[ilovemymac]

I want a dedicated HTpc I guess you'd call it. I currently have a atv 2 but with the loss of hd audio and missing some features of xbmc I want something more But I don't do PC and I need something that will not take up allot of space.

Ideas?

[Ned Scott]

2010/2009 Mac Mini running linux (Mac OS X is also having HD audio issues). A 2010/2009 Mac Mini is more than enough to play 1080, small, you can dual/triple boot into multiple OSes very easily, and being a previous year model should be much cheaper than a new unit. You might even be able to go older than 2009 without issues.

EDIT: seems late 2009 Mac Mini still didn't have the HDMI port, so I would go with the 2010. You can get an adapter, but I'm not sure if they supported audio over the mini display port on that model.

[ilovemymac]

I thought the Mac mini was plaged with audio issues? And could not do he audio?

[Ned Scott]

Seems 2010 Mac Mini can't do HD audio, but the 2011 Mac Mini with AMD graphics can (under Linux or Windows). I had thought the 2010 was able to, but I was incorrect.

[activate]

Ned would you mind, explaining what you mean when you mean by "dual/triple boot into multiple OS's". Do you mean this simply as an option between windows,osx,linux...

[Ned Scott]

It means the hardware can boot all three OSes without issue, and all three can be installed on the same hard drive. Mac OS X goes without saying, but Linux or Windows will be required for HD audio.

[ilovemymac]

well linux it is i guess because i dont do windows in this house

[activate]

well linux it is i guess because i dont do windows in this house

lol must be a dark house. I've always wanted to give linux a go but not sure how easy it is..

[Ned Scott]

Might also look at non-mac hardware, since you're kind of screwed on Mac OS X anyways. The hardware forum has a lot of good suggestions.

[tinybilbo]

Might also look at non-mac hardware, since you're kind of screwed on Mac OS X anyways. The hardware forum has a lot of good suggestions.

Try an Acer Revo (3610 or 3700) - usually about £200-£250 on ebay, specs vary from 2gb-4gb, 250-500gb, wireless/wired keyboards/mouse.
Works out about half of that of a Mac Mini. They run quiet (I removed the HDD and run the OS from a class10 SDcard).
The only extra you'll need is an MCE remote.

The other alternative is an ATV1 with a Broadcom HD card (for 1080p).

I have a mixture of ATV1, Revo, and Xbox's.
The Revo and ATV1 are very snappy when using the GUI and both run 1080p.
Both have the HDD's removed and run from SD or USB stick, and both boot in about 1min 20secs.
The ATV1 runs slighty slower when accesing the network, especially on the larger 1080p files,
this is probably due to the ATV1 having a 10/100 network card, as opposed to the Revo which has a gigabit network card.
however if I never had used the Revo, I would have never noticed.
The Revo is an awkward/ugly design, but comes with a VESA mount, so I just strapped mine behind the TV, and taped the remote dongle (IR) to the top of the TV.
The ATV1 does'nt have ACPI - so can't go into any kind of real standby, so will draw more power when idle, the Revo can go into stanby...
The old xbox's are awesome with a component (720p) cable, however they are bulky and only display SD content..
but are great with older TV's.

Pricewise, about £225 for for a Revo and remote (new), about £100 for an ATV1 (2nd hand), Broadcom card, and 16gb USB stick, (and about £30 for a2nd hand xbox on ebay)

*edit* just reread your post, I don't know about the ATV1's playback of HD audio, mines certainly plays anything I throw at it...