The mac mini comes equipped with all of the software included in the os x lion bundle, apples newest operating system released in july 2011. Hi all, do you think apple ever give us a apple tvlike theatre app for the new mini. I have been using a mac mini for my home theater for 3 years now. Please suggest additional software or comment on the existing titles using the suggest software link in the bar above. An unofficial community to discuss apple devices and software, including news, rumors, opinions and analysis pertaining to the company located at one. For most people when they think of a home theater pc they automatically think of windows and xmbc or mythtv. A mac mini, a tv tuner device such as an elgato eyetv hybrid. Best dlna media server software for streaming media in 2019 august 16, 2019 august 15, 2019 by michael media is the cornerstone of every good home theatre setup so making sure youve got the best dlna media server at your disposal is important. Control a home theater system with an ipad or iphone epr. It is particularly popular as a home theater solution. It comes with macos which has a variety of utilities and small apps, photos, itunes, imovie, garageband, pages, keynote, and numbers. I had a mac mini in the lr with front row enabled and eyetv dvr. Building a home theater network for apple fans macdailynews.
Well thankfully its progressed since then, with offerings from boxee, replaytv, plex and more. If you think that having a mini tower sitting on the floor next to your entertainment stand is 733t then there is a reasonable chance youre not a huge fan of os x anyway. I was wondering what software people install on their new lion mac minis for home theatre use. Optimize your display, setup plex as your media center and output your sound via hdmi. A small overview of the features can be found on our about page. Owc wants to turn your mac mini into a supercharged htpc. This site does not sell or endorse any of the products listed. The mac mini is currently wireless off the airport extreme n router, and plays both dvds and tv shows without skipping or hesitation. I can tell you how to set up a kickass home theater system using a mac mini, and a free software download called plex. Kodi formerly called xbmc is an awesome open source home theatre software that runs on almost all operating systems. The mac mini stylized with a lowercase mini is a desktop computer made by apple inc. If you really need the portability of a mini pc, or your available space is really limited, then mini pcs are available to fit just about any need. Htpc software is short for home theater pc software.
You can watch your home movies, check out your itunes video collection, or just browse. If there are any mac mini htpc owners out there, id love to hear from you and what youve learned, any suggestions. Quick startup guide to your mac mini home theater htpc experience. Once you have your mac, your tv, and your multichannel receiver all hooked up, youre ready to share all of the multimedia content stored on your mac. I was wondering what software people install on their new lion macminis for home theatre use. The first part of this series will be macos based systems like the macbook, imac or.
I could watch live tv, dvr stuff, ripped movies and itunes content all in one. For each platform, we offer a stable and development releases. It is one of four desktop computers in the current macintosh lineup, serving as an alternative to the allinone imac, and sits below the performance range imac pro and mac pro the mac mini is apples only consumer desktop computer since 1998 to ship without a display, keyboard, or mouse. Your mac can be the center of your home theater, essentially turning your computer into an htpc home theater pc. Home theater pc drive your tv and media experience with a media pc.
Turning your mac into an htpc home theater pc is a great project. Apple computer is one of the most powerful players in the world of specialty audio video even if they are known more for their macintosh operating. The mac mini has always been the perfect form factor for a media center appliance often called a home theater pchtpc. Home theater system using a mac mini and plex popsugar tech. Dvd quality is excellent, and hd tv shows downloaded are very good not quite as good as cable hd, but better than standard defintion. These offer a wider range of file types that can be played, along with the ability to stream many types of content. Mac mini home theater the mac mini is a small form factor computer. Want to set up your mac computer to be a hires audio source. Macos pcs macs entertainment software home theater streaming media mac mini. Just click to download and install on your mac or ios device. This client went all out, the results were incredible, and she can indeed control the whole thing on her ipad or iphone or ipod.
Honestly, none of this isnt stuff you cant do to your mac mini yourself, but owc is hoping to catch the attention of apple lovers who would like a real mac controlling their home theater. If youre already familiar with macs, youll recognize many of the features of os x lion and catch some new additions to apples newest operating system. For normal users we recommend installing the stable releases. I bought the 2012 mac mini to act as a home theatre and double as a computer for my small children to play with and learn. Now that you have your mac mini configured and connected to your home theater system for a good visual hookup guide check out roberts. Most mini pcs run either windows or linux, and a few run chrome os, but the venerable apple mac mini, running macos, also fits neatly into this category as well. Theatremac is a collection of macintosh software used in theatre and the performing arts. Any mac will do though the mac minis size is a nice fit for home theater. These are usually smallercased computers, running some sort of media software.
Chris breen says the answer could be yes if youre technically inclined, but. Yep, everyones talking about using the mac mini as a home media center, and theres a reason why. Ive written a handful of minipc roundups now, and theyre typically like comparing apples and oranges. Kodi is available as a native application for android, linux, mac os x, ios and windows operating systems, running on most common processor architectures. I got years ago with a bad hard drive from someone who didnt want to bother to fix it. Clips is a free ios app for making and sharing fun videos with text, effects, graphics, and more. Part one of how to turn a mac mini into a home theater pc with a few easy steps. Mac mini software how the mac mini works howstuffworks. Dan frakes compared the mac mini to a dell, and then responded to reader comments.
A mac mini as a home theater pc showing apples discontinued front row interface a home theater pc htpc or media center computer is a convergent device that combines some or all the capabilities of a personal computer with a software application that supports video, photo, audio playback, and sometimes video recording functionality. With a little help from owc and newertech, you can integrate a mac mini into your home theater system, allowing you to access many different types of media. Best dlna media server software for streaming media in 2019. In addition to its own frontend software, plex media player, the backend server application is compatible with many other frontends like kodi. Its compact and its form factor integrates easily with most home theater setups. In the following weeks well provide you with guides on how to properly install kodi on all sorts of devices.
Another week another mac clone mac htpc the mac mini htpc. This client just purchased an ipad mini and wanted to be able to control the entire system with her ipad mini. Kodi formerly xbmc is a free and open source media player application developed by the xbmckodi foundation, a nonprofit technology consortium. Owc media center bundle turns mac mini into a home. For 1080p home theater setups the older lessexpensive models such as my base model 2012 still work fine, but im also curious if anyone has.
Connections there are three ways to get hires audio out of your mac. It appears that there is an issue with plex and the apple remote where any button presses while in plex continue on to the operating systems default behavior. Enjoy premium sound quality or create music with ease. Owc media center bundle turns mac mini into a home entertainment system. Top 10 best htpc software for your tv media experience. Over the past month, i have been working on a new entertainment system installation at a clients house. Ready to upgrade your mac mini home theater to latest operating system offering from apple. Guide to using your mac as an htpc home theater pc lifewire. Shop headphones and microphones for mac from apple. Part two of how to turn a mac mini into a home theater pc with a few easy steps. This is an important distinction to make, as the vast majority of applications made for pc usage are meant to be used on a desktop with mouse and keyboard and the user sitting close to the screen. You want one box to manage all of your local and online media.
New mac mini software home theatre macrumors forums. Its something of a miracle that apple can continue to cram newer and hotter components into the. With home theatre apps like plex and kodi, you can roll your own sweetlooking library with all the tv shows and movies you like, with none of the junk. Kodi is available for multiple operatingsystems and hardware platforms, featuring a 10foot user interface for use with televisions and remote controls. Front row allows you to stream media from other systems in a home network as long as it is in an itunes library, though moving data across. When apple announced they were upgrading the mac mini 2010 to include a hdmi port. Flip4mac perian vlc 64bit handbrake hotspotshield for streaming netflix and tv shows outside of the us vuze dropbox flash safari plugin. Plex media server is a backend application for windows, linux and mac os xbased computers that is great for streaming media files across your home network. In his final apples and oranges comparison, he tackles the value of software bundles. Your average hd movie purchased from the itunes store consumes 3gb. Buy mac mini here if funds are low, the mac mini is a reasonably good choice for making music.
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