Mini HDMI and sound

[jeffkempster]

I don't have a mini yet, but close. I was thinking about this today. I would like the mini, a apple thunderbolt display and a HDMI connected TV.

If I play a movie/tv show on let say the HDMI TV, and use the thunderbolt display for safari, does the sound for the movie/tv show come out of the tv and out of the speakers on the thunderbolt display? Can you control this?

Thanks for any help.

 

[indg]

if you're going to buy a mini and a $1000 tb display, have you considered just getting a 27" imac? way better value. i assume you know you don't have to use a tb display. any dvi/hdmi display will work (along with a mini-displayport-to-dvi or mdp-to-hdmi adapter/cable). mdp-to-vga also works, but unless you have an older monitor, probably don't care.

to answer your question, you can control which interface to output the sound (hdmi, 3.5mm analog audio out, optical out, etc.). some people have issues though when connecting hdmi to a HT receiver.

 

[jeffkempster]

if you're going to buy a mini and a $1000 tb display, have you considered just getting a 27" imac? way better value. i assume you know you don't have to use a tb display. any dvi/hdmi display will work (along with a mini-displayport-to-dvi or mdp-to-hdmi adapter/cable). mdp-to-vga also works, but unless you have an older monitor, probably don't care.

to answer your question, you can control which interface to output the sound (hdmi, 3.5mm analog audio out, optical out, etc.). some people have issues though when connecting hdmi to a HT receiver.

Yea my decision is between an iMac and a mini+TB display. I know I can use any display, but the TB display should be awesome and should last me awhile. I was hoping to just start replacing the mac mini every 2-3 years rather than the entire iMac. In theory it should save me money because next time I only have to buy the mini.

The other issue is the comparison is not that simple. For example I can get two drives in the mini server for $999. In order to do that with the iMac I have to spend some serious money or undertake the option of taking my brand new iMac apart to add a second drive. Adding new bigger or ssd drives in the future looks much simpler in the mini.

My wife also has a macbook air, which she could use with the Thunderbolt display.

 

[KScottMyers]

Yea my decision is between an iMac and a mini+TB display. I know I can use any display, but the TB display should be awesome and should last me awhile. I was hoping to just start replacing the mac mini every 2-3 years rather than the entire iMac. In theory it should save me money because next time I only have to buy the mini.

The other issue is the comparison is not that simple. For example I can get two drives in the mini server for $999. In order to do that with the iMac I have to spend some serious money or undertake the option of taking my brand new iMac apart to add a second drive. Adding new bigger or ssd drives in the future looks much simpler in the mini.

My wife also has a macbook air, which she could use with the Thunderbolt display.

I was in the same boat - considering the two options - iMac or Mini with the Thunderbolt Display. I opted for the mini for several reasons.

• Its relatively easy to upgrade hard drives down the road - not so much with an iMac

• The Thunderbolt display will be a fine display for years to come, even if you upgrade your Mac down the road - be it a newer Mac mini or Mac Pro. No need to sell the display just to get a new machine.

• I upgrade machines quite frequently - the mini will probably be faster and better with each iteration - easy to sell and ship on eBay and then buy the newest machine for your existing Thunderbolt display

• If you wanted to turn the mini into a headless server or media server later on - no display is needed/wasted and its easy to move anywhere you have little space

• I don't have the need for a quad core iMac

They both have their strengths and weakness.