The Mac Mini is going to form the basis for my media center, and I'm going to get the chance to experiment with TV 2.0 using a PVR system.>you should run out to buy immediately (I mean right now) No remote, but for the price difference, I can get an ATI Remote Wonder - and it's an RF, remote, too, so perfect for controlling iTunes when you're not in sight of the computer. This is an interesting product - it offers MPEG1, MPEG2, and DivX hardware encoding. It's listed at $229US, or $283CDN from the Canadian store.
The Elgato solutions look like the best bet. Specifically, some PVR action, that will let me watch TV and record it on the computer. Well, that could be it to replicate what we have today, with a machine that is 50%+ faster and a monitor that is.did I mention gigantic? Oh yes: I would have to get some computer speakers back out of storage - these would connect to the headphone jack that is the audio output for the Mini Mac.īut I want to do a little more media. I'd love to see the screen in person, but haven't found it here in Vancouver anywhere. Reading a couple of reviews (I'm not going to link to any, because I didn't really find them useful) seems to indicate that the one downside is that the viewing angle is a bit constrained, so watching from farther away might not be ideal. It's pricey (about $1800CDN), but has some very good features:Īll the connectors you need: D-Sub/DVI-D/S-Video/Composite (could connect any video source, including game console) The Benq FP231W is the screen that I've been looking at. I still might add a projector at a later date, but this is a good excuse to get an LCD monitor. Excellent! I've been hemming and hawing over the choice between a projector and a big LCD monitor for a while. So, the Mac Mini becomes our new desktop. It's about time for my parents to get a new machine, so it will find a good home there.
#Elgato eyetv mac mini movie#
I could use my phone to control movie and music playback, but generally I just learn forward and use the keyboard.
#Elgato eyetv mac mini pro#
The Pro speakers go as loud as needed in our small apartment, and Kate and I can sit fairly close to the monitor. Generally we use the iMac to watch movies and listen to music (TV given to parents, stereo in storage until we have a bigger place). At home, an original iMac 15" 800Mhz G4 is our desktop machine. My personal main machine is a PowerBook 15". Mike Davidson has a good outline for the Media Mac that he wants to see from Apple, but I'm going to outline how I think the Mac Mini (plus a few other pieces) is going to work for me today. I'm looking at the Mac Mini to be our new desktop, stay-at-home machine, as well as to form the basis for a media center. Title: How the Mac Mini fits into my life