Video input/ iMac display as monitor

Hello everybody,
I have got a feature request for future releases of the iMac series. I think I would not be the only one appreciating a solution to use an iMac's display as monitor for other computing devices such as the Mac mini or older PC-hardware. In my opinion this video input would not have to be more than another little port at the back of an iMac. This could be solved with a mini-port like it is now with the mini-DVI.
When trying to find a way to use my iMac that way I only found this vnc solution which requires a network connection between both devices but I also found many posts asking for a solution like my proposal.
Please let me know what you think of it! Thanks in advance!

It's not that easy. Providing a direct input to the monitor would require quite a bit of additional circuitry. I think that the cost of providing such in input would be unjustifiable when considering the small percentage of iMac buyers who would use such a feature. But you can suggest it to Apple here:
http://www.apple.com/feedback/imac.html
For a workaround, perhaps Screen Recycler would work for you.

Similar Messages

IMac Display as Monitor for PC

I have an iMac 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2 GB RAM, OS X 10.6.2 and an old Dell Pentium III 933 MHz which I would love to somehow connect together. I am considering to install Linux on my Dell and use both computers for different reasons. I wonder if I would be able to use my iMac like a monitor for the old PC.
I have come across the following discussions but it seems that they don't cover my case, i.e., an old Dell that does not have a port for a display port.
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2246912
Any suggestions and thoughts would be most appreciated.

Ron-
There are more details here--
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2205633&start=30&tstart=90
--but the basic problem is that you need a DisplayPort signal to drive the iMac monitor. You can convert a digital DVI output (or HDMI which is the same thing with audio and a different physical connector) to DP format with an expensive converter, but there is no way to convert an analog VGA signal to DP format. The cheaper but more complicated solution for a PC with DVI output, and the only solution for one with VGA output, is to replace your video card with a DisplayPort or Mini-DisplayPort card. Mini-DisplayPort has the same signal but a smaller physical connector.
This was not actually Apple being arbitrary: DisplayPort is more efficient and less expensive than DVI/HDMI because it dispenses with a lot of the conversion hardware needed for that format. Therefore Apple couldn't provide DVI/HDMI compatibility without increasing the iMac cost substantially.
-JAFDC

Use dead iMac Display as monitor?

I have a dead iMac (mobo fried) and was wondering if there is any way I can extract the display panel, and use either a bought or DIY/hacked adapter to use it as a standard monitor.

K Shaffer wrote:
This topic has been well-played here; the replies
given to several inquiries have been researched.
I'm not an expert, only having owned, repaired &
donated to charities, some 140 Macintoshes.
And I've not been heavily into dissecting my four
iMac G4 computers with 17" LCD displays. But
I do know the computer with a failed logicboard
will not support the display; the graphics or video
processor is integrated, and the panel has only
a few of the necessary support circuits with it
above the chrome arm in the panel's case.
There are a few ways of integrating a different
fully self-contained display into the dead iMac
case and perhaps use the existing LCD or an
other LCD and put additional circuitry into the
base of the iMac G4 instead of the dead LB.
And the earlier reply was essentially spot-on.
Other discussions on this topic are most likely
to be found in the proper forum for iMac G4,
Apple - Support - Discussions - iMac G4 flat panel:
http://discussions.apple.com/category.jspa?categoryID=137
Later G5 & Intel-based iMac cases could be
used, empty, to support an entire complete
display of similar size; and the circuits likely
would fit if the case had room enough, empty.
An apology would be in order, if you came in
to a retail establishment and talked to a tech
with a determined to fail attitude like that.
Good luck & happy computing!
{edited to add correct iMac G4 forum link}
My attitude was like that because i know what I am talking about. I now it is not a display. That is what bugged me. he talked to me like I had no idea what I am talking about. he also did not provide an answer like you that was well thought out and seemingly well researched, he said "I guess." I will, and have accepted, that this is not really possible. It was not his answer, it was his attitude towards the question. and just a BTW, I am talking about the intel imac. The white one, not the g4.

No video input for external devices on iMac 24" display???

I got a 24" iMac a few days ago and love this thing. (Was in PC **** for last 30 years...) But one thing I am disappointed in is that there appears to be no video input to display video or to video capture. Is the only way to display video from an outside source by using a USB video capture device? For example, if I have a cable box or game console I want to display on the monitor, how can I do that? Seems silly to need to use a capture device to simply display video. Please let me know if there is simple way to do this. Thanks!

I don't see how using a camcorder would help especially although it would be technically possible to use it as a bridge between other devices I can't see how it would be worth your while.
Obviously not speaking from experience since almost all if not all DV cameras have passthrough, and feed video into a mac via firewire from the analog audio and video input port on the DV camera. They have been used for ages as decks (and are many times cheaper than DV decks) and as converters vs. buying a Canopus box etc., which are basically the same thing.
The EYE TV 250 does the same thing with a USB connection and its own software but for the myriad of DV cam owners the passthrough is a fine idea.

MSI GF4 Ti4200 Video-in/capture on secondary monitor.???

Hi,
I have an MSI Ti4200-VTD8X (dual head, Video I/O). I am running it in dual monitor setup. When i try to view the video input on the secondary monitor i get the message:
"due to limitations of your computer's display device, this video can only play back on one of your monitors. please move the video window completely onto that monitor"
Does anyone know if this is a driver problem? or really it is a limitation with the card?. though i do not know why would the card be able to view the video capture window on one monitor but not the other?.
Thank you for any help you can provide.
L.
P.S.: system:
MSI T14200-VTD8X 128m
ASUS A7v8x Mobo
512M RAM
Win XP

Yes, I am using NVidia's nView as well as their WDM drivers. my dual monitor support seems to work fine.
Only if i want to see video input feed using something like win_DVR or Win_VCR or even Win_Producer that i get this message if the software/input winodow was on the secondary monitor.
Any help would be appriciated :D
L25

Can I input MacMini server thunderbolt video into IMac minidvi port?

I have a new MacMini server with Thunderbolt video output, and a mid 2010 27" IMac with minidvi external video input.
I have used the IMac as a monitor for my Mac Pro with good results for over a year.
My understanding from the Apple web site is that Thunderbolt video will drive a current model 27" LED Cinema display with minidvi input, so long as the monitor is the last item in the thunderbolt chain.
I have been unable to get the thunderbolt video from my Mac Mini to drive the minidvi external video input on my IMac.
Am I doing something wrong? The monitor is the last (and only) item from the thunderbolt output on the MacMini server.
I continue to struggle with the disparate apple video standards, but need the ability to occasionally use the IMac in its external monitor mode, as opposed to remoting in to the MacMini server across the network.
Any help appreciated.

My Bad...
MiniDisplayPort is required, and this is what I have.
I believe that I finally solved the problem after getting through to a tier 2 Apple tech.
It does work, but there are several caveats:
1. Both machines are required to be on before connecting them.
2. This mode will support Windows 7 in boot camp, but you are required to connect the two devices in OSX, be certain the video is displayed on the monitor which is in Target Display mode, and then reboot the source machine to boot camp.
3. The MiniDisplayPort is the required cable, even though the source machine might use thunderbolt.
Thanks....

IMac G4 video input?

hello!
I would like to ask does iMac display support video input? Like TV box or PC video output? Which means I can use iMac just as a normal LCD monitor.
Currently I only got an old laptop in my place, I would choose to by an iBook + LCD monitor if the answer is not.
Sorry for my poor English and thanks for the answer!
Regards,
ED

No, the iMac display can't be used with any other device. It can't be used as a stand alone monitor.

Late 2009 iMac Mini DisplayPort video input

Supposedly you can connect a video source to the MDP port, rather opposite of it's traditional use on older models. I see no option in System Preferences - displays that mentions switching to this new input. Does the Mac auto sense a signal here and switch to in automatically? Does the manufacturers of MDP to HDMI adapters have anything to say if their devices work bidirectionally? And if they do support joined audio over HDMI like some do, then again do they do that bidirectionally. Of course this is a Apple forum and Apple moderators can't speak about 3rd party products, but they could tell us how video in would work from either a setup TV tuner box or a blu-ray player.

This is a user to user forum. There is no moderator participation explaining anything, just we users are here for that.
Many things about Macs are auto-detected by them and when detected the appropriate preferences appear as if by magic. Someone with a new iMac who has successfully connected to an input source would be able to say definitively if the preferences change.
As for what can be hooked up to the port and used, most of the adapters of which you refer are uni-directional, designed for video output only. Apple states explicitly in the webpages describing the new iMacs and their features that the port accepts a signal from another device with a mini-DisplayPort only. So if you have a Mac laptop with a m-DP you can hook it to your new iMac as the monitor with a m-DP to m-DP cable. Apple sells one made by Belkin in the Apple Store.
The other thing about the m-DP is that is does not carry audio. So the idea of hooking it up to a Blu-Ray player is still just a hyped idea. However, it appears that Belkin is developing a black box to facilitate this idea. Earlier in the week some folks here in the forum linked a Belkin website page with an HDMI to m-DP adapter to convert an HDMI signal to m-DP input. Later this week Belkin took down the page, so perhaps it is not yet ready for production and sales! On one side is an HDMI input. Coming out the other side is both a m-DP and a USB port. I think that the black box separated the signal into audio, to send to the Mac over USB and video, to send to the Mac over m-DP. The USB port could also supply any power the box may need to its job.
Dah•veed

Is there any way to turn on Video Mirroring if my iMac display is FUBARed?

Okay, my iMac display is permanently frakked.
Nothing else is wrong with the system (the tech assured me, anyways). Haven't yet used Firewire Target Mode to check yet.
Regardless, I have all the proper cables and adapters--and external VGA monitor--but no way (that I know of) to turn video mirroring on.
If I can't get an external display working, I'll be out either $900 to repair the display or $3000 for a completely new system.
Ideas?

Tried it and no go.
Not sure what's wrong.
Connect the VGA cord to the Mini-DVI-to-VGA adapter
Connect to external monitor.
Boot up iMac with adapter attached. Cmd-F1. Nothing.
Boot up iMac with adapter unattached, attach after boot is finished, Cmd-F1. Nothing.
Repeat, using a different USB port for my keyboard. Nothing (x2).
Repeat again, using a third USB port for my keyboard. Nothing (x2).
If I'm not doing anything wrong**, I can only conclude the techie was incorrect and there is something else besides "just the display" that is wrong with the iMac.
**Is the monitor even connected correctly if I continuously get a "no signal" message? Or is that only because the mirroring isn't enabled?

Digital Input Cannot Display this Video Mode Optimum Resolution 1280 x 1024 60hz.

HP Pavilion h8-1360t, Windows7 home premium 64-bit, AMD Radeon HD 7570 graphics card.
error message: Digital Input Cannot Display this Video Mode Optimum Resolution 1280 x 1024 60hz.
I get the error message as soon as Windows opens and the desktop displays. Then it goes black with that message. I've been using the computer for awhile and I had it so that when I maximized a window it would go across both screens. I have two monitors on the graphics card. Somehow I changed the settings so that a program would maximize to one monitor or the other. That is how I want it to work. Maybe I activated HydraVision. Now I have the problem when I start.
Also now when I boot to Safe Mode I get the message that there is no AMD graphics driver installed, or it is not functioning properly. I have tried to update it and the computer tells me I have the most recent version installed. I would like to uninstall it and reinstall it, but I'm a little worried I won't get it installed and be without video. Something like that happened to me once before years ago.
Could someone tell me what I should do please?
Thanks,
Jim Allen

HP support is here:
http://www8.hp.com/us/en/contact-hp/contact.html
In safe mode you should uninstall the driver, then try to boot normal again.
Then check if driver was installed by win7.
If not go go AMD website and download latest driver for your card.
V.
*** Say 'Thanks' with Kudos ***

Does apple have any products to facilitate video input on iMac 27"?

I want to input video to my iMac 27". I assume you can add a display port video card to a pc, what about VGA and hdmi support? Has apple addressed this? I know there was the belkin av360, apple doesnt like It anymore?

The iMacs support Video Input since iMac mid 2009 i have Play Station 3 connected on my new 27" iMac mid 2011. Im using the Belkin's HDMI to MiniDisplay Port Adaptor (It is only posibble to use the "DisplayTargetMode" from iMac-OtherMac, you have just to press cmd+f2) For all the other devices you will need an Adaptor cuz' otherwise u won't be able to input at all, or you will not be able to use High Resolution hope this helped ppl, gl.

Can I use iMac display as an external monitor with a pc?

I have a Windows laptop with VGA output. Can I connect this laptop's VGA output to mini display port of my 27" iMac?

This can't be done. VGA is an audio signal and there are no converters to turn it into a digital Display Port (DP) or Mini Display Port (MDP) signal. DVI and HDMI are digital signals (with HDMI having audio and a different physical connector) that can be converted into an MDP signal, but doing so requires an expensive converter or an even more expensive converter and scaler if you want to get full resolution on the target display. The cheaper but perhaps more complicated alternative is to replace your PC video card with a DP/MDP card after which you should be able to drive the 27" iMac display without any converter. Apple didn't include DVI/HDMI input capability in the 27" iMac because that would have required additional circuitry that would have raised the price substantially.

Thunderbolt display : Video input into thunderbolt port?

Hi,
I've got two major questions about the Apple thunderbolt Display :
- Can the thunderbolt port located on the back of the display be used as an video input?
. Is it possible to plug a second mac equiped with a thunderbolt port to this port?
. If it's possible, how does the display manage to switch between the two macs?
- Is it possible to plug an external HDMI source such as Blueray reader, Play station, etc. with an "hdmi - mini display port" cable?
Thank you very much for your answers !

I can confirm that the Thunderbolt Display will work when plugged in to the 2011 MacBook Pro 15" and a 2011 Mac Mini Server connected via Apple's Thunderbolt cable. When both systems are connected to the monitor, the display will always prefer the system connected to its display port, when it sleeps or is powered down, the other system detects the available display and connects to it automatically. I can't imagine a more ideal sinerio!
Thank you Apple!
Jason
Nerds Limited

Does the late '09 24" iMac minidisplay port allow for video input as well as output?

Greetings,
I own a 24" 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo iMac with the Nvidia 9400 card. It's nearing the end of it's gaming life but I still want to use it for everything else after I get my new tower. Everything I can find in reguards to using an iMac as a monitor for a different computer references the 27" iMac one model newer than my current computer. Is the minidisplay port on my machine able to accept an input or am I forced to get a subpar monitor for my 2nd machine? Thanks!
~Dan

Only the 27" can be used in target display mode.

Is the new imac's thunderbolt ports allows video input?

For the last imac, the tech specs says the mini display port could be used as a input (which output device has to be supporting display port).
In the new imac tech specs.... i couldn't find any thing about video input, only about that the 2 thunderbolt could be use as video output.
So would i be able to use it as a screen?
Also, i wanna connect my ps3 and use the imac as a screen!
(It's a fantastic full HD screen~)
I have seen sth like this "PS3 and LED Cinema Display Solution (also DVI to Mini DP) - MacRumors Forums"
and it just cost too much that is enough for me to get a new screen!
So if the new imacs have video inputs.... than tht means this thing "Connecting A PlayStation 3 To Your iMac « Being BigMacky " will work!
Well the adapter cost me only 150 bucks~
The problem is..... does the thunderbolt ports could use it as an video input?

So seems like, the popular Kanex XD and Belkin HDMI to Mini Display Port adapters would not work for the current imac generation.
This is what I got from the Kanex company:
"Question:
So i suppose this does not work on the latest imacs (released a few days ago)?
Answer:
Our Kanex XD requires modification to work with the new thunberbolt iMac
27-inch.
We are under development of a newer version. Please look out for an
announcement soon.
In the mean time the Kanex XD still works for iMac 27 2009-early 2011 and also the LED Cinema Display 27-inch. "
This means there will soon be 3rd party developer creates a new signal converter (which is definitely a good news)
but i won't get the imac until the converter/adapters is released..... i really nedd this feature man!

Video input/ iMac display as monitor

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for