Mac Mini As Media Center, The Best Setup For Me
Using the Mac Mini as media center hub is the smartest move I have made. I have tried many different home theater solutions without being completely satisfied. Loosing a bit of money in the process too, trying out different solutions. Not all of them are free you know ...
Many years ago I had the original Xbox, you know the first game console Microsoft released. It was modified so it could run software not originally allowed by Microsoft. For example Xbox Media Center (XBMC). This software allowed me to play almost any kind of media and it worked well with downloaded movies and TV-shows regardless of what type of codec it was encoded with.
This setup worked just fine for a long time. Xbox Media Center was the best media center solution for me. However you needed to have an modified unit but that was quite common.
Fast forward a few years
The time came when we got an 42 Inch Plasma TV. TV Shows and movies are becoming available in HD and I want to view the downloaded content in the best quality possible. Most HD content wont play using the original Xbox, the processor just isn't fast enough. So the search for a new unit to place under the TV begins.
First I tried using the Xbox 360. It worked okay but it was not perfect for me. Then I bought the Apple TV but I wasn't satisfied with it at all. Even with hacks it could not play the highest res HD content. It had a good interface though. If you have all your media in iTunes, the Apple TV might be something for you.
Again, after a while, I found something called Popcorn Hour A-110. The price wasn't to bad and it worked well with HD content and MKV files straight out of the box. However the interface was slow and it lacks good support for music, at least when I used it. If you are on a budget however the Popcorn Hour might be a good choice for you. Because it plays nearly everything you can throw at it. Popcorn Hour also gets firmware updates from time to time so it might get new features later on.
What Now?
This page could have ended here. I was pretty near keeping the Popcorn hour because it really worked okay ... but then I discovered something called Plex Media Center for OS X. I tried it out on my 13 Inch MacBook for a few months and WOW!, it blew me away, and I am pretty hard to impress. This was exactly what I was looking for!
Plex can play an wide range of video, audio and photo formats as well as online streaming audio and video. It also present this content using powerful library features. This is what sold me: Plex automatically retrieve metadata from the Internet, and display it using one of its good looking skins. It downloads covers and artwork without you having to manually tag everything yourself. As long as the directories are named somewhat correctly it will find the info about a particular TV-show or movie online.
I was talking about Xbox Media Center above, Plex Media Center is based on that code base. The developers of Plex have decided to dedicate this development for Intel Mac OS X computers. If you have an older G4 or G5 I am afraid Plex wont work for you. You need an Intel based Mac and at least Mac OS X Leopard.
So, Mac mini as media center is certainly possible. I have recently done this myself and I will now tell you a little bit of how I set up my Mac Mini media center.
My Mac Mini As Media Center Setup
Can you spot the Mac Mini? It is a small computer, thats for sure... Plex Media Center for OS X is currently running. Showing the movies I have available right now.
Mac Mini As Media Center: Sound Setup
As you can see in the picture I have an receiver underneath the Mac Mini. I have connected the Mac Minis sound output using an optical cable. More specifically a Toslink to Mini Toslink Cable
If you already have an optical cable but the wrong connector, you could just save a few dollars and get an adapter instead. Get it here
Mac Mini As Media Center: Video Setup
This can be tricky sometimes, it all depends on what type of TV you are planning to use and what type of connections it have. I have read tons of questions from users not getting the picture quite right. With overscan issues to name a few.
I have connected the Mac Mini to my TV this way: From the Mac Mini I have used one Mini DisplayPort to DVI adapter. Then a DVI to HDMI cable to the TV. This produced overscan issues with my TV, so the picture wasn't quite right. To correct the issue I used the display calibration tool that comes with plex. I am not sure if that is the optimal solution but it works just fine for me. I also know some may use an VGA cable instead.
Mac Mini As Media Center: Remote Control
If you want to use Mac Mini as Media Center you also need some way to remote control it. For me, the Apple Remote is enough and works fine. However when you buy a new Mac Mini Apple doesn't ship the remote control anymore, you will have to buy it here: Apple Remote Control (White)
I have to mention one problem I had. When I was using the remote my girlfriends Mac started responding to the remote as well. To turn that off you go into System Preferences -> Security and tick the "Disable remote control infrared receiver". That should help.
I also use the built in Screen Sharing App in Mac OS X if I want to do a bit more heavy administrative work on the Mac Mini.
Mac Mini As Media Center: What About Hardware Requirements?
This was a question I asked myself before I decided to go the Mac Mini Media Center way. Should I go for the cheapest model?, or buy the one with a faster CPU?. I thought a little bit on that, and then I looked at what type of files I usually watch. I came to the conclusion that the cheapest Mac mini would work for me. I can play 1080p, x264, DTS releases without any hiccups. Also when snow leopard comes out it might be able to handle the system resources much better. If you want to do more with the Mac at the same time you might consider getting more RAM. 1GB is not that much if you plan to download torrents and watch movies at the same time for example. I plan to add more memory myself, at a later time. My budget is quite eaten up now with the Mac Mini and iPhone 3GS purchase.
Mac Mini As Media Center: What about Storage?
With HD material you will undoubtably fill up that internal drive pretty fast. That is why I am using an external USB drive instead. You can also use storage over the network if you have something set up in your home. It might work over wi-fi but I recommend cabled network anyway. I find it more stable, and cheaper. Cables can be hidden you know.
Mac Mini As Media Center: Shopping List, And Software
As I stated above, this is not the cheapest home theater setup you can find. But for me, this is the only thing that works the way I want it to work. That is why I am willing to pay for that. Here I have a shopping list for you if you want to get started yourself. I am assuming you have some kind of receiver already. If not you will have to make the necessary changes.
- Apple Mac mini MB463LL/A Desktop
- Apple Remote Control (White)
- 6ft Toslink to Mini Toslink Cable
- And a little bit of extra storage: Western Digital My Book Essential Edition 1 TB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive WDH1U10000N
Mac Mini As Media Center: Software and Links
- The FREE Plex Media Center for OS X
What about support and help?
I recommend you to browse the plexapp forum. You will find a lot of useful information and helpful people over there. Even the developers are active and answering some of the questions users have. You can also of course contact me if you have any questions or need help. I will try to help you to the best of my ability.
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