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Front Row on New Mac Pro??

S

stevo86

macrumors member
Original poster
Mar 20, 2006
90
0
Newfoundland, Canada
Ok... so i've been waiting for the iMac's to update, but now with the release of this Mac Pro i can get the lowest configuration for just $300 canadian than the highest iMac configuration. This is very tempting with the fact that there's 2 Dual cores and lots of room for upgrades later (video card, ram, hard drives)

however, there's one major thing stopping me. Will i be able to have Front Row working on this thing? i use my current dell laptop hardcore for watching movies and tv shows and whatnot and the whole Front Row thing is my favorite part of the mac, (this would be my first mac).

any advice would be great... also i would be looking for a decent display for the mac pro if i were to get it, any suggestions there? thinking of this LG - http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0665000FS10075693&catid=
 
I'd think you'd be able to get front row on your mac pro, you just won't have the remote. I mean, if I could get front row on my old PB G4, then I'd think the highest end MP should be able.

Perhaps once some MR users get their MPs, they'd be willing to give it a try and let us all know the results.
 
it just baffles me that it doesn't come with front row... it's such an awesome feature... there's nothing like it on the windows side of things. a couple of my friends and i were in future shop last week and i showed them front row on an iMac for the first time and they didn't even know what was going on, they were just in awe. and one of them were talking about getting a mbp today!
 
stevo86 said:
it just baffles me that it doesn't come with front row... it's such an awesome feature... there's nothing like it on the windows side of things. a couple of my friends and i were in future shop last week and i showed them front row on an iMac for the first time and they didn't even know what was going on, they were just in awe. and one of them were talking about getting a mbp today!
Click to expand...

I agree, I wish that Apple would bundle Front Row with every Mac- it is truly a great program to have on your computer. :)
 
The problem here, that everyone seems to be forgetting, is that the Mac Pro isn't aimed at ordinary users who are going to utilize iTunes and movie trailers and showing off their latest vacation photos. It's a "pro" desktop, that is aimed at developers and "professionals". A feature like front row is geared towards the consumer, the student, the "average" user - not the same people they're marketing their Mac Pro towards.

I think the only reason that Front Row was included in the MBP is because it's a portable, and as such, the IR remote comes in handy for other functions as well (some of which they may plan on incorporating in Leopard?) such as presentations, etc.
 
The lack of an IR sensor and an Apple Remote being included with the Mac Pro lends credence to previous rumors that updated Cinema Displays are coming.

The Mac notebooks sit on your desk...so does the Mac mini...so does the iMac. So all of them have the IR sensor in a place that is easily accessible. A Mac Pro, lovely as it is, could be hiding underneath your desk with not-so-great line of sight for that sensor.

The rumor is new displays are coming with built-in iSight (major feature of Leopard is iChat) and an IR sensor. The screen is on your desk, making an IR sensor there much more convenient. It also convinces buyers to get an Apple display to enhance their Mac Pro rather than some Dell offering.

I can't imagine that Apple is really "banning" Front Row from Mac Pros, so to speak. I think the missing piece of the puzzle is the updated displays. Personally, other than technical difficulties in manufacturing, I think TODAY should have been their release date. But wait and see...
 
Ensoniq said:
The lack of an IR sensor and an Apple Remote being included with the Mac Pro lends credence to previous rumors that updated Cinema Displays are coming.
Click to expand...

Ordinarily I'd see this as plausible, but the fact that the displays were silently updated today gives me a lot of doubt.
 
i think the majority of users of the MacPro won't have any need to be leaning back with Front Row. But its something they could have easily implemented, and I can't see any reason why they wouldnt have done it.
 
Older macs too?

Everyone seems to be fogetting older Macs that don't have built-in isght cameras and/or IR sensors.

I believe that we will see displays with built-in i-sight cameras and IR sensors. I also think that a USB IR sensor is a possibility too.

Only time will tell.
 
gco212 said:
Except for Media Center...
Click to expand...

Media Center is crap to be honest with you. The last 3 times I've played with it down at PC world, it's crashed or had serious glitches. The machines the software is on also sounds like it's about to take off. I wouldn't want that running by my TV all the time...
 
i know a lot of people with older macs are running front row, but how? and will i be able to force my mac pro to have front row like some people have done with their g4 powerbooks and such?

i'm planning on possibly ordering the mac pro today... but i dunno if i can if i can't make it have front row. might have to wait for those core 2 duo imacs.
 
xfiftyfour said:
I think the only reason that Front Row was included in the MBP is because it's a portable, and as such, the IR remote comes in handy for other functions as well (some of which they may plan on incorporating in Leopard?) such as presentations, etc.
Click to expand...

Also the MacBook Pro is much less of a machine that is tailored to the needs of the same kind of professional users as the Mac Pro. They are much more life style machines and geared towards consumers as well as professionals.
 
if new cinema displays were released with built in isight and ir receiver and shipped with a remote (which is likely judging from the recent price cuts), would it be able to control all these things over dvi/vga (i doubt it) or would it need like 3 cables - one dvi/vga and 2 usb in order to function? in which case this is not apples beautiful simple design where you only need one cable?

i wonder if the new mac pro's have a special dvi port for the new displays?
 
joshysquashy said:
if new cinema displays were released with built in isight and ir receiver and shipped with a remote (which is likely judging from the recent price cuts), would it be able to control all these things over dvi/vga (i doubt it) or would it need like 3 cables - one dvi/vga and 2 usb in order to function? in which case this is not apples beautiful simple design where you only need one cable?

i wonder if the new mac pro's have a special dvi port for the new displays?
Click to expand...

The current cinema displays already have more than one cable. Or at least they have one cable that splits up at the end to a DVI, USB and Firewire (and Power?) to connect the USB and Firewire hubs. These should already be sufficient to connect an iSight and IR-Sensor to.
 
Something as silly as front row is stopping you from buying a workstation class machine versus a consumer class machine? Seems like you have your priorities all wrong...:rolleyes:
 
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