[hooman]

turn overscan off: system pref ->display->options

[flunkycarter]

Thanks! But that shrinks the display to smaller than the actual TV size... Why does it overscan and underscan... is there a reason why it doesn't just "fit"?

[buzglyd]

Great job with the series. I considered the mini but there are still limitations. The 5.1 output only works with a DVD or video TS folder played through the DVD app. Even iTunes movie rentals won't play 5.1 like they do on Apple TV.
I went with the Samsung Blu Ray with Netflix and Pandora built in.
If you are into sports, you can stream MLB, NBA and Moto GP racing with your Mini or Macbook.

[moose_n_squirrel]

flunkycarter said:

Thanks! But that shrinks the display to smaller than the actual TV size... Why does it overscan and underscan... is there a reason why it doesn't just "fit"?

Turning Overscan off should not underscan over an HDMI connection. Overscan off should result in "fit perfectly." If the screen is underscanning with Overscan off that means either the wrong resolution is selected at the Mac or the TV aspect ratio is set to a setting that scales. Set the TV aspect ratio to whatever your TV menu calls "no size modification whatsoever" and it should fit perfectly, or at least it does on mine.

[chase]

Dear Christopher,

Your piece on the MacMini Media Center is well done, a necessity, and appreciated.

However, it is imperative with such a subjective topic to include a video podcast to allow the world to peek into how its usability really looks and feels for you. This way we can see and draw our own accurate conclusions.

What does the interface really look like without us readers actually downloading, installing and using all of this like you did. The point is for us to rely on your research rather than redo yours. Everything else, we can take your word for. But not the look, feel and usability!

Thanks for all of your hard word & being the guinea pig for your loyal readers!

[hillstones]

jeffvan said:

"And, in a way, that reflects Apple’s approach to the iTunes Store: “People want to own their media. Except in an era when so much content is available on the Web (and much of it not worth owning), that sentiment seems increasingly outdated."

I couldn't agree more...it's high time for a subscription based model for iTunes content, both video and audio. Would make their hardware instantly more relevant. Apple, are you listening?

Apple is listening. No one wants to rent their music or video and have it expire when you decide not to pay. Get a clue. The Mac Mini can't even display video properly (due to overscan). Sorry, but Tivo HD, DVD, and BluRay put a "Media Center" to shame. Ripping DVD's to degrade the quality to put on a Mac Mini? What a waste. iTunes HD content is pathetic. AppleTV is a joke.

[Forge]

I love the Mini-DP to HDMI concept - unfortunately, Front Row doesn't share my passion. Playing video through Front Row using mini-dp -> hdmi results in a black screen. DVI -> HDMI works like a charm. I would wait until there is more clarity about HDCP before aiming at Mini-DP options.

As far as interfacing with the unit, Juugari's TouchpadElite is the answer. Combines stellar mousepad with function keys and a full keyboard. Don't underestimate Remote for solutions that leverage AirTunes...

My .02....

[DisabledTrucker]

I have to admit, I've been using my mini as a media server of sorts for a couple years now, I personally love mine, the only thing I hate is that Apple still will not allow me to purchase anything from within the iTunes store from the Front Row app.
The EyeTV Hybrid I have hooked to my Mini which is hooked to a 20" LCD monitor I salvaged from my PC days and a 5.1 setup from Logitech also borrowed from those days works fantastic, well almost, for my needs.
I'm able to watch/record/time-shift HD content at full quality, I can still use my keyboard to change the channels with the firewire cable that is hooked to the cable box, it also doubles as a way to get full HD quality from the box when I really want it.
As far as integration to FrontRow goes, Elgato and Apple should work closer together to get some sort of solution worked out to handle this, shouldn't be that hard to implement a play/pause/record/ch+/- viewer into Front Row when it recognizes a tuner hooked to the computer. A simple TV guide, even if only via TVGuide, to view the listings and viola, Apple has a real media center app on it's hands. Add that along with Tru2Way capable tuners and man what wet dream...
Oh, and switching back and forth to the EyeTV app and FrontRow app is simple with a tweak provided by EyeTV on it's forums. I use it all the time with the latest, greatest version of EyeTV, currently at version 3.1.1. Now if we can just get iTunes Store incorporated into FrontRow as well... (Wet dreams returning again... Forget AppleTV, heeeerrreeesss MiniTV!)
Of course I do all my conversions on my iMac 24" where I create iTunes compatible movies that playback great on any device up to and including my 24" iMac, (who cares about AppleTV, iPhone/Touch, I don't...) I'm not limited to the limitations of my Mini and when I'm not using the iMac for other business needs, it's not a big deal for me. All my media is then sent to the storage drive I have hooked up on the router and viola, anyone can watch them. Pointed iTunes to the iTunes folder on there and whatcha know, I have all I need for a server. Of course I do have rather large files but, I enjoy quality not quantity when it comes to video. The average DVD conversion is around 2-2.5 GB's and the backups of HD quality video is the same, yet I have no problems being able to stream this across the network to any device I happen to want to view it from and all without nearly a difference in quality from the original source material.
Oh and wife friendly, not a problem there, of course my wife happens to be younger than me and has no problem with using two remotes to control the Mini and since it's up to me to do the recordings anyways, it's not a problem in my house how I do it. Okay so it could be easier than my patchwork of software I had to create to be able to do HD recordings via Firewire but, hey it get's the job done until there is a better solution available, hopefully by the end of the year...

[Alfiejr]

great series, very informative. we all might handle various details differently, but so what ... a few notes:

- i use the mini-DVi out to HDMI in, for a sony tv set to 1600x900 display (since i save all video at 720p, that is good enough.) and have a perfect screen fit (overscan off). don't use Mini-DP out to avoid DRM. for various models of TV go to a discussion board like AVS Forum's Mac HTPC board to learn optimal settings from other Mini owners.

- the Mini will upscale any video to a higher display resolution, but that is not exactly the same as the "upconversion" many DVD players do, which is more complex. so you will get somewhat better SD playback PQ from a PS3 or somewhat better Netflix streaming PQ from a TiVo than from the Mini, because both are designed for video upconversion. (AppleTV by the way is also specifically designed to unconvert video.) likewise, only DVD Player will deinterlace interlaced video input/files, but not Quicktime Player or Safari for web video. just doubling the Mini's display hrtz rate is not the same thing. you can readily get shareware like VLC Player to solve these issues, but the series didn't mention them (i don't think).

- you're right, once you go beyond Front Row it gets too tricky for the rest of the family except for us nerds to really use the Mini HTPC. Understudy and others try to expand Front Row, but Apple really needs to create a simple Front Row plug in architecture to make it easy for any media source users want to be seamlessly integrated in it.

- the series did not discuss web browsing on the big screen TV specifically, but it's a great social pastime too, looking at websites as a group - which you just can't do with a desktop computer. we do it a lot. you have to add a wireless keyboard/mouse/pad, and set up the Universal Access zoom controls, to make it practical but that isn't difficult. it would be killer tho if Apple would instead enable the iPhone/touch to be the Mini's remote control for this (and more).

[Chris Breen]

hillstones said:

Apple is listening. No one wants to rent their music or video and have it expire when you decide not to pay. Get a clue.

Huh, last time I looked I had both a clue and a Rhapsody subscription. I enjoy both. And you're serious about no one wanting to rent their video? You buy every movie you watch?

>The Mac Mini can't even display video properly (due to overscan). Sorry, but Tivo HD, DVD, and BluRay put a "Media Center" to shame. Ripping DVD's to degrade the quality to put on a Mac Mini? What a waste. iTunes HD content is pathetic. AppleTV is a joke.

Heavens, someone had their cranky flakes this morning.

[reevescajr]

I will agree that the BluRay image is better, but hillstones' comment about Media Centers in general is just plain wrong.

The WD HDTV media center box upconverts to 1080p, just like my DVD player, and its output looks identical to that produced by the DVD player to me on my 46" HDTV.

But I don't rent movies either; I buy the ones on DVD I want to watch.

[Dan Frakes]

hooman said:

as for ripit - mactheripper is free , save $20.

To confirm what Chris wrote, the free version of MacTheRipper (2.x) can't rip many of the latest DVDs. The current version, 3.x, requires payment.

I haven't tested the very latest MTR, but the last version of 3.x I tried didn't work as well as RipIt for the latest DVDs out there and it's not as easy to use. On the other hand, MTR 3 offers more features than RipIt.

[hooman]

For what its worth, I have the latest version of MTR 3 (which was a free download, although maybe that has changed), but I havn't run into anything yet which it has been unable to rip, be it new Disney movies like Rataouille or Bolt, to Dark Knight or Eastern Promises...

[hillstones]

[quote name='Chris Breen']
>

hillstones said:

> Apple is listening. No one wants to rent their music or video and have it expire when you decide not to pay. Get a clue.

Huh, last time I looked I had both a clue and a Rhapsody subscription. I enjoy both. And you're serious about no one wanting to rent their video? You buy every movie you watch?

>The Mac Mini can't even display video properly (due to overscan). Sorry, but Tivo HD, DVD, and BluRay put a "Media Center" to shame. Ripping DVD's to degrade the quality to put on a Mac Mini? What a waste. iTunes HD content is pathetic. AppleTV is a joke.

Heavens, someone had their cranky flakes this morning.

The comment was primarily regarded for music, and renting it through a subscription. Tell me how much you will enjoy the music when you decide to cancel your subscription to Rhapsody.

Renting movies has always been popular long before digital files, but since movies hit HBO much faster than they do in the past, I have no reason to rent (at least not by paying NetFlix monthly). Would rather watch them on HBO-HD in 1080i. NetFlix wasn't a viable option because I got tired of returning so many unplayable scratched discs, only to get another one (so many idiots that don't know how to handle a disc!). Apple has very bizarre requirements when it comes down to HD content...directly from the read me file: "HD movies from the iTunes Store are designed exclusively for Apple TV and may not be transferred to iTunes." So tell me Chris, why should anyone set up a Mac Mini is a "Media Center" when Apple won't even allow HD content to be played through iTunes? Apple wants you to waste your money on their "hobby" called the AppleTV, which is very limiting.

With TiVo Series3/HD, I can record HD content in the resolution of its broadcast, not iTunes compressed 720p format, or SD, since most content is SD. I can do both NetFlix and Amazon, if I decide to do so through TiVo. Now Amazon is offering HD content. I can program the TiVo on the web, and do Amazon from the web. Neither can be done with the AppleTV or a Mac Mini. I can view all my photos through TiVo, and my iTunes library is streamed through an Apple Express Base Station remote controlled by the iPhone.

I cannot understand why people are wasting time ripping DVD's to a degraded compressed format, when they already have the disc and the player. They spend money on an HDTV only to degrade the video content they watch on it? They might as well hook up their old VHS and show it off.

Based on your findings, "Your mini will either over-fill the bounds of your HDTV?s screen (meaning the menu bar will be cut off at the top) or under-fill it if you turn off the Overscan option in the Displays system preference. I?m fine with the black border that appears around the Mac?s screen with Overscan off. You may not be. Streaming video doesn?t look as good as video coming from a cable TV box, satellite receiver, or OTA antenna. The HD content looks better, but not so much better to my eyes that I?m willing to pay more for it or wait longer to receive it." Ouch. That pretty much says it all. Why would anyone waste money to set up a media center when you have to deal with those video issues? Doesn't that prove the point that it is useless?