My passport for mac transferring files. You are reporting the following post: Connect Xbox 360 To Imac This post has been flagged and will be reviewed by our staff. Thank you for helping us maintain CNET's great community. Computer monitors are often cheaper than TVs, and many people have old monitors lying around in storage that can be put to good use playing old games. It will take a little extra work and some converter boxes, but you can connect virtually any console to a computer monitor.

Advertisement More is not always better, but it’s probably true in terms of Unused electronics are the bane of the modern life. Perfectly functional gadgets sit quietly in a corner of the store room, doing nothing. Old LCD monitors are a perfect example of that. The iMac scores a lot of points in that area; one of its biggest strengths being the big, vibrant screen it sports. Even if you don’t use the iMac as your main computer (anymore), you can I didn't realize until I unpacked my 27' iMac just how much screen real estate I had to work with.

Sure, it looked large in the store, but opening numerous applications and windows on it. Using the iMac’s Target Display Mode. Target Display Mode Realising its potential, Apple first introduced Target Display Mode for the 27″ 2009 iMacs running Mac OS X 10.6.1 or later. As the name implies, TDM allows you to use your iMac as an external monitor for your other supported devices. Depending on the make and model of your iMac and source computer, you can even seed audio to the iMac. Using your iMac’s other facilities, like the webcam and optical drive, is not supported. The emphasis still lies on the iMac’s display.

While in Target Display Mode, you essentially take away the iMac’s screen (and possibly sound) capacities. The iMac doesn’t have to be rebooted, but continues running its own applications in the background, just hidden for the time being.

When you go out of Target Display Mode or put your source computer to sleep, the iMac reclaims its screen and heads off from there. Compatibility (Video) The idea is to connect the Mini DisplayPorts or Thunderbolt ports of your iMac and your source computer. Because of the differences between I/O ports aren’t a technology that folks spend a lot of time thinking about.

Let’s face it – they’re not sexy. Still, ports are important. As the interface between your computer and everything else, your., compatibility between devices depends on the ports that are available and the cable you use to connect them. It boils down to this: If you have an old iMac with a DisplayPort, you can use a source device that has either a DisplayPort or a Thunderbolt port as long as you use a DisplayPort cable. However, later iMacs with a Thunderbolt port must be connected with a Thunderbolt source device using a Thunderbolt cable. If that makes your head spin, just look up your iMac in the table below to see what cables and source devices are supported.

In all cases, your iMac is expected to be running Mac OS X 10.6.1 or later. To find out which model you have standing on your desk, click the Apple logo in the top left-corner of your screen, choose About This Mac then More Info You’ll can find the model number at the top of the info panel. To find out if your computer has a Mini DisplayPort or Thunderbolt port, go to this same screen and press System Report If you have a Thunderbolt-equipped computer, it should be listed under Hardware. If your source device has a Thunderbolt port, audio transmission is supported by default. Some Mini DisplayPort Macs can also output audio. To check, go to Apple > About This Mac > System Report and select Audio from the Hardware list in the side bar. If HDMI Output or HDMI/DisplayPort is listed, audio output is supported on that computer.

On top of that, you’ll need to make sure you’re using a Mini DisplayPort cable that also supports audio transmission. What About Connecting Non-Mac Devices?