Mac or PC for XBMC/HTPC?
#1
Hello,

My question is just what the title reads. I have always been curious about this. Which OS is best suited for HTPC needs?

Thanks!

Testudo
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#2
Do you mean OSX or Windows? Neither Mac or PC are Operating Systems. There is also Linux and now Android.

Of the two choices (Windows vs Mac), I would say the Windows might be a better choice, but there may be no appreciable difference based on your specific HTPC need . Linux is another alternative, or even Android based devices might work well enough for you.
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#3
That is subjective and also depends on your requirements. I prefer an appliance feel for my XBMC setups so I use a Raspberry Pi with RaspBMC and Openelec builds but you may want your HTPC to perform other duties. I would create a list of your requirements which would make it easier to determine a system.
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#4
Just my 2 cents: OSX sucks for XBMC, even though the awesome developers make it better and better all the time.
For many HD-audio is the biggest omission on OSX and as I understand it just isn't available in the audio system of OSX.
True 23.976 fps playback is also impossible, even with SwitchResX which is required to get close, due to the OS rounding it to 2 decimal points.
Also a lot of problems appear that seem very hard to remedy as some parts of the system is not too well documented. For example at the moment I have to forego hardware decoding (which was only enabled - due to Apple restrictions - 2 years ago) as it causes sync issues for me.
Finally, and I am paraphrasing one of the awesome devs: you can count the active Mac devs on one hand. If you look at forum activity here you will also find that the community for Linux or Windows is much bigger.

Still I am using XBMC on OSX because I neither want to spend money on a dedicated box nor reboot for XBMC, so it is definitely workable - again a big thanks!

If this, as the title but not your post suggests, is a question about the hardware platform (then it should be moved to the appropriate forum section):
I think that Macs are totally worth their price premiums for a variety of reasons, but if you are only looking for a dedicated XBMC box you should be able to spend a lot less for a very good experience than going for a Mac Mini or other Apple product.
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Mac or PC for XBMC/HTPC?0