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ARCHIVED FORUM -- April 2007 to March 2012
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This is the first Archived Forum which was active between 17th April 2007 and 1st March February 2012

 

Latest post 11-22-2007 9:25 AM by Flappo The Grate. 8 replies.
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  • 11-13-2007 11:29 AM

    • Sal
    • Top 200 Contributor
    • Joined on 04-30-2007
    • Indianapolis, USA
    • Posts 261
    • Bronze Member

    Is it possible (Apple 30" display as a television)

    So there it is... is it possible to turn the Apple 30" cinema display into a television? If so, what other bits of hardware would I need? Would it even be worth it?

    -Sal

    Love B&O, but no longer addicted.
  • 11-13-2007 11:44 AM In reply to

    • Greg
    • Top 500 Contributor
    • Joined on 04-17-2007
    • London, UK
    • Posts 109
    • Bronze Member

    Re: Is it possible (Apple 30" display as a television)

    Well, yes it's possible, but not a great solution. You'd need a computer to drive it and sadly the mac mini can't do that (it can only drive the 23"). And a Mac Pro might be a little bit of overkill for a home entertainment system! Obviously you could use any PC that has a capable graphics card. Then you could add a digital tuner (elgato's are OK) for your freeview and programme guide, and hard disk recording. And of course your computer would also be able to function as your DVD player.

    The real problem, though, is that the resolution of the 30" display is so high. That's great for computer work, but not so great for watching TV - because there's a huge gap between its native resolution and that of the content you'll be watching. Even 1080p content is likely to look a little blocky, and standard def content will likely look terrible.

    Short answer: yes, but I wouldn't recommend it! 

  • 11-13-2007 11:46 AM In reply to

    Re: Is it possible (Apple 30" display as a television)

    Maybe a Beosystem3 could drive it...
  • 11-13-2007 12:44 PM In reply to

    • maclife
    • Not Ranked
    • Joined on 05-16-2007
    • Brussels, Belgium
    • Posts 26
    • Bronze Member

    Re: Is it possible (Apple 30" display as a television)

    Sal:

    So there it is... is it possible to turn the Apple 30" cinema display into a television? If so, what other bits of hardware would I need? Would it even be worth it?

    Yes, it is possible. I’m using a MacBook Pro as video and audio source, the speakers are two BeoLab 5. Just look at the display specs and you’ll know which Mac you need:

    http://www.apple.com/displays/specs.html

    So the physically smallest option currently is a MacBook Pro. For receiving TV programs you’ll need additional hardware/software like this:

    http://www.elgato.com/index.php?file=products_whatiseyetv

    I’d clearly say it’s worth it as your Mac will function as a fantastic multimedia server at the same time it can be used as a working place. If you do not need a larger than 30" display and do not plan to watch encrypted HD video material, this is a very efficient solution.
  • 11-13-2007 12:54 PM In reply to

    • maclife
    • Not Ranked
    • Joined on 05-16-2007
    • Brussels, Belgium
    • Posts 26
    • Bronze Member

    Re: Is it possible (Apple 30" display as a television)

    wtlc2zpx:
    Maybe a Beosystem3 could drive it...
    No, because even when using a HDMI to DVI adapter cable the resolution wouldn’t be sufficient. I also doubt that it works at all as a computer display usually needs a complete computer to be driven.
  • 11-14-2007 3:30 AM In reply to

    Re: Is it possible (Apple 30" display as a television)

    it'd be much easier to use a current full hd tv as a computer monitor

    i have my mac pro connected a sony 40w2000 via hdmi to dvi and it's excellent

    best of both worlds , plus the dithering in leopard is so good and the hdmi / dvi connection so smooth that i can use lower resolutions and still get a more than useable picture for browsing the net etc 

    i'm pretty sure the bv7 40 mk3 would make an utterly awesome monitor 

    popgear is grate™

  • 11-14-2007 12:29 PM In reply to

    • stax
    • Not Ranked
    • Joined on 04-16-2007
    • Richmond, Surrey, UK
    • Posts 15
    • Bronze Member

    Re: Is it possible (Apple 30" display as a television)

    Sal 

    My answer is yes...

    The HD (1080p) picture from the VirginMedia V+ feed looks great on a cinema display. I use an Elgato EyeTV 610 DVB-C (cable tuner) connected to a G5, cinema display and BL5s.

     Stax 

     

  • 11-21-2007 2:12 PM In reply to

    • Calvin
    • Top 500 Contributor
    • Joined on 04-16-2007
    • London
    • Posts 233
    • Bronze Member

    Re: Is it possible (Apple 30" display as a television)

    I saw a guy in the Mac store in London buying a huge Mac display and justifying the large cost to his wife/girlfriend because it could be used as a television as well so it was actually a great deal. I just rolled by eyes and thought "yeah, I'm sure that's going to get a lot of use as a televsion. I bet you're not going to just hook it up in the office and only ever use it as a computer monitor"
  • 11-22-2007 9:25 AM In reply to

    Re: Is it possible (Apple 30" display as a television)

    one can only imagine what a low bit rate dtv channel looks like on a 30" ACD !!!

     

    i know channel 5 is rubbish , but that's rubbing it in - surely :) 

    popgear is grate™

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