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tether · Aug 22, 2005, 02:59 PM

i'm thinking of getting a powerbook - i want to stay at the 12" size if possible

the 12" superdrive option specifies Mini-DVI out, whereas the 15" and 17" respectively specify DVI & S-Video out, and DVI & S-Video out and Dual link DVI

what do those different specifications allow for?

ideally i'd like to be able to record from the tv, watch dvds on a bigger screen, if neccesary work with a bigger screen connected (would i be able to attach any other monitor - not just a mac monitor?)

thanks.

budster101 · 03:10 PM

S-Video is the standard for that type of output. You can use the output to go to any S-Video in source such as a TV / VCR.

You cannot record TV with either of these ports.
PowerBook Specifications

- Mini-DVI 12"
- S-Video / DVI 15" and 17"

You can output video to your television though.

In order to watch and record TV on your Mac, you will do well to get an EL Gato / EyeTV
$329.00

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You can hook up any monitor you wish pretty much, except the 30" Digital Display by Apple.
It needs more than the PowerBooks can provide. For more detail see apple.com/support.

Good luck on your choice.

tether · Aug 23, 2005, 02:25 PM

thanks budster

i've a couple of other questions too:
i had a look at the eyeTV site, and it looks like it is a piece of software - is there hardware needed also, or just the software? and what ports would i use - would i be using the S-video port plugged into my cable connection? (my cable connection is an old single pin plug - a circular shape with a single pin in the middle)

and what is Mini-DVI used for?

ta.

budster101 · Aug 23, 2005, 03:20 PM

It's hardware and software. You can pick up one of these things at your local Apple Store or right from El Gato's web site.

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You would go from Cable TV / or Satelite Cable Hookup > VCR (Optional) > EyeTV > Computer

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Mini DVI can be used to go to a DVI Monitor with a Mini DVI - DVI cable which probably came with your computer or you can get one of those for I think $29 directly from Apple. I'd double-check the price.

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Ciao.

tether · Aug 24, 2005, 03:21 PM

cheers for that budster

Tesseract · Aug 25, 2005, 08:54 AM

If you have a DV camcorder you can use that to get video from your TV/VCR/whatever into your Mac via its Firewire port.

The 12-inch PB cannot drive a 30 inch Apple monitor, but the 17" and some 15" can. So if that's important consider a different PB. Otherwise, you will be able to connect to any DVI (Apple aluminum 20" and 23" and most good 3rd-party LCDs) or VGA (CRT or analog LCD) monitor with the adaptors included with your PB.

nuggetman · Aug 25, 2005, 09:34 AM

mini-dvi - a smaller port that requires adapters to use standard ports. the powerbooks come with a VGA and DVI adapters and you can purchase one that has SVIDEO and RCA for $19

VGA - your standard connector found on almost every monitor in existance today

DVI - successor to VGA, it's an all-digital connection typically used on LCD monitors

SVIDEO - a port for sending out a video signal to or from an NTSC or PAL device. has higher quality than RCA but only does video.

RCA - similar to svideo, but lower quality. does video and audio over different cables.

coaxial - this is what your cable comes in via

when a port is specified as OUT it means that video (or other data is sent) from that port to another device from the one the port is on. when it's IN it means that the device can receieve information from another device via that port.

a TV tuner is a combination of hardware and software. the hardware plugs in to your firewire or USB ports and contains coaxial in and typically RCA in jacks. the software interprets the signals from your television and displays them on your computer.

budster101 · Aug 25, 2005, 09:39 AM

No powerbook can drive the 30" Apple Monitor. None.

Only 20" & 23" , look up the specs on Apple.com like I did.

nuggetman · Aug 25, 2005, 09:43 AM

Originally Posted by budster101

No powerbook can drive the 30" Apple Monitor. None.

Only 20" & 23" , look up the specs on Apple.com like I did.

okay....

from Apple's Cinema Display Tech Specs page
http://www.apple.com/displays/specs.html

30-inch Apple Cinema HD Display
System requirements

One of the following:
Power Mac G5 with an ATI Radeon 9650, ATI Radeon X850 XT, or NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT DDL graphics card (offered as a kit for current Power Mac G5 customers)
PowerBook G4 with ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 graphics card and dual-link DVI functionality and Mac OS X v10.3.4 or later

budster101 · Aug 25, 2005, 09:49 AM

From a Mac Genius I know very well. You can't do it.

nuggetman · Aug 25, 2005, 09:53 AM

then why does it say you can on the site

budster101 · Aug 25, 2005, 10:03 AM

Good question. I'll ask him later.

rparke1 · Aug 25, 2005, 10:54 AM

budster

, a genius knows almost everything. even the people at my apple store in LA say its possible with the right 15 inch powerbook options to use a 30 incher . sory to say budster, but gotta do some more research on this stuff before you can repatedly say its not possible. have a good day.

budster101 · 11:45 AM

I just did my own research, and in fact, my "Lead Technician at Apple" was wrong. I'll have to have a bit of fun pointing that out to him.

ibook_steve · Aug 25, 2005, 11:45 AM

Uh, I worked on the darn things in the lab, and I can tell you that the 15" (with 128 MB VRAM upgrade, I believe) and the current 17" can fully drive the 30" display. Your genius doesn't know what he is talking about. The 12" certainly can't because it only has one DVI link. You can phycially connect to the 30" with it, but you won't be able to go to the maximum resolution.

Steve

Edit: Didn't see your latest post.

budster101 · Aug 25, 2005, 11:51 AM

Steve: Look up... you were a tad SLOW.

ibook_steve · Aug 25, 2005, 01:24 PM

Originally Posted by budster101

Steve: Look up... you were a tad SLOW.

And I acknowledged that.

Steve