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I connected the video of my mac mini to my HDTV ok using a DVI->HDMI cable. But I just realized there is no audio.

What audio cable will I need? The spec of the mac mini on Apple website said that the mac mini has optical digital audio output and headphone output. On the other hand my Samsung TV manual says the audio input is a "dvi audio input". Is there even such a thing? If there is, how do I connect the two?

My TV model is UN46B8000. Thanks

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According to the Samsung spec page for your TV, the TV does have an optical digital audio connector. (It doesn't specify whether it's input or output, but it's probably labelled on your unit.)

The optical digital-audio input is what you want to use. You need a cable like these - optical TOSlink to optical TOSlink.

If not, check for analog stereo inputs (a pair of RCA-style inputs, one red, one white). You'd need a cable like these with a 1/8" stereo headphone plug to red & white RCA plugs on the other end. The mini plug goes into your Mac Mini's headphone output, and the RCA plugs go to your TV's analog stereo input. This will not be as high-quality as the optical.

Update: OK, it sounds like this "PC/DVI audio in" is another headphone-style jack like the analog audio output on your Mac Mini. In that case you just need a cable with the 1/8" stereo headphone plugs on both ends (some stores will label these 3.5mm plugs). The cable may look something like this:

alt text

Links to shopping sites in this post are for example purposes only. I am not endorsing any store or any product. Links are only provided to show what these cables will look like and how you can identify the correct cable in your store of choice.

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I cant use the optical it is labeled output only on the TV. I shoudln't be using red and white because there is a input labelled "PC/DVI AUDIO IN". I should be using this. It's a small hole, it looks like a hole for the headphone type. Any idea how to use this with my mac mini? – erotsppa Feb 26 '10 at 14:18
does a mini headphone plug fit in it? ok, updated answer... – quack quixote Feb 26 '10 at 14:36
Thanks I will buy that cable to try, will the quality be any good? I am assuming no :( what exactly is the proper way to hook up a mac mini? I suppose I can hook up the sound from mac to a speaker set using optical but wouldn't it be a huge pain to have to switch audio sourc AND video source each time I want to watch something from the mac? I hope that makes sense. – erotsppa Feb 26 '10 at 15:50
the one i linked to is just an example; it's only 6'. monoprice has a good reputation for quality as well as price, but i don't have extensive experience with them. YMMV. – quack quixote Feb 26 '10 at 15:54
I don't mean the quality of the cable, I mean this method of connection. Will there be a quality lost through this method compared to say optical? – erotsppa Feb 26 '10 at 19:34
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