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aeropl · Aug 27, 2006, 09:53 PM

I have a Macbook with the mini-dvi out jack. I am wondering which adapter to buy in order to use my 61inch Samsung DLP HDTV as a monitor (which actually has a HDMI input). I can either buy the S-video/Component adapter or buy the DVI adapter (which will cost twice as much including the 6ft cable I will need). I have heard a lot of people saying that they can't tell the difference between a component and DVI connection. Has anybody tried a comparison between the two?

slpdLoad · Aug 28, 2006, 06:06 AM

I've tried a comparison between S-video/Component and VGA. I'm not sure if it was the particular HDTV I was using or not, but component looked terrible, no matter what settings I adjusted. VGA looked quite nice, and I'm sure a digital signal would be even better (vga looked just as good as any computer monitor, component was blurred and had multiple images and lines on it). Also, if you decide to buy the DVI -> HDMI cable, make sure you get a decent price, i.e. not some place like BestBuy.

aeropl · Aug 28, 2006, 11:32 AM

I think I will go with the DVI option then. The Apple mini-dvi adapter is $18 and the HDMI cable is $22 at a local store. You are right about Bestbuy, the cables there are a ripoff.

tooki · Aug 28, 2006, 01:29 PM

Whoa whoa whoa -- no Mac model has component video output, with or without an adapter.

The adapter Apple sells outputs S-video and composite video -- that's standard definition, not HDTV.

Component ≠ composite video.

Indeed, for most purposes, you probably would not be able to tell the difference between DVI/HDMI and component video. But you will see a HUGE difference between DVI/HDMI and composite video.

Go with DVI, without question.

And you don't have to spend a lot on DVI and HDMI cables: places like PCCables and www.monoprice.com sell them very inexpensively.

tooki

slpdLoad · Aug 28, 2006, 03:13 PM

Doh! Sorry. Yes, I of course meant Composite (via the s-video to composite adaptor that come with my PowerBook. Sorry for the confusion. Either way, go digital.

aeropl · Aug 28, 2006, 06:59 PM

tooki, thanks for clearing that up. I had no idea there was a difference between the two, probably because of the similar names and look of the cable.

tooki · Aug 29, 2006, 11:23 AM

For sure. The names really are confoundingly similar. (And it doesn't help that many Windows PCs do have component video output.)

tooki

Ankit · Sep 3, 2006, 12:42 AM

So there's no way for me to connect my MacBook to my TV with the red/yellow/white cable input?

slpdLoad · Sep 3, 2006, 12:13 PM

A Red/Yellow/White input, kind of like how video game systems commonly hook up to a TV, is a Composite video connection (yellow) and a stereo audio connection (red & white).

To do this, you need the appropriate adaptor to go from your mini-DVI (or whatever it is) slot to composite (a single, usually yellow RCA plug), and then another cable that goes from the headphone-out jack on your MacBook and splits to two RCA plugs (red and white).

aeropl · Sep 5, 2006, 12:04 PM

Originally Posted by Ankit

So there's no way for me to connect my MacBook to my TV with the red/yellow/white cable input?

Yes, you can do that with the red/yellow/white cables. One of the cables is for video (composite video) and the other two are for audio (left and right channels). All you need is the composite cables, this adapter from apple, and another audio adapter to convert 1/8" stereo mini-jack.

According to tooki, you can't hook your Macbook up to the tv using Component video, which also uses three cables. These three cables carry video only (in red, green and blue channels) and this type of hookup is a much higher quality than composite but is still analog.Here's an example.

tooki · Sep 5, 2006, 12:07 PM

Quite right!

tooki

aeropl · Sep 5, 2006, 12:10 PM

For those wondering, I bought a DVI cable and the Apple mini-DVI to DVI adapter. I tried it on my 61" DLP TV and the image was ok, although it wasn't as good as I expected. Also, there was cropping on the top and bottom of the screen that I couldn't get rid of even after messing around with settings for an hour. I am going to take everything back and use the money to buy blank DVD's.