Mac Mini: DVI+TOSlink->HDMI Adapter, still fiction?

Question

Level 1

4 points

Mac Mini: DVI+TOSlink->HDMI Adapter, still fiction?

Hello

I've been studying for a while the best solution for connecting my early 2009 Mac Mini to my LCD TV and Blu-Ray 5.1 System. I didn't took long to figure out the "Mini-DVI->HDMI Adaptor for video" and "Mini-TOS->TOSlink for audio" scenario. The problem is that I'm short on optical inputs. After thinking it through for a while, it dawned upon me that a "DVI+TOSlink->HDMI" adapter would crack this one. This adapter would take the DVI video and the TOSlink audio signals from the Mac Mini and composite them into one single HDMI stream. It seemed far fetched that such an adapter would even exist, but I decided to give it a go.

At first, after some initial research, I only found adapters like the following:
http://www.amazon.com/Audio-SPDIF-Toslink-Converter-Adapter/dp/B0015YYOQQ/ref=sr11?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1258995241&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Toslink-HDMI-Converter-Adapter/dp/B002N8PVTM/ref=sr14?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1258995241&sr=8-4.
Although they do convert the DVI signal to HDMI, the same can't be said in regard to the TOSlink audio signal. The audio part is not encoded into the HDMI stream, getting out through the same optical port it got in.

I was about to let it go when I found this adapter:
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?cid=101&cp_id=10114&cs_id=1011405&pid=5369&seq=1&format=4#feedback
The are a few customer reviews that specifically state it works flawlessly with the Mac Mini.

The questions are: has anyone tried one of these? Does it really works? It it really possible to composite an HDMI stream from DVI+TOSlink inputs? If so, will it be any quality loss associated to the conversion process?

Thanks in advance

Mac Mini, Mac OS X (10.5.8)

Posted on Nov 23, 2009 12:33 PM

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Answer 1

Dah•veed

Level 9

64,645 points

Nov 23, 2009 11:38 PM in response to kha0s

Welcome to the Apple Discussions!

There is not really much converting going on with regard to DVI (D) to HDMI. I use the mini-DVI to DVI (D) adapter that came with my Mac mini and a Belkin cable that is DVI (D) on one end and HDMI on the other. The signals are compatible. But as you say I run a separate audio cable from the mini to my HDTV. That is the real conversion that is taking place in the "black box" devices to which you are linking; adding the audio to the video.

There is another route that skips the video output from the mini altogether, but it is a bit more pricey, USB. I know of two USB to HDMI "black boxes" that give you both audio and video in the HDMI stream.

Atlona USB to HDMI Converter. Model: AT-HDPiX

Grand HD Cinema

Dah•veed

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Answer 2

BSteely

Level 5

7,643 points

Nov 24, 2009 8:32 AM in response to kha0s

Does your TV really have surround sound speakers built into it? If not, what is the point of bringing surround sound into the TV?

The optical output from the mini would typically be jacked into a surround sound system/receiver, bypassing the TV altogether. That would by the typical use.

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Answer 3

ilGaspa

Level 1

0 points

Dec 11, 2009 2:57 AM in response to kha0s

I admit I am in a hurry and I haven't read carefully the discussion, but another solution if you ran out of optical inputs would be converting optical to digital coaxial if you amplifier has digital coaxial outputs. Performance wise they are exactly the same as using optical connection and you can use cheap converters like this

http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Optical-Toslink-Coaxial-Converter/dp/B000I98ZQY

to go from digital-optical to digital-coax 😉

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Answer 4

ilGaspa

Level 1

0 points

Dec 11, 2009 10:14 AM in response to ilGaspa

Sorry, I mis-typed: I meant "if your amplifier has digital-coaxial INPUTS" -_-

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Answer 5

Dec 15, 2009 1:27 PM in response to BSteely

The point would be if he wants to use the TV and its remote as the audio/video switcher. So you have everything going into the TV, then the TV does it's component cable out (or HDMI out) into the receiver and, voila, 5.1 sound.

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Answer 6

BSteely

Level 5

7,643 points

Dec 16, 2009 7:31 AM in response to triple.vee

The point would be if he wants to use the TV and its remote as the audio/video switcher.

Yeah, I see what you mean. I didn't think of that.

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Answer 7

alcyon

Level 1

0 points

Dec 17, 2009 1:57 AM in response to kha0s

Hello khaOs,

Your problem is quite clear: you want audio in hdmi by joining toslink-audio with dvi-video to hdmi out with:

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?cid=101&cp_id=10114&cs_id=1011405&pid=5369&seq=1&format=4#feedback

so you can use the hdmi as input for your receiver because your receiver doesn't have toslink input.

You simply asks, does anyone tried this product.
Well all the answers you got until now are: NO.

But as I see it, you have answered your question by yourself: "The are a few customer reviews that specifically state it works flawlessly with the Mac Mini."

So, what is your problem until now and is it solved in your opninion? If yes, please inform.

With kind regards. Bram

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