I don't, actually. My media streamer has a SATA hotswap slot in the front of it - I swap them in and out as I need them.
But you can use a USB/Firewire DAS enclosure, if you like. Or a NAS, connected by ethernet. Plenty of options.
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Mac mini 2010 Home Theatre/Questions
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I don't, actually. My media streamer has a SATA hotswap slot in the front of it - I swap them in and out as I need them.
But you can use a USB/Firewire DAS enclosure, if you like. Or a NAS, connected by ethernet. Plenty of options.
With regard to what term1nal has said;
Yeah, there are other ways that you can go. Personally, I wouldn't buy the PS3 specifically as a media playback device - it's too restricted in what it can do. If you're willing to look to other devices, rather than the Mini, I can recommend (with a few cautions) the Popcorn Hour Networked Media Tanks (NMTs).
http://www.popcornhour.com/onlinestore/index.php?pluginoption=productcompare
The A-110 is being phased out, which is something of a pity because it's an excellent little machine. Very simple, very stable and very cheap.
Of course, they're not full-blown computers. So, if getting a computer is critical to your plans, they're not for you.
Yeah, there are other ways that you can go. Personally, I wouldn't buy the PS3 specifically as a media playback device - it's too restricted in what it can do. If you're willing to look to other devices, rather than the Mini, I can recommend (with a few cautions) the Popcorn Hour Networked Media Tanks (NMTs).
http://www.popcornhour.com/onlinestore/index.php?pluginoption=productcompare
The A-110 is being phased out, which is something of a pity because it's an excellent little machine. Very simple, very stable and very cheap.
Of course, they're not full-blown computers. So, if getting a computer is critical to your plans, they're not for you.
What do you mean with the PS3 being too restricted?
Personally thats what I use at home and we can either stream the aperture library,music,videos from the Computer... or just plug and play the Dvd/Bluray
What I mean is that the PS3 does not make a sufficiently strong case for itself as a media streamer, alone. If you own a PS3 as a games machine and DVD/Blu-ray player already, it's reasonably adaptable as a streamer if you don't mind making compromises and refuse to invest in more hardware. But it's more fuss and hassle to use than a dedicated streamer, like an NMT.
The Popcorn Hour A-110 (if you can find one anywhere...) will play back media of almost any codec and container up to a max bitrate of around 50Mbps, for $100US. The PS3 costs a lot more money, has a local file-size limit of 4GB and abysmal codec support that can be circumvented only by setting up a streaming arrangement with a PC through a program like TVersity; and, frankly, the picture quality's poor (soft, muddy colours... just poor), particularly when one considers what an excellent DVD upscaler there is, inside the PS3.
At least, all of that was true when I abandonned the PS3 for an NMT back in early 2009. Things may have moved on... but, even if they have, you can buy an NMT and a 2TB internal hard drive for $200US that requires no additional hardware or software complications. Plug it in, take an HDMI lead to your TV, and you're away. As Steve would say, "it just works".
The Popcorn Hour A-110 (if you can find one anywhere...) will play back media of almost any codec and container up to a max bitrate of around 50Mbps, for $100US. The PS3 costs a lot more money, has a local file-size limit of 4GB and abysmal codec support that can be circumvented only by setting up a streaming arrangement with a PC through a program like TVersity; and, frankly, the picture quality's poor (soft, muddy colours... just poor), particularly when one considers what an excellent DVD upscaler there is, inside the PS3.
At least, all of that was true when I abandonned the PS3 for an NMT back in early 2009. Things may have moved on... but, even if they have, you can buy an NMT and a 2TB internal hard drive for $200US that requires no additional hardware or software complications. Plug it in, take an HDMI lead to your TV, and you're away. As Steve would say, "it just works".
Right...
Currently i have the original macbook 2006... 2GHZ... 2GB RAM... Intel core Duo...
Its getting on a bit but its managing!
I'll be getting the mac mini for my living room but i'll also have a monitor upstairs so i can work on it properly... Currently got a samsung 37" LCD but in January will be getting a 3D LED bad boy...
Most of the content ive got is from torrents, mainly 720p m4v's which have been transcoded from a 1080p MKV file... the quality is ok... but like i said sometimes my macbook cant handle them smoothly...
What i want is to be able to download media, in as high a quality as possible and be able to play it no problems... and i also want to rip some of my blu rays and then if i need to remux and transcode it...
In a nutshell i just want a sexy little machine i can put under my telly, operate with a remote n get to all my media with ease...
Currently i have the original macbook 2006... 2GHZ... 2GB RAM... Intel core Duo...
Its getting on a bit but its managing!
I'll be getting the mac mini for my living room but i'll also have a monitor upstairs so i can work on it properly... Currently got a samsung 37" LCD but in January will be getting a 3D LED bad boy...
Most of the content ive got is from torrents, mainly 720p m4v's which have been transcoded from a 1080p MKV file... the quality is ok... but like i said sometimes my macbook cant handle them smoothly...
What i want is to be able to download media, in as high a quality as possible and be able to play it no problems... and i also want to rip some of my blu rays and then if i need to remux and transcode it...
In a nutshell i just want a sexy little machine i can put under my telly, operate with a remote n get to all my media with ease...
That's a decision that you need to make, dude. It really is mission-critical, so have a think.
Okay... I've not used a 2010 Mini myself, but the consensus appears to be that it will play Blu-ray quality video provided that you strip any HD audio down to the core stream. Let's move forward as though that were the accepted truth, for now.
The Plex interface is great. No two ways about it. It's a fork of XBMC, which is a long-established and very stable, attractive media front-end. That said, you'll have to access Plex through OS X to reach this front-end; coming from a dedicated media streamer background, I find this inelegant. I'm accustomed to switching on a device that boots immediately to my media library. You may not consider this an issue, however.
The video quality that the 2009 Mini produced, in my opinon, was good but not great. Sharp enough, but the colour reproduction was less than spectacular. Not bad, but I've had much better... perhaps this is why the degraded quality of transcodes is more apparent to me than other folks posting on this topic?
And let's not disregard the matter of cost. The Mini will cost you £650 with a 320GB hard drive. A Popcorn Hour A-200 will cost you about £170, and you can add a 2TB internal drive to it for a further £80... for me, if you don't need another computer and you're only looking for a media solution, it's a no-brainer. The picture quality will be better, the codec support will be wider, and the bitrate ceiling will be higher (110Mbps, with HD audio).
So, I'll ask you again. Does it need to be a computer...?!
EDIT: These are the matters that come to my mind, in this decision. Are there important considerations that I might've missed?
Okay... I've not used a 2010 Mini myself, but the consensus appears to be that it will play Blu-ray quality video provided that you strip any HD audio down to the core stream. Let's move forward as though that were the accepted truth, for now.
The Plex interface is great. No two ways about it. It's a fork of XBMC, which is a long-established and very stable, attractive media front-end. That said, you'll have to access Plex through OS X to reach this front-end; coming from a dedicated media streamer background, I find this inelegant. I'm accustomed to switching on a device that boots immediately to my media library. You may not consider this an issue, however.
The video quality that the 2009 Mini produced, in my opinon, was good but not great. Sharp enough, but the colour reproduction was less than spectacular. Not bad, but I've had much better... perhaps this is why the degraded quality of transcodes is more apparent to me than other folks posting on this topic?
And let's not disregard the matter of cost. The Mini will cost you £650 with a 320GB hard drive. A Popcorn Hour A-200 will cost you about £170, and you can add a 2TB internal drive to it for a further £80... for me, if you don't need another computer and you're only looking for a media solution, it's a no-brainer. The picture quality will be better, the codec support will be wider, and the bitrate ceiling will be higher (110Mbps, with HD audio).
So, I'll ask you again. Does it need to be a computer...?!
EDIT: These are the matters that come to my mind, in this decision. Are there important considerations that I might've missed?
I might just get both...
And i can get the mini from the states for £400... i think cause my macbook is slowly dying... i can use the mac mini to improve my library and then when i get the new tv will get the popcorn player...
And i can get the mini from the states for £400... i think cause my macbook is slowly dying... i can use the mac mini to improve my library and then when i get the new tv will get the popcorn player...
Regarding Plex needing to be launched manually in order to access it, correct me if I'm wrong someone, but couldn't a script be created that has Plex launch as part of your Mac''s bootup process?
That sounds plausible, yes. And I agree that Plex is very nice to use... but, for me, the Mini is inferior in all other departments. And the Popcorn Hour Flash-based GUI (Networked Media Jukebox, or NMJ) is coming along, in leaps and bounds. And I should know - I'm a PCH Beta Tester!
OP;
Cool, that sounds like a good idea. Get the Mini first, seeing as how you need a new Mac anyway, then give it a try as an HTPC. If it doesn't meet your needs (and it might), look to a dedicated media streamer.
EDIT: ... oo! One thing: Will Apple honour a warranty out of the country in which a product has been bought? By which I mean, if you buy a Mini in the US and it dies, will Apple UK repair it or will you have to ship it back to the US (£!?!)?
OP;
Cool, that sounds like a good idea. Get the Mini first, seeing as how you need a new Mac anyway, then give it a try as an HTPC. If it doesn't meet your needs (and it might), look to a dedicated media streamer.
EDIT: ... oo! One thing: Will Apple honour a warranty out of the country in which a product has been bought? By which I mean, if you buy a Mini in the US and it dies, will Apple UK repair it or will you have to ship it back to the US (£!?!)?
With Plex (or any app) open, just right-click on its icon in the Dock and under the Options pop-up choose Open at Login.
Boxee Box
The reason i originally questioned if u req a mac mini is cost...
In 6months to a year we are going to have more set top boxes than we can shake a stick at. For $200 we have boxee box 2x apple tv (thats yet to be hacked but wont be capable of 1080p). plex have done a deal with LG so that means tv's bluray players with built in multimedia. Sorry but the poopcorn had its chance but well...
Can you run a hdmi from ur bedroom to tv? Then an imac although more money gives you more processing power n a nice led display. Depending on settings REMUX/TRANCODE is a bitch. The most important thing is storage if your planning to keep your movies/hd tv recordings plus your uncompressed music and pics, u will need 4tb raid 5 so not to lose it..... the costs start to rack up!!
The reason i originally questioned if u req a mac mini is cost...
In 6months to a year we are going to have more set top boxes than we can shake a stick at. For $200 we have boxee box 2x apple tv (thats yet to be hacked but wont be capable of 1080p). plex have done a deal with LG so that means tv's bluray players with built in multimedia. Sorry but the poopcorn had its chance but well...
Can you run a hdmi from ur bedroom to tv? Then an imac although more money gives you more processing power n a nice led display. Depending on settings REMUX/TRANCODE is a bitch. The most important thing is storage if your planning to keep your movies/hd tv recordings plus your uncompressed music and pics, u will need 4tb raid 5 so not to lose it..... the costs start to rack up!!
mm
£200 Boxee Box or PS3
£400 on NAS Storage
£140 Bluray Burner
£100 Giga Switch
Use ur macbook to download rip n burn..... Wait 6 months to a yr and see whats happened in the market.
If not then yes you will be happy with your mac mini but it aint cheap like I said I run the server n it was the right option for me. You pays ur money u takes ur choice
£200 Boxee Box or PS3
£400 on NAS Storage
£140 Bluray Burner
£100 Giga Switch
Use ur macbook to download rip n burn..... Wait 6 months to a yr and see whats happened in the market.
If not then yes you will be happy with your mac mini but it aint cheap like I said I run the server n it was the right option for me. You pays ur money u takes ur choice
Oh, listen. I'm not gonna sit here and deny that the PCH brand has had some problems. However, I would warn against the kind of complacency that you've displayed with regard to Boxee and LG. Until the kit is actually here and working, don't count your chickens!
I've been into media streamers for a couple of years, and I've suffered as badly as anyone. These technologies have a long history of being flaky and unstable for many, many months before they're doing what they're supposed to.
We shall see.
Im surprised uve got the time to post on this forum being a beta tester and all..
Plex with the backing of LG and all the $ for R&D, is a force to be reckoned with. We have seen how small the offerings from Apple and Boxee are, integration into a tv is only a hop skip away. Especially the Apple with its low watt processor, truly exciting when the apps start coming in even more exciting when their next chip design is introduced. Lets also not forget about the new buzz on the street 'cloud computing' and lets imagine an Apple TV interface that also allows us to access iworks on the cloud, all for £99.
My Samsung LED (believe this or not as I was truly surprised) will connect to my Iomega NAS DLNA and start to play Avatar m2ts, yes there are hiccups and there is no sound. But for some people a recode to the specs req.. and this might be more than acceptable, the fact it even plays amazes me.
The most important element for any htpc at this moment in time is quality NAS storage and Cat5 installation, just start collecting your media in the format your happy with because in 6 months the software and hardware will be here, cheaply.
It might even be the popcorn hr......... nah just joking
It must be more than a year since I was told, by some first-time poster on the official NMT forum, that Boxee was going to kill Popcorn Hour; and yet PCH are still here, stabilising their existing devices and releasing new ones. Indeed, before that, I remember being told that ION-based nettops were going to render all dedicated media streamers obsolete... browse CNET for the reviews of these machines, and you'll see that they were all crap.
Talk is cheap. Show me these next-gen devices. Show them working. Until then, with respect, you've got nothing.
I don't find it implausible that Popcorn Hour might go under/become acquired by a larger company, once the concept goes mainstream. They have a way to go before they can match the smooth professionalism of major electronics providers, such as LG and Samsung, and they may not survive for long enough to get there. That said, don't flatly assume that bigger corporations make better media streamers - were that the case, I'd own an Apple or a Western Digital, rather than a Popcorn Hour. The Apple TV is a cripple-box with hideous technical restrictions, and WD streamers have been bricked by firmware releases (which says nothing impressive about their 'more professional' Beta program).
EDIT: Just to add a bit of detail to your understanding of my position; I'm not an employee of Popcorn Hour, nor am I a shareholder, and they don't pay me for Beta-testing. My allegiance to the brand comes from having enjoyed their products, and it is by no means immovable.
Furthermore, unlike a number of Macolytes that operate on this forum, I'm not going to recommend a device to anybody without issuing all the necessary warnings. I will give a detailed and entirely honest appraisal of the Popcorn Hour media streamers to anybody who wants to know. Perhaps you can come out from behind your catalogue of cheap one-liners and tell me precisely what your problem with them is...?
If I agree with you, I'll say so.
Talk is cheap. Show me these next-gen devices. Show them working. Until then, with respect, you've got nothing.
I don't find it implausible that Popcorn Hour might go under/become acquired by a larger company, once the concept goes mainstream. They have a way to go before they can match the smooth professionalism of major electronics providers, such as LG and Samsung, and they may not survive for long enough to get there. That said, don't flatly assume that bigger corporations make better media streamers - were that the case, I'd own an Apple or a Western Digital, rather than a Popcorn Hour. The Apple TV is a cripple-box with hideous technical restrictions, and WD streamers have been bricked by firmware releases (which says nothing impressive about their 'more professional' Beta program).
EDIT: Just to add a bit of detail to your understanding of my position; I'm not an employee of Popcorn Hour, nor am I a shareholder, and they don't pay me for Beta-testing. My allegiance to the brand comes from having enjoyed their products, and it is by no means immovable.
Furthermore, unlike a number of Macolytes that operate on this forum, I'm not going to recommend a device to anybody without issuing all the necessary warnings. I will give a detailed and entirely honest appraisal of the Popcorn Hour media streamers to anybody who wants to know. Perhaps you can come out from behind your catalogue of cheap one-liners and tell me precisely what your problem with them is...?
If I agree with you, I'll say so.
I appreciate the sentiment of media streamers, and they are a good solution for those with the nessasary infrastructure (NAS/Server, etc)
But quite personally, and this is personally, i prefer having a full computer as my HTPC.
I confess i'm not a typical user, i like playing around, testing betas, etc.
...Actually my 08 Mini is starting to feel a little long in the tooth.
I'm trying to decide between getting an 2010 mac mini, or be a little adventerous and build a HTPC myself and hackintosh it.
There are some very desirable HTPC cases out there
..But self building presents a degree of unknown, for things such as fan noise. etc. Oh well, my two pennies.
If only the mini came in black.
But quite personally, and this is personally, i prefer having a full computer as my HTPC.
I confess i'm not a typical user, i like playing around, testing betas, etc.
...Actually my 08 Mini is starting to feel a little long in the tooth.
I'm trying to decide between getting an 2010 mac mini, or be a little adventerous and build a HTPC myself and hackintosh it.
There are some very desirable HTPC cases out there
..But self building presents a degree of unknown, for things such as fan noise. etc. Oh well, my two pennies.
If only the mini came in black.
What are the negatives of the popcorn hour boxes?
i have a MacMini in one room and eventually would like to get a box, for my tv in the a different room, that would flawlessly play the video files that on the macmini. it would have to have a nice UI (at least one my kids could figure out; better than PS3). i wouldnt be streaming uncompressed bluray or anything (since the tv is only 720p). netflix and hulu access would be bonuses.
The single greatest weakness of PCH streamers is the UI. Although a potentially excellent Flash-based GUI is currently in Beta testing, it's not ready at the moment. Several very good community-programmed jukeboxes can be used for compiling artwork and IMDb data, but they're a much bigger pain in the arse to use than Plex.
The first generation PCH machines (the A-100, the A-110 and the B-110) were based around the Sigma Designs 8635 processor. The bitrate ceiling of this processor was somewhere around the 50Mbps mark. It's possible that the most recent, most demanding Blu-rays (like Avatar) might exceed that. But none of the Blu-ray rips that I've ever reduced to single file media (in .M2TS or .MKV form) have shown any problems.
These machines are practically gone, now. Every now and then a refurbed A-110 turns up for $100, but finding them is difficult. Which is a pity, because they're very stable and easy to use.
The second generation machines (the A-200 and the C-200) are based around the 8643, which packs a lot more power. The bitrate ceiling's somewhere around 110Mbps, which is way, way beyond what Blu-ray currently requires - and way, way, way beyond what you would need.
Opinion on these machines is divided, to say the least. Certain parts of the firmware's features are entirely stable, and the people who only use the stable features think the 200 series is absolutely wonderful. Then there are the other punters, who want to use the functions that haven't been completely nailed-down yet; some of these folks are even-tempered about it and wait for firmware updates, whereas others go completely apesh*t and sell their machines on eBay.
[shrug]
I don't blame anybody for getting frustrated about this kinda thing. I've certainly done so, in the past.
If you want access to NetFlix and Hulu, you'll be interested in the (kinda) third generation machine, the PopBox. This machine isn't available in Europe, and I know very little about it, except that it's had some rather high-profile firmware problems in the past couple of months. These may or may not have been sorted out, by now. I really couldn't say.
What format are your media files in? And are none of them in excess of 720p? I ask because it's the file, rather than the output resolution of your television, that determines how much grunt is required to play them.
The first generation PCH machines (the A-100, the A-110 and the B-110) were based around the Sigma Designs 8635 processor. The bitrate ceiling of this processor was somewhere around the 50Mbps mark. It's possible that the most recent, most demanding Blu-rays (like Avatar) might exceed that. But none of the Blu-ray rips that I've ever reduced to single file media (in .M2TS or .MKV form) have shown any problems.
These machines are practically gone, now. Every now and then a refurbed A-110 turns up for $100, but finding them is difficult. Which is a pity, because they're very stable and easy to use.
The second generation machines (the A-200 and the C-200) are based around the 8643, which packs a lot more power. The bitrate ceiling's somewhere around 110Mbps, which is way, way beyond what Blu-ray currently requires - and way, way, way beyond what you would need.
Opinion on these machines is divided, to say the least. Certain parts of the firmware's features are entirely stable, and the people who only use the stable features think the 200 series is absolutely wonderful. Then there are the other punters, who want to use the functions that haven't been completely nailed-down yet; some of these folks are even-tempered about it and wait for firmware updates, whereas others go completely apesh*t and sell their machines on eBay.
[shrug]
I don't blame anybody for getting frustrated about this kinda thing. I've certainly done so, in the past.
If you want access to NetFlix and Hulu, you'll be interested in the (kinda) third generation machine, the PopBox. This machine isn't available in Europe, and I know very little about it, except that it's had some rather high-profile firmware problems in the past couple of months. These may or may not have been sorted out, by now. I really couldn't say.
What format are your media files in? And are none of them in excess of 720p? I ask because it's the file, rather than the output resolution of your television, that determines how much grunt is required to play them.
most are 720p or lower. the 1080p files i have were mainly just to compare to 720p, which on my 32inch tv from 8 feet away, i dont notice enough of a difference to matter (at least to me).
I'll have to look up some video of the popcorn UI. i'll take a look at popbox too.
I'll have to look up some video of the popcorn UI. i'll take a look at popbox too.
Give it up
Code name Project Toilet
Look they tried n they failed give it up already... They tried a custom hardware design based on the Sigma with the attitude yeah yeah yeah we will fix all the issues in the software. If theyd have taken a more traditional approach of intel board n chipset with a custom unix frontend with, theyd be further down the road than they are now. They just dont have the resources for what they tried to pull off.
I agree with Aegelward, for those feeling a little bit brave with the right choice of components self build:
Hackintosh/ Ubuntu
Liquid cooling
i3
SSD
Bluray
8GB
Esata port
Could be good very good.....But it wont be the cheapest
Code name Project Toilet
Look they tried n they failed give it up already... They tried a custom hardware design based on the Sigma with the attitude yeah yeah yeah we will fix all the issues in the software. If theyd have taken a more traditional approach of intel board n chipset with a custom unix frontend with, theyd be further down the road than they are now. They just dont have the resources for what they tried to pull off.
I agree with Aegelward, for those feeling a little bit brave with the right choice of components self build:
Hackintosh/ Ubuntu
Liquid cooling
i3
SSD
Bluray
8GB
Esata port
Could be good very good.....But it wont be the cheapest