

The hell of Apple video connectors - jgrahamc
http://www.jgc.org/blog/2009/10/hell-of-apple-video-connectors.html

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vaporstun
While this is certainly valid, it's depressing that most non-Apple laptops
still only ship with VGA so most meeting rooms are stuck with an inferior,
non-digital connector.

This wouldn't help the issue with having 4 different video connectors, but to
Apple's credit, they are standardizing on Mini Displayport. The first run of
the Macbook Air was the only one to have the micro DVI (because no other video
connector existed that was small enough for their needs and they just needed
to minify an existing standard, hence Micro-DVI) and it has now been replaced
by Mini Displayport on all current models. Additionally, the Macbook, the only
laptop they offer without Mini Displayport will likely be updated soon adding
it thus bringing every portable computer they offer to the same standard. Any
transition period is tough, it's just sad that while Apple has moved from VGA
to DVI to Mini Displayport, most non-Apple laptops (see Dell, HP, Lenovo)
still ship with VGA or the awful S-Video.

Move into the 21st century already. Laptop makers (Both Apple and non-Apple)
need to pick a digital standard.

~~~
robin_reala
Even their desktop computers have now standardised on mini displayport. All
currently shipping iMacs, Mac Minis and Mac Pros have mini displayport.

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bhousel
Hehe.. Get ready to throw Light Peak into the mix next year, if this engadget
story is correct: [http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/26/exclusive-apple-
dictated-...](http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/26/exclusive-apple-dictated-
light-peak-creation-to-intel-could-be/)

Though I think in the end it would be a big win, replacing
USB/Firewire/Display a common fiber-based cable with massive bandwidth.

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mbrubeck
I'm hoping someone will build a projector with an embedded computer and a USB
port built in. Just plug in a flash drive or SD card and display a PDF file as
a presentation. No messing with laptops or cables or display settings.

If it had a well-designed, simple interface (remote control with only five or
six buttons) and a high "just works" factor, it could be the Flip video camera
of projectors.

~~~
hernan7
Maybe Bluetooth instead of/ in addition to USB?

~~~
jacquesm
One thing would push this like nothing else, mobile phones with enough
computing power in them to drive a sizeable display through something like
bluetooth (but faster).

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uuilly
I'm forced to use this beast: <http://store.apple.com/us/product/MB571Z/A>

To run a 30 in secondary display off my 17 MBP. It's flakey and I have to make
my machine never sleep when it's plugged in. The other day I got a KVM switch
to do windows builds and it runs through it. Fortunately I don't have a
terrible case of "Fuzz of Death:"
[http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1837465...](http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1837465&start=0&tstart=0)

But it does happen every now and again. Total PITA esp considering that their
old display ports worked just fine.

~~~
chrisbolt
If your 30" display supports DisplayPort, you will soon be able to get a Mini-
DisplayPort to DisplayPort cable
([http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=102...](http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10246&cs_id=1024606)).
Why it's taken this long, I do not know.

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jacquesm
Just the other day I came across some kind of article that included a bit on a
wireless computer to monitor link, let me go dig and see if I can find it.

edit: found it:

[http://gigaom.com/2008/02/27/too-many-signals-delivering-
wir...](http://gigaom.com/2008/02/27/too-many-signals-delivering-wireless-hd-
video/)

It's a 2008 article, you'd expect some movement since then.

edit2: more info:

<http://www.wirelesshd.org/>

~~~
stcredzero
I wonder why IR didn't catch on? Maybe the available hardware was too anemic
at the time? But there have been gigabit IR links in R&D labs. As screens get
larger, the bandwidth requirements get larger. Maybe that combined with the
negotiation overhead between devices at unknown distances did it in. (Line of
sight is also a problem for some applications. But for my monitor setup, it
would work fine.)

~~~
jacquesm
I think a big issue with IR is interference. Think bright sunlight and such.

~~~
sparky
A small nit: proposed UWB (ultra wide band) schemes at 5GHz and 60GHz are
considered EHF (extremely high frequency) or millimeter-wave; IR is generally
considered to start at at least 300GHz.

There isn't a heck of a lot of interference per se at 60GHz, but it is very
hard to design a transmitter that is not highly directional and line-of-sight
sensitive. My feeling is that the low range and line of sight requirements
mostly limit current incarnations of this technology to situations that are
already amenable to HDMI cables.

There's a good writeup from earlier this year on Ars Technica (
[http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2009/02/cutting-the-
cord...](http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2009/02/cutting-the-cord-the-
state-of-wireless-hd-video-links.ars) ) that goes through some of the
commercial offerings around that time. No idea if any of them are still
around, or in what form.

~~~
jacquesm
GP is not talking about UWB but about IR:

[http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS117678+16-Ap...](http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS117678+16-Apr-2009+MW20090416)

~~~
sparky
Sorry about that, it didn't register that GP's question was tangential to
GGP's UWB-focused links. Regarding IR, I agree that interference is the
biggest issue. The electronics also get harder as you approach THz
frequencies, but that could be worked around if IR radiation weren't so
pervasive. Interference is probably the reason you can only get up to 1Gbps or
so, even in a lab (and you'd need 10.2Gbps to transmit HDMI 1.3, for
instance).

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brk
You're doing it wrong...

There are a few options, but they are all along the lines of this:
[http://www.amazon.com/Addlogix-MA-WL-DVGA-Wireless-
Projector...](http://www.amazon.com/Addlogix-MA-WL-DVGA-Wireless-Projector-
Adapter/dp/B000ENSTE2)

------
chrischen
He's missing the Apple Display Connector.

~~~
kylec
And Mini VGA for iBooks and old iMacs: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mini-VGA>

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gruseom
Slight tangent, but:

 _we don't buy Apple monitors or RAM because of the excessive price_

I've been thinking of adding RAM to my MBP. Excessive price is bad. What
should I do?

~~~
commiebob
<http://www.crucial.com/> is probably a good place to start, select your
system from the drop downs and it will give you the exact type of memory you
need - and for a decent price. There might be cheaper options if you hunt
around, just get the dimm size from crucial and google around to compare
prices.

~~~
iohnuiob
Buy from crucial, when you factor in their free shipping they are cheaper than
most half decent brands. You might find some super-bargain RAM cheaper if you
don't care about whats stored in it.

Crucial also have excellent service for returns or if the stuff doesn't fit.

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tptacek
In fairness, the MBPs and MB's now both use the MDP connectors.

~~~
iloveyouocean
MBPs use MDP, MBs use MiniDVI

~~~
tptacek
The old MB's are MDVI. The new MB's are MDP.

~~~
harpastum
Sorry, but the MacBooks ( _not_ pro) that apple sells are still MDVI [1],
although I'm sure that will change in the next product refresh.

[1][http://store.apple.com/us/tab?node=home/shop_mac/family/macb...](http://store.apple.com/us/tab?node=home/shop_mac/family/macbook&tcid=tg_tabcontroller&tab=1)

~~~
Locke1689
The "new MB" has been incorporated into the pro line. There are rumors that
the "old MB" (the white one) will not be upgraded, but simply dropped.

