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Mac Mini as Apple TV

N

nando2323

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Aug 15, 2007
662
0
I already own an :apple:TV and I like it very much. I was thinking of purchasing another for the bedroom. But I was also thinking about just purchasing a Mac Mini and keep that in the Living room and move the ATV in the bedroom. So the question is. Can I hook up the Mini to my iTunes Library that is on my iMac? Is it a simple just share the iTunes Folder and connect to it in iTunes or is it more involved then that?
 
If You Mean Network It Then Yes It Can Be Done Not Sure How Though. BTW Theres A Hack/Mod That Lets You Run ATV On Mac (Mini, MacBook, MacBook Pro, iMac And Mac Pro), But I Also Don't Know Where To Find It:( Google Might Know Though
 
In answer to the OP's question, yes this can be done - I have my mini doing just that. On your iMac, launch iTunes and go to:

Preferences>Sharing>Share my library on my local network[tick]

There's also an option of what you want to share and whether or not to password protect it.

On your mini, launch iTunes and go to:

Preferences>Sharing>Look for shared libraries[tick]

Everything is now set up. This works like a charm for me. My mini is hooked up to a 5.1 surround system which now doubles as a hi-fi when accessing my music via Front Row. All my music resides on an external HD connected to my iMac.

The one and only downside to this is that iTunes needs to be launched on both computers when you want to access your music via your mini. It's no hassle though.

Enjoy !
 
the problem with using a mac mini as an iTunes streamer is that thumbnails for movies music etc are not displayed on shared libraries.

So on an apple tv looking at your iMac iTunes library you get a good looking interface( version 1.1 anyway ) with preview thumbnails of all your media, on the mac mini their will be no thumbnails.

It reduces the impact of the interface a lot. I have this setup and manage a second iTunes library on the mini, just so I get thumbnails.

Advantages of the Mac mini is, its a full computer, it can be usefull having a second independent iTunes library, the frontrow interface is still aimed at being a media center unlike the apple tv which has turned into an iTunes store portal.
 
I'm doing exactly that. mini in the living room with external storage drives, ATV in bedroom.

I'm seriously considering replacing the mini with an ATV though and moving the mini into my office just as a file server. The ATV just does a better job of displaying 1080 than the mini does. I've tried every resolution and DVI-> HDMI on the mini just isn't as good.
 
If you're using the Mini purely for streaming media, then you should go with an ATV instead.

The Mini, obviously, is a fully-functioning computer so you could do a lot more. I like to surf the web, among other things, on my living with my wireless keyboard and mouse.

It's a better integrated solution, in my opinion, since it can play DVDs as well as manage all your iTunes and iPhoto content.
 
I'm using a Mini as a media server, instead of an :apple:tv. It works great with an external hard drive for expanded storage, and works double-time as a adult-supervised computer for the kids. Sure there's no YouTube capability in Front Row, but you can actually do full-blown surfing, and go full screen when desired.

I should say, though, that the Front Row interface has become flaky with Leopard. Long pauses when flipping though music, multiple pauses for buffering when watching on-line trailers. Hopefully the next update fixes this.

Unless it's just me.
 
i still think the mini is dumb. it doesn't work as well as the other macs for video out and defiantly not as well as a :apple:TV
 
Fonzijr1964 said:
i still think the mini is dumb. it doesn't work as well as the other macs for video out and defiantly not as well as a :apple:TV
Click to expand...

Well, many of us don't think it's dumb. I own both an ATV and a Mini. The ATV won't drive my projector-based 10-foot wide screen home theater system, it cannot provide me with HDTV and DVR, nor does it permit anything more than 250 gigs of "storage" without major hardware hacking. Just because your imagination is too limited to see the virtues of a Mini doesn't mean it's dumb...
 
Fonzijr1964 said:
i still think the mini is dumb. it doesn't work as well as the other macs for video out and defiantly not as well as a :apple:TV
Click to expand...

The Mini Is Better Than :apple:TV For Many Reason's That I'm Not Going Into, But Personally I Like The Fact I Can Have Full Internet Access On My TV It Handles 1080p HD Video Extremely Well (Considering It Has Integrated Graphics), It Looks Nice With My Set Up, So What If I Miss Out On HD Rentals Which I Don't Need As They Are 720p And I Have 1080p HD Videos From The Internet For Free Plus I Don't have Crappy Movie Size Restrictions.

Northy124
 
Cave Man said:
Well, many of us don't think it's dumb. I own both an ATV and a Mini. The ATV won't drive my projector-based 10-foot wide screen home theater system, it cannot provide me with HDTV and DVR, nor does it permit anything more than 250 gigs of "storage" without major hardware hacking. Just because your imagination is too limited to see the virtues of a Mini doesn't mean it's dumb...
Click to expand...

its 107in
northy124 said:
The Mini Is Better Than :apple:TV For Many Reason's That I'm Not Going Into, But Personally I Like The Fact I Can Have Full Internet Access On My TV It Handles 1080p HD Video Extremely Well (Considering It Has Integrated Graphics), It Looks Nice With My Set Up, So What If I Miss Out On HD Rentals Which I Don't Need As They Are 720p And I Have 1080p HD Videos From The Internet For Free Plus I Don't have Crappy Movie Size Restrictions.

Northy124
Click to expand...

I'm not saying its not good for that i just don't like them and i think they need to have some major work done
 
it needs more power (CPU) and to have better video out if its not gonna come with a screen. It also needs to have more (or just bigger) HDD options. and in my opinion it could be thiner if left with the same specs as now.

And no as I said in a privios post i am not going to get an :apple:TV until its functional as a DVR:)
 
Fonzijr1964 said:
it needs more power (CPU) and to have better video out if its not gonna come with a screen.
Click to expand...

Compared to the Apple TV? You're joking, right?

It also needs to have more (or just bigger) HDD options.
Click to expand...

It already has this. It's called "Firewire".

and in my opinion it could be thiner if left with the same specs as now.
Click to expand...

Are you an engineer? The only way to make it thinner would be to make it wider and deeper. If you've never opened a Mini you'd be rather impressed at how much is crammed in there.
 
Fonzijr1964 said:
it needs more power (CPU) and to have better video out if its not gonna come with a screen. It also needs to have more (or just bigger) HDD options. and in my opinion it could be thiner if left with the same specs as now.

And no as I said in a privios post i am not going to get an :apple:TV until its functional as a DVR:)
Click to expand...

I agree that the mini needs more power, but not necessarily in the CPU area. If Apple put a decent graphics chip in it, then the GPU would handle the video decoding using much less power, and producing much less heat than with a beefed up CPU.

As far as hard drive options, you can easily add a nice-looking firewire drive. However, I think that the mini would be nicer with a 3.5" drive.
 
Cave Man said:
Well, many of us don't think it's dumb. I own both an ATV and a Mini. The ATV won't drive my projector-based 10-foot wide screen home theater system, it cannot provide me with HDTV and DVR, nor does it permit anything more than 250 gigs of "storage" without major hardware hacking. Just because your imagination is too limited to see the virtues of a Mini doesn't mean it's dumb...
Click to expand...

Why won't the ATV drive your projector?
 
A question for those of you who use a mini as their media center:
How up-to-date does that mini need to be if I just want to watch TV (with eyeTv sat receiver), share iTunes content with my iMac and surf the net? Is an old Intel Core Solo enough?
Thanks
 
PowerPC Would Be Enough So I Think Your Fine With Core Solo (Thought It Was Core Duo That Was First In Mac Mini).
 
Boghog said:
A question for those of you who use a mini as their media center:
How up-to-date does that mini need to be if I just want to watch TV (with eyeTv sat receiver), share iTunes content with my iMac and surf the net? Is an old Intel Core Solo enough?
Thanks
Click to expand...

Core Solo will choke on even moderate bit-rate H.264 decoding. Your Eye TV will be fine because broadcasts in the US are in low bit-rate MPEG-2, which the GMA950 gpu handles quite nicely.
 
iLifer said:
In answer to the OP's question, yes this can be done - I have my mini doing just that.
Click to expand...

I have my Mac mini doing that too. And sharing media between computers is a cinch. Heck, its built-in! No hacks or any trickery required.
Boghog said:
How up-to-date does that mini need to be if I just want to watch TV (with eyeTv sat receiver), share iTunes content with my iMac and surf the net? Is an old Intel Core Solo enough?
Thanks
Click to expand...

I use a Mini G4 1.42 GHz. Works like a charm.
 
northy124 said:
The Mini Is Better Than :apple:TV For Many Reason's That I'm Not Going Into, But Personally I Like The Fact I Can Have Full Internet Access On My TV It Handles 1080p HD Video Extremely Well (Considering It Has Integrated Graphics), It Looks Nice With My Set Up, So What If I Miss Out On HD Rentals Which I Don't Need As They Are 720p And I Have 1080p HD Videos From The Internet For Free Plus I Don't have Crappy Movie Size Restrictions.

Northy124
Click to expand...

Have you considered running the AppleTV Take 2 on the mini? http://www.macgeekblog.com/blog/archive/2008/03/13/atv4mac-1-2-available.html
 
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