MarcelloM1973

Q: Is MacMini (2012) capable of viewing 4K?

Hi,

     If I connect my MacMini (2.6 Ghz, Intel Core i7) to a 4K monitor with thunderbolt/mdp... will I be able to play full screen video?
And whatabout to a 1.4 HDMI 4K TV Monitor? Not through the HDMI port but through the Thunderbolt/MDP with a good MDP--> HDMI converter?
I am asking this because you can start to find some "cheap" 4K monitors around but most of them (if not all) have only 1.4 HDMI.. but no MDP.

Mac mini (Late 2012), OS X Mavericks (10.9.1)

Posted on Dec 19, 2013 1:26 PM

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Q: Is MacMini (2012) capable of viewing 4K?

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  • by lllaass,

    lllaass lllaass Dec 19, 2013 1:59 PM in response to MarcelloM1973
    Level 10 (188,781 points)
    Desktops
    Dec 19, 2013 1:59 PM in response to MarcelloM1973

    No. Just purchase the new MacPro. It supports 4K. The downside is that the base price is $2999. Today is the first day you can order it but shipping is not till January

  • by MarcelloM1973,

    MarcelloM1973 MarcelloM1973 Dec 19, 2013 2:19 PM in response to lllaass
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Mac OS X
    Dec 19, 2013 2:19 PM in response to lllaass

    I know.. that is why I was wondering...
    Is yours a technical answer .. or just a suggestion?
    We know thunderbolt handles 2560 x 1440 at least (http://www.apple.com/displays/specs.html)
    As far as I know thunderbolt mdp is limited only by bandwidth has no intrinsecal resolution....

    What thunderbolt do I have on my MacMini ? What is the max resolution it supports?

  • by lllaass,Solvedanswer

    lllaass lllaass Dec 19, 2013 2:34 PM in response to MarcelloM1973
    Level 10 (188,781 points)
    Desktops
    Dec 19, 2013 2:34 PM in response to MarcelloM1973

    I have the 2012 Mini

    *This model simultaneously supports 1920x1200 on an HDMI or a DVI display (using the included HDMI-to-DVI adapter) and2560x1600 on a Thunderbolt or Mini DisplayPort display or even a VGA display (with an optional Mini DisplayPort-to-VGA adapter, which is compatible with the Thunderbolt port).

     

    Also see:

    Apple Mini DisplayPort adapters: Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

    18. What is the maximum resolution available for use with the Apple Mini DisplayPort to VGA adapter?

    The resolution available with the Apple Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter is 1920 x 1200. VGA displays that use higher refresh rates (such as 85 Hz) at resolutions of 1600 x 1200 or greater may not generate video properly until you lower the refresh rate.

  • by MarcelloM1973,

    MarcelloM1973 MarcelloM1973 Dec 19, 2013 2:40 PM in response to lllaass
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Mac OS X
    Dec 19, 2013 2:40 PM in response to lllaass

    Thanks.. this answered me.

    What about playback of 4K video full screen with standard HD output... I mean... will the CPU.. GPU.... etc.. make it in viewing the video... playing with no jumps.. etc...  (even.. as you just told me.. in a lower resolution) ?
    Guess it also depends on the codec... MP4, MOV PRORES, etc...
    I made a ProRes 4K file out of 4 HD files and seems to play well full screen (on my HDMI HD monitor).. is that a good test?

  • by MMcCorkleRX30,

    MMcCorkleRX30 MMcCorkleRX30 Dec 24, 2013 11:56 AM in response to MarcelloM1973
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 24, 2013 11:56 AM in response to MarcelloM1973

    Yes, you can view 3840x2160 @ up to 31hz on a 2012 Mac Mini. I do this personally using a Mini Display port to HDMI 1.4 adapter (Accel) on a Seiki 4k.

     

    There is one drawback. It only works on <10.9 and you must use a patch along with SwitchResX to make it work. You can easily find the mac-pixel-clock-patch with a google search. SwitchResX is free as well.

     

    Enjoy!

  • by MarcelloM1973,

    MarcelloM1973 MarcelloM1973 Dec 28, 2013 1:09 AM in response to MMcCorkleRX30
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Mac OS X
    Dec 28, 2013 1:09 AM in response to MMcCorkleRX30

    Great... When you say ..... "<10.9" you mean "anything but Maverics" ?
    Why is this? Will it be possible on Maverics?

  • by DougToo,

    DougToo DougToo Jan 6, 2014 12:03 PM in response to MMcCorkleRX30
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 6, 2014 12:03 PM in response to MMcCorkleRX30

    Any hope for the Mac Mini to work on 10.9?

  • by MMcCorkleRX30,

    MMcCorkleRX30 MMcCorkleRX30 Jan 6, 2014 12:11 PM in response to DougToo
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 6, 2014 12:11 PM in response to DougToo

    Not until someone finds out how to hack the current 10.9 video driver to disable the 165hz pixel lock. That or Apple enables it in the driver... I have a feeling the solution is to simply "buy a new Mac Pro". ;-)

  • by DougToo,

    DougToo DougToo Jan 6, 2014 12:14 PM in response to MMcCorkleRX30
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 6, 2014 12:14 PM in response to MMcCorkleRX30

    Yeah, have one on order.  But I have the Seiki monitor sitting around.  Wanted to see how it looked at 4K

  • by MMcCorkleRX30,

    MMcCorkleRX30 MMcCorkleRX30 Jan 6, 2014 12:30 PM in response to DougToo
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 6, 2014 12:30 PM in response to DougToo

    Well, in short, it looks awesome. ;-) The 31hz limitation is more than enough for nice looking video (the limited amount that exists). The only place you would need more than the 31hz refresh is while moving windows around quickly with your mouse or gaming. I also had to download a mouse smoothing app that makes the mouse feel much better at the higher res. The highest setting for scroll speed is way to low @ 3840x2160.

     

    Once you use it you won't ever be able to go back to 1080. I replaced 3 42" 1080p's with 1 50" Seiki and love it everyday. You'll want to tweak the color settings and not put the backlight over about 70 or else you'll get a noticable flashing on light areas of the screen. A simple color calibration in OSX fixes any miscolorations. Search around for calibrating the Seiki and you'll find some good settings to change in the advanced settings menu on the Seiki.

     

    For about $770 shipped who can possibly complain about a 50" 4k monitor? But people still find reasons...

  • by DougToo,

    DougToo DougToo Jan 6, 2014 12:33 PM in response to MMcCorkleRX30
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 6, 2014 12:33 PM in response to MMcCorkleRX30

    Cool.  Thanks for the info.

  • by MarcelloM1973,

    MarcelloM1973 MarcelloM1973 Jan 7, 2014 2:10 AM in response to MarcelloM1973
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jan 7, 2014 2:10 AM in response to MarcelloM1973

    I disabled separate monitor control (from Maverics, inside Mission Control) installed SwitchResX on my Mac Mini and can get 2x 3840x2160 screens. I am watching them on my standard 1080p monitors so it's not real 4K... the resolution is obviously interpolated.. but it works... What will happen whan I connect a 4K monitor I don't know. As far as I understand it will work...

     

    From what I am reading on the web the Seiki 4K is a good monitor but a bad TV.. but I think I'll give it a try.. This means good resolution and, after calibration, good colors. Not so good upscaling (for TV signal) and not so good for fast paced movements (blurs etc...) also because in 4K it will only be 30hz.

  • by jcer93705,

    jcer93705 jcer93705 Jan 7, 2014 2:25 AM in response to MMcCorkleRX30
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 7, 2014 2:25 AM in response to MMcCorkleRX30

    What model from Sieki?

  • by MarcelloM1973,

    MarcelloM1973 MarcelloM1973 Jan 7, 2014 2:44 AM in response to MarcelloM1973
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jan 7, 2014 2:44 AM in response to MarcelloM1973

    As I said.. I don't have a 4k monitor yet.. but I am thinking of getting one... Seiki (as far as I know, the only ones up to now) have a range of cheap 4K monitors. Amazon is selling SE39UY04 at 500$ (40") and the 50 inch version at 1.000$. As I said.. from what I am reading, here and on the internet, it seems a good monitor for computer use, maybe watch a video, video editing, play some games.. but not really a good TV due to bad upscaling and blending.

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