Loosing a bit of money in the process too, trying out different solutions. Its compact and its form factor integrates easily with most home theater setups. Aug 21, 2009 the mac mini has always been the perfect form factor for a media center appliance often called a home theater pc htpc. For some time ive wanted to setup a mac mini based htpc. Eyetv if you have a compatible tv tuner, elgatos eyetv 3 software is simply the best stuff around for using your mac mini as a pvr. Having only integrated intel hd3000 graphics it struggles with full hd newer revisions have hd4000, much better at playing full hd. The company has also announced that it will end updates for the plex media player in january 2020 which will eventually bring an end to htpc. I guess i should wait and see if not apple release a 4k mac mini that can output true 4k over hdmi in 2019 or early 2020 with the ice lake processors. Jan 05, 2014 but with the key components of an htpc now available, we hooked the mac mini to a tv, hit the green button, and took the new device for a long drive. An example of what can be done using a mac mini as a media center.
I have a mac mini server as a htpc, i chose the server for the second hard drive and quad core i7 i7 now available on non server. Turning your mac into an htpc home theater pc is a great project. Jan 25, 20 an example of what can be done using a mac mini as a media center. I have had normal pcs before as htpc and got the mini because it is small, silent and clutterfree. I started out trying to find software that did what i wanted, but ended up crafting my own highly custom code detailed later. Setting things up like my imon remote proved to be fun, but useless. The idea with the egpu is not bad, but also defies the idea of using a mac mini for htpc. Of course, you get to choose the processor, ram, graphics and storage too.
If you think that having a mini tower sitting on the floor next to your entertainment stand is 733t then there is a reasonable chance youre not a huge fan of os x anyway. Plex launches new desktop app for mac with offline viewing, ending. The video output is gorgeous, and takes full advantage of your hdtvs full resolution potential. Therfore, chose different software with better hardware for less or equal money. Or to help eliminate desktop cable clutter, attach your mac mini under a desk or shelf using the provided drill template and screws. Intel vs amd grephics, dual core vs quad server different processor speeds different sizes of ram. Top 10 best htpc software for your tv media experience. Utilities to really make your mac mini the ultimate htpc, it helps to have all the proper codecs so that you can play everything you need and assorted media plugins, not to mention a tool here. Do the frames start to slow down when the mac heats up. If you have an extra mac mini lying around, creating a mac htpc is a great way to put it to use. The samsung included the needed ports in order to hook up the mac mini, allowing for a seamless transition from a monitor to something much bigger. Owc launches mac minibased htpc configuration at macworld. Once you have your mac, your tv, and your multichannel receiver all hooked up, youre ready to share all of the multimedia content stored on your mac. Lets outline the feature set of the mac mini as it pertains to home theater pc s.
After doing a fair bit of reading since this post, it seems the 2012 mac mini will be sufficient as an htpc. May 17, 2017 but i do think my microrendu at 128 from my mac mini is a little easier on the ears. Nov 12, 2016 the mac mini came with a remote, the apple remote mine is the recent aluminum model, a1294. One of the most important piece of software on the mac mini next to the os. So, lets continue looking in detail the windows 7, mac os x, linux and windows xp operating systems that are suitable to the living room use. Another week another mac clone mac htpc the mac mini htpc. But this is about a mac htpc so well focus on that for now. I will only be streaming hd videosmovies and was wondering how the mac mini holds up after long hours of hd playback. Besides, the mac mini didnt see a hardware refresh for ages. We learned something very quickly once we stacked the mini and the ministack max.
Its extremely small, almost completely silent and it can easily blend into. Lets say that its kind of an important piece for an htpc. Dec 23, 2014 the mac mini can also run thirdparty frontend media player applications for mac os x, such as plex or xbmc, to be used as a home theater pc htpc. Others are ready to go out of the box, complete with an os, ram, and memory installed. Im using a current mac mini as a htpc in my stereohome theater.
The mac mini has always been the perfect form factor for a media center appliance often called a home theater pc htpc. It is starting to chug due to being old and possibly some crap software on it i can not. Called the media center solution, the service works by just shipping any new mac mini to owc, who then go about upgrading the ram to 4gb, installing a bundle of. Categories apple tags mac mini as media center, mac mini home theater, mac mini htpc leave a comment the mac mini computer cool ways to use it january 31, 2016 july 27, 2011 by bjokib. Oct 10, 2011 using a mac mini mediacenter is one of the smartest move i have made. Im new to mac mini as htpc and wanted to ask here before going on i got a mac mini 2012 i5 4 gb ram. In essence this makes my tv into its own htpc, but it does need a computer to pull the files from.
Aug 01, 2008 you dont need apple software for a htpc. A mac mini as a home theater pc showing apples discontinued front row interface pc meant to be used in a home theater setting a home theater pc htpc or media center computer is a convergent device that combines some or all the capabilities of a personal computer with a software application that supports video, photo, audio playback, and. The big selling point for ion boxes like zotacs hdid11 is to use them with xbox. I dont play games, but i would like it to handle the most demanding graphics tasks, including 3d bluray etc. Not all of them are free you know many years ago i had the original. Utilities to really make your mac mini the ultimate htpc, it helps to have all the proper codecs so that you can play everything you need and assorted media. As i will use the mac mainly for media watching, i added kodi to the startup applications. Mac mini features the apple t2 security chip secondgeneration custom mac silicon designed by apple to make mac mini even more secure. I recently sold my jailbroken apple tv because i decided to use my mac mini as a htpc just wasnt using it as a computer, use my laptop all the time. Any mac will do though the mac minis size is a nice fit for home theater. Nov 30, 2019 your mac can be the center of your home theater, essentially turning your computer into an htpc home theater pc. Htpc software is short for home theater pc software. The mac mini has had the same dimensions for the better part of a decade, when the unibody mac mini was introduced in 2010, with its 7.
I have tried many different home theater solutions without being completely satisfied. Top 4 htpc operating system comparisons media experience. If there are any mac mini htpc owners out there, id love to hear from you and what youve learned, any suggestions. Owc wants to turn your mac mini into a supercharged htpc.
Ive been waiting until the system has sort of remained stable and in use for a while before documenting it for the fellow geeks out there. Ive been using my mini as my htpc for a several now. Mar 18, 2020 the mac mini has had the same dimensions for the better part of a decade, when the unibody mac mini was introduced in 2010, with its 7. Aug 21, 2009 utilities to really make your mac mini the ultimate htpc, it helps to have all the proper codecs so that you can play everything you need and assorted media plugins, not to mention a tool here. Guide to using your mac as an htpc home theater pc lifewire. If you want something more capable than an appletv to hook up to your television most notably the ability to play local content, the mac mini has the perfect form factor for a working htpc and now mac accessory maker owc is ready to supercharge it for you for that express purpose. Or i have retired htpc that i could run in a small fan less case. Jan 28, 2011 owc launches mac mini based htpc configuration at macworld. Jul 08, 2012 i am debating if i want to buy a smarttv with full browser capabilities or use a mac mini as an htpc. I cant help but think of the new mac mini as apples answer to the ion box.
So when i boot the mac, it automatically starts ubuntu, which automatically starts kodi. Panasonic plasma 42 g20 2010 model logitech z5500 thxcertified 5. Jan 09, 2015 hi, i have been using a htpc with powerdvd for playback of all my backed up movie library with a hdmi gfx output to a receiver to pass through the hd audio etc. I have been building and using htpc s for years and it took some time to find the hardware and software i was comfortable with. This is an important distinction to make, as the vast majority of applications made for pc usage are meant to be used on a desktop with mouse and keyboard and the user sitting close to the screen. Oct 23, 2010 in this article, we will compare the top 4 htpc operating systems that can be used as the 10foot user interface with your tv. Ok, after years of being one to point out plenty of mac problems and faults to everyone i know, i have finally found a reason to buy one. Aug 24, 2017 htpc software is short for home theater pc software. Now, lets take a look at what i use to create my htpc. Jan 28, 2011 called the media center solution, the service works by just shipping any new mac mini to owc, who then go about upgrading the ram to 4gb, installing a bundle of open source media center software. Turn a mac mini into a media server with plex macworld.
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