Mini DisplayPort is a video interface standard that Apple developed back in 2008. Mini DisplayPort as the name imply's in a scaled down version of DisplayPort which is being used more and more on late model computer monitors. DisplayPort was piped to replace HDMI due to the higher resolutions it could support. Although being a scaled down version of the full DisplayPort socket, Mini DisplayPort can support the full resolutions of the DP standard so it can drive big 30" monitors with resolutions up to 2560 x 1600 which makes it an ideal choice for professional that like to run big external monitors.

Nearly all Apple Mac's manufactured in 2009 were equiped with the Mini DisplayPort as the standard video out port. This is great if you have monitors that support Mini DisplayPort but was a royal pain in the arse if you wanted to hook up your new Mac to anything that didn't.

In typical Apple style they offered a range of adapters which convert the Mini DisplayPort in other signals such as VGA and DVI. However they didn't offer a converter to HDMI which made if difficult to plug your Mac into a HD TV or other HDMI devices. The other problem with the original release of Mini DisplayPort is that it supports Video only. If you want video and sound on your TV from your Mac you had to run a separate audio cable which not all TV's would support. However, on the 13th of April 2010, Apple announced that the new release of the core i5 and i7 version MacBook Pro's have Mini DisplayPorts willmeet the new 1.1a standard and now support Audio!