[dickie]

Hey everyone, just looking for some advice on what i should use for a home theater setup. Here's what i've got and what i'm wanting to do.

I've got an iMac which i download a heap of movies etc from (AVI files). what i'm wanting to do is instead of having to burn them to a dvd and take them upstairs and put them in my dvd player to watch them, have something connected to my home theater so I can watch them straight from that. There's so many options just wondering what other people use. I've heard about Apple tv's etc but i've heard that they don't support AVI format. Would I be better off just getting a networkable media player with a built in hard drive so I can download things straight to it??? Any suggestions would be great (i'm still a bit of a novice at Macs so try not to confuse me too much... haha)

Thanks

[mac_man_luke]

appletv will do what you want you just have to use some extra software eg PatchStick Patchstick - AwkwardTV

[pengu]

Personally I'd recommend the AppleTV.

There are several apps that will convert avi/etc files to an AppleTV compatible format.

[dickie]

Sweet. Can you connect a bigger external hard drive to Apple TV to give you more storage?

[Macca with a Mac]

I'd recommend an AppleTV with AVI files converted using Visualhub or one of these: Western Digital WD TV HD Media Player

[Jaste]

I use an Apple TV with AVI files converted with an Elgato H264 Turbo USB stick. Files are a bit bigger but I sync it all through iTunes with it set to remove watched TV content from the Apple TV. I use lostify to tag the converted video so it appears in the correct iTunes sections (apparently Meta X is also good for tagging but I haven't gotten around to using it yet).

[pengu]

Originally Posted by Jaste

I use an Apple TV with AVI files converted with an Elgato H264 Turbo USB stick. Files are a bit bigger but I sync it all through iTunes with it set to remove watched TV content from the Apple TV. I use lostify to tag the converted video so it appears in the correct iTunes sections (apparently Meta X is also good for tagging but I haven't gotten around to using it yet).

Depending on what exactly the source codec is, H.264 video is usually smaller in file-size than most of the content found in AVI files (it's usually DivX or XVid, which are hacked implementations of basic MPEG4).

MetaX has improved a lot in the last 12-18 months. For TV shows there is a Widget called Descriptor: Apple - Downloads - Dashboard Widgets - Descriptor

Recent versions have for some reason stopped grabbing the description and instead dump a URL into the "Description" field of the episode, but other than that it still works well.

As for the size thing: Streaming gets around this well. It's quite fast if you're on a wired or 'N' wireless network.

[qaz]

Originally Posted by dickie

Sweet. Can you connect a bigger external hard drive to Apple TV to give you more storage?

Yes you can - but you have to hack the AppleTV for it to work. There are some tutorials on the net that tell you how to do this, but a simple way is using something like ATV Flash: Fire Core, LLC -- The Apple TV Specialists

Once you have hacked the AppleTV you can plug any external hard drive, through the AppleTV's usb port.

[Cybix]

I would recommend a PS3 over an Apple TV any day. I have both and the PS3 trumps it big-time, especially if you like HD content.

Otherwise, the ATV is a great box, loads of features, every easy to use

[DomDom]

I can't get my mac to stream to PS3. Can anyone help?

[Febs]

Originally Posted by Cybix

I would recommend a PS3 over an Apple TV any day. I have both and the PS3 trumps it big-time, especially if you like HD content.

Otherwise, the ATV is a great box, loads of features, every easy to use

I have a PS3, but I'm actually considering buying an ATV as well. The PS3 solutions are just too unreliable.

See http://forums.mactalk.com.au/23/5403...ternatives.htm for my experiences with the various uPNP servers for OS X...suffice to say I couldn't find a single one that works well enough.

Really, all I want is something that'll play my music (mostly AAC format), keep tags/album art/playlists/categorisation intact, and stream my photos from iPhoto, in the correct albums and sub-albums. Only one uPNP server was able to keep the photos in their sub-albums (Elgato's EyeConnect), but it stuffs up on music.

The ATV seems like the right solution for me - hassle-free by keeping it all Apple, and easy updates when my iTunes library gets updated. I'd like to be able to use the PS3, but the ATV just seems like it'll be a lot easier.

Cheers,
- Febs.

[dotnet]

I use the PS3 for anything other than music. It plays my DVDs, BDs and stuff from the Mac that either plays natively or has been encoded for PS3. For music I use an Airport Express, and iPhone Remote. An Apple TV doesn't quite seem to fit into my home entertainment setup, mainly because the vast majority of my movie material is either DVDs/BDs or Topfield recordings, i.e. nothing that would naturally lend itself to being hosted in an iTunes library.

Cheers
Steffen.

[Dog Knight]

Originally Posted by Febs

Only one uPNP server was able to keep the photos in their sub-albums (Elgato's EyeConnect), but it stuffs up on music.

Cheers,
- Febs.

Glad to know I wasnt the only one with a problem here. It will play some tracks, just not others, even if they are on the same album. Couldn't figure it out.

Really want to find a way to get the streaming to the PS3 working, as I don't want to buy another device when this one should be capable of doing it.

I am not too fussed about photos, but has anyone come across a UPNP server that works well for both video and music?

[Febs]

Originally Posted by Dog Knight

Glad to know I wasnt the only one with a problem here. It will play some tracks, just not others, even if they are on the same album. Couldn't figure it out.

Really want to find a way to get the streaming to the PS3 working, as I don't want to buy another device when this one should be capable of doing it.

I am not too fussed about photos, but has anyone come across a UPNP server that works well for both video and music?

I wrote to them and they promptly wrote back with a beta version for me to try. Unfortunately it had the same issue.

I suspect it's a problem with EyeConnect talking to my router, although the other 3 apps I tried all work fine. It's a shame...I'd almost be happy to have two uPNP servers (EyeConnect for photos, another for music) if I didn't have to pay for both.

I think an ATV is going to suit me best, even if realistically, it shouldn't be necessary. Technology never works the way you want it to. :\

Cheers,
- Febs.

[nike1]

for those that want to stream media from their mac/pc to the ps3,
there is a program out there called ps3 media server, its a freeware program,
and its very easy to use..ive got it running on both my mac and pc (pc has bigger hard drive, so everything is on that)