Set up mac mini, migrate your data, and then get indepth help. Its a custom configuration, with the i7 processor, so its going to take an extra day or two, but i should have it next week. While finding your favorite htpc software often comes after trying several options, here you will find what are the popular media center softwares available. Now that you have your mac mini configured and connected to your home theater system for a good visual hookup guide check out roberts mac mini media center post, its time to. Front row allows you to stream media from other systems in a home network as. You cannot get this type of return on any other computer brand except apple. This top 10 list will simplify your task by listing the most popular media centers. 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. Set up an audio device on your mac or stream music from your mac. 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. Though mdp was initially popularized by apple, the opensource video format is slowly being adopted by other pc makers like lenovo and dell its even integrated in.
If necessary, install any software included with the devices such as software drivers. With an hdmi cable, you can connect to your hdtv as an extralarge monitor, or even use your mac mini as a dedicated home theater server for streaming your itunes music and movie collection. With incredibly easy to use interface and appealing design, you will instantly gain access to your multimedia content like never before. I thought id start a thread for people who have gotten the new mac mini. It is one of four desktop computers in the current macintosh lineup, serving as an alternative to the allinone imac, and sits below the performance range imac pro and mac pro the mac mini is apples only consumer desktop computer since 1998 to ship without a display, keyboard, or mouse. One of the most important piece of software on the mac mini next to the os. Todays mac mini offers other advantages as a media server. Most mini pcs run either windows or linux, and a few run chrome os, but the venerable apple mac mini, running macos, also fits neatly into this category as. Well thankfully its progressed since then, with offerings from boxee, replaytv, plex and more. With four thunderbolt 3 ports builtin, mac mini supports an hdmi display along with two 4k displays or one 5k display. A mac mini as a home theater pc showing apples discontinued front row interface 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 sometimes video recording functionality. Home theater media center guide apple mac upgrades. Were living in a truly golden era for home theater, as the.
Mac mini audiophiles and purists or home theater mac mini htpc folk may prefer the optical minitoslink option built inside of the minis dualfunction sound jack. Owc wants to turn your mac mini into a supercharged htpc. Mac mini audiophiles and purists or home theater mac mini htpc folk may prefer the optical mini toslink option built inside of the mini s dualfunction sound jack. Setting up a mac media center basil salad software. The mac mini has been announced, but it wont arrive until january 22. 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. It is one of four desktop computers in the current macintosh lineup, serving as an alternative to the allinone imac, and sits below the performance range imac pro and mac pro. Top 10 best htpc software for your tv media experience. I considered building a cheap home theater pc htpc, based on windows, but i hated the way the enclosures looked, not to mention having to use windows or linux.
If you plan to use the mac mini as a home theater pc for streaming to a tv, or as a basic productivity machine that uses web apps heavily, youll be set with one of the best mini pcs on the market. Not all of them are free you know many years ago i had the original. The audio measurement and analysis features of rew help you optimise the acoustics of your listening room, studio or home theater and find the best locations for your speakers, subwoofers and listening position. Mac mini home theater making the mac mini the centerpiece. Mac os x can provide hardware video decoding for h. The ultimate home theater experience your htpc running plex media player gives you the best possible playback experience on a dizzying array of configurations. I have tried many different home theater solutions without being completely satisfied. There, youll find tools for drawing, cropping, inserting shapes, and much more. Even though apples memory prices annoy me, i still went ahead and got. Only downside is it only runs lion, but i dont really care because the only four applications i ever have running are utorrent, safari, itunes, and vlc. Ready to upgrade your mac mini home theater to latest operating system offering from apple. Apr 23, 2020 if you really need the portability of a mini pc, or your available space is really limited, then mini pcs are available to fit just about any need. For most people when they think of a home theater pc they automatically think of windows and xmbc or mythtv. It sports an hdmi port, which allows you to jack the computer directly into your tv or hdmicompatible av receiver.
In addition to its own frontend software, plex media player, the backend server application is compatible with many other frontends like kodi. I have been using a mac mini for my home theater for 3 years now. A special mini tostandard tos link adapter or cable with a mini end is needed. Aug 24, 2017 htpc software is short for home theater pc software. Once you have the correct adapter, connecting your mac is easy.
Plug your cord into the display output port on your mac thunderbolt 3, usbc, hdmi, or. So its handy if the odd time i have a dvd i want to watch, i pop it in and watch from the mac mini on the tv. It is particularly popular as a home theater solution. Set up your keyboard, mouse, and trackpad and learn about other mac accessories. My logical course of action was to buy an intel mac mini. Feb 10, 2010 part one of how to turn a mac mini into a home theater pc with a few easy steps. Rowmote pro is the ultimate wireless remote, trackpad, and keyboard for mac. 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. These offer a wider range of file types that can be played, along with the ability to stream many types of content. You can setup virtually any mac as a home theater media center, all you. When apple announced they were upgrading the mac mini 2010 to include a hdmi port, i put my older mini on ebay and sold it for 400. Plex is remarkable software that turns a mac mini connected to a tv into an internetbased media center that makes the most of the macs software and integrates metadata information about movies.
A special minitostandard tos link adapter or cable with a mini end is needed. Everything else i access through the appletv and use home sharing for it to see all the content in itunes on the mac mini. Using a mac mini mediacenter is one of the smartest move i have made. If you might be playing back the token open source audio file or two. Okay some films take a little while to start but once going, all is fine. Mac mini, imac, even mac pro, can all turn into a media center, and its a. Mar 18, 2020 if you plan to use the mac mini as a home theater pc for streaming to a tv, or as a basic productivity machine that uses web apps heavily, youll be set with one of the best mini pcs on the market. Sep 11, 2010 quick startup guide to your mac mini home theater htpc experience. Utilities to really make your mac mini the ultimate htpc, it helps to have. If there are any mac mini htpc owners out there, id love to hear from you and what youve learned, any suggestions. From pcs to raspberry pis to mac minis, plex media player is the most powerful, sophisticated way to play media in your home theater.
Continue reading to see how the kodi, plex, windows media center and others compare with each other. Plex is remarkable software that turns a mac mini connected to a tv into an internetbased media center that makes the most of the mac s software and integrates metadata information about movies. Plex home theater for mac 32bit download 2020 latest. How to connect your mac computer to a projector business. Indeed, the updated unibody mac mini is notable as apples first computer to include an hdmi video port to connect to a television or other display. 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. These are usually smallercased computers, running some sort of media software. If you really need the portability of a mini pc, or your available space is really limited, then mini pcs are available to fit just about any need. Plugandplay audio devices dont need a software driver. Mac mini home theater the mac mini is a small form factor computer. Jul 01, 2017 plex media server is a backend application for windows, linux and mac os xbased computers that is great for streaming media files across your home network. Htpc software is short for home theater pc software.
Mac for the longest time my wife and i have been using a combination of a ps3, apple tv, and a chromecast stick to get our content on our tv. Mac os also includes a variety of apps for creativity and productivity, so you can get started right away without buying and installing lots of other software. Another week another mac clone mac htpc the mac mini htpc. After doing a fair bit of reading since this post, it seems the 2012 mac mini will be sufficient as an htpc. Only i got my mac mini when they still had an optical drive.
It appears that there is an issue with plex and the apple remote where any button presses while in plex. If you plan to use the mac mini as a home theater pc for streaming to a tv, or as a basic productivity machine that uses web apps heavily, youll be set. Aug 21, 2009 the mac mini has always been the perfect form factor for a media center appliance often called a home theater pchtpc. Connecting another mac to your imac the 27inch imac has a bidirectional mini displayport or a thunderbolt port depending on the model that can be used to drive a second monitor. Joining the mac mini club display has died on my 27 20 imac, and its not worth it to replace it.
A mac mini, a tv tuner device such as an elgato eyetv hybrid. Its extremely small, almost completely silent and it can easily blend into. My desktop mac is my wifes handmedown early 2009 imac. Apr 29, 2020 the ultimate home theater experience your htpc running plex media player gives you the best possible playback experience on a dizzying array of configurations. The mac mini is apples only consumer desktop computer since 1998 to ship. 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. It appears that there is an issue with plex and the apple remote where any button presses while in plex continue on to the operating systems default behavior. Plex home theater is a comprehensive software solution for transforming your plain old mac into fully featured home theater mac. Still, it can be quite compelling to see your mac mini making use of your older 27inch imac as a display, or for troubleshooting an imac having display issues. Most mini pcs run either windows or linux, and a few run chrome os, but the venerable apple mac mini, running macos, also fits neatly into this category as well.
A gorgeous universal app for iphone, ipod touch, and ipad, with everything from a multitouch trackpad to full extended keyboard support, and with noconfiguration control of dozens of the best mac applications, it is a musthave for any home media center or presentation. The mac mini has always been the perfect form factor for a media center appliance often called a home theater pchtpc. The mac mini stylized with a lowercase mini is a desktop computer made by apple inc. Optimize your display, setup plex as your media center and output your sound via hdmi. I recently sold my jailbroken apple tv because i decided to use my mac mini as a htpc just wasnt using it. Apple computer is one of the most powerful players in the world of specialty audio video even if they are known more for their macintosh operating system and computers like the imac, mac pro, mac. Though mdp was initially popularized by apple, the open source video format is slowly being adopted by other pc makers like lenovo and dell its even integrated in. A mac mini is better for this since you can hook it up to your.
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