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We're looking to get a Mac Mini and hook it on our LCD TV, and use it as an HTPC (HTMAC? ). I realise it might not have all the functionalities, and definitely not all the flexibilities as a 'PC' used as an HTPC, but that's what we're aiming at.

My first question: is anyone using their Mini that way, and how does it work for you?
My second question would be: what are the must-haves as software and external hardware, or it could be something you don't own but you know it would be great to have?

I did not have time yet to look for web sites/forums that would talk about this, so please link if you know about one... Our TV is a 40" Sony Bravia, not full HD though, but 1080i/720p, and I'll be using our surround system, which is also a Sony, decent quality but not high-end (it has optical inputs, but no HDMI for instance).

Thanks.

I have a 1.83Ghz Mac Mini and let me start off by telling you that you shouldn't depend on it to playback 1080p smoothly. In my experience it's fine with 720p but 1080p, while not quite slideshow, won't be quite smooth. Even if you're scaling it down to 720p res. Granted, I have the slower Mini so it may be different on the faster one. Although I can't see how since it's a difference of only 170Mhz.

do you intend to use it as a DVR? If so, get a big HDD in a Firewire enclosure (lower CPU util and higher read/write speeds than USB2.0) and look at Elegato's EyeTV series of tuners. The EyeTV software itself is pretty honkin' sweet.

And as PerfectCR said, Perian. It's free and it's awesome. Plays all the big codecs.

I wouldn't bet the farm on 1080p, but since your display can't do it anyway, it might not be a big deal. I'd say 720p would be comfortable, though.

Yeah, my TV does 720p max, so I think I'm OK there.

I agree that Perian really looks like a must-have. As for the EyeTV, I'm not sure how I could use it. Let me give you a bit more info on what we plan to do... First thing to know, I'm in Canada. We actually plan to ditch our Bell ExpressVu (digital TV), and rely on OTA channel (we have maybe a dozen analogue ones, and I think we have no digital OTA yet), rentals, and downloaded stuff. So for OTA channels, I would buy an Antenna (something like this), and then yes I may want to record some shows, but I don't think it'll happen very often. So I guess the antenna would plug in the EyeTV? And I think I can see that the EyeTV plugs in a USB port?

I have another question also: is it possible to get surround sound output directly out of the Mini? Or do I need something like this to do that?

The mini has a digital output, so it should do 5.1, but i don't have one to confirm.

The EyeTV Hybrid can pick up OTA HD, just needs an antenna.

Here are instructions on how to get AC3 passthrough working, looks like it involves Perian. :

http://geekwithfamily.com/2007/07/05/home-theater/howto-5-easy-steps-to-output-dolby-digital-from-quicktime-player/

I just want to add to the EyeTV love. By the way, it's not limited to ElGato hardware (although their hardware is really good). You can use it with many different tuner makers. I'm using it with a Plextor tuner and it works like a charm.

Thresher wrote:

By the way, it's not limited to ElGato hardware

Oooh, I totally didn't know that. That's sweet.

I am using an 1.66 Intel mini. This mini replaced a dual core HTPC with 7.1 surround that was running MythTV. The HTPC was such a hassle. The mini has worked perfectly (Front Row is fantastic). Here is the setup:

• DVI to HDMI to 1080p HDTV - 1920x1080 works great - desktop perfectly matches TV (no borders/over scan). My mini had border/overscan issues with my previous 1366x768 HDTV.
• 5.1 optical output (TRITTON AX360 / Logitech Z-5450)
• External storage via a gigabit equipped NAS (http://www.dlink.com/products/?pid=509)
• Perian
• Front Row
• Handbrake to rip content to the NAS
• iTunes to rip CD's

The earlier Intel mini's do not play 1080p smoothly. I cannot comment on the current generation. It is generally accepted that one needs a large HDTV (50"+) before one can see a difference between 720p and 1080p content. You should test 1080p content performance on a mini at an Apple store if you are concerned. I rarely, if ever, see 1080p content online. My original PC based HTPC played 1080p content perfectly yet I got rid of it in favor of the mini even though I knew the mini could not handle 1080p content.

If you go with an external HD then you should focus on an external case that has a fan. I have a miniStackV3 that keeps things nice and cool. I paired it with a 1TB WD Caviar GP (cool and quiet).

I don't use the mini as a PVR. I source my TV shows online or I use my HD set-top box to record content.

The big question is will your HDTV display the mini's desktop correctly (no border/overscan). Utilities exist that may fix the problem. I did not have any luck with my previous HDTV and I ended up overscanning the desktop.

Thanks for all your info, and especially your post, End User. I think I'll be able to do what I want with all that has been suggested. I don't mind playing movies at 720p and even 480p (DVD's). On a 40" screen, I do not think there will be much of a difference anyway.

For the borders/overscan problem: do you think it will display correctly on 1080i?

derFunkenstein wrote:

Oooh, I totally didn't know that. That's sweet.

The list of supported hardware is here: http://www.elgato.com/elgato/na/mainmen ... t3.en.html

The thing is, there are actually only a couple of OEMs for TV tuner hardware. You'll notice that almost all of the ones that plug directly into a USB port look very similar, except perhaps for color or some plastic bits. Same company makes all of them, but may turn off or on different features in the hardware based on the ODM's requirements.

Most of the PCI cards are made by the ODM, but use OEM tuners.

vince wrote:

For the borders/overscan problem: do you think it will display correctly on 1080i?

Every TV is different.

AVS Forum is a great place to start - http://www.avsforum.com - search for your TV and Mac mini.

Tools:
http://www.3dexpress.de/
http://www.madrau.com/