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DVI-D to Component, will this setup work?

S

Sweenona

macrumors member
Original poster
Jan 18, 2008
34
0
So I want to use my HDTV as a secondary monitor for my iMac (2.33 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo). The only issue is that my HDTV is an old model and does not have any HDMI inputs (ridiculous, I know). Since I want to watch movies on my TV from my iMac, I want the highest resolution possible and that means I have to go component (no DVI or VGA inputs either, my only option for resolution above 480 is component).

After quite a bit of internet research on DVI and DVI adapters (after initially knowing nothing about the different versions of DVI, so if it seems like I don't know what I'm talking about please bear with me), I've come up with this setup. I'd like to hear from some experts on whether this would work or not before I buy all these parts and then have to return them all. So here goes:

1. Apple Mini-DVI to DVI-D adapter:

http://www.amazon.com/Apple-M9321G-B-Mini-DVI-Adapter/dp/B000EK76K8

2. DVI-D to DVI-I adapter:

http://www.l-com.com/item.aspx?id=6055

3. DVI-I to Component cable:

http://www.xpcgear.com/dvicomponent.html

4. Component Female to Female coupler to connect my two Component cables:

http://www.amazon.com/Component-Video-RCA-Female-Coupler/dp/B0015V89Q0

5. And finally my 50 foot Component cable with Audio (I will also be connecting a 3.5mm headphone jack to RCA female audio adapter to my iMac to plug the component audio cables into):

http://www.firefold.com/50-Foot-5-RCA-Component-Video-and-Audio-Coaxial-Cable-White-P3437C60.aspx


I may not be buying the exact parts that are in the links, but rather the same type of adapter/cable, it depends on what price I can find. But theoretically would this setup work? Is it possible to go from DVI digital to DVI analog without some sort of converter box? Some forum discussions say yes, you can hook up an iMac to TV via component, others say that DVI-D to Component is flat out impossible.

Any help would be appreciated, thanks!
 
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Technically it could work but there's so many adapters so I can't promise anything. Remember that you can't get audio through MiniDisplayPort
 
Thanks for the reply Hellhammer! Yes, there are a lot of adapters, unfortunately this is the only way that I could figure out to make it work. If anyone knows of an easier way, I would love to hear it! I understand that with the increase in adapters/cables there's quite an increase in the likelihood of there being signal loss or no signal at all, but I just want to clarify that you agree that from a purely technical standpoint this is plausible?

The main issue that I'm concerned with is the DVI-D to DVI-I adapter, as it took quite a bit of googling to even find a page mentioning that an adapter like this existed. Most of the sites on this subject say that in order to convert a DVI-D signal to a DVI-I signal you need a converter box that costs around $250, whereas here is a $16 adapter that supposedly does the same job. Will this do the job that I need, or do I need to shell out the money for the converter?

Also, thanks for the heads up on the mini-dvi not having audio output, I plan on getting a 3.5mm headphone jack to RCA female adapter into which I'll plug the two audio component cables.
 
Sweenona said:
Thanks for the reply Hellhammer! Yes, there are a lot of adapters, unfortunately this is the only way that I could figure out to make it work. If anyone knows of an easier way, I would love to hear it! I understand that with the increase in adapters/cables there's quite an increase in the likelihood of there being signal loss or no signal at all, but I just want to clarify that you agree that from a purely technical standpoint this is plausible?

The main issue that I'm concerned with is the DVI-D to DVI-I adapter, as it took quite a bit of googling to even find a page mentioning that an adapter like this existed. Most of the sites on this subject say that in order to convert a DVI-D signal to a DVI-I signal you need a converter box that costs around $250, whereas here is a $16 adapter that supposedly does the same job. Will this do the job that I need, or do I need to shell out the money for the converter?

Also, thanks for the heads up on the mini-dvi not having audio output, I plan on getting a 3.5mm headphone jack to RCA female adapter into which I'll plug the two audio component cables.
Click to expand...

Problem is that DVI-D can only transfer digital signal so DVI-I can't change it analog signal and component is analog.

I think MiniDisplayPort to VGA and VGA to component could work because signal is analog all the time

EDIT: Oh, you have the old iMac with Mini DVI so in that case, I think Mini-DVI to Video is best adapter. I guess your TV has S-video input?
 
That setup won't work, you were right to be concerned by the DVI-I/D situation.

The DVI-D to DVI-I adapter won't convert the digital signal to an analog signal, it is only intended to make DVI-I physically fit in a DVI-D connector. Additionally, the DVI-I to Component cable is not a magical converter for just any DVI-I device, not many devices will be compatible at all...

What is your budget?
 
Thanks to all that replied, after some extensive googling in response to itickings' and geoffreak's posts, I see that I do indeed need to get a transcoder. The general internet consensus is to get the Audio Authority 9a60 for about $130:

http://www.audioauthority.com/product_details/9A60

So I'll be going Mini-DVI to VGA adapter, to the 9a60 transcoder to Component cable. After all is said and done, about $200. It's much more expensive, but the increase in price comes with the peace of mind of knowing that it will work for certain.

Since it is analog, the picture may not match up perfectly on the TV like it does on my computer screen, but the makers of the 9a60 recommend the free program DisplayConfigX to tweak the settings for it:

http://www.3dexpress.de/

Just a tip for anyone searching the forums in the future looking for an answer to this same problem.

Again, thanks everyone for your input, now I'm going to go rest my brain.
 
Sweenona said:
*snap*

So I'll be going Mini-DVI to VGA adapter, to the 9a60 transcoder to Component cable. After all is said and done, about $200. It's much more expensive, but the increase in price comes with the peace of mind of knowing that it will work for certain.

*Snap*
Click to expand...

Does your TV have S-video input? If it does and I think it does, you'll only need Mini-DVI to Video adapter which is 19$
 
Hellhammer,

It does have S-video input, but one of the reasons I want to connect my iMac to my HDTV is to be able to access all of my media that is on my iMac (including high resolution video and games) in my living room. So 480i resolution wouldn't be enough for me.

Although it's expensive, I will definitely get my money's worth out of this set up with how much I will be using it. Thanks for the suggestion.
 
Does your HDTV have a VGA input on it?

Many do, so a 50 foot VGA cable from monoprice would be cheaper, about $15.

The reason I ask is that there may be a resolution issue going with a converter like that. It can be hit or miss sometimes in finding a resolution that will work.
 
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