Comments on: MacBook owners rejoice: Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapter soon

By: john martirano

john martirano — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 02:26:03 +0000

i’m having a problem with the MDP->HDMI adaptors from two suppliers (eforcity and PCT). When I have my brand new macbook pro 15″ plugged in with the mini displayport to dvi OR hdmi OR MDP->dvi->hdmi – I get intermittent problems as follows. After the computer goes to sleep and wakes up there are a variety of problems. Sometimes it recovers, sometimes it freezes and wont wake even after disconnecting the external monitor. Sometimes it cycles through black, blue and dithered looking screen in what looks like an attempt to match the display but it will do this endlessly. I may have finally gotten some success by using a mini displayport to rgb. But what is the point of having all this fancy and expensive hardware if we are back in analog RGB land?

Another possibly related problem – when I have an external monitor plugged in AND the audio jack plugged into my stereo – I get terrible noise on the audio line which ruins any movie watching experience. So basically this brand new MBP is useless for watching movies on my home entertainment system. Which is a real drag.

Ive been reading about problems similar to the 1st one but have yet to hear of the second one. Ive been trying every combination of adaptor and plug and power setting i can think of to troubleshoot this problem. I even have a 2 year old MBP with the older full dvi slot and it has none of these symptoms using the same external hardware and adaptors (excepting the mini displayport adaptor which obviously would not work with my older MBP)

Apple needs to step up to the plate and find a solution because external monitors are a must for many mac users. I have a full Apple Care plan along with my laptop all purchased only a month ago so im hoping that working with my local apple store will resolve these issues.

By: d-t

d-t — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 21:58:52 +0000

i mean my big problem is that messy thing with separating audio and video. it should be put together. thats hdmi for. and its not new…

By: d-t

d-t — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 21:56:58 +0000

im planning to buy a macbook pro but i’d need a blu ray writer and hdmi output to easily connect to my hd tv.
why no hdmi output instead of that dummy minidp or BESIDE that?
hdmi is the most common interface nowadays and blu ray drive for hd content also the standard. they are hand in hand at some laptom manufacturers like sony.
i’d buy a new(2010) model mbp if this 2 important thing would be adapted.
the big question is when? and why not already?
hmm?

By: Jr

Jr — Tue, 26 May 2009 11:32:37 +0000

I bought a Mini Display Port to HDMI and got it today!
Friggin awesome Plug in and Play!
Honestly only a tenner from Ebay Hong Kong!
Dangerous i know – but worth it!
Ive had no problems and have crystal HD shows on my Sony Bravia HDTV streaming from my MacBook.
SWEET!

By: Mike

Mike — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 19:20:27 +0000

Great to hear this adapter is finally coming out! To echo what Anthony wrote:

Will XP under Bootcamp recognize an external monitor using DVI?

By: Scott H

Scott H — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 15:51:28 +0000

I’m not the same Scott H as above =)

From their website:

(http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=104&cp_id=10428&cs_id=1042802&p_id=5311&seq=1&format=2)

———————————

Estimated Time Arrival: 3/27/2009

Max Supported Resolution – 1920×1080p, 12-bits / channel, or 12*3 = 36bits on all channels.

*NOTE* AUDIO: This adapter will support audio only if your source device allows audio output through the Mini DisplayPorts interface. If you’re not sure, please check with the manufacturer or website, to confirm if your device allows audio out through the Mini-DP interface.
———————————

Hope this clears up any confusion.

By: Ant

Ant — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 06:45:48 +0000

Mario,
Thanks for sharing the transcript from your chat with MonoPrice. Unfortunately, this is what I suspected. It’s unfortunate they couldn’t get audio to work, but I’m sure this is a fundamental Mini DisplayPort problem and not due to a lack of effort on their part.

MBP,
This could go either way. To the best of my knowledge, HDMI 1.3 can support resolutions of up to 2560×1600 while earlier versions top out at 1900×1200. It depends on what your device supports.

By: mbp

mbp — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 01:09:02 +0000

DO you know if the miniport – HDMI adapter will push resolutions higher than 1900×1200??

for example a 30″ dell screen?

By: Mario

Mario — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 22:27:04 +0000

Chat InformationPlease wait for a site operator to respond.
Chat InformationYou are now chatting with ‘TS – Howard H (Level 3)’
TS – Howard H (Level 3): Thank you for contacting Monoprice Tech Support. My name is Howard. How may I be able to assist you?
you: i have a question
you: i need to go from Mini Displayport to HDMI
you: how would i be able to do this?
TS – Howard H (Level 3): use PID# 5311
TS – Howard H (Level 3): we’ll get some in on 03/15/09
you: will it include audio?
TS – Howard H (Level 3): the mac’s won’t support audio on the video port.
you: so i will need to get a different cable to audio?
TS – Howard H (Level 3): yes
you: ok, thank you

By: Ant

Ant — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 00:13:38 +0000

Thanks for sharing, Scott! As much as I’d like to believe them, I’m not sure we can trust the word of a single tech support rep. I just tried contacting them myself and was told they have no information about the product whatsoever. The person I chatted with wouldn’t divulge anything further. Let’s hope the rep you talked to was right!

By: Scott H

Scott H — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 22:50:53 +0000

I just contacted Monoprice b/c I saw the adapater for the mini DisplayPort to HDMI on their site. I got on the live chat and according the Tech support person they moved me to, they DO have audio support (chat pasted below)…must be a separate audio cable then.

Chat transcript:

TS – Mr. Rene E (Level 1): Thank you for contacting Monoprice Tech Support. My name is Rene. How may I be able to assist you?
you: I saw that the mini DisplayPort to HDMI cable is on sale, and shipping on 3/15, but I want to know if it also includes an audio cable as well.

you: Or do I have to buy an audio on separtely. I didn’t see an image up there yet of the new cable

TS – Mr. Rene E (Level 1): unfortunately we have not received any yet, so we have not had a chance to test them out

TS – Mr. Rene E (Level 1): sorry for the inconvenience

you: but you’re selling them already. how are you selling them if you haven’t even seen them yet?

you: is there a manufacturer name that I can contact to find out if audio is availabe on it?

you: ?

TS – Mr. Rene E (Level 1): i just received confirmation from my supervisor and they do support audio as well

you: really? Awesome!

By: H

Sun, 08 Feb 2009 22:41:31 +0000

looks like monoprice.com has the adapter now. correct?

By: Juliana

Juliana — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 06:31:47 +0000

Thank you, Ivan.

By: Ivan

Ivan — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 19:27:52 +0000

I sent another message to monoprice and will report back with feedback. In the meantime, since I have the mdp to dvi, I might get the dvi to hdmi cable to see how it works on my hdtv.

By: mikel

mikel — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 00:03:10 +0000

Any news about the mini display port to hdmi adaptor?
I went to the applestore and they said it would proabely come out soon…

By: Perri

Perri — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 21:51:39 +0000

I read this article with interest of Apple coming out with a mini displayport to HDMI. I called Apple today to see if this was soon in the future…. and got an extremely rude representative who said there was no such thing or plan in place. Made me reconsider my choice of purchase (Macbook) if the customer service was so non-existent and full of ATTITUDE! I don’t want to be cabling up adapters for what should be a straight shot to my TV…and such a simple thing! I’m really disappointed in the proprietary “ports” and the additional cost which I consider a bit excessive. This is my first Apple laptop… lesson learned I guess.

By: David

David — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 01:48:38 +0000

Had a DVIxHDMI cable I used with a projector. Bought a MDP x DVI adapter from Apple store today and gave it a try to my new Pioneer 5020 over MDPxDVIxHDMI….which BTW is how I used to connect projector to my satellite box.

Works great. Picture is all digital so there’s no loss. As other poster pointed out, 1900×1200 is *yawn* for new MBPro.

I was watching an HD stream from Fox of 24 (Free by the way) and surfing on the MBPro’s screen at same time.

I’ve already dropped cable and was going to buy Tivo…now I may just skip that and use MBPro for everything until Apple releases new Mac Mini with same GPU.

Really, adapters aren’t a big deal, don’t know what the fuss is about.

By: Anthony

Anthony — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 06:21:16 +0000

Crap, I meant to write “MDP” instead of “DVI” the last 2 times. Apologies!

By: Anthony

Anthony — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 06:17:39 +0000

Ugh… I’m a long time PC user and have always flirted with Macs but held back because of this exact kind of situation. Do it the Apple way (be that using a rare open source standard or proprietary) or hit the highway. Oh yes, and pay through the nose for it! I was literally in the Apple store set to buy a Macbook Pro when I got to the section on Miniport adapters and started a new tab to figure out what I need (which led me to this discussion). And it’s sounding kinda ridiculous! I have all kinds of devices I want to hook this laptop up to… from a VGA monitor on my desk to a DVI monitor at work to a 50″ HDMI TV to a 27″ S-video/RCA TV at the cottage. And I need HOW many adapters? By the sounds of it, ALL of them (around $200)! And even with them all I need a DVI-HDMI adapter plus TOSLink cable for the TV (I’m not even sure the MacBook Pro has TOSLink since everyone keeps talking about miniplug). And for the older TV I think I’m plain screwed. Is there any way to get RCA or S-Video out? A major role for this laptop will be a portable way to play back media in a number of different locations (I’m also not thrilled about the lack of a BluRay option but that’s another topic) and I’m starting to wonder if this is the right laptop for the job. Will all this DVI stuff work with Bootcamped XP? i.e. Will XP under Bootcamp recognize an external monitor using DVI? I know, I know, XP sucks yadda yadda and chances are I won’t use it much but just a thought. Buying $200 in adapters for limited or restricted (e.g. S-Video) functionality is, to use an old term, lame. :) I guess my Macbook Pro will sit in the cart for a few more days while I ponder… again… if this is the right time to make the switch.

By: Sam

Sam — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 12:53:34 +0000

Hi, the point that I didn’t understand is for now if we use MDP to DVI and DVI to HDMI adaptors and cables we get the video playing on our HDTV with 1920*1080 pixels but without the audio isn’t it? So is it possible to get both video and audio and what should we buy for it?

Thanks for your patience and attention

By: Ant

Ant — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 16:49:31 +0000

Chris,

The MacBook Pro will support 1080p TVs with no problem. The size of the display doesn’t really matter – it’s the resolution that plays a role. Since 1080p is 1920×1080 pixels and the 30″ Cinema Display is 2560×1600 pixels, the 40″-50″ TV is actually easier to handle than the 30″ LCD.

By: Chris

Chris — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 01:28:01 +0000

Thinking of buying a macbook pro… Will the the computer and the cable configurations talked about here support a 40 to 50 inch 1080p lcdtv or just up to 30in like the apple site talks about? Thanks

By: Eric

Eric — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 23:38:32 +0000

Referring to Mighty 1’s comment:
1) Video only miniDP to HDMI (as you describe)

2) Audio and Video to HDMI. Imagine a little headphone plug dangling off the side and some type of circitry that can incorporate the audio stream into the HDMI signal (i.e. one side =hdmi, the other = miniDP & Stereo plug).

I’m not sure if this is possible, and I guess HDCP would probably be an issue…

Yes there is a cable that is DVI-D with Audio to HDMI with Audio not with the mini-DP not yet anyways…but it will be soon. Sometimes it is easier said than done it may sound easy but it would need alot of R&D and then Tooling and Cable Extruding, volume in the cables itself all comes to play with the amount of money a company would have to invest in. On the DVI-D to HDMI cable there is a 3.5mm or 2 RCA as your analog audio sticking out of the side and it will give a Full Digital 1080p resolution picture. Check out the website for a full detail and description at http://www.awgcables.com

By: wazz1

wazz1 — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:17:10 +0000

For any of you folks following this thread, or trying to go from macbook to your TV, I just bought a mini dvi to hdmi adapter ($15.85) and an hdmi cable from
http://store.pchcables.com/midvitohdad.html.

It works great, but you need a head phone to stereo audio jack to either your tv or stereo for sound

They have them in stock now Jan. 2, 2009