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Minidisplay to DVI to HDMI to HDTV

T

tyreal

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 30, 2008
30
0
I did a search on this topic, but didn't find any conclusive evidence as to whether the new Macbooks (aluminum) can detect a HDTV connected via HDMI. It appears to work for some, and not for others.

Other notable facts:
1. As long as the display resolution isn't above 1920 x 1200 you only need a single adapter, not the two display adapter for 30" monitors.
2. Audio does not transmit with this setup and an additional connection is required through the audio port.
3. Minidisplay to HDMI cables are in the process of being manufactured, but not yet completed.

Anyway, please post your results.

Thanks!
 
I've got my MB AL connected to my 720p TV fine via a displayport > DVI > HDMI process. Only quirk I've noticed is that the resolution that it recognizes is incorrect - it sees 1280x720 rather than 1360x768.

The only other problem I'm having is that I can't get Front Row/QT to output audio in 5.1 but VLC does it correctly (this is via optical out). I have Perian installed but to no avail.
 
ebin said:
I've got my MB AL connected to my 720p TV fine via a displayport > DVI > HDMI process. Only quirk I've noticed is that the resolution that it recognizes is incorrect - it sees 1280x720 rather than 1360x768.

The only other problem I'm having is that I can't get Front Row/QT to output audio in 5.1 but VLC does it correctly (this is via optical out). I have Perian installed but to no avail.
Click to expand...

This is a stupid question but...optical out? I thought it was just a standard 1/8 audio port. Which cable are you using?
 
works great for me except i have minidisplay-DVI-HDMI except the DVI-HDMI is a 10 foot cable with HMDI in one end and DVI on the other.
 
tyreal said:
This is a stupid question but...optical out? I thought it was just a standard 1/8 audio port. Which cable are you using?
Click to expand...

Not a stupid question. You need a optical to 1/8 adapter and you're off and running.
 
ebin said:
I've got my MB AL connected to my 720p TV fine via a displayport > DVI > HDMI process. Only quirk I've noticed is that the resolution that it recognizes is incorrect - it sees 1280x720 rather than 1360x768.

The only other problem I'm having is that I can't get Front Row/QT to output audio in 5.1 but VLC does it correctly (this is via optical out). I have Perian installed but to no avail.
Click to expand...

I purchased a DVI to HDMI cable and connected it to my Panasonic plasma. I'm experiencing the same issue. It's detecting it as 720 instead of 768. The screen is cut off a bit at the top, bottom, and sides. Any fixes to this or workarounds?
 
Samsung TVs seem to be the ones having issues with connecting computers via HDMI. Samsung TVs in general seem to have HDMI issues.

So most people don't need to worry about it.

As for the resolution being 1280x720, you can chalk that up to OS X's resolution support.

Unlike Windows, OS X doesn't properly detect external displays resolution capabilities. It just gives you a choice. So you either have to deal with it or BUY an app like SwitchResX
 
mosx said:
Samsung TVs seem to be the ones having issues with connecting computers via HDMI. Samsung TVs in general seem to have HDMI issues.

So most people don't need to worry about it.

As for the resolution being 1280x720, you can chalk that up to OS X's resolution support.

Unlike Windows, OS X doesn't properly detect external displays resolution capabilities. It just gives you a choice. So you either have to deal with it or BUY an app like SwitchResX
Click to expand...

It's not OS X, it's more a Samsung issue. I've had problems with Samsung monitors on Sun workstations and other computers not running OS X.
 
Front Row does not output 5.1, this has been a known issue for a while and is why many people using the Mini as a home theater server use a different media player.

As for a mini Displayport to HDMI, it's possible but the signals are slightly different-it's not as simple as soldering up a couple of plugs to make an adapter. There is a wealth of info available online (Wikipedia etc) that details the signals present on HDMI and DisplayPort and outlines the differences. I just hope the adapters being manufactured don't degrade the signal quality.

I am connecting my new Macbook to my Vizio 32" 1080i TV and it works fine, but also does not detect the native resolution correctly-try SwitchResX.
 
NC MacGuy said:
It's not OS X, it's more a Samsung issue. I've had problems with Samsung monitors on Sun workstations and other computers not running OS X.
Click to expand...

The HDMI problem is a Samsung issue.

The resolution problem and not properly supporting external displays is an OS X issue.
 
ebin said:
I've got my MB AL connected to my 720p TV fine via a displayport > DVI > HDMI process. Only quirk I've noticed is that the resolution that it recognizes is incorrect - it sees 1280x720 rather than 1360x768.

The only other problem I'm having is that I can't get Front Row/QT to output audio in 5.1 but VLC does it correctly (this is via optical out). I have Perian installed but to no avail.
Click to expand...

mosx said:
Samsung TVs seem to be the ones having issues with connecting computers via HDMI. Samsung TVs in general seem to have HDMI issues.

So most people don't need to worry about it.

As for the resolution being 1280x720, you can chalk that up to OS X's resolution support.

Unlike Windows, OS X doesn't properly detect external displays resolution capabilities. It just gives you a choice. So you either have to deal with it or BUY an app like SwitchResX
Click to expand...

I have seen at least 3 samsungs hooked up VIA HDMI with native resolution (1360x768). There is no HDMI issue on samsung TV's as far as i can see.

However the HDMI spec for resolutions is either 1280x720 (720p) or 1920x1080 (1080p). 1360x768 is not part of the specification and so TV's don't have to support this resolution.

However most TV's include a DVI capable HDMI port (usually HDMI port 2 on Samsung) which allow you to use native resolution.

Also Mac OSX does detect the display. If i plug it into port 1 (HDMI only) i get 1280x720 but when i plug it into port 2 (DVI capable) i get the native resolution listed.

This is a HDMI limitation and not a OSX limitation.
 
HDMI hdtv connections are a big "bag of hurt" as Steve-O would say. Even on PCs and Xbox/PS3 consoles, etc, getting 1080p output is hit or miss depending on the brand AND model of the hdtv you've purchased.

I can confirm though that on my Samsung HDTV, which is the high end LED model, I get 1920 x 1080p output from my Macbook Aluminum with no problems. However, the sound doesn't go through the HDMI and instead comes out of my Macbook speakers making it pretty useless for watching movies, etc. I'm going through the Apple mini displayport to dvi adapter and then piping that through a dvi to hdmi adapter followed finally by an hdmi to hdmi cable.
 
tubbymac said:
HDMI hdtv connections are a big "bag of hurt" as Steve-O would say. Even on PCs and Xbox/PS3 consoles, etc, getting 1080p output is hit or miss depending on the brand AND model of the hdtv you've purchased.

I can confirm though that on my Samsung HDTV, which is the high end LED model, I get 1920 x 1080p output from my Macbook Aluminum with no problems. However, the sound doesn't go through the HDMI and instead comes out of my Macbook speakers making it pretty useless for watching movies, etc. I'm going through the Apple mini displayport to dvi adapter and then piping that through a dvi to hdmi adapter followed finally by an hdmi to hdmi cable.
Click to expand...

The sound isn't being passed through the DVI connector. If apple released a DisplayPort to HDMI converter then it probably would work.

Also most TV's have an optical/audio in, try connecting the optical out on your macbook to your TV this way.

I connect my speakers separately VIA optical and run my TV over VGA :)
 
TBi said:
The sound isn't being passed through the DVI connector. If apple released a DisplayPort to HDMI converter then it probably would work.
Click to expand...

I just slapped myself on the back of the head because you're absolutely right, DVI doesn't carry any audio information. I was thinking mini displayport to HDMI for some reason and forgot all about the dvi to hdmi adapter in the middle, whoops!
 
therocky said:
Gave up on connecting my MB to LCD TV with one cable. No audio over Mini DisplayPort.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mini_DisplayPort
Click to expand...

I wouldn't trust wikipedia there as it's inaccurate in a lot of things. The official DisplayPort specification includes optional audio support so there's still the possibility Apple could pipe audio through it in the future. Whether they do or not is anybody's guess, but it's not like DisplayPort can't do audio. Comparison of DisplayPort vs DVI vs HDMI abiities can be found here:

http://www.audioholics.com/educatio...-standard-v1.0/displayportdvihdmicompared.gif
 
tubbymac said:
I wouldn't trust wikipedia there as it's inaccurate in a lot of things. The official DisplayPort specification includes optional audio support so there's still the possibility Apple could pipe audio through it in the future. Whether they do or not is anybody's guess, but it's not like DisplayPort can't do audio. Comparison of DisplayPort vs DVI vs HDMI abiities can be found here:

http://www.audioholics.com/educatio...-standard-v1.0/displayportdvihdmicompared.gif
Click to expand...

I agree, we won't know about the audio capabilities until we get a MiniDisplayPort to DisplayPort/HDMI cable.

Interestingly enough DisplayPort doesn't support Analog. This might be why Apple made MiniDisplayPort. Imagine the uproar if you couldn't have VGA on your shiny new Apple?
 
I'm sure that's the next thing to be axed. The next Apple notebook line will need to have VGA missing so that instead of 56 page firewire posts we can have 56 page VGA posts :)
 
TBi said:
I have seen at least 3 samsungs hooked up VIA HDMI with native resolution (1360x768). There is no HDMI issue on samsung TV's as far as i can see.

However the HDMI spec for resolutions is either 1280x720 (720p) or 1920x1080 (1080p). 1360x768 is not part of the specification and so TV's don't have to support this resolution.

However most TV's include a DVI capable HDMI port (usually HDMI port 2 on Samsung) which allow you to use native resolution.

Also Mac OSX does detect the display. If i plug it into port 1 (HDMI only) i get 1280x720 but when i plug it into port 2 (DVI capable) i get the native resolution listed.

This is a HDMI limitation and not a OSX limitation.
Click to expand...

There are issues with Samsungs and HDMI. Go to some AV forums and you'll see for yourself. In fact, check out AVS Forums.

I've never been able to get OS X to detect the native resolution on my TV and I've been using VGA. It's just the fact that OS X does NOT support external displays properly.
 
mosx said:
There are issues with Samsungs and HDMI. Go to some AV forums and you'll see for yourself. In fact, check out AVS Forums.

I've never been able to get OS X to detect the native resolution on my TV and I've been using VGA. It's just the fact that OS X does NOT support external displays properly.
Click to expand...

OSX always detected the resolution properly for me. It even detected my VGA resolution of 16580x1050 on my Dell. I don't know what's wrong with yours.
 
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