Thursday, December 4, 2008

An update on iMac to HDTV connectivity.

Although I could not imagine such, things only got worse after yesterday's entry. The more research I did, the less I knew for sure. There are multiple standards for HDMI, multiple standards for DVI, and some devices don't tell you in their user literature which standard they use. Finally, a phone call to Apple Care, conferenced to Apple's Engineering department AND Hitachi's US operations provided the following information: The best video quality can be achieved from the iMac's mini-DVI output. For audio I can use a standard or optical mini stereo jack to male RCA (component) cable. A big thanks to Apple Care for handling the teleconferencing and knowing who to call. The thanks, of course, is dependent on the solution actually working.

According to the experts, the iMac's mini-DVI output CAN be used as input for the Hitachi TV's HDMI ports.
I will need an Apple mini-DVI to DVI converter (dutifully ordered from Apple) and a DVI to HDMI cable (yet to be purchased.)

The Apple mini-DVI to DVI converter provides a DVI/D connection. No one can say for sure if it is a male or female connector (this seems strange to me, but the photo on Apple's Website is inconclusive--if I were designing it, the converter would have a female jack to marry to a male cable connector). The Hitachi takes a(n) HDMI/A connector and the socket on the TV is female. So I'll need a cable with one end providing a male HDMI/A and the other providing a DVI/D connector of the proper gender, to be determined after receipt of the Apple mini-DVD converter. Datapro's Website has a variety of cables available. I've got a standard audio mini stereo jack to male RCA cable, but Apple Engineering says I'll get better audio quality if I use the optical connector.

So, assuming that I don't have to buy extra gender converters for the HDMI cable, and assuming the solution works, I'll have the Apple's display on my 50" Hitachi HD Plasma for only about a hundred bucks and two days of painful research! I guess I can live with that, but it seems that the entire process was just NOT EZ!

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