Is there a difference between these two ports? I have the mid-2014 MacBook Pro and every cord is titled Mini Display Port (Thunderbolt Capable) when looking at thunderbolt to hdmi dongles & cords.
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Thunderbolt vs Mini Display Port
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The port is the same size and uses the same connector. They are interchangeable.
The only difference would be that display port cables cannot transport data whereas a thunderbolt cable can.
A bit of googling would've answered that question quickly.
Thanks for your answer. Google may provide answers, but with the lack of trust in the web I refer to MacRumors forms for answers.
Transporting data is the purpose of all cables. If your mini display cable doesn't transfer cable, then you were sold a string.
- Just be aware of the fact that Thunderbolt to HDMI cables or dongles don't exist. It's just not possible to convert one into the other.
All the cables and dongles are Mini DisplayPort to HDMI, and they can be used in a Thunderbolt port, since Thunderbolt carries a DisplayPort signal and the ports are identical.
mDP is strictly for video and audio connectivity. Thunderbolt can be used for all sorts of different things, like connecting external hard drives and other peripherals - even an external graphics card.
If you want to argue semantics, what you say isn't entirely true. Your power cable does not transport data, neither do the speaker cables in your home stereo (at least not in the sense of 1's and 0's). I believe you were not sold a string in either case.
I simply meant that AFAIK, one cannot go out, buy a MDP cable and expect it to work with say, a thunderbolt hard drive enclosure. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I recall reading that actual thunderbolt cables have a chip in the connector itself to communicate with such devices, which MDP lacks.
sure they can: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadband_over_power_lines
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Data doesn't need to be binary.
But in a meaning beyond semantics, you are of course right, that mini dp port doesn't transfer data in the same way, tb does.
I'm quite aware of that, but the one going from the wall to your powerbrick doesn't
So I could buy a mDP to HDMI cable and that would work instead of a dongle, is that the correct understanding?