Connect Mac Mini via HDMI to PC monitor

TooManyCables · 15 Jul 2016 at 10:33

I'm trying to find the right cable to connect my Mac Mini to a PC Monitor via HDMI.

What's unclear is that some of the HDMI to VGA cables I find also have extra leads to connect to sound, but some don't, some are just one cable straight from HDMI to VGA. So which do I need? if I get one without the extra sound leads does that mean no sound will come out of the PC monitor? or sound will come out? or I have to have those extra sound leads no matter what to connect to speakers etc to have sound from the Mac?

Any advice appreciated.

Orcvader · 15 Jul 2016 at 12:04

Depends on what ports the monitor has?

HDMI is digital only so if the monitor is VGA only you will need something that can convert the digital signals to analogue VGA signals. And VGA does not support sound so you will need speakers unless the monitor has a 3.5mm jack.

TooManyCables · 15 Jul 2016 at 12:20

Orcvader said:
Depends on what ports the monitor has?

HDMI is digital only so if the monitor is VGA only you will need something that can convert the digital signals to analogue VGA signals. And VGA does not support sound so you will need speakers unless the monitor has a 3.5mm jack.

Thanks for the info. I was just reading on another site, precisely that, that VGA is analogue? which seems odd to me because I thought using a PC monitor it would all be digital, but I guess not.

K.C. Leblanc · 15 Jul 2016 at 12:33

Does the monitor have a DVi socket. If so the you should be able to get a DVi to HDMI lead/adapter.

TooManyCables · 15 Jul 2016 at 12:41

K.C. Leblanc said:
Does the monitor have a DVi socket. If so the you should be able to get a DVi to HDMI lead/adapter.

Could only see a VGA socket.

HACO · 15 Jul 2016 at 13:29

A passive HDMI-to-VGA adapter won't work since Mac Mini's HDMI port is not capable of outputting analogue signals. You need an active digital to analogue converter (might cause issues with HDCP as well).

If your Mac mini had a thunderbolt or Mini DisplayPort port, you can use Apple's Mini DisplayPort to VGA adapter to use with your monitor.

http://www.apple.com/uk/shop/product/MB572Z/B/mini-displayport-to-vga-adapter

TooManyCables · 15 Jul 2016 at 13:42

HACO said:
A passive HDMI-to-VGA adapter won't work since Mac Mini's HDMI port is not capable of outputting analogue signals. You need an active digital to analogue converter (might cause issues with HDCP as well).

If your Mac mini had a thunderbolt or Mini DisplayPort port, you can use Apple's Mini DisplayPort to VGA adapter to use with your monitor.

http://www.apple.com/uk/shop/product/MB572Z/B/mini-displayport-to-vga-adapter

Thanks, that's good to know. It has a thunderbolt port

https://support.apple.com/kb/sp632?locale=en_US

The Apple converter you linked to though, looks like a female on the VGA end, but I need a male on the VGA end so I can plug it into the monitor.

Ah, or would I just plug the VGA PC cable into that converter? Actually I just found a VGA male end cable, but I still wouldn't have any sound?

Orcvader · 15 Jul 2016 at 13:50

TooManyCables said:
Thanks for the info. I was just reading on another site, precisely that, that VGA is analogue? which seems odd to me because I thought using a PC monitor it would all be digital, but I guess not.

VGA is a pretty old standard and was replaced by DVI, which in turn was succeeded by HDMI (although HDMI is eletronically same as DVI, just with added sound support), and now Displayport is the brand new standard.

TooManyCables said:
Thanks, that's good to know. It has a thunderbolt port

https://support.apple.com/kb/sp632?locale=en_US

The Apple converter you linked to though, looks like a female on the VGA end, but I need a male on the VGA end so I can plug it into the monitor.

Ah, or would I just plug the VGA PC cable into that converter? Actually I just found a VGA male end cable, but I still wouldn't have any sound?

Yes you need a VGA cable with that. Seeing as the monitor only has a VGA port, chances are it doesn't even have speakers built in. Do you know the make and model of the monitor?

TooManyCables · 15 Jul 2016 at 13:55

Orcvader said:
VGA is a pretty old standard and was replaced by DVI, which in turn was succeeded by HDMI (although HDMI is eletronically same as DVI, just with added sound support), and now Displayport is the brand new standard.

Yes you need a VGA cable with that. Seeing as the monitor only as a VGA port, chances are it doesn't even have speakers built in. Do you know the make and model of the monitor?

No, I don't it's at my gf's. I think it's fairly old though, I could only see the VGA port on it. If I connect to the monitor with the thunderbolt cable, and I don't have any sound, I wonder if the sound will just come out of the Mac Mini, which is better than nothing.

HACO · 15 Jul 2016 at 19:15

TooManyCables said:
Thanks, that's good to know. It has a thunderbolt port

https://support.apple.com/kb/sp632?locale=en_US

The Apple converter you linked to though, looks like a female on the VGA end, but I need a male on the VGA end so I can plug it into the monitor.

Ah, or would I just plug the VGA PC cable into that converter? Actually I just found a VGA male end cable, but I still wouldn't have any sound?

You don't plug the adapter into the monitor, you connect a VGA cable to it. You just need a male-to-male VGA cable, the same cable that comes with all monitors so the one you found is fine.

It won't carry sound. If your monitor doesn't have a 3.5mm audio input and its only input is VGA, then you can be 100% confident that it doesn't even have speakers. Mac Mini itself has built-in speakers that are as good as (if not better than) any monitor speakers anyway. It's actually the same speaker module that Apple uses with their iMacs.