Mac Mini capable of 1080p?

I know I view movies via Plex with my Mini 2.0ghz (so it's the second to last model thus far) in 1080p with no issue.

Any mini with a CPU of 2.0GHz or more should have few problems.

flopticalcube said:

Any mini with a CPU of 2.0GHz or more should have few problems.

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How perfectly non-committal of you.
But really, you're right as there should be few problems but in my case and use I have had no real problems. I do find it better to house the content locally or be sure I'm not clogging my network up with other junk while streaming something HD.

jessica. said:

How perfectly non-committal of you.
But really, you're right as there should be few problems but in my case and use I have had no real problems. I do find it better to house the content locally or be sure I'm not clogging my network up with other junk while streaming something HD.

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I am thinking of the bird scene in Planet Earth. Even a 2.53GHz mini has a problem with that. But they are rare and it depends on both the encoder and decoder.

iBunny said:

How does Plex compare to Front Row?

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You cannot compare greatness with the bag of hurt that front row is.
But really, Front Row is no match for Plex and I think FR requires you to have content encoded much like how iTunes does, which also sucks.

flopticalcube said:

I am thinking of the bird scene in Planet Earth. Even a 2.53GHz mini has a problem with that. But they are rare and it depends on both the encoder and decoder.

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I was really just messin' with you. I don't have PE so I am not sure but I assure you, there will be movies I run across that run into that very issue.

jessica. said:

You cannot compare greatness with the bag of hurt that front row is.
But really, Front Row is no match for Plex and I think FR requires you to have content encoded much like how iTunes does, which also sucks.

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FR = ease of use (only slightly better)
Plex = everything else

There just is no comparison.

I was really just messin' with you. I don't have PE so I am not sure but I assure you, there will be movies I run across that run into that very issue.

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You are wicked.

flopticalcube said:

You are wicked.

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Yeah but in a cute sorta way ... at times.

I'm pretty sure it can.

flopticalcube said:

I am thinking of the bird scene in Planet Earth.

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Oh man, I know exactly what you're talking about!

Works fine here using VLC on the Mini. No problems at all.

flopticalcube said:

I am thinking of the bird scene in Planet Earth.

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That scene is a bogus test. It is encoded in some weird implementation of VC-1 that the BBC uses and is only at 20 mbps. Even my 3.2 gHz quad-core Plex hackintosh had trouble with it. However, when I bought the Blu-ray set and transcoded to 1080p m4v at 20 mbps it plays just fine, even on my 2 gHz Mini.

iBunny said:

Can Plex play my purchased iTunes content?

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No, not directly. You can launch Front Row from within Plex and it will play your iTunes-purchased videos, though.

Cave Man said:

That scene is a bogus test. It is encoded in some weird implementation of VC-1 that the BBC uses and is only at 20 mbps. Even my 3.2 gHz quad-core Plex hackintosh had trouble with it. However, when I bought the Blu-ray set and transcoded to 1080p m4v at 20 mbps it plays just fine, even on my 2 gHz Mini.

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That's good to hear. I know that scene was always used as the Holy Grail of 1080p playback so if it was in fact an aberation, then things should go smoothly. I was thinking of upgrading my 1.66GHz to a new refurb but wasn't sure if the 2.0GHz could handle all situations. Looks like it can. Now if only Apple would open up the hardware decoding APIs so Plex can make use of the 9400m...

the mac mini decodes perfectly HD movies, no worries