Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Main title is inaccurate - should use future tense

Note that the main title incorrectly says

"Mini DisplayPort Adopted..."​

while the body says

According to VESA, Apple's Mini Displayport will be included in the upcoming DisplayPort 1.2 specification and will allow other manufacturers to incorporate the ports into their products.
Quote:
The tiny port is to be included in the upcoming DisplayPort 1.2 specification, the standard's overseer, Vesa, said last week. The digital monitor link tech is to get stereoscopic display support too.

The careless use of tense was in issue in the earlier argument with the lawyer guy. As the body states, it's in the proposed spec - not the current spec.
 
Because it would required to license the latest and great audio formats. To carry the new audio signals it would require a license from those companies. If Apple continued to offer it it for free it would have to pay those companies for each license they sold with the MDP. I don't think its a step backwards but an alternative to HDMI. Its taken 2.5 product cycles to get HDMI to be able to support 7 channel bitstream. I forsee many receivers in the very near future dumping so many connections to help keep costs and MSRP in check. Adding another digital port may be worth wihile.

This confused me, I thought mini DisplayPort didn't carry audio, or is it capable of carrying audio but doesn't because of licensing?
 
elegance

I just got a new MacBook Pro, and one of the things that really struck me is just how damn elegant the Mini DisplayPort connector is. I mean, I've been used to plugging a full-size DVI connector into my first-gen MacBook Pro every day when I get to work. Now I plug this thing like 1/10th of the size, if that, into my computer, and it's just SO DARN SLICK! I'm thrilled to see the form-factor get picked up as part of the official spec. It's one of those things you have to use in person to really appreciate, I think.
 
Great! This is what I thought would have to happen at some point.

This will be great for previous-generation Mac owners. Other companies will now be able to sell adapters to hook up the old Macs DVI ports to the new cinema displays that require the mini DVI. I am glad Apple has decided to do this.
 
This confused me, I thought mini DisplayPort didn't carry audio, or is it capable of carrying audio but doesn't because of licensing?
Correct.
It was in reference to why it wont become a full blown standard like HDMI.

I am quite sure the mini could support audio it so desired.

Personally i think his is a great move b apple. As the sales ratio between desk top and notebooks favors notebooks having a minni display will provide all sorts of bandwidth for the higher resolution video demands.
How critial is sound on a computer set up, non-ht set ups, not sure but I know that i would rather have a better display than sound on associated on my notebook.

When switching to an all HDMI HT, I went from over 40 cables to just 6 cables.
If it was mini it would be double that and not have hd bitstream
If it was dipslay port it still be 6 but no hd bitstream
 
I don't think its a step backwards but an alternative to HDMI. Its taken 2.5 product cycles to get HDMI to be able to support 7 channel bitstream. I forsee many receivers in the very near future dumping so many connections to help keep costs and MSRP in check. Adding another digital port may be worth wihile.

It's an alternative that doesn't support HD audio. Mr Lucas and Mr Kubrick (I think?) told me that sound is 50% of the movie, and I tend to agree.
HDMI has had lots of audio issues on other platforms, but it does work now - I blame the delay on ati and nvidia for not being able to write drivers and intel for refusing to write their own.

I can't see hdmi being dropped off receivers too quickly (or for the foreseeable future?). It's the 'digital scart replacement' and standard for all av equipment I've seen. Licensing costs seems to be something only apple has an issue with. Blu-ray, media extenders, computers, consoles, dvd players etcetc all need somewhere to plug in to, it's been a pretty decent single cable solution for ages - and there's no source (bar a pc with a pointless, unsupported refresh rate) that can push it's current max spec.

Adding another digital port? Do you mean optical/coax (my hd reciever already has like 8) or dp (I can see drm conversion issues, or pretend ones, irrelevent of the source already!) or something else?
 
Good move IMHO. Let's hope it becomes a new standard across electronic equipment.
 
The new NVidia GTX295 came out last week, and it has 2 x Dual link DVI and 1 x HDMI. DisplayPort may become the new Betamax/HD-DVD.
 
Good news in theory, but I'm going to be a bit weary until adapters start showing up on shelves. I'm also watching to see how standard display port catches on, it may be the better technology, but it seems to be losing the battle in favor of HDMI.
 
I'm not sure about the betamax comparison, I don't know what will happen. It's a pity there's no ideal solution, and frustrating that it seems to be content providers that create the standards/connectors/cables (and dream up crazy changes every few days) rather than broadcast engineers.
 
Ok, after looking it up DisplayPort carries audio, but mini DisplayPort doesn't, so I sure hope they got for full DisplayPort on the new Mac Minis.

Edit: to get audio from mini DisplayPort to HDMI you'd have to have "a Mini DisplayPort to DVI adapter, a Mini-TOSLINK (jack) to TOSLINK adapter, a Toslink cable, a DVI+TOSLINK to HDMI converter, and another HDMI cable (to connect the converter and the AV receiver)" is what wikipedia says

Why Not?
Both are 20 pin plugs and the audio is carried in the digital link not in a separate pair. In theory the link can carry a USB type data link as well so maybe Apple included the dedicated link as the data feature isn't well supported in the hardware they had at hand or in budget.

After all there a lot of features DisplayPort is meant to support like multi-monitors that Apple haven't included this time around.


EDIT:
Here's why not?
or more correctly why not yet. From the article.

Vesa reiterated its plan - announced a year ago - to expand DisplayPort's auxilliary data channel so it has sufficient capacity to handle USB traffic, enabling monitors to include USB ports, webcams, microphones and the like.

I guess we have to wait for 1.2spec to up the data rate enough to drive a 30"+ screen and have enough left over for USB signal.
I wonder if Apple will be able to do this firmware update or it will need a hardware revision.
 
Ok, after looking it up DisplayPort carries audio, but mini DisplayPort doesn't, so I sure hope they got for full DisplayPort on the new Mac Minis.

That Wikipedia article is under review for good reason. There is no technical reason why Mini Displayport (the connector) cannot handle audio, but the Apple system designs so far appear to not support it.

Something similar came up in conversation today; how does the audio portion of the DP and HDMI cables work with PCs? I imagine it means your video card does audio as well?

To get audio from mini DisplayPort to HDMI you'd have to have "a Mini DisplayPort to DVI adapter, a Mini-TOSLINK (jack) to TOSLINK adapter, a Toslink cable, a DVI+TOSLINK to HDMI converter, and another HDMI cable (to connect the converter and the AV receiver)"

probably more likely eventually that someone implements this with an active converter (like the dual-link DVI), with the USB both powering the converter and implementing an audio interface. Especially since mini-DP is a public, royalty-free spec even before VESA adopts it formally.
 
It's an alternative that doesn't support HD audio. Mr Lucas and Mr Kubrick (I think?) told me that sound is 50% of the movie, and I tend to agree.
HDMI has had lots of audio issues on other platforms, but it does work now - I blame the delay on ati and nvidia for not being able to write drivers and intel for refusing to write their own.

I can't see hdmi being dropped off receivers too quickly (or for the foreseeable future?). It's the 'digital scart replacement' and standard for all av equipment I've seen. Licensing costs seems to be something only apple has an issue with. Blu-ray, media extenders, computers, consoles, dvd players etcetc all need somewhere to plug in to, it's been a pretty decent single cable solution for ages - and there's no source (bar a pc with a pointless, unsupported refresh rate) that can push it's current max spec.

Adding another digital port? Do you mean optical/coax (my hd reciever already has like 8) or dp (I can see drm conversion issues, or pretend ones, irrelevent of the source already!) or something else?

Digital port would be the display port. Deleting such inputs as coax video, s video, stereo audio in, and reduce the numbe of component video inputs.
Reducing the video processing and audio switching circuitry inside of the receiver would be a significant cost cutting move. Having 5 hdmi inputs and one out and nothing other would be a chipset on a small board. My pioneer 94tx has at least 50 other connections. that is a lot of labor, parts, points of failure, inventory control and so on.

there are many audio formats that are very adequate for movies.
The studios who license the newer audio formats will ultimately determine how their audio formats are transmitted.

having introduced HD bitstream to my HT i have been very impressed.

I can see the the display and mini display being a viable option, don't get me wrong. HDMI has its issues, and the issues vary by chipset. 1.3 is far better than 1.2.

If manufactures remove all the analog audio and video sections, addin additional hdmi ports and display ports would be a win win.
If that was the case my receiver woul have nearly 2 square feet of open space on the back of the receiver.

Can idisplay port/mini and optical coexist with HDMI yes and at a relatively low cost to manufacturers and better price points.
 
how does the audio portion of the DP and HDMI cables work with PCs?

My HDMI/HDCP compatible video card for my HTPC (Asus EN9600GT Silent) has a connector/cable to the SPDIF digital output from the sound card.

This will let the HDMI cable at least carry the low bit-rate digital audio signals.

By the way, the main AV switch in my system is a Sony 6400 ES, with 6 HDMI inputs (plus optical/coax/upconverted-component) cross-barred to two HDMI outputs. So I'm also in the camp that thinks that DisplayPort is a good thing - but too late, HDMI owns this space.

Maybe Apple doesn't want any Mac to connect to home video equipment? ;)
 
Good news, although to we really expect other manufacturers to incorporate the mini DisplayPort into their products?


Heck yay! It is a smaller port with no-fees attached. Laptops will especially take this and run with it.

Would have been nice if Apple didn't charge for firewire when it first came out. It would have been a different story for that tech if it was fee free early on.
 
Note that the main title incorrectly says

"Mini DisplayPort Adopted..."​
No. Your juvenile baiting aside, the headline is correct. The adoption of the connector is in the past (late November), in fact. Done and over.
As the body states, it's in the proposed spec - not the current spec.
Adoption into a specification does not require or imply that the specification itself has been implemented. VESA, like any standards body, has adopted a great many things in its past that never came to fruition, but that does not undo the adoption of the finished parts, some of which are later adopted (again) into other specifications. This simple linguistic failure demonstrates a basic unfamiliarity with the subject matter, and another false correction.

There's no need to go twenty rounds on it. Again.
Ok, after looking it up DisplayPort carries audio, but mini DisplayPort doesn't
I'm not sure where you looked it up, but it's not true. There is zero electrical difference between DisplayPort and mini DP. Every feature is present and available in both connectors. The physical end of the cable is the only difference.

Now, there are currently no notebooks and to my knowledge only one or two desktop video cards that actually implement an audio link. The audio carriage is primarily for consumer electronics equipment, though audio-enabled chipsets from Intel are supposed to arrive late this year for the convenience.

Like many of DisplayPort's features, the products simply aren't there yet. The simple truth is that it's not ready, but if they didn't push it to market, they'd have no chance of winning the market share battle.
 
Stereoscopic support too?

Looks like the 3d revolution continues.
 
My HDMI/HDCP compatible video card for my HTPC (Asus EN9600GT Silent) has a connector/cable to the SPDIF digital output from the sound card.
My ATI Radeon 4670 in my HTPC does audio over HDMI (so audio is in the video card). There are also audio cards that have HDMI in/out ports to add audio to your video signal.
 
I'm not sure where you looked it up, but it's not true. There is zero electrical difference between DisplayPort and mini DP. Every feature is present and available in both connectors. The physical end of the cable is the only difference.

Now, there are currently no notebooks and to my knowledge only one or two desktop video cards that actually implement an audio link. The audio carriage is primarily for consumer electronics equipment, though audio-enabled chipsets from Intel are supposed to arrive late this year for the convenience.

Like many of DisplayPort's features, the products simply aren't there yet. The simple truth is that it's not ready, but if they didn't push it to market, they'd have no chance of winning the market share battle.

Sorry I suppose I did read incorrectly. I was basing that off of wikipedia:

Mini DisplayPort of Apple's 2008 MacBook line does not support audio.[citation needed] To connect a unibody MacBook to an AV receiver with a single HDMI cable, a Mini DisplayPort to DVI adapter, a Mini-TOSLINK (jack) to TOSLINK adapter, a Toslink cable, a DVI+TOSLINK to HDMI converter, and another HDMI cable (to connect the converter and the AV receiver) are needed. It is recommended to resynchronize the audio and video streams.

I suppose that is only one notebook line and not necessarily the port, as I said I'm pretty ignorant on the subject, but trying to learn. :p
 
By the way, the main AV switch in my system is a Sony 6400 ES, with 6 HDMI inputs (plus optical/coax/upconverted-component) cross-barred to two HDMI outputs. So I'm also in the camp that thinks that DisplayPort is a good thing - but too late, HDMI owns this space.

Maybe Apple doesn't want any Mac to connect to home video equipment? ;)

Isn't the key difference DisplayPort can be used for a Display of any resolution, format or bit depth with frame rate limited to bandwidth.

HDMI is limited to the configurations it supports sure it supports all the common media ones. It's to limiting to use for computer displays. It's like the difference between VGA and DVI-D.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.