Who's interested in a Mac Home Theater forum?

[Cave Man]

OK, I think Macrumors ought to devote some its space to a new forum, perhaps:

Special Interests: Mac Home Theaters

Sure, we have the Apple TV (which is great, by the way), but many people do not realize that Macs can make fabulous home theater PCs. Or, they have trouble understanding what they need to buy and how to configure their Macs for use with a home theater.

What say you?

[macworkerbee]

I think this is a very interesting idea for a subforum. There are many people out there who have a passion for their dream setups at home and I'm sure they would be happy to help others set their's up.

Good idea.

[OutThere]

Maybe an expansion or re-assessment of the Apple TV forum could be in order, but a forum unto itself seems unnecessary. Maybe Apple TV & Home Theater Discussion?

[MrSmith]

I admit I chose the 'Don't Know' option. I'm not even sure what the Apple TV does, but I'd be interested in knowing more about home theatre setups if there was a forum.

As long as we agree to spell it correctly. ;)

[archesdevil]

Can we invite women?

[MrSmith]

Can we invite women?

Why? Don't Macs come with a remote?

"Ooh. Sexist." in a Ricky Gervais voice.

[EricNau]

Maybe an expansion or re-assessment of the Apple TV forum could be in order, but a forum unto itself seems unnecessary. Maybe Apple TV & Home Theater Discussion?
If any change were implemented, this seems to be the most logical choice in my opinion. I don't think there is enough discussion regarding home theater systems to warrant a separate forum, or even sub-forum for that matter, but I could certainly see adding "and other home-theater discussions" into the description for the Apple TV forum.

[Cave Man]

It seems the ATV forum is really limited to (1) the ATV as a device and (2) how to get content properly transcoded for it. I have and ATV and it is convenient, but my Mac Mini-based home theater is really a much nicer experience.

What is missing from the ATV forum are questions pertaining the home theater experience, particularly how to build a home theater, how to integrate your Mac into the equation, how to get Blu-Ray video on your Mac, how to choose a receiver (i.e., optical port), how do you get digital surround sound (i.e., Dolby Digital, DTS), why Quicktime sucks at 1080p playback (and why XBMC is so good). There are lots of others. Most of these issues are not relevant to the ATV. I cannot tell you how many times I've had to explain how you can get 5-channel surround sound out of left and right stereo channels. Many people just don't believe it.

[Donar]

Probably the questions asked in the "Apple TV" sub forum are limited to what you say because of the Subforum name. The things you name sound interesting, so i would like to hear about this in the Apple TV & Home Theater or Apple Home Theater thread. :)

[brad.c]

I've been using a Mac Mini as a media server (named Mini Me, of course) for over a year now, and would find such a forum of great interest. Things like background hum, true HD content (from the hard drive), Front Row issues, etc would be good to find without wading through :apple:tv threads.

[kabunaru]

I vote for Home Theatre forum as well. Would sound interesting.

[archesdevil]

I'd love one. The mini is the best Mac I've ever owned. Apple could really make it the center of your media universe if they wanted to. I am anxious to see what they will do.

[macworkerbee]

Maybe an expansion or re-assessment of the Apple TV forum could be in order, but a forum unto itself seems unnecessary. Maybe Apple TV & Home Theater Discussion?

I agree, maybe we don't need an entire new subforum but just an expanded appletv one. I am still very excited about the possibility because there are so many devices and ways to set up a digital entertainment system in your home.

[Consultant]

It's not that difficult.

DVI to HDMI.
Optical out to surround sound.

That's it.

I have a PowerMac G4 as storage device and stream via Gigabit ethernet.

[macworkerbee]

It's not that difficult.

DVI to HDMI.
Optical out to surround sound.

That's it.

I have a PowerMac G4 as storage device and stream via Gigabit ethernet.

Thanks for your uber creative solution to a Mac home media setup :D

There are more setups out there and when you get into serving your content up to multiple machines from a central location in your home it gets to be a very diverse conversation.

[gonyr]

I'm definitely in favor of it. I have next to no interest in appletv. I've been holding out for the next generation mini to run plex (formerly osxbmc) into my crt projector.

[Mr. lax]

In favor of it.

For the life of me i can't figure out how to stream movies from my imac to my ps3

[archesdevil]

In favor of it.

For the life of me i can't figure out how to stream movies from my imac to my ps3

It's possible but as of now you need 3rd party software (http://www.nullriver.com/products/medialink).

[Cave Man]

I'm definitely in favor of it. I have next to no interest in appletv. I've been holding out for the next generation mini to run plex (formerly osxbmc) into my crt projector.

Why not just use the current Mini for it?

[rshanahan]

I'd be interested too!

[gonyr]

Why not just use the current Mini for it?

Mostly because I'm pretty sure the update has to come around soon, after more than a year. Don't want to have buyers remorse when there's an update, and I'm not in a big hurry to do this. I haven't been waiting for a year - my plan has been in the works for about two months.

[Consultant]

Thanks for your uber creative solution to a Mac home media setup :D

There are more setups out there and when you get into serving your content up to multiple machines from a central location in your home it gets to be a very diverse conversation.

Server with storage.
Gigabit ethernet.

[Tilpots]

I'd like to see a mac-as-home-theater forum. I know the idea's mixed in with a lot of other forums here; :apple:TV, Digital Audio, Digital Video, Hardware, Peripherals and probably several others; but this a major reason why it should be put in its own category. You really have to pay attention to many forums and many more threads to gather the information you're looking for. Many people only cruise certain forums, but have a good deal of info that may add to a discussion in another. Plus the search feature here is not at all intuitive (Sorry Arn and mods, love the site but search is very frustrating). This makes repetitive threads keep popping up all over the place because nobody's willing to put in the effort to dig up the right thread.

Apple is making a move to the living room and I'd like this place to follow. I don't see this issue going away, either. As the :apple:TV progresses, mini-modders continue to explore the possibilites and Airport Express users want to take the next step, they will need a place to talk. I hope it's on this board.:)

[macworkerbee]

Server with storage.
Gigabit ethernet.

OK, I give up, we don't need to add to the Apple TV forum at all, you have just written every piece of information that anyone ever needs to discuss on a home media setup. Thank you for that, I can go live my life now.
:p:D

[northy124]

I voted yes I'd like to learn more about using a Mac (Mini with upgrades would be my choice due to size) as a home theatre & I'm sure people can give pointers on what to buy:D.

[Cave Man]

It's not that difficult.

DVI to HDMI.
Optical out to surround sound.

That's it.

I have a PowerMac G4 as storage device and stream via Gigabit ethernet.

There's more to it than this. What software do you use? What's your audio setup? What are your media encoded formats? Are you on a TV or a projector system?

[jeremyrader]

I'm all for it.

I tried and tried to find a way to plan my setup using a mac, but it just wasn't realistic. Maybe if there was a dedicated forum, things would have been different (I doubt it though - at least in my case).

I already had a D-Link DSM-320RD (.avi format only) getting its stream from an old PC project that was in the closet; :apple:TV just wasn't realistic when I bought it because of the price point and lack of DVD player which, in retrospect, I don't really need (now that I have HD storage space)... I also have a Wii that accepts streaming Flash video that's good enough quality for kid's shows, but it's now out of my daughter's room and back in the living room right next to the HTPC... Plus I wanted the ability to share files via iTunes on my MBP and iMac, so everything is stored in the PC's iTunes folder in iTunes-friendly formats. Right now, TVersity is the only program out there that converts on-the-fly from one format to another, and it's only for Windows.

In addition to being a HTPC, I wanted the machine to also be a reliable streaming media server. There's no way I could have built a Mac with HDMI out, 7.1 surround sound, gb ethernet, Core2 Quad (45nm), 2GB RAM, DVD burner, VFD with remote, and four 500GB hard drives in RAID5 for anywhere near what I paid for my DIY setup (about $650). And it still wouldn't stream to all my existing devices. And while the Thermaltake Mozart case may not be Apple sleek, it's far from a beige box.

In the future, I plan on just going with iPod Touches for each member of the family and a video out cable (or dock) attached to each TV for convenient streaming (or playing whatever is on board), no real-time video conversion needed. But the HTPC/media server would still be Windows (or Linux) based until used Mac Pro prices come way, way down (so I can gut one and stick it in the Mozart)...

Another option I started to consider was a Drobo as NAS and :apple:Tv's on each TV set. But the setup would have come in at well over $1,200 for the Drobo, hard drives and 3 :apple:TV's. Simple, effective, but more than I wanted to spend.

[JML42691]

I too am with the group that think we should have a sub-forum of the sort dedicated to Macs being integrated into home theaters. It can be difficult designing and setting up a home-theater system, and I am sure that many here have a lot of insight as to how Macs could be better integrated into the setup.

[murph7355]

I've been using a Mini for this for a good 18mths now.

DVI-HDMI cable to my Pioneer plasma screen.

Optical digital cable to my Sony surround amp.

Mini is connected via gigabit ethernet switch to a NAS (ReadyNAS NV).

I use Media Central for the menu software. It's very configurable and will play most (pretty much all) formats, including raw VOBs from TS folders ripped from DVDs (all stored on the NAS).

Simple menu interface and simple to configure.

The key item with all these systems is how you control them.

iRed and IRTrans are crucial here. You plug the latter into your Mini's USB port. It then acts as an IR receiver AND transmitter. iRed (the software for it) then lets you learn other remotes and do all sorts of stuff on receiving remote commands (run Mac scripts, send keyboard commands, send IR signals from other remotes etc). It's very powerful.

I have mine set up so that I simply use the remote that came with my TV and it not only controls the TV, but also the surround amp and the Mac Mini's Media Central menu system.

End result? I can turn all components on and off using the one remote. The surround amp controls all sound. I watch TV as normal for the TV but if I want to watch movies, listen to music, listen to internet radio, look at photos etc I flick the TV to the Mini's input and away I go. All from my armchair.

Even my folks and other half can use it it's so easy.

It's also very reliable, which is important. Occasionally I get a slight menu bar line at the top of the screen when the Mini gets confused with mouse focus, but it's easily addressed (bluetooth keyboard or VNC to the machine). And the equipment cupboard I have can get quite hot and trip the Mini out (cooling fix due to the cupboard soon :)). Other than that, the only errors are user ones.

There are only really a couple of things I wish could be done better:

1) iRed doesn't handle repeat IR codes very well. So scrolling through long lists of DVDs etc can be a pain as it doesn't exactly emulate a keyboard (which accelerates through a list).

Partially overcome by splitting films into genre lists, but would be nice to have better repeat codes.

2) The menu system doesn't look as slick as Front Row. Sooooo much better in every other respect. Front Row look and Media Central functionality would be perfect.

[Keebler]

this is something I'd like to do in another year or so. Technology is advancing as always and my needs are getting there.

if i had an hdtv, i'd be doing it right now.

i think a seperate forum is good b/c i think HT encompasses more than the ATV, as great as it is.

personally, i'm waiting to see if new mac minis come out soon and then maybe hop on a refurb one (if they ever appear in the refurb section that is :)

[Tilpots]

So... Has anybody heard from a mod about this possible forum? Anyone know how many votes it would take to make it happen or what the process is? Just curious.

[Cave Man]

My understanding is that the mods will evaluate interest and then decide. Not sure how they announce it, other than perhaps just starting it. I suspect the poll would need (1) a few hundred respondents and (2) a great majority in favor.

[brettjolly]

I'm just going to assume that we have a home theatre forum right here. 2 questions for anyone with some techy knowhow?
1. If I connected a small imac to a 60" hd panasonic plasma, would I get a similar quality as say from my samsung DVD player?

2. if i was building a new home and wanted to throw away all my old component Hi-fi and just have a mac + time capsule + ATV, for movies, dvds, recording tv, music etc... would I still get surround sound?

Basically if I had a fair bit of cash to throw at it, can i make a high quality home theatre / entertainment system from mac?

Thanks if anyone either knows or can bothered I really appreciate it!

[Cave Man]

1. If I connected a small imac to a 60" hd panasonic plasma, would I get a similar quality as say from my samsung DVD player?

Leopard's upscaling is about the best you can get. If your Samsung player does upscaling it would probably be similar to Leopard's DVD Player app.

2. if i was building a new home and wanted to throw away all my old component Hi-fi and just have a mac + time capsule + ATV, for movies, dvds, recording tv, music etc... would I still get surround sound?

Yes, it will do all of that right now. I use Plex as my front (Mac Mini) and it delivers Dolby Digital, True-HD, DTS and DTS-HD audio through the Mini's optical port. You can get 5.1, 7.1 or whatever is encoded in your media file. Plex even decodes, but does not decrypt, m2ts (the native format of Blu-Ray).

Basically if I had a fair bit of cash to throw at it, can i make a high quality home theatre / entertainment system from mac?

Yes, you can. But most people don't realize it (thus my proposition with this thread).

[Donar]

Caveman did you try 1080p PAL films on your MacMini if yes how does it work, does the Mini play such content without frameskip and feed the TV with 1080p (or is it "only" 1080i)?

[Cave Man]

I don't have any PAL content - sorry. I have 1080p Blu-Ray rips of 4 discs that I bought and the Mini plays them fine so long as the only app that's running is XBMC or Plex. Plex will drop a bit after pause or start, or after a ff or rew, but then is smooth sailing. I really, really like the fact that Plex can pass True-HD and DTS-HD audio as AC3 or DTS to my receiver.

[northy124]

I don't have any PAL content.
How can you not have any if your in Germany?

Donar it would play the same as Region A/NTSC Blu-Ray's.

[Donar]

It was just because of this 23/24/25 frames per second mess where i thought that "Pal" with 25 fps would be the first to drop frames...

[BlackMax]

Lately I've been playing around with Handbrake, Fairmount, VLC, MediaLink, MediaTomb and my PS3 to convert all my DVDs to MP4 and setup a media center at home. There is a lot of good information on this topic here, but it is currently spread across several different forums. A Mac Home Theater forum could bring this information together in one place.

[danny_w]

I voted YES because I have an :apple:TV but can't realistically use it for video because it does not support 4:3 aspect ratio tv's. Although I have it all connected just fine, the video is squished; I knew this before I bought it, but wanted it for music. Now that I would also like to rip my movies and watch them, I need an alternative. I'm currently trying out XBMC on an old original Xbox, but the intrface leave something to be desired. I like the Frontrow and :apple:TV interfaces, but would also need a search function to make them really useful.

[max¥¥]

I voted yes because i am going to use my mac mini:apple: to make a home theater system:D:):D

[yrsonicdeath]

I voted YES because I have an :apple:TV but can't realistically use it for video because it does not support 4:3 aspect ratio tv's. Although I have it all connected just fine, the video is squished; I knew this before I bought it, but wanted it for music. Now that I would also like to rip my movies and watch them, I need an alternative. I'm currently trying out XBMC on an old original Xbox, but the intrface leave something to be desired. I like the Frontrow and :apple:TV interfaces, but would also need a search function to make them really useful.

Just curious, how are you using the XBOX? Are you storing the videos on there? I'm running XBMC too and just wondering how someone else was doing things.

[danny_w]

Just curious, how are you using the XBOX? Are you storing the videos on there? I'm running XBMC too and just wondering how someone else was doing things.
So far I have only been playing around with XBMC. I only have the original hdd in my xbox so there is really no room to store anything. I have tried ripping to VIDEO_TS folders and streaming from my MB hdd (works well after the streaming starts), and also ripping to mp4a and streaming again from my MB hdd (starts faster but skipping forward/back is very jittery, and of course no DVD extras). I need to get a proper NAS disk; the guy that modded the xbox for me had a ReadyNAS and streaming was both fast to start and flawless (I don't know if he had VIDEO_TS folders or what). I have a disk attached to my AEBS but haven't tried that yet. I have tried the xbox both hardwired to the AEBS, hardwired to a Linksys WRT54G that I use for b/g devices, and wirelessly to the same Linksys; the hardwired connections obviously gave better results, but not by much.

[yrsonicdeath]

So far I have only been playing around with XBMC. I only have the original hdd in my xbox so there is really no room to store anything. I have tried ripping to VIDEO_TS folders and streaming from my MB hdd (works well after the streaming starts), and also ripping to mp4a and streaming again from my MB hdd (starts faster but skipping forward/back is very jittery, and of course no DVD extras). I need to get a proper NAS disk; the guy that modded the xbox for me had a ReadyNAS and streaming was both fast to start and flawless (I don't know if he had VIDEO_TS folders or what). I have a disk attached to my AEBS but haven't tried that yet. I have tried the xbox both hardwired to the AEBS, hardwired to a Linksys WRT54G that I use for b/g devices, and wirelessly to the same Linksys; the hardwired connections obviously gave better results, but not by much.

Thanks. I have my XBOX hardwired to an Express and I just use Transmit to FTP videos onto the hard drive. I upgraded mine to 250gb, but am already wanting more space. I may try the NAS route, for some reason that never occurred to me.

[contrakid]

Hi all

I think a section just for this would be a great idea.

I have been running a Mac Media Center for last 2 years. I have all my DVD's in media central and playback all my HD material in VLC the best format is MKV (Matroska Multimedia Container) H.264 AC3 & DTS.

My mini can only play back 720p without probs. I would like to upgrade processor to a Core 2 Duo 2GHz and see if that would help me playback 1080p but i only have 720p Plasma so not overly bothered.

If you would like to know what you can expect with different mac mins read this link.

http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/mac_mini/faq_core/mac-mini-core-h264hd-playback-capabilities.html

Feel free to ask me any questions

[Cave Man]

The problem isn't your Mini, it's the software you're using. The clear winner is Plex (and its ancestor, XBMC). I play raw, decrypted Blu-Ray files (1080p, 30 mbps bit rates) perfectly on my 2 gHz Mini using Plex. It also transcodes True-HD and DTS-HD audio to DD or DTS on the fly. Quicktime sucks, and while VLC is better than QT at playback, it can't keep up with Plex.

[mtbdudex]

I voted a resounding "YES"!

I'd be an active participant, my HT build thread is in my sig, and my DIY Infinite Baffle subwoofer project is done, just had Lowes install carpet/linoleum in the non HT portion of my basement. So, the next 2-3 months is finishing time for the HT itself; carpeting, riser/bass trap, wall acoustic treatments, and a Mac based HTPC solution.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/mtbdudex/SGihs7P3i2I/AAAAAAAACIw/ldV4bEz9eHI/s800/IMG_7818.JPG

Here are some YouTube videos I made of my just completed Infinite Baffle line array subwoofer 4 x 15" AE IB15's in action.
(still a few week before carpeting/other, excuse the messy look)

Kinda dorky play-by-play ;), I was watching/listening to the DD 5.1 demo DVD I got from CES 2006 and the LFE's in there are quite neat, good selection of clips and it was "free".


This video show my 4 speaker line array Infinitely Baffled Subwoofer speakers up close, you can see lots of subwoofer cone movement action:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFpJL3oH1Z8&feature=related

This video show my 4 speaker line array Infinitely Baffled Subwoofer from back of Home Theatre for wide view
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtO9P8SP_JY&feature=related

This video show my 4 speaker line array Infinitely Baffled Subwoofer backchamber area (for the geeky/techno people who care this aspect)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oE-V7s_Rex0&feature=related

[wordmunger]

I could see expanding the Apple TV forum, but not adding a whole new forum. Maybe just call it "Apple TV/Home Theater"?

[Aeolius]

How about a "Mac Smart House" forum, encompassing home theater, home automation, assistive technology, and so on?

[digitalpencil]

Definitely in favour of a mac-based HTPC forum, the AppleTV just doesn't cut it..
I've been personally thinking of setting up a mini-based media center running Plex (xbmc) pulling media off a Linux server over wireless N all through a large LCD (possibly projector). I've been really getting into this lately searching for remote control solutions compatible with iTouch/Phone similar to remote app. People are already working on an xbmc remote app and when coupled with blind control, projector screen app etc and a large archiving server you've got the ultimate of home theater setups on your mac!

PLEASE MODS can we get an MHT forum! :D

[contrakid]

Update

Managed to get me an 10.5 update to Leopard and this weekend have installed and played around with Plex.

All i can say is forget anything else PLEX is the way to go.

All the Mkv files i could not play in VLC or QT now play perfectly on my 1.66GHz ICD. Nearly no frames dropped when VLC was dropping about 8 frames a second. Playing at 15mbps and the Audi is perfect also.

When checking in Activity monitor while 1080p film is playing i still have loads of free memory available (ram) hard disk activity is around 1 or 2 % load. But the CPU is running at around 140% - 160% usage so that about 70% - 80% in each core.

Think i may get some problems with higher bit rate films so i may upgrade my processor to a 2GHz C2D and then i think it will handle anything.

Also i am running all films from a PC Raid 5 2TB server over gigabit so think this helps take load off internal drive so it can concentrate on the VM work, around 500mb during playback.

Anyone thinking of getting a mac mini i would say go for it with Plex its great. Buy a mac mini core solo off ebay for around £180 and then upgrade it to a 2GHz core 2 duo for £150.

[yrsonicdeath]

Buy a mac mini core solo off ebay for around £180 and then upgrade it to a 2GHz core 2 duo for £150.

I'm planning on doing exactly this.

Any word on whether a HT forum could come to fruition?

[Jak3]

yes to home theater!

I mean, come on, it's one of the coolest things you can set up in your house, why don't we already have a forum on it :confused:

[ravenvii]

How about a home theater forum in general - not specifically Mac? Seems much more useful... *shrug*

[danny_w]

How about a home theater forum in general - not specifically Mac? Seems much more useful... *shrug*
Aren't there plenty of other dedicated forums directed toward home theater in general though? I don't think we want to try to cover the same ground.

[yrsonicdeath]

Aren't there plenty of other dedicated forums directed toward home theater in general though? I don't think we want to try to cover the same ground.

Couldn't you say that about some of the other forums on Macrumors? There are people out there who use their macs for home theater purposes and I think it would be a great resource for us to be able to collaborate. In order to find stuff about mac-specific home theater you have to do countless searches and piece together items from all sort of different sources. To have a source on Mac-based home theater community on Macrumors would provide an excellent, searchable source for all of this information. Not to mention we use this forum anyway as mac users.

[danny_w]

Couldn't you say that about some of the other forums on Macrumors? There are people out there who use their macs for home theater purposes and I think it would be a great resource for us to be able to collaborate. In order to find stuff about mac-specific home theater you have to do countless searches and piece together items from all sort of different sources. To have a source on Mac-based home theater community on Macrumors would provide an excellent, searchable source for all of this information. Not to mention we use this forum anyway as mac users.
I think I must not have been clear. I think a Mac-centric home theater forum on Macrumors would be great, all that I was saying is that I don't think we want to try to cover the entire home theater scene as other general forums do.

[funkyc]

i'm definitely interested!
currently have a macbook connected to the TV and use it to watch channel torrent - works well!
however, would like to learn how to use it as a proper media centre, to record stuff, link stuff, watch stuff over the network etc
oh and of course waiting for the new mac mini to come out so i can have a prettier thing sitting next to my tv rather than a laptop, which looks kinda silly! :)

[geerlingguy]

I vote YES! I'm a student, and all I've got is my MacBook Pro and a 22" screen. I have an HD-DVD drive that I've used to convert all my HD-DVDs to 1080p video files, and I have a HDTV tuner... all connected to a wonderful 5.1 surround system.

There are questions I ask here and there, but I never know where to put them—not in the Apple TV forum, since I don't have one, and not in the Digital Video Forum, because I might need to ask about audio...

[yrsonicdeath]

I think I must not have been clear. I think a Mac-centric home theater forum on Macrumors would be great, all that I was saying is that I don't think we want to try to cover the entire home theater scene as other general forums do.

My mistake danny_w. We are in total agreement it seems. :)

[donga]

voted yes! mac specific home theater forum!

[Oneness]

I thought I would chime in on my Mac Mini setup. I just got it up and running (last night) so I don't have any real insight yet - actually more questions than answers. Anyway.....

I have a 2.16ghz/2g RAM Mini hooked up to a 46" Sony z4100 via DVI-VGA cable (I also have a DVI-HDMI cable which I will try out tonight to see if any difference in picture quality). Audio output from Mini is to an Onkyo SR606 receiver. I have EyeTV Hybrid for my TV signal input.

The Mini was basically plug and play with the Sony. I didn't have to adjust any settings or deal with overscan. It is a beautiful picture.

My wife and I don't watch much TV (really only Lost and PBS miniseries), but we do like to watch movies. I have all our movies on an external HD as uncompressed rips. I haven't quite decided the setup for the HD yet (direct hookup to the mini or upgrade to Airport N and stream the HD wirelessly), but I do know I'll be upgrading to a 1tb HD in the next 6 months or so.

For speakers I am looking at Hsu speakers ([URL="http://www.hsuresearch.com/index.html"]), but I am not decided as of yet.

I haven't had the time to play around with FrontRow. I have Distant DVD on my 15" Powerbook, but that is a bare bones media organizer (if you can even call it that). I am waiting for Snow Leopard so Plex will have to wait also.:(

Lastly, I am coming from a 23 year old Mitsubishi 19" TV so at this point I am easily impressed.

Caveman, I have read tons of your posts - thanks for all the info.

[SubZer0]

I think it's a great idea. It would be very helpful to see differernt setups and new ways of doing things.

[Cave Man]

I have all our movies on an external HD as uncompressed rips. I haven't quite decided the setup for the HD yet (direct hookup to the mini or upgrade to Airport N and stream the HD wirelessly), but I do know I'll be upgrading to a 1tb HD in the next 6 months or so.

If by "HD" you mean "hard drive", then 802.11n will be fine for playback of standard def video. FF and rew will be sluggish, but workable by streaming. If you mean "high-def" then you will experience dropped frames and audio issues if you go wireless. Even 802.11n has streaming issues at those file sizes and bit rates.

I haven't had the time to play around with FrontRow. I have Distant DVD on my 15" Powerbook, but that is a bare bones media organizer (if you can even call it that). I am waiting for Snow Leopard so Plex will have to wait also.:(

You should download XBMC Atlantis. Still in beta, but it is better at playback than Plex (but not as Mac-friendly), but it will play on 10.4 as well as 10.5, unlike Plex (10.5 only). Are you skipping Leopard and waiting for Snow Leo?

Caveman, I have read tons of your posts - thanks for all the info.

Glad to be helpful. I'm still learning things, too, especially the obstacles...

[Oneness]

If by "HD" you mean "hard drive", then 802.11n will be fine for playback of standard def video. FF and rew will be sluggish, but workable by streaming. If you mean "high-def" then you will experience dropped frames and audio issues if you go wireless. Even 802.11n has streaming issues at those file sizes and bit rates.

I do mean 'hard drive'. I guess i'll go with the direct connection instead of wireless. I don't want streaming issues!

You should download XBMC Atlantis. Still in beta, but it is better at playback than Plex (but not as Mac-friendly), but it will play on 10.4 as well as 10.5, unlike Plex (10.5 only). Are you skipping Leopard and waiting for Snow Leo?

I'll try out Atlantis. Yes I'm waiting for Snow. I have a PPC Powerbook and didn't see the need to upgrade to Leopard. When I got my Intel Mini this summer it came with Tiger and I was going to upgrade to Leopard, but I don't want to pay $129 now and then 9 months later maybe pay $129 for Snow (I know we don't know pricing yet, but until I hear otherwise I will assume the worst)Glad to be helpful. I'm still learning things, too, especially the obstacles...

Oh yeah, tried out the DVI-HDMI cable last nite. I don't see any difference between it and the DVI-VGA cable.

[Partitioned]

I am currently trying to use my mac with my new 52" Samsung LCD. I used a mini DVI to DVI from the mac to HDMI into the TV. This results in the TV becoming a second monitor as far as the mac is concerned. So far so good, in fact everything on the TV looks better than it does on the mac, imcluding applications and video.

I have one vexing problem: when playing video using either QT or DVD player on the TV, if I go full screen then the resize occurs on the mac screen, not the TV. I can use the command "fit to screen", which mostly fills the screen but I still see the QT border and the unfilled desktop remaining on the TV.

Any ideas how to toggle the primary display between mac and TV?

[funkyc]

I am currently trying to use my mac with my new 52" Samsung LCD. I used a mini DVI to DVI from the mac to HDMI into the TV. This results in the TV becoming a second monitor as far as the mac is concerned. So far so good, in fact everything on the TV looks better than it does on the mac, imcluding applications and video.

I have one vexing problem: when playing video using either QT or DVD player on the TV, if I go full screen then the resize occurs on the mac screen, not the TV. I can use the command "fit to screen", which mostly fills the screen but I still see the QT border and the unfilled desktop remaining on the TV.

Any ideas how to toggle the primary display between mac and TV?

i have this problem too....i tried pressing f7 (on my macbook) to duplicate the screen but then the resolution goes really crappy on my laptop (my tv is not full hd but just 720p so the resolution is not as good as the laptop)

i prefer having the secondary screen option as then i can still use my laptop on the side to download torrents or whatever else i'm doing in the background

any ideas would be appreciated

[AceOfSpades]

I am currently trying to use my mac with my new 52" Samsung LCD. I used a mini DVI to DVI from the mac to HDMI into the TV. This results in the TV becoming a second monitor as far as the mac is concerned. So far so good, in fact everything on the TV looks better than it does on the mac, imcluding applications and video.

I have one vexing problem: when playing video using either QT or DVD player on the TV, if I go full screen then the resize occurs on the mac screen, not the TV. I can use the command "fit to screen", which mostly fills the screen but I still see the QT border and the unfilled desktop remaining on the TV.

Any ideas how to toggle the primary display between mac and TV?

Partitioned, in QT at least, you will want to select Preferences under the Quicktime Player drop menu. You should be presented the option of switching to the external monitor for Full Screen viewing. As far as DVDs, I don't have much experience watching them on my MacBook. But I'd assume its a similar process.

AOS

I've used my MacBook to turn my living room into a "business lounge" as well as an enhanced entertainment center. Incorporating the Mac with Airport Extreme, Bluetooth Keyboard and Mouse, Wirelessly connected printer and 500 GB "archive" hard drive, 42" Philips 1080p and Samsung surround-sound receiver.

I work from home on contracted marketing campaigns and visual communication design. When I'm not watching YTMND.com or reading political dribble, I'm composing strategic advertising and the visual presentations for client's companies. When I've finished crafting their message, I have them over for drinks and hookah smoking while I present a HD presentation to seal the deal.

Bunch of you won't care about doing business on your TV. But for me, it makes my business work. Windows Media Center blows.

Setup was effortless. Mini-DVI to DVI, then DVI to HDMI. For audio, I ran a direct Optical to aux LR audio for that HDMI port. I could have bought the Airport Express, and used third party software to carry all Mac audio wirelessly, but I determined a direct link would truly insure audio sync. The monitor on the MacBook is lowered and sitting on a TV Bench, with the Philips mounted on the wall above. It looks nice with the topside Apple illuminated across the room. On my coffee table I have my wireless keyboard and mouse, and I've crafted a removable "mouse platform" extension to the armrest on a chaise lounge.

Do yourself a favor. Burn your office building to the ground and do business from home. You'll save gas and get to change the channel on your TV. Good luck to all.

AOS.

[Tilpots]

I've used my MacBook to turn my living room into a "business lounge" as well as an enhanced entertainment center. Incorporating the Mac with Airport Extreme, Bluetooth Keyboard and Mouse, Wirelessly connected printer and 500 GB "archive" hard drive, 42" Philips 1080p and Samsung surround-sound receiver.

I work from home on contracted marketing campaigns and visual communication design. When I'm not watching YTMND.com or reading political dribble, I'm composing strategic advertising and the visual presentations for client's companies. When I've finished crafting their message, I have them over for drinks and hookah smoking while I present a HD presentation to seal the deal.

Bunch of you won't care about doing business on your TV. But for me, it makes my business work. Windows Media Center blows.

Setup was effortless. Mini-DVI to DVI, then DVI to HDMI. For audio, I ran a direct Optical to aux LR audio for that HDMI port. I could have bought the Airport Express, and used third party software to carry all Mac audio wirelessly, but I determined a direct link would truly insure audio sync. The monitor on the MacBook is lowered and sitting on a TV Bench, with the Philips mounted on the wall above. It looks nice with the topside Apple illuminated across the room. On my coffee table I have my wireless keyboard and mouse, and I've crafted a removable "mouse platform" extension to the armrest on a chaise lounge.

Do yourself a favor. Burn your office building to the ground and do business from home. You'll save gas and get to change the channel on your TV. Good luck to all.

AOS.


Is your company hiring? I've got years of commercial, TV and film production experience plus I love watching TV at home! I'd be a perfect fit...:D

[VoR]

I voted yes :)

I've been using my mac mini with xbmc as my HT for a while now.
It's nice little hardware for many reasons, and xbmc is an utterly amazing app. Everyone that sees the setup wants one.

In response to the first post, I havn't lived with an atv, but I can't see why I would want one (xbmc does run on it though), it just seems frustratingly limited in it's current form - and if it wasn't, it'd just be a mac mini without an optical drive (I'd buy a few of those in a second though mr. apple). The hardware isn't enough to play the content I want and the service doesn't supply it anyway.

[cbrain]

I like the it, I wish we could have a mac in a home theatre set-up. :(

[SCStevens04]

I have an old-school TV for now, and average joe home stereo. Is there any benefit for using Plex over Front Row in this situation? I’m tempted to stay with Front Row for ease of use with wife & kids.

(I voted "yes")

[Cave Man]

I have an old-school TV for now, and average joe home stereo. Is there any benefit for using Plex over Front Row in this situation? I’m tempted to stay with Front Row for ease of use with wife & kids.

It depends on what your media content are. Are you using DVDs or files? If the latter, what kind of files? Do you plan to get into Blu-Ray? If you're just using DVDs (or even DVDs ripped to a hard disk or transcoded with Handbrake), then your current setup works, but you are missing out on 5.1 digital surround sound (unless your receiver has optical input).

(I voted "yes")

I need to do a little research on forum threads about this topic for one of the moderators. I plan to do that this weekend, provided there are sufficient gaps between football games...

[digitalpencil]

I need to do a little research on forum threads about this topic for one of the moderators. I plan to do that this weekend, provided there are sufficient gaps between football games...

wicked.. i'm eager to see if we'll get our forum now that there's 150 votes cast.
here's to hoping :p

[alphaod]

I would like a MHT forum too!

[byocrysis]

Wow what a great thread. I am planning on buying a Mac Mini for just this reason in the upcoming weeks, but after browsing through this forum I feel that my knowledge on the subject is completely lacking. If you could please indulge my lack of knowledge on the subject and answer just a few questions it would be greatly appreciated:

1. I have heard a lot of talk about XBMC and PLEX, what are the advantages of these programs over front row and which would you recommend and why?

2. I currently have exhausted all my optical audio inputs on my home theater receiver (only two available one to PS3 and one to XBOX 360), is a standard red/white to headphone jack a reasonable alternative, or should I re-prioritize my components that deserve optical.

3. I currently store all of my music and movies on the Mac Pro I am currently typing on, on a separate hard drive designated solely for media. I am connected to an Air Port Extreme Wirelessly and the Mac Mini will be as well, is there any advantage to an external HD connected to the Mac Mini with all of my music and movies or would it work just fine streaming from my Mac Pro over the network?

Thanks for your help, and I hope I have not been a repeat questioner of previous topics in this forum.

[danny_w]

Wow what a great thread. I am planning on buying a Mac Mini for just this reason in the upcoming weeks, but after browsing through this forum I feel that my knowledge on the subject is completely lacking. If you could please indulge my lack of knowledge on the subject and answer just a few questions it would be greatly appreciated:

1. I have heard a lot of talk about XBMC and PLEX, what are the advantages of these programs over front row and which would you recommend and why?

2. I currently have exhausted all my optical audio inputs on my home theater receiver (only two available one to PS3 and one to XBOX 360), is a standard red/white to headphone jack a reasonable alternative, or should I re-prioritize my components that deserve optical.

3. I currently store all of my music and movies on the Mac Pro I am currently typing on, on a separate hard drive designated solely for media. I am connected to an Air Port Extreme Wirelessly and the Mac Mini will be as well, is there any advantage to an external HD connected to the Mac Mini with all of my music and movies or would it work just fine streaming from my Mac Pro over the network?

Thanks for your help, and I hope I have not been a repeat questioner of previous topics in this forum.
I am in a similar quandary at the oment. I have an :apple:TV but can't really make use of it for video because I only have a 4:3 tv (although it is a very nice high-end 50" projection tv that I really love). I have an old Xbox that I converted to XBMC, and have used it on my monitor but not on the tv; I even have the component and optical cables to make it work well. Its menu system is lacking, but it plays just about everything well and is really cheap, but it is limited by the built-in 10/100Mb ethernet link, no built-in wireless, and no option for on/off control via remote (and it is loud to boot). However, it plays video_ts folders very well, something that I insist upon.

I have also tried XBMC and Boxee on the :apple:TV, but lack of a 4:3 setting is the killer here; I may revert to v1.0 so that I can run displayutil to set it to 4:3 mode (I heard that displayutil crashes on v2.x/Take 2 software). I may try this over the weekend.

I also have an old iMac G5 that I could use for Front Row (while will do video_ts just fine) but it has no remote, and is really bigger than I want for the living room. However, that is another possibility. Unfortunately the lack of IR may be a problem (I would want to integrate this using my Harmony IR remote).

[Cave Man]

1. I have heard a lot of talk about XBMC and PLEX, what are the advantages of these programs over front row and which would you recommend and why?

Front Row is based on QuickTime, which is limited in the codecs it can handle, has major problems with AC3 (Dolby Digital) passthrough and cannot handle DTS passthrough, and is poor at decoding. For instance, even if FR could open Blu-Ray format videos (m2ts) it does not have the muscle to decode them fast enough for playback. Plex, on the other hand, will work just fine on a 2 gHz Mini and deals with not only DD and DTS, but also True-HD and DTS-HD by downsampling on the fly to DD and DTS prior to passthrough.

2. I currently have exhausted all my optical audio inputs on my home theater receiver (only two available one to PS3 and one to XBOX 360), is a standard red/white to headphone jack a reasonable alternative, or should I re-prioritize my components that deserve optical.

With R&L analog inputs, you can only get Dolby Pro Logic II (5-channel) surround sound, which is limited in dynamic range and channel separation. DD and DTS are really the way to go. Free up one of those optical ports. :)

3. I currently store all of my music and movies on the Mac Pro I am currently typing on, on a separate hard drive designated solely for media. I am connected to an Air Port Extreme Wirelessly and the Mac Mini will be as well, is there any advantage to an external HD connected to the Mac Mini with all of my music and movies or would it work just fine streaming from my Mac Pro over the network?

While video can stream by wireless g if encoded at sufficiently low bit rate, there's really no substitute for connected drive (FW or USB) or by ethernet cable. Steaming of Blu-Ray video is impossible over wireless g - there's simply not enough bandwidth.

[yrsonicdeath]

Cave Man, any news on the subject of the thread?

[Cave Man]

I think the mods are still mulling it over.

[yrsonicdeath]

I think the mods are still mulling it over.

Well it's not bad news.

[Tilpots]

It will probably take a revamped Mini or :apple:TV (or both) to get this forum started. Hope it's sooner than later for the forum and the products!

[albusseverus]

Very interested in Mac Home Theatre.

Most of the so-called MacMini home theatres I've seen are actually using computer monitors.

I'm interested in whether a Mac can do HD to a real home theatre (projector or >46" televisions) and real surround systems - 5.1, 6.1, 7.1 DTS or LPCM for Blu-ray ??

Personally, I don't think a Mini is up to it, and I wonder if any Mac can do Full HD and at least DTS sound??

Prove me wrong (please), actual examples only.

[Cave Man]

Most of the so-called MacMini home theatres I've seen are actually using computer monitors. I'm interested in whether a Mac can do HD to a real home theatre (projector or >46" televisions) and real surround systems - 5.1, 6.1, 7.1 DTS or LPCM for Blu-ray ??

My Mini is connected to a Sanyo z2000 1080p projector by DVI/HDMI. Plays all Blu-Ray formats (H.264, MPEG-2, VC-1). Gotta have the right software, and right now that's only Plex (and XBMC). Looks real nice, too. :) Of course, none of the Macs will play Blu-Ray discs natively since they do not do the decryption and most likely do not have HDCP-compliant hardware.

Personally, I don't think a Mini is up to it, and I wonder if any Mac can do Full HD and at least DTS sound??

A Mini can do 1080p and handle DTS, DD, True-HD and DTS-HD (I don't know about LPCM), provided the last two are down-sampled to DTS or DD. Of course, all Macs are limited to 7.1 digital audio since Toslink specification maxes out at that. Plex does all this on the fly, then passes it out to your amp as optical data. It can also convert to analog on the fly.

Prove me wrong (please), actual examples only.

Here (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=548905&highlight=yes+virginia) you go.

[albusseverus]

My Mini is connected to a Sanyo z2000 1080p projector by DVI/HDMI. Plays all Blu-Ray formats (H.264, MPEG-2, VC-1). Gotta have the right software, and right now that's only Plex (and XBMC). Looks real nice, too. :) Of course, none of the Macs will play Blu-Ray discs natively since they do not do the decryption and most likely do not have HDCP-compliant hardware.

A Mini can do 1080p and handle DTS, DD, True-HD and DTS-HD (I don't know about LPCM), provided the last two are down-sampled to DTS or DD. Of course, all Macs are limited to 7.1 digital audio since Toslink specification maxes out at that. Plex does all this on the fly, then passes it out to your amp as optical data. It can also convert to analog on the fly.

Here (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=548905&highlight=yes+virginia) you go.

Excellent, thanks Cave Man. Pleased to hear you can get 1080p. Any idea of the data rates? The BD rips on the link you posted are HD-DVD rates, but I'm sure there are plenty of HD-DVD ports to BD at this stage.

Do you think a Mac Mini could do EyeTV at 1080p and 14 Mb/s? Eye TV seems to tax the Mac a little and it would be my main Mac HD source, I have a stand-alone BD player.

Also, I've never seen anything about Macs doing DTS, only DD on the optical out. You say Plex does DTS on the optical, as decoded analogue (??) digital or is it DD - what does your receiver show when it's playing the audio ? I see, it says pass-through on the Plex site, but can you rip to a DTS track? more than a straight DVD copy, say ?

There are plenty of BD drives for Mac Pros, so I wondered if someone had written a player for Blu-ray. Even the Blu-ray DD and DTS formats sound a lot better than DVD, but I'd like to see HDMI video & audio on the next Mac Mini.

I tried XBMC and wasn't impressed with the interface, but I'm not into ripping all kinds of stuff to the hard drive, mostly because I'd like DTS if I could get it. I'll have a look at Plex, that sounds like an improvement.

[Cave Man]

Excellent, thanks Cave Man. Pleased to hear you can get 1080p. Any idea of the data rates? The BD rips on the link you posted are HD-DVD rates, but I'm sure there are plenty of HD-DVD ports to BD at this stage.

Well, the Blu-Ray rips I have are just taken from the discs with encryption and HDCP requirements removed. So they should be whatever is the rate on the original disc (30 mbps or more for some scenes).

Do you think a Mac Mini could do EyeTV at 1080p and 14 Mb/s? Eye TV seems to tax the Mac a little and it would be my main Mac HD source, I have a stand-alone BD player.

I don't know. My local OTA broadcasts are only 720p or 1080i. I've never had a chance to do 1080p with my Eye TV Hybrid.

Also, I've never seen anything about Macs doing DTS, only DD on the optical out. You say Plex does DTS on the optical, as decoded analogue (??) digital or is it DD - what does your receiver show when it's playing the audio ? I see, it says pass-through on the Plex site, but can you rip to a DTS track? more than a straight DVD copy, say ?

If the disc has AC3, then the Dolby Digital indicator illuminates. If it's in DTS, then the DTS indicator illuminates. It really is DTS. When I open the m2ts files in tsmuxer it is either DTS or DTS-HD (or True-HD on some). Plex handles the passthrough, not OS X.

There are plenty of BD drives for Mac Pros, so I wondered if someone had written a player for Blu-ray. Even the Blu-ray DD and DTS formats sound a lot better than DVD, but I'd like to see HDMI video & audio on the next Mac Mini.

Still have to overcome HDCP limitation (along with decryption).

I tried XBMC and wasn't impressed with the interface, but I'm not into ripping all kinds of stuff to the hard drive, mostly because I'd like DTS if I could get it. I'll have a look at Plex, that sounds like an improvement.

Plex was a bit to get use to, but now that I know my way around it, it's not too bad. Front Row is limited in its abilities, thus the simpleton interface.

[badmac78]

I think the subforum/new forum would be very beneficial

I'm looking at pulling together an hd homerun / mac mini / atv theatre system. I have my eye on a new sound system. Knowing the right stuff to tie together (to get rid of cables) would be great. I've got the encoding piece down. I would like to hear more about other peoples overall setup.

[Cave Man]

Looks like the Apple TV forum has been expanded to Apple TV and Home Theater (http://forums.macrumors.com/forumdisplay.php?f=100). Thanks to the Mods; now, everyone jump in!

[Doctor Q]

We have expanded the Apple TV forum to cover the broader area of Apple TV and Home Theater, including media centers and A/V equipment (as noted here).

There is overlap with other forums, including the Digital Video and Digital Audio forums and forums dedicated to specific Mac models, for example the iMac, eMac, Mac mini forum. It is up to the thread starter to choose the forum most appropriate for a given thread, since their interest may be in home theater in general or in topics not covered by other forums, or they may have an issue to raise about particular Mac models or A/V hardware/software that is suitable for more-specific forums.

The Post your Home Theater thread and any other pictures thread remain in the Picture Gallery forum. There is a "Moved" link to the Post your Home Theater thread in the Apple TV and Home Theater forum to help people spot it from both forums.

[JML42691]

Thank You!!