1/2/2015 Mac/OS X HDTV Tips and Tech Articles

Archive of Friday January 2nd, 2015 News Go to Current News Page

Mac Upgrades/Mods | Storage | Video | Audio/Home Theater | macOS Updates/Tips/Wi-Fi

Recent Mac User Posts on HDTVs and HDMI Control:
HDMI control/HDMI CEC (Consumer Electronics Control, called Viera Link by Panasonic, Simplink by LG, Anynet+ by Samsung, BRAVIA Link/Sync by Sony) doesn't always work well (or as expected) especially with a mix of different devices/mfrs as many already know. In theory it's a nice feature to automate HDMI switching/turn-on/off, etc. but I suspect many have also disabled it after having various problems with their mix of hardware. (I've used it before for ARC (audio return channel) from a HDTV to a receiver to allow surround sound from TV content but usually have it disabled. HDMI control has to be enabled on both TV and Receiver for ARC to work and often TVs have a specific HDMI port for ARC.) When it works, it's a great time saver but when it doesn't it's a real headache.
Just a reminder that YMMV on using it but saw a couple recent mac user posts on the subject. One in the (old/very long) thread on Late 2012 Mac Mini video dropouts reported disabling CEC helped with his problems and a long post in the thread on Samsung Ultra HDTV and Late 2013 Mac Pro (display flickering/blanking out) talks about enabling it. (CEC/HDMI Control is required for ARC to work, although neither is required for a Mac to send audio to a receiver. It is required for the TV to send audio back via the HDMI cable to the Receiver.) I didn't digest all the comments in that post, which also mentions using the Samsung's MHL port. (Mobile High Definition Link, some later TV models have a HDMI port that supports MHL.)

(And as a reminder for connections to HDTVs, for sharpest image/text check mac display prefs are set for 'best for display' (avoid overscan/underscan) and that the HDTV is set for direct pixel mapping (Samsung calls that mode "Screen Fit" and LG calls it "Just Scan" IIRC) vs "16:9" or other scaled/TV overscan (or zoomed) modes. This and other Mac/Display/HDTV related apple articles linked on the mac basics, tips & troubleshooting page.)

Reader Follow-Up on Snapz Pro X Update status:
(From a reader (thanks John) that previously reported (item 2) on its problems in Yosemite.)

Re: Ambrosia Snapz Pro Update (comments from support)
"We are indeed aware of the outstanding issues between Snapz Pro X, Mavericks and Yosemite, we have a Snapz Pro X update that is in beta (I'm actually using it myself today) and we are very hopeful that the final version will be released within the next 2-3 weeks. Once the release is available I'll send out a notice via our support system to all of you who have shown interest in the update."

Google Blog post with Config file Tips for Unpatched NTP Systems:
A Jan 2nd, 2015 google project zero blog post on ntpd vulnerabilities includes "Mitigation" tips at the bottom of page for unpatched systems - Adding "noquery" to every restrict line in the ntp configuration file. (For OS X 10.6, the file to edit is /private/etc/ntp-restrict.conf.)

Recent Updates, Tips, DIY Upgrades/Mods/Repairs:

Mac OS X Compatible 802.11ac Adapters (USB, PCI Express, Mini-PCIe)

Reports on Combo 802.11ac Wifi + Bluetooth 4.0 card kit for Mac Pros

OS X Drivers for Belkin F9L1109 802.11ac USB 3.0 adapter (OS X 10.10 report)

(2008 Mac Pro) Asus PCE-AC68 802.11ac PCIe card with OS X Yosemite

Another 2009 Mac Pro NB (overheating) Heatsink Retainer Repair

2009 Mac Pro 6-core 3.46GHz CPU Upgrade, Repair NB Heatsink Retainers

2009 Mac Pro 12-core CPU Upgrade (Dual 2.93GHz X5670 Westmere CPUs)

2009 Mac Pro Northbridge High Temperatures? Check Plastic Heatsink Retainers

Tips for HDCP Errors/Problems playing purchased iTunes HD Video

(Listing of Updates, DIY Upgrades, Repairs, Tips and more you may have missed.)

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