Mac Mini with 4k?

[Rolando]

Anybody know if a MacMini can drive one of these:Seiki Digital SE39UY04 39-Inch 4K Ultra HD 120Hz LED TV
Anybody know if the image quality would be worth it?

[jdc]

Sure, at 1920 x 1080.

[Filliam H. Muffman]

There is a small chance that one of the newest models Macmini6,2 (late 2012) would drive one at 30 Hz via two cables that both end in DVI, assuming there is a system update for drivers. The format is new enough that only the upcoming MacBook Pro (Intel HD 5000 or better) and not-yet-shipping Mac Pro should drive a 4k display without having to jump through special hoops. I have not seen any info about the hard limitations of the Thunderbolt/DisplayPort on the 2013 MBA yet. An older Mac Pro should be able to drive one if it has a recent generation ATI card, like a Radeon 7770 or 7950.

The first cross platform standard seems to be DisplayPort 1.2 MST (Multi-Stream Transport), new enough that it is not in the specs of the 4k Sony TV's (XBR55X900A).

[Lew Zealand]

You need dual Thunderbolt to get 4K support at this time, so the Mac Mini need not apply. Maybe if Apple switches the FW800 port for another TBolt port, then we'll be in business.

[Filliam H. Muffman]

Lew Zealand wrote:
You need dual Thunderbolt to get 4K support at this time...

Link?

AFAIK, DisplayPort 1.2 MST works with one port, or are you saying that it needs a full dual channel Thunderbolt 1.2/2 controller (the new MBA supposedly only has a single) to push that much data?

[Lew Zealand]

Some background on the reasons for TB2 (read: 4K video):

http://www.anandtech.com/show/7049/intel...ed-to-know

How to get 4K on today's TB (use 2 ports):

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/gigabyt...20361.html

[Filliam H. Muffman]

Lew Zealand wrote: How to get 4K on today's TB (use 2 ports):
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/gigabyt...20361.html

That only applies to older Ivy Bridge integrated graphics motherboards using Cactus Ridge/HD4000 chipsets.

Lew Zealand wrote:
Some background on the reasons for TB2 (read: 4K video):
http://www.anandtech.com/show/7049/intel...ed-to-know

Read the Anandtech story when it came out. I am not sure it says what you think it says. For new computers with the Haswell chipset, users need two Thunderbolt ports if they want to use Thunderbolt based storage and a 4k display.

What I have not seen detailed is what is the difference between the Thunderbolt controller in the new Haswell MacBook Air (and next mini?), and what controller is in the expected Haswell MacBook Pro.

One thing I was not sure of: If the mini supports two DL-DVI outputs. 4K displays can be run with two DL-DVI connectors. It looks like the mini does not support DL-DVI over the non-Thunderbolt video connector, therefore it is not possible to use two DL-DVI links for 4k.

[pRICE cUBE]

Um, what 4K video will you be watching aside from some clips on youtube?

[Filliam H. Muffman]

pRICE cUBE wrote:
Um, what 4K video will you be watching aside from some clips on youtube?

As I have said before, computer display. I will be watching me snipe people in video games. I can play in a 2560 x 1440 window and have five 720p windows around the side/bottom, or have four 1080p windows for productivity.