iMac late 2012
Is there a way to use my old iMac late 2012 as a TV and use with my DVR? Is there something that will connect to HDMI and then to Mac?
iMac 21.5″, macOS 10.15
That Mac doesn't have HDMI video input. (It supports Thunderbolt Target Display Mode, but that would not be of any use for importing videos from the HDMI output of a DVR.)
Use your iMac as a display with target display mode - Apple Support
It has USB 3.0 ports, so you might be able to find compatible USB 3.0 / HDMI capture devices and software. But your DVR may be set up to generate DRMed HDMI output, and capture cards often can't capture DRMed input.
I don't think it's worth spending a lot trying to use a 21.5" iMac with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels (1080p) as a substitute for a small TV set. I would suggest looking into
- Small to medium HDTV (1080p) and Ultra HD TV (4K) sets, or
- 24" to 32" computer monitors that have 1920x1080 (1080p) or 3840x2160 (UHD 4K) resolution, decent color reproduction, and at least two modern video inputs (at least one of which is a HDMI input that supports HDCP DRM). (Two video inputs, so you can use one for your DVR and one for a computer).
