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60 Comments
- ij00mini, on 10/12/2007, -1/+29Seems to be really slow with only 36 diggs, so....
The Apple TV has been out for less than a week and already the thing has been ripped, hacked and tweaked to do the things existing computers already do. Yes, the $300 price tag looks nice but if you’re like me and prefer convenience over confusion, then the Mac Mini might be perfect for you.
For the past couple weeks I’ve been building my own entertainment center using only a handful of tools and the outcome thus far has been more than pleasant. I wanted a set up that could download TV shows, rip movies and output at a crisp resolution … you know, like an AppleTV.
Now I would like to share the steps, equipment and software I went with to complete construction on my first media center and if it’s worth putting together over buying the AppleTV.
Hardware:
1. HDTV (recommended) - The Mac Mini has a maximum output of 1080i with the proper cabling. If you want to get the best screen resolution then you’re going to face up and get that new LCD you’ve been just dying to pick up. I got one here for under $800 and it looks very nice.
2. DVI to HDMI and Auxiliary converter cables - If your TV supports HDMI, use it. The DVI to HDMI converter cable will allow a maximum output of 1080i, you can take a look at some of them here and here. HDMI does support sound output, but because we are converting the video only you’re out of luck, that’s why you need the AUX converter/splitter cable-adapter. Hopefully your TV supports HDMI and sound in, otherwise you’ll have to pick up separate speakers.
3. Wireless keyboard and mouse - I went with the Apple bluetooth keyboard and a Logitech trackball mouse. Using the trackball eliminates any need for a mouse pad or hard surface, this way I can do all my computer stuff and still lay comfortably on my bed.
You can use a Wiimote as a mouse, but from a personal standpoint I have to say doing so is a waste of time and effort. But if you just have to, go here and learn every thing you need to know.
4. External Hard Drive (optional but highly recommended) - I picked up a Western Digital 500 Gig USB 2.0 for around $180. I am fully aware I could have built my own for cheaper but I just don’t want to deal with the extra hassle of it randomly failing on me. I just want stuff that works and have it come with a warranty.
5. The Mac Mini - Kind of obvious, I know.
Software:
1. Flip4Mac and Perian - WMV, XVID and other popular video support for the quicktime player. This makes it a whole lot easier to watch your downloaded shows in Front Row.
2. Drive-In - This is my recommended DVD ripper. It’s from the guys who created Flip4Mac and it’s still in Beta but offers some of the coolest features for DVD backups. Drive-In will back up your DVD to any desired directory and create a Drive-In file, a proprietary format that can only be played using the program, so pirating isn’t much of an issue. Just open the file after it rips and an emulated DVD will appear on your desktop. This way you can back up or save unwatched rented DVDs on your hard drive and watch them when you want without fear of late fees or rental retardedness*.
3. Transmission - Or your favorite BitTorrent program. So far this one has treated me the best so I am featuring it here.
4. Your choice of web browser with a homepage saved to your favorite TV Torrent site. Here is a quick list of some great ones that have done me no wrong.
And that’s it. I’ve had this particular Mac Mini set-up now for a little less than two weeks and am not missing cable TV one bit. In fact, I cannot imagine ever going back.
But please keep in mind, this by no means a cheap solution or perfect alternative to AppleTV but a setup that ends up falling somewhere in the middle. This entire project took me about a year to plan out, where I watched prices and tried to get all the best deals on most of the equipment. Obviously my main deterrent from getting the Mini right away was AppleTV’s cheap price but after such lackluster reviews and revelations of it’s limited potential, I am confident the Mac Mini is the way to go for any true movie or TV geek.
One last bit: Below is a picture of my external hard drive. With some velcro strips and a little love, I have hidden my ugly black hard drive from the world and attached it to th back of my TV. It’s probably the only real unique thing I did in building this sucker.
*Rental Retardedness
ren·tal re·tard·ed·ness
One’s inability to watch movies or shows rented from the store. Rental Retadedness normally results depletion of funds and lack of viewing pleasure. - jer2eydevil88, on 10/12/2007, -0/+17If you are using a Mac go into the display settings and turn off overscan which will make it fit all on the screen but won't take up the whole thing, then buy displayconfig x and use that for the right resolution of 1366x768 which should make your mac work perfectly.
If you are using a PC with Windows XP and an Nvidia card (sorry guys I haven't got any ATI to offer advice with) then go into the new Nvidia control panel and you should see an option for HD TV, this will let you resize your display to correct for the overscan. - metafore, on 10/12/2007, -5/+17"Service Temporarily Unavailable
The server is temporarily unable to service your request due to maintenance downtime or capacity problems. Please try again later."
Why that extra $300 might make your webhosting plan more practical. - robbh66, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8This author of this story really makes some retarded suggestions. Choosing a USB over a firewire drive, especially for streaming video, is nuts. I don't know anyone who would use a beta DVD ripper (that wont be free when released) when there's ton of better alternatives and he uses a silly "it prevents piracy" argument (hey, you already pirated the DVD by copying it! The only thing it prevents is you moving it in the future!). Finally transmission is a terrible bittorrent client which has been banned from a number of tracker sites- try Azureus instead.
- superkendall, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6The guy has the right idea but the article is full of kind of odd suggestions - for instance, using Drive In "Because you don't have to worry about piracy" but then installing a BitToreent client as the next item?
I have a Mac mini I also use for a home theater PC, here are my comments on his comments:
1) Resolution - If you go with a digital projector, you can support 1080p resolutions with a Mac mini (1080i and p are the same resolution wise, and if you use a DVI connection you are getting a progressive image). I would have sworn the mini would also do 1080p over an HDMI connection, I think I have done that with my laptop hooked to an HDTV.
2) Cables - I prefer running toslink audio to an amplifier. You have to look in some programs to configure them to use digital audio to get the full 5.1 sound (DVD player and EyeTV both have settings for this). As I said I use DVI to connect to a project but component would also work just about as well as HDMI for most uses.
3) I have the Apple wireless keyboard, and also the APple wireless mouse - I run that over the couch cushion and it works fine, there is no need for a flat surface. Were I buying again I would look at a Logitech bluetooth keyboard that also has a trackpad built in. Having a standalone mouse is good though because often you need nothing more than a mouse. Also a number of programs are hooked into Frontrow remote support, so you might even get away with that.
4) You want a reliable HD solution, but buy Western Digital? Buy an enclosure and stuff a Seagate in there man! That's not like building a PC from scratch. Furthermore I personally for optimium system performance would recommend a firewire drive, not USB 2.0. Less system overhead.
Also think about what happens if you loose that drive; if you are OK with that don't back it up. Otherwise start thinking about a second drive as well.
Missing from his list is
#5) Elgato device with EyeTV software - a hardware/software combo that provides DVR abilities for the Mac mini, can record OTA HD signals to disk. Really good software, well done.
Software:
1) Those sound good, I don't think I installed Perian specifically but anything that gets DiVX into Quicktime directly is useful.
2) No way I'm taking all the effort to rip video into something that is not easily transcoded to other formats or devices. I still think Handbrake is really good, there is a new spinoff project from that I forget the name of. I don't bother doing this much myself, I mostly just watch DVD's from the drive itself.
3) I still use Azureus but a lot of people seem to like transmission.
4) No opinion, I dont use 'em. I only download the occasional hard to find thing from bittorrent.
Other software? Look at Democracy, and Media Central. - johnstar, on 10/12/2007, -11/+16I like mythtv better!
- fanboydcs, on 10/12/2007, -11/+16except my tv hates DVI connections. I like most people have a LCD that has two HDMI inputs and component. I do not have a DVI input. So I bought a DVI to hdmi adapter, well this works great except the top and bottom of my screen is cut off. My screen is a sharp that has a resolution of 1366x768 but the HDMI port is only capable of handling 1280x720, so the computer can not give the screen the correct image. So I get the top and bottom of my screen cut off. I have tried everything, like switchresx but nothing will fix this, because my tv overscans the 1280x720 image to 1366x768.
If I had a appletv I will never have this problem, I cant add a hdmi port to my mac mini! - Antialias, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5There is a hack for Apple TV that already adds Xvid support
- KibibyteBrain, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Its true that basically now the Apple TV is a fully functional low end Mac Mini with an HDMI port and no built in optical drive after hacking. However, the main difference between them is memory. The Apple TV has 256 MB of direct soldered RAM. So if thats not enough for everything you want to do with it, get a mini, else, the TV is fine for you!(it can do everything you mentioned above after hacking)
- geekee, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6Logical fallacy - False dilemma.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_dilemma - lolgamoff, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4This guy wants to use Drive-In? that is so stupid, he should use Handbrake (or other comparable software) to rip only the movie file or if he feels he needs the image, then he should just copy the image instead of using some proprietary format. .mp4 has worked great for me, and i have ripped around 40 DVDs with handbrake. It works great. I would recommend against using Drive-In.
However, i do think Transmission is the best free torrent app, as i haven't found anything better. and it is so simple. - iheartbeer, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Not gonna happen. Apple won't sell as many TV shows if they allow the average joe customer the option of getting them free via DVR.
Aside from that, nobody cares when or what you're gonna buy. - Applemacmad, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5With a little effort, the Apple TV OS can be run on an Intel Mac, so if you have one already, you don't need to spend anything
- NinjaBoy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5The only place in my house you will find windows installed (out of 8 computers) is on my htpc. Gaming on an hdtv = sweetness.
- Iwantawii, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5Wow nice article. I'm going to do this with my old PowerBook 12" that has been replaced by an MBP (PB not really worth too much these days and I don't like the hassle of selling things) using this setup. I'm new to media center and especially OSX media center. What sorts of software would you gents recommend?
- Rkstar, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3ack... i meant to say EyeTV Hybrid... not 250. I don't know what I was thinking.
- Rkstar, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3@superkendall:
you hit almost all of the points i was going to make. So here's my suggestions on top of those-
- At the time I set up my Mac Mini, Perian was the only intel-native DiVX decoder out there. My Mini wouldn't play a lot of my other movies. Might there be something better now?
- I want to second going for Seagate over Western Digital. I got a sweet 750GB drive over at macsales.com
- And yeah, macs only output progressive signals. The only way you'd see a 1080i picture is if it's a 1080p signal going into a 1080i TV.
- If your TV has DVI, go for a DVI cable instead of DVI->HDMI.
- A downside to firewire over usb is the fact that mini's have only one firewire port, with 4 USB 2.0. If I wanted to make the screen a giant video chat box with an iSight Camera, the firewire drive may get in the way. Obviously, go for the one that works best for you. But just on performance alone, Firewire is better.
- I recommend the EyeTV 250 for tv video in. - zioxide, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Yeah, an Elgato EyeTV Hybrid should definitely be added to this list. It will turn the Mini into a DVR so you can record OTA HDTV.
- turbodigg, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3coral cache got it.
http://nextlust.com.nyud.net:8080/a-mac-mini-or-an-appletv-why-that-extra-300-might-make-your-day - joel8x, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I'll second that minus the sarcasm. My wife can and does use our Comcast DVR, but she never even touches the media center Mac Mini (even though Front Row is easy enough and my 7 year old uses it). I have no need to rip stuff directly off my TV - if its a movie I want to watch more than once it'll get Handbraked. If its a TV show (which I don't watch a whole hell of lot of), it will most likely come out on DVD anyway and be of much better quality. It really is all about setting up what works for you and your family. As of now the Mac Mini with Front Row is absolutely perfect for my situation, as I put all of my kid's movies on it so I don't have to worry about ruined DVD's anymore. It streams all of my music from my server flawlessly, as well as pictures from my Macs. I have a USB external hard drive to store the movies on it and it works perfectly - there is no reason to bash USB and say Firewire is better, because it doesn't matter since USB 2.0 works. There's no stuttering or lag. I would also suggest a Harmony remote for anyone out there doing this, which you can program to mimmick the Apple remote's functions as well as control the TV at the same time.
- johnpaul191, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2$2,000?!?!
hmmm the Mac Mini is Intel powered and cost $599.
i don't think they were suggesting a Mac Pro or a MacBook Pro. - Antialias, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2They aren't saying there aren't other options. Just saying that given the choice between using a mini or AppleTV, the mini might be a better option.
- plasmadis, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Sorry this won't help with the Mac Mini, but for the PC ppl, I have an ATI Radeon X1300 running to my Sony Bravia 26" LCD, which displays 1366x768 also. With the latest ATI drivers, it displays perfectly at 1360x768. I lose 3 pixels at either side, but oh well.
- kris33, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2None of them works on private trackers. That makes them useless, atleast for me.
- mediaphile, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3@robbh66:
i agree with your first couple points, but Transmission is a great thin bittorrent client with a great interface, and i have no trouble downloading with it. i've heard about it's being banned, but i've never come across this effect, and i do quite a bit of traffic. Azureus' features are great, but the java aspect of it just kills me. Bits on Wheels would be my suggestion for a compromise between the two. sweet interface with good features. - joel8x, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1It's not really for doing work so-to-speak, but if you need to do something maintenance related (like setting up a DVD to rip or downloading content), I personally use VNC to control the Mini and do that stuff from my laptop.
- diulei, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I got my Intel Mac Mini as an HTPC on Craigslist brand new, still in the plastic with 9 months left on the warranty, for $380.
Not much of a dilemma to me at all. - ahmerhussain, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Mac Mini> Apple TV (or at least until Xvid support
- esquilax, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1replied to the post instead of a thread, digg down.
- superkendall, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1The Mac mini will always be more flexible than an AppleTV, but then it's also more expensive and is larger (and can have way more memory). Both have a place but if you are really wanting a whole complex media PC setup the mini will probably better suit your needs. An AppleTV for a TV in a different room would be an awesome idea though...
- michaelb1, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3When Apple TV has a sweet and FREE Tivo like DVR interface I will buy one.
- esquilax, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@mediaphile: Just because Transmission has worked for you doesn't mean it's not having a deleterious effect on the tracker you're using. The authors of Transmission say they're fixing this problem in 0.7, though.
- bubba., on 10/12/2007, -0/+1its dreamhost, what do you expect?
- dugem1, on 01/26/2008, -0/+1That's great find
http://www.nasavo.com
http://www.nasavo.com/acne
http://www.nasavo.com/forex
http://car.nasavo.com
http://www.jurugan.com
http://health.jurugan.com
http://www.vrid.net
http://laptop.vrid.net
http://projector.vrid.net
http://tire.vrid.net
http://hyip.ej.am
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http://health.bryansoft.com
http://hyipnews.freehostia.com
http://hyipnews.freehostia.com/hyip - michaelb1, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"Not gonna happen. Apple won't sell as many TV shows if they allow the average joe customer the option of getting them free via DVR. "
I disagree. They would sell A LOT more AppleTV hardware. They don't make any real money off selling TV shows. Its the hardware sales that bring in the money.
Its the iPod model. - lindapuzhgena, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Perfect! I'm not impressed. Not even a bit. http://fishtalks.blogspot.com
- LeeSoong, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1What CPU is in the AppleTV?
And does the www.elgato.com eyeTV Hybrid work on the AppleTV?
eyeTV Hybrid = 2 digital tuners feed into software running on computer.
eyeTV 250 = Hardware MPEG-2 Compression, works even with slower computer,
because the data goes in the USB 2.0 port ALREADY compressed.,, - macfanboi, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3Your Mac wasn't meant to do those kinds of things. Face it. Don't try to do something that Mr Jobs hasn't approved himself. For all other things get a PC.
- torifile, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Mac mini + democracy player + feedburner. End of story. If you've got the cash the mini is the way to go.
- griz, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1"This way you can back up or save unwatched rented DVDs on your hard drive and watch them when you want without fear of late fees or rental retardedness*."
Just a tad illegal. You don't own it, so it's not a backup. Even if you own it, it's illegal, but at least a bit less questionable. - kwimia, on 10/11/2007, -0/+0Beautiful! I dont get it.
- PacoDG, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2Best article ive read about the AppleTV @ http://digg.com/gaming_news/Why_a_100_XBox_can_be_better_than_the_Apple_TV
- navvvv, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Transmission is good.
I used to use XTorrent whilst it was beta and free, but am now experimenting with new Torrent clients, I used to use Tomato Torrent, its basic but it works, albeit with quite a few annoyances. Another good option is BitRocket... - toddji, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Drop the BT mouse & keyboard.. For me, they were useless farther than 10ft away. I just use VNC to control "complex operations" from my laptop. For simpler stuff, I use the "ATI Remote Wonder II" RF remote control. You can control the mouse via its direction pad, and assign operations to all of its buttons. It works great for starting apps, and controlling things like MythFrontend.
Also, rather than using an external hard drive with your HTPC (noise, heat, cables, mess), use a network drive. Either on a Linux server, like I do, or hang a disk off the new Airport Extreme (100Mbps ethernet only) or go for a D-Link DNS-323 dual SATA drive NAS with Gig-E port. - Topher06, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Yeah a DVR that can record all those OTA HD-PBS stations. Honestly, there isn't any decent OTA HD content, if any, in many areas.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Topher I hope you are ashamed of being such a tit.
- mombof, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0one other thought... noone ever mentions how much of a pain it is to make fonts readable on a 1920x1280 screen. Sure you can increase the font size but all apps don't use the same fonts for each menu. So in effect your title of the app may be readble but when you open the "options" or "preferences" menu it's all different. That doesn't work so well from 6' - 12' feet from your TV.
- giddytonk, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2Site down? Go ahead, make my day.
- Ultiman, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I suppose I'll just stick with my Comcastic (*sarcasm*) dvr until someone comes up with a better solution that doesn't cost an arm and a leg and requires cracking open a new product to mod it.
- NextLust, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0"It's not really for doing work so-to-speak, but if you need to do something maintenance related (like setting up a DVD to rip or downloading content), I personally use VNC to control the Mini and do that stuff from my laptop."
I pretty much do the same, just with Apple Remote Desktop. It works perfect when I need to download a show from home but am stuck at work, that way the new South Park and LOST are already waiting for me when I get home. -
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