HDMI media pc on the cheap?

[Duane Dibbley]

Mac mini + DVI to HDMI cable + stereo mini-jack to [whatever sound input your TV has] cable. Add EyeTV for DVR functionality.

http://www.apple.com/macmini/

[racketboy]

Mac mini + DVI to HDMI cable + stereo mini-jack to [whatever sound input your TV has] cable. Add EyeTV for DVR functionality.

http://www.apple.com/macmini/

A lot pricier that way...

[nickfil]

Mac mini + DVI to HDMI cable + stereo mini-jack to [whatever sound input your TV has] cable. Add EyeTV for DVR functionality.

http://www.apple.com/macmini/

A lot pricier that way...

yeah- i was gonna say... not exactly on the cheap.

[Duane Dibbley]

It's all relative, I suppose. The nice thing about Macs is that if you take care of them, they can last a lot longer than your typical PC. If you wanted to save some money, you could look for a used Mac mini. I'd recommend getting at least a Core Duo model. I have a PowerPC G4 mini I use for my media center PC, and it works fine, other than Hulu videos having a reduced framerate. The Intel processors should handle Hulu better.

If you're at all thinking about a used Mac, I recommend checking out Low End Mac. It has all sorts of information about using old Macs for useful purposes. It also has a list of some of the best Mac mini deals: http://lowendmac.com/deals/best-mac-mini-prices.html.

[Hobie-wan]

It's all relative, I suppose. The nice thing about Macs is that if you take care of them, they can last a lot longer than your typical PC.

Most systems can run a long time if you take care of them. Don't turn this into a platform debate.

[Duane Dibbley]

Most systems can run a long time if you take care of them. Don't turn this into a platform debate.

I'm not trying to start a debate. I was simply offering a solution to the original poster's question. If you prefer a different solution, feel free to disregard mine. Personally, I'm happy that my 8.5 year old iBook and 5 year old Mac mini are still useful, even if they aren't my main computers anymore.

[gtmtnbiker]

Most systems can run a long time if you take care of them. Don't turn this into a platform debate.

Exactly. Macs don't have an inherent advantage over PCs in this department. I have a 10 year old PC that I still use from time to time. I also have a 11 year old laptop running Ubuntu.

[jp1]

Most systems can run a long time if you take care of them. Don't turn this into a platform debate.

I'm not trying to start a debate. I was simply offering a solution to the original poster's question. If you prefer a different solution, feel free to disregard mine. Personally, I'm happy that my 8.5 year old iBook and 5 year old Mac mini are still useful, even if they aren't my main computers anymore.

I actually already found something. Thanks for the suggestion though. I do like Mac products but I like value for my money even more.

[Niode]

Myself, being a hardened mac fan (I work with them everyday, do most of my creative work on them and prefer the platform for productivity tasks over Windows) I wouldn't recommend a mac mini for this type of use. The DFI's and Zotacs have got this corner of the market (the mini atx) sewn up. Considering that you can get a Zotac mini atx with a GPU, HDMI output, optical 7.1, 10 (yes 10, and another 4 via pin outs) USB ports, e-sata and Wireless N for less than £120 paired with a mini-atx case for another £60 and an i3 CPU + 2GB ram means a system twice as powerful as the Mac Mini for half the price. You can't beat that... It just isn't possible.