I had a Mac Mini hooked up to my LCD at home the other day while I was testing some stuff, and I really liked it. I had my laptop hooked up via DVI before, so I was prepared for what the display would like like in full digital 1920×1080 native glory. It’s nice and compact and unobtrusive and quiet, stylish even. “Too bad this thing doesn’t have a digital optical output I can use with the stereo, I would use it to drive DVDs and then I could play music through it also.”
I don’t read specs online all that much, I tend to play with stuff to figure out what I like. So when I looked at the Mac Mini I had I made the mistake of assuming that the little headphone jack thing on the back of the mini is just that, a headphone jack. Not so! Check out the bottom of the Mac Mini specs page: “Combined optical digital audio input/audio line in (minijack)”
If you’re anything like me you’ll ask yourself “what the hell does that mean” and then to searching around online. I knew about only one style of optical digital audio connector, the JIS F05 version of TOSLINK. Which up until I read that article I thought was the only connector style that TOSLINK used. Then I stumbled across this mention of digital optical audio output that included a picture of the cable. Hey, that looks familiar. I saw one of those for some ridiculously low price at Fry’s labeled something like MiniDisc connector cable.
So zoom off I go to grab one, quiet the voices in my head that tell me this isn’t possible, and jam the optical connector into the socket that just seconds before hosted a headphone jack, swap my receiver to the digital input and the two active speakers plus sub are joined the the center and two satellites. w00t! So of course I zoom off once again to get myself one of these magical Mac Mini boxes so that when I have to bring this one back tomorrow I have a toy still.
There were a few other things I picked up, wireless keyboard and wireless gyroscopic mouse. Some growl plugins to make sure the important messages come up (I would actually like them to come up and have the dock icons bounce out even when I’m watching a DVD in full screen mode, haven’t figured that one out yet), quicksilver, etc. Even without the Frontrow stuff it makes for a great system for combined media and traditional desktop use. With Frontrow it’s pretty killer. I just wish the remotes were in some way keyed to the unit, or had some kind of channel. Using the remote with my Mini keeps bring up the media function on my laptop, so I had to shut off IR completely for my lappy.
You can pair your apple remote with the mac Mini. http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=302545
good luck.
Thank for the blog, it was helpful. I have been needing to buy a new DVD player but wondering if I could just use my macbook. So are you saying the using the connector, you could go from your laptop to your reciever and get 5.1 Dobly?
jim
If the macbook is the same as the mini, yep!
Hi, thanks for this post. I found the XpressCable from Griffin (http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/xpresscable/) that I should be able to plug into the audio out of my Mini and into my stereo receiver. However, the product appears to have been discontinued. Can you recommend anything else that will do the job?
Cheers,
Stefan
Yes…go to monoprice.com and look for a mini toslink male to male cable
you will find it with ease.
Are you saying that the current generation Mac Minis that do NOT have a TOSLink jack on the back can be used with the mini TOSLink cable if I jam it into the stereo out plug?
How is that possible?
Yup, jam the cable into the stereo out plug. It works, there’s an optical adapter at the end of the jack. Not sure how they keep the optical input from getting all grimed up when you put a normal jack in there. But yes, it works.
Pingback: mini - Digital/Analog audio output on Intel Mac Mini? - Mac-Forums.com
Hi Mike,
Everything you mentioned in your little blog on the “Mac Mini” is just what I was thinking…
I came across your helpfull page when looking up the sound on the mac mini. I just bought the mac mini and thought I could hook it up to the TV just like my AppleTV with the HDMI cable and have great sound! I was shocked when there was no sound after pluggin in the HDMI cable!!! Went on the net and again was suprised to see this was a common problem with all who purchased the mac mini! On the advice in the forums I plugged an anolog 1/4″ jack from the back of the mac mini and into my TV Amp but the sound wasn’t good! Then reading further on the mini specs (from ur site) I come across the “optical out” didn’t get the lead yet but I sure hope this isn’t dissapointing! i actually got the mac mini to complete a small home studio running protools-8 and in the process of recording a take for a show I’m doing may 2nd with Glen harden (elvis piano player) on board and really needed this to work to get this track down for radio add. So what ya rec Mike..? Is the sound good thru the optical and will you let me know what optical cable you got there? lastly… Have you any idea why when I have a HDMI cable from the mini to TV there is no soound at all when the sound from a similar unit in the AppleTV is excellent! Hope to hear from u soon mike thanks for the blog I really found it most helpful!
I just bought the 10.6 mac mini and it plays DTS thru optical out when DTS is selected at disc menu. YES I thought I had foregone DTS by buying a mac mini. I was wrong!
Also set the HD setting on player (in preferences) to 1080 even though SD DVD and Picture comes out so much nicer.
Has anyone had trouble with the picture looking a little out of focus? I am using the VGA cable to my LCD Projector. Projector is capable of 1080, Compared to my old set top box with VGA out which had an AWESOME picture thru projector, mac mini strains the eyes being “out of focus” on desktop or watching eyetv or DVD – are there any settings that cure this?
Pingback: Shall I go with HTPC or GTV?
ya dont use vga its not a digital line go with a dvi or hdmi
Mike, thanks for providing this little blog post those many years ago. I’ve had a mac mini practically unused on my desktop for months now and have been trying to crack the “media center” idea. Now it looks like I have the info I need to not only get a media center up and running, but to breathe new life into my aging mac mini! I have a DVI to HDMI cable on the way along with the TOSLINK adapter though Griffin stopped making the cable you purchased. The adapter I found was only $2 from Amazon and its in route. If all goes well, I’ll post my results.
Everyone loves it when people come together and share opinions.
Great website, stick with it!
I sincerely appreciate that you using a moment to evaluation my account.
Please feel free to have a look at my very own web page also for added information
and useful strategies … http://www.you-ng.it