Mac mini media center: Configuring Front Row

Macworld - In the first part of our look at the digital media capabilities of the Mac mini, I looked at upgrading my US$599 Mac mini as the first step in it becoming a capable (and usable) media center. In this installment, we move to connecting the Mac to my AV system and configuring Apple's built-in media applications.

Making connections

When performing this Mac-mini-as-media-server stunt in 2006, I went hard-core--any devices attached to the mini must be solely at its beck and call. That means I used a separate powered speaker system and unplugged everything from my television except the Mac. Understanding that most people already have media components of some kind, I determined to integrate where it made sense and replace where I could.

Audio: Starting with audio, the Mac mini supports 5.1 Dolby surround sound audio via its sound output port (which can operate as both an analog and digital audio output). To get digital audio out of the mini you need a Toslink cable that includes a mini-jack adapter. Attach the adapter to one end of the cable, plug the adapter into the Mac, and plug the other end of the cable into an AV receiver's optical audio input.

I used XtremeMac's $20 two-meter Toslink audio cable for this purpose, plugging it into an optical input on my Onkyo TX-SR606 AV receiver.

Video: XtremeMac also came to the rescue in regard to a video connection. Here I employed XtremeMac's $20 HDMI to DVI cable. DVI out on the Mac and HDMI in to the receiver.

Network: Although the Mac mini houses an 802.11n AirPort card, I wanted the fastest network connection I could get for streaming content from the Mac Pro I keep downstairs where the bulk of my media is stored. I already have a Gigabit Ethernet switch for the Apple TV that sits next to my TV, so it was the work of a moment to jack the mini's Ethernet port into this switch as well.

Temporary input: I pulled an old Apple keyboard and Mighty Mouse from my collection of peripherals and plugged them into the mini. My hope was that these would not become permanent input devices but rather serve to help get the mini initially configured. Once the mini was set up to my liking, I'd use other methods for controlling it from the couch.

Hiding the computer

The downfall of my first media Mac mini experiment was that you operated it just as you would any other Mac. Mouse around, launch applications, play the content on the Mac, and so on. This was fine for me, but my daughter and wife are less familiar with the Mac's interface and unwilling to dive into multiple applications to be entertained. With this iteration of the mini, I swore to make as much of the computer interface disappear as possible.