Apogee Inc., a manufacturer of AV and computer related products, has announced the long awaited Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapter that also sports USB digital audio to be added to the Kanex series of adapters for DVI, VGA and HDMI. Due to this new adapter, the newer MacBooks with mini DisplayPorts can be connected to a HD source a lot easier and have digital audio output through the same adapter.

Opinions about the first Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapter without audio where mixed up. The ones that needed it for applications that didn't require audio were satisfied with it, while the others were criticizing that exact lack. They were complaining about the multiple cables they had to use besides the adapter, like a 3.5mm to RCA to output audio from their MacBooks.

Another problem with the original Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapter was with certain HDTV models that ignore all other audio outputs when a HDMI is plugged in, therefore lacking sound. An alternative solution that many used was routing a separate audio system with their HDTV. The new Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapter was developed to meet new users' requests and solve the problems that older ones confronted.

Users kept wondering why isn't it possible to have audio as well coming through the adapter, since HDMI supports both audio and video signals. The new adapter sports digital audio that is output through the USB ports from the MacBooks. USB audio was built-in the adapter with HDMI output to allow the audio to pass through. Actually, two USB 2.0 ports are also located very conveniently, next to the Mini DisplayPort to allow easy access to plug both cables in.

Specifications are still similar to those of the old Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapter, which is still in version 1.3b and supports resolutions of up to 1080p. It even looks similar to the current adapter, with the only noticeable difference for the new one will be the extra USB cable next to it. The new adapter also supports uncompressed audio such as LPCM. Release date for the Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapter with USB audio was stated around August 2009. No other product information, availability or pricing was currently announced.

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