Outputting DVI to HDMI input in LCD TV versus using the DVI to RGB ?

I am thinking of buying a mac mini to connect to a Toshiba 20HL85 TV in the lounge primarily to act as a "media server" and accessing Front Row for music, photo's, DVD watching etc. The question is which connection to use to go from the mini to the TV for Video (audio is fine as it will route into my AV Receiver)? The TV has an HDMI input, component video, s-video and a VGA port. The user manual for the TV says:
Note: The HDMI jack is not intended for connection to and should not be used with a personal computer. For PC connection, use VGA cable and connect to the VGA port. The VGA port allows the following resolutions:
Monitor Display modes:
VGA 640x480 60Hz
SVGA 800x600 56.3Hz
SVGA 800x600 60.3Hz
XGA 1024x768 60Hz
WXGA 1280x720 60Hz
WXGA 1280x768 60Hz
I wanted to know a few things as I have no experience with the MAC mini and HDMI:
1. Will I not get a better/crisper/sharper picture if I connect through a digital port like HDMI versus going through the VGA port?
2. I have checked a few LCD TV's user manuals and they all seem to say the same thing i.e. "Do not connect a PC to the HDMI port" - I fail to understand this when the Apple site specifically says under "accessories for the MAC mini" that "HDMI is electrically similar to DVI, but has a different physical connector that may include an audio signal. You’ll need a DVI to HDMI adapter, such as the Belkin PureAV HDMI to DVI cable to use these televisions".
3. What am I missing? Should I just go ahead and buy the DVI to HDMI cable and MAC mini and plug it in i.e. has anyone done this and had it work? Is it better than VGA (I would hope so)?
Bottom line is does the MAC mini connect to any TV with an HDMI port or are there different types of HDMI ports and hence I need to search for the right TV first? If so, what must I look for? Thanks for any help I can get.
Power Mac G5 Dual 2GHz Mac OS X (10.4.5)

One word of advice. I just hooked up my mini to my 32" Lowe HD TV using a DVI to HDMI cable and it doesn't just work. The native resolution of the TV is not available for whatever reason so I have to bodge another resolution which looks terrible. When I plug my powerbook in via a DVI to VGA connector it just does work selecting the correct resolution automatically.
Either the problem lies with the mini or with connecting to the HDMI socket. As the HDMI is simply a dvi with audio I can't see why it would cause problems but who knows. Given all the other problems I am currently having with the mini I am pointing the finger in that direction currently.

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X120e HDMI - 27" LED LCD @ 1920x1080 - how does the image look?

Hi All,
Since that my X120e is not compatible w/ my Dell 30" DVI-D dual link display, I'm about to invest in a 27" LED LCD w/ HDMI input. If you're using the X120e on a 27" @ 1920x1080 via HDMI too, may I ask how does the image look to you?
Can people even tell that all that images/video come from a lil' laptop?
I asked cos' as we all agree that X120e's built-in display is a lil' on the weak side, I wonder if this carries onto an external display too or not. Speaking of which, ever since I downloaded all latest drivers (as late as last night), my X120e's picture quality is now noticeably better, have you guys noticed this too? And I haven't even used Microsoft's picture calibration software yet cos' last time I used it, all grey areas looked pinkish.
Thanks.

Yeah, as ColonelONeill said, the picture qualities are independent.
Most likely, if you encounter any picture quality issue on the external, it's going to be due to picture options on that monitor itself (color temperature, brightness, contrast, sharpness, etc. etc.) that can be adjusted independent of any setting that the computer has. Any calibration tool software on the PC only adjusts how the data is sent out to the monitor in question. Hardware + Software calibration tools are considerably more reliable because they can take into account the settings on the monitor itself. Sadly one can't adjust the laptop's screen's settings itself.
If you're going to use the HDMI connection, don't forget to go into your Catalyst Control Center and adjust the overscan / underscan setting to get the image to fill up your monitor's screen. AMD sets the overscan / underscan option to default with a slight border around the desktop. This in turn can cause a sort of blurriness because the pixels on the monitor is not 1:1 to the pixels that the laptop is outputting (1920 x 1080 resolution being fit into a 1820 x 980 resolution with a 50 pixel black border, for example).
P.S. the Overscan / Underscan option only shows up in CCC if you have the device connected through HDMI.
For a compilation of most X120e issues:
Compilation of Lenovo X120e issues and solutions

Using the DVI output on a NX6200TC-TD card for HDTV projection TV

Hi,
I just got a new system on which I have the NX6200TC-TD video card. I am trying to use the DVI output with a DVI-HDMI conversion cable for my HDTV projection TV as a secondary screen. My primary screen is a small 15" LCD. I use teh "Clone" mode to have the same thing on both. Here are my two problems:
1- The picture on my projection TV is too large for the screen. The icons on the left are only partly visible, and I cannot see the toolbar at the bottom of the screen.
2- The picture is really blinking. I think this is becaused of the fixed 60Hz refresh rate?
I tried several things with the extended NVidia display settings. One problem I have is that I have difficulty to change the settings on one specific display. It seems like no matter what I do (like selecting the secondary display), the changes are applied to the primary display. Also, when I am using the HDMI input on my TV, I cannot change the display size on the TV (fixed to full screen).
The resolution on the LCD is 1024 x 768 and the HDTV is in 1080i mode. I tried all other HDTV modes, but it did not fix my problems.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Benoit

I see...
Another solution that would really help would be the ability to easily switch from one screen to the other. I have that on my laptop: special key shortcuts allow to turn off the LCD and turn on the external projector, and it uses pre-defined settings for each screen. Difefrent settings are possible because they are not on at the same time. Is there something like this available with that card? Would that be a card feature, or a system (motherboard) feature?
If that is not possible, I would be satisfied if at least I could fix the border problem on the HDTV screen, even thoughthe LCD screen becomes smaller. Is that possible? Basically I want to make sure I get a good picture on the large screen.
Thanks!
Benoit

Third Party LCD Monitors - using the DVI port.

More often than not, manufacturers of LCD monitors do not address the compatibility of their products with the Macintosh computer. If there is an entry regarding use of their monitor with the Mac, it shows the use of the VGA (analog) port or the need for an adapter. In nearly every case tested, LCD monitors having a DVI-D input port can be operated from the DVI-I port on nearly all Mac graphics cards. Recent testing with a *PM G4 MDD (NVIDA 9000)* and an *LG W2600H* monitor proved that the Mac desktop opened at full monitor resolution. Only drawback with using a non-Apple monitor is that now the CPU requires manual startup from the front panel button; which is often hit-or-miss on the PM G4.

I have never had that problem before and I just got a viewsonic 20 inch lcd studio type flat panel monitor.

Connecting an Xbox using the DVI to Video adapter to a Display

I have a second display (Vision 17'' TFT LCD Display) and I love using it with my Power Book using the DVI out. I also have a PC that shares this display through a VGA input port also on the display. Anyways, I want to use the display for my Xbox which has the three component cables. To do this, I was planning on using the "Apple DVI to Video Adapter" but Is this possible? I know it works if the signal is going out the DVI port to an external display but does it work in reverse? In theory I would have the Yellow video cable going to the adapter and the two audio cables going to a "Y" stereo mini cable into the audio in port on the monitor. Possible? Other ideas? Thanks.
-Daniel

no, it won't work. the adapter does not transcode any video signal, it simply connects the appropriate breakout to the analog lines that are already present on the Mac's DVI output, as per the DVI-* spec. unfortunately, it will not work in reverse.
someone at Microsoft has claimed that the 360 does support HDMI and DVI, but the cable is simply not available yet. I find this comment somewhat suspicious, because the demand IS there already, and there is a HUGE base of people waiting for this.
MS does support VGA output now, so you could use a 2x1 VGA switcher to share the VGA input between the PC and 360. I would also get a KVM that supports audio. there are lots of options out there and they do not cost too much money. Y'ing the input on audio is not a great idea, because depending upon the impedence of the ins/outs, you might get a gain/distortion/bleed issue.

I would like to extend the screen from my circa 2013 27in iMAC with thunderbolt onto my circa late 2006 imac using the DVI port on that iMAC. Is this possible? If not is there another approach I can use?

I would like to extend the screen from my circa 2013 27in iMAC with thunderbolt onto my circa late 2006 imac using the DVI port on that iMAC. Is this possible? If not is there another approach I can use? My 2006 iMAC is showing it's age but I figure I can use it as just a monitor just fine. Assuming I can connect the two together.

That older iMac isn't designed to receive video input through the mini-DVI connection. Only certain newer iMacs are able to be used as displays.
Your only options are to use something like ScreenRecycler mentioned above.
~Lyssa

Problem using the DVI to Video adapter

I am using a MacBook Pro. I am using the DVI to Video cable to connect my MBP to the TV. It was working fine and I was watching movies and videos. Suddenly I am having problem and its not working.
I hooked up the DVI to Video adaptor on the PC side . Black and white signal which is blurred/blocked/and modes across the screen. I tried playing with refresh settings, resolutions, etc but nothing is happening
Even in the display I am not able to see the NTSC
settings anymore. When it was working before the display changes automatically once i connect the adapter. But now it refresh but the display is not changing. currenly my display is set to 1440 * 900.
any idea why the display is not working, is it a driver issue.

Have you played with the "Mirror Displays" option in the arrangement tab?

I have an Apple MacBook Pro with 2 USB ports and a MiniDisplay Port. I also have an HDTV with a HDMI port. How can I use the TV as a display without any tethering wires between my computer and the TV?

I have an Apple MacBook Pro with 2 USB ports and a MiniDisplay Port. I also have an HDTV with a HDMI port. How can I use the TV as a display without any tethering wires between my computer and the TV? I have a MiniDisplay Port to VGA adapter, but there are two issues with it: The new display doesn't have a VGA port, and even if it did, I wouldn't want to have my mac constantly attached to the display by a cable. I was looking for a way to use the TV as a display without any wires. Is there some type of bluetooth setup I could use? Please let me know if you have any suggestions.

As I wrote above, I think you should look into the Apple TV yourself. The best place to find information about what it can and can't do and to ask your own specific questions is probably in the Apple TV forum, here:
https://discussions.apple.com/community/appletv/appletv

What is the optical output bit/sample rate of an Apple TV3 when using the wired network connection. 16/48 or 24/48.

What is the optical output bit/sample rate of an Apple TV3 when using the wired network connection. 16/48 or 24/48.

It doesn't matter what type of network connection it has its output is 16/48.

How can i use the DVI-VGA adaptor under this particular circumstance?????

I got a LCD only has DVI-I port, while as u guys has noticed, the MBP only got DVI-I too. So, my first thought is to get another DVI-VGA adaptor. What i'm doing is to hook up the VGA port then plug each DVI port to LCD and MBP. Well, the problem comes out that MBP was able to indentify the Monitor but no image apears on Monitor. How can i solve this problem? Or do i need to buy any other accessaries to configure my MBP in order to make it work with the **** Monitor!

Right. You don't need a DVI-to-VGA adapter to connect DVI-to-DVI, obviously. The included DVI-to-VGA adapter is not meant to connect to the external display/projector, but merely to give you the proper connection to connect the VGA cable of the display/projector. I give a lot of presentations, everywhere I go there is a long VGA cable (at the podium, conference table, etc.); the short adapter is nice because I'd rather not carry a long cable with me...

How to connect my MacBookPro to my old TV using the DVI port?

I would like to use my MacBookPro to play a DVD on my TV, and I don't know how to do it.
In fact what I want to do is to be able to send the DVD info to an external DVD recorder to copy a DVD from my friend's wedding. I have a Sony DVD recorder connected to my TV set and was planning on using that. Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated.
thanks,
Cibele

Hi Cibelej. Regarding playing DVDs on your TV, I would recommend getting a DVI to Video cable (~$19 from Apple store). Then, you can set your TV as a second display and then configure the Apple DVD player to play the DVD on the second display. Voila! DVD on your TV through your Mac. You will need to get a S-Video or composite video cable to hook from the TV (the yellow socket) to the adapter. Now, for the audio, you need a standard wire that has a 3.5 mm headphone jack at one end to plug into your audio out in the MacBook Pro and stero audio cables on the other end (they're usually white and red) to plug into the audio ins on the TV. I would recommend getting something like this, although it is a bit pricey. Of course, you can buy all the components individually (cheaper probably).
As for recording onto an external DVD recorder, I'm not too sure about this, but I would imagine you could take the video and audio cables (as described above) and instead of plugging them into the TV, plug them into the DVD recorder and then use the DVD recorder accordingly.
Hope that helps somewhat! Good luck.
800 MHz PowerBook G4 (Ti), 2.33 GHz C2D MacBook Pro Mac OS X (10.4.8)

How can I set up a second monitor using the DVI, a mini Displayport to dvi?

Hey guys,
In my office I'm trying to set up a mac with two displays, Samsung screensync sa450s, using a Startech MDP2DVIW mini displayport to dvi, and the DVI port found on the ATI Radeon HD 5770.
However, whichever monitor is plugged in through the mini displayport never shows video, and instead will just flicker sometimes, no matter which monitor I use, or which of the mini displayports i use. The system profiler recognizes both monitors, and has all of the specs on both monitors, but only the monitor connected directly to the DVI displays anything, even if it is the secondary monitor.
The StarTech does still work with the macpro that used to be in this spot, and the only salient distinction I can find is that the old computer has Mountain Lion, while the new one is still running Snow Leopard. Is this a case where we should just update the OS? or is there another fix?
I've also read online that many people have been not fully plugging in these mini displayports, so I'm worried that I'm doing that, but then I'd figure it wouldn't have worked when I plugged it into the old computer unless my predecessor had made some hardware adjustments.
Let me know.

A frequent solution to problems like the one you describe involves pushing in the Mini DisplayPort cable-end.
It should be inserted until essentially ALL of the metal end disappears inside the jack on the 5770 board.
Is this display wider than 1920 wide?
EDIT: The Startech MDP2DVIW adapter you cited is a passive adapter suitable for 1920 wide or less. You should be using ACTIVE adapters, about US$35. They cost a little more, but are much more trouble-free. The ACTIVE designation means they contain booster circuitry to raise the Voltage levels up to true DVI levels. The default converter produces good timing, but the signals are really low.

Leopard "kind of" detects my LCD TV, but doesn't work ( DVI-to-HDMI )

I recently bought a new LG 32" (32LG5000) and was hoping to hook it up to my laptop. When I connect the DVI-to-HDMI cable (DVI on macbook, HDMI on TV port), Leopard's screen turns "blue" for a sec, like if it was detecting/adjusting/whatever the external LCD, but simply returns to normal after that. External LCD continues with "No signal" message on-screen, Leopard doesn't show any new monitors, and I can't figure out the problem.
My TV has 3 HDMI ports, altough one of them is to be used on DVI-HDMI connections, and I've tried to connect to all three of them with no success.
Maybe the cable is faulty ?
My system is:
Macbook Pro 2.4Ghz C2D , 4GB RAM, Geforce 8600M GT

yes, 256 should be sufficient.
Many TVs do not 'autosense' which input is receiving a signal - you have to manually cycle through the available ports.
Verify the TV is set to the correct HDMI port.
(my tv has 2 different HDMI-in ports)
Your resolution is set to 1680x1050.
Check the TV manual to see if it supports that resolution.
It is also possible your DVI->HDMI adapter does not support a particular resolution. It should, but should and do are not always the same.
Does your TV have a standard DVI connector, and have you tried it?
Another thought - is the 8600 HDCP compliant? If not, then it's also possible the lack of HDCP on the card is preventing the image from going through the HDMI port on the TV, rather, the HDMI port on the TV is ignoring the input because it's not getting a valid response when it performs the security check.
I believe using the DVI port bypasses the HDCP compliance check.

Mac mini DVI to HDMI with Sharp Aquos 46' LCD TV

Hi,
I currently use my 2008 Mac mini on my Sharp LC-46X20 TV using the DVI to VGA adaptor and the TVs VGA input. I currently have the resolution set at 1280 x 768 at 75hz. The picture on the whole is fine, filling the screen perfectly. However, the text is not as sharp as I would like, looking slightly blurry and jagged around the edges, poor in comparison to my iMac.
I have been toying with the idea of getting a DVI to HDMI adaptor and connecting my mac mini to the TV this way.If so will this picture fill the screen AND solve my text problems? I have heard different stories, with some people having a nightmare and some people getting it to work fine.
Was hoping someone would point me in the right direction before I spent any cash on the DVI to HDMI adaptor.
Thanks
David

Just to update this:
Got my DVI to HDMI cable today!
Plugged it in, booted her up and was presented with a perfect 1080p HDMI signal without having to alter any display settings.
Fantastic!
In my display menu I have 10 resolutions to play with with , 3 of which are full 1080p, one is specifically for PAL tv in the UK.
Couldn't be happier!
Hope this thread helps anybody who is having any connecting woes between their mac mini and their sharp TV
Thanks
David

Mini-DVI to HDMI output to Philips HDTV not working with Yosemite

I've recently upgraded to the Yosemite OS, and was surprised to find out that the output to my Philips HDTV no longer works. I have a Mini-DVI to HDMI converter, which I then plug into the TV. Before the upgrade everything worked fine (I think I was running 10.7), however now it just says "Video format not supported". I've tried every video format too...nothing seems to work anymore. With my friend's Windows laptop direct output via the HDMI port to the TV works fine, so it's not a hardware issue.
The Philips TV is an 8000 Series HDTV and I've already checked for the latest updates, but it says the software is up-to-date.
Anyone have a similar problem or know of any solutions???
Thanks in advance!

I would contact Phillips and see if they have a solution.
Ciao.

Outputting DVI to HDMI input in LCD TV versus using the DVI to RGB ?

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