The Price:

$70

The Verdict:

It works, but damn if it isn't expensive.

If you're not really married to the higher quality digital audio, you might be better off getting the USB audio version for $50 $60, which performs basically the same service for $20 $10 less.

As for this unit, it definitely works—we've been using it on a Mac Mini hooked up to a 1080p TV for a week—and there are no dropouts or weird signal noise inconsistencies that we can see. Everything is plug and play, and you should have no problem using it on your 5.1 audio system.

Again, at $70, it's only really useful if Mini DisplayPort is your only display output, otherwise you can come up with a cheaper solution involving a series of cheaper tubes. [Kanex Live]

It works

It's very expensive

• OK, so the reality of the situation might not be that exciting. All the Atlona DVI to Mini DisplayPort does is, well, convert a DVI signal to Mini DisplayPort. It's the first converter to accomplish the feat, though. For some users, especially laptop owners stuck with DVI out in their chassis, that's probably a big deal. Other than that, there's not much to write about. The converter supports resolutions up to 1920x1200, and it maintains HDCP information through the conversion. Hopefully that means there won't be any lockout issues now that iTunes is an HDCP curmudgeon. The fact that it's the first makes it pricey, but if it does what you need it to, you can grab the converter from Atlona for $179. [Press Release via Engadget]

There isn't a whole lot to explain, other than the fact that the adapter is now basically set to deliver full audio quality to the video content played back on your Mac, and all through one HDMI cable. The previous version was held up because of manufacturing issues, so we'll have to see if this version suffers from the same difficulties. [Kanex]

Because the KVM offers a native 2560x1600 resolution at 60Hz (or 3840x2400 at a lower refresh rate) with 7.1-channel audio. It'll work with Macs and PCs, and has hotkey and push-button switching. At $220, it's a little pricey for a dual-monitor KVM, but we are talking DisplayPort here. [Star-Tech]

The Price: $40 $60

The Verdict: It works. IT WORKS! Playing back 1080p trailers in Quicktime, powered by a MacBook Pro, on our plasma TV was fantastic. And the part where it actually has audio? Yes please.

It's quite easy to use. The USB and Mini DisplayPort goes into the MacBook Pro (or Mac Mini), and the other end takes an HDMI cable. Your Mac should automatically detect the new display, but you have to manually switch the audio output to the USB audio device. If you're planning on using a new Mac Mini, this is the way to go. The video quality is pretty much what you'd expect from a clean 1080p source, and those trailers look good.

And with the problems Apple's own Mini DisplayPort to DVI adapters are having, using this and an HDMI-capable monitor might be a smart idea.

The adapters will be available later in the week. I suggest you pick one up if you have any kind of Mini DisplayPort-capable computer you want to throw up onto your TV once in a while. Also, Monoprice has a unit coming up soon as well that's pretty similar. [Kanexlive]

Update: Availability's been pushed to mid-September, after some shortages in components. We will update when we hear anything else.

The discussion thread reports that Apple recommends updating the firmware in the adapter itself to 1.02. Unfortunately you can't update it at home, so you'll have to go to an Apple store to trade it in. Even more unfortunate is the fact that users are saying the 1.02 firmware makes things even WORSE. [Mini DisplayPort coverage on Giz]

Apple is still to blame for not adopting HDMI, but at least this solution is somewhat helpful. See, most run-of-the-mill flat-panel TVs are HDCP compliant, but a lot of monitors are not. So, when you have the adapter, there is suddenly a massive population of screens that you can use that you otherwise cannot.

There are some things to keep in mind with this adapter:

1. It's only going to give you video output—you will have to find another way to route your audio from your new MacBook or MacBook Pro.

2. Even though the HDMI jack allows you to connect to a bunch of TVs that can handle HDCP, it doesn't mean you can get around HDCP. When we tried to watch the same movie using the other adapter, a Mini DP-to-DVI, on an older monitor, we were told we were not allowed:

Bottom line: If you own a MacBook or MacBook Pro, and you have iTunes video content you want to watch on a flat-panel TV, you had better get one of these. Maybe one day Apple will learn that HDMI isn't inherently evil, and all these adapters won't be necessary. [Monoprice]

In a related note, some people on the forums are claiming that after running Quicktime or iTunes will cause the problem to occur. That particular instance hasn't happened to us—our issue still continues to be a thing that happens a few times at the beginning of a computing session, then stops after a few reconnects. Here's hoping that it's still fixable via software.

Here's the issue: occasionally (somewhere between a few minutes and an hour), the screen will look like it's missing half its display information, like one of its dual "links" has failed. This can only be fixed by unplugging and plugging in ether the Mini DisplayPort connector to our MacBook Pro, or the USB connection (yes, the adapter uses both DisplayPort AND USB).

A quick search found these two Apple support threads, here and here, with a bunch of people that have the same problem.

And this issue doesn't seem to be isolated to Dell's displays, users have the same screen distortion with Apple's 30-inch Cinema Displays as well.

Our own limited testing showed that this happens really quickly (in about a minute) when there's a USB hub plugged either into the second MacBook Pro USB port, or into the pass-through port on the actual adapter itself. If we have nothing plugged in, the display is fine, but if we have a powered hub plugged in, the distortion hits almost immediately.

Here's hoping this is an easy software fix. And, we probably just found the reason why the adapter was delayed so long. If you're looking to buy one of these, hold off until the problem has been fixed.

We already knew the Adamo was slated to run significantly cheaper than the expensive Air, and a leak this Thursday suggested a base price of around $1500. The Google cache suggests the Adamo will be packing DisplayPort for video out and eSATA for storage, and that Dell plans to release a host of peripherals alongside the sleek machine. The peripherals visible in the cache are a 2x Blu-Ray combo drive and a selection of external 2.5" hard drives, ranging up to 500GB capacity. This kind of peripheral use would allow for a very slim body, but at the expense of easy portability. We'll have to see how Dell plans to reconcile the issue.

The Adamo is still expected to be officially unveiled at this year's CES, but no shipping date (or really any confirmed information) has been released. Regardless, it's a fair bet that these few morsels of info are correct. [Electronista]

Sure you could grab an MDP to DVI cable from Apple, and then a separate DVI to HDMI cable and daisy chain 'em, but that's a huge, pricey pain in the ass. So thankfully, Monoprice.com, the internet's favorite supplier of cheap cables, is promising to sell a MDP to HDMI cable late next month, which rocks for two reasons. One, the adapter will finally exist, and two, it'll be likely be balls cheap, or at least cheaper than anything Apple would thrust upon us. [Mac Yourself via Cult of Mac]

As Kevin notes, it might seem nitpicky, but when you compare this to how much Apple boasts on the MacBook's green packaging, it is kind of jarring:

"The new MacBook packaging is up to 41 percent smaller than the previous generation. And smaller boxes are much better for the planet. Because smaller boxes mean we can fit more boxes on each shipping pallet — up to 25 percent more. Which means more products will fit on each boat and plane. Which means fewer boats and planes are used, resulting in fewer CO2 emissions. It’s just one seemingly minor change. But it has a major positive impact on our environment."

Surely they've got a smaller box lying around somewhere. If not, we hope they transition all of their shipping boxes to a greener variation—not just to align them with Apple's own standards and goals, but to set an example for the rest of the industry. [jkOnTheRun]

That's because Apple will be licensing the Mini DisplayPort specification for free, meaning Apple might not be the singular assholes to use it (which is why their shrunken variations on DVI, while not technically proprietary, practically were). At the very least, even if vendors like Dell—an early supporter of DisplayPort—don't pick it up, it should mean a decent-sized ecosystem of Mini DisplayPort accessories, not just a handful of adapters and a pricey monitor that Apple's given us so far. How about a MDP to HDMI and MDP to DP adapters, for starters? [Ars]

A touted aspect of DisplayPort is its "security," comforting to those who create content but an unwelcome guest for those who can't stand even the thought of DRM (digital rights management). Carrying HDCP along with it, the standard is designed to protect content from those free-copying, eyepatch-wearing pirates. In addition to that, it also carries an additional DRM can of worms, DPCP (DisplayPort Content Protection).

That gives the standard an advantage over DVI in the eyes of content creators, who have sometimes been known to arm-twist various hardware manufacturers. Speaking of which, the standard has gotten rousing support from many of the usual suspects, including Dell, HP, Philips, Samsung, Intel and Lenovo, and also graphics cards manufacturers AMD and NVIDIA.

Those companies might like this standard better than HDMI for another reason, too: Unlike HDMI, DisplayPort's an open standard with no fees required to those who invented it. Other than that, besides the slight bandwidth advantage of DisplayPort, the two are almost the same and will be interchangable in some cases with an adapter. But not all cases. Such as...

What do we like about it? You can daisy chain multiple 2560x1600 monitors together, and the standard also supports fiber optic cable, able to blast tons of serious bandwidth for longer distances. It also has an advantage over DVI with its 15-meter spec length, compared with DVI's measly 5-meter recommended distance. We're also quite fond of that ability to support 16-bit color for each component, and hey, the damn thing is easier to connect than a DVI or VGA cable. With Dell and ATI first out of the gate, expect graphics cards and monitors to jump on board any day now. [DisplayPort Info Guide]