MiniDisplayportToHdmi
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Belkin's AV360 Mini DisplayPort Converter lets you play Xbox 360 on iMac, costs as much as an Arcade
If you're inhabiting one of those quaint, downtown studio apartments in which your sink, oven, computer, and toilet are all within reach of your swiveling desk chair, and if that computer happens to be a 27-inch iMac, we have good news for you. Belkin has introduced its AV360 Mini DisplayPort Converter, which takes an HDMI input at up to 1080p and squeezes it into a Mini DisplayPort connector at 720p for display on your iMac. It'll also push stereo audio through and is HDCP-compliant, so even protected content from your Blu-ray player will get by. The cost? $150, which is cheaper than getting a second display, but an awful lot for a converter box with a single input -- especially when MonoPrice has similar offerings (which admittedly lack audio and HDCP) for under $10. But, if you don't have room for anything else, this will fit in nicely with you and your minimalist/affluent lifestyle. Update: We got it wrong on the MonoPrice reference here. That adapter goes the other way!
New MacBooks support audio and video out of Mini DisplayPort
I recently faced an audio/video problem with my MacBook. I subscribed to the great MLB.TV service so that I could watch my Cubs games out here in Los Angeles. However, instead of just watching them on my MacBook, I wanted to actually watch them on my HDTV. My first solution was to go get a Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapter, but there was an issue; I would have had to figure out some way to hook up the audio since MacBooks, before yesterday's update, only output video over the DisplayPort. Audio would have needed to come through the headphones or the USB port separately. Fortunately, that problem is now fixed for new buyers; the most recent MacBooks, according to this support document from Apple, will send both audio and video out through HDMI as long as you've got a VESA compliant adapter (which most DisplayPort adapters are). Of course, I'd need to buy a new MacBook (which is much more expensive than just figuring out an audio solution), but at least the issue is fixed on the latest hardware. My eventual solution? I was saved by Sony, of all companies. MLB released a free app on the PlayStation 3 (which I have hooked up to my TV via HDMI as well) that lets me watch my subscription without the computer. That leaves my MacBook open for other tasks, like blogging, while I watch the game. Let's go Cubs! [via MacRumors]
MacBook refresh includes Mini DisplayPort that pumps out HDMI audio
When it comes to port standardization, Apple marches to the beat of its own drum... but in a rare show of leniency, the company's newly refreshed MacBook will throw home theatre aficionados a bone. Though Cupertino hasn't moved to actually include an HDMI-out (sacre bleu!), a new support document shows its Mini DisplayPort now provides an audio signal alongside the video feed. Should you move to purchase a VESA-compliant Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapter like the one Apple's apparently not selling, you'll finally be able to enjoy digital sound without dropping $70 for the privilege. Fancy that! Now we just need USB 3.0 ports -- placed on opposite sides of the machine -- a SATA 6G socket and a FireWire 400 port. What can we say? We're the sentimental sort.
Apple teases Mini DisplayPort to HDMI Adapter (update)
Wait a second, can it be true? Is Apple really caving to the pressures of supporting a socket that's used by pretty much every home entertainment owner ever? In the Tech Specs section that went up with this morning's MacBook Pro refresh, there's a fourth video output listed: "HDMI output using Mini DisplayPort to HDMI Adapter (optional)." That's the first mention we've seen of such a cable from Apple itself; to date, users have had to rely on third-party solutions in order to get an HDMI connector from the Mini DisplayPort. Of course, we're guessing those alternatives sold at Monoprice will best Apple's in terms of price, but as of now, the company has yet to even reserve a product portal within its store. Let's just go ahead and call it: $29.99, shipping in May. Feel better? [Thanks, Arnav] Update: Ars Technica has it that Apple actually won't be making its own adapter; instead, these new machines will simply support audio pass-through with the aforesaid third-party dongles. Glad that's cleared up!
Mini DisplayPort-to-HDMI adapter ships next month for under $15
Who says you need a knock-down-drag-out to determine whether your next component should have HDMI or DisplayPort? The forward-thinking cats at Monoprice have finally provided a ship date for the forthcoming (March 15th) Mini DisplayPort-to-HDMI adapter, which ought to help bargain shoppers out who have found themselves with a Mini DisplayPort-equipped laptop or graphics card. The best part? It's just $14.25 for one, and even less if you buy in bulk. How's that for fair pricing in a tough market?[Thanks, Charbs]
