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Switcher Hangout (Windows to Mac)
Mac as a home entertainment unit?
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<blockquote data-quote="kaidomac" data-source="post: 267651" data-attributes="member: 15110"><p>There are a few reasons that I can think of to go this route:</p><p></p><p><strong>1. Convenience:</strong> 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.</p><p></p><p><strong>2. Protect your movies:</strong> 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.</p><p></p><p><strong>3. Geek factor:</strong> Hey, it's cool to setup a techy home theater like this =)</p><p></p><p>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).</p><p></p><p>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.</p><p></p><p>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.</p><p></p><p>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!</p><p></p><p>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:</p><p></p><p><strong>Computer:</strong></p><p>20" iMac</p><p>Recording hardware/software</p><p>Remote control</p><p>Speakers</p><p></p><p><strong>Television:</strong></p><p>Some kind of TV, flat-panel or whatever</p><p>Some kind of wireless box to receive signals from the iMac</p><p></p><p>If I understand you correctly, you want to use the <u>computer</u> to watch, record, and burn TV shows, then use the <u>television</u> to play back recorded content from the iMac. Is that correct?</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="kaidomac, post: 267651, member: 15110"] There are a few reasons that I can think of to go this route: [B]1. Convenience:[/B] 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. [B]2. Protect your movies:[/B] 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. [B]3. Geek factor:[/B] 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: [B]Computer:[/B] 20" iMac Recording hardware/software Remote control Speakers [B]Television:[/B] 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 [U]computer[/U] to watch, record, and burn TV shows, then use the [U]television[/U] to play back recorded content from the iMac. Is that correct? [/QUOTE]
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