2nd Desk, 2nd Display.. hdmi or DVI?

[edgarbc1]

the monitor i will be using on my second desk has hdmi and dvi ports.
i need to get a cable for it to link to my laptop on my first desk.

any dis/advantage to using the hdmi port with a long hdmi/dvi cable
or just go with dvi-dvi cable... of course using a mini displayport adapter

tia!

thanks
E

[Trouble]

I'd recommend DVI. Every time I've connected a monitor with HDMI my macs have stupidly refused to think it is anything other than a TV.

[Buzz]

Double Trouble. Newer computers and video cards (and OS's? ) seem to think HDMI means TV... whereas older hardware and Mac OS, at least up thru Tiger PPC, played nice w/ HDMI (via DVI to HDMI conversion) so old schoolers have that option. I used the HDMI incompatibility (degraded performance) to justify getting the Dell U3011 to go w/ the Mac Pro that replaced the G5. If you have a MDD G4 w/ an older video card, you'll be fine w/ HDMI; but since you have a much newer mini display port, you're hosed (as far as "nice" HDMI usage)... so stick w/ DVI and avoid the frustration. Use the HDMI port to hook up a BR player, or cable TV box, or gaming console to the second monitor.

[thermarest]

Trouble and Buzz--what's the problem if/when the OS thinks the display is a TV? Poor color? Or...?

I was gonna say get an HDMI adapter, just because I find mine multi-purposed and use it with actual TVs fairly often and it carries sound, too.

At any rate, I've had good luck with both DVI and HDMI adapters from eBay for around $7 shipped.

[Buzz]

Old school was fine, however newer stuff auto senses plug and play, and thinks HDMI = TV and goes into overscan mode, and on many monitors provides a much lesser quality picture when used for normal computing. Definitely poor color modeling. I have a 28" Hanns•g monitor that I used w/ G4 & G5 towers w/ (obviously) older video cards to connect via DVI to HDMI cable. As soon as I hooked up the same monitor to a newer Mini or Mac Pro, the difference was readily apparent; so much so that I had to move the 28" out along w/ the old towers. Unfortunately, the 28" only has HDMI & VGA, no legit DVI. Beware, some TV-esque monitors that do have DVI & HDMI ports, may also convey through the DVI port that they want to be treated as TV's. Trick is to do your homework before springing for the monitor. When I bought the Hanns•g in 2007, I wasn't thinking beyond the Macs that were in use at the time... had I taken the cover off of the crystal ball before making that purchase, I probably would've sprung for the Samsung 275T or 275T+ that I was drooling over back then. The Dell U3011 in use now has ports galore, and segregates the signals; which makes sense, because the display port and DVI handle dual link size picture, and HDMI for the most part is limited to the lesser resolution of 1080p. The adapters usually aren't the problem; it's the way the new gear "looks" at what's connected to it, and then how it treats what it "sees".

[Chakravartin]

Yeah. It's weird. Given a choice I'll go with DVI.

I don't think that any equipment is sending a signal saying "I'm a tv so I don't need a high quality digital signal," but I do see a difference between HDMI and DVI when using adapters.

I get truer blacks and a greater gamut from a Mini Displayport->DVI adapter than from a Mini Displayport-HDMI adapter. It shouldn't happen, but it does.

The difference can easily be observed by connecting each adapter to the same Dell Ultrasharp and switching the monitor between inputs.

Not sure if it's the video card, the adapter or the display at fault. I provided Dell as an example, but it doesn't only happen with Dells.

[deckeda]

Wow---interesting stuff. Thanks guys.