Mac Mini as Apple TV

[NYCAVS]

Mac Mini plus ATV

Have Apple TV in living room w/ 50 in 1080 p screen and 5:1 surround... working great. Have 720P 50 in plasma in bedroom... debating second Apple TV versus getting a Mini for the living room and moving Apple TV to bedroom.

Couple questions.

Has anyone figured out how to download HD rentals via Mac Mini?

Has anyone had experience with the separate DVI to screen and optical audio to Receiver/speakers as compared with current HDMI?

Obviously if new mini comes out with HDMI (please please please) then would be golden...

Thanks

 

[Cave Man]

Has anyone figured out how to download HD rentals via Mac Mini?

No, and it's unlikely to happen.

Has anyone had experience with the separate DVI to screen and optical audio to Receiver/speakers as compared with current HDMI?

There's really no difference. You just need a DVI->HDMI cable for your TV and a Toslink for your receiver/amp. Not as convenient, but I've not unplugged the Toslink cable from my Mini for a year and a half.

Obviously if new mini comes out with HDMI (please please please) then would be golden...

Unless you're connecting your Mini to a receiver (instead of to the TV), there's really no advantage.

 

[northy124]

@Chas0001 Tiger Only Which Is A Bummer I Have Leopard On All My Systems Unless I Partition And Use The Restore DVD To Get Tiger Back.

 

[NYCAVS]

No, and it's unlikely to happen.


There's really no difference. You just need a DVI->HDMI cable for your TV and a Toslink for your receiver/amp. Not as convenient, but I've not unplugged the Toslink cable from my Mini for a year and a half.



Unless you're connecting your Mini to a receiver (instead of to the TV), there's really no advantage.

But I thought some here were saying they could run ATV software on a mac via a hack... am I wrong??

 

[Cave Man]

But I thought some here were saying they could run ATV software on a mac via a hack... am I wrong??

The Take 2 Front Row app has been ported to run on any Mac, provided it has OS X 10.4.8 or higher. But it will no doubt be clunky and it does not report your Mac as an Apple TV so you cannot rent HD video from Apple.

 

[northy124]

The Take 2 Front Row app has been ported to run on any Mac, provided it has OS X 10.4.8 or higher. But it will no doubt be clunky and it does not report your Mac as an Apple TV so you cannot rent HD video from Apple.

OS X 10.4.8 Or Higher Does Not Include Leopard It Just 10.4.8 To 10.4.11 (Or 10 I Can't Remember Where It Stopped)

 

[Cave Man]

OS X 10.4.8 Or Higher Does Not Include Leopard It Just 10.4.8 To 10.4.11 (Or 10 I Can't Remember Where It Stopped)

Right - I inadvertently left "no leopard" off.