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Intel Mac mini Q&A - Updated March 12, 2009
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How do I connect an Intel Mac mini to a television?
How to connect your Intel-based Mac mini to a television depends greatly on the type of television you have (and the Mac mini you have as well). Apple once provided a helpful document entitled "Using Mac mini with a Television" on the Apple Support Site.
The subsequently deleted Apple Support Document noted that the Intel Mac mini can be connected to digital HDTV sets via DVI, HDMI, and VGA/RGB [emphasis added]:
- A standard DVI cable can be attached from the [pre "Early 2009"] Mac mini [models] to an HDTV, supporting resolutions up to 1920x1080. [The "Early 2009" models can be connected to a DVI equipped television via DVI by using a Mini-DVI to DVI adapter].
- HDTVs with HDMI inputs can be connected to [a pre "Early 2009"] Mac mini with a DVI to HDMI adapter. A DVI to HDMI adapter will relay video but not audio from the computer. [The "Early 2009" models can be connected to an HDMI equipped television by using a Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapter]. . . [To connect audio], the Belkin PureAV HDMI to DVI cable can be ordered.
- The DVI to VGA adapter that was included with your [pre "Early 2009] Mac mini can be used along with a VGA cable to connect [the Mac] to an HDTV with an analog PC-input (VGA/RGB), supporting resolutions 1920x1080. [The "Early 2009" models can be connected to a VGA equipped television by using a Mini-DVI to VGA adapter].
The same document provided instructions on how to connect pre "Early 2009" Intel Mac mini models to an analog television with the Apple DVI-to-Video Adapter via Composite or S-Video:
- Composite is the most widely available video input on traditional analog televisions. It delivers acceptable quality at resolutions up to 800x600 on most televisions.
- S-Video separates the analog video signal into separate channels, providing better quality than Composite. S-Video is best used with a resolution of 800x600.
For connecting the audio, Apple once mentioned that all Intel-based Mac mini models use "a combo mini-plug connector to output both digital audio and analog audio signals" and audio can be connected using digital and analog audio:
- Digital Audio: Use an optical mini-plug cable with the audio output on the Mac mini to connect A/V receivers and home theater audio systems with 5.1 surround sound and optical audio inputs. A mini-plug to TOSLINK adapter may be needed to connect to some receivers. The Belkin PureAV Digital Optical Cable with Mini-TOSLINK adapter is available from the Apple Store [and other resellers].
- Analog Audio: The Mac mini can be connected to most televisions, audio receivers and speakers using analog line-out. A mini-plug to stereo RCA adapter may be necessary. The Monster iCable mini-to-RCA left/right audio cable is available at the Apple Store [and elsewhere].
Site sponsor Adorama has new Mac mini models, as well as many of the adapters listed above.
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