MacMini as a media centre, opinions?

[DoFoT9]

This has been a really informative thread. Combined with another thread, it's kept me from purchasing the Mini Server Edition. I thought the extra "beef" of that system would be worth the $300, but I'm seeing here that the base model will meet my needs.

I'm currently using the PS3 to play my video files. Will the video quality be drastically different with the Mini?

Thanks for the help.

if you were using PS3 Media Server to stream files from your computer to your PS3 in an uncompressed format then no, there wont be much loss in quality. if you were converting them in some manner for PS3 compatible files then yeh the mini will play them a lot better in a sense.

 

[bookgov]

I use the 2010 mac mini as my media center, hooked up to a 40-inch sony bravia. It works pretty wonderfully. I don't have a receiver or fancy speakers or anything, and so the set-up was very easy: plug it into your TV.

3TB External hooked up. 1080p looks great. I HIGHLY recommend, if you're going to set it up in the living room for the family, that you pimp out the desktop a bit. Make it nice. Get rid of all those drives on the desktop. Hide that stuff on the bottom, and make like 5 or 6 really big icons for the apps you'll use most. put them right in the middle of the screen.

I've read around that people have trouble reading the web when the resolution is set to 1080p--it definitely takes a little getting used to, but it's easy to switch back and forth if your eyes can't handle it. That's my only real complaint (besides the $).

As others have mentioned here, a tech-challenged spouse can be a little problematic as well. I've had to show her how to get to Hulu about a dozen times--and this is something she does on her own computer quite a bit. I think the fact that it's all happening in the living room on a big tv is a little surreal.

I've had a lot of fun playing around with Plex and Boxee. I definitely prefer Boxee. The aesthetics, the ease of set-up, Clickr, Youtube, NBA apps, etc.--Boxee is the bomb.

Still, I find myself simply playing files from finder more than anything else. I had purchased a PS3 to act as my media center. The only reason it hasn't ended up on eBay is because of blu-ray and because old-fashioned hard media DVDs look a little better on it.

 

[Rad]

10.6.6

Everything was great until I updated from 10.6.4 to 10.6.6, now nothing (such as XMBC) can play without jerkiness 1080P mks or MKV files, or even H.264 in iTunes.

 

[chris98vf]

Everything was great until I updated from 10.6.4 to 10.6.6, now nothing (such as XMBC) can play without jerkiness 1080P mks or MKV files, or even H.264 in iTunes.

I've been looking forward to making an HTPC out of a mini. This scares me a little. I hope that gets fixed and fast.

 

[acribb]

I've been looking forward to making an HTPC out of a mini. This scares me a little. I hope that gets fixed and fast.

Currently, only 10.6.3 handles VDA (hardware) GPU decoding. Any OS higher than that can give stuttering, especially on uncompressed Bluray. I setup two partitions on my 2010 Mac mini, one with 10.6.6(tested with 10.6.5 also) and one with 10.6.3. 10.6.3 plays everything flawlessly and with minimal CPU use. 10.6.6 is fawked. There is a lot more info on this in the XBMC forums if you're interested. I run 10.6.3 and update everything else except the OS without issue.

 

[docderwood]

Currently, only 10.6.3 handles VDA (hardware) GPU decoding. Any OS higher than that can give stuttering, especially on uncompressed Bluray. I setup two partitions on my 2010 Mac mini, one with 10.6.6(tested with 10.6.5 also) and one with 10.6.3. 10.6.3 plays everything flawlessly and with minimal CPU use. 10.6.6 is fawked. There is a lot more info on this in the XBMC forums if you're interested. I run 10.6.3 and update everything else except the OS without issue.

I really wished I would have investigated first before purchasing the Macmini for a HTPC. My Macbook pro does a far better job of playing back MKV files, in fact the Macmini is useless at playing back 10% of them due to stuttering etc (via PLEX/XMBC/VLC).

 

[FireWire2]

I really wished I would have investigated first before purchasing the Macmini for a HTPC. My Macbook pro does a far better job of playing back MKV files, in fact the Macmini is useless at playing back 10% of them due to stuttering etc (via PLEX/XMBC/VLC).

That was what I afraid off - cost me much $$$ and headache, where I pick up a TVIX for $200.00 I'm set, no more worry about codec, OS, player software, version, ect...

 

[ReggaeFire]

That was what I afraid off - cost me much $$$ and headache, where I pick up a TVIX for $200.00 I'm set, no more worry about codec, OS, player software, version, ect...

Heh, yes, you only need to worry about what Dvico breaks with each firmware update. Until they stop updating the firmware without fixing anything.

Actually I loved my Tvix, it's just wasn't quite as versatile.

 

[Primejimbo]

This is a great threat!
I want to go this route. Here is my idea and please let me know if I can add stuff. I got an AT2 for Christmas and really like it a lot. My 1 issue is I need to have my Macbook open to stream movies (I know there are apps to I can close it without it being sleep). So I thought, get a MacMini for movies and Media because movies are starting to take up room on my hard drive also on my Macbook. Then thought well if i did that, I can just use the MacMini as an Apple TV on my 46inch Samsung, and move the AT2 to the bedroom to watch movie and Netflix.

Now what is the difference between the MacMini and MacMini Server? Can I use the Apple remote on the MacMini? I Saw an IR sensor on the MacMini Server but not on the MacMini.

What resolution settings should I set my MacMini at on a 46inch TV 1080P?

Would it hurt it if I kept it on all the time, or is there some way to remotely turn it on from a different room?
That's all the questions I have for now. Thanks

 

[TheHoff]

This is a great threat!
I want to go this route. Here is my idea and please let me know if I can add stuff. I got an AT2 for Christmas and really like it a lot. My 1 issue is I need to have my Macbook open to stream movies (I know there are apps to I can close it without it being sleep). So I thought, get a MacMini for movies and Media because movies are starting to take up room on my hard drive also on my Macbook. Then thought well if i did that, I can just use the MacMini as an Apple TV on my 46inch Samsung, and move the AT2 to the bedroom to watch movie and Netflix.

Now what is the difference between the MacMini and MacMini Server? Can I use the Apple remote on the MacMini? I Saw an IR sensor on the MacMini Server but not on the MacMini.

What resolution settings should I set my MacMini at on a 46inch TV 1080P?

Would it hurt it if I kept it on all the time, or is there some way to remotely turn it on from a different room?
That's all the questions I have for now. Thanks

I went this route, too. I got an AppleTV2 as a gift and liked the possibilities it had but not the actual function of the device. It couldn't stream Netflix for one, and having another Mac open as a media server open was a PiTA (for laptop owners, especially) was another. So I bought a Mac Mini.

You probably don't want a server version; you end up overpaying for the hard drives. The server version doesn't have a DVD drive and instead has two 2.5" hard drives. That can be great if you're going to do the surgery to swap them both out but you might as well do that surgery on the non-server version, too. Stick to the cheaper one and remove the DVD if you want.

Instead of relying on the Mini for storage, I'm using a Linux web server in the office as a media server over appletalk protocols. The Mini stays on all the time; no real reason to turn it off except to save the minimal power draw it has.

All Minis can use remotes (I use a Harmony remote, not the cheesy Apple one) and it will automatically set it self to 1080p when connected via HDMI. I would be concerned though if you intend to play 1080p blu-ray rips -- the larger they are, the more difficulty the Mini is reported as having playing them smoothly. I don't have 1080p so it isn't a concern to me.

 

[talmy]

Now what is the difference between the MacMini and MacMini Server?

The mini server is great if you want full server functionality, but it is difficult to set up. You would be much better off with a regular mini. You can always add external drives for extra capacity.

Can I use the Apple remote on the MacMini? I Saw an IR sensor on the MacMini Server but not on the MacMini.

Yes. For really fantastic IR remote use, get a Logitech Harmony, run Plex on the mini and configure Plex for the Harmony and the Harmony for Plex. That enables many more buttons than you get from the Apple remote which makes a program like Plex easier to use.

Would it hurt it if I kept it on all the time, or is there some way to remotely turn it on from a different room?

It wouldn't hurt, but does consume electricity. You can enable wake-on-lan in the mini and if you have an Airport Extreme router (or I guess a Time Capsule might work) the mini will wake on access attempts.

I use a mini server as a server which runs 24/7 (it has no keyboard or display, and 4.5TB in external drives) and a couple of basic minis as entertainment centers in two rooms. Both run Plex, sleep when not in use, and store no media. I use Plex's media server software which works great for this.

 

[TheHoff]

I use a mini server as a server which runs 24/7 (it has no keyboard or display, and 4.5TB in external drives) and a couple of basic minis as entertainment centers in two rooms. Both run Plex, sleep when not in use, and store no media. I use Plex's media server software which works great for this.

Are your Minis all connected via wired 1gb ethernet? How big of a file can you play in Plex before you see some lag?

 

[Xjax]

My 3 cents

I've had good luck with a stock 2010 2.4GHz mini as a HTPC. It's much smaller and quieter than the shuttle PC it replaced ;-)

If you like to keep your Blu Rays and DVDs backed up in ISO format you can stream DVD ISOs over a good wireless connection. For Blu Rays you'll want wired GigE or a really fast N connection. I just started playing with a Cisco/Linksys E4200 and though I've not yet tested Blu Ray streaming it is showing serious throughput (1GB/min i.e. 133Mb/s when transferring a file from NAS to an iMac). Also recently tested a Netgear NAV5001 powerline ethernet bridge and it's reporting ~173Mbps up/160Mbps between the outlets at opposite ends of the house. This device should work well for attaching a HTPC in an area without CAT5e/6 or fast wireless N.

A nice software configuration is to use Bootcamp to split the drive into two partitions and then dual boot Windows 7. An external Blu Ray drive can then be used from Windows to backup or play DVDs and Blu Rays. Slysoft AnyDVD HD will enable you to backup your DVDs and Blu Rays to ISO and the Virtual CloneDrive will let you mount ISOs from network shares or local drives. Cyberlink's PowerDVD does a nice job of playing both DVDs and Blu Rays from a network share or the optical drive.

I've not yet had the ability to test the multi-channel audio capabilities but I've found that PowerDVD does a fine job with the video. No noticeable dropped frames or jitter.

Plex and XBMC work well for DVD playback from both the MacOS and Windows 7 partitions.

A good keyboard for this application is an Adesso WKB-3000UB which is shaped nicely for working from a sofa and it has a trackball. The apple keyboard and mouse are not ideal for a tv room/theater but you can get by with them for a bit. I've experimented with using the iPad as a keyboard and mouse but it's not as good experience as a keyboard/trackball combo.

I too suffer from being the middleman when others want to watch movies. Nirvana might be be something like Plex or XBMC that could be left on and could playback everything and be easily controlled with a small universal remote. Unfortunately I'm left to dual-boot and tinker in order to use different disc types.

I may try upgrading the local drive to an SSD for near instantaneous boots but for anyone not inclined toward tinkering or spending too much money I really don't think it's necessary to upgrade the stock machine. It draws very little power and comes to life quickly so the benefits/cost for this application are questionable.

Sorry for the long post.

 

[Primejimbo]

Thanks everyone for the tips and advice. Now it's a waiting game for a refurbished Mac Mini on Apple.com

A good keyboard for this application is an Adesso WKB-3000UB which is shaped nicely for working from a sofa and it has a trackball. The apple keyboard and mouse are not ideal for a tv room/theater but you can get by with them for a bit. I've experimented with using the iPad as a keyboard and mouse but it's not as good experience as a keyboard/trackball combo.

I was thinking about a Magic Trackpad and the Wireless keyboard form Apple for this set up.

 

[Uofmtiger]

To use MacMini as a Media Center, I think it's a little waste of $...
On top of that you have to load all the codec in order to play container such as: MKV, TS, M2TS, BD.ISO, RMVB, FLAC, AVI, RMV, OGG...

It's not simple as everyone wants...

I would use MacMini as Media Server with additional external five drives RAID5 to it, use it to rip/ convert/encode all the media and stream media content to HD media players such as: DUNE BASE, DUNE prime, TVIX

Those HD media players already built-in all the codec, it will play almost anything.

Please note MacMini will not support DTS-HD and True-HD sound, where HD player does

I think in this situation, it would be worth grabbing the cheapest Dune for playing high def tracks and use the mini for everything else. I will have to research the Dune on Avsforum to see if it works as advertised.

 

[talmy]

Are your Minis all connected via wired 1gb ethernet? How big of a file can you play in Plex before you see some lag?

No. The mini server is connected via 1gb ethernet to two of the iMacs and the PC, as well as the router and AirPort Extreme. Both mini "entertainment centers" connect via WiFi. I only see lag problems intermittently, probably caused by interference. I don't save ISOs but convert to H264.

 

[Primejimbo]

Well I did it. Got a Mac Mini.
I got a new one, not a refurbished one. I went to Microcenter and they had the new one on sale for $50 less than the one at Apple, and $50 more than the refurbished one. I turned it down.
I went to the Apple Store that was in the mall where I needed more stuff. I was talking to the sales guy at the Apple store and told him about the Microcenter deal. He said "I'll match that" I said I work for a company that gets discounts also. He gave me the discount on top of that. So I ended up paying $20 more than a refurbished one. I also got a free printer that I don't need and a friend bought for $70.
I know I should have waited for the new one, but I am really happy and so far so good and it's doing what I want it too.

 

[Benjamins]

To use MacMini as a Media Center, I think it's a little waste of $...
On top of that you have to load all the codec in order to play container such as: MKV, TS, M2TS, BD.ISO, RMVB, FLAC, AVI, RMV, OGG...

If you have a retiring Mac mini, install XBMC on it, you'll be surprised.