mac mini as home theater

[WilliamG]

Actually, the PS3Slim is pretty quiet.

I think some of us have different standards on what is quiet and what isn't. At regular listening distance, the Mac mini is absolutely silent (and I have SMC Fan Control running at +500rpm to keep it running cooler). My slim PS3, however, has an audible whine to it that I can't STAND at low volume levels.

My Mac mini 2009 model (2Ghz, 9400m, 4GB DDR3, 320GB 7200rpm + 8TB RAID enclosures via FW800) is absolutely perfect for an HTPC. I run movies/TV shows off it all day long with Plex. I wouldn't switch to the PS3 for media, ever.

 

[ViViDboarder]

You are mistaken. All you need is Make MKV and VLC (or some other streaming-aware app that can handle m2ts containers). Insert disc, launch Make MKV and start its server. All you have to do is open the stream in VLC and you get Blu-ray disc playback with DTS or Dolby Digital 5.1.

Actually that's exactly the same as what I was saying. Make MKV rips the BD on the fly which VLC can stream. You're not natively playing the BD you are just ripping it to a container and playing it in real-time. I was referring to the fact that you can't just pop it in and play it in any of the native OSX apps. You have to run it through a program that decrypts and removes the copy protection (Make MKV).

I think some of us have different standards on what is quiet and what isn't. At regular listening distance, the Mac mini is absolutely silent (and I have SMC Fan Control running at +500rpm to keep it running cooler). My slim PS3, however, has an audible whine to it that I can't STAND at low volume levels.

My Mac mini 2009 model (2Ghz, 9400m, 4GB DDR3, 320GB 7200rpm + 8TB RAID enclosures via FW800) is absolutely perfect for an HTPC. I run movies/TV shows off it all day long with Plex. I wouldn't switch to the PS3 for media, ever.

That sucks. Most people's PS3 Slim models are silent. I'm basing this off what I've read online as well as my model I have at home. The only noise I ever hear is when the Blueray is spinning. Other than that, the fans don't make any whine.

 

[Cave Man]

surely a mini is a dead duck for HT as it has no BRD?

Just buy an external Blu-ray drive and problem solved.

False.

Actually that's exactly the same as what I was saying.

So then, what I said wasn't false.

 

[WilliamG]

Actually that's exactly the same as what I was saying. Make MKV rips the BD on the fly which VLC can stream. You're not natively playing the BD you are just ripping it to a container and playing it in real-time. I was referring to the fact that you can't just pop it in and play it in any of the native OSX apps. You have to run it through a program that decrypts and removes the copy protection (Make MKV).



That sucks. Most people's PS3 Slim models are silent. I'm basing this off what I've read online as well as my model I have at home. The only noise I ever hear is when the Blueray is spinning. Other than that, the fans don't make any whine.

Yes they do. You're just not sensitive to it. Leave your PS3 on for a while and you'll hear it. If you don't, you're probably not sitting close enough to the unit, or you don't notice it. Noise is very subjective.

 

[ViViDboarder]

So then, what I said wasn't false.

Haha, yea. I guess not.

Yes they do. You're just not sensitive to it. Leave your PS3 on for a while and you'll hear it. If you don't, you're probably not sitting close enough to the unit, or you don't notice it. Noise is very subjective.

Yea... Everything makes noise. Just sit closer to your Mac Mini.

What I'm trying to say is that the PS3 can make a good Media Frontend. You are acting like it's a noisy item and wouldn't be suited when that's really not the case. Maybe the Mac Mini is quieter but I can't hear my PS3 from my couch over the sound coming from my speakers, or any noises coming from around my apartment complex. If yours is different... Sucks for you.

 

[WilliamG]

Yea... Everything makes noise. Just sit closer to your Mac Mini.

Excuse me? Did I insult your mother or something?

The Mac mini is not audible at pretty much any distance. I sit around 6 feet from my mini and my slim PS3. I hear my slim PS3 easily after the fans have sped up.

Perhaps this is just MY PS3 slim that has issues, but either way it's definitely an issue to me. And I'm not sure where you read that the PS3 slim is quiet. It's certainly quietER than some older models, but that still doesn't mean that people don't complain about it....

http://www.avforums.com/forums/ps3/1103816-what-expect-ps3-slim-fan.html

http://www.avforums.com/forums/ps3/1070345-ps3-slim-system-fan-blu-ray-drive-noise-issues.html

And numerous, NUMEROUS other threads with the help of Google.

 

[WilliamG]

I'll also add, it bugs me also that the plastic on the slim PS3s snaps and cracks as it heats up (expands) and cools down (contracts). Those noises are pretty darn audible!

 

[Seychelles]

Excuse me? Did I insult your mother or something?

The Mac mini is not audible at pretty much any distance. I sit around 6 feet from my mini and my slim PS3. I hear my slim PS3 easily after the fans have sped up.

Perhaps this is just MY PS3 slim that has issues, but either way it's definitely an issue to me. And I'm not sure where you read that the PS3 slim is quiet. It's certainly quietER than some older models, but that still doesn't mean that people don't complain about it....

http://www.avforums.com/forums/ps3/1103816-what-expect-ps3-slim-fan.html

http://www.avforums.com/forums/ps3/1070345-ps3-slim-system-fan-blu-ray-drive-noise-issues.html

And numerous, NUMEROUS other threads with the help of Google.

if the fan noise of a mini or PS3 is an issue for you whilst watching anything then you have bigger OCD issues that are far more important than any home entertainment device.

I just think the mini is a pointless, expensive device, and anyone with an eye to visual quality would instantly dismiss it as such.

In fairness, the iPod is a bad quality music player but that sold millions! so maybe it's all a question of standards..?

 

[WilliamG]

if the fan noise of a mini or PS3 is an issue for you whilst watching anything then you have bigger OCD issues that are far more important than any home entertainment device.

I just think the mini is a pointless, expensive device, and anyone with an eye to visual quality would instantly dismiss it as such.

In fairness, the iPod is a bad quality music player but that sold millions! so maybe it's all a question of standards..?

Wow. Just wow. Well, feel free to miss out on arguably the best media center software ever released (Plex), running on the most stable OS for it.

My Mac mini is my favorite Mac, puts out PERFECT 1080p video to my TV. And I have an eye for visual quality. But whatever: ignorance is, as they say, bliss.

And to dismiss someone's feelings on fan noise is sheer idiocy. Just saying.

 

[ViViDboarder]

Wow. Just wow. Well, feel free to miss out on arguably the best media center software ever released (Plex), running on the most stable OS for it.

My Mac mini is my favorite Mac, puts out PERFECT 1080p video to my TV. And I have an eye for visual quality. But whatever: ignorance is, as they say, bliss.

And to dismiss someone's feelings on fan noise is sheer idiocy. Just saying.

Yea, Plex is awesome and, believe me, if I had enough money for a MacMini + Peripherals I'd get that in addition.

Mac Mini $600
Displayport + USB Audio to HDMI ~$40
Remote Control $20
External Blueray ~$150
Total Cost $810

PS3 - Built in Blueray, built in HDMI, comes with controller $300

So all in all, with all features considered, the PS3 is a CHEAPER alternative that performs VERY well. Even if you drop the blueray from the MacMini package you're only down to $660 which is still over 2x what the PS3 slim costs.

Writing off the PS3 as an alternative is a bit dramatic.

 

[Undo Redo]

The Mac mini is not audible at pretty much any distance..

I beg to differ. I have two 2009 Mac minis and can hear them both from eight feet away. It's not enough to annoy me...just sayin'.

 

[WilliamG]

Yea, Plex is awesome and, believe me, if I had enough money for a MacMini + Peripherals I'd get that in addition.

Mac Mini $600
Displayport + USB Audio to HDMI ~$40
Remote Control $20
External Blueray ~$150
Total Cost $810

PS3 - Built in Blueray, built in HDMI, comes with controller $300

So all in all, with all features considered, the PS3 is a CHEAPER alternative that performs VERY well. Even if you drop the blueray from the MacMini package you're only down to $660 which is still over 2x what the PS3 slim costs.

Writing off the PS3 as an alternative is a bit dramatic.

Some of us simply want the most flexible and quiet system they can get. My wife also likes using it to watch The Daily Show etc etc, and I use it for downloading stuff/torrenting. The PS3 can't do that. I also have Firewire 800 drives connected in RAID enclosures. The PS3 can't do that either. I guess different strokes, right?

 

[WilliamG]

I beg to differ. I have two 2009 Mac minis and can hear them both from eight feet away. It's not enough to annoy me...just sayin'.

Fair enough. I did say "pretty much." I would never tell you you can't hear your mini. Ambient sound plays a factor as well. I live in downtown Seattle, so my mini is for all intents and purposes completely silent. I hear my external hard drives a little (Western Digital Green drives), but the 2009 mini is silent to me. If you can hear your minis at default fan speed (i.e. 1500rpm) at 8 feet, you either have:

1.) defective minis
2.) phenomenal hearing
3.) very quiet ambient surroundings, with no music/movies playing at the time

I almost refuse to believe you can hear your minis when you have any kind of TV/music going...

 

[ViViDboarder]

Some of us simply want the most flexible and quiet system they can get. My wife also likes using it to watch The Daily Show etc etc, and I use it for downloading stuff/torrenting. The PS3 can't do that. I also have Firewire 800 drives connected in RAID enclosures. The PS3 can't do that either. I guess different strokes, right?

Yea, I understand that. I was just saying that the PS3 is way cheaper of an alternative. It's not the most comprehensive solution though, of course.

Fair enough. I did say "pretty much." I would never tell you you can't hear your mini. Ambient sound plays a factor as well. I live in downtown Seattle, so my mini is for all intents and purposes completely silent. I hear my external hard drives a little (Western Digital Green drives), but the 2009 mini is silent to me. If you can hear your minis at default fan speed (i.e. 1500rpm) at 8 feet, you either have:

1.) defective minis
2.) phenomenal hearing
3.) very quiet ambient surroundings, with no music/movies playing at the time

I almost refuse to believe you can hear your minis when you have any kind of TV/music going...

Same exact thing could be said about most people's PS3 Slim's...

 

[WilliamG]

Yea, I understand that. I was just saying that the PS3 is way cheaper of an alternative. It's not the most comprehensive solution though, of course.



Same exact thing could be said about most people's PS3 Slim's...

Absolutely. I agree with both your statements. All I'M saying is that the PS3 is louder than a Mac mini. I don't think anyone will disagree with that statement, will they?

 

[ViViDboarder]

Absolutely. I agree with both your statements. All I'M saying is that the PS3 is louder than a Mac mini. I don't think anyone will disagree with that statement, will they?

Nope. I can't as I have not used a Mac Mini before.

I was only trying to make it clear that the PS3 can be a valid alternative to the more expensive and comprehensive Mac Mini for many people.

You seemed to be suggesting that it was far too loud to be suited for a Media Front-end, which I found dramatic.

I think we understand each other now though.

 

[WilliamG]

Nope. I can't as I have not used a Mac Mini before.

I was only trying to make it clear that the PS3 can be a valid alternative to the more expensive and comprehensive Mac Mini for many people.

You seemed to be suggesting that it was far too loud to be suited for a Media Front-end, which I found dramatic.

I think we understand each other now though.

Yes, personally *I* find it too loud for a media front-end, and also not versatile enough. But that's just me.

 

[zoran]

using a PS3, am i able to play mkv files, just like the mac mini can?

 

[ViViDboarder]

using a PS3, am i able to play mkv files, just like the mac mini can?

MKV isn't really an encoded type, it's a container. You should be able to easily convert the video/audio to a format that can be streamed to the PS3.

The easiest solution is probably to just use Handbrake and convert it to a type that does stream to the PS3.

A little more complicated could be using VLC and "transcoding" the file into a different container. I use transcoding with "" because you don't actually have to transcode the actual video format. You should be able to pass the encoded video straight through into a new container like .avi or something.

I need to do this actually with an MKV I have... I'll try it out and come back with some results

 

[Seychelles]

Wow. Just wow. Well, feel free to miss out on arguably the best media center software ever released (Plex), running on the most stable OS for it.

My Mac mini is my favorite Mac, puts out PERFECT 1080p video to my TV. And I have an eye for visual quality. But whatever: ignorance is, as they say, bliss.

And to dismiss someone's feelings on fan noise is sheer idiocy. Just saying.

Plex..best ever? pffft..please...

OSX is no more or less stable than anything else out there Win or Linux included. The myth of OS X has been debunked many times.

perfect 1080p? maybe to your eyes but as the mini can't play BRD then it isn't the best HT system by default. Its a pointless expensive, underpowered device.

Ignorance is bliss.....? You tried a mirror?


edit: reading your other posts I am pleased I disagree with you. You seem to have very little clue outside of the Apple RDF.

over and out..I'm done.

 

[WilliamG]

Plex..best ever? pffft..please...

OSX is no more or less stable than anything else out there Win or Linux included. The myth of OS X has been debunked many times.

perfect 1080p? maybe to your eyes but as the mini can't play BRD then it isn't the best HT system by default. Its a pointless expensive, underpowered device.

Ignorance is bliss.....? You tried a mirror?


edit: reading your other posts I am pleased I disagree with you. You seem to have very little clue outside of the Apple RDF.

over and out..I'm done.

Clearly very pointless. Apple is known to sell pointless devices. And of course, since it's pointless, there would be no reason after 5 years for Apple to keep selling it.

Oh wait!

And you're right, with my Mac mini set to 1080p, it's not *really* 1080p, is it? It's really only 372p, or maybe it's 871p, or some other fairy-tale resolution. And you're also right. The Mac mini is so underpowered that it doesn't play all my 1080p movies perfectly. OH WAIT, yes it does!

I'm glad you're done. Now we don't have to listen to your nonsense anymore.

 

[ViViDboarder]

Plex..best ever? pffft..please...

OSX is no more or less stable than anything else out there Win or Linux included. The myth of OS X has been debunked many times.

perfect 1080p? maybe to your eyes but as the mini can't play BRD then it isn't the best HT system by default. Its a pointless expensive, underpowered device.

Ignorance is bliss.....? You tried a mirror?


edit: reading your other posts I am pleased I disagree with you. You seem to have very little clue outside of the Apple RDF.

over and out..I'm done.

Although rude... You did bring up a point that there are alternatives

http://www.dell.com/us/en/home/desk...m_anav_1~~8UgGr1PJ&m_16=W7BDCMB&mo=16~W7BDCMB

Doesn't look half-bad as a HT system. It's also easy to install XBMC on it either in Win7 or in Ubuntu or other Linux distro. XBMC is what Plex is based off of. They are very nearly the same as a lot of Plex features have been back-ported to XBMC.

Advantages of the Dell is that it's got blueray and a built in TV tuner... Disadvantages... It's a Dell

Although as far as Tuner cards go... I have used a tuner on my computer (Windows and Mac) for the past 6-7 years and the best application is EyeTV for Mac. BY FAR! Slipstream for Windows is the only thing that comes close, but close is not best.

Alas... This thread IS about the Mac Mini though...

 

[Seychelles]

Clearly very pointless. Apple is known to sell pointless devices. And of course, since it's pointless, there would be no reason after 5 years for Apple to keep selling it.

Oh wait!

And you're right, with my Mac mini set to 1080p, it's not *really* 1080p, is it? It's really only 372p, or maybe it's 871p, or some other fairy-tale resolution. And you're also right. The Mac mini is so underpowered that it doesn't play all my 1080p movies perfectly. OH WAIT, yes it does!

I'm glad you're done. Now we don't have to listen to your nonsense anymore.

one last thing... lol

have you seen how many actual desktop computers Apple sell?..worldwide..per year.

The market for computers in general is close to 300m units.... Apple barely sell 1% of that in desktops and then most of them are iMacs. The Mini might not even sell 1m per year.

Apple still sell it though as 'circus performers' like you, living in the RDF will still buy it. The profit per unit for Apple has to be in the region of $250 - $300
... makes you happy? fine.

yes Apple make pointless products... iWork, Apple TV to name but 2 current ones.

not saying the Mini can't play 1080p but I've got a $200 Acer Revo that does the same but it doesn't fall over with flash sites.

next time..try the real world you may like it.!

 

[WilliamG]

one last thing... lol

have you seen how many actual desktop computers Apple sell?..worldwide..per year.

The market for computers in general is close to 300m units.... Apple barely sell 1% of that in desktops and then most of them are iMacs. The Mini might not even sell 1m per year.

Apple still sell it though as 'circus performers' like you, living in the RDF will still buy it. The profit per unit for Apple has to be in the region of $250 - $300
... makes you happy? fine.

yes Apple make pointless products... iWork, Apple TV to name but 2 current ones.

not saying the Mini can't play 1080p but I've got a $200 Acer Revo that does the same but it doesn't fall over with flash sites.

next time..try the real world you may like it.!

Boy you don't give up. My Mac mini falls over with flash sites, does it? Nobody told MY Mac mini.

Did I say I personally loved iWork or Apple TV? I don't see the use of them (though I know a LOAD of people who use iWork for Keynote). Your argument is just getting more and more off-key the more you post.

For me, there is no better media center than my Mac mini. If your Revo is able to torrent pretty hardcore while playing 1080p video with its 1.6ghz Atom processor, you're using a different Revo than the one I've used.

From Engadget's review:

"Startup is fairly quick, but the time to a "usable" desktop can be quite a bit longer -- it took us almost as long to open Firefox as it did to land on the desktop from a cold boot."

And...

"Oddly enough, we found web browsing -- the supposed heart of a "net"top experience -- to be the most lacking. Sometimes we felt like we were having connection problems, and in fact Gmail at times would stop working entirely since it thought it was having so much trouble getting its packets through -- we seemed to fare better on Ethernet than with WiFi. Internet Explorer is a complete nightmare, but while we had a better time with Firefox and even better in Chrome, we wouldn't feel comfortable doing "heavy" browsing on the system on a daily basis."

No thank you!

http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/28/acer-aspirerevo-review/

 

[Cave Man]

perfect 1080p? maybe to your eyes but as the mini can't play BRD then it isn't the best HT system by default. Its a pointless expensive, underpowered device.

You're mistaken. A Mini can play Blu-ray discs. You just don't get True-HD or DTS-HD audio from them (yet).

one last thing... lol have you seen how many actual desktop computers Apple sell?..worldwide..per year. The market for computers in general is close to 300m units.... Apple barely sell 1% of that in desktops and then most of them are iMacs. The Mini might not even sell 1m per year.

A completely spurious argument. There's a reason why Apple has 3x the market cap of Dell, and is fast approaching Microsoft. They have a highly successful business plan that avoids the low-end, low-margin market. In the final analysis, all that Apple cares about is its ability to produce profit. And they do that very well.

yes Apple make pointless products... iWork, Apple TV to name but 2 current ones.

Pages '09 is superior to MS Word in nearly every way, and it sure doesn't crash like Word does. Keynote is also superior to PowerPoint and has been since its inception. Excel is still better than Numbers for data crunching, although Numbers is superior in its graph generation and integration with other apps.

The Apple TV is easily the best interface device there is on the market, despite its limitations.