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2011 Mac Mini- 2 rooms- 1 hdtv 1 monitor

T

tobarefeet

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 11, 2008
24
0
Just bought 2011 Mac Mini 2.3 Put in my living room entertainment center, hooked up to Plasma TV via amplifier of stereo system. Great picture and sound. Still getting used to looking at websites from 6-7 ft away, but getting there. I bought the wireless keyboard and the Magic Trackpad (love love love the trackpad)
Now, here is my question.
One room away (25 feet or so) is my computer room. I would love to be able to have a monitor on my computer desk and be able to utilize the Mac Mini in there as well. I want to just pick up the wireless keyboard and magic trackpad and walk back and forth from living room to computer room as I feel like it. The idea being that for real computer use I would be in the computer room, when playing or watching online video then I would use the TV.
I have HDMI running from the Mac Mini to the TV.
Is there a way to split the Mac Mini to the monitor in the computer room as well? Would it be a mirror of the TV? Would I have to get a specific monitor?
I can run a cable if need be from my entertainment center under the floor coming up again through the floor of the computer room.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
I believe you could do this :). You'd hook up the TV to the HDMI port as you currently do, then use the Thunderbolt port in conjunction with a standard monitor using a MiniDisplayport to DVI or VGA adapter. Or if you feel like springing for perfection, wait a few weeks and pick up one of the new Thunderbolt displays.

Edit: You should set it up as an extended desktop (not mirrored) because the resolutions wouldn't match. And for the monitor if you don't do the Thunderbolt display, I'd at least get one capable of DVI resolution.
 
yes,

leave the hmdi port in your tv and run a mini displayport -> DVI/DP (whatever your monitor has) from the minis thunderbolt port into your monitor in the next room, only problems is the range of the trackpad/keyboard might not be great depending on distance and interferance

you can set it to mirror the display or run it as to seperate display so you can leave a film on for your family and run your monitor doing work/browsing etc
 
Awesome, folks. Thanks. Now to part 2.
Not looking to spend a lot of money on monitor, just a basic one since it's really more a secondary thing.
So far I'm seeing Apple selling 6 ft Thunderbolt cable for $49. Not only wont
I overpay via Apple, but 6ft won't cut it for getting to the next room. A quick check is not showing me any companies selling 25ft or more Thunderbolt cables. Anyone know of sites doing that?
 
tobarefeet said:
Awesome, folks. Thanks. Now to part 2.
Not looking to spend a lot of money on monitor, just a basic one since it's really more a secondary thing.
So far I'm seeing Apple selling 6 ft Thunderbolt cable for $49. Not only wont
I overpay via Apple, but 6ft won't cut it for getting to the next room. A quick check is not showing me any companies selling 25ft or more Thunderbolt cables. Anyone know of sites doing that?
Click to expand...

Ooh - ok since you're not using a Thunderbolt display, you'd buy the type of cable going into your monitor. So you'd get the little mini-DP to DVI/VGA adapter from the web (Monoprice is good). Then get either a long DVI or VGA cable depending on that connection you choose.

Note: Thunderbolt = Mini-DP in this case, and is compatible with the previous Mini-DP adapters.
 
I have a 25ft hdmi cable already. Would it make more sense (and is it doable) to run the 25ft hdmi cable from the Mac mini (using HDMI port) to the computer room and then use an hdmi-vga adapter for the monitor. Then, since the Mac Mini is literally 2 ft below the Plasma TV, use the thunderbolt cable from the minidisplay to the Plasma using an hdmi adapter? I hate the idea of spending $49 to run a cable two feet. Two HDMI ports would have been sweet on the Mac Mini, but I understand Apple is trying to push the Tunderbolt technology.
 
What I mean is that you don't need a Thunderbolt cable at all. The Thunderbolt port is backwards compatible as a standard mini displayport. You can use your multiple adapters, but be careful about switching between HDMI/DVI and VGA - as you can lose HDCP functionality and the ability to watch purchased items.
 
Ok, I use Monoprice all the time. So all I have to do is buy the cable my monitor needs and the minidisplay to dvi/vga for the thunderbolt port. Sounds like an awesome and inexpensive plan. Thanks so much. I'll post how it goes.
 
along the same lines (and hopefully not to hijack the thread), but...
..can anyone think of a way to do this wirelessly?

All I can come up with is attaching an old lappy to the monitor, then using LogMeIn or Splashtop to access the mini...is there a cleaner solution, closer to full-speed?
 
in general:

use the mini's HDMI port (max resolution 1920x1200) for your HDTV
use the mini's TB port (max resolution 2560x1600) for your monitor

obviously you can do what you want, but consider the differences.
 
Last edited:
I am looking to do something similar..so is it better to run 25 ft of HDMI cable or 25ft of DVI cable? to ensure no/minimal loss of quality
 
ess5 said:
along the same lines (and hopefully not to hijack the thread), but...
..can anyone think of a way to do this wirelessly?

All I can come up with is attaching an old lappy to the monitor, then using LogMeIn or Splashtop to access the mini...is there a cleaner solution, closer to full-speed?
Click to expand...

+1, wondering this also. Could Apple Tv work?
 
i do something similar with a 2010 mini. long 20' hdmi cable connected to hdtv and dvi cable to monitor. 25' might be on the edge of bluetooth range though, so maybe test that out before you commit.
 
anotherkenny said:
+1, wondering this also. Could Apple Tv work?
Click to expand...

ess5 said:
along the same lines (and hopefully not to hijack the thread), but...
..can anyone think of a way to do this wirelessly?

All I can come up with is attaching an old lappy to the monitor, then using LogMeIn or Splashtop to access the mini...is there a cleaner solution, closer to full-speed?
Click to expand...

Would something like THIS serve your purposes?
 
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