Kanex Mini DisplayPort Adapter will take your Mac mini to HDMI town
By Tim Stevens 
posted Oct 5th 2009 9:03AM
posted Oct 5th 2009 9:03AM
[Via The Unofficial Apple Weblog]
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Or, you could get this:
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=104&cp_id=10428&cs_id=1042802&p_id=5969&seq=1&format=2
I'd prefer digital audio, especially with my Mac Mini being used as a media PC.
Which is analog audio...
The one on Monoprice is not the same one as the analog device mentioned in this article. If you read the description of the item, you will see that it is digital (although not optical) audio. Not trying to start a flame war, just trying to clarify.
Well yeah... you are absolutely right.
But even as this IS digital... it is to quote the description "with USB's digitally synthesized audio and combines them into a single, convenient HDMI signal."
Which... if I am not mistaken... means that it does not transport a real 5.1 audio stream... be it DTS or whatever. Surely the description itself is a bit lackluster. The thing is just... if I were the manufacturer/reseller... and this WAS supporting 5.1+ audio... then I'd tell the people. This way it more or less screams 2.0 only...
Don't wanna start a flame war either... so feel free to correct me if I'm wrong... as I'm not certain in this case...
Not sure if it supports 5.1 myself, but being USB, that means it is acting as its own audio hardware, i.e. a completely separate sound card. So it could quite easily support 5.1 audio if they built it that way.
This was argued extensively at TUAW last week when this article was posted and it is not the same and the above mentioned cable is superior in every way.
Chris - 1 • Mike - 0
I don't know where the page went, but when that same item on monoprice was on pre-order (or coming soon, something like that) it said it only supported stereo audio. Still about $13 cheaper than the stereo offering in this article.
$70 adapter?!
Cheap compared to the Dual link DVI-mini displayport adaptor.
Apple needs to get off their high horse and start using the marketplace norms. Making arbitrary ports to feel "special" when something like HDMI (mini?) is out there is plain stupid. They're trying to be the company that "thinks differently" so I guess since all of their other hardware is from intel/ toshiba / nvidia this is the only thing that they can still do differently? Ask ANY mac user and they'll tell you that it's annoying to have to drop extra cash immediately after buying their mac just to be able to use it with EVERY OTHER PERIPHERAL OUT THERE. Apple - your customers already spend too much on buying your computer - stop stiffing them on ports!
oh, and the one port that they did break ground on (Firewire) they clogged up with licensing trying to milk money out of everyone else and it ultimately fell on it's face and died (to the general consumer)
do you realize that many of these converter cables have to pay royalties for different patents, copyrights, etc not only for the interfaces but also for the protocols that they use. If you've ever used a cheap HDMI converter or switch that didn't work then you've encountered this.
@phenoum
I don't think those words mean what you think they mean.
Apple uses industry standard ports. Did you think Apple pioneered display ports? Firewire? USB? Not since the days of ADB and ADP did they use their own ports and those are 2 isolated circumstances. Now they use standard ports FW, FW800, USB 2.0, DVI, HDMI and yes DP.
Why not use HDMI? More and more monitors accept the input, it is universal on all TV's sold today, and can be found as a standard feature on both low-end motherboards and video cards. How can Apple fans be happy with the DP option?
I do find the current Mac Mini setup a little frustrating for running through my amp. I bought a DVI to HDMI cable to fulfil the picture requirement and have to run an optical lead for the sound, two cables isn't a lot of mess but one cable would be easier. I have been waiting for this kind of solution to arrive...
When is this little beauty going to be available in the UK???
A fat chubby adapter that requires three inputs is not exactly one cable. Apple should have stuck the HDMI port there in the first place.
Agreed it is big, and indeed chubby, currently though I am using the mini display port to dvi (came with the mac), then a DVI to HDMI cable (a bit overkill, but it works and only cost an extra £5) and then the optical lead so I don't think in my scenario it would be any worse... I only use 1 of the 5 USB slots.
But does that integrate loss less digital audio into the cable? No? Hmmmm
Or you could just use the bundled DVI converter and work from there.
Unplug old mini, plug new mini in it's place.
I would be doing exactly that this morning except for the fact that my nv9400 mini needs a trip to the Genius bar.
Looks like a clean adapter. As long as it works better and does the job, it's a good price.
Man, that thing will occupy every available port on an Air.
well it is kind of all you need..
These adapters with so-called "analog audio" (the versions without SPDIF) connect to the Mac as USB audio devices, indicating they are USB sound cards. Could somebody please explain to me how this could possibly be analog? Last time I checked USB was pretty digital. Every news site seems to copy'n'paste this phrase from the developers' web sites but nobody explains what that actually means.
you sir are correct. I suspect that people are incorrectly associating "digital" to mean 5.1.
Does anyone know why Apple refused to allow audio through the Mini DisplayPort? If I remember correctly, MDP does allow audio so WTF Apple? It's not like the 2008/2009 models of the MacBook/Pro have a shit load of extra USB's so getting the one with USB is taking up half of the USB ports available.
Perhaps the chip set simply doesn't support it.
What exactly does one do with a "$70 chubby cable"? Would it cause permanent injury or just leave an expensive mark?
Didn't know these existed!
HDMI should come standard.
Which version?
They can't make up their mind.
Currently HDMI is far more limited in the max resolution that it can support, and you have to pay royalties to use it. Displayport (and mini displayport) is free to use with a lot less technical limitations. Apple just goofed when it left out audio over DP.
will the monoprice cable support 5.1? I really hope it does..save some $$$ Ok so Apple left out audio out of the MDP..get over it move on..its Apple are you surprised?
Oh by the way I freaking looooooooooove Monoprice...they keep shit real
Or Apple could get their head out of their ass; Yes, Steve, HDMI, BluRay, eSATA, and SDHC are not just "fads", so get with the damn program especially if you're going to charge an arm and a leg.
Thank you. Goooo pancreatic cancer, goooo!
http://cgi.ebay.com/Mini-DisplayPort-DP-to-HDMI-Adapter-For-MacBook-Pro-Air_W0QQitemZ370251250639QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item5634b1bbcf&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14
@phenoum
Apple is often a pioneer at pushing emerging technologies. I believe they were also one of the first to push USB in all lines of products, and they were definitely the first to eliminate legacy ports for USB in one of the iMac lines.
In the matter of Display Port, you can blame the manufacturers who are already looking beyond HDMI when it has hardly become the defacto mainstream port on computers.
Often, Apple gets emergent technologies wrong, but they sometimes get them right. The clean break can be a good thing after a short transition (such as dumping OS9 classic support even though it was still too soon for many when it happened). It forces the entire industry to keep moving forward as opposed to the continued Registry, DLL OS that someone else cannot seem to be able to leave behind.
mini toslink? seriously Apple? you couldn't find room for a normal one? even normal toslink is small. that's absurd.
i think most people are missing what this cable is specifically for -- that is getting the video AND the audio into the one HDMI output -- something those cheaper adapters won't do.
i can see there being a niche market for this -- such as people who only have HDMI input available for digital audio, or who want their audio and video on the same channel on their TV.
Can something like this be used from a iMac to get a HDMi feed with sound to our Samsung TV ?
I've been looking for solutions for some time but no luck...
I need an adapter like this one to transmit audio and video through HDMI, but from a mini-DVI port (my macbook, model mb404, doesn't have a displayport).
I FINALLY get a glass mini toslink cable (Wireworld Supernova 3.5mm) and 2 weeks later i read this. meh. Brain hurts. s'better than using the little cheap adapter on my optical though. Sounds better overall. less digital sounding. several times better than the USB audio cable they offer ( the ultraviolet, i haven't tried the starlite) http://www.computeraudiophile.com/content/Wireworld-Supernova-6-Glass-Toslink-Digital-Cable
Just got mine in the mail. It was glorious for all of two minutes, I had HD and sound through my HDMI. Two minutes later the sound quit and the light on the unit went out. It was very warm to the touch, not sure if that is unusual or not. Looks like I'll be returning this, not sure if I should bother having another unit sent out or just get my $70 back.