Ultimate Apple Enviroment

[AppleDApp]

Some more updates I need feedback.

Internet
To access the internet seems the best way would be with Airport Extreme Base Station.

Then to connect every stationary Mac computers via hard wire throughout the house. If you cannot hard wire use a powerline ethernet solution to ensure a fast, safer and reliable connection.
*Because this uses the Airport Extreme Base station you are limited to having 3 hard wired devices. Choose wisely.
**Unless you use a different router with more gigE ports or use a switch.

Entertainment
Either

A Mac mini with plex to stream all your content to your TV. Perhaps add a bluray player to the mini if necessary.
The mini also offers the flexibility of the internet, applications and a DVD drive.

OR
Get an Apple TV and a DVD/Bluray player.

Speakers: Whatever tickles your fancy

Receiver: Something air play enabled to be able to play content from iOS devices anywhere.

Remote: either the Apple remote or an iPad to control your home entertainment system As long as the app you use supports all your devices.

Backup
I would use either a Synology DS410 because it is not hardware specific and flexible. Connect it to the Airport base station to backup every computer on the network and the media collection. Configure a FTP and download server as well as backup.

I could also build a server from old computer parts. (in my case this would be cheaper as I already have the parts)

Networking
As mentioned before all desktop/server/NAS/ATV2 will be hard wired to offer reliability and safety. All devices will be on the same network. I would also disable the guest network in the event I have guest over that would need to use it. I won't share my WPA2 key with anyone.

Did I miss something?

 

[AppleDApp]

I priced everything out

Base model 27"iMac with trackpad, wireless keyboard,iWork,remote,battery charger,Apple Care 1857$

Airport extreme base station 159$

Apple TV with HDMI cable 139$

Mac Mini with keyboard, Apple Care 848$

All in one printer 149$

iPad 2 wifi 16gb with smart cover, dock, Apple Care 678$

100$ app store gift card free

This setup price does not include a backup solution, receiver or speakers. I know I don't need a mac mini and ATV for media.

Laptop Tuk Pro Stand 89$

Total: 3920$ before taxes

 

[peskaa]

If you have the parts to build a NAS then it is certainly possible. FreeNAS is the best software choice - but the only thing to be aware of is power consumption and noise.

For networking, if your AirPort is out of ports then a switch really is the better solution, and cheaper.

For me, personally, an AppleTV + BD player makes more sense than a Mac Mini, simply because the Mini can't play BD discs.

 

[AppleDApp]

If you have the parts to build a NAS then it is certainly possible. FreeNAS is the best software choice - but the only thing to be aware of is power consumption and noise.

For networking, if your AirPort is out of ports then a switch really is the better solution, and cheaper.

For me, personally, an AppleTV + BD player makes more sense than a Mac Mini, simply because the Mini can't play BD discs.

I think a linux server would best suit my needs but I have never experimented with those. I can also stream most if not all my media and watch dvd's on my xbox. I don't think I'll jump on the bluray band wagon by the time I do the transition towards digital media will be well under way. I've been using digital media rather then (DVD's, CD) for about 5 years now.

 

[peskaa]

I think a linux server would best suit my needs but I have never experimented with those. I can also stream most if not all my media and watch dvd's on my xbox.

FreeNAS basically is *nix - it's a FreeBSD open source project, and definitely better than struggling with a vanilla linux build. http://www.freenas.org/

 

[FrankHahn]

I have been building my Apple environment at home:
1) Mac Mini + 27" Cinema Display (to buy, waiting for the refresh of Mac Mini);
2) MacBook Air 13.3" (bought);
3) iPad 2 (bought);
4) iPhone 4 (bought);
5) AppleTV ((bought);
6) AirPort Express (bought);
7) Time Capsule 2 TB (4th generation, to buy).

I use a 2010 6-core 3.33GHz Mac Pro with a 27" Cinema Display at work, with the office Wi-Fi provided through a 1 TB Time Capsule (3rd generation).

 

[AppleDApp]

FreeNAS basically is *nix - it's a FreeBSD open source project, and definitely better than struggling with a vanilla linux build. http://www.freenas.org/

FreeNAS seems like a great solution although complicated to setup. My big issue is that I currently have two 2tb WD Caviar green drives formatted to NTFS how could I save my data and use those drives in a FreeNAS server.
How is support for FreeNAS.

I found this article about making a linux box it seems to add more features like auto shutdown if the server runs too warm, throttle down when on idle.

Maybe I could just leave my desktop as is running win 7 pro 64bits and somehow connect it to my network for it to act as a server it would avoid the hassle of transferring my data elsewhere then formatting the HDD and moving everything back.

I have been building my Apple environment at home:
1) Mac Mini + 27" Cinema Display (to buy, waiting for the refresh of Mac Mini);
2) MacBook Air 13.3" (bought);
3) iPad 2 (bought);
4) iPhone 4 (bought);
5) AppleTV ((bought);
6) AirPort Express (bought);
7) Time Capsule 2 TB (4th generation, to buy).

I use a 2010 6-core 3.33GHz Mac Pro with a 27" Cinema Display at work, with the office Wi-Fi provided through a 1 TB Time Capsule (3rd generation).

You should get an iMac instead of the mac mini + ACD display combo it's a better bang for buck and you get a smaller footprint.

 

[peskaa]

FreeNAS seems like a great solution although complicated to setup. My big issue is that I currently have two 2tb WD Caviar green drives formatted to NTFS how could I save my data and use those drives in a FreeNAS server.
How is support for FreeNAS.

I found this article about making a linux box it seems to add more features like auto shutdown if the server runs too warm, throttle down when on idle.

Maybe I could just leave my desktop as is running win 7 pro 64bits and somehow connect it to my network for it to act as a server it would avoid the hassle of transferring my data elsewhere then formatting the HDD and moving everything back.

You'll get a good result with either FreeNAS or the guide you linked to - obviously comes down to whichever you're happiest with.

Your NTFS drives are a pain in the rear, to be honest. NTFS is a Windows file system, and isn't going to play nice with much else apart from Windows. I definitely think the best solution is to transfer all the data off them, reformat the drives as something useful and then be able to use them again. I avoid NTFS like the plague...

 

[AppleDApp]

Your NTFS drives are a pain in the rear, to be honest. NTFS is a Windows file system, and isn't going to play nice with much else apart from Windows. I definitely think the best solution is to transfer all the data off them, reformat the drives as something useful and then be able to use them again. I avoid NTFS like the plague...

It seems like linux can read the NTFS drives. so I could get a new drive. partition the OS then move all data to one drive format everything else to EXT.

 

[FrankHahn]

FreeNAS seems like a great solution although complicated to setup. My big issue is that I currently have two 2tb WD Caviar green drives formatted to NTFS how could I save my data and use those drives in a FreeNAS server.
How is support for FreeNAS.

I found this article about making a linux box it seems to add more features like auto shutdown if the server runs too warm, throttle down when on idle.

Maybe I could just leave my desktop as is running win 7 pro 64bits and somehow connect it to my network for it to act as a server it would avoid the hassle of transferring my data elsewhere then formatting the HDD and moving everything back.



You should get an iMac instead of the mac mini + ACD display combo it's a better bang for buck and you get a smaller footprint.

I plan to go with Mac Mini + 27" Cinema Display mainly for the following four reasons:
1) To have a display of higher quality than the panel of an iMac;
2) To avoid all the potential problems with an iMac;
3) To be able to use the display with other machines, such as my Air and my Linux PC;
4) To upgrade easily (either upgrade the Mini or just replace it with a new Mini or whatever low-end desktop Apple might toss out in the future).

 

[AppleDApp]

I plan to go with Mac Mini + 27" Cinema Display mainly for the following four reasons:
1) To have a display of higher quality than the panel of an iMac;
2) To avoid all the potential problems with an iMac;
3) To be able to use the display with other machines, such as my Air and my Linux PC;
4) To upgrade easily (either upgrade the Mini or just replace it with a new Mini or whatever low-end desktop Apple might toss out in the future).

1) I believe they are the same display. Prove me wrong?
2) I see your point but you can get Apple care and spend your hard earned money on some current technology.

 

[peskaa]

I plan to go with Mac Mini + 27" Cinema Display mainly for the following four reasons:
1) To have a display of higher quality than the panel of an iMac;
2) To avoid all the potential problems with an iMac;
3) To be able to use the display with other machines, such as my Air and my Linux PC;
4) To upgrade easily (either upgrade the Mini or just replace it with a new Mini or whatever low-end desktop Apple might toss out in the future).

1) The iMac is actually now using a better panel than the 27" ACD from all reports. The first iMacs used the same, but the 2011s are now improved. So yeah, no.

2) Potential problems? Yellow screen syndrome happens on the ACDs as well.

3) The iMacs do support input, but only from other Thunderbolt equipped computers. So for your use, fair enough.

 

[AppleDApp]

In the event that your display might fail you can still get a more powerful machine then the mini. To my knowledge the odds are slim that the screen will fail.

 

[FrankHahn]

Thanks, AppleDApp and peskaa. I learned new stuff from you two. I will wait for few more days and see what comes with an updated Mac Mini. I also hope that the Cinema Display will get updated very soon.

 

[FrankHahn]

In the event that your display might fail you can still get a more powerful machine then the mini. To my knowledge the odds are slim that the screen will fail.

Up till today, I have been lucky in that all my displays have lasted much longer than my PCs. One of my displays has served three PCs that were replaced when an upgrade was deemed necessary.

 

[AppleDApp]

Thanks, AppleDApp and peskaa. I learned new stuff from you two. I will wait for few more days and see what comes with an updated Mac Mini. I also hope that the Cinema Display will get updated very soon.

The ACD will definitely get updated soon with Thunderbolt. However the rumor mill is not flowing.

 

[blueroom]

If you take the time to convert your media to ATV2 .m4v format it'll stream on almost any wireless connection ~700MB per hour that's with DD5.1, plus the ATV2 will buffer to a degree. Try to use the 5GHz band as there's less interference albeit shorter range if you can.

We rarely buy physical media as our household viewing habits mostly single watch rentals of stuff we missed in the theaters. So we rent on iTunes for between $1 to $6 movies, dig for Netflix treasures at $8 month and purchase music for less than the physical CD in many cases. Media we own we've run through Handbrake (ATV2) or XLD (Apple Lossless) and save it in our library, the physical media is never touched again (an inspection of some of our older DVDs are showing small splits forming out from the center, glad we made a backup!). If a movie gets repeated viewings we buy & rip it, a process that takes about an hour per DVD on an older Quad core PC.

I've built a SageTV DVR to record all the network TV shows in HD as iTunes pricing on TV series currently sucks.

 

[FrankHahn]

The ACD will definitely get updated soon with Thunderbolt. However the rumor mill is not flowing.

I am glad to hear that! I wish that it would be updated not much later than Mac Mini!

Posted using my iPad2.

 

[peskaa]

The ACD will definitely get updated soon with Thunderbolt. However the rumor mill is not flowing.

I am glad to hear that! I wish that it would be updated not much later than Mac Mini!

I'm not convinced to an ACD update. Apple have clearly thought about how MiniDisplayPort functions with Thunderbolt, hence sharing the same connector and the ability to put the display on the end of a chain. The current display works fine with Thunderbolt, with the only slight issue being the length of the USB breakout cables - but the length of these has always been a problem since the first aluminium ACDs, and Apple have never fixed this, they just tell you to buy an extender.

Adding Thunderbolt will add to the cost of an already expensive display (I've heard rumblings of up to $100 to implement), force Apple to re-design and re-tool their manufacturing, and ultimately only provide the ability for the display to be placed mid-chain rather than at the end. That's a lot of extra expense for very little gain. After all, if you're after a 'docking' experience, it can be done with what we have currently.

I can see a minor spec bump in the future with FaceTime HD cameras being added, as that's a painless change requiring no engineering. Thunderbolt may have to wait for the next round of displays, which could be years.


As for the Mini, the handful of rumours around them have related to a September/October timeframe.

 

[FrankHahn]

There are rumors saying that the Mini will get updated in July or early August. I hope that it will be updated earlier!

 

[AppleDApp]

As for ACD, Apple likes using as little cables as possible perhaps they should start using WiDi.

 

[Stan Mikulenka]

Hi AppleDApp,
here is a comment for your 'WiDi' by somebody who ACTUALLY used it:

 

[AppleDApp]

Hi AppleDApp,
here is a comment for your 'WiDi' by somebody who ACTUALLY used it:

Do you have any others like this Horror stories exist everywhere. Personnally I haven't used WiDi but in theory everything sounds nice and practical. In a sense it's similar to Airplay.

 

[Stan Mikulenka]

Hi again,
I think that the technology isn't mature enough - I can't see that you'd be streaming from the net & at the same time got a flawless transfer to the TV (sound + video).
So far what I seen, you have to have your laptop on & you're mirroring the laptop's screen.
And a laptop is a quite expensive 'remote'...

 

[AppleDApp]

Hi again,
I think that the technology isn't mature enough - I can't see that you'd be streaming from the net & at the same time got a flawless transfer to the TV (sound + video).
So far what I seen, you have to have your laptop on & you're mirroring the laptop's screen.
And a laptop is a quite expensive 'remote'...

but the laptop would serve as a complete entertainement solution. Nonetheless seems it's not ready.

Any other suggestions for this project?