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screature · Mar 5th, 2009, 05:53 PM

They couldn't design the Mini to replace Apple TV because the Mini existed first.

IAmCanadian · Mar 5th, 2009, 06:14 PM

	Quote:			Originally Posted by fyrefly
	The ATI video card ups the delay by ~30 days or so. We're not sure why yet.

Is there an advantage to the ATI video card? I'm buying tomorrow and want your thoughts.

MACinist · Mar 5th, 2009, 06:27 PM

	Quote:
	Usually, I have an opinion on everything (as you’ve probably noticed), but I’m undecided as to whether Apple should include HDMI ports on at least some future Macs. Let me give you some pros and cons on the issue, and you tell me what you think. As adoption of HDMI ports approaches 100 percent in digital televisions, the interface is now moving into set top boxes, DVD equipment and mobile computers, reports In-Stat. Overall, HDMI-enabled product shipments will increase at an annual rate of 23 percent between 2007 and 2012, according to the research group. A range of device segments spanning consumer electronics, computers and computer peripherals are seeing increased adoption of HDMI as well. In the near future, portable electronic devices, such as camcorders, digital still cameras, and portable media players (PMPs) will be among the emerging categories to watch. “The rapid escalation of HDMI in standard-definition and Blu-ray laser DVD players and recorders is directly related to HDMI’s success in DTVs,” says Brian O’Rourke, In-Stat analyst. “Set top boxes, which are traditionally slow to adopt new interfaces, are also increasingly embracing HDMI.” Research by In-Stat found the following: ° HDMI adoption in mobile computers is estimated at nearly a quarter of all machines shipped in 2008. ° IPTV set top boxes will see the highest adoption among pay TV set top boxes, growing to 85 percent penetration and 17.6 million boxes by 2012. ° HDMI penetration in portable media players will approach 10 percent by 2012. ° Rising adoption of HDMI and DisplayPort interfaces will negatively impact DVI adoption. DVI-enabled product shipments will decline at an annual rate of 30 percent through 2012. So forget DVI, at least in the long term. But some folks think that the DisplayPort technology is all that’s needed for computers. When Apple recently introduced its revamped notebooks (the “unibody” line), it also introduced the world to the Mini DisplayPort. Now the company is offering no-fee licenses to anyone interested in developing products that use the Mini DisplayPort specification. And you can expect the Mini DisplayPort to appear on all future Macs. The Mini DisplayPort Connector is a small form factor connector designed to fully support the VESA DisplayPort protocol. Apple says it’s particularly useful on systems where space is at a premium, such as portable computers or to support multiple connectors on reduced height add-in cards. Part of the next-generation DisplayPort industry standard, the new Mini DisplayPort can drive up to a 30-inch widescreen display and is designed to complement HDMI. The Mini DisplayPort is just 10 percent the size of a full DVI connector. The dimensional specifications of the plug and receptacle mating interface and a recommended PCB landing pad are available for download under Apple’s Mini DisplayPort Evaluation License. HDMI—which, by the way, stands for High-Definition Multimedia Interface—is an interface for audiovisual equipment such as high-definition television and home theater systems. It’s able to carry a bandwidth of 5Gbps (gigabits per second), which is purportedly more than twice the bandwidth needed to transmit multi-channel audio and video. HDMI is an uncompressed, all-digital signal. Part of the consideration over whether to include HDMI on computers is money. According to a Mac/Life post, as far as licensing goes HDMI is $10,000 per company per year while DisplayPort (even Apple’s implementation) is free of charge. As far as royalties go HDMI is $0.15 per standalone product. On the other hand DisplayPort (even Apple’s implementation) is free of royalties. Where everything else is equal it costs a company less to use DisplayPort. Of course, $10,000 per year would be nothing to a company such as Apple. And I doubt that anyone would complain of an extra 15 cent addition to the price of a new Mac. Another thing to consider is consumer confusion. Even though both DisplayPort and HDMI were developed with different priorities in mind, their co-existence on the market will mean, on some level, competition between the two standards for display and audio interconnection. Market research firm iSuppli believes that DisplayPort will mostly be used on the market of personal computers, whereas HDMI will remain de facto standard in consumer electronics (CE). iSuppli forecasts that global shipments of DisplayPort-enabled equipment will grow to 263.3 million units by 2012, up from zero in 2007. Meanwhile, HDMI-enabled equipment will grow to 772.8 million units in 2012, rising at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 32 percent from 193 million units in 2007. While HDMI has been adopted by desktop and mobile PC platforms and presently surpasses DisplayPort in this market, iSuppli expects that DisplayPort will take over the lead in this market after 2010, as computer makers move away from VGA interfaces and adopt HD solutions. Bruce Montage, a technology strategist for Dell and Chair of the DisplayPort Task Group, told “TARGET=”_blank”>Macsimum PC that despite the two interfaces’ many similarities, DisplayPort and HDMI aren’t actually at odds in the march of progress, but rather serve very distinct purposes. He says that DisplayPort was specifically designed to replace VGA, DVI, and the internal LVDS (low voltage differential signal) interfaces found on computer hardware, while HDMI was created to address the limitations of the S-Video and Component interfaces. However, as Macsimum PC notes, the lines get blurry with so many people now integrating computers into their home entertainment systems, “or pressing their ever-larger desktop monitors into the service of console gaming and movie viewing.” Still, Montag contends that DisplayPort will prevail on the PC side, and says here’s why: the interface standard addresses some issues that affect all areas of IT, and which virtually guarantee its widespread adoption. Right now the LCD on your desk uses an external interface (VGA or DVI) that receives a signal from your GPU, as well as an internal interface (LVDS) that communicates that signal to the display’s panel. By presenting a unified interface, DisplayPort does away with a layer of complexity and enables much physically sleeker (about the width of a laptop lid) and less-expensive monitors. HDMI was designed as an external digital A/V connection to HDTVs. One solution to the conundrum is, of course, adapters. For instance, owners of the Mini DisplayPort-equipped line of Apple laptops who want an easier way to output video to their TV or other HDMI devices will soon have an option. A company called Monoprice.com will sell Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapters for US$14.25 starting March 15. What’s more, two other new adapters will convert the Mini DisplayPort signal for either DVI or VGA from Monoprice.com. Eventually, we’ll probably see at least Mac Pros sporting an HDMI interface. As for the consumer/prosumer models, who knows? But it’s certainly something Apple is doubtless mulling over.

Macsimum News - Time for Apple to include HDMI ports on at least some Macs?

hhk · Mar 5th, 2009, 09:12 PM

	Quote:			Originally Posted by Lars
	It isn't relevant. Regardless of what people actually do, Apple has not designed the Mac mini to replace the AppleTV, hence possibly why the mini does not sport an HDMI connector.

Are you saying Apple is not or should not be interested in what their customers do with their computers? Wow man, I'm glad you don't work in my marketing department.

gordguide · Mar 5th, 2009, 10:06 PM

By using the video out connector on the Mini and a combination of adapters, you can connect it to an ordinary television, a VCR, an analog monitor, a digital monitor or a digital television using any of the connectors found ever used on any of these devices going back two decades. I fail to see what the problem is.

MACinist · Mar 5th, 2009, 10:28 PM

	Quote:			Originally Posted by gordguide
	By using the video out connector on the Mini and a combination of adapters, you can connect it to an ordinary television, a VCR, an analog monitor, a digital monitor or a digital television using any of the connectors found ever used on any of these devices going back two decades. I fail to see what the problem is.

Not a problem but an inconvenience. Apple is the number one preacher of less clutter and less cables. It would be nice to use a single cable to transmit digital sound and video to a TV rather than have multiple cables with tacky adapters.

Mar 5th, 2009, 05:53 PM	#91
screature Honourable Citizen Join Date: May 2007 Location: Aylmer (Gatineau) across the river from Ottawa Posts: 7,412	They couldn't design the Mini to replace Apple TV because the Mini existed first. __________________ Mac Pro Quad 2.66GHz Gen 1.1 MacIntel Mini 2009 Core 2 Duo 2.26GHZ MacIntel Mini 1.83GHz

Mar 5th, 2009, 10:06 PM	#95
gordguide Honourable Citizen Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Saskatoon Posts: 5,202	By using the video out connector on the Mini and a combination of adapters, you can connect it to an ordinary television, a VCR, an analog monitor, a digital monitor or a digital television using any of the connectors found ever used on any of these devices going back two decades. I fail to see what the problem is. __________________ "Being an artist doesn't take much, just everything you got. Which means, of course, that as the process is giving you life, it is also bringing you closer to death. But it's no big deal. They are one and the same and cannot be avoided or denied. So when I totally embrace this process, this life/death, and abandon myself to it, I transcend all this gibberish and hang out with the gods. It seems to me that that is worth the price of admission." —Hubert Selby, Jr.

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