Mac Mini :: Which HDTV To Use As Monitor And TV
Mar 25, 2009
I have a Mac Mini that I use as a HTPC with an *old* 30" CRT TV. I want to slightly repurpose the machine so that I can use it for both work and play. At first I was thinking about a 30" monitor and a TV tuner, but my 2007 Mini can't drive it at full resolution.
Now I'm thinking about a a 1080P HDTV, but I'm not sure what would be a good size if I want to use it as both a monitor (sitting relatively close) and a TV. I use a 30" Apple ACD at work and it is *plenty* big enough for my work needs, but I know the resolution of an HDTV is much lower. Any suggestions about what size is a good compromise to function as both a TV and a PC? Also, any specific model or brand recommendations? I'm new to HDTVs...
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Apr 6, 2009
I need to connect my 09' Mac Mini to my Yamaha RX-V2700 receiver which outputs to my Sony XBR HDTV. I know the mini has both mini-dvi to dvi and mini-dp to dvi or hdmi available via adapters. I was thinking to go with option 1 however I was wondering what is your opinions? Is mini-display port better over mini-dvi or are they the same? Audio will be carried over optical toslink.
Option 1:
Using mini-dvi adapter to dvi: Connect Dvi-Hdmi cable to receiver and output audio with toslink adapter.
Option 2:
Using mini-dp adapter to dvi or hdmi: Connect Dvi-Hdmi cable to receiver and output audio with toslink adapter.
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May 9, 2012
I have a MacPro 2010 3.33ghz 6-core I use a Samsung Syncmaster 305T 30" display for my main monitor, which I love. Can't say enough good things about it. I am an audio-for-video professional, and display my QT movies on a 32" Samsung LED UN32D5500 HDTV But I also (try to) use it for other general computer display tasks. The problem is, the text is blocky and fuzzy. I mean pretty terrible. No comparison to the 305T. Ok I don't expect miracles comparing a $1000 2560x1600 DVI monitor to a $500 1080p TV. But two things:
1. I want to get a slightly bigger HDTV, probably a 37", although up to 40" is possible.
2. I spend about half my time watching QT movies on it, and half the time using it for other computer purposes. I also will occasionally use it to watch movies from an external BluRay player. Assuming that almost any TV will do the job of displaying movies (as that's what they're designed to do), can anyone recommend a TV in that size range which specifically stands out as displaying text more sharply than the norm for an HDTV ?
I would prefer LED, and 120hz, but really the other criteria above is the most important, as I have noticed the Mac won't output 120hz...only 60hz, unless someone knows something that I don't.
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Dec 26, 2008
I have a cheap hdtv. when i connect my macbook to it it doesn't get a signal (via mini dvi to hdmi) until i click "detect displays" on my laptop, then "gather windows," then when i set the display to the proper resolution (720) the image appears on my tv without a problem.
I just got a mac mini, and since i don't have two monitors I cannot use this trick. I get no image on my tv.
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Nov 20, 2010
I am looking for a hdtv, in 32 to 40 inch range, to buy this black friday and was wondering what kind of specs I should consider when choosing one. My primary use will be in logic sessions and sibelius (scoring) I understand that 1080p is a must for reading text (music note heads) and that 720 is crap. I was looking at the Westinghouse 40inch 60hz 1080p hdtv from target. Would this suffice.
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Apr 19, 2009
i've been lookin around for a couple days now for my macbook because the screen is kinda small and al my books i'm gettin are pdfs (kinda good don't gotta buy books now) trade off burning my retinas starting at my screen for hours on end... haha but yea my dad said he would spot me money to buy a monitor and i pay him back whenever i can i was looking at the samsung t240hd (refub for ~$280 shipped) my dad was showing me the costco deal its a 26" proscan hdtv with dvd player for about the same price but brand new... i'm kinda on the samsung 1 because it looks soo much sleeker however for the money i was wondering is there any other hdtv/lcd monitor that i should get? ACD looks amazing but is surely out of my grasp
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Aug 13, 2009
I am still waiting on delivery of my 13'' MBP, comming from China , and I am thinking about secondary monitors and I do have a 17'' LCD monitor that I could use but i also have a 42'' Plasma TV that would be awsome, I think. Has/does anyone use there HDTV's as their secondary monitor?
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Mar 9, 2010
I'm looking to have a display hookup in my room for my Macbook Pro 15". I can't decide if i should get a 26" 720p HDTV with a pc input or a large lcd desktop display with a cable input to watch tv.
What are the pros/cons? Has anyone tried/preferred either? Any recommended monitors or hdtvs?
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May 1, 2007
I'm using a DVI->HDMI cable to connect my Powerbook to my Sony LCD TV. The Sony's native resolution is 1366x768. For some reason my Powerbook doesn't want to switch to this resolution. I can get 1280x720, but this leaves a black border around the images the whole time.
I've tried setting a custom resolution using the trial version of SwitchResX but to no avail. It won't do it.
Anybody have any similar experiences and possibly found a fix?
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Apr 10, 2009
However Ive just bought a LG M2794D 1080p tv/monitor and now have a problem. The TV is showing it recognises when the HDMI cable is connected to the macbook (on the screen the input menu shows live connections) or not through HDMI cable and mini-DVI to HDMI connector but the macbook does not recognise any external monitor. In display preferences there is no arrangement tab either and no resolution greater than 1280 x 800. Of course the TV has full 1080p resolution.
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Dec 8, 2010
I have my 2010 Mac mini hooked up via HDMI to my Denon receiver, which is in turn hooked up to my HDTV. I can only get the mini to push 60hz. Why can't I get it to push at least 120hz? Should I try to get more hz via SwitchresX?
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Jan 2, 2009
I'm really hoping for an update to the Mini at Macworld. With a new mini, I'd love the ability to connect it to my 36" HDTV and connect wirelessly with a keyboard and mouse from my couch. I would love to be able to use the Mac from the comfort of my living room for both work and pleasure. (I'm a bit of a gamer as well)
So my question is, is this a pipe dream?
Will the new Minis support an output to a HDTV? (Or for that matter, do the current minis?)
How far is the range for a standard bluetooth mouse & keyboard? Would it be possible to put the keyboard and mouse on my coffee table (about 6-8' from the TV)?
And most importantly, if this is all possible, will this make me the ultimate couch potato, and will I ever see daylight again?
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Mar 21, 2010
So I have a Mac mini used as my home theatre (or rather, will be) and I have it hooked from mini-displayport to HDMI and that gives me video. Great! No audio, though.
So, how do I get audio? What connection and cables do I buy (could you maybe link from [URL] if I want to plug it into the back of the Mac mini and then plug it into the back of my HDTV.
(A bit low on money right now so I just use the speakers built into my TV for audio instead of full fledged speakers. I assume that will change what I need to do, right?)
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Jan 30, 2009
i am trying to connect my Mac Mini to my 860 Samsung Series 8 HDTV. I am using a DVI to HDMI connector into the DVI port on the back of the Mac Mini. I have plugged the HDMI cable into the back to the Samsung in the HDMI/DVI port. When i which the source to the correct HDMI input i either get a message saying "no signal" or, sometimes briefly, "mode not support"
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Mar 11, 2012
can you connect mac mini wirelessly to HDTV?
Info:Mac mini, Mac OS X (10.7.3)
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Nov 8, 2010
It seems that music videos and tv episodes on YouTube have a high view content and I was wondering if watching these videos on your HDTV via a Mac Mini is a pretty good substitute for purchasing a physical DVD of these videos? I have a new Mac Mini with a built-in HDMI port and a video card that supports HDTV resolutions. Should I hold off buying music video DVDs and tv box sets and instead start to purchase them off iTunes or watch them on YouTube?
I don't currently own an HDTV but will eventually purchase one. If I want to start doing what I've described above, will I need to purchase a device (like a splitter) from my cable modem company, which is the same as my cable tv company, to connect the incoming cable lines to both the back of the tv and the computer in the family room? I currently only have one physical cable modem connection for the computer in the bedroom. I've never used a wireless connection and am not sure how they operate but I'm concerned about security issues with it regarding people driving by and people able to snoop in. I'm sorry if this is a basic question but I am still "old school" when it comes to technology.
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Feb 4, 2012
Got 2011 Mac mini and connected via HDMI to 15 months old Samsung 46 inch LED TV using 1080p and 50Hz. From start (dec 2011) I have had the problem that occationally (>50% of the times) the TV starts to flicker heavily. It is "war of the ants = cannot see anything" on the TV for like 3 seconds and then I can see the desktop clearly for around 3 seconds an then it is back to the flicker.screen. It keeps on like that until I shut-down and restart the Mac mini. Sometime restart works an sometime it does not. Anyone with similar problems that know what to do?
Info:
Mac mini, Mac OS X (10.7.2)
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Mar 25, 2012
I was wondering what connections I could use to view my hdtv via directtv thru the larger 27" LED cinema display?
I tried connecting the HDMI cable to HDMI satellite receiver box to hdmi port on mac mini and then using the display settings detect display. I also tried the mini DVI to HDMI connector directly to the LED cinema display port connection but could not get any HD reception to cinema display. What I could do is view the LED cinema display and picture of the cinema display to the monitor of the HDTV.
Info:
Cinema Tools, Mac OS X (10.6.8)
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Jan 1, 2011
Getting an "Invalid Format" message from my new HDTV (Vizio xvt553sv) when I connect my mac mini. This is a big deal, because the Mac mini is the front end for all my movies and music, which have been digitized. We watch all of our movies on the HDTV through the Mac Mini. So we are movie-less until I get this working.
My Windows 7 laptop shows on the HDTV fine. My mac mini shows on other monitors fine. Some kind of incompatibility between the Mac and the TV. Anyone run into this and have some suggestions?
I have tried all of the TV manufacturer recommended resolution x timing/Hertz settings on the Mac Mini.
Mac Mini model 1.1. , RAM 1.5GB, snow leopard OS, connecting to TV with DVI to VGA connection. (TV only has VGA, HDMI and Component connection.)
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Jun 12, 2009
I've got a 2007 generation Mac Mini and a 720p Proscan HDTV with a VGA input. When I hook it up and crank up the Mini, the apple logo appears (on the standard gray startup screen), but when the OS starts to run my TV loses the signal and a message pops up that says "Not Support!" How can I fix this? Better yet, can I fix this? Are they just not compatible? I ordered a DVI to HDMI cable to give that a shot, but I've got a feeling it's not going to work.
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Jul 26, 2005
I also took the time to search on this topic and couldnt find anything related
heres the sitch!
Computer = Mac Mini 1.42 model
TV = Samsung TXR3079WH HDTV
DVI to HDMI cable connected to a Samsung HDTV TXR3079WH
the tv doesnt come with dvi connectors so i opted out and purchased the dvi-hdmi cable. i hook it up to the samsung tv and then boot it up and nothing appears on the screen. it just freezes the television to the point that i cant even change to a different source input.
I tested it with different resolutions (i had an LCD next to me to interchange with) and neither resolutions worked. I then thought it might be the DVI-HDMI cable so i hooked it up to my Comcast HD Box and it worked perfectly fine. I then took the Mac Mini to a neighbors house and hooked it up to his 47" Panasonic HDTV and the Mac Mini fired right up and worked beautifully on the Panasonic HDTV using the same cable. Went into System Preferences and under diplays it actually said "Panasonic HDTV" so it recognized the tv. and the resolution automatically reset itself to 1900x1200. Then afer seeing that the Mac Mini was capable of this and all the settings must have been right, i walked back over to my house and the initial problem started again. No Picture on the Samsung HDTV. After all this i found out that the DVI port on the Mac Mini works, The DVI-HDMI cable and the HDMI port on the back of my Samsung TV works as well. So i think it might just be a samsung driver issue? dont know how to resolve this issue.
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Aug 18, 2010
I have a fresh install of Windows XP, service pack 2 on a boot camp partition on my macbook (13" first gen aluminum case) and a Apple LED Cinema Display attached to the mini display port.
I can't seem to make the Cinema Display the primary display (the "Use this device as the primary monitor" checkbox is always greyed out in the Display Property Settings tab). I also can't shut the macbook lid and continue to use it closed (with kb, mouse and monitor attached) like I would when booting OSX.
Is there some other way to make the Cinema Display the primary monitor, so I can leave the macbook closed when booting into Windows?
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Nov 28, 2010
I am trying to get my girlfriend's parents a cable that will hook their 2005 Mac Mini to their HDTV. I don't know the specs on the mini, so I'm wondering what cable I will need. I know it needs to be something -> HDMI. Is the video out port on the mini a DVI?
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Dec 24, 2008
i just bought the macbook alu. w/ the mini displayport, i tried to plug it directly to my samsung 1080p hdtv with the Mdport to vga cable but the tv didnt display anything. so i searched the web to find other solutions (Mdport to dvi -> dvi to hdmi cable), but for me that means buying 2 other cables so i was wondering if i could use this route: mini displayport to vga -> vga/dvi-i adapter -> dvi-i/hdmi cable -> 1080p hdtv? with this example, i would have to buy only the dvi-i/hdmi cable since I already have the vga/dvi-i adapter (my old MSI 6600gt one) so hows that sound? thx for giving me the answer ASAP cause I need to make a surprise presentation for my boy!
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Jul 7, 2009
With my dad's MacBook pro I was able to hook it up to our HDTV using a DVI to VGA adapter, but we were never able to hook up the audio. Have any of you connected your laptops to an HDTV? If there were a video plus audio solution, that would be ideal, but I'm guessing that is not the case. So is there a cheap video adapter I can buy? My TV has HDMI, VGA, and various component inputs.
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Jun 11, 2009
Does anyone know the difference between the apple LED monitor and the samsung LED HD tv? They both do the same resolution. You connect dvi to hdmi with an adapter for the samsung 6000 32". You are paying 300 more but you get an awesome tv 1.2 inches thick. what is the difference in the two besides the tv tuner and $.
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Jun 23, 2010
The old Mini worked fine with my Westinghouse 24" LCD monitor (HDMI input -connected to Mini via DVI->HDMI cable).The new Mini Server 2010 has HDMI out, so I used a straight-through HDMI cable. The display looks terrible! All of the fonts appear to have a 'shadow' next to them - almost like an old analog VGA with 'interference'.Thinking it could be the cable, I went back to my old Mini's DVI->HDMI cable (and used the new Mini's HDMI->DVI adapter to connect to it). Same results.The Westinghouse monitor's native resolution is 1920x1200. The Mac says that it's configured for 1920x1200.
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Feb 23, 2009
Just bought a Samsung 2333SW Monitor and plugged it into my Mac Mini. The screen looks like the monitor was dropped (psychedelic) when the desktop is displayed. It worked fine on my 17" Samsung monitor, but not the 23".
I exchanged the monitor, and its not the monitor. I was told its the driver on the Mac. I cannot find any driver online for my Mini through Apple, or even at the Samsung sites.
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May 11, 2012
Is there a noticable difference between using a mini DP DVI vs mini DP VGA to external monitor that has both types of inputs?
Info:
17 MacBook Pro i7, Mac OS X (10.6.5)
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Oct 13, 2010
I have always wanted a mac and for the most part it has been money in past years that have kept me away. Aside from apple.com tutorials and playing around a few times at my local BestBuy I know very little about using them (or any computer for that matter). Between this forum, available books, and ease of use I figure it'll all work out. I do have a couple of specific questions and would greatly appreciate some advice.For me I have to go mini because I have an eye disease, and some other eye related issues that make me extremely sensitive to the LED backlit glossy displays that the imac and macbooks use. Even when dimmed. So I have no choice if I am to own a mac now, it's mac mini or nothing.
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