Mac as a home entertainment unit?

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Hi all.

This is going to be so basic for you Mac experts but the 'PC' world is driving me nuts and I'd really like to switch to a Mac, so here's my question.

I'd like to use an iMac to watch & record current terrestrial TV in the UK, including digital when I decide it's worth subscribing to. Ideally I'd like to have a seperate TV monitor, ideally wireless, & to be able to record onto the iMac as well as DVD so that the programmes can be played on a std DVD player if need be. Obviously I'd need programming facility & remote control just like a DVD recorder & to be able to record what I'm not watching (I was told this is a problem with SKY?? so thought I'd mention that). I'd like to be able to work on the iMac at the same time as having the TV running/recording with no degredation in quality of either. I'd also like to be able to hook up the iMac to some decent speakers for music & TV.
Is this at all possible?
I know for everything else, graphics, music, video & general ease of use the iMac beats a PC (although some would say not, but the virus, spyware & general hassle of running an unreliable PC has really put me off the darn things!! - plus they're ugly brutes).
I've related this all to an iMac because I can't afford a top end Mac, and the spec of a 20" iMac seems ample for my uses.

Any advice would be most welcome - cheers

Rene
 
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This is not exactly my area of expertise but a lot of people are actually using mac minis as media centers, I haven't heard much about iMacs though...

You should check out 123macmini.com they have some good information about mac media centers on their site.

good luck
 
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Renevator said:
Thanks, I'll check that out.

I would definately suggest going with Elgato, the makers of EyeTV. They have the best TV recording software for Mac, imo. Here is a link to their website:

http://www.elgato.com/

Regarding speakers, there are a number of great computer speakers available. Take a look at Logitech and Klipsch for some good models (Logitech z-2300 and Klipsch ProMedias are great examples).

As far as wireless goes, Apple is releasing a product currently named "iTV" which will let you wirelessly stream movies, music, and photos to your TV. It is slated for release next year (2007). I used my Mac Mini as a set-top box for awhile, but a cheaper and better option is to use a modded Xbox. Used Xboxes go for about $130 USD from retailers, and even cheaper if you go on ebay. With a modchip, you can use the Xbox to play movies, music, photos, and other content straight from your iMac. If you want more info on that, just send me a PM.
 
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Wouldn't it just be easier to get a DVR or a TIVO and use that to record? Then you could dump stuff to your Mac via a direct connection or via a DVD if desired.

I don't really understand this desire to hook your Mac up to your TV or use it to record live vide from your TV. I also don't get the desite to play movies form you mac to your TV. HD movies take up a bunch of HDD space and are subject to the same computer breakdowns as any Mac/PC. Lose the drive, lose the contents. A DVD or HD-DVD at least gives you a better backup. Anyone want to explain the attraction to me?
 
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baggss said:
Wouldn't it just be easier to get a DVR or a TIVO and use that to record? Then you could dump stuff to your Mac via a direct connection or via a DVD if desired.

I don't really understand this desire to hook your Mac up to your TV or use it to record live vide from your TV. I also don't get the desite to play movies form you mac to your TV. HD movies take up a bunch of HDD space and are subject to the same computer breakdowns as any Mac/PC. Lose the drive, lose the contents. A DVD or HD-DVD at least gives you a better backup. Anyone want to explain the attraction to me?

I went the TiVo + Xbox Media Center route. Easy enough for my family to use, but powerful enough for me to enjoy. I keep my movies and music stored on my file server and can play them back on my computers and Xbox. Cheap, stable, and powerful. You can get all that for the price of a Mac Mini, too - modded Xbox, 500gb NAS, and a dual-tuner TiVo with a year of service.
 
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That still begs the question "Why"? It seems to me that DVDs are just easier than having to go through all that just to watch a movie. Consider how many DVDs you could have bought with the money the X-Box and Mac Mini and Tivo cost you. It's like Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher....I just don't get the attraction...
 
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baggss said:
It's like Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher....I just don't get the attraction...


Well I agree there !

The reason I posted this, is that I wanted the neatest, least "gadget" oriented solution to having a computer & home entertainment set up.
I'd prefer my home to have no visible technology but that solution is some way off I know!! Obviously I'm lacking in knowledge as to what equipment there is out there, but I thought running the TV thru a computer seemed to be the way everyone was going - it seems then, I might have got that wrong.
So my ideal solution would be a nice clean looking imac for the computer & a wireless screen on the wall for the TV - no other boxes, no wires, & 1 remote control, & easy to use set up. Probably expecting to much of current technology I know but as mac seem to have the edge on good design (ie clean, stylish & efficient) I thought it would serve my ideal set up better.
I get you point about stability though & that's certainly worth taking into the equation.
Thanks for all the suggestions - seems I have a fair bit of research to do.
 
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Sorry, I didn't mean to rain on your parade as it were. This is just one of those things I keep trying to understand and just can't seem to. I understand your desire for minimal exposure in your living room though.
 
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baggss said:
That still begs the question "Why"? It seems to me that DVDs are just easier than having to go through all that just to watch a movie. Consider how many DVDs you could have bought with the money the X-Box and Mac Mini and Tivo cost you. It's like Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher....I just don't get the attraction...

There are a few reasons that I can think of to go this route:

1. Convenience: Using a modified Xbox acts as both a DVD player and a networked movie player, as well as a game player. You can basically turn it into a DVD jukebox - no more searching through your collection.

2. Protect your movies: If you've ever had kids in your house, you'll know the cringe you get when you discover that they used your DVD movies as frisbees, coasters, and chewtoys.

3. Geek factor: Hey, it's cool to setup a techy home theater like this =)

There are a number of other reasons as well. For example, by ripping my DVDs to my server, I can extract just the movie and thereby avoid watching the advertisements that you can't skip over before you get to the DVD menu. btw, I don't use a Mac Mini, an Xbox, and a TiVo, I just use an Xbox and a TiVo...those are the only two boxes hooked up to my TV (well, plus my A/V receiver for the speakers).

The TiVo is a device for recording shows and pausing live TV. If a show I want to watch is on too late or I am not going to be home to catch a show, it takes care of recording it for me. That way I can hang out with my friends Wednesday night, but still catch the latest episode of Lost after work the next day. The pause feature is nice because I can get up to answer the phone, use the bathroom, grab some snacks, and no have to worry about missing any part of the show. I also don't have to wait for commercials. I'm not a huge TV watcher, but it's nice to have it auto-record shows like the X-files or 24 for days when I just want to veg out or sick days. Plus my TiVo is a dual-tuner model, meaning if there are two shows on that I want to watch, I can record them both, or watch one and record the other. They also sell DVD player/burner TiVos if you want to record the shows to disc. There is even software that lets you load up shows from the TiVo to your PSP or other portable movie player, plus there is a web-based GUI for scheduling the TiVo to record shows if you're away from home.

The Xbox takes care of gaming, being a DVD player, and playing content from my network. You can buy a 500gb network-attached hard drive for well under $300 nowadays; that will hold over 650 DVD movies (700mb Xvid files look great on SDTVs). You can browse by title or by cover then play the movie and have it start up right away, no waiting for ads or previews. You can have it play music for listening while you clean the house or when you have a party. You can show off slideshows of your last vacation. You can play games. It even lets you record games to the hard drive so you can use it as a game jukebox, as well as play classic games from Super Nintendo, Sega, etc.

By using a TiVo and an Xbox, I have a lot more control over my multimedia. I use a single universal remote to control everything (Logitech Harmony 880). There are no DVD discs or Xbox game discs to clutter my living room; everything is stored on hard drives. My actual DVD movie and Xbox game discs are stored out-of-sight in a cabinet, no more worrying about losing them, scratching them, etc. I don't have to worry about reliability because the machines rarely crash. It's even simple enough that my non-technical family can use the entire setup without me being there!

What it really all boils down to is your specific desires. baggss, this setup would probably be useless for you because it sounds like you're mainly interested in just having DVD movies and a DVD player. Renevator, this setup would probably not be exactly what you want if you to do things like edit commercials out of recorded TV shows or just use your Mac as your primary hub. Based on your original post, here is what you need:

Computer:
20" iMac
Recording hardware/software
Remote control
Speakers

Television:
Some kind of TV, flat-panel or whatever
Some kind of wireless box to receive signals from the iMac

If I understand you correctly, you want to use the computer to watch, record, and burn TV shows, then use the television to play back recorded content from the iMac. Is that correct?
 
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I understand Tivo, I have a DVR from my Cable company that does the same thing for less $$$$. I don't see the 2 min of ads (which are often skipable on many DVDs) as a huge inconvenience and certainly could not use that to justify setting up a rig like what you have described. Again, it seems like a lot of hassle when the DVDs are just sitting on a shelf. The machine may crash rarely, but when that HDD does go, and we all know it will, you'll be back to ripping DVDs again. Either way, if it makes you happy, more power to you. I'm fairly technically inclined and like many of the new geek toys, but this is one that I just don't get. Just to give you a frame of reference, I have ripped most of my DVD collection to Mp4 for use on my iPod, but I still watch DVDs on my TV.

As far as kids go, I have 2, both now teenagers. I taught them early on that the DVDs were not toys, and they both take care of the DVDs they now own themselves, better than I do even.
 
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baggss said:
I understand Tivo, I have a DVR from my Cable company that does the same thing for less $$$$. I don't see the 2 min of ads (which are often skipable on many DVDs) as a huge inconvenience and certainly could not use that to justify setting up a rig like what you have described. Again, it seems like a lot of hassle when the DVDs are just sitting on a shelf. The machine may crash rarely, but when that HDD does go, and we all know it will, you'll be back to ripping DVDs again. Either way, if it makes you happy, more power to you. I'm fairly technically inclined and like many of the new geek toys, but this is one that I just don't get. Just to give you a frame of reference, I have ripped most of my DVD collection to Mp4 for use on my iPod, but I still watch DVDs on my TV.

As far as kids go, I have 2, both now teenagers. I taught them early on that the DVDs were not toys, and they both take care of the DVDs they now own themselves, better than I do even.

Yeah, I'd definately recommend getting a DVR from your local cable company since you only have to pay the monthly bill, which is usually cheaper than TiVo. As far as the computer for storing DVDs go, there's always RAID =) Also, I use a computer as my file server and use it for a variety of other things, including network backup for my computers.

Most people that I know use their Xbox to play back downloaded shows from torrents and whatnot. From a purely financial standpoint, it's not really worth investing in all that equipment unless you're ripping DVDs from Blockbuster or Netflix or downloading movies illegally online. Even then, you're getting a reduced-quality show and none of the extras on the DVDs. That's probably why it doesn't make sense to you. Also, if you don't watch a lot of TV or movies, then it's not really worth it. I setup my home theater like that just because I like fun, geeky projects, plus it's cheaper than an Apple iTV ($150 vs. $300) and does more. I'm not really into torrents or anything like that, but it's neat to have an all-in-one machine that talks to my computers.

As far as the kid situation goes, don't you ever have young nieces/nephews over? :)
 
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kaidomac said:
Yeah, I'd definately recommend getting a DVR from your local cable company since you only have to pay the monthly bill, which is usually cheaper than TiVo. As far as the computer for storing DVDs go, there's always RAID =) Also, I use a computer as my file server and use it for a variety of other things, including network backup for my computers.

Most people that I know use their Xbox to play back downloaded shows from torrents and whatnot. From a purely financial standpoint, it's not really worth investing in all that equipment unless you're ripping DVDs from Blockbuster or Netflix or downloading movies illegally online. Even then, you're getting a reduced-quality show and none of the extras on the DVDs. That's probably why it doesn't make sense to you. Also, if you don't watch a lot of TV or movies, then it's not really worth it. I setup my home theater like that just because I like fun, geeky projects, plus it's cheaper than an Apple iTV ($150 vs. $300) and does more. I'm not really into torrents or anything like that, but it's neat to have an all-in-one machine that talks to my computers.

As far as the kid situation goes, don't you ever have young nieces/nephews over? :)

I would actually consider buying the iTV, once it's out, for the geek factor and ease of use. I'm not sure how much I would actually use it though.

As fare as nieces and nephews go, the answer is no. My only nephew (on either my or my wife’s sides) lives on the other side of the country. A few of my wife’s friends have young kids, but we mostly go to their houses, not them to us. I am blissfully free, finally, of sticky fingers.....
 
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kaidomac said:
If I understand you correctly, you want to use the computer to watch, record, and burn TV shows, then use the television to play back recorded content from the iMac. Is that correct?


Yes that's right. The flaw seems to be the wireless connection between imac & TV monitor, which I gather is "iTV" as mentioned before. I assume this would enable me to watch live TV on the TV monitor thru the tuner in the iMac. Having thought about this I suppose it might be simpler to have a simple LCD TV & just treat that as a stand alone unless I want to watch DVD or record stuff, in which case I could then turn on the iMac & work the 2 as you suggested?
Many thanks for all this advice - I think I might have to check out this tivo, but I fear this might mean signing up for a digital servce, which apart from music & motorcycle sport really doesn't interest me, well not acres of football, soaps, reality TV & old comedy etc.........hang on, that's what I'm getting via the BBC, ITV CH4 & CH5 come to think of it....

Actually the more I read about Mac's the more I want one regardless of whether it makes a good home entertainment unit or not. They really are a lovely design & seem more than up to the job. Biggest selling point these days must be the fact that you can run both mac & windows software on them - kinda makes PC's obsolete really.

Thanks again for all your advice.
 
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Renevator said:
Yes that's right. The flaw seems to be the wireless connection between imac & TV monitor, which I gather is "iTV" as mentioned before. I assume this would enable me to watch live TV on the TV monitor thru the tuner in the iMac. Having thought about this I suppose it might be simpler to have a simple LCD TV & just treat that as a stand alone unless I want to watch DVD or record stuff, in which case I could then turn on the iMac & work the 2 as you suggested?
Many thanks for all this advice - I think I might have to check out this tivo, but I fear this might mean signing up for a digital servce, which apart from music & motorcycle sport really doesn't interest me, well not acres of football, soaps, reality TV & old comedy etc.........hang on, that's what I'm getting via the BBC, ITV CH4 & CH5 come to think of it....

Actually the more I read about Mac's the more I want one regardless of whether it makes a good home entertainment unit or not. They really are a lovely design & seem more than up to the job. Biggest selling point these days must be the fact that you can run both mac & windows software on them - kinda makes PC's obsolete really.

Thanks again for all your advice.

Macs are really great machines. My wife has a 20" iMac Core Duo and it is beautiful. Wireless mouse and keyboard, wireless Internet, single power cable coming out the back...really slick design. And quiet too! Regarding the TiVo, you don't need digital service. I use basic cable from the wall; we only get about 80 channels so we don't require a cable box of any sort.

As far as the wireless system goes, there are devices out there already that support what you want to do. Here is one for $149 that supports the iMac:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=152088&CatId=1430
 
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kaidomac said:
As far as the wireless system goes, there are devices out there already that support what you want to do. Here is one for $149 that supports the iMac:


That's great, cheers. I just need to get the pennies in order for that lovely imac now.
 

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