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Loving the Mac Mini as a media centre!

nifty app, but how does it help me?

AshTemple said:
You should try teleport, it's a great tool that let's you control you mm from your mba, http://abyssoft.com/software/teleport/
Makes it so much easier!
Click to expand...

teleport allows me to use a single keyboard/mouse for multiple macs, each with their own screen. my use case is that i want to see the mini desktop on my mba in the mba's widescreen resolution. am i missing something?
 
What about Netflix?

Hi, thanks for the great post. I will be almost duplicating your setup, still have to choose between XBMC or plex...

I have a question though:
Have you made any arrangements to be able to watch netflix on this setup?


Thanks!


Yago
 
I personally don't use Netflix but I believe there is a Netflix channel for Plex so it seems you could run it through Plex.
 
Thanks for such a quick reply!

One last question:
¿What advantages do you find Plex has over XBMC?
 
Plex is great, as a server. I only use the plex server to stream to rokus around the house and iOS devices when out and about. My mini is connected directly to my tv running XBMC and controlled with the Apple remote. I prefer XBMC as a media player because it has more room for customization and personally the PLEX player is just, sloppy.

Also I have a drobo 5d thunderbolted to the mini running osx server so it also allows the other macs in the house to access files, centralized time machine etc.
 
famous600 said:
Plex is great, as a server. I only use the plex server to stream to rokus around the house and iOS devices when out and about. My mini is connected directly to my tv running XBMC and controlled with the Apple remote. I prefer XBMC as a media player because it has more room for customization and personally the PLEX player is just, sloppy.

Also I have a drobo 5d thunderbolted to the mini running osx server so it also allows the other macs in the house to access files, centralized time machine etc.
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Sounds like a nice setup. I have a Dune HD Smart that I was using to play 10 GB of DVD and BD ISOs in my home theater. My original intent was to migrate the drives from my eSATA JBOD to a Synology NAS and stream them to other rooms. We were waiting for XBMC support but yaDIS and My Movies were really nice for movie management.
 
CrazyNurse said:
Sounds like a nice setup. I have a Dune HD Smart that I was using to play 10 GB of DVD and BD ISOs in my home theater. My original intent was to migrate the drives from my eSATA JBOD to a Synology NAS and stream them to other rooms. We were waiting for XBMC support but yaDIS and My Movies were really nice for movie management.
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I run the 5D as a NAS through the Mac mini via OSX server. However, I prefer it directly connected to the mini for my video library. I can't have any buffering in the event my network is congested when I want to watch a movie.
 
You're making my desition easier :)
I have oppo 103, use to play all my files from 1tb drive. Was thinking of adding another hard drive and to get Apple TV.
Well, I'll just sell oppo, add little $ and be happy camper :)
When is new Mac mini should be released?
 
yourtoys7 said:
You're making my desition easier :)
I have oppo 103, use to play all my files from 1tb drive. Was thinking of adding another hard drive and to get Apple TV.
Well, I'll just sell oppo, add little $ and be happy camper :)
When is new Mac mini should be released?
Click to expand...

I had my Oppo 93 on the BD ISO aware firmware for awhile until a disc wouldnt play. With its superior video processing, there was a lot of potential there but the studios objected, so away it went.
 
I have a mac mini connected to my HD TV. I'm using it to stream content from Netflix and NHL Game Center live as well as from other sites; but those are the two primary sites. I have been working directly through the web browser using a bluetooth keyboard and track pad. I've been researching other options and most users conclude the Plex is a good media server option. It seems it would allow me to steam from Netflix, but does anyone have any experience steaming from NHL Game Center or other similar applications? Thanks.
 
Why Plex, or XBMC? Honest question. What's wrong with iTunes and Home Sharing?

You can tag video in iTunes using identify. And it works wonder with Apple TV.
 
If you only plan to use an Apple TV as a client then itunees works well. Plex media server can do a whole lot more and it frees you up to use any media formats you want. It also transcodes on the fly to a format supported by the client - a great feature if you have many different clients.
 
matrix07 said:
Ah... I see.

Thank you.
Click to expand...

Plex can do so much more as well, with the ability to fling your media to all your devices, which can be sync'd. You can also share with friends if you want? I was able to watch my media on holiday on my ipad via my mac mini last year. Best thing on my mac mini!
 
AshTemple said:
Plex can do so much more as well, with the ability to fling your media to all your devices, which can be sync'd. You can also share with friends if you want? I was able to watch my media on holiday on my ipad via my mac mini last year. Best thing on my mac mini!
Click to expand...

Is it free? or how much does it cost? (Just a server). Its website isn't clear.
 
matrix07 said:
Is it free? or how much does it cost? (Just a server). Its website isn't clear.
Click to expand...

I agree, their site and initial setup isnt easy to understand. Plex is free, but some of the more advanced features require a membership which costs, but you can play with it and use 99% of its features before you start paying. So id advise doing that first.

To get up and running, first, install the media server, set it up (its an easy step by step) and point it at your media.
https://plex.tv/downloads

then install the plex home theatre or any other client (iOS, roku etc etc) and connect to the server.

It really is simple but they have a really great community if you do get stuck
https://forums.plex.tv/

Plex has changed how I watch my media, I prefer it to XBMC and theyre always improving it!
 
AshTemple said:
I agree, their site and initial setup isnt easy to understand. Plex is free, but some of the more advanced features require a membership which costs, but you can play with it and use 99% of its features before you start paying. So id advise doing that first.

To get up and running, first, install the media server, set it up (its an easy step by step) and point it at your media.
https://plex.tv/downloads

then install the plex home theatre or any other client (iOS, roku etc etc) and connect to the server.

It really is simple but they have a really great community if you do get stuck
https://forums.plex.tv/

Plex has changed how I watch my media, I prefer it to XBMC and theyre always improving it!
Click to expand...

Immensely thank you. I'll check it out.
 
jlus3 said:
What does this give you that the $99 Apple TV doesn't?.
Click to expand...

I run both. Had just the mini for a few years and added the ATV to get hbo because the hbo iOS app will only airplay to a closed apple device.

The basic advantages of a mini: flexibility and control. You can play anything in any way. Most resent example, Olympics. I set up a browser based proxy, tuned in the bbc and set it to full screen. To do anything close with iOS would require changing my whole network.

But 5-7x more is a lot more. If you don't need the flexibility (which also comes with complexity), the simplicity of an ATV is appealing. If you are considering it, set up an old macbook as a test box. You'll know pretty quickly if it's right for you.
 
Thanks for sharing your setup! I'm building a Hackintosh Mini that will have a very similar setup. But I will install the Mavericks Server so I can use this machine as a Time Machine "server" for the other computers (two Macbooks). I'm also connecting an external HD (3TB) to backup everything and on top of that a "cloud solution" like CrashPlan* (or something similar).

Since I have an Apple TV 3 I will try to use PlexConnect. Have you tried? It's a simple hack that allows you to access your Plex media using the Apple TV.

Let me know if you guys have tried this solution.

* I'm kind of crazy about my backups. I already lost a huge photo library once and I don't it to happen again. We all should have at least two copies of our important documents (photos, etc.). So having all my data on the Mac mini + a backup on the external HD + a backup in the cloud, sounds really reasonable for me.
 
gguerini said:
Thanks for sharing your setup! I'm building a Hackintosh Mini that will have a very similar setup. But I will install the Mavericks Server so I can use this machine as a Time Machine "server" for the other computers (two Macbooks). I'm also connecting an external HD (3TB) to backup everything and on top of that a "cloud solution" like CrashPlan* (or something similar).

Since I have an Apple TV 3 I will try to use PlexConnect. Have you tried? It's a simple hack that allows you to access your Plex media using the Apple TV.

Let me know if you guys have tried this solution.

* I'm kind of crazy about my backups. I already lost a huge photo library once and I don't it to happen again. We all should have at least two copies of our important documents (photos, etc.). So having all my data on the Mac mini + a backup on the external HD + a backup in the cloud, sounds really reasonable for me.
Click to expand...

I used Plex Connect for a while and it worked fine. I haven't used it recently since the tv my Apple TV is connected to is a Samsung smart tv with its own Plex client.
 
I was running XBMC on an old Core 2 Duo PC for about a year. I fell in love with having a computer as a media center and finally bit the bullet and got a mini to run the TV this week. I got a 2011 i5 and couldn't be happier. Just came across this thread and thought I would share my remote solution. I got this remote the first day I set up my PC media center because I knew my wife wouldn't settle for anything complicated using an ipad or phone.

http://www.amazon.com/iPazzPort-2-4GHz-Wireless-Keyboard-Remote/dp/B006OW1J1M

This remote is cheap and easy to use. It comes with a USB cord that also acts as a charger for the battery. I only plug it in once a month or so. Sooner than that if the backlight is left on all the time, but it fully charges in a couple hours. My only issue with this remote is that the keys don't always register very well. A friend has this one and the keyboard is much more reliable, but I prefer the air mouse over a trackpad.

http://www.amazon.com/iPazzPort-KP-810-10-A-Wireless-Handheld-Multi-Touchpad/dp/B004SQ5OYO

There are a few other remotes out there that are good too, but I love the one I use. I wouldn't have a computer as a media center if I couldn't have one of these. I am actually going to buy an extra one as a backup in case anything bad happens, like when the Mrs. spilled coffee on our Logitech Harmony remote. :-O
 
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Backup and Share Editing

I have read DONKA first post and the rest of threads and are really illustrating and helpful. At this point I want to set that exact configuration but also want to have the possbility of using that system to have a shared Iphoto-Aperture, FCP, and Itunes library. With the possibility of being able to access the Iphoto-Aperture library for a couple of users to upload new photos or videos and editng photos and creating albums, etc.
Is this possible with this settings? And How to do you managed the backups? Do you use a regular external drive and Time Machine or other system or do you stored it on a Drobo or Synology or Freenas system? I know that the Drobo or some other NAS systems are not Mac Extended Journaled drives and could give problems in Mac softwares with the possibility of data loss.
Thank you for your comments
 
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