2009-03-04, 23:58
Well I picked up one of the new Mac Minis last night. I won't be using it as an HTPC, but maybe I'll try and see if I can test some things out. I'm happy to help if someone can point me in the right direction.
2009-03-05, 00:22
Tsf42m Wrote:Why? Can xbmc take advantage of so much RAM? The only advantage I can see is, that if you upgrade to 2 GB, you will increase VRAM from 128MB to 256MB for free, which should be useful...
- Yes but I would recommend at lest 2Gb
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=661197
Tsf42m Wrote:Why DisplayPort and not DVI? AFAIK DVI signal is compatible to HDMI, and DisplayPort has to be converted?! And a MiniDVI -> DVI Adapter is shipped with every MacMini.
What's the right adapter for sound? How is the optical out jack called?
Does anyone know a site with information about the chipsets (lan,wlan,sound...) used in the new MacMini?
2009-03-05, 00:27
ultrabrutal Wrote:Well that rules out HD audio formats so it's not interesting to me. Will wait for other ION boxes - for example Acer Hornet
Why? You have optical audio out.
2009-03-05, 02:30
mcka Wrote:Why? Can xbmc take advantage of so much RAM? The only advantage I can see is, that if you upgrade to 2 GB, you will increase VRAM from 128MB to 256MB for free, which should be useful...
Why DisplayPort and not DVI? AFAIK DVI signal is compatible to HDMI, and DisplayPort has to be converted?! And a MiniDVI -> DVI Adapter is shipped with every MacMini.
What's the right adapter for sound? How is the optical out jack called?
Not necicaraly for XBMC alone but for the system overall (OSX likes ram). Yes 256mb VRAM will also help.
A dvi->hdmi will work just fine. DisplayPort doesn't have to be converted... just easer in my mind to use 1 adapter rather then 2.
Macs use Toslink Mini for optical.
http://www.monoprice.com/products/produc...1&format=2
http://www.monoprice.com/products/produc...1&format=2
2009-03-05, 02:38
mcka Wrote:Why? You have optical audio out.
Dolby Digital+, Dolby Digital TrueHD, DTS HD, DTS HD MA and multichannel PCM cannot be transferred over optical or S/P-DIF. They need a HDMI connection.
2009-03-05, 04:23
Geeba Wrote:Not with XBMC it hasnt... uless they're extreemly low bit rate files, or your running Linux with hardware acceleration.....
With Plex, which should not perform any different than XBMC on that front. These are 1080p scene rips.
2009-03-06, 11:14
well, has anyone gotten their hands on one of these and tested it with 1080p files? I'm interested in getting one specifically for this purpose 
2009-03-06, 11:53
stuartmarsden Wrote:It will support 1080p via GPU if you just remove that horrible proprietary OS and put Linux on there
It seems installing installing linux on the new mac mini will still need a bit of time
http://blog.costan.us/2009/03/ubuntu-810...-mini.html
2009-03-06, 15:06
FYI, VDPAU in Linux "requires" at least 512mb of video memory, The new mac minis have only 128 and 256.
2009-03-06, 18:10
joolz Wrote:FYI, VDPAU in Linux "requires" at least 512mb of video memory, The new mac minis have only 128 and 256.
But that appears to be a function of how much RAM you have, and mediated by MacOS. If we're running Linux, couldn't we tweak how much RAM is shared with video?
2009-03-07, 19:37
If the solution for 1080/h264 support is to run Linux and VDPAU, can it be done on the Apple TV hardware?
2009-03-08, 00:01
bburtin Wrote:If the solution for 1080/h264 support is to run Linux and VDPAU, can it be done on the Apple TV hardware?
no.
2009-03-08, 16:31
aaronb Wrote:With Plex, which should not perform any different than XBMC on that front. These are 1080p scene rips.
They are exactly that.... rips... usually 4.5 - 8Gb in size..... the xbox will have a dam good bash at playing some of them even... high bit rate 1080p without hardware GPU assistance in XBMC is 3.0Ghz
