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26 November 2010
Posted in
Utilities
I've wanted to upgrade to an HDMI miniport adapter for ages because the VGA alternative means futzing around to get the right resolution or correcting poor colour and contrast. Frustrating, when all my monitors now have HDMI input and all that was missing was a little adapter like this. With such a simple product you would expect to just plug it in and it should work. In this respect the Kanex iAdapt HDMI v2 performs perfectly.
I tested this adapter using a couple of different MacBook models and different screens. Every time I plugged it in the external screen or monitor came to life without any hassle. The image was stable, colour and contrast excellent and refresh rates fast.
{xtypo_rounded_right2}Installation & Documentation
Ease of use
Value for money
Price approx
$ 29.95 USD
Software/Hardware Requirements
See compatible Apple products here
Available from
Kanex
{/xtypo_rounded_right2}In terms of size the adapter is about the same as Apples VGA adapter, just a
little slimmer. Although I prefer Apple's fully molded design, the Kanex is
well constructed, so I would expect it to handle life on the road just as
well as life in the living room.
The HDMI port in the unit appears to be gold plated and the connections, when plugged in, are nice and tight. Small things I know, but all adding to an overall positive experience. However, You will need a separate HDMI cable to connect the adapter to the screen.
Using the iAdapt on a Samsung Syncmaster 26" as a second monitor for my MacBook Air, was perfect. The resulting image being much superior to what I get using Apples mini port to VGA connector. The VGA connection was always disappointing because colour and contrast where poor and I often had to play around with the Samsung settings and calibration to get it right. The iAdapt worked as it should, no fuss or bother, just plug and go. Playing video through the adapter was also flawless, full resolution with great colour and general image quality.
I also did the same using both a 15inch MacBook pro and the Air, this time to a 52inch Sony BraviaXBR. Both MacBooks detected the Bravia and I quickly had my desktop extended to the new screen. However both MacBooks set the initial resolution as 1080i, so I had to manually change the display setting to 1080p. I suspect this is a feature of the operating system rather than the adapter. Other than this, the image was great.
Unfortunately I was not able to test the HDMI audio function as neither of my MacBooks support Apple's recent addition to their mini port spec. However, I'm sure that the Kanex adapter would work just as well with audio as it does with video. It's a shame I could not test this because I do use HDMI audio from both a PS3 and Apple TV to the Bravia. This works great because the Bravia then passes the audio out over an optical cable to an older receiver (which does not have HDMI). It's a shame my MacBooks do not support audio over HDMI, as the iAdapt has the potential to be an essential part to an otherwise perfect rig.
BTW, for those that may not already know this, the audio jack on the MacBook (and many other apple products) also supports optical for surround sound. All you need is the right optical cable.
Overall I'm more than happy with the iAdapt and look forward to relegating my VGA mini port adapter to the obsolete cable draw.
