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Hooking up a Mac to your TV pays off gigantically when it comes to enjoying streaming movies and TV.
There’s nothing necessarily wrong with watching movies on a 27-inch iMac hooked up to some sweet speakers--but why should you have to strain your eyes (and ears) just because you’re streaming videos over Safari? Wouldn’t those Hulu shows look so much better on your 60-inch Sony Bravia HDTV and 7.1 DTS surround sound system? So let’s look at the most common, useful setups—and iron out the wrinkles that tend to pop up.
Difficulty Level: 0
When Apple updated the Mac mini earlier this summer, it didn’t just dress it in aluminum and add a snazzy access panel to the underside--it pushed the micro desktop further into the living room by fitting it with a full-size HDMI port. What that means to those of you on (or near) the cutting edge is that you can buy a $10 cable, plug one end into your mini and the other end into your receiver or television, pop some popcorn and settle down in a Front Row seat (just don’t forget your Apple Remote). It’s that easy.
Difficulty Level: 1
Of course, there may be a snag or two along the way. Some audio components can’t handle audio over HDMI, but there’s no reason to give up on the glory of surround sound. A $2 fiber optic audio adapter will turn any Intel Mac’s headphone jack into an optical audio port, which most receivers can use to pipe out 5.1 or 7.1 sound.
Difficulty Level: 2
If you have an older, DVI-based Mac, converter cables will still let you connect via HDMI.
Things get a little trickier with older Macs. Instead of the simplicity of an HDMI-to-HDMI cable, you’ll need a specialized DVI-to-HDMI cable (and a mini-DVI adapter for iMacs and some minis). Just screw in the DVI end to the Mac and find an open HDMI input on your receiver or TV. As with all of these setups, a trip to System Preferences > Displays may be in order so the Mac can properly detect the TV’s resolution to fix any potential scanning issues.
Difficulty Level: 3
These days, HDMI ports come at a premium--Blu-ray players, set-top boxes, and many videogame systems require one--so if you don’t happen to have a spare port on your TV or receiver, you’ll have to get a little creative. HDMI may be all high-tech and everything, but it’s essentially no different than the coaxial cable split 16 different ways throughout your home. HDMI splitters (which can be had for around $100, depending on your port demands) work the way you expect. It’s best to get a splitter with one output and several inputs, unless you plan on hooking up extra televisions. Plug your Mac into one of the available inputs and run the output cable to your television or receiver. Switch to the appropriate input on the splitter, and you’ll be Hulu-ing in no time.
Difficulty Level: 4
Down-converting to S-video works...but it's far from ideal.
You can still make a respectable Mac home theater even if your TV or receiver completely lacks support for HDMI. Instead of an HDMI cable, you’ll need to convert the digital signal from your Mac, and a plethora of video-adapter cables abound. The next best choice after an HDMI connection is component video, but after that, it’s a brutally steep drop in quality to S-video. Most older Macs output in DVI, and Google or Amazon will point you at cheap ($5–$20) converter cables that switch a DVI signal to component or S-video, whatever your television or receiver requires.
Difficulty Level: 5
Roland's EDIROL UA-1EX gives you optical audio externally.
If your outdated receiver prevents you from using a fiber optic adapter, you have two options: buy a lame RCA Y cable and plug it into the Mac’s headphone jack for two-channel stereo; or invest in an external USB sound card. With advancements in PC sound, the market for external adapters with S/PDIF optical out has dried up a bit (check eBay for M-Audio’s Sonica Theater), but there are still some decent options out there, like Roland’s EDIROL UA-1EX. Setup isn’t too difficult--there’s little heavy lifting beyond plugging in and downloading the latest driver--but check out receiver prices while you’re at it. The cash might be better spent on upgrading.
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