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Mac Mini as HTPC - convince me! :-)

Undecided said:
...The Apple TV's claims to fame are (a) ability to rent HD, (b) ability to stream content from the ITMS. There are also some pretty large limitations....
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Well, make that only the ability to stream content, now that you can rent HD movies via iTunes.

Time to place the order for the mini...

Edit: there may be one catch, though. Will the iTunes HD rentals only play on HDCP compliant TVs/screens?
 
My understanding is yes but only for the mini DP port. The mini DVI should be fine.

Disclaimer I have not actually tried this myself only read others experiance.
 
Thing is the build quality and the features on the mini are better than NMT , plus the mini is a pc which means it can play many more applications then NMT or other similiar hardware. I've been impressed with Plexapp and will be using it soon to stream content as well as play different file types. $599(USD) when compared to the amount people spend on Speakers or TV's isnt too bad.
 
Undecided said:
What's the difference between a media center and a HTPC?
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Media center is a machine for playing media like videos, music, photos etc. Therefore it doesn't have to be a full operational computer.

HTPC, is a computer in your living room for playing not only media files, but also for other jobs like internet browsing, e-mail, word processing, video games, etc.
 
GizmoDVD said:
can I store stuff on a Time Capsule and tell the Mini to look there for additional storage?
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Sure, you just mount the Time Capsule drive like you would any network drive.

Of course, I've found 802.11n to be too slow for, say, streaming a DVD image across the network. With Plex you can specify the amount of cache, I believe, which might fix that. Otherwise, I recommend sticking to wired networks. Gigabit is far, far faster.
 
MagicBoy said:
I've chucked a a number of 1080p MKVs at my nVidia Mini (low end model) and it plays them no problem at around 50% CPU.

Same can't be said of my MBP - it's fine with 720p, but can't keep up with 1080p. I reckon the new machines are utilising hardware assist from the graphics card (which the ATI X1600 in the MBP doesn't have for x264/VC1).

That said I've already got a WD TV (similar the NMT but without networking) so that will be staying on media duties.
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I've also messed around with plex/boxee on my mac but settled for the wdtv until the prices drop on the mac mini. The WDTV really is an awesome solution to getting 1080p mkv's on your tv. It's tiny, fanless and only $99. There's no competition, you can also network it now as people have been making their own firmware. The only thing I miss is the scraping that plex does where it automatically picks up the thumbnails from IMDB and presents the fan art in the background. Hopefully the new WDTV firmware due this week will improve the thumbnail options.
 
Cave Man said:
You're kidding, right?
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well thats not really what i meant. I'll hold out on a full htpc until the prices of a dual core come down, whether that be a mac mini, dell hybrid or something else. yeah the prices aren't going to drop anytime soon, so i'll stick with my wdtv
 
I've been playing around with Plex on my Mac Book...and the quality of some of the stuff (Daily Show, South Park) does not seem that good. Will this look better running on the Mini to my 42" 1080p TV?
 
jgunn said:
well thats not really what i meant. I'll hold out on a full htpc until the prices of a dual core come down, whether that be a mac mini, dell hybrid or something else. yeah the prices aren't going to drop anytime soon, so i'll stick with my wdtv
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i wouldn't plan on seeing prices ever come down, the difference will be that Dell may offer a different processor for the same price as a lower end one now, but if you want the mini and OSX good luck, i highly doubt that we'll EVER see a price drop

but i appreciate your positive thinking :)

i thought about the wdtv but I've just heard that the interface is kind of limiting and damn it, i just can't stop blowing money on mac products.....they've got me, ohhhhh they've got me!
 
I don't know if you were ever able to purchase a Mac mini but I believe it is the ideal HTPC unit. I have the Spring 2009 version (with newly installed Snow Leopard OS) with a 1 TB Western Digital Hard Drive (for media storage) connected to my 47-inch HDTV via mini-DVI to HDMI port.

I use an iPod Touch application called Rowmote Pro to control Plex (the media center I prefer). I am also testing HippoRemote now to see if its built-in Plex profile is more robust than Rowmotes.

Not only is it quiet and stylish but it offers the most flexibility in Media Center software. If you want a comparison of the Media Center frontends available for the Mac mini, I have published a PDF which you can download from the link below:

http://minihtpc.info/free-guide-to-mac-mini-media-center-software/

You may also want to check out my blog which I try to keep updated with the latest Mini news, hardware reviews, and whatever my readers would like to see.

Good luck in your HTPC search - Let us know what you decided on -

phishee
minihtpc.info
 
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