Does this Mini DisplayPort to HDMI connector output audio?

Question

I'm trying to find a relatively cheap Mini DisplayPort to HDMI cable that also supports sending audio to an HDTV. Cables from Monoprice are out of the question, since they don't ship to Romania and I'd rather not spend $40 for a cable sold by an Apple authorized reseller.

I've found several cables on eBay¹ that say they support "DTS/DTS-HD, Dolby Digital / Dolby TrueHD, and Linear PCM (LPCM)". All those acronyms leave me completely clueless; they all have something to do with audio, but none of them clearly state "yes, we have audio support". Would such a cable allow me to output both video and audio to a mid-2010 MacBook Pro? Has anyone actually purchased such a cable and had any problems with it?

^{1. I haven't linked to any of the cables I've found on eBay since I'm not here to drive traffic to their products. Also, I'm trying not to spam this site.}

Answer 1

The Original Apple-Adapter supports Audio for MacBook Pro and iMac Mid2010

From the Apple-Website:

Note: *Audio support is only available for MacBook Pro 13/15/17-in. mid-2010 release; iMac 21.5/27-in. early-2010 release

Apple-Store Link

I've bought a cheap one from Belkin for my MacBook Air - but there is no Audio-Output!

Answer 2

I ordered a cheap Mini DisplayPort to HDMI cable from eBay (less than $5, including transport) and it works perfectly, including sound.

The only thing needed is to configure the audio output source to TV instead of the internal speakers (you only need to do this once; after that, it will remember the setting and switch automatically once connected to the TV). To change the audio source, option click on the speaker icon on the menu bar, go to the Output tab and choose your TV.

Answer 3

Some of the 2010 and later Mac laptops and iMacs have support for audio over the DisplayPort, which would work with DisplayPort to HDMI. Otherwise, only the video comes through.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4241

If you don't have audio over DisplayPort, get this cable: http://www.amazon.com/Kanex-iAdapt-DisplayPort-Channel-Digital/dp/B0031QH1BG/ref=sr_1_19?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1327331080&sr=1-19

I've used it many times with my 2009 MacBook Pro. It uses the laptop's optical out to provide the audio, and presents the audio & video to an HDMI cable connector.

Answer 4

I've had an issue where sometimes the Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapter would transmit sound to the TV, and sometimes not. It was driving me crazy, but I think I finally figured it out.

If I loaded the webpage BEFORE I had plugged in the adapter, then the sound for the streaming video would only play on the Macbook speakers.

After having been plugged in, when I refreshed the page, and "refetched" the content to stream, then it played audio from the TV.

Quick fix that worked for me, so it might be worth a try.

Note: I have a 2013 Macbook Air with Yosemite, and a Rocketfish adapter (RF-AP305).

Answer 5

It seems some adapters may or may not support audio. It is important to know which computers support audio through the port. Only certain Macs can output audio through the mini display port. Those that can't will need to have auxiliary speakers connected to the 3.5mm audio jack or other solution through a separate cable system.

Mid 2010 or later MacBook Pros support audio through the port. Late 2009 or later iMacs also support it. The mid 2010 and later unibody MacBook (7,1) supports it. Interestingly, the late 2009 MacBook 6,1 does not support it despite being almost identical to the 7,1 model released less than a year later. You can find a complete compatibility list through a simple Google search.

I bought a third party adapter on eBay for $8.50 on eBay to use with my mid 2010 MacBook 7,1. The adapter is a three-in-one with integrated VGA, DVI, and HDMI connections. However, I'm having trouble with the audio. Using the audio MIDI application, the audio does play to the TV via HDMI on the adapter but, when setting the audio source to be the HDMI device, my MacBook does not play audio. When I change the volume with the audio keys, I only get a circle with a line through it indicating it can't play audio. I have no idea why it isn't working for me but the MIDI program confirms this model is capable. I suspect it is a software issue, my TV, or the adapter.