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Connect Mac mini (Early 2009) to analog TV

RMo

RMo

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Aug 7, 2007
1,284
343
Iowa, USA
Greetings,

Can anyone help me connect my Mac mini (Early 2009) to an analog TV? This is the Mac mini with Mini-DisplayPort and Mini-DVI outputs. The TV has only coax, S-video, and RCA component inputs.

The closest thing I can find is the Apple Mini-DVI to Video adapter, which adapts Mini-DVI to composite and S-video. However, it claims to support only the Mac mini (Intel Core Duo), which is a couple generations earlier. Reviews of the product seem to confirm this; apparently, the Mac mini (Early 2009)'s mini-DVI port does not put out an analog signal (only digital), which this product needs.

Can anyone think of something else? (Yes, I know, the TV is old. :))
 
Dump the energy inefficient SDTV. It's possible to buy a small but new HDTV for under US$200 you'll save enough on your electric bill to pay for it.
 
Thanks for the suggestion, but it's not really what I was looking for. ;) I don't watch enough TV for it to have much of an effect, plus I live with roommates and the TV is not mine. (It is not a small analog TV, mind you, so I doubt it could be replaced for $200, and even at our current rate of energy consumption, that would take as much time as remains in our lease to make up even if our energy bill post-replacement was half as much as average. If we could, we'd replace the fridge. :D)

Even though this mini can output analog VGA though the mini-DVI connector via an adapter, I'm still assuming the s-video/composite adapter won't work because of complaints some people have made--and the fact that Apple doesn't list this model as working.

Therefore, I'm guessing I'd need some sort of converter box or something. Does anyone have any suggestions or experience?
 
This is why I bought a Early 2006 Mini and upgraded it. I have an SDTV that has the same inputs as your's. There is no cheap way to get it to work with your Mini that I know of.
 
ADent said:
The chipset on that mini doesn't support S-Video. So even though Apple sells an adapter to physically adapt the miniDVI to SVideo, the video card doesn't output that signal.
Click to expand...
I know--that's why I said it in my post. Twice ;)
You need a VGA to S-Video adapter like: http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10114&cs_id=1011407&p_id=4724&seq=1&format=2 .
Click to expand...
Thanks for the link--I was actually looking at something similar (if not this exact same thing) on Amazon. Does anyone have personal experience or recommendations with any? Otherwise, I'll probably end up doing exactly this.
 
Giuly said:
What about MiniDisplayPort (or HDMI)-2-DVI-Adapter -> DVI-2-MiniDVI-Adapter->MiniDVI-2-RCA-Adapter?
Click to expand...

i don't think the 9400m outputs the correct video signal for s-video. as a previous poster suggested, you need a digital-to-analog converter. so minidp-to-vga adapter + vga-to-svideo might be your best bet.
 
RMo said:
I know--that's why I said it in my post. Twice ;)
Click to expand...

With the words seem and apparently I wasn't sure you were convinced.



Giuly said:
What about MiniDisplayPort (or HDMI)-2-DVI-Adapter -> DVI-2-MiniDVI-Adapter->MiniDVI-2-RCA-Adapter?
Click to expand...

What "MiniDVI-2-RCA-Adapter"? The one Apple sells only works on machines with S-Video output on the miniDVI connector - certain older Macs. It is an pin/connector adapter not a converter. It was mentioned above that it didn't work. It was pointed out that my post pointing out that it didn't work was redundant.

Here is a true DVI to S-Video converter: http://www.hdtvsupply.com/hdmi-to-composite.html . It runs $260.
 
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