Connecting to a Television

In order to have a Media Center at all, you need to be able to connect your Apple Computer to your television. If you have a 2011 or 2010 Mac mini and a Television that has one free HDMI port, all you need is an HDMI cable and you are done. If you don’t have a Mac mini with HDMI, or don’t want to use the HDMI connection there are a limited number of ways to get audio and video out of your Mac and slightly more ways to bring that audio and video to your television or receiver. No one solution is ‘correct,’ so please take the time to figure which solution works best for you. Unless you have a 2011 or 2010 Mac mini, connecting the audio and video are done separately so we will address them as such. Additionally, because a majority of Apple Media Centers will be based on using a Mac mini, the instructions will focus specifically on the Mac mini, although they can easily be applied to any other Apple Computer.

Connecting to the Computer’s Video Input

This tutorial will help you identify the inputs on your television/receiver and describe the various cables and adapters you will need in order to use your television as a computer display.

Connecting to the Computer’s Audio Input

This tutorial will help you identify the inputs on your television/receiver and describe the various cables and adapters you will need in order to connect your computer’s audio to your television or receiver in surround sound.

Wireless HDMI

Believe it or not, it is now possible to wirelessly send a 1080p signal from your Media Center (or other devices) to a TV. This could be beneficial to you if you don’t want to run unsightly wires, if you have a projector mounted to your ceiling or if your Media Center and television are not located next to one another. Whatever the reason, if you don’t feel like running wires, this is a solution for you!