mini mac as a htpc

ryanrule said:
either one of these or a shuttle pc. is it feasable?
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There is a wider array of software available on the PC end for this.

There is EyeTV (ElGato Systems)

You'd also need to consider disk space and output options (no standard video out on mini, you could use DVI to an HDTV)
 
the mini is feasable, but there is far more hardware/software support on the windows side of things. As far as storage goes for the mini, it has firewire, and firewire drives range from 40gb all the way up to 1tb...lacie even makes one that looks like the mini and stacks under it. And the mini can do dvi or component output, so if you have an hd tv, you will be much better better served.


One word of warning though, stay away from ATI all-in-wonder products. The software is terrible and 3rd party software cannot access their hardware.
 
bahula03 said:
the mini is feasable, but there is far more hardware/software support on the windows side of things. As far as storage goes for the mini, it has firewire, and firewire drives range from 40gb all the way up to 1tb...lacie even makes one that looks like the mini and stacks under it. And the mini can do dvi or component output, so if you have an hd tv, you will be much better better served.


One word of warning though, stay away from ATI all-in-wonder products. The software is terrible and 3rd party software cannot access their hardware.
Click to expand...

Does the mac mini really have component output?
 
I just tried something last week. I used Mac The Ripper to rip the special edition of AKIRA from DVD to the Mini. I have it setup to save the file to an external 250GB USB drive. I then used the regular DVD Player that is included with OSX to play the file. It worked perfect...menu's, scene selections, everything. It was right about 6.20GB for the folder. I did a whole disc rip. Skipping to the next scene is very quick, and even more responsive than my Denon 2910 DVD player.

I haven't tried this on a HDTV yet, but I have plugged the Mini into my Mitsubishi 65" HDTV before with DVI and looked fine. So I'll see what movie playback is like.
 
Oh, one thing to consider. The Mini only has a regular stereo output jack. If you want digital, you'll have to get like an M-Audio USB or FIrewire adaptor that can output the Digital audio. Not all the adaptors are OSX compatible....most of the M-Audio stuff is.
 
Anyone interested in turning a Mini, (or any Mac), into a HTPC should REALLY visit this site:

Center Stage

It's an open source collaberation dedicated to turning hte Mini into a HTPC. They have ALL the answers. For remotes, audio, video, TV turners and etc, check out the Mac Extras section.

Be advised, you WILL be spending more to get this up and running vs a Wintel HTPC. As long as you're aware of that, should be a good project.
 
I really hope they upgrade the Mini on september 20th. It's an embarassment that it's not powerful enough for HD content!
 
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