for those who own an appletv, do you reckon you might consider buying a mac mini with leopard in october to replace the appletv......the new front row is exactly like the appletv's interface....i would be tempted....
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mac mini with leopard v appleTV
- Thread starter nlivo
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I already have a apple tv, and wanted another one for upstairs. Instead of buying an apple tv I decided to go the mac mini route.
The mac mini will sit downstairs and the apple tv will go upstairs.
The reasons behind purchasing the mac mini were it can play dvds as well, and you also have an extra mac for future use.
I payed an extra £160 for the mac mini over the price of an apple tv, so for me it is well worth it.
And as you say when leopard comes out, the interface will be identical for the two which will be good.
The mac mini will sit downstairs and the apple tv will go upstairs.
The reasons behind purchasing the mac mini were it can play dvds as well, and you also have an extra mac for future use.
I payed an extra £160 for the mac mini over the price of an apple tv, so for me it is well worth it.
And as you say when leopard comes out, the interface will be identical for the two which will be good.
I bought a mac mini a month ago on this premise. However i'd note that i've not been able to get a useful resolution working on my lcd tv. I've tried both analog D-15 connection and hdmi, and whilst i get a widescreen res with hdmi, it's either smaller than the overall display or if i switch on overscan the desktop doesn't fit.
I know there's a couple of tools to generate custom resolutions, but they need a lot of time and patience. This is not a problem with appletv as far as i'm aware. It's just plug-in and go.
Currently my macpro is back with Apple so the mini is standing in for the desktop. That's a major plus point, as it's an excellent back up machine and with a wireless keyboard and mouse it's nice to browse web/have widgets on my tv.
Cheers
Michael
I know there's a couple of tools to generate custom resolutions, but they need a lot of time and patience. This is not a problem with appletv as far as i'm aware. It's just plug-in and go.
Currently my macpro is back with Apple so the mini is standing in for the desktop. That's a major plus point, as it's an excellent back up machine and with a wireless keyboard and mouse it's nice to browse web/have widgets on my tv.
Cheers
Michael
I have a mini connected to my TV. To me it has the following advantages over the AppleTV route:
1. It can run stand-alone, i.e. it doesn't need another machine with all the iTunes and TV shows on running at the same time.
2. I can connect an Elagto eyeTV Digital TV receiver so I can run the mini and a PVR
3. It is a great back-up machine.
Mini all the way!
1. It can run stand-alone, i.e. it doesn't need another machine with all the iTunes and TV shows on running at the same time.
2. I can connect an Elagto eyeTV Digital TV receiver so I can run the mini and a PVR
3. It is a great back-up machine.
Mini all the way!
Consider MediaCentral
I would definitely recommend a mini, especially now with the new C2D processor, which I happen to be proud owner of. Add then $29 for a license of MediaCentral (from Equinux), and you have hardware/software much more capable than AppleTV or Frontrow. It plays virtually any file format (incl. VIDEO_TS folders), it is operated with Apple remote, it is integrated with iTunes and iPhoto, etc. With AppleTV, you are limited to playing 720p material at the best and only certain "Apple approved" file formats.
Mike, I have my mini connected via a DVI-HDMI cable to my Sony 46X2000 LCD, and the mini outputs the native 1920x1080 resolution, no problems.
Yepp, mini all the way!
I would definitely recommend a mini, especially now with the new C2D processor, which I happen to be proud owner of. Add then $29 for a license of MediaCentral (from Equinux), and you have hardware/software much more capable than AppleTV or Frontrow. It plays virtually any file format (incl. VIDEO_TS folders), it is operated with Apple remote, it is integrated with iTunes and iPhoto, etc. With AppleTV, you are limited to playing 720p material at the best and only certain "Apple approved" file formats.
Mike, I have my mini connected via a DVI-HDMI cable to my Sony 46X2000 LCD, and the mini outputs the native 1920x1080 resolution, no problems.
Yepp, mini all the way!
Do you like MediaCentral? I always thought that there was too much going on there and you lost the simplicity of FrontRow. I use Remote Buddy which works great as a bridge between FrontRow and EyeTV software. If I want to do anything more advanced then I use Remote Desktop for setting a recording etc...
I agree FrontRow is simpler, but that is also a main disadvantage: it doesn't fulfil my needs.
I tested a number of media center softwares, both for OSX and XP/Vista, and came to the conclusion that MediaCentral was the best compromise in terms of cost, stability, features, ease of use, etc. There are a few things in Vista MediaCenter I really like, but also a lot of issues. The same is true for other softwares.
You can customize the interface of MediaCentral, remove the features you do not use, change the order of menu items, customize the colors, etc.
I stream video, photos, music from my NAS to the mini, and then to the TV/receiver. Works great!
I tested a number of media center softwares, both for OSX and XP/Vista, and came to the conclusion that MediaCentral was the best compromise in terms of cost, stability, features, ease of use, etc. There are a few things in Vista MediaCenter I really like, but also a lot of issues. The same is true for other softwares.
You can customize the interface of MediaCentral, remove the features you do not use, change the order of menu items, customize the colors, etc.
I stream video, photos, music from my NAS to the mini, and then to the TV/receiver. Works great!
The principal advantages of the Mini are:
1. Internal DVD player
2. It's a real computer
3. It'll take a larger internal hard drive
4. It can do 1080i
5. It can take and EyeTV unit
6. It can be used with DVI, VGA, S-video or composite devices
It's principal disadvantage is that it only has 802.11g.
1. Internal DVD player
2. It's a real computer
3. It'll take a larger internal hard drive
4. It can do 1080i
5. It can take and EyeTV unit
6. It can be used with DVI, VGA, S-video or composite devices
It's principal disadvantage is that it only has 802.11g.