[iM@k]

Essentially what I want to know is, does the display simply kick in the external video feed when it's detected, or do you have to a have to hold down a key combo on boot or do you you have to do something in the OS to make it display from the incoming connection? How does it work?

[Simon]

Originally Posted by iM@k 

Essentially what I want to know is, does the display simply kick in the external video feed when it's detected,

Yes.

or do you have to a have to hold down a key combo on boot or do you you have to do something in the OS to make it display from the incoming connection?

No.

How does it work?

While it's displaying the external video a few key combos still work (louder/quieter, play/pause, FF/RR, birghtness), but there will be no visual feedback. Cmd-f2 switches between target display mode and regular mode.

[Eug]

Just a note that so far it only works with (mini-)DisplayPort sources.

Using a standard mini-DP to HDMI adapter does not work.

[Eriamjh]

Originally Posted by Eug 

Just a note that so far it only works with (mini-)DisplayPort sources.

Using a standard mini-DP to HDMI adapter does not work.

Which also means it probably only works with other Macs with MDPs.

[mduell]

Why wouldn't it work with any DisplayPort equipped source?

[Simon]

Originally Posted by Eriamjh 

Which also means it probably only works with other Macs with MDPs.

Not really. It's just a consequence of how these dongles work. They signal the Mac's video circuitry to send data in a specific form. In that way they are unidirectional, IOW they cannot be used 'backwards'. You use them to connect a Mac as a source to a display as an output. If you want to connect a HDMI source to the MDP input you need the source (now on the HDMI end) to change the output. That's not something the regular MDP->HDMI dongle will do.

[Eriamjh]

Originally Posted by mduell 

Why wouldn't it work with any DisplayPort equipped source?

Are there any? I guess there might be. Two others?

[Mrjinglesusa]

Confirmed that it will ONLY work with DisplayPort equipped sources. It will, however, work with ANY DP equipped source, not only other Macs. Unfortunately, there aren't many of those out there other Macs that one would want to connect to an iMac. Hopefully that will change in the future.

AppleInsider | Tests confirm Apple's 27" iMac only supports DisplayPort input

[P]

Originally Posted by Eriamjh 

Are there any? I guess there might be. Two others?

Every new Radeon 5000 series card. That's slightly more than 2.

[Eriamjh]

I would like to see this feature enabled on all iMacs and notebooks. Why throw away a perfectly good display when the computer becomes obsolete?

[P]

With the old CCFL backlights, or the even older CRTs, the screens were more literally worn when you trashed the iMac. With LED backlights, they have some 25000 hours in them, and I doubt that even a brand new iMac 27" will be used for anywhere near that long. External video in might happen for the 21.5" iMac - maybe, because it still doesn't have VESA mount, something that always surprised me - but I seriously doubt that it will happen for the laptops.

[EmmEff]

Originally Posted by Eriamjh 

Are there any? I guess there might be. Two others?

Hewlett Packard, and presumably others aside from Apple, offer displays with DisplayPort inputs, which would lead me to believe that at least one PC has a DisplayPort output.

Unfortunately, it looks like it will take some sort of adapter box to convert HDMI to the DP input on the 27" iMac.

[downinflames68]

Originally Posted by Eug 

Just a note that so far it only works with (mini-)DisplayPort sources.

Using a standard mini-DP to HDMI adapter does not work.

Are you joking? So they FINALLY put a video input port on the iMac, but it's totally useless as you STILL cannot hook up a PS3 or anything!?

OH MY F*CKING GOD APPLE. WHAT THE HELL?!?!?!?!

[Spheric Harlot]

The following companies have announced their intention, at one point or another, to implement or support DisplayPort:

AMD/ATI
Atlona Technologies [27]
Analogix[28]
Apple
ASRock[29]
Circuit Assembly
DataPro
Dell
Eizo
Genesis Microchip
Gigabyte Technology
Hall Research Technologies
Hewlett-Packard
Hosiden Corporation
Intel
Integrated Device Technology
Japan Aviation Electronics
Lenovo
Luxtera
Matrox Graphics
Molex
Micro-Star International[30]
Mstar
NVIDIA
NXP Semiconductors
Palit Microsystems Ltd.
Parade Technologies
Pioneer Corporation
Philips
Quantum Data
S3 Graphics
Samsung
Sparkle Computer
Texas Instruments
Tyco Electronics
Unigraf

[P]

Originally Posted by downinflames68 

Are you joking? So they FINALLY put a video input port on the iMac, but it's totally useless as you STILL cannot hook up a PS3 or anything!?

OH MY F*CKING GOD APPLE. WHAT THE HELL?!?!?!?!

Are you reading old threads or something? Yes, you can hook up a PS3, and there are people who have already done so. It takes an active converter, so not exactly convenient, but doable.

[Gto Uchiha]

Is there an active converter like you were mentioning thats not eyetv? (without lag)?

[P]

Link. Should work with consoles, since the iMac works with both 720p and 1080p resolutions.

[EmmEff]

So what happens when I feed a 1080p signal from a Blu-Ray player into a 27" iMac? With the difference in the screen resolution, will the iMac upscale the picture or do I get window boxing? Anybody have experience with this yet?

[P]

No. Play around and report back - the only people I've seen do it have used an HDMI scaler first. Anyway, most console games are rendered at 720p, which fits nicely in the 1440p of the iMac screen (each pixel is quadrupled), so reset your console to that before you start playing.