy-chain any kind of external computer device. Non-Thunderbolt equipped PCs are unable to use an adapter to convert an outgoing VGA, DVI or HDMI signal into the Thunderbolt standard. Laptops that don't have Thunderbolt built-in are incompatible with the display type. Desktops that feature PCI Express ports, however, can add Thunderbolt support through an expansion port.
(Source: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/apple-monitor-work-pc-70386.html -- Article: Will an Apple Monitor Work with a PC?)
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I just found this:
Thunderbolt
Thunderbolt monitor support varies from computer to computer. PCs that are equipped with Thunderbolts on their motherboards can use Apple's Thunderbolt-sporting monitors. According to PC Magazine, Thunderbolt was designed for high-speed video editing across multiple monitors. Thunderbolt technology works differently than VGA, DVI and HDMI in that it doesn't just transmit visual data: it can be used to daisy-chain any kind of external computer device. Non-Thunderbolt equipped PCs are unable to use an adapter to convert an outgoing VGA, DVI or HDMI signal into the Thunderbolt standard. Laptops that don't have Thunderbolt built-in are incompatible with the display type. Desktops that feature PCI Express ports, however, can add Thunderbolt support through an expansion port.
(Source: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/apple-monitor-work-pc-70386.html -- Article: Will an Apple Monitor Work with a PC?)
I think if there was an easy way to either convert HDMI to thunderbolt for the display, or convert HDMI to thunderbolt to use with iMac's screen display mode it would have happened a few years ago. Kanex looked into making an adapter for the iMac soon after the 2011 iMacs were released, but gave up. (They previously made an adapter for the 2010 & earlier iMacs to allow HDMI to work with screen display mode.
I know this is old, but would that device be capable of displaying an HDMI source in TDM on a 2011 iMac? It seems to convert an HDMI or SDI signal to the Thunderbolt protocol, but TDM may still not work.
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I'll let you know! I managed to score two Mac Pro 2009's and two Thunderbolt Displays at a institutional auction for stupid cheap... Side note: Check those types of things out. 99% of the time, auctioneers don't know what they're selling and price accordingly. Seeing as how the displays just love my MacBook Pro 2018, I am GOING to make them work with the Mac Pros if the circuitry exists.
Two Blackmagic converters should be in hand on Sunday. I will test and get back to you.
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In the Amazon questions on the items, one guy says yes. I'll test mine and we can have a second opinion.
Just wondering if you were able to convert a display port signal to Thunderbolt using those Blackmagic converters. I’m trying to see if I can get any other use out of my TB display outside of my 2015 MacBook Pro.
Afraid not, no. They showed up as video capture devices but they did not light up the monitor. I think they do convert it signal-wise but they output it not as video but as data meant for a program to capture. I returned them. As for the Amazon commenters, I'm thinking they were guessing, not speaking from actual experience.
I think you would need something like this in the Mac pro’s for it to work based on what I’ve been googling. Kind of a bummer there’s no way to directly convert an HDMI or even display port to Thunderbolt just for video.
https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/GC-ALPINE-RIDGE-rev-10#ov
Yes, except apparently those deal quite well with MOST thunderbolt devices but not ALL and one of the ones they can't do is the Thunderbolt display.