Mini DisplayPort to DVI adapter does not output video to new iMac

Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
As Apple unleashed a number of new hardware options last week, including the new iMacs, the hardware maker also quietly dropped the prices of additional RAM and processor upgrades on its MacBook Pro line.



Numerous readers contacted AppleInsider to note that high-end MacBook Pro configurations have dropped hundreds of dollars in price -- in some cases near $1,000.



In addition, the Australian online store, as of Monday, cut prices on MacBook Pros by up to $700 AUD. The 17-inch model, which previously sold for $3,999 AUD is now $3,299.



For other MacBook-related deals, be sure to visit the AppleInsider Mac Pricing Guide, updated daily with the lowest prices on Macs.



Comments on DisplayPort input originally appearing in this article were corrected and clarified and moved to a separate posting.
«134

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 63
    teckstudteckstud Posts: 6,476member
    Oh well , back to the drawing board and this time add a Blu-ray, HDMI, and a better iSight camera. \
  • Reply 2 of 63
    dreyfus2dreyfus2 Posts: 1,072member
    Hm, strange wording... adapter names clearly identify the supported signal flow: a Mini-DP to DVI adapter is not necessarily also a DVI to Mini-DP adapter. As long as the existing Mini-DP to DVI adapter can be used to connect an external display to the iMac, it is not "incompatible" ? it just does not do what it is not intended for.
  • Reply 3 of 63
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    Apple's new 27-inch iMac and its 16-by-9 ratio screen is currently incompatible with devices not equipped with a Mini DisplayPort, limiting its capabilities as an external display.



    In a follow-up to its teardown of the 27-inch iMac last week, iFixit said it revisited the new hardware to see if it could display high-definition video from an external source. The solutions provider said their test came up short with third-party hardware via an adapter.



    "The iMac will not act as a second (or primary) display using the Mini DisplayPort to DVI adapter that Apple sells," they said. "We tried it on a PS3 Slim, as well as a MacBook and MacBook Pro. It looks like we'll have to wait for a special adapter from Apple or a third party."



    The connection did, however, work with a 13-inch MacBook Pro equipped with a Mini DisplayPort. Upon plugging the system in, the iMac immediately became a secondary display without the need to click Command-F2.



    The new 21.5-inch iMacs do not support video input.



    When iFixit looked inside the new 27-inch iMac last week, they found a tightly packed machine concealed behind the desktop's 11-pound screen. The new hardware features edge-to-edge glass and can be outfitted with a quad-core Intel i5 or i7 processor.



    When the system is turned on, the new iMac is designed to work as an external display for appropriate devices. All of Apple's recent Macs, from its notebooks to the iMacs and Mac mini, use a proprietary Mini DisplayPort connector.



    Apple's existing Cinema Displays, however, lack Mini DisplayPort inputs. The 24-inch model uses a combined cable that pairs USB, Mini DisplayPort, and power into a single wiring harness.







    MacBook Pro RAM, processor prices drop



    As Apple unleashed a number of new hardware options last week, including the new iMacs, the hardware maker also quietly dropped the prices of additional RAM and processor upgrades on its MacBook Pro line.



    Numerous readers contacted AppleInsider to note that high-end MacBook Pro configurations have dropped hundreds of dollars in price -- in some cases near $1,000.



    In addition, the Australian online store, as of Monday, cut prices on MacBook Pros by up to $700 AUD. The 17-inch model, which previously sold for $3,999 AUD is now $3,299.



    For other MacBook-related deals, be sure to visit the AppleInsider Mac Pricing Guide, updated daily with the lowest prices on Macs.



    From iMac Technical Specs:

    27-inch models also support input from external DisplayPort sources (adapters sold separately).
  • Reply 4 of 63
    errrr. I was actually hoping that we could hook up a PS3 to it. If Apple does release an adaptor, it is bound to be expensive. =/
  • Reply 5 of 63
    woodewoode Posts: 67member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    All of Apple's recent Macs, from its notebooks to the iMacs and Mac mini, use a proprietary Mini DisplayPort connector.



    Um, no. It's not proprietary any more. Says Wikipedia: "On January 13, 2009, VESA announced that Mini DisplayPort would be included in the upcoming DisplayPort 1.2 specification."
  • Reply 6 of 63
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by kavlo26 View Post


    errrr. I was actually hoping that we could hook up a PS3 to it. If Apple does release an adaptor, it is bound to be expensive. =/



    There are cheaper alternatives out there. Whether they're any good or not, I couldn't say.



    http://www.monoprice.com/products/pr...seq=1&format=2
  • Reply 7 of 63
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by dreyfus2 View Post


    Hm, strange wording... adapter names clearly identify the supported signal flow: a Mini-DP to DVI adapter is not necessarily also a DVI to Mini-DP adapter. As long as the existing Mini-DP to DVI adapter can be used to connect an external display to the iMac, it is not "incompatible" ? it just does not do what it is not intended for.



    Exactly. If there is any buffering or signal conversion going on in the adapter, it will not work in the reverse direction.
  • Reply 8 of 63
    teckstudteckstud Posts: 6,476member
    If it had an HDMI there wouldn't be any of these issues. Why is Apple so cheap? It more than a computer now- it's a monitor too.
  • Reply 9 of 63
    chuckerchucker Posts: 5,089member
    A DisplayPort display can't magically convert a DVI signal? Gasp.
  • Reply 10 of 63
    dr_lhadr_lha Posts: 236member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by daniel84 View Post


    There are cheaper alternatives out there. Whether they're any good or not, I couldn't say.



    http://www.monoprice.com/products/pr...seq=1&format=2



    Did you not read the article? Those will not work.
  • Reply 11 of 63
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by dreyfus2 View Post


    Hm, strange wording... adapter names clearly identify the supported signal flow: a Mini-DP to DVI adapter is not necessarily also a DVI to Mini-DP adapter. As long as the existing Mini-DP to DVI adapter can be used to connect an external display to the iMac, it is not "incompatible" ? it just does not do what it is not intended for.



    They could have specified when sending incoming signals to the iMac.





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by anilsudhakaran View Post


    From iMac Technical Specs:

    27-inch models also support input from external DisplayPort sources (adapters sold separately).



    No need to quote the whole article.





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Woode View Post


    Um, no. It's not proprietary any more. Says Wikipedia: "On January 13, 2009, VESA announced that Mini DisplayPort would be included in the upcoming DisplayPort 1.2 specification."



    True, but since DisplayPort v1.2 has not come out yet, I think an argument can be made that it?s still proprietary.
  • Reply 12 of 63
    There is no error in apples design regarding the mini display port on the 27 inch iMac. This inclusion has been incorporated to control what devises apple wants you to buy.It is understood that most people desire to marry the iMac to a devise so that it may be used as an external monitor. Belkin will provide such a device in mid January. Price is not set. Might I suggest not buying an apple computer until this is confirmed. External devises such as the PS3 or Xbox 360 may be on the mind of Belkin in their design layout of devises.
  • Reply 13 of 63
    mactrippermactripper Posts: 1,328member
    Does Apple have some sort of lack of foresight and planning problem?



    Is this confusion intentional? What does Apple think people are going to want to do?



    It must be madness in Cupertino HQ.





    Quote:

    Numerous readers contacted AppleInsider to note that high-end MacBook Pro configurations have dropped hundreds of dollars in price -- in some cases near $1,000





    I suspected this was about to occur. Apple faces a real threat from Windows 7 and needs to gain as much market share as possible before Microsoft leverages it's business dominance into the consumer/educational space again like before.





    I don't see any price difference though...
  • Reply 14 of 63
    teckstudteckstud Posts: 6,476member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by apsynknod View Post


    There is no error in apples design regarding the mini display port on the 27 inch iMac. This inclusion has been incorporated to control what devises apple wants you to buy.It is understood that most people desire to marry the iMac to a devise so that it may be used as an external monitor. Belkin will provide such a device in mid January. Price is not set. Might I suggest not buying an apple computer until this is confirmed. External devises such as the PS3 or Xbox 360 may be on the mind of Belkin in their design layout of devises.



    So Apple is now dictating what external devices you may/may not add to your $2,000 plus monitor?

    Preposterous!
  • Reply 15 of 63
    teckstudteckstud Posts: 6,476member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by MacTripper View Post


    Does Apple have some sort of lack of foresight and planning problem?



    Is this confusion intentional? What does Apple think people are want to do?



    It must be madness in Cupertino HQ.



    No, just greed.
  • Reply 16 of 63
    nagrommenagromme Posts: 2,834member
    I think it’s very important to rush to an assumption about this issue, and NOT wait for actual technical details It’s possible—only possible—that this limitation is actually not going to affect 98% of users, and thus has little potential to boost Apple’s profits. In which case, it MAY not be greed at work. Let’s be sure to state that it IS greed before further information (and adapters) are available
  • Reply 17 of 63
    floccusfloccus Posts: 138member
    Why are people complaining about not being able to hook up a PS3 or the like to a $2000+ COMPUTER?! Apple didn't have to go and add any display input, so stop whining that they didn't give you what you never had in the first place. If new devices (BluRay players, etc.) come out w/ Displayport or mini-Displayport then fine, hook them up, but how many of you already have a HDTV that's at least 30"+?



    And mini-Displayport isn't proprietary. Apple announced they were submitting it as an additional open standard when they announced they were using it. Any component manufacturer can make/use it right now if they want. The fact that few have doesn't make it proprietary.
  • Reply 18 of 63
    I just got in the mail my PTC Premium Mini DisplayPort to HDMI Adapter cable from Amazon, to try my Blu-Ray player on the 27" iMac, also no dice. Very disappointed If they can get this working it will mean I no longer need a television in my bedroom. As of right now I have a 27" TV and a 27" iMac side-by-side.
  • Reply 19 of 63
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by floccus View Post


    If new devices (BluRay players, etc.) come out w/ Displayport or mini-Displayport then fine, hook them up, but how many of you already have a HDTV that's at least 30?+?



    I can?t help but wonder if that is what will happen. The licensing is certainly easy enough. I think CES 2010 will be very telling as to how well DP or mDP will be doing in the next year.
  • Reply 20 of 63
    teckstudteckstud Posts: 6,476member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    I can’t help but wonder if that is what will happen. The licensing is certainly easy enough. I think CES 2010 will be very telling as to how well DP or mDP will be doing in the next year.



    NOw why in the world would any Blu-ray machine add DP or MDP to it? For Apple's nonsense?

    The world uses HDMI for blu- ray 7.1 sound. Can DP give me that? NO.

    Do HDTVs have DP , MDP ports- NO.
Sign In or Register to comment.