Is the mini-DVI Apple only?

[Zygon Gambit]

I'm fairly new to external displays: is the mini-DVI connector a proprietary Apple connector? I can't seem to find a DVI cable that connects to it except in the Apple shop.

 

[Eidorian]

I've seen a few third party adapters. Mini-DVI itself isn't some sort of proprietary Apple connector. Apple just seems to use it unlike other vendors. I've seen Sony laptops with Mini-VGA.

 

[xraydoc]

Best Buy in the US carries a third-party non-Apple mini-DVI to VGA adapter which looks nearly identical to the Apple version. But I don't know off hand of any other notebook manufacturers who use the connector but Apple. But since its just a $19 adapter, does it really matter? I have several of them I keep in strategic locations (one at home, one at work in my desk drawer, one in my laptop bag and one in my car's glovebox... just in case I forget to take one with me when I go to give a lecture, I've always got a spare).

 

[bjett92]

I think apple is one of the only companies to use them because they love to have as few ports as possible. And by using the mini-dvi port, they can provide adaptors to transform it to other ports, such as s-video, composite video, and VGA.

 

[nutmac]

I wish mini-DVI was more widely supported. I would love to see mini-DVI to HDMI cable, for instance, instead of being forced to go with mini-DVI-to-DVI and DVI-to-HDMI cables combo. Come to think of it, I wish Apple would just switch over to HDMI (there's mini HDMI connector as well).

 

[Eidorian]

I forgot that I made this old thread.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/362518/

 

[Zygon Gambit]

Thanks for the replies!

 

[tuc]

I've seen a few third party adapters. Mini-DVI itself isn't some sort of proprietary Apple connector. Apple just seems to use it unlike other vendors. I've seen Sony laptops with Mini-VGA.

Are you sure Sony's mini-DVI is the same as Apple's? To the best of my knowledge mini-DVI (and micro-DVI) is an Apple-only thing.

If you are aware of a third-party adapter besides the Dynex one, I'd like to see it. Dynex's appears to be DVI-I, but is actually DVI-D just like Apple's.

Something else that is weird is that the DVI-A part of Apple's mini-DVI port is not supported in Boot Camp (not in 1.1 beta, at least). What's the deal with that?

 

[UltraNEO*]

Are you sure Sony's mini-DVI is the same as Apple's? To the best of my knowledge mini-DVI (and micro-DVI) an Apple-only thing.

If you are aware of a third-party adapter besides the Dynex one, I'd like to see it. Dynex's appears to be DVI-I, but is actually DVI-D just like Apple's.

Something else that is weird is that the DVI-A part of Apple's mini-DVI port is not supported in Boot Camp (not in 1.1 beta, at least). What's the deal with that?

Don't worry about the beta, leopard is using Boot-Camp 2... perhaps at the time drivers weren't written for external video support, who knows? 🙄