conflicting reports of mac mini AC3

[timholtz]

I've been reading a lot of posts on the mac mini and AC3 and there seems to be conflicting reports. Can the mac mini using frontrow and my collection of Handbraked movies (appletv format stereo/ac3) play back using the ac3 track via the optical port as the appletv does?

Thanks,

Tim

 

[ab2650]

I've been reading a lot of posts on the mac mini and AC3 and there seems to be conflicting reports. Can the mac mini using frontrow and my collection of Handbraked movies (appletv format stereo/ac3) play back using the ac3 track via the optical port as the appletv does?

Thanks,

Tim

When I get some mini-toslink adapters, I'll test it out. This past week I've been futzing around with AC3 pass-through from my ATV to my 5.1 receiver. I have a mini that I use as a HTPC as well, but currently the audio out is not optical (lacking the mini plug).

Update: The minijacks should be here by Tuesday next week.

 

[timholtz]

Doesn't work

I ordered the correct cables and hooked everything up, but AC3 doesn't work. I was able to get it using an actual DVD and the DVD Player.app, but that is all. I even tried a couple of hacks I found on the internet to get ac3 out, but none of them worked. It seems like our only hope right now is that there will be some way to do it when Apple finally brings HD movies to the desktop, hopefully with the rumored Quicktime X.

 

[spice weasel]

I'm not an expert in this realm, but do you need to have Perian installed to do AC3 in FrontRow (like you do for QuickTime)? Just wondering.

 

[Cave Man]

I ordered the correct cables and hooked everything up, but AC3 doesn't work. I was able to get it using an actual DVD and the DVD Player.app, but that is all. I even tried a couple of hacks I found on the internet to get ac3 out, but none of them worked. It seems like our only hope right now is that there will be some way to do it when Apple finally brings HD movies to the desktop, hopefully with the rumored Quicktime X.

Apple has gone out of their way to prevent you from doing this. The solution is to get Plex. Otherwise you will have to do substantial modding of an older version of Quicktime component's plist file. A pain in the @$$ and not worth the effort, if you ask me.

I'm not an expert in this realm, but do you need to have Perian installed to do AC3 in FrontRow (like you do for QuickTime)? Just wondering.

Unless the Perian devs have fixed it, it no longer works because of the aforementioned QT issue.

 

[timholtz]

I'm not an expert in this realm, but do you need to have Perian installed to do AC3 in FrontRow (like you do for QuickTime)? Just wondering.

I do have Perian installed, the latest version 1.1.3(?) and QT Pro 7.6. and it doesn't work, even with the old plist hack.

 

[timholtz]

Apple has gone out of their way to prevent you from doing this. The solution is to get Plex. Otherwise you will have to do substantial modding of an older version of Quicktime component's plist file. A pain in the @$$ and not worth the effort, if you ask me.

Do you know if Plex will play back my handbrake rips (apple tv setting ac3/aac) while passing through the ac3? That would be awesome if it did!

Unless the Perian devs have fixed it, it no longer works because of the aforementioned QT issue.

It doesn't, or I should say I couldn't get it to work.

 

[Cave Man]

Do you know if Plex will play back my handbrake rips (apple tv setting ac3/aac) while passing through the ac3? That would be awesome if it did!

Yes, it will. And today's release of ffmpeg 0.5 also improves AC3 DD and TrueHD audio performance. It should appear in one of the next Plex builds.

 

[timholtz]

Yes, it will. And today's release of ffmpeg 0.5 also improves AC3 DD and TrueHD audio performance. It should appear in one of the next Plex builds.

That's great, I'll try it when I get home. I went poking around the website, does the UI behave similar to frontrow, just with more features? I'm assuming you can use your apple remote with it.

 

[Cave Man]

It has a bit of a learning curve, but Library mode is great. It automatically scrapes IMDB and TVDB for show info, so you don't have to do all that tagging crap like you do in iTunes.