Mac mini as HTPC

[macminime]

I am debating if I want to buy a smart-tv with full browser capabilities or use a mac mini as an htpc. I will only be streaming hd videos/movies and was wondering how the mac mini holds up after long hours of HD playback? Do the frames start to slow down when the mac heats up? Does the playback get skippy?

I have had these experiences when watching HD videos on a PC with a decent dedicated graphics card, I just want to make sure a mac mini can handle such things for extended periods of time.

 

[mmntech]

It will be fine with HD playback. Are you streaming local content, online, or from an attached hard drive. You could do pretty much the same with a Boxee, Roku, or Apple TV for a lot less money.

 

[macminime]

Thanks for the reply. Daily streaming will be online. I will look into the alternatives you have given. I have only considered the mac mini because of my lack of computer knowledge (just heard around that a mac mini has been a good HTPC)

 

[bearxor]

Boxee Box will play just about anything you can throw at it out of the box and has a webkit based browser with flash for any other online video you want. No Hulu Plus though, so if that's important to you, Roku is a good alternative, but stinks at natively playing files off a network share.

 

[macminime]

Now that I remember I think I have heard and looked Boxee a few times before but never paid much attention as I thought it was only app based (netflix, etc.) Now that you say there is a browser I will definitely look more into it.

Definitely a cheaper alternative!

 

[TheStu]

Are you already playing in the Apple ecosystem (do you have any other Macs or iDevices?)

If so, you may want to consider an Apple TV and then jailbreak it (assuming that there is a jailbreak for the atv3). You can install XBMC on there, and it supports full 1080p playback. With XBMC you can then just point it at your shared drives on your host computer. Plus, the AppleTV supports AirPlay which lets you send content from your iPad, iPhone or (soon) Mac.

All that said, if you aren't in that ecosystem, then the boxee seems like a good idea.

 

[bearxor]

No JB for ATV3 yet. Waiting to see if I want to bail on Boxee and try an ATV3 with XBMC whenever the ATV3 gets JB'd, but every skin I use for XBMC is just a mess. Can't find anything as attractive or easy to use as Boxee.

 

[cheez]

Thanks for the reply. Daily streaming will be online. I will look into the alternatives you have given. I have only considered the mac mini because of my lack of computer knowledge (just heard around that a mac mini has been a good HTPC)

For hd video streaming online the Mac Mini will do fine. If that's all you are going to do, then it's not considered a real "HTPC".....


Now if you are talking playing 1080i TS files (uncompressed) as well as MKV / AVI files (compressed) like movies then yeah, you have to go Windows Operating system. Windows XP, Server 2003, and Server 2008 R1 32bit will TRUMP all Mac OSes.......... in terms of speed and compatibility. First, you will have opportunity to opt for a proper video card for your Windows PC for better video playback. Second, these Windows OSes have good support for MPEG2-TS, avi, and mkv files with hardware acceleration (with proper playback software) which will give you rock solid playback without slowing down. Windows is known to outclass Mac OSes in this regard....... And get a plasma monitor with DVI or HDMI connection....



Bottom line, you want mega solid playback and compatibility, you'll have to go HTPC w/ Windows.....

 

[mmntech]

Are you already playing in the Apple ecosystem (do you have any other Macs or iDevices?)

If so, you may want to consider an Apple TV and then jailbreak it (assuming that there is a jailbreak for the atv3). You can install XBMC on there, and it supports full 1080p playback. With XBMC you can then just point it at your shared drives on your host computer. Plus, the AppleTV supports AirPlay which lets you send content from your iPad, iPhone or (soon) Mac.

ATV3 has proven notoriously difficult to jailbreak unfortunately. The system is so closed off, there's nowhere to inject code. The biggest problem with the ATV as-is isn't the limited codec support. I can live with that. It's the fact that you can't add new channels. Why Apple hasn't added an app store for it is a mystery. Airplay works but it's a little clunky, or the world's best marketing ploy. Buy a $500 streaming box to stream to your $100 streaming box.

Speaking of AirPlay, XBMC does support it as of 11.0 Eden. It works okay. Videos don't play back instantly but audio works great. Mirroring isn't supported. It's good enough. Haven't tried it with DRMed iTunes files as I don't have any. Doubt they'd work.

 

[HomerSapien]

ATV3 has proven notoriously difficult to jailbreak unfortunately. It's the fact that you can't add new channels. Why Apple hasn't added an app store for it is a mystery. Airplay works but it's a little clunky, or the world's best marketing ploy.

Apple seems to have released the apple tv as an experiment. It really doesn't have a purpose other than stream and the user interface is really clunky.

I have an Mac Mini / Apple Tv2 combo and every time I use it, I think of an improvement it should have. Mostly due to user control / interface. With the number of iPads/ipods/iphones that have sold, I am surprised they did not incorporate the "remote" app to be more unique.

 

[mmntech]

Apple seems to have released the apple tv as an experiment. It really doesn't have a purpose other than stream and the user interface is really clunky.

I have an Mac Mini / Apple Tv2 combo and every time I use it, I think of an improvement it should have. Mostly due to user control / interface. With the number of iPads/ipods/iphones that have sold, I am surprised they did not incorporate the "remote" app to be more unique.

I guess you can't ask a lot from a $100 media box that handles 1080p decoding. The bad part is that for all the limitations it has, there are already apps in the app store that fix them.

 

[Ka0t1x]

XMBC is definitely the way to go on OSX platform for your media needs. I use an ATV2 in the living room and I have the same database in the bedroom with a Mac Mini (wife's computer) so we can stop/resume between them.

If you have a little white remote you can get a new driver for it so that it doesn't launch iTunes every time you press play.
http://www.iospirit.com/labs/candelair/

 

[bearxor]

Speaking of AirPlay, XBMC does support it as of 11.0 Eden. It works okay. Videos don't play back instantly but audio works great. Mirroring isn't supported. It's good enough. Haven't tried it with DRMed iTunes files as I don't have any. Doubt they'd work.

Really? I might try an XBMC build again then. AirPlay is one of the main things keeping me on Boxee Box.

 

[slackerinabox]

My current system:
Office: Mac Mini with Plex Server (light office work, mkv/avi streaming)
Every other room: either a roku or an appletv runnig plex

Music playback aside (airplay, etc.), the roku is your best bet - netflix, hulu, etc. plus mkv playback using plex. Love it. I prefer the appletv for airplay and iTunes streaming (roku can but the interface isn't as good), so my living room tv awkwardly has both hooked up (but the roku solo works fine).

 

[bearxor]

My current system:
Office: Mac Mini with Plex Server (light office work, mkv/avi streaming)
Every other room: either a roku or an appletv runnig plex

Music playback aside (airplay, etc.), the roku is your best bet - netflix, hulu, etc. plus mkv playback using plex. Love it. I prefer the appletv for airplay and iTunes streaming (roku can but the interface isn't as good), so my living room tv awkwardly has both hooked up (but the roku solo works fine).

This is why I prefer the Boxee Box. Plays up to 50Mbps mkv rips over network, 110Mbps off local storage. Plays natively, no back end server needed. Airplay included. The only thing it doesn't have that most people seem to want is Hulu+, but honestly they can get to just about anything you want that's available through the network's website. And they pre-populate it for you and everything in a simple interface.

I don't know what the deal is with Hulu+ (I used to subscribe, but it was worthless to me) but from what I can tell, Boxee has TRIED to get Hulu+ on the Box, but Hulu+ is holding out.

 

[KeypoX]

Boxee Box will play just about anything you can throw at it out of the box and has a webkit based browser with flash for any other online video you want. No Hulu Plus though, so if that's important to you, Roku is a good alternative, but stinks at natively playing files off a network share.

Really? I have thought about one but this is important.

 

[bearxor]

Really? I have thought about one but this is important.

Unless something has changed in the past 6 months since I've tried one (and I don't think it has) you really need something like Plex, which requires a client/server kind of thing, to play anything off a network share.

So, install Plex Server on your computer, show it where your videos are at. Play them on the Plex client (iPhone/Android/Roku). Requires the server to be on and running.

 

[slackerinabox]

Really? I have thought about one but this is important.

On it's own Roku doesn't support network playback. Plex is available and works great - mkvs, avis,etc. Plex server is required on the server, fyi (I use a mac mini, sandybridge)

 

[slackerinabox]

Really? I have thought about one but this is important.

On it's own Roku doesn't support local network media playback. Plex is available and works great - mkvs, avis,etc. Plex server is required on the server, fyi (I use a mac mini, sandybridge)

 

[bearxor]

I understand for some people thats "just fine", but it's harder and harder to find a computer on at all in my house anymore. The move to tablets as the primary computing device has all but wiped out laptop usage (desktop usage was non-existant many years ago).

I need my media streamer to be able to read files off my NAS regardless of the status of any other computer in the home.

 

[mmntech]

I understand for some people thats "just fine", but it's harder and harder to find a computer on at all in my house anymore. The move to tablets as the primary computing device has all but wiped out laptop usage (desktop usage was non-existant many years ago).

I need my media streamer to be able to read files off my NAS regardless of the status of any other computer in the home.

What are you using for your NAS? Now that I got my own HTPC up and running, that's my next project. The goal is to eventually rip every single DVD and Bluray, and CD I've got and have them all on demand.

 

[silverpig]

For hd video streaming online the Mac Mini will do fine. If that's all you are going to do, then it's not considered a real "HTPC".....


Now if you are talking playing 1080i TS files (uncompressed) as well as MKV / AVI files (compressed) like movies then yeah, you have to go Windows Operating system. Windows XP, Server 2003, and Server 2008 R1 32bit will TRUMP all Mac OSes.......... in terms of speed and compatibility. First, you will have opportunity to opt for a proper video card for your Windows PC for better video playback. Second, these Windows OSes have good support for MPEG2-TS, avi, and mkv files with hardware acceleration (with proper playback software) which will give you rock solid playback without slowing down. Windows is known to outclass Mac OSes in this regard....... And get a plasma monitor with DVI or HDMI connection....



Bottom line, you want mega solid playback and compatibility, you'll have to go HTPC w/ Windows.....

OSX and plex work pretty damn good for me. And I've got a radeon 6870 in it too.

And plex is better than XBMC

 

[QueBert]

Plex better than XBMC, in what Universe? latest OSX XBMC is native 64 bit.

 

[bearxor]

What are you using for your NAS? Now that I got my own HTPC up and running, that's my next project. The goal is to eventually rip every single DVD and Bluray, and CD I've got and have them all on demand.

I used a DLink DNS-321 forever. It does SABNZBd+ ok, but needed to be reset every so often. Now I use an atom-based N230 Acer WHS running Linux. Holds 4 HD's and doesn't lock up as often trying to untar stuff.

 

[Ka0t1x]

The only problem that I had with Plex is that it would transcode, even with Gbit Ethernet direct connected. Kind of dumb to waste the CPU Cycles.