Getting audio & video from MacBook Pro to surround sound receiver

[finn104]

I have a Pioneer Elite VSX 94TXH surround sound receiver. What do I need if I want to take both the audio and video from MAC (i.e. Internet) then via a HDMI plug it into my Pioneer surround sound receiver's HDMI port and play it so that the video is on the monitor and audio is through receiver.

Can that be done with a mac adaptor and if so which one?

Or do I need to take the video and audio via an Mac adaptor that goes from DVI to s-video and one RCA out which I would prefer not to do

Thank you

Finn

 

[tubbymac]

Whatever you do don't go to the Apple store as those numbskulls tried to tell me my Macbook doesn't have digital audio out when I went there. Wasted 15 minutes explaining to them that it does have digital out followed by another wasted 15 minutes having them realize they don't carry the adapter and can't order the adapter.

Anyhow, you will need a cable that has a mini toslink 3.5mm plug on one end that goes to a standard full size toslink (also known as optical audio) on the other end. You plug the mini side into the headphone jack on your Macbook and then you plug the optical side into your reciever. You then need to set your dvd program to output 5.1 dolby digital and that's it for the audio part.

For the video part you need the Apple mini displayport to dvi adapter. Then you need a dvi to hdmi cable to plug into your hdtv.

 

[finn104]

You then need to set your dvd program to output 5.1 dolby digital and that's it for the audio part.QUOTE]

Thanks tubbymac. However, I won't be using this to play DVD's but to watch some of the TV shows that the big networks put online.

So will this still work and do I still need to set dvd programs output to 5.1 dolby digital.

Also where did you buy the cables.

Thanks

Finn

 

[tubbymac]

It will work fine yeah. Depending on what program you're using, like VLC or whatnot to play the video, just double check in the program preferences that it's passing a 5.1 dolby signal instead of pushing out a stereo signal. Some programs default to reading and sending out the 2 channel signal on a DVD for instance instead of the 5.1 by default.

The cable can be purchased online from monoprice.com or Amazon.com. Some people have found the cable in their local Walmart but mine doesn't sell the adapters. Strangely enough the Apple store doesn't sell the mini toslink cables.

 

[finn104]

The cable can be purchased online from monoprice.com or Amazon.com. Some people have found the cable in their local Walmart but mine doesn't sell the adapters. Strangely enough the Apple store doesn't sell the mini toslink cables.

Thanks Tubbymac. I found this adapter which goes from Apple's Mini DisplayPort directly to a female HDMI. Here is the link:http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=104&cp_id=10419&cs_id=1041902&p_id=2029&seq=1&format=2

Would that work instead of using Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter and then getting a female DVI to male HDMI?

 

[tubbymac]

There is currently no way around the Apple adapter. In a few months other companies might make some Macbook compatible adapters, but until such time the only one that works with your Macbook is the one from the Apple store. Luckily this one is available at most Apple stores if you don't like ordering online:

http://store.apple.com/us/product/MB570?mco=MTkzODk0NQ

After you get that then you can use whatever you want to get from dvi to hdmi so that you can plug it into your tv. Either a dvi to hdmi cable directly or a dvi to hdmi adapter followed by a hdmi to hdmi cable will work.

 

[finn104]

Hi TubbyMac

I got the cables. The video works fine. But the audio cable does not seem to work. It came up on my receiver as stereo just like you said it would

We are using a plug in that ABC makes us download to watch their programming. We're watching old episodes of Lost to try and catch up.

So we cannot find out where to adjust the audio output of ABC plug in which is called "move media plug in" Any suggestions?

The only other choice would be to put video directly into one of the video input, if our Pioneer Pro150FD has that ability and then use a 3.5 mini to RCA plugs and just run it through the audio inputs of the receiver but I am not sure that it will be sync'd.

Finn