I am currently considering buying an iMac 27" to replace my PC, and also to have at the centre of my home cinema/media system.
The iMac would be used to play DVDs, stream video, play CDs, MP3s etc.
I want to send both the video and audio to a Home Cinema Reciever, ideally all through an HDMI cable (avoiding a separate cable for the audio), connected to the iMac via a MDP to HDMI converter. The video is then relayed on to my projector by HDMI from the Home Cinema Reciever.
I have a few questions that aren't clearly answered by the Apple specs:
- Will DTS/Dolby audio be sent via the Thunderbolt/MDP port to the Home Cinema Reciever through the HDMI cable? Apple say audio is sent, but that could just mean stereo!
- I read somewhere that for HDMI with Audio it was necessary to mirror the display. The iMac will be visible from the seating for viewing the projected image. I will want to blank the iMac screen and just use the projector when watching movies etc. I don't want to see a smaller version of what is projected!
- Will I be able to output audio to the Home Cinema Reciever when playing MP3s etc through iTunes or another media player?