mac instead of a tv ??

[flappo]

my tv needs updating and instead of buying a plasma i'm considering buying a G5 with apple display

would i be able to record tv and play games on it and if so what hardware would i need ?

 

[Madmic23]

EyeTV

Use the EveTV USB Wonder 2.0 if you want to play games. It works great. go to http://www.elgato.com for more information. The EyeTV Wonder USB 2.0 is the only one that will let you play games since it doesn't have an onboard MPEG encoder built in. The flip side of that is, when you use it as a PVR, it uses more of your CPU power, where as the ones with the built in encoder don't use as much CPU power. But if you're getting one of the new G5s, that shouldn't be an issue at all. I have an iMac 2.0Ghz and it works great, I just can't record on the highest quality. But I can still play some PS2 on it.

 

[cwright]

I'll be the first of many to recommend buying the Dell 2405FPW instead of the Cinema Display, especially if you want to use it for multimedia purposes. The TV tuner through the mac still works great, but having the composite, component, s-video, and vga inputs as well is amazing, especially when you want to hook up video games. (Can't wait to hook up an Xbox 360 to my 2405FPW's component input and play some games in HD)

 

[MacTruck]

I'll be the first of many to recommend buying the Dell 2405FPW instead of the Cinema Display, especially if you want to use it for multimedia purposes. The TV tuner through the mac still works great, but having the composite, component, s-video, and vga inputs as well is amazing, especially when you want to hook up video games. (Can't wait to hook up an Xbox 360 to my 2405FPW's component input and play some games in HD)

I will be the second to recommend that. I have 2 2405's and I love them.

 

[javiercr]

I'll be the first of many to recommend buying the Dell 2405FPW instead of the Cinema Display

Well, NO, because if the thing is going to be in the livingroom you don't wnant an ungly piece of dell stuff, the asthetic value of the Cinema Display would be worth the money.

 

[MacTruck]

Well, NO, because if the thing is going to be in the livingroom you don't wnant an ungly piece of dell stuff, the asthetic value of the Cinema Display would be worth the money.

I don't understand why people say the dell is ugly. Its just as thin as the cinema its just black.

 

[Dont Hurt Me]

The sad part about this thread is that Tv Tuner cards can be bought for $10- $30 if you have a Pc. I find it pretty amazing having tv in the background if i want. Why no Mac Tuners for under $50???

 

[MacTruck]

The sad part about this thread is that Tv Tuner cards can be bought for $10- $30 if you have a Pc. I find it pretty amazing having tv in the background if i want. Why no Mac Tuners for under $50???

Thats because everything for mac is small niche and they can charge what they want. Sucks. I get to choose from like 2 graphics cards for mac but PC has the same card $200 cheaper and there are tons to choose from. Ofcourse they work like crap on pc. I have built many pcs and they are nothing but trouble. Drivers always interfere with each other, its a mess.

 

[flappo]

thanks for the replies , guys

i have an eye tv usb on my current G4 imac and it's not that bad when fed with a digital tv signal

i refuse to buy anything dell makes , partc. a monitor

 

[ddrueckhammer]

Personally, I have a 12" Powerbook and a Panasonic TH-42PD50U 42" ED plasma which can be had for $1799 and 0% interest till 2007 at Circuit City.com (and probably cheaper elsewhere). While I think that a powermac and a 23" or 30" display are very nice, I in no way think that they compare with a nice plasma. If you are looking for a Home Media solution I would get a nice 42" or 50" ED or HD Plasma.

Plasma vs LCD

Plasma screens are heavier, thicker, will operate for less hours overall, and have a darker picture than LCDs. But are cheaper, have better black levels, don't suffer from motion blur pixilation, and have wider viewing angles.

LCDs are much more expensive, have inferior black levels to Plasmas, suffer from ghosting and motion blur because their response rate is slower, and have narrower viewing angles. But will last longer, are thinner, and have a brighter picture.

While I am in no way an expert (please don't flame me) these are generalizations that I picked up while researching at http://www.avsforum.com

As far as ED vs HD:

HD is obviously better but at what cost? Currently, you have to pay $10 extra per month on top of digital cable to get just a few channels of HDTV. For the most part, TV just isn't there yet. As far as DVDs go, you have to have a Blue-ray or HD-DVD player which will run over a thousand dollars with little to no content available. This content and players will become available in the next few years, but you may not want it because you will be able to have TV / Movies on demand from an iTunes Media Store from Apple. In other words, I think that once again convenience will trump quality and HD content will not take off because of the introduction of more convenient web-based content. (Which of course, will take years if not decades to go HD because of infrastructure issues)

For these reason, I chose to buy a 42" ED plasma, a less expensive Mac, and am eagerly awaiting a MacMini/FrontRow DVR combo or an Airport Express 802.11n that will allow me to stream video content downloaded from my computer. (This only requires the networks/movie studios to play ball with Apple which sadly, it seems, may take some time.)

I wouldn't blame you for buying a G5 and a 23 or 30" screen but I don't think they are the most elegant solution for a media center at this time nor do I think they could ever replace a big beautiful plasma screen. To each his own though I guess...

 

[flappo]

i just spend more time on the net than watching normal tv , i guess

i think combining it all together in one easy to use item makes for a less cluttered expereince

i also love the idea of one remote ( front row ) rather than 4-5 - i keep losing one or two of em

plus the cost of the 30" is pretty good vfm compared to the tv's i'm looking at - bang & olufsen beovision 7 for example..

thanks again for all your help

 

[ddrueckhammer]

Wow! If you can afford Bang & Olufsen then do what feels best...I could afford that much but like I said I decided not to invest too much in either until DVD and TV standards/internet TV broadcasts pan out. I would at least wait until after MacWorld in January because Apple might announce a home media solution then and TVs should be cheaper then anyway.

 

[MacTruck]

I am extremely versed in the mac home theater setup and there is one important piece of information that nobody ever mentions...



You can't use a firewire or usb drive for your eyetv content!



I have tried this over and over and for some unknown reason the drives keep freezing, on every mac I try with ever drive I try. Firewire is not meant to be on all the time and USB is worse. I recommend a cheap G4 or G5 for a home entertainment system. The mac mini is great, I got 2 but the HD is only 80gb. Sure you can put a 120gb in there but it will cost ya. Might as well get a refurb G5 from apple store for $1100.

Plasma vs LCD? I have been pondering this issue myself. I hear plasma is nicer but LCD last longer, although specs show the same 60,000hr time on both so I am not sure. Might go plasma next. Right now have a LCD 32" hooked up to one mini and a 55" Projection hooked up to the other. TV looks the same, although using the mac is awesome on the LCD because its resolution is like 1366x766 or something. Perfect for the couch surfer.

I have tried all the different brand DVR systems out there and they all SUCK. The only thing that is better than the mac is a cable box with DVR but it cost forever and they lose your shows. Plus the mac can play any movie file so it rocks.

Good luck. It won't be long before apple gets off their A$$ and makes a computer with built in tv tuner and DVR functionality, remote and HDMI output. Lets go apple, my money is on the table.