Thinkpads Forum

Does the DisplayPort connector on the T500 output DVI/HDMI over the DisplayPort form factor, or does it output a native DisplayPort signal?

Put another way, if I want to connect my T500 to my HDTV, can I get away with buying a cheap passive DP-to-HDMI adapter or do I need to buy an active one that actually does signal conversion?

(For example of passive one, see the following link and note what the item description says: Link to adapter at monoprice.com)

DisplayPort can use an adapter to convert its signal to DVI and, with the right converter, can convert to VGA signals as well. It also easily converts to HDMI. In fact, the two are so similar that many have asked, “Why are you using DisplayPort instead of HDMI on your ThinkPad notebooks?”

http://lenovoblogs.com/insidethebox/?p=161

Thanks! I've read that article before, but I don't see where it answers my question. It does talk about DP as being a packetized format, and different from HDMI/DVI, but it doesn't explicitly say what Lenovo is doing with it -- whether the T500 outputs the packetized stuff (though I guess it implies it) or just sends out HDMI/DVI over the DisplayPort form factor.

I was hoping for direct, empirical info For those of you who have connected your T500 via an HDMI cable to your HDTV, were you able to use a cheapie passive DP/HDMI adapter or a more expensive active one?

can this help you