Mac Mini 2011 with Dual ACD 24" Possible?

[albert1028]

Hi All,

I've done some research and even tried an Atlona AT-HD620 and have come up short. I have two 24" apple cinema displays that I have inherited from my wife and cannot find a way to connect the second cinema display without having to degrade the quality of the image.

Any one with any solutions besides buying two different monitors that do have HDMI inputs?

Thanks!

 

[bAdNitro]

Hi All,

I've done some research and even tried an Atlona AT-HD620 and have come up short. I have two 24" apple cinema displays that I have inherited from my wife and cannot find a way to connect the second cinema display without having to degrade the quality of the image.

Any one with any solutions besides buying two different monitors that do have HDMI inputs?

Thanks!

The 2011 Mini has a TB, and HDMI. So if your ACD has DVI inputs, get the Mini Display to DVI adapter for the TB output and the HDMI to DVI adapter for the HDMI output.

If the displays only support Mini Display ports, use the existing TB port and the HDMI to Mini Display port adapter.

Either way, you'll be fine with both monitors.


-EDIT-
Considering I didn't search for the Male HDMI to Female Mini Display, I didn't realize they're rare, if they exist. So what you'll have to do is "HDMI cord" to "HDMI>Mini Display adapter" to "Female to Female Mini Display Straight port" to monitor.

Although I can't speak from personal experience, it *shouldn't* have any loss of quality considering you're still only using 2 types of connections.


-SECOND EDIT-
Just realized you said both monitors have HDMI inputs. That's very simple then, at least to hook up. Use the HDMI cord for one and the HDMI to Mini Display and plug that into the TB output on the mini. Again, quality shouldn't be lost, and you'll have both monitors hooked up.

 

[paulrbeers]

Hi All,

I've done some research and even tried an Atlona AT-HD620 and have come up short. I have two 24" apple cinema displays that I have inherited from my wife and cannot find a way to connect the second cinema display without having to degrade the quality of the image.

Any one with any solutions besides buying two different monitors that do have HDMI inputs?

Thanks!

No you will only be able to run one 24" ACD off of the single thunderbolt port. I would hold out for the 2012 and hope they drop the hdmi for a second thunderbolt port (purely speculation at this point). Otherwise you will need to buy at least one hdmi/dvi based monitor. I use two LG IPS 1080p monitors with my 2011 mini. One hooked hdmi directly and the other using a mini displayport to hdmi adapter.

There really is no (at least reasonably priced) hdmi to mdp only mdp to hdmi. Ignore previous poster....

 

[bAdNitro]

No you will only be able to run one 24" ACD off of the single thunderbolt port. I would hold out for the 2012 and hope they drop the hdmi for a second thunderbolt port (purely speculation at this point). Otherwise you will need to buy at least one hdmi/dvi based monitor. I use two LG IPS 1080p monitors with my 2011 mini. One hooked hdmi directly and the other using a mini displayport to hdmi adapter.

There really is no (at least reasonably priced) hdmi to mdp only mdp to hdmi. Ignore previous poster....

Ignore me for what reason? He said both his monitors had HDMI inputs. Using HDMI cord for one and MDP to HDMI will allow you to hook an HDMI cord to the adapter and then to the monitor. If the monitor in question only has a MDP, then obviously my advice wouldn't work, but that's to the err of the OP, not me. Some people...

 

[paulrbeers]

Ignore me for what reason? He said both his monitors had HDMI inputs. Using HDMI cord for one and MDP to HDMI will allow you to hook an HDMI cord to the adapter and then to the monitor. If the monitor in question only has a MDP, then obviously my advice wouldn't work, but that's to the err of the OP, not me. Some people...

No he says he would have to buy two with hdmi ports!! He does not have two monitors with hdmi. Please re-read his request closer. Apple cinema displays only had minidisplayport connectors. Some people...

 

[Omnius]

Why is he leaning towards these inherited apple cinema displays if he has to jump through so many hoops? If you convert HDMI to DVI and TB to DVI, I'm not sure that you should see any decline in the quality of the picture.

 

[paulrbeers]

Does anyone actually read anything anymore?!? He said he for them from his wife so he already has them! He wants to hook them to a mini but they do not have hdmi (nor does any apple display). Is reading comprehension really this dead? Are we really this lazy that we don't even try to understand the situation before we post?

 

[bAdNitro]

No he says he would have to buy two with hdmi ports!! He does not have two monitors with hdmi. Please re-read his request closer. Apple cinema displays only had minidisplayport connectors. Some people...

Ok yes, I agree that I read that part wrong. But if you look under my first "-Edit-" on my first reply, guess what, it'll work. MDP from monitor to female-to-female straight MDP port to HDMI-to-MDP adapter to HDMI to HDMI output on mini.


Like I already said, Can't say from personal experience that it won't lower quality, but it shouldn't. Shouldn't being the key word.

 

[paulrbeers]

Ok yes, I agree that I read that part wrong. But if you look under my first "-Edit-" on my first reply, guess what, it'll work. MDP from monitor to female-to-female straight MDP port to HDMI-to-MDP adapter to HDMI to HDMI output on mini.


Like I already said, Can't say from personal experience that it won't lower quality, but it shouldn't. Shouldn't being the key word.

And as I stated that is terrible advice and won't work. Displayport is backwards compatible with hdmi but hdmi is NOT "forward" compatible with displayport. That means you can not hook a displayport monitor to an hdmi port without an expensive adapter. Simple cables will NOT work....

Edit: to OP you could try this.... http://www.matrox.com/graphics/en/products/gxm/dh2go/displayport/?productTabs=1 - just remembered this. Forgot about it until now.

 

[albert1028]

And as I stated that is terrible advice and won't work. Displayport is backwards compatible with hdmi but hdmi is NOT "forward" compatible with displayport. That means you can not hook a displayport monitor to an hdmi port without an expensive adapter. Simple cables will NOT work....

Edit: to OP you could try this.... http://www.matrox.com/graphics/en/products/gxm/dh2go/displayport/?productTabs=1 - just remembered this. Forgot about it until now.

Thanks.

I realize that I will definitely need active adapters for it and that passive won't work. Seems to be too much work to use both 24" ACD. I wish you could daisy chain. Oh well.

Thanks for helping, I'll take a look at the matrox proudct you suggested. THis is one of the first times that I've had any compatability issues with a mac product, sucks!