Going the Mac mini Home theatre route

[Sol]

Do ppl prefer the apple tv or mac mini?

I am hoping that i wont miss out on to many features by doing this.. i have read people struggling to get 5.1 audio from the mac mini.. aprt from that i think its a good move.

First of all, you may have some trouble playing iTunes Store HD rentals in their full resolution on the Mac Mini; this is a limitation of the DRM that Apple uses that requires a HDCP compliant monitor to play HD movies.

My brother has an iMac and an Apple TV connected to his plasma TV and he tells me the video looks better from the iMac. Mac Mini would probably have better than Apple TV playback too since it has a better CPU, GPU and the full QuickTime instead of the crippled MP4-only version of the Apple TV.

As for surround audio, it is a pity the following Griffin FireWire audio interface is no longer available:
http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/firewave

With that device you could get your Handbrake MP4 files with pass-through DTS audio to play in discreet 6-channel surround sound, something that Apple TV does not do. To be fair Apple TV plays surround sound from files that have Pro Logic 2 audio tracks and iTunes Store movies feature discreet channel Dolby Digital, all through HDMI or Toslink/optical cables, so you would get a clean digital signal.

You should also consider the interface in your decision. With Apple TV all you need is the Apple Remote but with a Mac Mini you need the remote, a wireless keyboard and mouse. Personally I find it a hassle to use a keyboard and mouse on my couch and prefer the intuitiveness of the remote.

 

[lhgraphics]

I am interested in using a mini as a pvr and tuner for off the air broadcasts (replace cable tv).

is the software interface easy enough that others can use it? that is very important to me.

I assume elgato is the tuner/pvr? Is the UI good?

How would plex help me?

I don't want to add complexity to the UI or I will get shot down and have to have the cable box.

I have an apple tv now, btw. great interface. wish I could have a tuner/pvr attached to that!

Rower, Did anyone answer this question for you? I didn't see a response to your question. I am looking to do the same thing. I would like to replace my cable companies cable DVR with an mac mini so that I can also get internet and other apple computer usage to display on my 42" lcd.

My friend, who is a avid PC fan, is trying to convince me to go with an ATI card in a PC running Windows Media Center. There has to be a solution for us Apple people. I know that my cable company, Charter Communication, will only allow content to come into a PVR through means of a "CableCARD".

Does anyone have a solution for this? I would much rather use a Mac Mini like a tivo device. Does anyone have any solutions for this problem?

 

[tricouleur]

Mac mini as a PVR and a media center

lhgraphics,

I have a 1.83 2GB RAM mini acting as my PVR and media center on a 32" 720p LCD.

For the PVR function, I use EyeTV as the software and a Plextor ConvertX unit for the analog-digital capture and conversion. The digital cable box is connected to the converter via RCA composite cables.I have been using this setup since 2005, first on my Titanium Powerbook G4, then on a powerpc Mac Mini, and finally on the Intel mini. I don't know if you can still buy the Plextor unit but EyeTV now sells their own hardware. One more thing that is essential is an IR blaster so that EyeTV can be scheduled to record from your digital cable box without you having to change the channel for scheduled recordings yourself. This I do with a Zephir IR blaster. A really fantastic product; can't recommend it enough. Other people on this thread have sung the praises of EyeTV and I have to agree, even if the software is a little buggy (slow startup, for example, although I rarely restart the program since I rarely shut down the mac mini).

For the media center use, I use Plex, as others have mentioned and it makes the whole experience a lot more cohesive. And the apple remote works very well with it too, which is a great bonus. I have done away with the mouse and the keyboard as well (when I am out of Plex and want to browse the web for example) by using the Air Mouse app on the iphone. A pretty well thought out app.

Hope this helps.

 

[mscriv]

tricouleur are you able to watch and record HD content this way? From reading your set up it sounds like you are still paying for cable service, so are you just saving on the DVR box fee by using your mini this way?

 

[tricouleur]

HD recording doesn't happen with this setup. You'll need at least a component hookup (Hauppage HD PVR has that ability). I have stayed away from HD recording as editing HD files really needs a beefier processing power than the mini.
I've found this PVR setup to be the easiest solution for exporting the recorded video to view on the road (iphone, laptop or over Wifi) or on other computers in the house.
Regarding keeping cable, I would get rid of it if I weren't as addicted to watching football (soccer)....

 

[lowonthe456]

ok, phew, lots of info tot ake in LOL

I want to do the mini and record cable with the elgato...doable?

anyway to use the mini as an airport express?

 

[kumrabai]

So how do you get surround sound if you can't find the griffin any more?

 

[Cave Man]

So how do you get surround sound if you can't find the griffin any more?

What do you mean?

 

[srexy]

...snip...


You should also consider the interface in your decision. With Apple TV all you need is the Apple Remote but with a Mac Mini you need the remote, a wireless keyboard and mouse. Personally I find it a hassle to use a keyboard and mouse on my couch and prefer the intuitiveness of the remote.

That is unless you're using Plex which has support for the Apple remote and Harmony Universals. Any computing that needs to be done can be done remotely via Screen Sharing (native to Leopard) or on the TV with one of the air mouse apps available for the iphone.

So how do you get surround sound if you can't find the griffin any more?

The optical out from the Mini provides for 5.1 surround.

 

[Gatteau]

Would the newer Mac mini drive a 40" LED Full HD Samsung HDTV?

I'm aware the Mac mini is 1920x1080 capable. Just wanted to make sure if it can drive a 1080p full HDTV.

 

[JLandis]

Would the newer Mac mini drive a 40" LED Full HD Samsung HDTV?

I'm aware the Mac mini is 1920x1080 capable. Just wanted to make sure if it can drive a 1080p full HDTV.

Yes, I have mine hooked up to my 1080P HDTV (Pioneer Kuro 500M). The Mac Mini has display settings for 1080P out of the box. Turn overscan on, and then use the TV to shift the picture if it is not center, with a dot by dot, type setting.

 

[HellDiverUK]

I'm aware the Mac mini is 1920x1080 capable. Just wanted to make sure if it can drive a 1080p full HDTV.

And the rest - my 23" Dell screen is higher than 1080p res and it runs just fine.

 

[matruski]

Mac Mini home theater

I'm thinking about setting things up a little bit differently as well. Has anyone used one of the USB/miniport or optical audio/miniport cable to HDMI? Just curious.

This guy has a pretty good review and points out some of the shortcomings of the Mini set up:

http://mattsinyourface.blogspot.com/2009/11/quest-for-home-entertainment-center.html

Still, I think I'm going to move forward with it. My only beef is wireless n stuttering. No matter how fast the spec is supposed to be, it doesn't seem to be able to play movies wirelessly without any hiccups - even when it's not being used for anything else.

 

[dgalvan123]

What would you guys say is the lowest available system requirements to use a mini as a successful home theater system? I'm mainly looking to use it for movies and internet on the big screen in the living room. Movies are obvious, but using the net I would like to do basic surfing, google maps, hulu, and other media access like tv shows availalbe online, etc. Do you need the latest model maxed out to be able to do all of this or would a previous generation work. I'm assuming you need to have an Intel model, but would a 1.5ghz be sufficient? My budget is pretty tight and if I can buy a used mini to make this work that would be great.

On the low end, I have a powerbook G4 1.67 GHz and it can play internet flash video on my big screen. . . but the video is a bit choppy, so if you're buying hardware I'd agree you should grab something with higher specs than this.