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Apple DVI to Video Adapter

Awesome

Written by SE from Orange

Mar 10, 2006

This product is awesome. Setup is a whole 2 seconds, if it isn't than your doing something wrong! Remember this is DVI to Composite and S-Video. It's meant for Movies and Games not turning your TV into a computer screen. DVI requires way higher resolution which standard TV's don't offer. If you are using a flat screen TV with DVI or VGA in that it would look great. But if yours only takes in S-Video or Composite than you will be disappointed. But that isn't because of the cable, it's because of the TV. Unless you are planning on doing work a 640 x 480 screen resolution than you are going to have a tough time. Original TV sets weren't meant to be computer monitors. If you want to test this for yourself just borrow a projection unit. Connect you computer via DVI or VGA to the DVI or VGA adapter (may require DVI to VGA adapter pending on projection unit) on the projection unit. Start up the two and make sure you are using the correct screen resolution for the projector. You'll see that the quality is fantastic. However, if you take that same computer and use a DVI to Component/S-Video adapter and hook it up to the projection units Component or S-Video adapter you'll notice the screen is no longer crisp. Games and Videos still look good but you've lost alot of resolution. So if you think this is a bad product because it looks poor than you don't get what you are talking about. Also, if you think that your Mac can't do it right...you would also be wrong. They've been able to do this for a really, really long time and they do it very well. I would know as I use both and you can set this up on a mac in less than half the time it takes you in any version of Windows so far. (Haven't tried it in Vista yet. Hopefully it will be better, easier and quicker.)

1262 of 1908 people found this useful

Apple DVI to Video Adapter

The adapter itself is fine

Written by JB from Austin

Sep 27, 2005

Complaints that S-Video quality is poor compared to DVI are reasonable, but it's unfair to blame the adapter. The adapter itself is fine. This dongle simply carries the S-Video and Composite signals produced inside your computer out to a plug your TV can use. No signal conversion takes place here; the S-Video and Composite signals are already among the many pins of a DVI connector, and this adapter simply adds an appropriate plug.

If you want S-video or composite video from your Mini or G5 tower, this adapter is a safe bet. Don't be surprised to find that even S-video is nothing like VGA or DVI in terms of quality, but that's a limitation of the signal format, not the adapter. If you've used the S-Video or Composite output of a Powerbook, you know what to expect, and you should be well satisfied -- the quality is similar.

1225 of 1887 people found this useful

Apple DVI to Video Adapter

Should be clearly labeled "DVI-I to Video Adapter"

Written by CA from Catonsville

Dec 3, 2008

I bought this adapter, hoping to hook up my new Macbook Pro to my TV, like I used to do so easily with my Powerbook G4 ... I already had the "Mini DisplayPort to DVI adapter", so I figured a "DVI to Video adapter" would get from "DVI" to "Video".

No such luck. It turns out that the DVI end of "Mini DisplayPort to DVI adapter" is DVI-D, but the DVI end of "DVI to Video adapter" id DVI-I, so it doesn't fit, it doesn't work.

I'm very disappointed, but also unhappy that I'll have to pay a restocking fee to return this (it's opened), when a more complete description would have saved me from ordering it in the first place.

216 of 248 people found this useful

Apple DVI to Video Adapter

Works Great. Excellent quality.

Written by BP from Easton

Jan 15, 2007

The product works exactly as advertised. It converts a MacBook Pro DVI output to S-Video so you hook it into a TV. I use this adapter to plug in my MacBook Pro into my TV to watch iTunes content. I have only used the S-video output, I did not use the composite video. The picture on my TV is crystal clear, much better than I get from a cable channel.

Ignore negative reviews from people who are trying to use this for something other than its intended purpose. I mistakenly thought this product had issues (from the negatives reviews) and wasted time trying to find an alternate solution. Then I just decided to try it and it works flawlessly.

131 of 180 people found this useful

Apple DVI to Video Adapter

AWESOME!

Written by AD from Riverside

Mar 15, 2009

I have a Sony, Panasonic and Toshiba, all tube TV's and this adapter works perfectly with each one on my Macbook Pro with Nvidia GeForce 8600M GT card. Video picture is DVD definition with s-video cable, no bugs, crisp and clean. If you have a tube TV (640x480) don't expect to be reading text and using it as a second monitor for computer work. It's great for iTunes videos, movies and shows. Be aware that most iTunes is widescreen so you will have black bars top and bottom. I imagine this adapter would be perfect with a hi-def widescreen TV. No complaints.

69 of 77 people found this useful

Apple DVI to Video Adapter

Good product

Written by HV from Montevideo

Nov 30, 2007

This product works fine. People complaining should read the requirements before buying a product. I quote:

"Important:
Requires Mac Pro (with ATI X1900 XT), MacBook Pro, Mac mini or Power Mac G5 with DVI port."

302 of 545 people found this useful

Apple DVI to Video Adapter

Perfect for movies with my macbook pro

Written by PH from Delafield

Aug 30, 2008

with my 2.2ghz macbook pro (whatever was current in late 2007) and my (non-hd) tv, this works perfectly for watching movies and shows stored on the computer on the tv. It is truly plug and play. In fact, there are not even instructions. When I plug it in, it automatically adjusts the resolution for the tv, and when I unplug it, the computer returns to normal. The video card has no trouble keeping up with both screens going at once. There is no lag, and the video syncs perfectly with the audio mini jack output.

I agree with other reviewers that you should not get this if you hope to do general computing on your tv. Only video seems to look good, and it does look very good for just an RCA connection.

62 of 66 people found this useful

Apple DVI to Video Adapter

Works with MacBook Pro

Written by GP from San Jose

Nov 1, 2006

I have a MacBook Pro 15" and it works fine. Quality is just as I'd expect with s-video. I guess most people don't realize that this is what all dvi to video adapters look like. If you want to use a TV as a monitor, get an hdtv with VGA, DVI, or HDMI input and use that. Otherwise, this is the simplest dvi-video adapter I've used. Never had one that was automatically detect and so easy to set up. Awesome.

97 of 137 people found this useful

Apple DVI to Video Adapter

Love it!

Written by PG from Lawrenceville

Mar 7, 2006

I am using this with a MacBook Pro and love it. The quality is great for porting out a dvd / itunes video to the TV. It doesn't look as nice as the Apple Displays, but for s-video to tv, I think it's very clear.

61 of 65 people found this useful

Apple DVI to Video Adapter

Windows XP??

Written by SM from Snowmass Village

Feb 19, 2008

Of course it dosent work with Windows XP. Notice the list of computers that are compatible. When you install windows on a mac with bootcamp it is still a PC it just happens to be operating on an apple computer. To avoid confusion read everything very carefully and assume nothing before you purcahse.

227 of 400 people found this useful

Apple DVI to Video Adapter

Review the product as it was intended

Written by SH from Simi Valley

Sep 4, 2009

It drives me nuts when I see people "review" stuff that works exactly as it was designed, and even shows clearly what kind of connector it is (the package is even clear so you can see what kind of connector it is), but then in the review the person gives it 1 star because it wasn't designed for your laptop. Stop that! It's your own fault for buying something it wasn't designed to do.

Yes, unfortunately all the new MacBooks (except the 17") do NOT have a DVI connector anymore; it was replaced with a Mini DVI connector. You have to look for yourself, since this changes with many of the new versions of the laptop. This is a DVI to Video, NOT a Mini-DVI to Video. There is DVI Mini, DVI-I, DVI-D, etc. Just verify before you buy something, then complain about it because you bought the wrong thing. Worse yet, you then give something a bad rating, which makes others think that this gear does not work.

Now, on to the review. This works great. It's a cheap way to get DVI out to a TV monitor. Of course - component/S-Video does not look as clear as a computer monitor (not the fault of this device). But it does exactly what it says it will do.

56 of 63 people found this useful

Apple DVI to Video Adapter

Works great with Netflix and Bootcamp

Written by JT from Collinsville

Jul 10, 2008

I purchased this originally for the purpose of watching Netflix on my TV. I have an Intel MB Pro. Running XP under Bootcamp after I installed all of the drivers Netflix works fine and the picture looks great on my TV. As a monitor up close the quality is poor. I have found myself however surfing the internet on my couch using adapter. Also there are many nice website (like Hulu) out there that make easy to watch movies and TV show from your laptop.

51 of 53 people found this useful

Apple DVI to Video Adapter

Easy and effective

Written by MG from american canyon

Feb 9, 2008

This product works great with my 1.83 ghz Macbook Pro. All you have to do is just plug the cord in and the resolution automatically adjusts. I have a tube tv and the quality looks great to me. Obviously not great for reading text- but perfect for watching movies.

197 of 346 people found this useful

Apple DVI to Video Adapter

Works as advertised

Written by AL from EASTHAMPTON

Dec 28, 2007

Works great with my new macbook pro. It was never this easy connecting to my TV with my PC laptop.

226 of 404 people found this useful

Apple DVI to Video Adapter

It works!

Written by SW from lake worth

May 21, 2007

It works great. Now I can watch iphoto slideshows on my tv. I got a MacBook pro which came with a remote control that controls frontrow which lets me select video, audio, and photos via the remote. Now I can play cool screensavers (Like Soundstream) on my tv. The resolution is lower on a tv than on the computer's screen, but it's good enough for looking at photos or selecting music.

107 of 167 people found this useful

Apple DVI to Video Adapter

Problem is pixel aspect ratio, not product

Written by GM from La Grange

Dec 30, 2005

Don't blame Apple. Blame NTSC.

Computer screen pixels are square. TV pixels are rectangular. When this thing shoots square-pixel video out to a TV, the distortion and pixel-merging that makes it work makes for a picture that looks bad compared to a computer monitor.

For more on why, do a google search in Safari under "NTSC pixel ratio" and find out.

56 of 65 people found this useful

Apple DVI to Video Adapter

For movies only!

Written by MP from Raleigh

May 19, 2006

I feel I am just beating a dead horse, but I have to say again what some are saying here. This is for watching movies, videos, and pictures on a tv, or to a projector. This is not to try to replace your computer monitor or laptop screen with a tv. The resolution on a tv is too low! This is not just Apple, try hooking a tv up to your Dell or Toshiba, or any pc. This works great for watching movies.

63 of 80 people found this useful

Apple DVI to Video Adapter

Quality typical for Computer -> TV converters

Written by MG from Wayne

Sep 28, 2005

The quality was about what I expected, since I've used other converters in the past. It's best to set the computer resolution to 640x480, since this is close to the resolution of standard TV (NTSC). It should also be noted that connecting it to a High Definition TV (HDTV) will not give a better picture, since the adapter can ONLY output standard TV signals - not HD.

55 of 65 people found this useful