Loving the Mac Mini as a media centre!

[wrinkster22]

If you have another machine you can use asa Plex server, the ATV acts very nicely as Plex client for your TV as well as being a client for iTunes and Airplay.

We had a computer that we planned on using for XBMC but it was to large and did not fit in our TV stand.

 

[Donka]

We had a computer that we planned on using for XBMC but it was to large and did not fit in our TV stand.

As long as it is on your network, you could have it elsewhere and only have the Apple TV in your tv stand.

 

[oaltun]

Applescript to change sound output?

Hello again,
I couldn't manage to find a way to change sound output in the Keyboard master automatically when I watch movies through Plex - everytime I have to do it manually.

Is there anyway to write an applescript that changes sound output to HDMI when Plex starts, and then changes back to USB when plex is shut down?

 

[Donka]

Hello again,
I couldn't manage to find a way to change sound output in the Keyboard master automatically when I watch movies through Plex - everytime I have to do it manually.

Is there anyway to write an applescript that changes sound output to HDMI when Plex starts, and then changes back to USB when plex is shut down?

I'm assuming you mean keyboard maestro?

I haven't done this myself as sometimes I want TV output, other times via my amp.

You can set plex launching as a trigger and use one of the following two links to generate a script to change audio output:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3554173?start=0&tstart=0

http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=20130228082330812

 

[blanka]

I love the Mini as media center totally too, but I don't get the love for Plesk.
I don't understand its server/client approach, the crappy web interface and the vague way of working.
My media are just some directories with files, and I need a player for that. XBMC does just that. I don't have time for organising, adding DVD covers (stupid anyway for virtual files) and so on.

I also miss the Blu-Ray player (20$ USB powered) in your story and for example a DVB tuner (I use it for live national television with time-shift software).
I really like the fact that both can be hooked up to the Mini too, so that all media consumption goes through one machine. I never have to switch inputs on my receiver with 10 inputs 🙂.

For controlling I just programmed my Onkyo remote as Apple Remote and I can take over my Mini via Apple's own Remote Access, even from the office.

 

[phrehdd]

The Mac Mini itself is a very good piece of hardware for an HTPC. However, OSX is not the best choice for getting the most out of the Mac Mini. I say this because it is not possible presently to output the HD audio stream. This is due to a choice Apple made.

When using the Mac Mini with say - Windows 7, you can use Plex or XBMC to output the HD audio stream and thus get the goodness of audio such as DTS-MASTER from your receiver. What one gets with OSX, is either Dolby or DTS (or core from HD streams).

This is a real pity as I do appreciate OSX in general and find Apple's decision screws a lot of people over. The same might be said of playback of blu-ray discs. Windows again has mature software solutions while we still struggle in the Apple world thanks to Apple telling us what we want rather than listening to those trying forever and a day to get a work around for many foibles within the Mac environment for an HTPC.

In the meanwhile, I use XBMC (just a personal choice as PLEX is very good too) and playback on my computer only with a nice screen and good speakers on my desktop. I now use other devices for streaming my library of media files from my two NAS units.

The day Apple makes it easy to playback all media is the day they will sell a lot more Minis and that wont compete with their iMacs either.

Just more peanuts from the gallery.

 

[blanka]

When using the Mac Mini with say - Windows 7, you can use Plex or XBMC to output the HD audio stream and thus get the goodness of audio such as DTS-MASTER from your receiver. What one gets with OSX, is either Dolby or DTS (or core from HD streams).

Sorry, but the difference is inaudible. 1536Kbps DTS core cannot be separated from DTS-Master. Also view this for all silliness regarding 192/24: http://xiph.org/video/vid2.shtml

The most important benefit of the HD format is that they take effort to produce a good soundtrack, with good voice separation for the center channel, and don't do the ugly dynamic range compression that appears in so many pop CD's.

Especially if you don't have a huge decent center speaker, complaining about the stream being no HD is totally nonsense. Having a decent center speaker still is the most valuable in your HTPC setup.

 

[Donka]

I love the Mini as media center totally too, but I don't get the love for Plesk.
I don't understand its server/client approach, the crappy web interface and the vague way of working.
My media are just some directories with files, and I need a player for that. XBMC does just that. I don't have time for organising, adding DVD covers (stupid anyway for virtual files) and so on.

That is one of the reasons to use Plex. The server component is just a piece of software that aggregates all your files and keeps things organised, downloads metadata and related artwork automatically. This makes it a breeze to navigate a large library and find what you are looking for such as searching on genre, actor, year etc. There are other smaller benefits such as how it handles TV series etc. & the ability to share other channels in addition to your own media files.
The other big benefit of the Plex approach is if you use different clients for viewing your content. The Plex server will transcode media to a compatible format for the client if the original file is not compatible. There wouldn't be any requirement for this if you the mini as a standalone media centre and don't use it for sharing content.

 

[phrehdd]

Sorry, but the difference is inaudible. 1536Kbps DTS core cannot be separated from DTS-Master. Also view this for all silliness regarding 192/24: http://xiph.org/video/vid2.shtml

The most important benefit of the HD format is that they take effort to produce a good soundtrack, with good voice separation for the center channel, and don't do the ugly dynamic range compression that appears in so many pop CD's.

Especially if you don't have a huge decent center speaker, complaining about the stream being no HD is totally nonsense. Having a decent center speaker still is the most valuable in your HTPC setup.

Plex is capable of using core audio from HD streams. If you had an m2ts file with H.264 vid and DTS Master, it would play back the vid and under OSX, DTS would be sent out.

As for HD vs Dolby and DTS, well by your comment I guess you find DVD quality to be 'close enough' to Blu Ray quality.

I have multiple Blu Ray disks that also came with DVD. It didn't take much to see and hear the difference which include not just center channel separation but over all audio (including film scores). In short, HD level audio is by far superior to DTS and Dolby. Luckily, Plex on Windows (and Linux) can exploit the full stream and OSX ran Plex will just have to enjoy "DVD level audio" rather than full HD.

Candidly, I enjoy the presence of both XBMC and Plex in the HTPC world. My disdain is for Apple and how they handle certain devices and files or rather, don't handle.

 

[Donka]

To be fair to Apple, they have never marketed any machine as a media centre and they have never shipped a machine with a Bluray drive so by not supporting true HD audio, they are not short changing anyone. It would be more a nice to have and it may happen at some point down the future but in the meantime their machines are fit for purpose for their intended market.

 

[FrenchPB]

Finally, the icing on the cake with this app is a quick airplay feature. An example is if I am upstairs in the bedroom and the mac is downstairs sleeping, I can wake the Mac with this app and select airplay to my bedroom Apple TV. Now I have the mac awake and running on my bedroom TV to do any tasks without having to leave the room or even see the Mac screen to initiate Airplay. I'm a fan and really recommend this software to anyone using a Mac as a media centre.

I have a 27-inch iMac in a room upstairs, and an apple TV linked to my 55-inch TV in the living room. If I understand correctly, by using the RowMote application on my iphone (standard or pro version ??), I could wake up the iMac from my living room, start airplay to see its screen on my TV, then select a video and run it with VLC, doing all that sitting on my couch without having to go upstairs to start the video on my iMac.

Is this really true ? Would that mean that my iMac upstairs + apple TV in the living room would become some kind of HTPC solution ?

That seems wonderful, but I'd like to make sure I understood correctly. No need to buy a Mac Mini for HTPC use only if what I have already can answer my needs 🙂

 

[Donka]

I have a 27-inch iMac in a room upstairs, and an apple TV linked to my 55-inch TV in the living room. If I understand correctly, by using the RowMote application on my iphone (standard or pro version ??), I could wake up the iMac from my living room, start airplay to see its screen on my TV, then select a video and run it with VLC, doing all that sitting on my couch without having to go upstairs to start the video on my iMac.

Is this really true ? Would that mean that my iMac upstairs + apple TV in the living room would become some kind of HTPC solution ?

That seems wonderful, but I'd like to make sure I understood correctly. No need to buy a Mac Mini for HTPC use only if what I have already can answer my needs 🙂

Yes, that is 100% correct. I believe the standard version of Rowmote will do this as the Pro version just adds a trackpad for greater control although the Pro version is well worth it as trackpad supports allows you to do a lot more.

 

[FrenchPB]

Yes, that is 100% correct. I believe the standard version of Rowmote will do this as the Pro version just adds a trackpad for greater control although the Pro version is well worth it as trackpad supports allows you to do a lot more.

I guess I'd need the trackpad feature to be able to select a video in the Finder, wouldn't I ?

An other quick question : what is the difference between a refurbished apple TV and a new one ? Will a refurbished apple TV have some scratches for example ?

Also, would that solution work with several Apple TV in the house ? If that works, I'll get an Apple TV for each TV in the house, that'd be a great solution with my iMac at the center of the system.

 

[Donka]

I guess I'd need the trackpad feature to be able to select a video in the Finder, wouldn't I ?

An other quick question : what is the difference between a refurbished apple TV and a new one ? Will a refurbished apple TV have some scratches for example ?

Also, would that solution work with several Apple TV in the house ? If that works, I'll get an Apple TV for each TV in the house, that'd be a great solution with my iMac at the center of the system.

If you are just using finder to select and open files which open up in VLC then you would need the trackpad feature. If you have the files already listed in VLCs library then the standard app should be able to select and play them back fine but as I say the Pro app really is worth it.
A refurbished Apple TV from Apple will look just like a brand new item - they put them in a new case if there is any external damage.
If you have multiple Apple TVs in the house, they are all named differently so when you select Airplay, you just select the name of the Apple TV you want to stream to from the presented list.

 

[Cbdboz]

The final piece of the jigsaw...

Great article, and the comments on the iMac are also useful as I try and work out my final solution.

First off...please forgive me for any dumb questions here, as I am still learning 😱

Currently I have a 2008 IMac, and use I- tunes as my media server ( hope that's correct terminology) for music, films, tv etc. I use a great piece of free software (getiplayer Automator) to download tv and films from UK catch up tv (bbc etc) which then puts these files into my iTunes account.

I then access my Apple TV, ( chooses computers) , and with home sharing on am able to select and pass through my amp to watch ( TV or projector) or just listen to.

Currently this works quite well, although problems I have include when my iMac is directly connected via Ethernet rather than on same wifi as my Apple TV....then I have to change this. Also, if I turn iTunes off.....obviously this doesn't work either.

I am intrigued to understand more about PLEX....and whether this does anything different to I-tunes for example ( if indeed they are similar functions 😕 ) and also how they compare.

Also....it would be good to understand your views on any advantages of using the Mac mini for the HT purpose as opposed to an IMAC......as I am currently waiting for announcements of the refresh on the Mac mini to decide whether I go for a Mac mini or new iMac as my next upgrade.

Thanks...😀

 

[kappaknight]

I love the Mini as media center totally too, but I don't get the love for Plesk.
I don't understand its server/client approach, the crappy web interface and the vague way of working.
My media are just some directories with files, and I need a player for that. XBMC does just that. I don't have time for organising, adding DVD covers (stupid anyway for virtual files) and so on.

Plesk is not Plex.

 

[nkawal]

Holy Crap, I want to do the same thing now. Here are my pieces of equipment.

2011 Mac Mini 2.5Mhz i5 with 16GB RAM & Samsung (830 Series) 256GB SSD
2010 Macbook Air 2.13 Mhz C2D 4GB RAM
iPhone 4S
iPad 2 (currently not being used, will use if i have to)
(4) Apple TV 2's (every room)
Apple Airport Extreme Base Station
Apple Airport Express
Synology DS211J (2-bay NAS)
OWC Mercury Elite Pro Qx2 (with 4 -1TB WE RE4) (Not being used as yet)

So my Synology nas has (2) 1TB WE RE4 Enterprise Drives that's in a HYBRID RAID format. I currently only have 24GB free space.

I live in a very spacious 3 bedroom apartment in NYC and I currently have the Mac Mini in the master bedroom with the router and synology nas connected with a Dell 24" IPS display. I use it as my main desktop for everything. The Macbook Air is in the living room all the time and i take it on vacation.
My friend just gave me the OWC Qx2 since i was running out of space. It's roughly twice as big as the synology nas.
My ultimate goal is too minimize the amount of equipment while still having the storage. My ultimate goal was to be able to access my movies and music while away from home. Don't really care for that now. I do use the synology nas for storing all the movies and media files(avi's, mpegs' divx, etc...) All of the apple tv's are jailbroken and they find the NAS on the network and plays all files. I DO NOT use itunes for movies and video as they are not in itunes format. I only use itunes for music that i load on my ipod for the car. Nothing else.

Seeing how the creator of this thread is basically using the mac mini for all their needs gives me a sense of hope. I just have to see if the apple tv's will stream the video files from the Qx2. If so, i'll transfer all my files from the NAS to the Qx2 and connect it to the mac mini via 800 firewire.

If anyone can give other pointers, please do.

I know it may seem like over kill but the majority was given to me as gifts by family members.

 

[hleewell]

Lovin' it.

 

[JimboH]

Wonderful review of your set up.

I also have an i5 mini 2012 running as my media server connected to a 42" LG Screen, I have set it with Plex as you have and can control the whole thing via the iPhone or iPad Rowmote app, or via my Macbook from the office section of the apartment. I also have an Apple wireless keyboard and mouse sitting on a unit next to the TV for direct access to the mini from the sofa or anywhere I else comfortable within view of the screen. I was worried I had gone for overkill and have had thoughts that I am using a very powerful computer for what is really basic functionality but as I am not the only one I think I should relax a bit and just enjoy it.

I must admit the speaker set up is my one weak area, at present I have been sending the speaker signal via wifi to Creative T40's connected via an Airport express as they are connected to my office desk system (Open Plan so the sound is clear) but I think come the end of this month I will be adding dedicated speakers to the mini server/TV set up.. I looked into surround systems but as my apartment is only around 60sqm (as I said all open plan) I think I am going to opt for a set of HK Soundsticks III, I think they will be fine for that end of the apartment and the T40's will function on their own again as part of the office set up.....

The mini has been amazing as a media server I have had people over who have just said "Wow, I really need to do this" and have already helped a friend set her system up the same way.. (Apple should commission me)

Jim 🙂

 

[Donka]

I'm still using the mini but had to move things around due to a very curious one year old! I have moved the mini to the study hooked up to a 23" TV monitor but the living room tv (Samsung 55” LED) has it's own Plex client which works great and the streaming from the mini is flawless. Just shows how flexible the Plex approach is. 🙂

 

[keema]

Nice setup..

But I maybe you can help me here...so are you using the server and the client plex both installed in your macmini? or you've installed the server in your NAS and just installed the client?

My problem with plex is i can't output via 3.5mm to spdif adapter then connected to my harman kardon amp an 5.1 or 6.1 (dolby or dts) surround sound? and on the lcd of the amp the dts or dolby can't be detected.

I thought there's is some physical connection problem but when I just tried vlc as a player my movies that is dts or dolby right away have been detected by my amp.

I have also tried uninstalling and getting the up to date version of the "client" plex but still same problem.

I have the server plex app installed in my synology..

 

[hauns]

on the point of screen sharing

can somebody pls enlighten me how to effectively screen share the mac mini (attached to a tv, say 720p or 1080p) with a mba (at 1440x900)?

it appears that mac mini does not support this resolution in mavericks (and never has). i tried all sorts of hack tools (setresx, display menu ...). none of them offers the widescreen resolution the mba has.

if i am not mistaken, screen sharing is necessary when adding stuff to the media server (ie, adding and editing pictures in iphoto). without a proper screen size this is a nightmare. thx.

 

[Donka]

can somebody pls enlighten me how to effectively screen share the mac mini (attached to a tv, say 720p or 1080p) with a mba (at 1440x900)?

it appears that mac mini does not support this resolution in mavericks (and never has). i tried all sorts of hack tools (setresx, display menu ...). none of them offers the widescreen resolution the mba has.

if i am not mistaken, screen sharing is necessary when adding stuff to the media server (ie, adding and editing pictures in iphoto). without a proper screen size this is a nightmare. thx.

Are you meaning you want to access the Mac mini desktop from the MBA? Using screen sharing, the screen is just scaled to fit on the MBA screen so you see the whole of the mac mini screen on the MBA, albeit not at the mac minis native resolution.

 

[hauns]

Are you meaning you want to access the Mac mini desktop from the MBA? Using screen sharing, the screen is just scaled to fit on the MBA screen so you see the whole of the mac mini screen on the MBA, albeit not at the mac minis native resolution.

thanks for the discussion. currently, i see a black frame (when going to full screen) on my mba (1440x900) around the mac mini desktop (1280x720). enabling scaling in screen sharing makes only a difference when reducing that window, i cannot enlarge beyond 1280x720. even, then i would not want it scaled, i would want the mac mini to support true 1440x900. you seem to confirm that it does not? (despite any of these clever hack softwares)
the mac mini offers some other resolutions, but larger than 1440x900 would require scaling (down) with a blurry pic (or scrolling), and smaller obviously does not help.

background: i used to have my iphoto library locally (cleverly shared using acls btw two users) on a single mbp. come ssd i could no longer support that setup as the library is ever growing and ssd capacity is relatively small (had to boot itunes library). hence i came accross the mac mini media server idea. however, editing an iphoto library *collaboratively* remains a challenge: sharing the library wirelessly (802.11 n) is dangerous (one can easily corrupt it, also photo editing requires heavy file lifting), hence i thought the safest is to import/edit pics by sharing the media host desktop instead. but now i do not see the full picture (quality and responsiveness are satisfactory, however). bummer.

finally, home sharing in itunes is great (music needs typically less editing as compared to pics), they have pulled this feature in iphoto 9.5 (apple wants to push its customers to using photostreams?). finally, i cannot decide which icloud user to put on the media server, i would prefer none (as it opens up all private cloud data).

 

[AshTemple]

Are you meaning you want to access the Mac mini desktop from the MBA? Using screen sharing, the screen is just scaled to fit on the MBA screen so you see the whole of the mac mini screen on the MBA, albeit not at the mac minis native resolution.

You should try teleport, it's a great tool that let's you control you mm from your mba, http://abyssoft.com/software/teleport/
Makes it so much easier!