[T4FF]

Hey there, I've been using XBMC for around 2 years and love it. I've only ever had SD content on it, but my Blu Ray collection has started to grow and I'm considering putting my HD content on XBMC.

I'm after a bit of help. Initially, I'm not sure whether my Mac Mini can handle it? If it's not, I'm also keen to learn what the best route would be for me to go in order to play my HD content - the constraint being I've not really got a huge amount of money to go spunking on a shiny new Mac.

Before I start spending any money (I'd need a Blu Ray drive to start with!), I wanted to do a test to prove my mac can handle it. I've got hold of a blu ray rip of Avatar from my Usenet-using bro. It is a little bit laggy to the point where the audio gets out of sync so having failed the first test, I'm after some help from you guys to see if it is at all possible with my current hardware.


My set up:
All my media is stored on a 10TB server running Windows 7, the server and the mac are wired. The rest of the network is gigabit, but the Mac Mini isn't. The Mac Mini is connected to an Onkyo TX-SR674 which sources a Panasonic TH42PX70. Whether this is relevant or not I don't know, but the more info the better I guess!

Mac specs (taken from about this Mac):
Processor: Intel Core Duo 1.66 GHz
Memory: 2GB DDR2 SDRAM
System Version: Mac OS X 10.6.4
Resolution: 1920 x 1080 @ 60 Hz

The video I'm testing: Avatar.2009.1080p.BluRay.X264-AMIABLE
Size: 10.9gb
Video: 1920x1080 (X264 @ 23.976fps)
Bitrate: ~8171kbps
Audio: DTS 1509kbps

So my questions...

1. In theory is my Mac just not powerful enough?
   
2. Could there be a bottleneck elsewhere in my set up? As in could my server contribute to the lag or is it most likely to be the Mac? (I appreciate that's a finger in the air question but just a thought)
   
3. Are there any improvements I can make simply by changing configuration settings on the Mac or within XBMC?
   
4. How much does the encoding count? Is this rip suitable? Is it encoded to required settings?
   
5. Finally, if I really am going to struggle, where do I go from here? Can I upgrade the Mac in any way to reach the holy grail? I've seen lots of posts talking about Crystal HD, would this do the job? Otherwise, what other options do I have? Or do I simply resort to 720p?
   

Hope I've given enough info for you to chew on. Thanks in advance for any help!

[davilla]

1080p on a Intel Core Duo 1.66 GHz MacMini. nope. toss a crystalhd in it and enjoy 1080p.

[Noodle]

New MacMini use 9400M? why not VDA?

[D-tyme]

New MacMini use 9400M? why not VDA?

New MacMini does not use a 9400M, thats why.

[RustyKnight]

I could be mistaken, but I had a 2nd gen mac mini which I used to watch avatar on (1080p). I encoded the movie using HandBrake's AppleTV profile and it seems to have worked on for me.

I've upgraded my old ATV to the new 3rd gen mini and it also works well.

You could try recoding the video using the ATV profile and see how that works, otherwise downgrade it to 720p

[D-tyme]

I could be mistaken, but I had a 2nd gen mac mini which I used to watch avatar on (1080p). I encoded the movie using HandBrake's AppleTV profile and it seems to have worked on for me.

I've upgraded my old ATV to the new 3rd gen mini and it also works well.

You could try recoding the video using the ATV profile and see how that works, otherwise downgrade it to 720p

If you used Handbrake's AppleTV's Preset, then you are not watching a true 1080p encode.

[T4FF]

1080p on a Intel Core Duo 1.66 GHz MacMini. nope. toss a crystalhd in it and enjoy 1080p.

Ok cool, so this would be the only upgrade I need??

Now to find it somewhere in the UK

Out of interest, how would it cope with 720P?

[XBMC4Ever]

As per my sig, a Mini running Core Duo 1.66 + CrystalHD card is flawless.
All 720p or 1080p content I have tried is handled very well.

I got my CHD off of eBay

[akg4y]

Which guides did you use for installing the CrystalHD hardware and compiling/installing the drivers? The toughest part about it until a new version of XBMC is released is manually compiling and installing the drivers if, like me, you dont have much experience with Mac OS.

[T4FF]

As per my sig, a Mini running Core Duo 1.66 + CrystalHD card is flawless.
All 720p or 1080p content I have tried is handled very well.

I got my CHD off of eBay

Really sorry, I didn't phrase my question properly - what I meant was how would my Mac cope with 720P without the CHD?

[jmarshall]

It'll be fine for 720p.

[T4FF]

Ok thanks for everyone's input.

Initially I'm going to try out 720P, see what I think and in the meantime keep my eye on CHDs on eBay!

[XBMC4Ever]

Which guides did you use for installing the CrystalHD hardware and compiling/installing the drivers? The toughest part about it until a new version of XBMC is released is manually compiling and installing the drivers if, like me, you dont have much experience with Mac OS.

http://www.xlml.com/aehso/2010/01/13/mac...80p-video/

[akg4y]

http://www.xlml.com/aehso/2010/01/13/mac...80p-video/

Thanks!