This is topic Apple Mac question...monitor out in forum Film-Yak at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.


To visit this topic, use this URL:
https://ft-forum.com/ft/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=8;t=005794

---

Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 05-01-2009, 07:44 AM:
 
Hiya

We've a guy coming in tomorrow morning for a function and he's just brought his Mac in to test it on the Plasma. Thing is, he doesn't know how to get it to send a signal out from the mac to the monitor. I'm not Mac savvy so can't help. Anyone here able to help?

I saw a guy do it here about a year ago but can't recall what he did.
 

---

Posted by Stephen Furley (Member # 1277) on 05-01-2009, 08:11 AM:
 
As far as the hardware is concerned one problem is that Apple keep changing the sockets; you might have mini-VGA, DVI-I, mini-DVI, micro-DVI or mini-displayport, and that's just in fairly recent models of laptops; if you add older models and desktop/tower machines there are other possibilities such as VGA and ADC. The various mini and micro connectors will need an adaptor to connect to anything. The mini and micro DVI connectors each have three different adaptors, one each to connect to VGA, DVI and composite/S-video. The DVI adaptors convert to DVI-D, so you cannot use another adaptor to connect VGA to this; you need the VGA adaptor if you want VGA. Mini-VGA only has adaptors to VGA and video. I haven't seen the mini-displayport yet, and don't know much about it, but it has it's own range of adaptors. What inputs do you have available on your equipment?

Most of the newer Apple machines can either mirror the display to two screens, or extend it onto a second screen; I've used this mode on my Macbook with a mini-DVI to DVI adaptor to drive a NEC NC-800C digital projector via a Christie Cine IPM without problems. Make sure he brings the appropriate adaptor with him if necessary, since you're unlikely to have one. The Mac should detect the additional display automatically. Go into System Preferences and then display to set the properties.

[ 05-01-2009, 09:51 AM: Message edited by: Stephen Furley ]
 

---

Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 05-01-2009, 08:17 AM:
 
Thanks Stephen. He has the connector. I'll let him know. Odd it didn't auto detect though.
 

---

Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 05-01-2009, 08:27 AM:
 
All Apple laptops ship with a little dongle that plugs into the mini port on the side of the computer.

http://store.apple.com/us/product/M9320G/A?fnode=MTY1NDA3Ng&mco=MzE3MDEwMQ

Simply plug that dongle into the computer and connect your video projector or external monitor and you should be good to go. The computer should automatically recognize the device and start working mostly by itself.

The problem is that most people don't know what that little dongle is. They toss that piece aside, never realizing that they might need it. Then they walk in to your office, plop their computer down on your desk and say, "Here! Hook me up!" When you tell them that you can't help them they say, "But I thought Macs were great!?"

This scenario repeats itself virtually on a daily basis where I work. Every time I tell them, "You NEED to bring that little adapter! If you don't you'll be out of luck." Every time, they look at me like it's my fault when I tell them I can't hook them up.

Every Mac laptop that has a mini-DVI port or some other flavor of mini video ships with that adapter. But people always lose them, either because they don't know what it is for or they think they'll never need it.

Moral of the story: If you have a Mac laptop, go find that adapter right now! Put it in a place where you can find it. If you lose it, you'll be up Shit Creek.

I keep mine in the side pouch of my laptop bag. It's still in the original cellophane wrapper.
 

---

Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 05-01-2009, 08:29 AM:
 
Probably the case here too. He had to go to the shop today to buy another.
 

---

Posted by Stephen Furley (Member # 1277) on 05-01-2009, 09:38 AM:
 
Randy,

Not all models come supplied with the adaptors, at least not in this Country. My Macbook didn't come with any; they were optional extras if you wanted to buy them. Some models come with one adaptor, but I don't think any come with all of the available types for that model included.

I've got an almost complete set of adaptors, including the more obscure ones, but not the mini-displayport ones yet. I need them to cope with visitors who occasionally turn up with Apple equipment, but not the adaptor. They're essential, but almost impossible to obtain quickly, unless you happen to have an Apple store nearby.

i-Book was mini-VGA

Powerbook was DVI except for the smallest which was mini-DVI

G4 i-Mac was mini-VGA, I think the G5 one switched from mini-VGA to mini-DVI at some point

Original Macbook was mini-DVI

Original Macbook Pro was dual-link DVI-I

Original Macbook Air was micro-DVI

Current Macbooks including the new Macbook Air are mini-Displayport

I think I've got that right, but I wish Apple would stop this nonsense of silly, non-standard connectors, and changing them with almost every model they bring out.

Then there was the ADC which Apple brought out rather than use standard DVI, it was DVI plus USB plus power on a non-standard connector, and then promptly dropped again. Previously they had a strange thing which carried VGA plus audio plus ADB on another odd connector which only one model of monitor could ever connect to without an adaptor, and the original Apple 15 pin alternative to VGA.

All of these silly connectors are the biggest problem with trying to connect up Apple equipment, and it's not just displays, when they first started supporting Ethernet, rather than use the AUI or BNC connectors which were standard at that time they used an external transceiver, not with the stansard AUI interface, but their own AAUI, with a different connector.

I can see the need for smaller connectors, but the Industry should decide on a standard one, and then everyone stick with it.

[ 05-01-2009, 12:28 PM: Message edited by: Stephen Furley ]
 

---

Posted by Mike Olpin (Member # 1115) on 05-01-2009, 10:41 AM:
 
If it cannot find the display once connected, open
System Preferences > Displays
and select "Detect Displays" from the Display tab.
If that doesn't do it, power down the mac completely, and with the display cable still connected, and try booting it up again. (Shut Down, then boot up, don't just select "reboot")

Also, this belongs in Yak...
 

---

Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 05-01-2009, 11:02 AM:
 
As much as I understand what they are trying to do I don't agree with their methods. A proprietary connector should never be used if there is a standard one available.

They are trying to make the connectors small and inconspicuous so they don't spoil the lines of the case. Maybe the could have made a flip-open cover but those get broken easily. They're trying to avoid all that junk.

But there are dozens of different kinds of connectors they could have used. Why not use a plain old HDMI? They would probably still have to sell an adapter to go from HDMI to DVI or to VGA (with conversion chips inside) but, at least, when the user doesn't bring his own adapter there's a snowball's chance in hell that I might be able to scare up some other cable or adapter to solve the problem.

I like Apple Computer Co. but I still think they do a lot of bone headed shit!
 

---

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 05-01-2009, 07:45 PM:
 

quote:

---

I like Apple Computer Co. but I still think they do a lot of bone headed shit!

---

That is an understatement. I truly hate Jobs' aversion to Blu-ray. He wants everyone to go buy his shitty Apple TV which is a huge pile of poo and download HD movies. Hello, Mr. Jobs? Some of us edit videos professionally on the Mac, y'know, that li'l suite called Final Cut Studio? Some clients want their stuff delivered in HD on a physical media they can hold in their hands which isn't crazy-compressed like downloadable web video. How are we supposed to do that when you don't offer any Blu-ray support in your apps or even support the players themselves? Want us to switch to Adobe's video stuff? God I'd hate to do that because Premiere is kind of crappy and Encore is just pure dogshit on a shingle.
 

---

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 05-01-2009, 08:46 PM:
 
...but I can attest that Encore DOES make some damn pretty blu-ray discs.
 

---

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 05-01-2009, 11:23 PM:
 
Yeah, too bad it is has so few authoring options and is extremely limited. Also I think it can only do MPEG2, which is ass.
 

---

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 05-02-2009, 02:02 AM:
 
If you have a LOT of cash laying around you could move up to an enterprise level BD authoring solution -running Windows. After all, 100% of Blu-ray movie discs from Hollywood studios are authored on awful, icky Windows-based machines.

Sonic Scenarist, Sony Blu-print and Sony Blu-code are the most commonly used professional solutions for creating Hollywood studio Blu-ray discs. They're all exclusively Windows-based. The also-rans out there are also Windows-based.

Bascially this is one hell of a stupid pooch-screw on the part of Jobs and Co. Pride does go before a fall.

There are rumors about that Blu-ray support will finally be announced for the Mac platform at the next Apple Developers Conference in a month. That's by way of some little tidbit about Blu-ray in the "about" credits on a version "8.2" beta of iTunes. Let's hope that it comes true. If Apple continues to hold out on Blu-ray in favor of leveraging crap-tastic ultra compressed to living hell fake HD from iTunes Adobe will catch up and start throttle kicking Apple's skull like Robert DeNiro stomping some "made man" in Goodfellas.

Professional creative people couldn't be made to give a crap about fashion. They only want the best tools to get the job done. When one platform fails to deliver they will eventually jump to another.

The critical thing is that competition continues. As long as Final Cut Studio remains popular the other rivals like Adobe, Avid, Autodesk, etc. will be forced to continually improve their applications and also force Apple to do the same.

quote: Joe Redifer

---

Also I think it can only do MPEG2, which is ass.

---

quote: Stephen Furley

---

Then there was the ADC which Apple brought out rather than use standard DVI, it was DVI plus USB plus power on a non-standard connector, and then promptly dropped again.

---

quote: Scott Norwood

---

Does anyone actually use Blu-Ray in any sort of professional context? If so, what is the application?

---

quote: Scott Norwood

---

As far as I can tell, it's turning into a niche home format only (sort of like what laserdisc used to be), not a actual broadcast or exhibition format.

---

quote: Bobby Henderson

---

Does Apple sell ADC to DVI adapters for users with older Apple monitors using ADC connectors? It would suck to buy a new Mac Pro tower and not be able to attach an old but very expensive 23" Studio Cinema display for the lack of a proper connector.

---

quote: Stephen Furley

---

Did you get it working ok John?

---