Two questions about using a basic M2 mini with additional monitors.

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Two questions about using a basic M2 mini with additional monitors.

I have got an extra HDMI monitor plugged into one of the mini's USB-C ports with an HDMI to USB-C adapter which works fine. I then plugged another HDMI monitor with a similar adapter into the second USB-C port but that monitor did not show up. Is this normal and can you only have one monitor using one USB-C port?
I opened an .mp4 video on the extended monitor but the sound came out of my main speakers. In system settings I was able. to change the audio to the extended monitor's speakers but then no sound came from the main speakers. Is there any way to get videos on the extended monitor to play through its speakers whilst being able to have audio coming through the main speakers?

I had better explain why I need to behave as in question 2 . . . I want to have a video editing tutorial playing on the extended monitor whilst I use the main monitor to perform the editing, so. I want the sound of my editing to come from the main speakers and the audio from the tutorial to come from the extended monitor's speakers.

Mac mini

Posted on Oct 15, 2024 7:29 AM

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Answer 1

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Servant of Cats

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Oct 16, 2024 3:47 AM in response to Ian R. Brown

Ian R. Brown wrote:

Thanks for that interesting suggestion. I will now have to find out what an Airplay or Sidecar display is.

AirPlay goes way back. I believe Apple created it to let you display photos and videos from an iPhone on a HDTV equipped with an Apple TV set-top box, but Macs can also use it to mirror or extend their displays.

These days, an AirPlay device could be

An AirPlay-compatible TV,
An Apple TV set-top box (and the attached TV or display),
An AirPlay-compatible Roku streaming stick (and the attached TV or display), or
A recent Mac operating as an AirPlay Receiver for AirPlay to Mac. (Any Mac; even a desktop Mac with a third party screen.)

AirPlay is not as good as a first-class hardware-supported connection to a real monitor. There can be lags, and artifacts, and there is very limited support for different resolutions.

Stream video and audio with AirPlay - Apple Support

Sidecar lets you use an iPad as a display – and input device – for a Mac.

Use an iPad as a second display for a Mac - Apple Support

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Answer 2

Oct 15, 2024 7:56 PM in response to Ian R. Brown

Ian R. Brown wrote:

The basic M2 can only support a total of 2 monitors!

Clarification about Question 1: "… can you only have one monitor using one USB-C port?"

If you have a two-monitor setup, you can attach both monitors via USB-C or Thunderbolt, if you like. That wasn't an option on the M1 Mac mini, where the only supported two-monitor configuration was:

Attach one via USB-C or Thunderbolt
Attach one via HDMI

The limit on total number of attached displays remains 2. I don't believe that there has been any Mac with a base M1, M2, or M3 chip that has supported more than 2 active displays.

I do not believe that an AirPlay display or Sidecar display counts against the hardware limit. So you might be able to set up two monitors for real work, and use a HDTV (connected via AirPlay) to play the video editing tutorial.

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