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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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.
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.
View 14 Replies View RelatedI was just wondering because my current MacBook is cracking left right and centre and I haven't even done anything to it. Cracks on the palm rest, the sides, the bottom, the bezel and now even the hinge, pretty bad. I am looking for a new laptop for various other reasons and I was going to get the 13" pro because I really don't like the white MacBooks anymore, but I'm really strapped for cash and I was wondering if I should maybe get the white unibody, only problem is I would hate to buy it and then have it crack just like this one has.
View 24 Replies View RelatedI'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?
I have a Mac PowerBook G4 and Yesterday I developed two vertical parallel lines in the centre of my screen. 1 blue the other green just 1mm apart.
View 3 Replies View RelatedI'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.
View 4 Replies View RelatedWe 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?
View 1 Replies View RelatedI have just bought a second hand Mac Mini, Mac OS X Server, 10.6.8 It has got 1.83 GHz Intel Core Duo and 2 GB of DDR2 RAM. I have attached it to my monitor, which supports the 1366x768 resolution (that's a 16:9 resolution). From the "System Preferences" -> "Displays" I looked for that resolution but I didn't find it - therefore the screen looks a bit weird, with very small fonts. Is there any way I can set up that resolution, or at least make the screen look a bit nicer?Â
View 4 Replies View RelatedI'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.
View 7 Replies View RelatedJust 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?
View 24 Replies View RelatedI 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).
View 1 Replies View Relatedi have a 1.5 ghz mac mini from back in the days and was just wondering if anybody knew the max output resolution?
View 2 Replies View Relatedi been wanting to re-install Mac Osx Lion for quite a long time now. But everytime i do so, the resolution for the Recovery mode is to big and i cannot select continue to re-install it because it is not on the screen. I have lost my Os, i have nothing else to do. I tried calling apple and they just gave me options for support, which gives no help for me.
Info:
Mac mini, Mac OS X (10.7.3)
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?
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.
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
I'm having problems with my mac mini 1.25 G4 set up to my Philips 42" 1080p HDTV.
When I boot up the mac it automatically sets the correct resolution, but after about 5 minutes of use I start getting this color digital static and then after a few hits of this the TV goes blank. Sometimes I can get it back if I move the mouse or type on the keyboard, but it eventually goes away again.
I have 2 monitors connected to my mac mini. one with the mini displayport to vga, and the other mini dvi to vga. both of the monitors are exactly the same and they used to be set to the same resolution 1440 x 900. however one came unplugged and now it doesn't even give me the option to choose this resolution anymore. Is there anyway to fix this?
View 2 Replies View RelatedI'm thinking about getting a Mini to use as an HTPC with a 42" Sharp Aquos LCD TV. if I connect the two using DVI to HDMI, will Snow Leopard detect that it's an HDTV and allow me to use the new 1080p setting without having to use SwitchRes X or DisplayConfigX? The 1080p setting works on my MBP when in extended desktop mode, but not in mirroring mode (because resolution is limited to the 1440x900 of my screen). I'm hoping that since the Mini has no display, 1080p setting will work out of the box. If someone could confirm that would be great.
View 3 Replies View RelatedIf I am using hdmi to dvi , on a hp x23 led monitor, does the normal resolution still work?
Info:
Mac mini, Mac OS X (10.7.3)
I have dual monitors connected to my 2010 Mac mini (the first model of Mac mini to support two separate monitor outputs) and I have it in extended desktop mode. (Different content on both monitors)
When I first attached my secondary monitor, the resolution was correct. However, ever since a power outage several years ago the monitor's resolution ratio is different. The monitor's resolution is now 1280 x 1024, but the ratio is off for my Widescreen monitor. It isn't the default "widescreen", but it isn't a square either. Because of this ratio mismatch, all the content on that monitor is stretched out horizontally. (From side to side)
Info:Mac mini, Mac OS X (10.7.3), Mac mini 2010 with OS X Lion
I am running Lion OS on a 17 inch unibody Macbook Pro. I have been watching television on my Sony XBR television through my computer using a mini-hdmi to hdmi converter - essentially using my television as a second monitor by using mirror mode. It has been working perfectly until just recently. Now everytime I hook up the mini-hdmi connection, it is changing the resolution of my Macbook Pro screen. It is crushing the picture of the Macbook down and making Safari - the controls as well as the screen image contained therein - really dark. I have tried playing with the display controls-including trying to get my computer to re-detect my television. I am stumped as to WHY this started happening all the sudden.Â
Info:
MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.7.3)
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?
View 1 Replies View RelatedI have a bunch of 720p MKV files. I have my mini connected with HDMI to my 54" Panasonic 1080p. I set the resolution on the mini to 1080 and I play my MKV files...
When I set my resolution on my computer to 720p the movie takes up almost the full screen before i select full screen mode. When I set the computer resolution to 1080p and play the 720p media the movie screen only takes up about 3/4 of the screen until i set to full screen mode.
Do I lose any quality or get extra quality having my mini res at 1080p but playing 720p media?
Is the NVIDIA geforce capable of upscaling 720p to 1080?
I am wanting to hook my iMac G5 (iSight) to my 42" plasma screen, courtesy of the Mini-DVI adapter. I am aware of what cable I need to get (DVI-D, if I recall correctly), I am simply concerned with the achievable resolution.
If any of you have hooked up your iMacs in this way, could you inform me what resolutions you all have been able to achieve? My plaz can display up to 1080i.
Seeing video driver issues with the 10.7.3 upgrade? My monitor now looks like this (not sure why the pic upside down). This happened after the download from software update, re-applying the combo pack, and re-installing 10.7.0 and applying the 10.7.3 combo pack. I'm not in the process of reinstalling again and will apply the 10.7.2 update.
Info:
Mac mini
I'm a new mac user. Just bought a Mac mini with Mac OS X Lion (10.7.4). I was messing around with the resolutions on the display settings. I set the resolution back to the 1080p where it was when I first started messing with it. Now the color is off, the screen is not how it was before I started tampering with resolution settings. I've tried recalibrating the color but its still off. When I start my mac up in Safe Boot the windows and color look normal as if I changed nothing.
Info:
Mac mini, Mac OS X (10.7.4)
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.
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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