Media Set-up
Media Hub.
I have enjoyed reading this thread and thought I’d share my set-up.
Originally I used a Late 2012 Mini (i5 processor, 4Gb memory) on ML and later with Mavericks. I have had to change the media machine over for my iMac (Mid-2010 i3 processor, 12Gb RAM) due to a faulty LCD panel on this machine. So basically this set-up was originally for my Mini but now runs on an iMac.
Firstly I should say that this was designed as a ‘One Room’ system to play and stream media. I do any file work on another machine and AirDrop it to the Media Centre.
Additional Hardware:
Samsung EH5000 Series 5 Full HD LED TV
Technics SU-X120 Amplifier
Mordaunt Short MSi 20 Pearl Edition Speakers
FiiO D3 192KHz/24 Bit Digital To Analog Converter (DAC)
Manhattan Plaza HD-S Satellite Receiver
Logitech Harmony 300 Remote Control
Pioneer DVR-XD11T Disc Drive
Mac Track Pad
Anker USB 3 Hub (x2)
Additional Software:
Audio Player - Vox
Video Player - VLC
Folder Icon Changer
My audio collection is housed on an external harddrive connected directly to the mac. I have well over 1000 albums and over 95% of these are on FLAC. As iTunes does not support this form of lossless file I ditched it and went with Vox. While initially a little glitchy the guys at Vox have sorted the software out and I really love it. It also enables 24bit playback which is handy occasionally.
I routed the audio from the mac via MDP / HDMI cable to the TV and then from that, via optic cable to the DAC and then on to the amp.
The programable Harmony remote enables me to toggle between Mac and TV/Satellite. I have VLC set as the default player for all visual media files as it is such a versatile and solid media player I didn’t see the point in using anything else.
I set the mac audio to output through the TV only and set VLC to automatically reset the audio level each time a file is started.
I have my video files on a separate harddrive which runs through one of the Anker hubs. These have a separate power switch and powerdown the harddrive when not in use. I have used these to get around harddrive sleep issues which arose with the introduction of Mavericks.
I used Chrome as the webbrowser and dragged the home page of all the channels and services and social media sites we use onto the desktop. Using the Folder Icon Changer software and an image editor I made a series of short cuts and, after putting them in a file, eventually dragged them onto the dock. I can launch all the stations and services I use directly from there and have any passwords etc saved and automatically filled from the Chrome preferences.
The Pioneer disc drive works as a DVD/CD player if needed through VLC and Vox respectively. It is linked to the Mac via a second Anker Hub to enable me to power it only when I want to use it. Everything is accessed through the Finder with the track pad. I did set the Harmony Remote up to mirror my Apple Remote but something seems to have stopped working since I swapped the machines. I’m sure it’s only a minor issue and I’ll fix it soon but I just haven’t got ‘round to it yet.
The TV has an option to turn the screen off while still outputting the audio. I saved all the album artwork into a file and use this as the screensaver if the audio library is being used for odd track browsing etc.
Hope someone finds this of use / interesting.
Media Hub.
I have enjoyed reading this thread and thought I’d share my set-up.
Originally I used a Late 2012 Mini (i5 processor, 4Gb memory) on ML and later with Mavericks. I have had to change the media machine over for my iMac (Mid-2010 i3 processor, 12Gb RAM) due to a faulty LCD panel on this machine. So basically this set-up was originally for my Mini but now runs on an iMac.
Firstly I should say that this was designed as a ‘One Room’ system to play and stream media. I do any file work on another machine and AirDrop it to the Media Centre.
Additional Hardware:
Samsung EH5000 Series 5 Full HD LED TV
Technics SU-X120 Amplifier
Mordaunt Short MSi 20 Pearl Edition Speakers
FiiO D3 192KHz/24 Bit Digital To Analog Converter (DAC)
Manhattan Plaza HD-S Satellite Receiver
Logitech Harmony 300 Remote Control
Pioneer DVR-XD11T Disc Drive
Mac Track Pad
Anker USB 3 Hub (x2)
Additional Software:
Audio Player - Vox
Video Player - VLC
Folder Icon Changer
My audio collection is housed on an external harddrive connected directly to the mac. I have well over 1000 albums and over 95% of these are on FLAC. As iTunes does not support this form of lossless file I ditched it and went with Vox. While initially a little glitchy the guys at Vox have sorted the software out and I really love it. It also enables 24bit playback which is handy occasionally.
I routed the audio from the mac via MDP / HDMI cable to the TV and then from that, via optic cable to the DAC and then on to the amp.
The programable Harmony remote enables me to toggle between Mac and TV/Satellite. I have VLC set as the default player for all visual media files as it is such a versatile and solid media player I didn’t see the point in using anything else.
I set the mac audio to output through the TV only and set VLC to automatically reset the audio level each time a file is started.
I have my video files on a separate harddrive which runs through one of the Anker hubs. These have a separate power switch and powerdown the harddrive when not in use. I have used these to get around harddrive sleep issues which arose with the introduction of Mavericks.
I used Chrome as the webbrowser and dragged the home page of all the channels and services and social media sites we use onto the desktop. Using the Folder Icon Changer software and an image editor I made a series of short cuts and, after putting them in a file, eventually dragged them onto the dock. I can launch all the stations and services I use directly from there and have any passwords etc saved and automatically filled from the Chrome preferences.
The Pioneer disc drive works as a DVD/CD player if needed through VLC and Vox respectively. It is linked to the Mac via a second Anker Hub to enable me to power it only when I want to use it. Everything is accessed through the Finder with the track pad. I did set the Harmony Remote up to mirror my Apple Remote but something seems to have stopped working since I swapped the machines. I’m sure it’s only a minor issue and I’ll fix it soon but I just haven’t got ‘round to it yet.
The TV has an option to turn the screen off while still outputting the audio. I saved all the album artwork into a file and use this as the screensaver if the audio library is being used for odd track browsing etc.
Hope someone finds this of use / interesting.
Last edited: