Can the 2018 Mac mini support outputting to a 4K AV Receiver/Projector with a standard HD monitor?

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Level 1

18 points

Can the 2018 Mac mini support outputting to a 4K AV Receiver/Projector with a standard HD monitor?

I am trying to setup a home cinema style setup, with the HDMI on the 2018 Mac mini connected to a 4k Marantz projector. I also want to have the Marantz output to a second HDMI, which is connected to a cheap HDMI monitor with a native resolution of 1920x1080.

I am starting to think that this won't work because the Mac will only output the lowest common denominator resolution. I've been working with the SwitchResX utility, but it's challenging.

Here's a layout of the planned setup.

If anyone who has started a home cinema can see any obvious flaws, please let me know.

Some things I'm not sure about:

Does this layout mean the Mac needs to drive 3 monitors, 2x4k and a HD monitor, which could be too much to handle?
Would having a 4k HDMI monitor to replace the cheap 1080p monitor fix this, so the Marantz AV receiver is outputting the same 4k signal to 2 displays?

Posted on Oct 28, 2019 2:06 AM

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Answer 1

den.thed

Level 10

93,670 points

Oct 28, 2019 8:19 AM in response to nicholas.he

I would try different configurations that separate Screen 2 from the Receiver and Projector.

example: 2

Screen 1 on the HDMI port using a HDMI to DVI adapter. (or HDMI to HDMI if 1 has HDMI)

Screen 2 on one USB-C port using a USB-C to HDMI adapter. (or USB-C to DVI if 2 has DVI)

The Receiver to the Projector on the other USB-C port using a USB-C to HDMI adapter.

example: 3

Screen 1 on one USB-C port using a USB-C to DVI adapter. (or USB-C to HDMI if 1 has HDMI)

Screen 2 on the other USB-C port using a USB-C to HDMI adapter. (or USB-C to DVI if 2 has DVI)

The Receiver to the Projector on the HDMI port using a HDMI

Then different configurations that separate the Receiver from the Projector.

example: 4

Screen 1 on one USB-C port using a USB-C to DVI adapter. (or USB-C to HDMI if 1 has HDMI)

The Receiver and Screen 2 on the other USB-C using a USB-C to HDMI adapter.

The Projector on the HDMI port.

example: 5

Screen 1 on the HDMI port using a HDMI to DVI adapter. (or HDMI to HDMI if 1 has HDMI)

The Receiver and Screen 2 on one USB-C using a USB-C to HDMI adapter.

The Projector on the other USB-C using a USB-C to HDMI adapter.

Plus I would restart and reset the NVRAM between each configurations to eliminate any display preference corruption. see > https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204063

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Answer 2

Oct 28, 2019 2:14 PM in response to nicholas.he

I should have worded a little different. The HDMI port

can only out put a single video signal. It cannot output

two different "streams" at differing resolutions. So,

the display that "wins" will likely be the lowest common

denominator, and that may depend on how the Marantz

"muxes" the outputs to the input.

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Answer 3

Oct 28, 2019 4:51 AM in response to nicholas.he

The issue is with the Marantz receiver in the chain. The Mini can only service a

single display on the HDMI port, it cannot service 2 simultaneously. This is actually

true of any video port. Yes, there are "port splitters" but the source port can only

deliver one video signal.

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Answer 4

hcsitas

Level 6

13,970 points

Oct 30, 2019 8:39 AM in response to nicholas.he

"Would having a 4k HDMI monitor to replace the cheap 1080p monitor fix this"

Likely yes, why not give it a shot?

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Answer 5

nicholas.he Author

Level 1

18 points

Oct 28, 2019 5:26 AM in response to woodmeister50

Hi woodmeister50, thanks of the reply. I don't quite follow what you mean by the "only service a single display on the HDMI port."

The diagram pictured above does work, in that the projector and the monitor are both displaying video.

The challenge I have is to get the signal to be a 4k level quality, not just 1080p.

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Can the 2018 Mac mini support outputting to a 4K AV Receiver/Projector with a standard HD monitor?

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