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Mac Mini as media centre

F

fRAiLtY-

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 16, 2011
6
0
Hi guys,

I currently have all my iTunes music on my old iMac Dual Core. I also have a 2010 MacBook Pro which home sharing works on, sometimes.

What I want to do it buy a Mac Mini and connect it to my TV via HDMI which in turn is connected to my Samsung Home Cinema System.

This way could I view movies that are on the Mac Mini through the TV and also play music through iTunes through the home cinema system and what, if any, extras would I need? I would then be able to access it from the MacBook Pro anywhere in the house right? I have a good WiFi connection but chances are I'd hardwire the Mac Mini as it would be beside the modem.

Cheers.

Tom.
 
It works just fine to do that. My Mac Mini is a Core Duo that resides next to my TV and spends most of its time working as a DVR either through FireWire or my EyeTV. It handles video playback and recording just fine and its pretty old. What you're talking about is very common for Mac Mini users.
 
Yes, I agree with the above post. You should also consider an Apple TV which is Apple's idea of a HTPC.

By the way, in Lion, Apple removed Front Row, their 10' UI for tvs and remote control. So, you can use an older version of the OS if you want Front Row or you could look at something like Plex which powerusers tend to like. I think its overly complicated myself, but you should probably give it a try (free demo) and see if you like it.

If not, I say get an Apple TV. For the money, it's hard to beat.
 
I have a mini that serves double-duty. It's connected via HDMI to my HDTV and also via MDP > DVI to a monitor. An external drive connected via FW800 contains my collection of movies and TV shows, which are delivered via Plex to the TV. Work can be done on the mini using the monitor while a movie plays on the HDTV. I can run the mini from my MBP remotely from anywhere in the house using screen sharing. The mini is connected to the network wirelessly, but the internet connection doesn't skip a beat. The only issue I have is that when I take the Apple Wireless Keyboard very far from the mini, to control movie playback, it sometimes drops the Bluetooth connection.
 
DustinT said:
or you could look at something like Plex which powerusers tend to like. I think its overly complicated myself, but you should probably give it a try (free demo) and see if you like it.
Click to expand...

In my opinion, Plex is fairly simple, automatically finds 99% artwork and description for movies, TV shows and music compared to iTunes plus it handles more media types (mkv, etc). And, unless it has changed, it's free.

Last, the Mini delivers 1080p which the aTV doesn't (yet).
 
dancook99 said:
In my opinion, Plex is fairly simple, automatically finds 99% artwork and description for movies, TV shows and music compared to iTunes plus it handles more media types (mkv, etc). And, unless it has changed, it's free.

Last, the Mini delivers 1080p which the aTV doesn't (yet).
Click to expand...
Yes, Plex is free and certainly doesn't require a "power user" to set up and use it effectively. While there are some improvements I'd like to see, overall I've been very impressed with it. It certainly handles more file types than ATV and offers an excellent, easy to use interface.
 
Yes, plex works well, and the video plugins are a really cool feature.

I use mobile mouse on my iPad, as a remote mouse/keyboard.
 
I am looking to do the same thing with a Mac Mini. My question is which Mac Mini should I purchase? I will use it for Movies, Music and torrents only.

----------
GGJstudios said:
I have a mini that serves double-duty. It's connected via HDMI to my HDTV and also via MDP > DVI to a monitor. An external drive connected via FW800 contains my collection of movies and TV shows, which are delivered via Plex to the TV. Work can be done on the mini using the monitor while a movie plays on the HDTV. I can run the mini from my MBP remotely from anywhere in the house using screen sharing. The mini is connected to the network wirelessly, but the internet connection doesn't skip a beat. The only issue I have is that when I take the Apple Wireless Keyboard very far from the mini, to control movie playback, it sometimes drops the Bluetooth connection.
Click to expand...

Which hard drive are you using?
 
wicked23 said:
I am looking to do the same thing with a Mac Mini. My question is which Mac Mini should I purchase? I will use it for Movies, Music and torrents only.
Click to expand...
Any recent mini should do the job well. Mine is a 2010. I like the fact that it has the optical drive, unlike the new models. It replaced my DVD player, further cleaning up my home entertainment center.
wicked23 said:
Which hard drive are you using?
Click to expand...
The mini has the stock 320GB drive, which contains some movies. The majority of the movies and TV shows are on this drive from Other World Computing (OWC), which is nearly full:

OWC Mercury Elite-AL Pro™
owcmeaqmaphero350.jpg
 
Will this be sufficient with 8GB memory upgrade?
2.3GHz : 500GB
2.3GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
2GB memory
500GB hard drive1
Intel HD Graphics 3000
OS X Lion

Or do I need the better graphics card? AMD Radeon HD 6630M
 
wicked23 said:
Will this be sufficient with 8GB memory upgrade?
2.3GHz : 500GB
2.3GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
2GB memory
500GB hard drive1
Intel HD Graphics 3000
OS X Lion

Or do I need the better graphics card? AMD Radeon HD 6630M
Click to expand...
I think those specs would be fine for movies and TV shows.
 
I'd like to chime in with a question.

Can I run a Mini through my Yamaha receiver (RX667 with HDMI) or would I need to go directly to my TV? My main interest in doing this is running the sound through the receiver.
 
jammingator said:
I'd like to chime in with a question.

Can I run a Mini through my Yamaha receiver (RX667 with HDMI) or would I need to go directly to my TV? My main interest in doing this is running the sound through the receiver.
Click to expand...
If you just want sound to go to the receiver, just get one of these and plug directly from the mini to the receiver.
 
Had mini in HT stack

I saw your post, you're where I was at 2 years ago. The Mini worked great for me with a few noticeable exceptions: Hulu +, Netflix and on screen controls. I'd assumed that since the 09 Mini eats iTunes movies for lunch (beautifully drives my 50" Plasma with downloaded TV and Movies)....that it would stream Hulu and Netflix just fine. Not so...and its not really Apples fault...those interfaces are built on Flash. I spent 2 years trying to get hiccup free fullscreen video and I gave up.

Also, juggling keyboards and mice is no fun...no place to put them, struggle to see the screen, click buttons etc. I tried them *all* (Logitech DiNovo Mac Edition, Apple Keyboard, Apple Trackpad, Mouse Pro Server/iOS clients using iPod touches, iPads, iPhone, etc). At the end of the day, trying to use keyboard and mouse from the couch is a lousy user experience. The Apple TV/Roku/Front Row experience is way better. (I've played with Plex but am not that ambitious, I bought Apple cause I just want it to work).

I recently made my Mini my main machine (with an OWC SSD main drive, 8GB Ram and an External Firewire drive for home folder) and bought a Roku to stream Hulu and Netflix. (works sooo much better than the mini, interfaces are built for the Roku hardware) ...and I'll be buying an Apple TV when the new version comes out next year, to continue streaming TV shows and iTunes movies AND allow airplay with my iPad, since my 09 Mini didn't have compatible hardware for Airplay. Highly recommend the Roku...I look at it that it gives me everything that Apple won't (Amazon Prime on-demand, Hulu, bunch of other cool streaming services). I have a Tivo HD to record my shows but will switch to Eye TV when this unit dies...Eye TV can record your shows, load them to iTunes and you can get them from the Apple TV.

My Mini is now a screamer with the OSD, RAM upgrades and Ext Firewire drive (compared to the clunky old 5400 rpm drive it came with)...so am enjoying it connected to an Apple Cinema display....but Hulu and Netflix on it and all Macs...still...SUCK!

Long winded but hope it helps.


P.S. - Cable Free for 3 years and will never go back. I've paid for all my toys once over with my freedom savings from the TWC cable vampire.
 
Last edited:
jammingator said:
I'd like to chime in with a question.

Can I run a Mini through my Yamaha receiver (RX667 with HDMI) or would I need to go directly to my TV? My main interest in doing this is running the sound through the receiver.
Click to expand...

Yes, my mini is connected to that same model via HDMI. From the receiver it's another HDMI to the TV


The mini is a great system for a media center. I bought the entry level mini (mid-2011) and made some changes to it. First was the 8GB RAM upgrade. The second was making the second hard-drive port into a eSATA port and running the cable out to 2TB myBook holding all my movies.

I would also recommend getting a DVD burner to digitize your some if not all of your collection

Plex is also a great option when you want to access all that media
 
Plex is great! It's relatively simple to setup and everyday use is easy. I love being able to access my entire library from my iPhone, or the girlfriends pc.
 
ericgarig said:
The second was making the second hard-drive port into a eSATA port and running the cable out to 2TB myBook holding all my movies.
Click to expand...

That's a great idea. Could you tell us how you implemented this? Possibly with pics? While Thunderbolt is still prohibitively expensive it seems like a good alternative.
 
TinHead88, sure, it's actually a fairly quick procedure.

I looked a few videos of installing a second hard drive. I also looked at this video for how to run the wire out of the mini:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnabolMRwDE

Here is a link to the cable I used. You can go with others, just make sure that the ends are male SATA to female eSATA.
http://www.amazon.com/SATA-Male-eSA...s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324439284&sr=1-1-catcorr

Here is the link to the proprietary HDD cable. If you have the tools yourself and just need the cable, this is a great buy. These guys are often out of stock, but just put yourself on the alert mailing list and get it when they restock (took me 3-4 days when I did it)
http://www.powerbookmedic.com/Mac-Mini-Server-Bottom-Hard-Drive-Flex-Cable-p-20708.html

I can't find the pictures I took when I was modding the mini, but I think I will need to get into it soonish. I would take it apart, but I'm also using the mini as a server.

As for the modding itself, follow the videos to remove the hard-drive (you don't actually have to pull the logic board. The top hard drive comes out with some wiggling and is fairly easy to to put back).
Smooth of the bump of the flex cable so that the SATA cable can be plugged all the way in. Tape (electrical) the edged of the two cables together.
Instead of running the cable out between the power supply and the HDD, I ran mine through the small gap near the fan connector.
I had to cut just enough of the antenna plate and the black cover to get it out of the mini.

As you can see, the cable isn't very noticeable.
 

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filemeaway said:
This is false. The current generation minis cannot run Snow Leopard or any other previous version of OS X.

The actual working solution for using Front Row in Lion is to use Ralph Perdomo's Front Row Enabler for Lion
Click to expand...
Harsh man, what I said is not false... If you want to run Front Row in an Apple supported manner you must run Snow Leopard or older. Yes, it does require an older Mac Mini, hence my suggestion to the OP that he just buy an Apple TV since it would seem to meet many of the needs he mentioned.

The solution you present is non-supported and requires 3rd part hacking with the OS which is hardly comparable to running software that Apple is supporting. Also, the hack you mention requires files that are distributed without Apple's consent from Snow Leopard. It also requires downgrading the installed version of iTunes to enable features like music in Front Row.

Play nice, man... This is a friendly forum.
 
Well, got my mini!

Works great connected to my TV but have not yet been able to get a display showing while going through the Yamaha.

I do get the opening white screen with the Apple logo with activity indicator but it soon goes black.

I've turned everything off and rebooted in various orders but to no avail.

Any help?
 
DustinT said:
Yes, I agree with the above post. You should also consider an Apple TV which is Apple's idea of a HTPC.

By the way, in Lion, Apple removed Front Row, their 10' UI for tvs and remote control. So, you can use an older version of the OS if you want Front Row or you could look at something like Plex which powerusers tend to like. I think its overly complicated myself, but you should probably give it a try (free demo) and see if you like it.

If not, I say get an Apple TV. For the money, it's hard to beat.
Click to expand...

You can install Front Row on Mac OS X 10.7 see this video

http://youtu.be/p-nj8Sshfaw
 
jammingator said:
Well, got my mini!

Works great connected to my TV but have not yet been able to get a display showing while going through the Yamaha.

I do get the opening white screen with the Apple logo with activity indicator but it soon goes black.

I've turned everything off and rebooted in various orders but to no avail.

Any help?
Click to expand...

yeah mini to tv then tv to yamaha .


I have mini to tv then tv to processor.

your way is the hard way and many processors won't send the signal to the tv.
 
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