Apple HTMac?

[cdn_in_bj]

Hey guys!

As many of you already know from my other posts, I've been looking at getting a new computer. But it just occurred to me that I should go the HTPC route except with an Apple twist. My current thinking is to get a Mac Mini and pair it with a full HD (1920x1080) LCD HDTV.

Assuming I get an HDTV with "true" 1920x1080 inputs, is there any reason why this wouldn't work? Actually I am a bit concerned about whether the Mini has enough horsepower to properly decode WMV HD videos - the graphics card is a bit weak (Intel GMA 950). Hopefully Apple will announce an update at their big show next week.

Also,

supports coherent digital displays up to 154MHz; supports noncoherent digital displays up to 135MHz

what the heck are coherent vs. noncoherent digital displays?

Anyways, I'm pretty excited. Imagine browsing chinese-forums.com on 40 - 50" of HD LCD goodness. I bet you guys have never looked this good!

[pandaxiongmao]

I have a Mac Mini 2.0GHz with 4GB of RAM (though because of the chipset, only 3GB is actually usable). It is connected to a 24" monitor that includes an HD tuner, so I can compare to OTA HD broadcasts.

First of all, I'd have to ask why you'd want to play 1080p WMV files when h.264 looks so much better. I've watched h.264 Blu-ray rips on here that play smoothly except for sequences with a lot of things going on in the picture. Same with 1080p video from the Quicktime gallery. The limiting factor seems to be the GMA950 graphics, since the maximum CPU usage I have seen Quicktime Player take is 115% (think of it as 100% of one core and 15% of the second core). 720p is always smooth, just like OTA HD.

Since you asked about WMV, I tried playing the Speed and Taxi 3 trailers from the WMV HD Showcase. The 1080p trailers do not seem to be true HD. While the movie inspector shows the FPS always between 22.5 and 25FPS, the movement seems to be jerky. CPU usage never went above about 80%. Their 720p trailers exhibit the same problems with slight jerkiness. WMV HD is also noticeably less sharp compared to the h.264 HD files I have watched. It is watchable, but I'd think you'd want it to be perfectly smooth and sharp if you are going to buy a quality HDTV.

The above is in Mac OS X 10.5.1. Using Boot Camp with 64 bit Windows Vista, the video in all cases is noticeably much choppier and often hard to watch.

[cdn_in_bj]

Thanks for your feedback, pandaxiongmao!

I have a Mac Mini 2.0GHz with 4GB of RAM (though because of the chipset, only 3GB is actually usable).

Thanks for the heads-up. I guess we are stuck with this limit until they update the Mini to Santa Rosa. (I'm keeping my fingers crossed for tomorrow)

It is connected to a 24" monitor that includes an HD tuner, so I can compare to OTA HD broadcasts.

I take it that you are *not* in China then?

First of all, I'd have to ask why you'd want to play 1080p WMV files when h.264 looks so much better.

Actually I don't have a preference for WMV, I just want to play HD/1080p content and coming from the PC world I am not too familiar yet with Quicktime/H.264.

Since you asked about WMV, I tried playing the Speed and Taxi 3 trailers from the WMV HD Showcase. The 1080p trailers do not seem to be true HD. While the movie inspector shows the FPS always between 22.5 and 25FPS, the movement seems to be jerky.

Just curious what software do you use for playing back WMV under OS X? Windows Media Player 9 or flip4mac?

Thanks again for taking the time to do these tests. It is good to know that what I want to do is feasible. I just found out that the digital cable service here in BJ offers 2 HD channels, so that's some added justification for buying a new TV.

[pandaxiongmao]

In Korea at the moment... I take it Korea uses ATSC like the USA does, because switching the monitor language from Korean results the language setting being named 'USA'. I very much doubt this monitor is available outside Korea. For what it is worth, every single channel here seems to be 720p, not 1080i.

I have both Flip4Mac and Perian installed, so I can watch a lot of formats in Quicktime Player. VLC still plays back more formats, including WMV. Windows Media Player 9 was abandoned long ago by MS on the Mac - even they recommend Flip4Mac.