Hi there,
I gave my boyfriend my late 2013, 15” MacBook Pro. He wants to be able to play his PlayStation 4 and use the MacBook Pro as the monitor.
Is this possible? What would we need to purchase to make it work?
MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 11.7
The MacBook Pro is NOT a display. It is a purpose-built portable computer. It has no display INPUTS. it can NOT act as a display for anything except images it generates internally.
The data rates for displays are the highest data rates of anything a computer or game controller can produce. To display them, you need a different purpose-built device. That device is a Monitor, or TV set.
The MacBook Pro is NOT a display. It is a purpose-built portable computer. It has no display INPUTS. it can NOT act as a display for anything except images it generates internally.
The data rates for displays are the highest data rates of anything a computer or game controller can produce. To display them, you need a different purpose-built device. That device is a Monitor, or TV set.
tweetie_29 wrote:
So what’s ’target display mode’?
Target Display Mode was a feature of some iMac desktops released between 2009 and mid 2014. Although old MacBook Pros could use old iMacs as Target Displays, no MacBook Pro notebook ever supported the feature to act as a Target Display.
And according to the specs, unless I’m not understanding it correctly “Display Support: Supports an HDMI-compatible device, including 4K, while using one Thunderbolt display or support for two Thunderbolt displays”
The HDMI ports on Mac notebooks are video output ports, for connecting external displays. They are not inputs for displaying video from a PlayStation (or any other device) on the notebook's internal screen.
IdrisSeabright wrote:
tweetie_29 wrote:
What info? This? “Display Support: Supports an HDMI-compatible device, including 4K, while using one Thunderbolt display or support for two Thunderbolt displays”
Mac Tracker App.
Well, although MacTracker has lots of great information, I'm inclined to go with the information in Apple's own support article on Target Display Mode. And, that's not what it says.
The information in MacTracker appears to me to be mostly consistent with Apple's Technical Specifications for that MacBook Pro. What the OP is missing is that NONE of the reference sources that we're talking about here (MacTracker, Apple Technical Specifications, and the Target Display Mode Support article) say that that MBP is able to accept video input. MacTracker is referring to support for external displays (i.e., video output).
MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Late 2013) - Technical Specifications
The last Mac that Apple supports for participation is Target Display Mode in ANY fashion was issued in 2019. And the last model that can be used a display for another Mac is an iMac from 2014, over a decade ago.
<< unless I’m not understanding it correctly “Display Support: Supports an HDMI-compatible device. >>
The part you are not understanding is,
... supports [OUTPUT onto] an HDMI-compatible device [of Video generated inside the MacBook Pro ONLY]
I'm not sure where you're getting that information. Here is Apple's information:
Use your iMac as a display with target display mode - Apple Support
You'll note that it references using one Mac as a display for another, not using a Mac as a display for something else.
So what’s ’target display mode’? And according to the specs, unless I’m not understanding it correctly “Display Support: Supports an HDMI-compatible device, including 4K, while using one Thunderbolt display or support for two Thunderbolt displays”
Firewire ports can be used to transfer pre-packetized video data from a camera or similar video capture device.
But this is not display or transfer of "live" Video in real-time, which is MUCH more complex because, real-time tolerates no mistakes.
tweetie_29 wrote:
What info? This? “Display Support: Supports an HDMI-compatible device, including 4K, while using one Thunderbolt display or support for two Thunderbolt displays”
Mac Tracker App.
Well, although MacTracker has lots of great information, I'm inclined to go with the information in Apple's own support article on Target Display Mode. And, that's not what it says.
Yep, this is a 2013 model and I read somewhere that one of the FireWire ports or whatever they changed the name too was capable of video in. 🤷♂️
What info? This? “Display Support: Supports an HDMI-compatible device, including 4K, while using one Thunderbolt display or support for two Thunderbolt displays”
Mac Tracker App.
Thanks, SoC! I didn't go to MacTracker to look it up as the information in Apple's Suppor document seemed pretty clear and I was being lazy. Your clarification is very helpful.
Viewing playstation on MacBook Pro
