AppleTV 4k to g4 iMac

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  • April 30, 2026 at 11:36 AM #69320
    drJEJ
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      I’m working with an old iMac G4 retrofitted with a JuicyCrumb board. It has HDMI input, but a preferred native resolution of 1440x900p 60Hz (that is 16:10, not 16:9).

      I’d like to connect it to an AppleTV 4k, to make it a stylish retro platform for playing Apple Music.

      Unfortunately, the g4 really doesn’t like any inputs that differ to much from the native resolution, especially anything departing from the 16:10 format. The AppleTV is really geared to outputting to 16:9 TVs (understandably!) and doesn’t offer a great range of output formats — just increasing hi-res versions of 16:9 at 50 or 60Hz.

      I was hoping the OSSC Pro could help me, but looking at the output options, I’m not sure. The DFP options don’t cover 16:10, and I’m reluctant to buy an OSSC Pro just to test whether any of the available options work.

      The g4 can apparently handle some 4:3 inputs (although I haven’t tested this) but only three very specific resolutions (1024×768, 800×600 and 640×480) — this is available via the CRT output. However, I gather that this will only output via the scart port in which case I’d have to get an additional converter to HDMI to connect to the JuicyCrumb board, which would then convert it back into scart for the monitor. This seems to be excessively complex. I can’t connect directly to the g4 scart as it’s built in such a way that you can’t use an external cable (male and female connectors are soldered to the monitor and motherboard, respectively, so when you assemble the g4 chassis they line up).

      The JuicyCrumb board is useful, as it also handles power management and cooling, as well as sound to the speakers, so I don’t want to take that out of the loop.

      It would be really handy if the OSSC could add 16:10 support as a DFP output even if it’s just adding letterbox (?pillarbox) edges!

      Can anyone help, either with direct experience, or with creative suggestions?

      Frustratingly, the g4/juicycrumb works perfectly with hdmi outputs from computers (e.g. modern Mac Mini or a MacBook) as they seem to have the capacity to negotiate with the g4 to supply an input that it can cope with. I could buy a second-hand Mac Mini, but that would be an expensive option, and I’m loose the elegant simplicity of the Apple TV interface (no keyboard or mouse needed, just the bluetooth remote) and Music easily available on startup.

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