Mac Mini :: Which Mac Mini For My Media Server Needs
May 27, 2010
I'm looking to centralize the media storage in our home and would love some feedback on which Mac Mini would best suit my needs, which are pretty modest. The goal is a machine that will:House all our media (iTunes, movies/tv) for streaming to two MBPs & one TV
Be the central location for Time Machine backups on all 3 computers
Run Air Video Server live conversion for streaming media to iPad
Run Plex for viewing media on attached HDTV
Ability to simultaneously stream media to TV in one room while live encoding HD source material for playback on iPad
Regardless of which Mini I end up with, my plan is to remove the Superdrive and install two 500GB Momentus XT hybrid hard drives (Raid 0?) with Time Machine backups for all the computers on external FW800 drives that I have. That said, will an early '09 Mini with the 2.0 C2D have enough horsepower, or do I need a current gen model?
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Mar 26, 2012
We just bought a mac mini with 2.5 GHz to act as our media server. We wanted to be able to stream, which it handles nicely. But now our desktop has fallen to disrepair and I am tempted to take the 2.5 Ghz mac mini as our desktop and buy a cheaper mac mini for our server. Will this work?
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Aug 31, 2010
Currently I stream media (videos only at the moment) through my older MBP C2D Laptop using PS3 Media Server. I find the PS3 is loud and annoying so thinking of picking up a new generation Mac Mini to run my Media Serving Needs. My Equipment list is:
Pioneer 5080HD 768p Plasma
Yamaha RX-V3900 AVR
The rest of the equipment does not really matter. Thinking of hokoing it up by HDMI through the AVR to the plasma. Want to run Plex as my media front end. Now I also have an Acer Windows Home Server box kicking around with 1TB drive in it. Is it possible to use that on the network as a type of Media Storage that can be accessed by the Mini through Plex? Should I just use the WHS box as an archive unit? I know I will fill up the mini's HD fairly quickly.
Also I usually watch 720p MKV files through my PS3 so would I be fine doing that on the mini as well using Plex?
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May 3, 2009
I'm thinking of getting a Mac Mini as an HTPC and for holding my iTunes library and AVI's. I currently have an upscaling DVD player that also has a USB socket for DivX stuff and would like access to my iTunes library also. I was thinking of simply adding an AppleTV to the set-up but I've been considering a Mini also. My questions are:
1) If I have a Mini in the living room with all my AVI's and iTunes stuff on it- can I Wake-On LAN it using a Mac laptop, my iMac or an AppleTV in another room to access my library if it's sleeping? If I wanna watch a movie in bed on an AppleTV I don't want to have to nip downstairs to wake my Mini 'cause it's power-saving.
2) Would a Mini work well as an iTunes media server? Not bothered about accessing it from the internet, just want access through wired and wi-fi within the house.
3) Could I control the Mini remotely from the iMac or laptop over the network to save connecting a keyboard/mouse to it? For example if I need to perform a software update or move some files? I can do that over the network with another Mac, right? Sort of remote desktop?
4) Could I control the Mini, purely for playback, from Remote on an iPod Touch?
5) Is there a hack/fix/workaround to add AVI's (DivX and xVid) to Front Row? I understand these wouldn't be playable on the AppleTV.
I've tried searching for individual answers to the above but it's a bit confusing. I'm not sure of the difference between Back To Mac or Apple Remote Desktop. And I'm not sure about the WOL stuff either.
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Jan 8, 2008
I have a Mini Media center that I installed Front Row onto. When I updated to 10.4.11 I found that Front Row was broken and I finally figured out how to get it going again. I'm posting this simply for the spreading of knowledge. What you'll need:
Enabler [URL]
Front Row 1.3.0 [URL]
Front Row 1.3.1 [URL]
Pacifist [URL]
Installing: Put Front Row 1.3 package on desktop. (don't open) Open Enabler and Install Front Row. Enable Front Row (if you get an error you probably already have it enabled). <Restart> Use Pacifist to open FrontRow 1.3.1 package. Find Front Row App (System>Library>Core Services) Install the app and Replace when prompted.
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Jun 23, 2010
The old Mini worked fine with my Westinghouse 24" LCD monitor (HDMI input -connected to Mini via DVI->HDMI cable).The new Mini Server 2010 has HDMI out, so I used a straight-through HDMI cable. The display looks terrible! All of the fonts appear to have a 'shadow' next to them - almost like an old analog VGA with 'interference'.Thinking it could be the cable, I went back to my old Mini's DVI->HDMI cable (and used the new Mini's HDMI->DVI adapter to connect to it). Same results.The Westinghouse monitor's native resolution is 1920x1200. The Mac says that it's configured for 1920x1200.
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Jul 1, 2010
I do have a copy of the the Mac Mini SL Client software but I don't have another Mac to create the USB restore disc in order to load the client on the Mini Server via usb drive. I don't intend to use the Server Software and don't want to 'activate' the license so I can resell it instead. Can I just use the Server to create the bootable restore disc without 'activating' the Server License and locking it to my serial number? Or is there another way to create the restore disc if you don't have access to another Mac to run disc utility?
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Jan 9, 2011
One of the drives in our 2009 mac mini server 2009 has died. I have taken apart many minis so have no problem taking it apart to replace, but does anyone know which drive is the primary, "Server HD" drive? Would it be the top drive (first drive you come across during disassembly) or the bottom drive closer to the logic board with the two pads stuck on? Just wondering if anyone knows for sure so I can avoid removing the drive that's still working fine.
Also, to keep the server running in the mean time, I am booting to the second drive which is working fine. Just curious, once the dead primary drive is replaced , can I simply use carbon copy clone to copy back from the 2nd drive, or will I need to install snow leopard server back onto the new drive?
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Feb 5, 2010
I am a web developer using Mac to develop and Ubuntu Server to deploy. It's a pretty standard setup nowadays.The time came to replace my staging server ( which I keep at my home on a dedicated IP ) and I could not resist the allure of the new Mac Mini Server. So I bought one and tried to do a Ubuntu install and thought I could sell my OSX server license as I have no need of it.I imagine a lot of people not used to Apple's policies might think like this. So how did it go? Bad and then good.As far as I have been able to ascertain, it's impossible to install Ubuntu on a Mac Mini Server ( at least without the additional DVD-ROM drive which I refuse to buy ).What's more, the OSX Server license I bought is not transferable to non-Mac Mini Server computers so I can't really sell it anyway.
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Oct 21, 2009
The MacBook Air USB SuperDrive never worked with any other Macs without heavy hacking. What so different about the new Mini with Server OS X?
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Nov 15, 2009
When you get a new OSX machine it asks if you want to transfer everything over from another machine, then you connect the firewire or whichever cable it tells you, and it does the rest.
I am replacing my Mini with a Mini Server (1TB), and on boot it asks if I want to transfer data from another "Server". I was hoping I could transfer from OSX to OSX Server since it's the same OSX just more options are added, I would understand it it didn't go in the other direction.
It gives me a blank window with Transfer Your Server at the top and says to select the volume to transfer from (none listed). It doesn't say how I would connect or select the machine from which to select the volume. Is there any easy way to transfer my programs and files over, or not, between non-server and a server version? I could manually share the HD on the Mini and drag over program and file folders etc. if there is no automatic way.
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Jul 29, 2010
Tomorrow I will be installing the normal snow leopard in my mac mini server 2010. I want to make raid0 with the 2 500GB hard drives. But I dont know how to do it. I have to make it through the installation, or after it ? And is a raid0 so unstable that I HAVE to buy a back up HD ?
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Jun 17, 2010
Can you run a mac mini server just like a regular desktop model mac mini?
Does the server version of SL prevent you from using the computer like a regular mac mini with a monitor and keyboard and mouse?
Can anyone point me to a good beginner article on the use and setup of a server? I feel like I understand computers pretty well, but servers are a mystery to me.
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Sep 6, 2010
I'm considering getting the base Mini and using it as a media hub to replace my AppleTV. I've hacked my AppleTV to run Netflix, Boxee, etc., but playback in Firefox can be slow. The only issue is the lack of Blu-Ray in the mini which would mean getting a Blu-Ray drive and cracking the mini open. Seems like a lot of work but it could replace my Sony Blu-Ray DVD player leaving only my Denon receiver, Cable box and Mac Mini.
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Apr 3, 2012
currently using mac mini server for sharing files and folders. Would like to setup VPN to get access to files remotely.
-Model identifier: Macmini 3.1
-Mac OS X Server version 10.6.8
I am not sure if this version supports VPN.
Info:
Mac mini
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Mar 29, 2009
I'm considering using a Mac Mini as a media centre computer and supporting it with a eyetv dongle. Does anyone have an opinion on it's ability to do so. eg. Noise, speed, Graphics power? If it's not going to cut it, is there an alternative? I'm not keen on the Apple TV given it's limitations out of the box.
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Sep 21, 2010
Just wondering how many of you guys here have been using the new Mac Mini as a Media Centre mac, and what your general opinions of it are? I'm fairly sure there is HDMI, but is the media playback up to par, and how easy is it to use from the couch?
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Jan 1, 2011
I just got a new 2010 mini to use for some web development, as well as a media streamer for my TV. I want to be able to stream standard and HD mkv/h.264 video from either the internal HD, external HD, or my server. Obviously, the internal HD should work well. My question is, would it be faster to stream from an external HD or my server? The server and mini are wired into the network via Gbit ethernet, and the external would be USB (or it could be FW800 if that would make a difference).
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Jul 31, 2009
I've just bought a mac mini to run as a media centre. I want to connect it to my 40 inch LCD Samsung TV. I've tried all the preset resolutions and sizes but none of them seem to properly fit the TV, I loose about 2 inches on the top bottom and both sides. Any ideas how to get the Mac Mini to use all of the screen but keeping the resolution at 1080p (which the TV supports).
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Jul 2, 2009
I have a 2009 2.0 C2D Mac Mini that I upgraded to 4 GB RAM from the standard 1 GB RAM. It does not read CDs/DVDs or any other optical media. When I check the profiler for the SATA connection, I get:
OPTIARC DVD RW AD-5670S:
Model:OPTIARC DVD RW AD-5670S
Revision:2AHF
Native Command Queuing:No
Detachable Drive:No
Power Off:No
Async Notification:Yes
When I check the profiler for disc burning, I get:
OPTIARC DVD RW AD-5670S:
Firmware Revision:2AHF
Interconnect:ATAPI
Burn Support:Yes (Apple Shipping Drive)
Cache:2048 KB
Reads DVD:Yes
CD-Write:-R, -RW
DVD-Write:-R, -R DL, -RW, +R, +R DL, +RW
Write Strategies:CD-TAO, CD-SAO, CD-Raw, DVD-DAO
Media:Insert media and refresh to show available burn speeds
It seems the controller is good and is seeing the DVD drive, but it just won't read anything included DVD movies and CDs that I bought off the shelf.
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May 24, 2012
I would like to download talking books from my public library but cannot set up the OneClickdigital media manager software. When I try to download the Mac version the next page goes very briefly to the App Store followed by a a message saying "Cannot complete your rerquest."
Info:
Mac Mini
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Jul 26, 2010
this is my first post in here, I hope I've come to the right place I'm in the market for THE media center and though the Mini is very expensive I think it has a lot of potential. Well, this is what I need is there any way on the earth that I can have a media player application - namely Plex, Boxee, XBMC - to play 2 audio tracks simultaneously when watching a film? Thing is, I really like learning languages but my girlfriend doesn't, and man this seems to be the only way that I can imagine to keep my relationship while enjoying the original language films were shot. May I ask what the major drawbacks of this device are?
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Aug 23, 2010
I have a 2009 Mac Mini Server with iStat Server installed. When I connect to iStat server with the iPhone app, I see no network usage (even though it is being used). iStat Pro widget will show the usage just fine. Any ideas on why its not showing up with iStat Server?
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Mar 10, 2012
I don't use any of it and would like to update to lion with out the server portion.
Info:Mac mini Server (Mid 2010), Mac OS X (10.6.8)
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Sep 12, 2010
I have an Early 2009 Mac Mini with Mini DVI and Mini DisplayPort. And I have two 1080p HDTVs. The Mac Mini is capable of dual display, and I've gotten it to work before, so the issue is not the TV or Mac. And I have tried both Mirroring and No Mirroring.
I got a Mini DisplayPort to HDMI Adapter (#5311) and a Mini-DVI to HDMI Adapter (#4852) both from MonoPrice. And for some reason I can't get the Mac Mini to dual display, it's only one or the other.
Before I had a Mini Displayport Male and USB Male AUDIO to HDMI Female Converting Adapter (#5969) and I got video on both HDTVs, but not audio at the same time b/c one was USB and one was TOSLINK.
I'm not sure why I can't get video on both monitors. Any help?
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Apr 6, 2009
I need to connect my 09' Mac Mini to my Yamaha RX-V2700 receiver which outputs to my Sony XBR HDTV. I know the mini has both mini-dvi to dvi and mini-dp to dvi or hdmi available via adapters. I was thinking to go with option 1 however I was wondering what is your opinions? Is mini-display port better over mini-dvi or are they the same? Audio will be carried over optical toslink.
Option 1:
Using mini-dvi adapter to dvi: Connect Dvi-Hdmi cable to receiver and output audio with toslink adapter.
Option 2:
Using mini-dp adapter to dvi or hdmi: Connect Dvi-Hdmi cable to receiver and output audio with toslink adapter.
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May 9, 2009
so i've been trying to use my 360 as a htpc to view media from around my network. I've run into some problems with it playing certain media formats as well as it not being able to see certain machines (those not running media center). Does a macmini running xbmc (or some other software) fare better in this regard than the 360? is the mac remote compatible with xbmc?
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Sep 17, 2010
I'm thinking about purchasing a Mac Mini Server instead of an xServe.It will be used to serve client account http://www.apple.com/server/macosx/f...anagement.htmlWe have 3 iMacs and 1 (possibly 2) Macbooks - there will be 6 client accounts. How will the Mini cope if all 4 clients are logged in at the same time?Or should I just purchase an xserve?
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Jan 18, 2010
First, I'm a n00b Mac user but I'm reasonably tech smart and I want to make the jump to OSX. I need a mac for the wife, who will use it in the living room connected to our TV. She does email, light desktop publishing, and a metric ton of movies and music: the iTunes library alone is 300GB. Plus she watches DVDs on it. I was thinking about buying a refurbed mac mini server (It's at a discounted price) but I don't need Snow Leopard Server. I'll add the external superdrive later.How hard would it be to just install regular Snow Leopard instead of Server?Also, in regular Snow Leopard, how would the HDDs show up in OSX? One big 1TB drive or 2 500gb drives?
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Mar 2, 2009
Just curious can use both to drive the 24" LED ACD AND another 2nd monitor via mini dvi?? That would be a dream come true!
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