Mac Mini w/ Big TV

macrules101macrules101
Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
Hello, I'm interested in getting a Mac Mini for my parents. They have a 51 " television. I was wondering if i could hook up the Mac Mini to the TV. If so what cables would i need?



My question about it being able to communicate to the TV, is because in the G5 you need a really high end graphics card just to fill a 30" screen.



Thanks in advance,



MacRules101

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 2
    karl kuehnkarl kuehn Posts: 756member
    Normal TV resolution is in about 500 lines the HD digital formats have 720 lines or 1080. Monitor resolutions have 800, 1024, 1280, or 1600. So the video card in a computer is always more capable than a TV can handle (even a cheap one).



    As to what you need to hook it up, well there you have two main options:



    If the TV has a dvi port, then you just need a dvi cable.



    If not, then Apple sells a S-Video adapter for the Mini that will allow you to use this connection.
  • Reply 2 of 2
    mikefmikef Posts: 698member
    If you're using the S-Video option, you'll get NTSC resolution (704x480) and NOTHING more.



    Don't expect using a TV as a display to be a usable option. Even HDTVs that claim HD resolutions do not resolve the full resolution. That is, none of them can actually display 1920x1080 pixels, they can REPRESENT this with some loss of detail.



    Unless the Mini is a HTPC for your parents, I would recommend that you rethink this idea.
Sign In or Register to comment.