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Apple TV vs. Mac mini - Which one is right for you?

theappleblog.com — A side-by-side comparison of the benefits and drawbacks of using the Apple TV or Mac mini as a home entertainment system.

Who dugg this? Made popular Jan 16, 2007

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  • UGM2099, on 10/12/2007, -1/+39@Terc Did you add the 2.66 Core Duo yourself?
  • Shpigford, on 09/02/2009, -5/+33I wouldn't say it's irrelevant. It's a comparison based on specs. The article doesn't claim anything besides that.
  • fishbert, on 10/12/2007, -7/+30Are these my only two options?
  • scoot2006, on 10/12/2007, -2/+24Doesn't have:
    - Divx support
    - Xvid support
    - wmv support
    - PVR functionality
    - 1080p support
    - dvd drive
    - external storage options (can't find the link now, but a mac rep says the usb port is for service only)

    I choose mac mini. Might take a little longer to set up and have it working as a PVR, but external storage options and nearly unlimited format options are great.
  • KibibyteBrain, on 10/12/2007, -0/+20@rasterbator: Q-Tips are not marketed for use with ears, but does that stop that from being their primary area of use?
  • martin308, on 10/30/2007, -5/+25of course they are, what are you crazy!
  • jjk5, on 10/12/2007, -0/+18@UGM2099

    He'd have to invent it first. A 2.66GHz Core Duo doesn't even exist. I'm sure he means 1.66GHz, but even adding 1GB of ram to that brings it over 650.
  • moisie, on 10/12/2007, -12/+26It's kind of irrelevant until people have had a chance to review and use the Apple TV.
  • pr0t0, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9Very intriguing. I am interested in your views and would like to subscribe to your newsletter. In the interim...got a link to that video?
  • goat2, on 10/12/2007, -10/+18Neither.
  • zSlider, on 10/12/2007, -2/+10Old slashdot habits die hard. I apologize to the Digg Community.
  • Samsong, on 10/12/2007, -3/+9http://duggmirror.com/apple/Apple_TV_vs_Mac_mini_Which_one_is_right_for_you/
  • etjazz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6Pick the mini, but I would wait for Apple to update the mini. Currently it´s not very good value, and the upgrade should be just around the corner
  • RealityCheque, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7But it cannot handle most HD content.
  • N1XUK, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5If you are going the route of a mac mini, please please buy from apple refurb online store! within 2-3months of any updated product all the old versions and 1st gen current ones are for sale!
  • geekdreams, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5I use an app called DisplayConfigX to get my Mac mini to display at native resolution on my LCD TV/monitor. Highly recommended.
  • XSforMe, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7XBMC is the way to if you want a decent media system. It is both cheap and extremely versatile.
  • Terc, on 10/12/2007, -11/+16I already picked the Mac Mini. Come on, 2.66 Core Duo, 1GB RAM for $650? in a box the size of most external hard drives? Yes please.
  • Fedge, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6It comes to $647 with a student discount.
  • taintparty, on 10/12/2007, -6/+11AppleTV = DRM head for the living room, basically a screen-less iPod. Also a good friend to the RIAA and MPAA.
    MacMini = small computer.

    Not much of a comparison there.....
  • cliffzdude, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6How the FSCK is MSFT 2nd to the market? They're in that space right now. This second. Apple TV is just a glint on the horizon. XBox 360 has Hight Def downloads as well as regular 480p content, ~and~ can stream media from any XP box with any UPnP server installed.


  • firemillen2, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7Apple TV is dead on arrival. Send this sucker back, waiter. It's not done.
  • MetalUnderShock, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5A Mac Mini with a 1.66 Ghz Core Duo and 1 GB Ram would run about $675. Still a great deal however.
  • Rkstar, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4The mini is so much better, I almost wonder if Apple came out with the TV to get geeks like us talking about how great the mini is for a home media center. I use one myself... it is great. Just the fact it's another fast computer is benefit enough.
  • vanscott, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Storage space aside. This is easily solved by software and a firewire connection to a set-top box which most people already own. From the front page yesterday http://www.digg.com/apple/Cable_Mac_Firewire_HD_DVR

    I've had a mac mini connected to my HDTV with a BT keyboard and mouse for the past 8 months I originally bought it to replace my dvd player which didn't fit well on my tv stand. I never thought it it would transform the way I watch TV and browse the internet. I've been experimenting with different resolutions and going back and forth between DVI and VGA connections. Its difficult to get the full screen utilized when connected via HDMI and turning-off overscan however the image is HD as far as I'm concerned. I'll try setting up the DVR connection to my set top box sometime this week.

    Above all this is to play with, apple TV will make everything too easy to use, I have more fun when I get to goof around with things. I'll be keeping my mac mini
  • windhawk, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Using a Mac Mini. I put VLC on it and connected it using a DVI-HDMI cable to my Samsung 50" 720p. Audio goes out the back end using a 1/8th plug to RCA. It Looks great, sounds great, and works great as a media hub.

    Despite adding a wireless KB and mouse though, this makes for an under-utilized computer, that is why I was interested in the AppleTV, but the Mini handles DivX and XviD very well and at 720p doesn't break a sweat. I can also play my movies from overseas using the DVD drive (despite foreign region coding) again, using VLC.

    The best thing after using VLC media player is access to the NAS to pull pictures into the slide show using Front Row. The wife really likes how stunning the slide shows look on a 50" plasma screen.

    I'd say that the Mac Mini is the better, more flexible, more capable, media hub. Sorry AppleTV.
  • geekdreams, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I see it as basically another iPod/iTunes accessory, like the iPod Hi-Fi and the Airport Express. It'll make a few bucks from a handful of people, but it won't be a huge product for Apple (unless they add more/better features at some point).
  • cjschmidt, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Ok, let's ignore the Mac vs. PC debate. MCE is cool and MythTV rocks, but Apple is the first company to make hardware small enough, quite enough, and clean enough for me to want it in my livingroom. I know there are HTPC cases out there, but honestly, they all look like ***** or are trying so hard to not look like *****, that they have looped back in on themselves - creating a whole new way to look like *****. So what if you can build a beige-box PC and do the same thing for two nickels and a box of cheerios. Cram that thing into a 6.5"x6.5" box that's 2" high and runs near-silent and I'll buy you a pint. HTPCs still aren't practical or pleasent in most circumstances. But the MacMini can run MCE, Myth, or FrontRow, so it wins in my book.
  • diggzoid, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3A handy little article; this caught my eye: "Keep in mind that the Apple TV can play anything an iPod can. It is effectively a headless 40GB iPod with an HDMI out."
  • nosoup4u, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3ThrillSeeker

    I believe the optical outputs on the back can do 5.1 surround. Whether or not the decoding is built in is yet to be seen.
  • KissTheRing, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I love my XBMC, but there are 2 things I don't like about it a mac mini could do, first there isn't an easy way to remotely turn it on (still mac mini can only do wake on LAN, but I could still turn it on with my laptop from the couch) and XBMC can't do HD and the mini could.

    plus I could play World of Warcraft on my HDTV using a mac mini

    oh and one other thing, it's possible to get a HDTV tuner to turn your mini into a high def DVR
  • geekdreams, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Are you sure it doesn't support 5.1 surround? The HDMI and optical audio out should both carry the signal just fine. AFAIK iTunes Store videos are in stereo AAC, so it's possible Apple is just not advertising surround sound capabilities right now.
  • chowsapal, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2What about VLC? I've got an old PC sitting by my TV ready to accept VLC streams. Doesn't play content purchased from iTunes, but it will stream DVD's and just about any other format known to man. I can sit on my couch working on my MacBook and stream from that to the Ubuntu machine without any noticeable lack of quality (though my display is only 20" widescreen). An added bonus is that if I wanted to I could load the content onto the Ubuntu machine itself and control it with VLC's web interface. I'm sure anyone can find an old PC for less than $299. Funny thing is, I never bothered to set it up until I got all excited about the Apple TV. If you're looking for sleek though, use a mini instead, and stream VLC to that.
  • KibibyteBrain, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2@chow
    I do the same thing, but its not nearly competitive with a dedicated remote-control interface device. Front row >> VLC when it comes to "I'm home from an 11 hour day of work and don't want to see a keyboard again in my life" days.
  • johnpaul191, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2the Mini seems like the better purchase... though i guess Digg is a specific audience. the article is totally valid, but also does not include the idea of finding an older refurb Mac Mini (even from Apple.com) to close the gap.

    i would personally go for the Mini myself with it's many possibilities, but i might suggest the AppleTV for others (so i don't get snookered into tech support). there were some rumors of expanded FrontRow stuff in 10.5, that may make the Mini even better for a multi-use machine.
  • mleh, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2The whole point of the Apple TV is to sell movies and TV shows via the iTunes store. Providing DVR/PVR functionality wouldn't provide a revenue stream for Apple, so why should they do it?
  • localzuk, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Seriously though, if you can afford to have a PC/Mac (more likely to have a mac!) and one of the apple tv boxes, I think you will generally have a semi-up to date tv.

    Also, with (for example) the 'digital switch over' happening in the UK (dunno about the rest of the world) the majority of people will have been buying a new tv anyway.
  • PathDaemon, on 10/12/2007, -3/+5I'd prefer XB360, Wii, and mini.
  • ThrillSeeker, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2The Mini can play my encoded movies that have AC-3 5.1 surround sound, the Apple TV cannot. Stereo output only out of the Apple TV. Am I the only one that's amazed by this?
  • inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3How can you compare Mac mini to Apple TV.. they are 2 completely different things, Mac mini has OS X on it. It does way more than just play your iTunes media.
  • fowleryo, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3XBMC is a really good alternative, but I'd choose a Mac Mini purely for the fact that you can add a tuner and play HD files...
  • djSyndrome, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2FTA: "Don’t overlook your television. If you have an older TV that has neither HDMI nor component video, you will need some kind of adapter (if one exists) to hook up the HDMI or component output of the Apple TV to a RF or composite input."

    This is dangerously misleading, as Apple's specs have stated the Apple TV will only support resolutions of 480p and above. An 'older' television set without component inputs will not be capable of anything beyond 480i. Many TVs with component inputs still can't do 480p.
  • edzieba, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2The UK's digital switchover has been done almost entirely with external tuners. The vast majority of people have CRT TVs with component input, but they only display 480i.
  • altcountryman, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Dugg comment for use of the word 'grok.'
  • jfpwr, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3I bought a core solo mac mini a few monthes ago brand new for $300 , paid $200 for a core 2 duo 1.83ghz , a video of how to put in the cpu , installed it , and now this thing licks faster than a dual g5 :D all for $500... I would not pay $299 for 1/10th of what I got now...
  • danielwsmithee, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Most people who would be purchasing this are already Mac users and have had something like Elgato EyeTV for quite some time.
  • inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1What sucks about Apple TV is that you have to sit down at your computer to buy the TV shows, then go sit down on the couch to watch them. I can't believe they didn't create a way to buy shows and movies off iTunes directly from the Apple TV interface from the comfort of the couch. That would make the device compelling and help encourage impulse buys from the iTunes store.

    But regardless, my media center is a mac mini core duo + front row + 23 inch Apple Cinema Display. Can't wait for a mini that supports a 30-inch monitor at native resulution. Front Row + Mac Mini > Apple's crappy TV thing.
  • MattGrover, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@DollaDollaBill

    Instead of whinging about it, just ignore them and stop wasting your own time by burying and writing whiny comments. >:/
  • bblades, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I own a PPC Mini. Its been humming along for 2 years without a problem. Great design, runs well. A lot of people have used Mini's in creative ways, and I think it is a mistake that Apple isn't loading the mini with some intuitive PVR software, along with an HDMI input. The Apple TV reminds me of another device that is around $300... and its called the Zune. The Zune had the potential to be a good piece of hardware, but the DRM has killed it. The Apple TV is DOA because Apple wants to keep it locked up in an iTunes ecosystem. A media center Mini would probably boost the sales of the Mini plus it would fill the need for the Apple tv without another piece of hardware
  • danielwsmithee, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Yup it's just like buying another iPod for your couch.
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