I just got my first mac, a new 2Ghz mini running Leopard, with the intention of using it as a HTPC. I have an old (but still good!) Samsung TXN3098WHF TV that has a DVI-D input. Before I got the mini I had a Momitsu networked DVD player hooked up to the DVI-D port and it worked fine at 1080i.

I thought that, at best case, all I needed to do was hook the mini up and it'd detect the TV. No joy - it detects nothing over DVI. As far as it's concerned there's no display attached.

The Mini works fine with the VGA adapter to my regular CRT (even detects it as a Samsung Syncmaster).

I've played around with DisplayconfigX and SwitchresX, but the bottom line is that the mini doesn't detect the Samsung TV at all when it is plugged in via DVI. Is that normal? I don't want to have to spend money on a VGA-component transcoder box if I don't have to.

Bonus points: I got the Apple Video Adapter (DVI to S-video and composite) and tried that. Leopard realizes there's some display at the other end, but mis-identifies it and does not give any sane resolution choices for S-video or composite. Using Displayconfigx I could get it to at least output strobing garbage to the TV - so a signal was being sent, it was just completely wrong. So I'm wondering if it's my Samsung that's to blame, or if there's something actually wrong with either my Mini's digital DVI output or with Leopard's Display Detection code.

After lunch I'm going to try hooking up my desktop PC (dual DVI outputs) to both the syncmaster and the TV, to see if Windows/nvidia can send a sane signal to the TV. If that works, it points the finger back at either the DVI hardware on the mini or Leopard's detect displays code.

I did some experiments with my desktop machine and the TV.

My WinXP box has a Nvidia 8800GTS, with dual DVI output as well as a component / YPbPr breakout cable and s-video cable.

All these outputs worked fine with the TV - the computer detected the DVI display and could drive the TV at 1080i without any problem (the actual text and stuff was blurry, but I think that's just a shortcoming of the TV. It was much more manageable at 480p). It also detected and output S-video and component to my analog inputs, although with horizontal banding on the s-video channel.

So it's not the TV. I didn't think it was, but this is a bummer. :( The real question now is: Is this a hardware problem with my Mini's DVI digital signal, or is this a software problem with Leopard?

Just for grins, I tried the Mac DVI to S-video adapter with my Nvidia card. It actually detected an analog TV and sent out a mangled signal, but I couldn't get it to display anything useful. So I'm no closer to working out why that adapter didn't at least give me usable S-video on the TV.

I'm going to head down to the local Apple store and pick up a DVI splitter, see if I can detect the TV from the Mini when there's another local monitor plugged in.

Partial success!

The apple DVI to S-video adapter started working this morning. I guess the mac just needed a rest. :-P

I couldn't get a DVI-I splitter yesterday, so I'll have to mail order it. But I'm becoming more convinced that this is a Leopard bug or a driver omission since I've got two other DVI-enabled devices that worked just fine with the TV.

So it's not the TV.

It is the TV.

The best advice I can give you if you're really committed to a Mac mini in your home theater is get another TV. Sell that old CRT, pick up at minimum a good 32" LCD HDTV, and start over. Don't mess with third party software, breakout cables, trying to go component or transcode or settle for anything less.

CRTs aren't meant to be connected to computers, period. That it works with your Windows box aside, in OS X you're going to expend a lot of effort and may not be happy with the end result. Samsung CRT HDTVs from that era are (generally) cheap POS anyway, odds are it's not going to be worth your trouble. With that TV, I don't think it's worth messing with adaptors, breakout cables, splitters, third party software.

Get a good flat panel digital display, something with HDMI and VGA inputs. Make your Mac happy.

If you insist on pursuing this, dig back for threads from 3-4 years ago, that's where you'll find people first trying to connect their G4 minis to those older CRTs like your Samsung. You'll find it was largely a painful and unrewarding experience.

Sorry if I come off sounding harsh, I'm actually trying to be very helpful.

It is the TV.

The best advice I can give you if you're really committed to a Mac mini in your home theater is get another TV. Sell that old CRT, pick up at minimum a good 32" LCD HDTV, and start over. Don't mess with third party software, breakout cables, trying to go component or transcode or settle for anything less.

CRTs aren't meant to be connected to computers, period. That it works with your Windows box aside, in OS X you're going to expend a lot of effort and may not be happy with the end result. Samsung CRT HDTVs from that era are (generally) cheap POS anyway, odds are it's not going to be worth your trouble. With that TV, I don't think it's worth messing with adaptors, breakout cables, splitters, third party software.

Get a good flat panel digital display, something with HDMI and VGA inputs. Make your Mac happy.

Sorry if I come off sounding harsh, I'm actually trying to be very helpful.

I welcome the honesty. :)

Yeah, I kinda figured that even if I got 1080i working, either native or through a transcoder, the CRT gun just wouldn't give me good results from the pixel squishing. Fortunately I have a pretty decent DVD player, so not having 1080i from the mini isn't a dealbreaker. The mini still does a much better job as a music and anime player than the old momitsu did.