[voip-ninja]

Hi everyone. I have been using a trio of Boxee Boxes in my home now for the past 9-10 months, but Boxee seems to have taken a detour from fixing issues for people who largely do local streaming (like me) and I am entertaining again the idea of either building an HTPC to run XBMC or purchasing a Mac Mini to do so.

I realize that the Mini is the more expensive option, but I do like Macs and I think that the Mini hardware, as elegant as it is, is worth a bit of a premium also.

So, what I am wondering is, are there users here who have their Mac Mini hooked up to a full home theater via HDMI and use something like a Harmony to control it? If so, what are the current issues? Likelihood of seeing things fixed in the next 6-12 months such as lossless audio support, and other features for "home theater" type users like myself?

Or, would I be better off sucking it up and getting something I can run windows on?

Thanks.

[aaronb]

I run a previous generation Mini, using HDMI and a Harmony 650. Works great, plays everything I throw at it, no issues for me at all. I don't care about lossless audio so I can't speak to that, but in every other aspect it is a perfect XBMC machine. A little bit more expensive, but I was willing to pay a premium for very nice off-the-shelf hardware.

Watch the Apple Store for refurbs and you can get the last generation for $469, which is not much more than what you'd pay for an ION/CoreiX machine with similar capabilities, and much nicer hardware. Based on my browsing here I think the previous gen is a better XBMC box than the new 2011 Minis anyway (no Lion issues, more XBMC-friendly video card).

[voip-ninja]

Thanks, that is good advice. I guess I was hell bent on getting the newer model but you make a valid point. As long as it plays my 1080P rips without issues (such as 24fps bug) then there would not be a lot of reason to have to fork over the extra cash for the 2011 one.

Do you know if there's any reason to spring for anything faster/better than the base level one with the Geforce 320M video card? I would probably upgrade RAM to 4GB and I suppose I could always put some of the savings over the newer model into buying a copy of Windows 7 that I could use to run XBMC if I really wanted lossless audio from my Blu-ray MKV files.

[D-tyme]

I have the 2010 Mini with the 320m and everything runs fine. I've also upgraded to 4GB (only because I upgraded my iMac to 16gb). 2GB was enough as I don't really see a difference with 4GB. It also plays my Bluray .mkv with DTS MA-HD audio just fine. Still can't play True Dolby HD, but very few BDs have such.

[voip-ninja]

I actually have quite a lot of movies with True-HD tracks (all the bourne movies, all the harry potters, dark knight, probably 40+ in total).... I thought it could at least send it as 5.1 PCM, it can't? What do you get, stereo? If so, that would be a deal breaker for me.

I understand it does work under Windows 7 so I suppose I could get the Mini for the hardware and have to suck it up and run it on Windows to get multi-channel audio from my BD MKV rips.

Are there any further hopes in this area for the 2011 Minis?

[D-tyme]

hmm...Harry Potter's are DTS-HD MA (at least my BDs are). For DD TrueHD, I just use the core (AC3) and get my surround sound that way.

[voip-ninja]

hmm...Harry Potter's are DTS-HD MA (at least my BDs are). For DD TrueHD, I just use the core (AC3) and get my surround sound that way.

So you have separate DD and THD tracks in those titles? Do you get any output at all from a THD track? Converting/extracting DD from THD would be a lot of work, as, for quite a long time I have just been ripping the HD audio tracks on my BDs.

Here's a list of BD titles that you can sort by audio format, there are a lot of them THD and many popular ones (but Harry Potter ones are actually either THD or PCM it would appear)

http://www.blu-raystats.com/Stats/Stats.php

So, about 700 THD discs to over 2,000 or so DTS ones.

[D-tyme]

I believe the point I was making was, unless you own every Bluray out there, the chances are that TrueHD will be more of the exception than the rule.

It's been so long since I had to worry about TrueHD, but I believe I had to change XBMC to output Stereo to hear anything. Now I just know to rip the core vs. the lossless track.

[voip-ninja]

I believe the point I was making was, unless you own every Bluray out there, the chances are that TrueHD will be more of the exception than the rule.

It's been so long since I had to worry about TrueHD, but I believe I had to change XBMC to output Stereo to hear anything. Now I just know to rip the core vs. the lossless track.

THD is about 25% of all Blu-rays out there, that's a lot. Anyways, you more or less answered my question. I will just have to take the MANY THD tracks I have and convert them to DD 5.1 using EAC3TO if I decide to go the Mini route and run OS X with XBMC.

[bleze]

Don't think you have to convert them. Aren't they backward compatible? I would keep them for one day when hw supports it then you do not have to re-rip

[voip-ninja]

Don't think you have to convert them. Aren't they backward compatible? I would keep them for one day when hw supports it then you do not have to re-rip

That's what I am trying to figure out. I can convert those tracks to DD 5.1 and remux the entire MKV using MKVMerge, it's just a lot of work. Certainly if I did this I would keep the original lossless THS track so I don't have to rip again.

I had hoped that XBMC could either output THD as LPCM 5.1 or at least convert it on the fly to DD 5.1 (which some media players can do) but if I am understanding correctly neither of these options work under OS X (but might work under Windows 7).

[jaykyte]

Does anyone have any experience of using the mini on a dual monitor setup , multitasking XBMC and normal use ? I was going to buy a mini to use as my main lounge pc , and an AppleTV for XBMC ...but maybe i could just use the mini (it would only be light use whilst XBMC was running , net browsing etc).