HDR/resolution - Mac Mini M1 as HTPC with LG OLED65C9.

[BigZ12]

I'm considering replacing my W10 HTPC with the new Mini M1.

- Will it support 4k@120hz?
- 4:4:4 chroma?
- What about HDR? (I rip some movies to HDR10 - mkv files). What app support this if so?
- Any streaming app that output HDR? Netflix/Prime/Apple TV+?

Bonus questions
1. What about the Macbooks? Ref resolution/HDR/Apps etc?

2. Do you know what bluetooth codecs that are supported on the new Mini and Macs? With headphone use.
No W1/H1 chip I guess? (AAC? AptX?)

 

[joevt]

The HDMI port is only HDMI 2.0 (4K 60Hz)

The tech specs don't say if the Thunderbolt ports support DisplayPort 1.4, HBR3, and DSC.
Since it supports a 6K display, then at least one of those must be true. 6K requires dual DisplayPort 1.3 HBR3 or DisplayPort 1.4 HBR2 DSC. Since it doesn't say you can connect two displays to Thunderbolt (implies that only one display can be connected - which is explicitly stated by the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air specs) then probably the latter is the case (DisplayPort 1.4 HBR2 DSC). In that case, we cannot assume that HBR3 is possible.

Anyway All three are required to use a DisplayPort 1.4 to HDMI 4K@120 Hz adapter for 4K 60Hz.

Club 3D | DisplayPort 1.4 to HDMI 4K120Hz HDR Active Adapter M/F

The Club 3D CAC-1085 is the perfect solution to connect to any HDMI™ 4K120Hz ready displays*. If you have a DisplayPort™ 1.4 ready PC or any other device that lacks the new HDMI™ 4K120Hz specification, the Club3D CAC-1085 will be the simple way to upgrade your device and connect to your new TV*...

www.club-3d.com

Correction: The M1 Macs allow connecting a tiled 5K display like the LG UltraFIne 5K or HP Z27q or Dell UP2715K to get 5K resolution which means the Thunderbolt port must have two DisplayPort 1.2 HBR2 connections at least. However you cannot use them to connect two displays. You can connect one tiled display, or one non-tiled display. Very strange. This means that the XDR could connect as dual HBR3 without DSC, but output from ioreg has shown that it is using a non-tiled connection in that case (which should allow USB 3.0 functionality from the XDR USB ports).

 

[williamtracy]

Any update on this working? Just ordered a M1 MBP and would love to get 120hz out to my LG CX if possible.

 

[tangles]

I too wanna know this… c'mon early adopters…

 

[matthoffner]

Only 1440p @ 120hz for me. I bought that DisplayPort 1.4 to HDMI 2.1 adapter and no luck.

 

[BigZ12]

Only 1440p @ 120hz for me. I bought that DisplayPort 1.4 to HDMI 2.1 adapter and no luck.

Edit: Can you post a link to the adapter?

1440p@120hz with a Macbook Air/Pro? Can you set the chroma to 4:4:4?
Do you think it's the same with the Mac Mini?

Anyone who can answer about HDR? For ex a MKV file with 4k@24hz HDR. Will it play, and if so, with what app?

 

[matthoffner]

Edit: Can you post a link to the adapter?

1440p@120hz with a Macbook Air/Pro? Can you set the chroma to 4:4:4?
Do you think it's the same with the Mac Mini?

Anyone who can answer about HDR? For ex a MKV file with 4k@24hz HDR. Will it play, and if so, with what app?

Screenshot attached of HDR with Mac mini M1.

 

[YoYoMa]

I have the LG CX as well - has anyone got 4k 120hz HDR 444 working? I'll honestly be ok with 60hz HDR for now until Apple finally gets around to HDMI 2.1

 

[Delarock]

One user wrote there that 4k 120 hz work for him

 

[YoYoMa]

Really? Who?

 

[matthoffner]

I would expect 4k 120hz on a monitor with DisplayPort. I don't know exactly why the converter doesn't work, but I only read reviews about it working with Windows.

Hopefully there are new hdmi 2.1 adapters (thunderbolt3/usb4?) or even egpu support eventually.

 

[YoYoMa]

Were you able to get 4k 60hz 444 HDR out of the adapter at least?

 

[matthoffner]

Were you able to get 4k 60hz 444 HDR out of the adapter at least?

I'm getting that with just HDMI.

 

[YoYoMa]

Really? I can't flip the HDR button without losing 444 for some reason. Maybe I need to upgrade my HDMI cable

 

[joevt]

Screenshot attached of HDR with Mac mini M1.

Connection? Adapter? Display? Resolution? Refresh Rate?
I wonder if ioreg -filw0 > ioreg_M1_HDRtest.txt shows a difference indicating HDR on/off (run the command before and after changing HDR - use a different name for each file).

Really? I can't flip the HDR button without losing 444 for some reason. Maybe I need to upgrade my HDMI cable

HDMI 2.0 can only do 4K 60Hz 444 8bpc. HDR requires 10bpc which means chroma sub sampling needs to be used (422 at least). Updated HDMI cable won't help if you already have HDMI 2.0 4K 60Hz 444 8bpc working.

 

[miaotata]

The HDMI port is only HDMI 2.0 (4K 60Hz)

The tech specs don't say if the Thunderbolt ports support DisplayPort 1.4, HBR3, and DSC.
Since it supports a 6K display, then at least one of those must be true. 6K requires dual DisplayPort 1.3 HBR3 or DisplayPort 1.4 HBR2 DSC. Since it doesn't say you can connect two displays to Thunderbolt (implies that only one display can be connected - which is explicitly stated by the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air specs) then probably the latter is the case (DisplayPort 1.4 HBR2 DSC). In that case, we cannot assume that HBR3 is possible.

Anyway All three are required to use a DisplayPort 1.4 to HDMI 4K@120 Hz adapter for 4K 60Hz.

Club 3D | DisplayPort 1.4 to HDMI 4K120Hz HDR Active Adapter M/F

The Club 3D CAC-1085 is the perfect solution to connect to any HDMI™ 4K120Hz ready displays*. If you have a DisplayPort™ 1.4 ready PC or any other device that lacks the new HDMI™ 4K120Hz specification, the Club3D CAC-1085 will be the simple way to upgrade your device and connect to your new TV*...

www.club-3d.com

Correction: The M1 Macs allow connecting a tiled 5K display like the LG UltraFIne 5K or HP Z27q or Dell UP2715K to get 5K resolution which means the Thunderbolt port must have two DisplayPort 1.2 HBR2 connections at least. However you cannot use them to connect two displays. You can connect one tiled display, or one non-tiled display. Very strange. This means that the XDR could connect as dual HBR3 without DSC, but output from ioreg has shown that it is using a non-tiled connection in that case (which should allow USB 3.0 functionality from the XDR USB ports).

Where did you see m1 macs can work with Dell UP2715k? Have one and can't figure out how to get the 5k resolution. thanks!

 

[joevt]

Where did you see m1 macs can work with Dell UP2715k? Have one and can't figure out how to get the 5k resolution. thanks!

Page 4 | [Teardown] Late 2020 Mac mini: Apple Silicon M1, Th...

Page 4 | As soon as the M1 Mac mini arrived, I tore it down to confirm a few things Apple didn't make clear. All M1 Macs come with Thunderbolt 4 ports...

egpu.io

If it works for the LG UltraFine 5K and HP Z27q then it should work for the Dell UP2715K. You need to connect both DisplayPort cables. You can try one per Thunderbolt port. If that doesn't work, then you need to connect both to the same Thunderbolt port using a Thunderbolt dock or a Thunderbolt to dual DisplayPort adapter. Let us know if it works. Take a photo of the onscreen menu showing 5120x2880 resolution.

 

[MacBoy88]

I'm using a new M1 equipped Mac Mini with 2 identical 4K displays. One is connected via HDMI, the other is connected via your USB 3.1 TYPE-C TO HDMI 2.0 CABLE. As you can see in the attached screenshot, the monitor using USB-c?HDMI cable does give an option for HDR. I've emailed the manufacture to see if they have seen the same issue.

EDIT: After looking at the cable specs, seems like it might be my cable.

 

[YoYoMa]

I'm using a new M1 equipped Mac Mini with 2 identical 4K displays. One is connected via HDMI, the other is connected via your USB 3.1 TYPE-C TO HDMI 2.0 CABLE. As you can see in the attached screenshot, the monitor using USB-c?HDMI cable does give an option for HDR. I've emailed the manufacture to see if they have seen the same issue.
View attachment 1676856

EDIT: After looking at the cable specs, seems like it might be my cable.

Interesting! I assume you are not able to flip that checkbox without losing 444 or 60hz per comment from joevt above?

Anyone have any ideas on how to get HDR out of this thing?

 

[MacBoy88]

Interesting! I assume you are not able to flip that checkbox without losing 444 or 60hz per comment from joevt above?

Anyone have any ideas on how to get HDR out of this thing?

HDR makes the UI look very odd as well. With HDR on (right), the dark UI colors have a purple/brown hue to them. It does not look good. It's hard to capture, but tried:

I do believe I loose 4:4:4, but I think I retain 60hz.

I did order a USB-C > Display Port 1.4 cable to see if that makes a difference on my monitor that does not give an HRD option.

 

[MacBoy88]

Also of interest, notice in my screenshot that I have a different "scaled" selected for each, yet both are rendering UI as 2560x1440. Both show a native resolution of 5120x2880...just so odd.

 

[YoYoMa]

Yeah, you're prob losing 444. I notice it most in the lack of sharpness along the edges of things, and yes the colors are super off as well. Your displayport cable will work for you I think. I only have an HDMI 2.1 input on my LG CX so that's not an option for me.

 

[MacBoy88]

Yeah, you're prob losing 444. I notice it most in the lack of sharpness along the edges of things, and yes the colors are super off as well. Your displayport cable will work for you I think. I only have an HDMI 2.1 input on my LG CX so that's not an option for me.

Well the real issue is I’m stuck with 1 HDMI no matter what...

 

[YoYoMa]

Yeah, very disappointing that Apple put HDMI 2.0 on their new machine. At least they did USB4 - hopefully they (or someone) will release a cable or adapter soon that will output 2.1

 

[joevt]

I'm using a new M1 equipped Mac Mini with 2 identical 4K displays. One is connected via HDMI, the other is connected via your USB 3.1 TYPE-C TO HDMI 2.0 CABLE. As you can see in the attached screenshot, the monitor using USB-c?HDMI cable does give an option for HDR. I've emailed the manufacture to see if they have seen the same issue.
View attachment 1676856

EDIT: After looking at the cable specs, seems like it might be my cable.

There are many DisplayPort to HDMI adapters. You might need one that does HDMI 2.0b.

How to connect 2020 MBA to older screen (with Displayport)

You should use a USB-C to DisplayPort cable. https://www.apple.com/ca/shop/product/HLR62ZM/A/moshi-usb-c-to-displayport-cable There are no DisplayPort to HDMI adapters that work in both directions. There are DisplayPort to HDMI adapters and cables (passive requires DisplayPort dual mode...

forums.macrumors.com

Mac Mini M1 w/ OLED TV

Does your TV support HDMI 2.1? If not, then probably no difference. The Thunderbolt 3 to HDMI option gives you a choice of HDMI adapters, while the HDMI adapter built into the HDMI 2.0 port can never be changed. There have been various DisplayPort to HDMI adapters created over the years...

forums.macrumors.com

Best Mini DisplayPort adapter/cable for 1440p?

Just look for any Mini DisplayPort to HDMI 1.4 adapter or cable (4K 30Hz). But consider a HDMI 2.0 adapter instead for future proofing (or if you have a 4K 60Hz monitor). In the list below, First digit is a version number (1 or 2) Second digit is input type (0:DisplayPort 1:Mini DisplayPort)...

forums.macrumors.com

macOS 10.14 Mojave on Unsupported Macs Thread

How is the display connected? Probably Single Link DVI to HDMI? If so, you could try using a DisplayPort to HDMI adapter. There's two kinds - passive and active. Passive requires that the DisplayPort output supports DisplayPort dual mode (does the Quadro have that?). Active might be better in...

forums.macrumors.com

Also of interest, notice in my screenshot that I have a different "scaled" selected for each, yet both are rendering UI as 2560x1440. Both show a native resolution of 5120x2880...just so odd.

That's not odd - it's been that way since retina became a thing. 5120x2880 is the size of the framebuffer in memory. Looks like 2560x1440 is half that in each dimension which means things are drawn with four times as many pixels as they would be in a 2560x1440 framebuffer. The framebuffer is scaled to the output resolution which is 4K in your situation. If you don't want that extra scaling step, then you need to use "Looks like 1920x1080" or 3840x2160.

Yeah, you're prob losing 444. I notice it most in the lack of sharpness along the edges of things, and yes the colors are super off as well. Your displayport cable will work for you I think. I only have an HDMI 2.1 input on my LG CX so that's not an option for me.

I don't think anyone should turn HDR on unless they are watching full screen video unless Big Sur has fixed HDR for normal apps?