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Mar 05, 09 - 11:37 am Comment from: Jay-Z

Lord. I know we're in a recession, but did he really spend that entire article whining about an adapter that's less than $10? Is that really all there is to say about this new machine?

I disagree with MDN on this one. Since I don't see an optical audio port, how am I supposed to get surround to my stereo? Yes, that $15 adaptor will handle my video needs but w/o the audio, the mini isn't much of a media center PC, which is what I want one for.

HDMI is the new standard for connecting to flat-panel TVs. Not having an easy way to connect the mini to your home theater system is a big omission, IMHO.

Mar 05, 09 - 11:39 am Comment from: MacBill

Wow, talk about a guy who is way off base.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=104&cp_id=10419&cs_id=1041912&p_id=4852&seq=1&format=2

Check out these idiots:

http://www.neowin.net/news/main/09/03/05/analyst-new-imacs-offer-more-value-than-competition#comments

It's worth registering just to comment.

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

Maybe you should read the Technical Specs before spreading FUD. The mini DOES have optical audio out. From Apple's site:

Audio
Built-in speaker, combined optical digital audio input/audio line in, combined optical digital audio output/headphone out

Link:
http://www.apple.com/macmini/specs.html

Jake

I'm seriously considering getting one of these, plugging in a few large fw800 drives and using is as a headless iTunes library for Apple TV, at the moment my iMac ends up being on almost 24 hours a day either encoding, or streaming stuff. I could also stick everything out of the way.

the line out is both analog/digital. Most Macs have this output

Chill, dude. I own a 20" iMac and I seriously would like a mini. I'm not "spreading FUD".

I'm glad I was wrong about the optical audio. However, that optical audio out doesn't look like the optical audio input on my receiver. Am I looking at another adaptor?

Mar 05, 09 - 12:18 pm Comment from: NCMacMan

It's true, the mini does have an optical audio out. The jack is deceptive because its combined. Typical Apple, less is more. Who needs a separate 1/8th inch analog output plus an optical output?

I agree with Alex even though I know it has a digital/analog sound port. But Macs are supposed to make things simple and cleaner and ONE HDMI port that carries digital HD sound and picture would go a long way... That is supposed to be the point of trying to get some standard connections. To make life easier for everyone.

I ordered one. I got the higher end mini because it has a better graphics card (hoping that will pay off when Snow Leopard comes out).

But I ordered from Amazon (no tax and free shipping to CA) because I'm cheap. Which means I need to wait 2 weeks.

Ugh. I'm also impatient. But frugality wins out. Sometimes wanting is more enjoyable than having. Or so I tell myself.

@Alex said:
"HDMI is the new standard for connecting to flat-panel TVs."

HDMI is hardly the "new" standard, sure it has replaced DVI but I would instead say it is the current standard. Apple is aiming at the future with DisplayPort, skipping over the more expensive HDMI (royalties for HDMI vs open standard DisplayPort). I agree it may take a longer time for the consumer TV market to adopt DisplayPort than in the personal computer market - but the latter is the actual target market for the mini.

for a discussion of some of these standards see:
http://electronicdesign.com/Articles/Index.cfm?AD=1&ArticleID=20269

Mar 05, 09 - 12:37 pm Comment from: GRANDxADMIRAL

Just a head's up for Canadians considering picking up any Apple products right away, airmilesshops.ca is having a 10x Airmiles from March 6-8 for any purchases on apple.ca.

So for what it's worth on the whole HDMI/Audio output...

On my mini (previous model) I use the DVI-HDMI adaptor and go straight to the TV, and the Optical cable to go to the Receiver...

It's a little bit of a hassle because my Receiver doesn't seem to like assigning another audio input to an HDMI input, so there was no way I could route the video through the Receiver...

I recognize to some extent that's a complaint about the Receiver, but the reality is that if the thing had a real HDMI output with video and audio I could say "it just works", whereas here I had to figure out a way around it all, and I can see how for some folks that may be too hard

To Jake... it's not an adapter per se, just buy the right cable to start with - there's one at Amazon for less than $5.00 (or lots more if you want to pay or Monster cables, digital signal means the cable works or it doesn't, there's no real quality difference), http://www.amazon.com/6ft-Toslink-Mini-Cable/dp/B000FMXKC8 - others sell a cable that is TOSlink on both ends and has a little TOS link to Mini Optical adaptor if you prefer to go that way. In saying this I am assuming that your receiver needs a TOSlink cable.

Not sure about $499 but I still say Apple could sell the new Mac minis at $549 and $699 and make a profit. The $799 model especially feeds the stereotype that Macs are overpriced.

Guys, there are also MiniDisplay Port to HDMI adapters for less than $20 which would allow you to send one cable to your surround sound system.

http://www.hdtvsupply.com/mini-dvi-to-hdmi.html

bc is correct according to wikipedia:

DisplayPort has an advantage over HDMI in that it is currently royalty free, while the HDMI royalty is 4 cents per device and has an annual fee of $10,000 for high volume manufacturers.[11]
There are a few advantages that HDMI has over DisplayPort such as support for the xvYCC color space, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio bitstream support, Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) signals, and electrical compatibility with DVI

Mar 05, 09 - 01:18 pm Comment from: qka

MDN:

Mac Mini [sic] <>

Cut it out with the <i>[sic] nonsense. Apple play cute, stupid games with the capitalization in their product names. Don't excoriate reviewers just because they follow the normal rules of English capitalizing Apple product names.

Mar 05, 09 - 01:28 pm Comment from: jjjj

Well, be careful. Apple has a way of trying to force future technology on their customers that ends up not getting widely adopted. DVD-RAM, anyone? FireWire 800?

Also, don't forget, it's not a DisplayPort on the Macs, it's a "mini" DisplayPort, which is an Apple design that they are 'making available' to hope the industry will run with.

I applaud Apple for trying to make something good even better by making it require less space (mini DisplayPort, mini DVI), but it does seem that Apple frequently swims alone in these connector waters. Better to use a buddy system as they did with Sony on FireWire 400 aka IEEE 1394 aka iLink.

Finally, the problem with HDMI is HDCP compliance, which is code for Broadcast Network Copyright Protection, for fear that you really want to pirate an episode of The Bachelor or Fringe (cringe).

Mar 05, 09 - 01:29 pm Comment from: Mr. Reeee

The mini is a computer, so it has video outputs for computer displays.

Remember, that HDMI is limited to 1920 x 1080 resolution. If you have a monitor that has a higher resolution than HDMI supports, what's the point of having HDMI. So, again, this is a thing that will appeal to a small segment of Mac mini buyers

The small percentage of people who'll want to use a mini as a media hub can just buy the adaptors they need to connect with whatever gear they happen to own.

It's like the people who keep crying for some kind of built-in card reader in MacBooks or iMacs. There are how many memory card formats out there? So, which does Apple choose to support and include, when new formats are being introduced regularly? What happens when you buy a new camera that uses an unsupported memory card format? Many people have no use for card readers or use the USB cable that come with their camera. So again, if you want a card reader, buy one!

Apple, following it's long established design philosophy, is keeping it simple. By judiciously buying adaptors for the uses you want/need to add, you can easily extend the functionality of any Mac. AND your Mac needn't be clogged and cluttered with marginally used ports.

You want Macs to start looking like those horrible WinDOS laptops with a zillion cheap looking buttons, lights and stickers (that people NEVER remove!). Yeah, I want my Mac to look light crappy asian audio equipment. No thanks!

As far as Blu-ray goes, you're better off buying a standalone player, which will also have HDMI and multi-channel audio outputs. A Blu-ray player will also UPSAMPLE standard DVDs to 1080p, which replaces a standard DVD player. (That's what mine does.)

Besides, for $599, you're NOT going to get a Blu-ray player in ANY computer and certainly not a Mac mini, unless you're will to pay $1200 for it!

The One True Fault to be found with the mini is that all of the drive options are 5400 RPM. It makes a great little web server, you don't want a web server that has any traffic to have anything less than a 7200 RPM drive in it.

Doing some surgery on my new mini as soon as a replacement drive from OWC arrives this afternoon. Also some brain surgery (4 Gb upgrade is way cheaper with 3rd party RAM).

HDMI complaining is a bit puerile. Should I whine because there wasn't an option to get no graphics cards at all because my soon-to-be mini server doesn't need one?

Mar 05, 09 - 01:56 pm Comment from: Big Als MBP

@ qka,

Don't play Apple's cute, stupid game with your name and then call Apple on it.

Mar 05, 09 - 02:30 pm Comment from: zmarc

Thank you, qka!

MDN drives me nuts with their nitpicking on stuff like that, especially when so many journalists make actually errors of fact that are so much more egregious. It's one of the things that makes the site seem like nothing but a fanboy site.

I personally refuse to play Apple's silly capitalization games and always write iPod Touch, Mac Mini, etc. I like proper grammar and punctuation. I'm a writer. So sue me.

Mar 05, 09 - 02:49 pm Comment from: ken1w

It doesn't have an HDMI port for the same reason it doesn't have a memory card slot or composite video output or video input port. Most customers would not need those things, and if you do, you can easily add those things with a video adapter or USB interface device. Apple's does not burden the majority with the unnecessary, just to add to the features list and satisfy moronic reviewers.

One, Gizmodo are the numbnuts who said the Mac mini pics were photoshopped.

Two, I thought DisplayPort was to be the new standard for both computers and televisions.

Three, I thought DisplayPort was also capable of driving higher resolutions than HDMI.

I didn't realize the HDMI was limited on it's resolution output.

That said, neither DVI or DisplayPort offer audio in one cable like HDMI. At least, as far as I know.

I think this has been an interesting discussion, because it shows what a remarkably capable, yet still frustrating, machine Apple has with the mini. It would make a great media center with just a few changes in output options or it would make a great web server with faster hard drives. It is so tantalizingly close to being the perfect machine for some rather disparate uses. I can understand, however, that Apple has to limit the scope of what the put in the mini because part of it's appeal is the price. This would be compromised if they were to start offering lots of available configurations.

My gripe is just that they could put in a HDMI AND a Mini Display Port. Why do we need a Mini DVI AND a Mini Display port? Is it so we can choose which conversion connector to go with??? And enough with the royalty BS because an annual fee of 10K for your devices is cheap for customer satisfaction.

And I'm only griping because I have a G4 running as a media center right now and am looking forward to upgrading. It just takes some of the convenience out of it, you know?

Mar 05, 09 - 10:13 pm Comment from: ken1w

@ sherman

> Why do we need a Mini DVI AND a Mini Display port?

So you can connect two external computer displays. I think that's the coolest new feature, after the much improved video hardware. I would not have purchased a Mac mini if I could not run two displays off it. Now, I probably will, a few months after Snow Leopard is released.

There are reports on the web that state the $599's video chip goes to 256 meg when you stick 2 gigs or more of ram in it. That, and a 7200 rpm hard drive might make it worth it to grab a putty knife and open the case...