A few Mac Mini related questions, and general Mac ponderings.

[Fordy]

I am planning on buying a mini to use as an "always-on" PC in my Home Theatre setup. Note: not as an HTPC.

I just want it to be a "Server" so that ATV can access files from a networked drive, when my main PC is off - as I understand it can't read directly from an NAS device, it needs an iTunes client.

I'll also use it as a network bridge.

And finally couple of questions.

1) AnyDVD HD is not made in any way shape or form for Mac OS. What's a good alternative for a HD decrypter?

2) How well does the Mini fare in encoding tasks with Handbrake? If I were to upgrade to either 2.53 CPU, or 4GB RAM which would see the most significant performance increase, and, in your opinion - worth the extra cash?

3) Will the Mini happily drive a 1920x1080 display?


Thanks, Mac Newbie here, but I'm an advanced Win user, just about getting my head around Linux, and I've always loved Mac's, but never had one. A Mini seems like a good excuse, provided it can do a job for me at the same time.

 

[spinnerlys]

1) AnyDVD HD is not made in any way shape or form for Mac OS. What's a good alternative for a HD decrypter?

Blu Ray: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/748615/

2) How well does the Mini fare in encoding tasks with Handbrake? If I were to upgrade to either 2.53 CPU, or 4GB RAM which would see the most significant performance increase, and, in your opinion - worth the extra cash?

Quite good. By upgrading the CPU you would gain 11% performance and also get double the RAM, which increases the capability of running more simultaneous tasks, for 200 USD more. You have to know if it is worth for you, but the more RAM the merrier.

3) Will the Mini happily drive a 1920x1080 display?

According to Apple's official representation of the technical specifications for the Mac Mini, displayed on their homepage, it will run an external monitor/display with a resolution of up to 2560x1600, which is what the current 30-inch Apple Cinema Display sports.
I currently run my 17-inch MBP display at 1920x1200 with the integrated graphics card (nVidia 9400M), the same the Mac Mini has, and I don't encounter any problems playing back HD video files.

 

[Fordy]

Thanks for the quick response.

Regarding my first question, I simply want a program to actively run in background, and auto remove region restrictions, copy protection etc.

Not the ripper itself (I'll use Handbrake) which is what MakeMKV appears to be, it's also kinda in the title..

And my second question, what I meant was, If I got the cheapest package, if I were to upgrade either the RAM or the CPU, which would see the largest performance increase as far as video encoding goes?

 

[spinnerlys]

Thanks for the quick response.

Regarding my first question, I simply want a program to actively run in background, and auto remove region restrictions, copy protection etc.

Not the ripper itself (I'll use Handbrake) which is what MakeMKV appears to be, it's also kinda in the title..

That thread is rather long, maybe there are better links hidden in there.

And my second question, what I meant was, If I got the cheapest package, if I were to upgrade either the RAM or the CPU, which would see the largest performance increase as far as video encoding goes?

CPU, as it means 11% less waiting for the encoding to finish.
600 minutes will be shrunk to 534 minutes. RAM can't give you that, also you can upgrade the RAM at a later point, which you can't with the CPU.