Monoprice sells a mini-optical plug. So does Parts Express. Either would be cheaper than Apple.
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Digital Audio Connector
Expecting a Mac Mini 1.66 today and have a few questions:
Does Apple supply an optical connector (to go into a receiver) with the Mini?
If not, does Radio Shack carry the adapters, or do I have to schlep to the Apple Store?
Are there optical cable splitters which would allow feeding two separate receivers?
Thanks.
Does Apple supply an optical connector (to go into a receiver) with the Mini?
If not, does Radio Shack carry the adapters, or do I have to schlep to the Apple Store?
Are there optical cable splitters which would allow feeding two separate receivers?
Thanks.
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Radio shack had an adapter, but it is on clearance. I do not know of a replacement. So you may be hit or miss at your local radio shack.
-Sean
-Sean
Thanks! Went to Best Buy, no adapter. Called RS, they said they had it, but when I drove there, they handed me a packet of Toslink caps! So I ordered it from Monoprice, it will be here Monday.
Am I wrong to think that whoever at Apple decided not to include the adapter in the box should be fired? The average consumer would be right to get pretty upset when he brings home the little box with a remote and finds out he can't plug it into his receiver. It's a less than $1 item, for god's sake....
Am I wrong to think that whoever at Apple decided not to include the adapter in the box should be fired? The average consumer would be right to get pretty upset when he brings home the little box with a remote and finds out he can't plug it into his receiver. It's a less than $1 item, for god's sake....
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I don't know, it seems to me that Apple these days is bundling just the minimum to get something up and running and letting consumers pay for accessories. I think this is true of the mini as well as the iPod.
Sure, it's a hassle for HT people but let's just be thankful there IS optical out and Apple threw us a bone. We're the only people willing to pay $600 for a media box. The target market is probably still the first time/second computer folks and they'll be happy happy with the internal speaker or plugging in analog self powered ones.
| Originally Posted by Ryan1 Thanks! Went to Best Buy, no adapter. Called RS, they said they had it, but when I drove there, they handed me a packet of Toslink caps! So I ordered it from Monoprice, it will be here Monday. Am I wrong to think that whoever at Apple decided not to include the adapter in the box should be fired? The average consumer would be right to get pretty upset when he brings home the little box with a remote and finds out he can't plug it into his receiver. It's a less than $1 item, for god's sake.... |
Sure, it's a hassle for HT people but let's just be thankful there IS optical out and Apple threw us a bone. We're the only people willing to pay $600 for a media box. The target market is probably still the first time/second computer folks and they'll be happy happy with the internal speaker or plugging in analog self powered ones.
I do agree it is kinda hokey on Apple's part for not including a $2 adapter in the box (hell, it'd probably cost them pennies at the volume by which they'd buy them), why do that when they can peddle the Belkin one at $30 MSRP and make a nice profit to those unsuspecting customers....
IMHO, we're getting a lot for what we're paying. Sure, you could go out and buy a (insert network media box of choice here), but there are so many inherent issues it isn't even funny. Not to mention that the Mini is a fully functioning computer with the support of a major manufacturer behind it (not to mention the Mac underground programmers as well). There may come a day in the near future where they can build a good network A/V server for a decent price (Are you listening Steve? January isn't that far away!
), but until then, the Mini fits the bill nicely IMHO.
IMHO, we're getting a lot for what we're paying. Sure, you could go out and buy a (insert network media box of choice here), but there are so many inherent issues it isn't even funny. Not to mention that the Mini is a fully functioning computer with the support of a major manufacturer behind it (not to mention the Mac underground programmers as well). There may come a day in the near future where they can build a good network A/V server for a decent price (Are you listening Steve? January isn't that far away!
), but until then, the Mini fits the bill nicely IMHO.Quote:
Actually, on the Windows side they've sold over a million MCE boxes for more than $600. Apple is late to the game and as I am trying to convert my HTPC to a Mac Mini, it's not making it easy. Apart from the cable, much more serious problem I ran into is the inability to do certain standard resolutions, like 852x480. I am hoping someone has hacked drivers....
| Originally Posted by pdubyu ... We're the only people willing to pay $600 for a media box..... |
Sorry to hear about your resolution issue. I hope you find a fix soon.
On these boards, it seems like plasmas haven't been as "plug and play" compared to DLPs and LCDs. I assume that is because their specific resolutions aren't as prevalent in the computer world. 1:1 pixel mapping also seems less than straight forward.
No doubt MCE, especially 2005, has helped computers move into the living room. But I just don't think the mini was designed to cater to HT users more than those who are looking for a small, stylish computer. I've scaled my expectations accordingly.
That said, I am glad the Intel mini offers as much value as it does. We all want more and hopefully with a little more time, it will happen without requiring a new computer.
On these boards, it seems like plasmas haven't been as "plug and play" compared to DLPs and LCDs. I assume that is because their specific resolutions aren't as prevalent in the computer world. 1:1 pixel mapping also seems less than straight forward.
No doubt MCE, especially 2005, has helped computers move into the living room. But I just don't think the mini was designed to cater to HT users more than those who are looking for a small, stylish computer. I've scaled my expectations accordingly.
That said, I am glad the Intel mini offers as much value as it does. We all want more and hopefully with a little more time, it will happen without requiring a new computer.
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Have you tried DisplayConfigX or SwitchResX yet? Check my sig for a link to Mac HTPC sites, and scroll down to them. I'm not saying it will fix your problem, but it's a start.
| Originally Posted by Ryan1 Actually, on the Windows side they've sold over a million MCE boxes for more than $600. Apple is late to the game and as I am trying to convert my HTPC to a Mac Mini, it's not making it easy. Apart from the cable, much more serious problem I ran into is the inability to do certain standard resolutions, like 852x480. I am hoping someone has hacked drivers.... |
No, haven't tried DisplayConfigX or SwitchResX yet, because I wanted to use MCE. I did try PowerStrip (which does a similar thing) and it doesn't work.
EntecTaiwan (the makers of PowerStrip) just wrote that the 945 chipset doesn't support custom resolutions, which pretty much kills it for many HTPC uses, since a lot of plasmas and DTVs use so-called custom resolutions.
I will spend some time trying to get it running over the weekend and will try Mac OS as well, with Media Central (which, even if a little primitive compared to MCE, is more versatile than Front Row, imo.) Will try both DisplayConfigX or SwitchResX.
If it doesn't work, I guess the Mini goes back to Apple, since it fails as a dedicated HTPC (for my purposes:-(
P.S. I am wondering what Shuttle owners are doing, since Shuttle is used mostly for HTPC purposes and some of their products use the 945? Maybe they have different drivers?
EntecTaiwan (the makers of PowerStrip) just wrote that the 945 chipset doesn't support custom resolutions, which pretty much kills it for many HTPC uses, since a lot of plasmas and DTVs use so-called custom resolutions.
I will spend some time trying to get it running over the weekend and will try Mac OS as well, with Media Central (which, even if a little primitive compared to MCE, is more versatile than Front Row, imo.) Will try both DisplayConfigX or SwitchResX.
If it doesn't work, I guess the Mini goes back to Apple, since it fails as a dedicated HTPC (for my purposes:-(
P.S. I am wondering what Shuttle owners are doing, since Shuttle is used mostly for HTPC purposes and some of their products use the 945? Maybe they have different drivers?
If you're not looking for a 1:1 pixel map, can your plasma accept another 16:9 resolution like 720p and scale it accordingly? Depending on what your criteria is, this may be an acceptable solution. Most of my video and picture files are scaled up or down for display anyway.
Everyone I know with a Shuttle has installed another video card into it, including the ones w/ built-in video (I don't think it is intel though, usually ATi or nVidia still). They use it as a portable LAN party machine/primary computer and don't hook them up to their TVs. As part of an entertainment center, I would personally find them to be a bit awkward looking though.
The mini isn't for everyone, maybe the next rev will work out better for you Ryan1.
Everyone I know with a Shuttle has installed another video card into it, including the ones w/ built-in video (I don't think it is intel though, usually ATi or nVidia still). They use it as a portable LAN party machine/primary computer and don't hook them up to their TVs. As part of an entertainment center, I would personally find them to be a bit awkward looking though.
The mini isn't for everyone, maybe the next rev will work out better for you Ryan1.
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I guess I must not be average. I had 2 of these in my wires bin.
The people at Sony should be happy. Somebody in the USA actually used something related to Minidisc.
| Originally Posted by Ryan1 Am I wrong to think that whoever at Apple decided not to include the adapter in the box should be fired? The average consumer would be right to get pretty upset when he brings home the little box with a remote and finds out he can't plug it into his receiver. It's a less than $1 item, for god's sake.... |
The people at Sony should be happy. Somebody in the USA actually used something related to Minidisc.
Quote:
I just got my CoreDuo Mini two days ago, plugged it into my Fujitsu 42 inch ED plasma and it defaulted to 848x480. I also get 800x600 and 1024x678 as options. 848x480 is the only one that doesn't look stretchy. The Mini is probably not the source of your problem.
I think your lack of native 852x480 is because your display's EDID lacks that option. EDID is the ROM that tells players which resolutions are allowed. Several manufacturers do a sloppy job with their EDIDs. (Sharp, Inc, is fairly notorious for this.) Here's an article that delves into EDID issues. Gefen's DVI Detective is a solution several people in these forums report excellent results with. I've read that a technician at Gefen will even preload a DVI Detective with correct EDID data for your monitor if you ask him nicely. Now how's that for service!
| Originally Posted by Ryan1 much more serious problem I ran into is the inability to do certain standard resolutions, like 852x480. |
I think your lack of native 852x480 is because your display's EDID lacks that option. EDID is the ROM that tells players which resolutions are allowed. Several manufacturers do a sloppy job with their EDIDs. (Sharp, Inc, is fairly notorious for this.) Here's an article that delves into EDID issues. Gefen's DVI Detective is a solution several people in these forums report excellent results with. I've read that a technician at Gefen will even preload a DVI Detective with correct EDID data for your monitor if you ask him nicely. Now how's that for service!
Quote:
Look for part number 15-1584. I got two of them on clearance at less than $1. Many stores may still have them, though they no longer show up on the Radio Shack web site.
| Originally Posted by seank Radio shack had an adapter, but it is on clearance. |
Some of the optical cables I have purchased in the past included the adapter, which at the time I had no use for.
Quote:
Perhaps this will help? I found it on another thread: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=677235
We had another issue with the Intel 950 GMA video chipset, which didn't have 1280x720 as an optional resolution when using the DVI output until we disabled the "Show resolution this device supports." This may be a device-specific issue since most newer HDTVs actually report themselves as a display device to the video cards connected to them. We were using a Zenith 50" HD Plasma display, and when using a desktop resolution of 1280x720 the desktop was overscanned. We were not able to correct for this overscan with Intel's default drivers and we were not able to tweak our settings with PowerStrip, a tool that gives you complete control over the display settings. Setting the resolution to 1024x768 allowed our television to display the desktop without overscanning the video. Then we used Beyond TV's "Non-Square Pixel Compensation" to produce perfect HD video when using a square aspect ratio on a widescreen display.
| Originally Posted by MacHound I just got my CoreDuo Mini two days ago, plugged it into my Fujitsu 42 inch ED plasma and it defaulted to 848x480. I also get 800x600 and 1024x678 as options. 848x480 is the only one that doesn't look stretchy. The Mini is probably not the source of your problem. I think your lack of native 852x480 is because your display's EDID lacks that option. EDID is the ROM that tells players which resolutions are allowed. Several manufacturers do a sloppy job with their EDIDs. (Sharp, Inc, is fairly notorious for this.) Here's an article that delves into EDID issues. Gefen's DVI Detective is a solution several people in these forums report excellent results with. I've read that a technician at Gefen will even preload a DVI Detective with correct EDID data for your monitor if you ask him nicely. Now how's that for service! |
We had another issue with the Intel 950 GMA video chipset, which didn't have 1280x720 as an optional resolution when using the DVI output until we disabled the "Show resolution this device supports." This may be a device-specific issue since most newer HDTVs actually report themselves as a display device to the video cards connected to them. We were using a Zenith 50" HD Plasma display, and when using a desktop resolution of 1280x720 the desktop was overscanned. We were not able to correct for this overscan with Intel's default drivers and we were not able to tweak our settings with PowerStrip, a tool that gives you complete control over the display settings. Setting the resolution to 1024x768 allowed our television to display the desktop without overscanning the video. Then we used Beyond TV's "Non-Square Pixel Compensation" to produce perfect HD video when using a square aspect ratio on a widescreen display.
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