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new Mac Mini


Jeff Wexler

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Apple on Tuesday announced a brand-new redesign of the Mac mini, its low-cost desktop system. Besides an entirely new form factor, the new mini now sports an HDMI video port, a new graphics processor, and an SD card slot.

Mac Mini at the Apple site

I was seriously hoping that there would be a new Mac Mini that my son could use for his video DJ graphics work. He is grappling with the whole move to digital video throughput with the mini displayport. Now, none of the Macs have support for analog composite video output. An outboard converter is needed to take in any of the digital signals from mini displayport and now HDMI and convert to analog video to feed legacy projectors, video switchers, etc. Apple, being followed by most of the major manufacturers, are dropping analog video support in part to appease content providers, copyright issues, etc.

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Now, none of the Macs have support for analog composite video output. An outboard converter is needed to take in any of the digital signals from mini displayport and now HDMI and convert to analog video to feed legacy projectors, video switchers, etc.

You can solve this with a $12 HDMI-to-component analog cable:

http://www.dinodirect.com/HDMI-to-Component-Video-Audio-AV-Cable/AFFID-11.html?DinoDirect

There's also better (and longer) ones all over the place. The real issue is having to avoid putting any stress on the HDMI connector, which is really delicate. (Worse than the dreaded DB25!)

--Marc W.

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You can solve this with a $12 HDMI-to-component analog cable:

--Marc W.

I wish it were that easy. I was thinking of asking you how to solve this problem but after spending about an hour or so reading over 500 messages on the various forums about this, there is NO adapter or combination of adapters that can solve this. When Apple went to the mini Displayport they dropped analog video support on the graphics board --- there is no analog signal available! I don't fully understand how this is accomplished technically (my own ignorance about the relationship between analog and digital video) and there has been some speculation that there IS an analog video signal available on the graphics display board but it has been hidden and made inaccessible.

I was hoping Courtney might chime in here but I imagine he would just prefer to have this be another instance of Apple being evil.

I did read one solution that involved taking the mini Displayport to DVI adapter, breaking it open and shorting across 2 pins, cutting off 1 pin and all sorts of other nonsense indication that analog video IS there but Apple doesn't want you to get at it. Once modified, another adapter, DVI to Composite Video can be used to successfully output analog video. I have not tried this but I have tried everything else.

-  Jeff Wexler

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More on the new Mac Mini regarding the power supply (now inside the box):

- The new Mac mini’s power supply provides “a minuscule 7 Amps at 12V. Compare that to the 25.8 Amps at 12V cranked out by the 27 inch iMac, and you can understand how they fit the power supply inside the Mini.”

“The fan doesn’t have too much work to do, since the new Mac Mini is the most energy-efficient desktop, running on less than 10 watts at idle! In keeping with its space saving design, the fins directing air toward the vent hole are slanted to allow for better fan placement.”

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"All things Apple" or "Mac's (and other computers)..."

its all so confusing

You'll survive. As I have said before, I really do not consider the Categories I put up in the beginning to be all that important, or even some of the controversial ones I added (like Society, Politics and the Planet, All Things Apple, etc.). I believe that almost everybody tries to post things in an appropriate section but I also think that most people just look to see what's new, what has been replied to, regardless of where it is posted.

Sorry, Senator, if any of this upsets you.

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I wish it were that easy. I was thinking of asking you how to solve this problem but after spending about an hour or so reading over 500 messages on the various forums about this, there is NO adapter or combination of adapters that can solve this.

Really? I swear, I was told that this converted HDMI to analog component video from any source! I used to do it with an analog projector I had (which I just took down, prior to a house move).

No question, Apple can be a very frustrating company to deal with. I just spent 20 minutes at a Genius Bar trying to get a busted iPod fixed, and they treated me like a dirt-bag for about 15 of those minutes. Eventually, they realized the thing was seriously broken, and I muttered to the guy, "I've owned Macs longer than you've been alive." (And it was true.)

Would this Gefen HDMI-to-DVI box work for your son's system? Gefen's stuff is pricey, but I've seen their products used in quite a few pro edit suites, so I think it works. My other tip would be to contact the guys at MacHollywood, ProMax, or a similar pro FCP dealer and see if they have a solution. The LA Final Cut Pro User Group is another great source of info (free!). Guaranteed, hundreds of people have dealt with or are talking about this exact problem.

--Marc W.

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Really? I swear, I was told that this converted HDMI to analog component video from any source!

--Marc W.

I will have to do just a little bit more research but if there is NO analog video signal available from the source (the graphics card in the Mac) then there is no adapter or combination of adapters that will give you an analog signal. What my son has had to do is use a converter box (they range from $30.00 up to $1000.00) which takes a digital signal in (DVI or VGA) and gives a rather poor (with the low cost converters) analog composite video out.

-  Jeff Wexler

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I wish it were that easy. I was thinking of asking you how to solve this problem but after spending about an hour or so reading over 500 messages on the various forums about this, there is NO adapter or combination of adapters that can solve this. When Apple went to the mini Displayport they dropped analog video support on the graphics board --- there is no analog signal available! I don't fully understand how this is accomplished technically (my own ignorance about the relationship between analog and digital video) and there has been some speculation that there IS an analog video signal available on the graphics display board but it has been hidden and made inaccessible.

I was hoping Courtney might chime in here but I imagine he would just prefer to have this be another instance of Apple being evil.

I did read one solution that involved taking the mini Displayport to DVI adapter, breaking it open and shorting across 2 pins, cutting off 1 pin and all sorts of other nonsense indication that analog video IS there but Apple doesn't want you to get at it. Once modified, another adapter, DVI to Composite Video can be used to successfully output analog video. I have not tried this but I have tried everything else.

-  Jeff Wexler

Well Jeff I haven't replied because I don't have very much experience with these new Mac mini's.  Acording to the Tech specs though there are still analog VGA outputs available using the Mini-Displayport to VGA adaptor. If your son needs standard def composite video output or S-Video output there are VGA to Composite scan converters available for pretty cheap.  The KWORLD scan converters are pretty cheap and do a fair job with resolutions of up to 1600x1200.

http://www.beachaudio.com/Kworld/Kw-Pctv1600-p-331062.html

Available for from $50 to $90 depending on where you shop.

There are more expensive scan converters that offer more control over multi-rez down-scaling and flicker removal etc

as well as timing adjustments and so on.    I have one that cost $15,000 from Folsom.  But the KWORLD single chip converter will deliver about the same quality of Composit video out that the nVidea chipset provides in older Apple products. It also allows VGA Loop through so you could still feed the VGA out to a VGA Monitor to launch and interact with applications that may require reading fine text.  I'm not sure if the new MAC mini supports Dual monitors (different resolutions) Through both the HDMI and Mini-Display port at the same time.

So he would have to purchase the MAC mini-DP to VGA adaptor and the KWorld Scan converter to get the base-band Standard Def NTSC Video out which he could feed to a Video switcher or recorder.  Of course when scan-converting higher res computer displays to standard def video don't expect clear text and anything like the detail visible on a VGA screen since it must downscale the higher res images to 480 or 512 lines of standard def. 

------Courtney

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Thanks, Courtney. David has done what every other VJ has had to do now which is mini Displayport to VGA, VGA into a scan converter which gives him composite video out. The image is pretty bad with the very cheap scan converter he has. Maybe it would get better with a better scan converter but I understand what you're saying about downgrading the stunning high def material he is working with. It also seems to mer that the composite output of the scan converter is not nearly as good as the composite output that was available natively from the nVidea graphics Apple had in the previous generation MacBook Pro (before they went to the mini Displayport.

-  Jeff Wexler

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  • 1 month later...

Has anyone used one of these on a cart yet?  Any thoughts about power draw/consumption?  On apple's site, it lists the max power draw at 85W.  Of course, this newer version has a built in power supply - so the previous solutions for a direct DC mod (like the Carnetix CNX-P1900) would be out.  I guess an inverter then?

I'm very much thinking of switching from my laptop to a mac mini on the cart - I've got to scale the thing down...

-Greg-

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Phil Palmer is using one on his ProTools playback set up. Last reports are he's quite pleased. But I'm sure he is running off a.c.

I am about to purchase one too, to replace my aging intel Mac-Mini that is in for the third time with a logic board failure.

Thank fully Apple is doing it for free, despite not having Apple Care! My Mini's are powered through my inverter, so powering with the power supply is no problem.

RL

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to replace my aging intel Mac-Mini that is in for the third time with a logic board failure.

Richard, do I remember correctly that you use a sine wave inverter, not a square wave inverter?

Just wondering if the use of the inverter might be related to the frequent failure of your logic boards. But, if it's a sine wave inverter, I wouldn't expect it to harm anything.

David

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Yes, it.'s a sine wave inverter and since I'm using the Apple brick power supply (which can autosense 220V) then that should not be the reason for the logic board failures.

To answer your question about the amps the Mac-Mini draws: Amps = Watts/Volts,

therefor the mini would draw about 7 amps.

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The new Mac Mini is running great.  We are running it off AC with a UPS, so the inverter is not in play.  It's built into our Playback cart, which is always near AC power (at least so far).

No hiccups in the Pro Tools sessions so far, as we started getting issues with the larger sessions on the laptops last year.

It's also nice to have a 21 inch monitor on the cart for playback versus the 15" Macbook pro.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hey People,

Some preliminary results on a new mac mini on the cart: 

With the mac mini running thru an inverter and PSC power star - the power draw when I first powered on the unit seemed to jump up to about 3 or 4 AMPS.  Though, after power up, and now while typing this on the internet (built in wifi too!) - it is roughly 1 AMP - actually more like .8 or .9.  Can't wait to see what happens with Boom Recorder up and running!

Will follow up when I have more results.

-Greg-

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Hey People,

Some preliminary results on a new mac mini on the cart: 

With the mac mini running thru an inverter and PSC power star - the power draw when I first powered on the unit seemed to jump up to about 3 or 4 AMPS.  Though, after power up, and now while typing this on the internet (built in wifi too!) - it is roughly 1 AMP - actually more like .8 or .9. 

-Greg-

which inverter did you end up with?

ao

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