HDMI vs DisplayPort cable?

[stevierose]

Hello friends
I have just upgraded from a 2011 Mac Mini to a 2018 Mac Mini. On the 2011 I used an HDMI cable and an adapter to connect with my NEC PA231W monitor. The 2018 Mini has 4 Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports, so I now have the option of using a DisplayPort cable to connect to the monitor. Is there any advantage to doing that vs just sticking to the HDMI to DVI connection?

Thanks

Steve Rosenblum

[smthopr]

Hello friends
I have just upgraded from a 2011 Mac Mini to a 2018 Mac Mini. On the 2011 I used an HDMI cable and an adapter to connect with my NEC PA231W monitor. The 2018 Mini has 4 Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports, so I now have the option of using a DisplayPort cable to connect to the monitor. Is there any advantage to doing that vs just sticking to the HDMI to DVI connection?

Thanks

Steve Rosenblum

Yes, I think so.  HDMI may well be "422" color, which means that the luminance channel is twice the resolution of the color channels.  You should get full resolution from the display port.  Also, HDMI may well be "video" levels, which are just raised blacks and lowered whites.  Your display will probably sense this and adjust the levels back, but you will have less data displayed and could help show a little more banding in the image (that's not really there).  Display port should be "full range", black =0 and white = 255 (if 8 bit) or 1023 (if 10 bit).

If you switch to displayport, I would re-calibrate the display.

[digitaldog]

You want to use something like this, utilize DisplayPort  (I'm doing the same with an NEC to MacBook Pro):

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01EXKDRAC/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[stevierose]

Thanks, Andrew. That is exactly the kind of cable I ordered. When you use that cable do you also have to run a USB cable from the computer to the monitor for the Spectraview calibration software to work, or will it all communicate via the DisplayPort cable?

Steve

[digitaldog]

Thanks, Andrew. That is exactly the kind of cable I ordered. When you use that cable do you also have to run a USB cable from the computer to the monitor for the Spectraview calibration software to work, or will it all communicate via the DisplayPort cable?

Steve

Not using USB, that's only necessary if you want the display as a hub.

[stevierose]

Thanks Andrew.
I didn't need to use the USB cable previously on my old mac mini with an HDMI cable to DVI converter, but was running an older version of Spectraview software. When I upgraded to the newest version of the software on my 2018 Mac Mini, using the same cable arrangement there was no longer two way communication between the mac and the monitor. A "read me" file says that now a USB cable is required even with many DisplayPort cables, and when I hooked up the USB cable I again had two way communication. I am hoping with the new cable I have coming today (like yours) I will again only need one cable. The read me file is here:  http://update.necdisplay.com/spectraview/NEC_SpectraView_README_MacOS_v1_1_38_EN.html

Thanks again

Steve