Connect Thunderbolt Display to Mini DisplayPort?

TH_Architecture wrote:

Because Thunderbolt is downward compatible and there is a MiniDisplay Port signal inside the TB cable, so why should that MDP-signal not be picked up once it is connected to a MiniDisplay Port cable?

The cable itself doesn't do anything. If the plug is the same for TB and MDP, which it is, and all the pins are connected on both sides there is no difference from hooking up your thunderbold plug to the macbook directly. Every pin on one side is connected to the same pin on the other side.

I think what is meant with "downward compatible" is that you can connect a TB source to a MDP destination. The TB side being smart enough to pass only video in the way normal MDP would work. This is downward compatibility. Newer devices being able to talk to older ones.

The problem we're having here is more an issue of "upwards compatibility". The MDP must stream to a newer TB device, which is the other way around. Apparently a MDP port doesn't know how to do that, which sounds quite logical to me.

It actually sounds pretty logic that the cable will receive the MDP-signal and has no idea what to do with the other, killing the TB-signal from continueing. You don't agree?

No, not really. Maybe if the cable didn't connect the "TB part" of the wires and only connected the pins used by MDP, but in this case all pins are connected and I highly doubt its a matter of which pins are what anyway.

And I'm just trying man, fishing for a possibility because it hás to be possible. It is impossible one cannot get the MDP signal out of that TB-cable. There simply has to be a way,for everybody else who has a 2010 MBP but reallyyy wants to buy the TB-Display instead of the same priced Apple CD because they all know they will get a TB-Mac eventually. So why not get the display in advance and 'unlock all it's features' later.

I wish too that this was possible, and I'm hopeful that someone will build an adapter eventually, but I believe it will be an active one and I fear it will take a while for the first to appear.

I was just at the apple store last night and one of the employees told me it would work since it is backwards compatible but then went and checked with a genius bar employee and found out he was wrong...it is not compatible with a mini display port.

Here is something else...why is the price of the non thunderbolt LED screen still the same price as the thunderbolt screen? Isn't the original old technology, in a sense? Plus it does not has an HD camera like the TB screen...so many if they would bring down the price of the non TB LED screen I would actually buy it.

Well, finally the Thunderbolt displays have arrived in stores here in The Netherlands, and even though Apple Support has 'garanteed' me that it would work, it seems they have some critical misunderstanding in their company.

There is no way to get the Thunderbolt Display to work as a monitor on a non-Thunderbolt device. The guys at the Apple store and I tried everything (the MDP female-male thing, changing TB to HDMI and back to MDP into the MacBook Pro etc.) and my MacBook Pro didn't even flinch when connected, leaving the monitor completely black. I am very disappointed and so far there is no connector that captures the display signal from a Thunderbolt Cable. So buy the Cinema Display, at the same price, and when you upgrade your computer, sell your MacBook Pro together with your Cinema Display and do a big upgrade by changing everything you have.

I believe we can close this thread now, until somebody invents something to enable the monitor on MDP-devices.

So. Correct answer to question:

No, it is not possible to connect a Thunderbolt Display to a MiniDisplay Port.

@turteboy ran in the same problem when I went to the Apple Store but at least in your situation the Apple employee went to the genius bar but in my case the Apple employee just let me buy it and I took it home and it didn't work, took it back and exchange it for a LED Cinema, There are cheaper prices for the Apple's LED Cinema Display, The Apple Store is not the only place you can get them

Best Buy- $939

MacMall-$939

B&H Photo- $899

Sears-$989

Electronic Supercenter- $729.27

These Apple 27-inch LED Cinema Displays are new in the box just need to learn where to shop, but my thing is and this might not be true but I think Apple is trying to get rid of all there stock of the 27-inch LED Cinema Display because now it takes Apple to ship the LED Display in 5-7 business days, I think but not for sure either Apple or a third party will develop a adaptor when exactly is still a mystery, and I don't think Apple is going to make anymore Apple LED Cinema Displays, it might be discontinued soon, So if you need a display and if you don't have a thunderbolt enable mac don't buy the thunderbolt display it doesn't play nice with mini display port, my advice to eveyone is if you have a mini display port mac buy the LED ACD while there still available to purchase or just buy a new Mac , maybe just wait for a adaptor to be develop if your not in a hurry

Thanks Darrell. I'm not in a rush for a new display. My current one works great...I was just looking for a larger screen for when I am running multiple programs. I think I'm going to wait until an adapter is made. Thanks again

I have a new 2 week old 15 inch MacBook Pro. I have been using a 20" Apple Cinema Display with my older version MBP using a mini-display port to DVI adaptor. This display works fine with the older MacBook pro but will not work through the Thunderbolt port on the new one.

Just got off the phone with Apple. Renee... a senior advisor said that theoretically it should work but it isn't a configuration they are supporting at this time. She recommended this cable.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/search.asp?keyword=dvi+to+thunderbolt&x=0&y=0

I am ordering one and will post back if it works.

It should work fine "as is". Make sure you have your monitor connected with MacBook plugged in and install the latest updates for lion. There are also some drivers for the display itself however I believe the lion update supersedes that.

Thanks Adam, that sounds like great news!

The link you had in your previous post doesn't seem to take me to a specific page though, just a search results page with about 10 different ones. Can you do me a favour and link me up again? -Or just let me know the specs of the cable i'd need...

Thanks a load for your help.

Let me clarify... I'm using an older Aluminum 20" Cinema Display which has a DVI connection. The new MacBook Pro only has a thunderbolt port. This adaptor will allow you to connect a DVI monitor to a thunderbolt Mac. This has nothing to do with a Thunderbolt display.

You're confusing people because this thread was, like its title, about connecting the other way around.

Just to be clear and sum things up. There is currently no adaptor that allows you to connect a Thunderbolt display to anything other then a Thunderbolt port on your mac.

Please keep the discussion on topic.

Sorry for the confusion everyone... didn't realize until 0x80 pointed it out that I'm in the wrong topic. My solution is for a new MacBook Pro with a Thunderbolt port connecting to an older Aluminum Cinema Display. I'll disappear from this thread now.

Sorry!!!

Out of curiosity, those who tried (and failed) connect a TB display to a displayport mac, did you use the provided thunderbolt cable, or a proper display port cable. As far as I understand, they are not the same cables at all.

I don't think a TB cable can connect to a mini display port, but it could be possible for a MDP cable to connect to the TB entry on the screen.

I have not tried an MDP cable. Only the cable that comes with the display. I think it's attached to it though. The extra TB port is meant for connecting other devices, I'm not sure it'll work as a video input.

Interesting. You're probably right, I doubt you can use the extra port as input, and if the cable is TB, I am assuming it won't work. Weird decision by apple; not many people can buy their new display yet.

Check out this video if any of you have questions about the thunderbolt display will work with mini display-port, my advice if you have a mini display-port mac buy the 27-inch led cinema display don't waste your time trying to figure if it will work or not, there's a reason Apple is still selling the 27-inch led cinema display.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-X5Lw_BIMHE