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Apple 27" LED Cinema Display

orangeblue said:
Just purchased an Apple 27" Cinema Display, and am very happy with it so far, but I've experienced two instances of a possibly severe problem. I have the display hooked up to a GTX 680, with a Female-Female mini-DP connector, plus a 3 foot Male-Male mini-DP to DP connector. On two separate occasions, I've noticed some weird signal noise on the display, as well as some popping sound from the speaking (also probably noise). Unplugging my connectors, and re-plugging them back in corrected the issue both times, but I'm not sure if that was because the display shut off and turned back on, or the connector was slightly loose, leading to some signal interference. I had this display plugged in directly to a MBP for a few days, and didn't have any issues during that time. Anyone have any similar problems?

On a side note, while the speakers are decent quality, the bass sometimes seems a little off. Am I just expecting too much from built in speakers (planning on getting some stand alone speakers anyway)?
Click to expand...
Welll... The built in cable is how long? And you extension cable is 3 foot so almost a meter?

The display port specs are pretty specific.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DisplayPort said:
- Reduced bandwidth transmission for 15 meter cable (at least 1920×1080p60, 24 bpp)
- Full bandwidth transmission for 2 meter cable
Click to expand...

And since you need a lot higher resolution than 1920x1080 you are pretty close to the 2 meter abyss there with that added 3 foot cable...
I would recommend using a shorter converter like THIS female mini-DP to male DP adapter. (that is what i used to use before i got native mini DP)

If you really really need the extra length get a higher quality cable....
 
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gensplejs said:
Relative to what?
Sure they suck compared to dedicated speakers. But on the other hand they are a lot better than anything i have ever seen built in to any other PC monitor.
Click to expand...

My bad for not being specific, I have always had dedicated speakers so i am comparing the built in to that. Explosions and bass for music sounds pretty muted to me.
 
rumartinez89 said:
My bad for not being specific, I have always had dedicated speakers so i am comparing the built in to that. Explosions and bass for music sounds pretty muted to me.
Click to expand...
Sure thing.
But compared to the speakers in my old HP screen the ACD sounds awsome.
Anyway i allways use headphones so i don't really care.
 
gensplejs said:
Welll... The built in cable is how long? And you extension cable is 3 foot so almost a meter?

The display port specs are pretty specific.


And since you need a lot higher resolution than 1920x1080 you are pretty close to the 2 meter abyss there with that added 3 foot cable...
I would recommend using a shorter converter like THIS female mini-DP to male DP adapter. (that is what i used to use before i got native mini DP)

If you really really need the extra length get a higher quality cable....
Click to expand...

Thank you, that explains the issue! I've verified it be wiggling the cable while plugged in, and the noise returns. Didn't even think this could happen with digital signals.

The reason I got a longer cable initially was so that I could have my desktop further away from the display. Would a better quality cable still allow me to do that?
 
orangeblue said:
Thank you, that explains the issue! I've verified it be wiggling the cable while plugged in, and the noise returns. Didn't even think this could happen with digital signals.

The reason I got a longer cable initially was so that I could have my desktop further away from the display. Would a better quality cable still allow me to do that?
Click to expand...

Well. A digital signals can move information without any data loss at all and is generally more noise resistant than Analog. But when the signal noise ration gets too bad you loose it all (crazy pixelation or no signal). There is no real curve. It's all or nothing. With Analog signals there is a more gradual degredation of the recived data but getting a perfect signal is not possible. (also you can move a LOT more data with the same bandwidth if you use a digital signal)
There are two factors to getting a good signal noise ration.
1. Damping. The nonger the cable gets and the more connectors you add the weaker the signal becomes. (even in a 100% noise free enviorment)
2. Noise. Depending on how well your cable is shielded you will get some amount of noise in the transmission.
A short cable can tolerate a lot more noise because the signal is a lot stronger.

The specifications basically set a minimum for what you can expect.
At least 1920×1080p60, 24 bpp at 15 meters.
At least 3840 × 2160 × 30 bpp @ 60 Hz at 2 meters.
2560x1440 will be more than 2 meters... how mutch... no idea...

Better cables and connector materials = stronger signal (less damping).
Better cable and connector shielding = less noise.
So with the right cables you should be able to go way above 2 meters.
If you can try to reduce the number of connectors by getting a Female Mini-DP to Male DP extension cable. But im not sure anyone makes cables with that configuration :mad:

Anyway.
If you can provoke the problem by wiggeling the connector a bit i would say that you got a cable with a bad connector, and another identical cable should do just fine. ;) (Long post for nothing hehehe)
 
I have two heavy gauge (24 awg) mini-dp extension cables that work fine. They are 35' long each, plus a short mini-dp cable on each end since the heavy cable isn't very flexible and one end ends in female anyway. My ACD never has any problems. My samsung 750d drops displayport signal once in a great while on monitor wakeup but that is a bug in that display that happens to a lot of 750d owners even with short cables and is not any fault of my cable extension. I keep the female to short m-m cable break up on my desk behind a speaker if this happens, and just disconnect and reconnect it. It happens rarely and is not a big deal. Again this never happens on my acd using another of the same cable extensions. (ACD 2560x1440 at 60hz, samsung 750D 1920x1080 at 120hz).
 
Damn, I've been really split about buying the ACD.

Ordered all parts for my new computer, but I can't make up my mind to spend so much money with Apple again. I would do it in the blink of an eye if only the warranty wasn't so short. Do you also get a one year warranty in US?

I know some of you are happy about having gotten a good deal for the ACD, but would you recommend this monitor as a new purchase?
 
The ACD is a gorgeous monitor and it is nice that it has decent speakers and a webcam all built in, and a USB hub. But at he end of the day it was still $900, and that was a lot of money. If I were to do it again I would look real hard at the $400 options. You could buy 2 for the same money. The limited inputs on the acd is reall stupid though. I still love the ACD and am happy with the purchase, just not sure I would do it again.
 
I love my ACD but I've been thinking about giving it to my wife and getting a samsung s27b970d or maybe the new dell. Not having a power button and not being able to watch tv from my cable card are big issues for me.
 
Hmmm. Yeah well. As mentioned i got an awsome deal on mine. If you had asked me if i would ever buy an ACD at full price before i it. Well i would have said something like "Hell no".
But now i really really love it and i can't really say if i would get another if it ever broke....
 
Well damn you Apple, I bought the ACD. If anything making a list of alternatives made me realize I really want the glass pane. I'll be on my toes and get it refunded ASAP if it has the slightest defect, not sure I want to risk replacements.
 
thelead said:
I love my ACD but I've been thinking about giving it to my wife and getting a samsung s27b970d or maybe the new dell. Not having a power button and not being able to watch tv from my cable card are big issues for me.
Click to expand...

There are some network ready tv tuners out there that accept cable card, just so you know. You would run the tv feed in an app like media center or any other number of tv applications you could set up to use the networked tuner. HDhomerun prime is the one I was investigating at one point.. but now I'm sick of cabletv and just use a networked OTA antenna for my basic HD nbc, cbs, abc, pbs on mediacenter (which can be viewed in media center or other tv app on any pc on my network).. Otherwise netflix, internet (forums, vids, chat/community, research, shopping, etc).. a few blurays, sirius mostly music/pandora (+reading actual books, working out, etc), gaming, .... Had enough of being bombed by 2x volume commercials 40%+ of the time (+animated overlays during shows) and paying for it. What a scam.
.
I love my ACD, and if gaming on a display I would not want any scaler in it so that would rule out any direct line from a tv or console. If I were in the market now I'd definitely grab one of the korean ones, or buy the similar safer bet version available at u.s. merchants (though the u.s. merchant ones might have a scaler to rule it out, not sure). That said, the ACD blurs way too much on FoV movement for me to game on so the scaler input lag thing wouldn't be an issue to me anymore. I added a samsung 750D 120hz TN to my monitor array when they were briefly on sale for $399 at one point (and later shot back up to almost $600). The 120hz with its very low response time and response time compensation has appreciable blur reduction, especially vs a 10ms+ 60hz with no aggressive RTC.
.
Bascially, I'd recommend getting a korean (or us vendor version of it) 2560x1440 for all things desktop, and save up for a 120hz TN to put alongside it dedicated to gaming.
edit --- you could probably get both for the same price or less than an ACD even at the current inflated prices on the 27" 120hz models :p

-edit again... just want to say any tv/movie watching is better in a VA (or plasma) screen for the black levels and detail-in-blacks anyway. IPS and TN are really bad by comparison. OTA networked streams for news and simple stuff fair well enough for me to watch (or keep on in the background on one of my screens) though. Otherwise main TV room has a VA TV for everything else.
 
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elvn said:
There are some network ready tv tuners out there that accept cable card, just so you know. You would run the tv feed in an app like media center or any other number of tv applications you could set up to use the networked tuner. HDhomerun prime is the one I was investigating at one point.. but now I'm sick of cabletv and just use a networked OTA antenna for my basic HD nbc, cbs, abc, pbs on mediacenter (which can be viewed in media center or other tv app on any pc on my network).. Otherwise netflix, internet (forums, vids, chat/community, research, shopping, etc).. a few blurays, sirius mostly music/pandora (+reading actual books, working out, etc), gaming, .... Had enough of being bombed by 2x volume commercials 40%+ of the time (+animated overlays during shows) and paying for it. What a scam.
.
I love my ACD, and if gaming on a display I would not want any scaler in it so that would rule out any direct line from a tv or console. If I were in the market now I'd definitely grab one of the korean ones, or buy the similar safer bet version available at u.s. merchants (though the u.s. merchant ones might have a scaler to rule it out, not sure). That said, the ACD blurs way too much on FoV movement for me to game on so the scaler input lag thing wouldn't be an issue to me anymore. I added a samsung 750D 120hz TN to my monitor array when they were briefly on sale for $399 at one point (and later shot back up to almost $600). The 120hz with its very low response time and response time compensation has appreciable blur reduction, especially vs a 10ms+ 60hz with no aggressive RTC.
.
Bascially, I'd recommend getting a korean (or us vendor version of it) 2560x1440 for all things desktop, and save up for a 120hz TN to put alongside it dedicated to gaming.
edit --- you could probably get both for the same price or less than an ACD even at the current inflated prices on the 27" 120hz models :p

-edit again... just want to say any tv/movie watching is better in a VA (or plasma) screen for the black levels and detail-in-blacks anyway. IPS and TN are really bad by comparison. OTA networked streams for news and simple stuff fair well enough for me to watch (or keep on in the background on one of my screens) though. Otherwise main TV room has a VA TV for everything else.
Click to expand...

I have a hdhomerun prime. I'm saying that Windows Media Center does not play my encrypted channels (all of them are in my area) on the ACD. I have another monitor that I have to move WMC over to, just to watch tv.
 
thelead said:
I have a hdhomerun prime. I'm saying that Windows Media Center does not play my encrypted channels (all of them are in my area) on the ACD. I have another monitor that I have to move WMC over to, just to watch tv.
Click to expand...

I have had some problems with encrypted channels and the ACD too...
Apparently HDCP is broken when you connect a ACD to a PC.

Anyway.
Just use media portal in stead of media center. It plays the encrypted channels just fine on my ACD.
 
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gensplejs said:
I have had some problems with encrypted channels and the ACD too...
Apparently HDCP is broken when you connect a ACD to a PC.

Anyway.
Just user media portal in stead of media center. It plays the encrypted channels just fine on my ACD.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the heads up on Media Portal. I haven't tried it in years, so I'll take another look at it.
 
Do you hear a low buzz if you put your ears close to the backside of the monitor, near the Apple logo?

I'm trying not to be finicky but I don't know what to think anymore. My iMac had
a buzzing sound coming from a (presumably) faulty PSU, which was linked to brightness level.

So first thing I did was to stick my ears to the back of the monitor and I can clearly hear a low buzz. Changing the brightness does not affect that sound so it's probably not related to the power supply. Could be a fan inside?

If I sit normally in front of the monitor I can barely hear anything, so I may be really fussy hear I just don't know if this is normal?

Another issue I have while connected to a Macbook Pro is when I play sound (eg. the "pop" from changing the audio volume), there is a very noticeable static for 10 seconds or so then the sound shuts off completely. This could be related to OS X or the Macbook Pro though? Do you get the monitor speaker audio in Windows?
 
No buzz here at all.

And you actually get the monitor speakers working twice in windows :) they can be used through the mini display port cable but they allso turn up as some usb audio device when connection the usb cable...
 
Do you guys know if the 14 day return warranty is "updated" whenever you get a replacement?
 
If the ACD is more or less the same layout inside as the Thunderbolt version, then the buzz I'm hearing at the back might be the fan, especially that it was not affected by display brightness:

http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Apple-Thunderbolt-Display-Teardown/6525/1

It's very quiet and I wouldn't hear it unless sticking my ear to the back of the shell, however I was afraid it might be a problem with the inverter as on the late 2009 iMacs.
 
gensplejs said:
And you actually get the monitor speakers working twice in windows :) they can be used through the mini display port cable but they allso turn up as some usb audio device when connection the usb cable...
Click to expand...

Ahh I see that now! Pretty cool. I got sound just straight out of default Windows 7 installation. Sound is crisp and no white noise that I had with MBP + USB2.0 cable, go figure.

Sound is maxed in the mixer outputting to "LED Cinema" but actual volume is quite low. Could be because I haven't installed sound drivers yet though?
 
Hmmm... i think i had the low volume problem once.... I have no idea how i fixed it...

There should be two sound output devices... one usb and one display port... try changing your default device.. (i use the display port output...)
 
Sooo... a quick question...
Is anyone using brightness controller with windows xp?

I am considering upgrading from .net 4 to .net 4.5 but the problem is that .net 4.5 does not support windows xp :-(
 
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Finally got the new work/playstation together this weekend. The ACD27" looks excellent with the SilverStone FT02-S case! Will take better pictures next weekend!

x96Nzh.jpg

QHZjoh.jpg

QsM8jh.jpg


A huge thanks to gensplejs for the Brightness Controller. Makes this whole new setup an absolute dream.
 
I would have tested BrightnessController but while trying to fix my Apple Aluminium Keyboard I clicked BootCamp64.msi that is found within BootCamp4.0 and it installed all drivers. On the plus side... both ACD and Aluminum Keyboard are fully supported.

With UEFI and AHCI, using BootCamp3.0 I would get the freeze during startup. In BootCamp 4.0, the freeze is gone, though the losange icon in the tray appears only after a 30 sec or so delay. The panel doesn't want to open if I double click, but the brightness and volume key work.

So I'm curious now, does anyone use BrightnessController *and* some custom fix for the Apple Aluminium Keyboard? I tried installing just the Apple Keyboard driver and it didn't work.I really wanted the volume key "OSD" style popup, and without BootCamp I didn't get the correct keyboard mapping, where as BootCamp adds a new "French (Apple)" keyboard to the "Region and Language" control panel.

I also never found that ControlPanel.exe program. Was it hidden inside BootCamp64.msi ?
 
Well...
I just tested a the bootcamp 4 drivers a bit... and i still cant open the control panel unless i ruen off AHCI.... and im not going to fuck up my ssd for that :)


As far as apple keyboard support goes...
Well i know how they work and why windows can't pick up the keystrokes... But since i don't own an apple keyboard i am not even going to try to get it working. (unless someone has a spare keyboard...)

There are projects out there for apple keyboards but from what i have seen they ignore the brightness buttons.
http://uxsoft.cz/projects/applewirelesskeyboard/
 
Yeah I can't open the control panel either. Didn't someone mention a workaround involving running the ControLPanel through a different user account? I don't understand exactly why the ControlPanel won't open and why using a different user account to run the app solves that?

Sorry I didn't mean to imply for you to add support for the keyboard. Just shared for others who use other Apple peripherals :)

Could you share a teensy little more about how the keystrokes work? Like, do you know for sure about a program that would let me remap fn + the playback keys? That would be really awesome for controlling WinAmp or Songbird (or even iTunes).
 
I've had an issue where upon waking up the display, the "LED Cinema-2" NVIDIA High Definition Audio wouldn't output sound anymore. The volume gauge in the Sound control panel was moving, but no sound was heard. So I've had to switch it back to "Speakers" Display Audio which is the "(Generic USB Audio)" source, and then I may be able to switch back to "LED Cinema-2" after restarting Windows.

Anyone come across this issue? I'm sure it's not really a fault with the ACD, but I wish I knew how to fix it.
 
I have not found a test of input lag or ghousting like prad or tftcentral.
Have now a 245B samsung, TN panel, no ghousting or inputlag, use it for work and gaming and it is nice, no pain, just fun.

I don't need nothing but a displayport to minidisplayport cable to use it at a pc right?
And if i want to set colors or brightness/gamma i can do it in windows graphic drivers?
 
faB said:
Hey guys,

Do you have a profile in Device Manager other than "Generic PnP Monitor" ?

Ps: noticed I can un-install the unneeded Apple drivers that came with BootCamp 4.0.

Pps: I found this nice little site that has information for using Apple devices on Windows, and extracting the BootCamp 4.0 drivers:
http://www.trackpadmagic.com/magic-trackpad/news-trackpad/25-bootcamp-40-drivers
Click to expand...

I used bootcamp assistant on my mac to download the windows drivers to a USB. Then I manually installed the drivers for Win 7 x64 from the USB in WindowsSupport>Drivers>Apple>x64 "AppleDisplayInstaller64" and "AppleiSightInstaller64" and I still only see Generic PnP Monitor in DM.

I then tried to force Windows to take the INF file by going to Update driver (Generic PnP Monitor) Browse my computer> Let me pick from a list > Have Disk and found the INF file (after extracting the files from the"AppleDisplayInstaller64.exe". The INF is called aaplmonf64 but when I selected the INF I get a window stating
"the folder you specified doesn't contain a compatible software driver for your device. if the folder contains a driver, make sure it is designed to work with windows for x64 based systems"

Does anyone have a properly installed or profile/driver for their Apple 27 cinema?
 
What is required to hook this up to a pc? I found a new one locally selling for $650 and wanting to jump on that as it seems to be a good deal. I have a Gtx 680 now.
 
NIZMOZ said:
What is required to hook this up to a pc? I found a new one locally selling for $650 and wanting to jump on that as it seems to be a good deal. I have a Gtx 680 now.
Click to expand...

ACD has a built in minidp cable with a MALE end, a USB2.0 cable (male), and a "power something" (edit: "Magsafe"? ;)) connector you'd plug in a Macbook if you use a Mac laptop.

You need a simple adapter like this:
http://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-...F8&qid=1349015176&sr=8-1&keywords=DP2MDPMF6IN

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...-na-_-na&AID=10440897&PID=3891137&SID=rewrite

ACD MiniDP (male) => Adapter MiniDP (female) ---> Adapter DP (male) => Nvidia GPU with DP (female)

Since there is no conversion, you get the BIOS/UEFI screens.

If you have a ATI card with MiniDP female then you should be ableto plug the ACD straight into the card without adapter.

Works for me on a Gigabyte "Winforce" GTX 670 OC.

Then connect the USB2.0 cable if you'd like to use the 3 USB ports on the monitor (handy for mouse, external drives.. keyboard.. depending on the placement of your PC and desk).

Speakers are not bad. If you connect a Macbook and/or use OS X (hackintosh), you get the audio by connecting the USB 2.0 cable from the ACD.

Here's a pic, to remove all the mystery ;) (my config's not done, it's a bit messy as you can see, if you put the tower under the desk, cables should come out better)



PS: Btw, on my mobo (Gigabyte Z77X-UD5H) there is a DP connector as well, the same as the graphics card. I confirm that the adapter works just as well plugged straight into the mobo, using the Intel HD 4000 integrated graphics.
 
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faB said:
ACD has a built in minidp cable with a MALE end, a USB2.0 cable (male), and a "power something" (edit: "Magsafe"? ;)) connector you'd plug in a Macbook if you use a Mac laptop.

You need a simple adapter like this:
http://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-...F8&qid=1349015176&sr=8-1&keywords=DP2MDPMF6IN

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...-na-_-na&AID=10440897&PID=3891137&SID=rewrite

ACD MiniDP (male) => Adapter MiniDP (female) ---> Adapter DP (male) => Nvidia GPU with DP (female)

Since there is no conversion, you get the BIOS/UEFI screens.

If you have a ATI card with MiniDP female then you should be ableto plug the ACD straight into the card without adapter.

Works for me on a Gigabyte "Winforce" GTX 670 OC.

Then connect the USB2.0 cable if you'd like to use the 3 USB ports on the monitor (handy for mouse, external drives.. keyboard.. depending on the placement of your PC and desk).

Speakers are not bad. If you connect a Macbook and/or use OS X (hackintosh), you get the audio by connecting the USB 2.0 cable from the ACD.

Here's a pic, to remove all the mystery ;) (my config's not done, it's a bit messy as you can see, if you put the tower under the desk, cables should come out better)

PS: Btw, on my mobo (Gigabyte Z77X-UD5H) there is a DP connector as well, the same as the graphics card. I confirm that the adapter works just as well plugged straight into the mobo, using the Intel HD 4000 integrated graphics.
Click to expand...

Awesome info. Thank you. Can you give me what other advice I will need to make this work on my PC like software for brightness controls, camera?
 
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NIZMOZ said:
Awesome info. Thank you. Can you give me what other advice I will need to make this work on my PC like software for brightness controls, camera?
Click to expand...

Well for me it's a special case as I actually really like the Apple Aluminium Keyboard (wired, much better feel and weight than the wireless one)... I simply installed BootCamp drivers from Mountain Lion. So I use the specially marked keys on the keyboard fn + F1 / F2 to change the brightness.

If you don't use that keyboard your best bet is the Brightness Controller made by gensplejs. He posted an update in this thread not long ago, and probably reads this and can answers your questions if you have trouble with it:

http://www.holstschumacher.dk/p/brightness-controller.html

EDIT: Regarding the iSight camera and microphone, maybe someone else can confirm, but I think they are recognised and working as generic devices. I got speaker sound, video and audio working in Skype though I had BootCamp drivers installed by then so I can't say for sure if a driver was necessary. Just try.. the USB devices should show up automatically. If they don't, you can try to extract drivers for them with this method:
http://www.trackpadmagic.com/magic-trackpad/news-trackpad/25-bootcamp-40-drivers
 
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Now I noticed the link in this thread to power off the monitor is no longer working. What do people do here to power off their monitors for the night? Since I don't turn my machine off but want the monitor off?
 
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