media center:Mac mini or PS3??

[gangzoom]

Just moved into a new house and am trying to work out the best way to set up my projector and surround sound system...

Currently i have a G5 tower, and xbox360 connected to my projector, however my Tower is going to be moved to a different room. So at the moment the Xbox is running my projector...this is fine for games, but when watching dvds its simply useless (too loud, and poor picture quality). I was hoping would release some kind of media center to replace the Macmini and iTV but that hasnt happened

Should i just go ahead and buy a mac mini or put up with the noisy 360 for a bit longer, or just go for a PS3 any comments/ideas

 

[Royale w/cheese]

My mini hooked up to my sony wega suits me, so I vote for mini.

 

[Killyp]

I'd choose a MacMini right now (as much as I love the PS3). It's cheaper, quieter and more expandable (try doing remote integration with the PS3).

 

[Angrist]

If you want to play DVDs ... get a DVD player. Cheapest way to get really good picture and sound.

Otherwise, either
A) build a media center with something like an Antec Fusion to match your AV components
OR
B) get a mini, it's cheap and effective.

 

[gangzoom]

If you want to play DVDs ... get a DVD player. Cheapest way to get really good picture and sound.

Otherwise, either
A) build a media center with something like an Antec Fusion to match your AV components
OR
B) get a mini, it's cheap and effective.

I have a large DVD collection and also quite a few movies on my mac. The only advantage of the PS3 seems to be the blueray player, but i think ill go for the mac mini....did consider using my 7 year old pismo G3 laptop at one stage but it doesnt do digital sound out

 

[Martin C]

Screw the Mini, get a PS3. Or even better...get an Xbox 360 and a copy of Rainbow Six: Vegas and Gears of War.

 

[dreamsINdigital]

If you didn't know, the PS3 supports DLNA streaming from computers. Just install EyeConnect or TwonkyMedia on your Mac and you can stream movies, music, and pictures to your PS3 wirelessly (as long as it's in the right format).

The PS3 also upscales DVDs.

 

[badcrumble]

The PS3 is a sweet piece of hardware, and it can stream from your computer, BUT it can't support nearly as many video formats as a Mini.

 

[Sesshi]

None of the above. A Vista Home Premium or Ultimate machine is what you want as a real computer-based media center. Actually, even an XP Media Center PC will blow the Macs out of the water in that role.

 

[Mac In School]

None of the above. A Vista Home Premium or Ultimate machine is what you want as a real computer-based media center.

I've heard much better reviews of SageTV.

 

[Sesshi]

I've heard otherwise. There are fringe benefits too - You can keep the 360 and turn it into a media extender for the MCE PC.