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Apple TV vs Mac Mini
- Thread starter Dolby
- Start date
Hey -
I have an Apple TV 2 with Plex on it - and if u can afford to get a mac mini, I would say that should be the way to go. The version of Plex for Apple TV is far inferior to the full blowm OSX version. So i say if the mac mini is in your budget definitely go for that. Although there is absolutely nothing wrong with Plex on Apple TV (I use it every day and dont have any problems). The nice thing about having a mac mini is that you can store all your movies/shows on the mac mini itself. On an apple tv 2 you have to have ure hard drive connected to a PC / Mac and share it with Plex Media Server over the network to the apple tv - which is a bit kak if u have bad/slow network at home.
You can't - or at least in my experience you can't - use airplay to stream content from an iOS device to a mini but for me it's what you can do on a mini that makes it more worthwhile.
If you ever need content on a second tv down the road you can easily add a apple tv.
Be careful to make sure that any mini you're interested in has in intel chipset.
If you ever need content on a second tv down the road you can easily add a apple tv.
Be careful to make sure that any mini you're interested in has in intel chipset.
Yeah correct - I dont think the mini supports airplay. I think you would want a mini no older than 3-4 years old if you want to play HD content.
How to Make Your Entire Home AirPlay-Compatible
Both suck. Get a nice Windows lappie and an Android tablet and you're sorted.
NO!!!!!!!!
d0b33
Honorary Master
This!
Apple devices are overated and exaggerated... stick with Android or windows, they are perfect.
![[)roi(]](/forum/data/avatars/m/8/8711.jpg?1563828683){kind=avatar}
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Mac Mini as long as it is Intel will always be the better option, full computer vs locked OS, even with the JB you won't be as happy as with a Mac mini.
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You can do Airplay mirroring to any mac, this is a recent thing (in the last few months). You can use software like AirServer or Reflection
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Mac Mini is a great solution, but the Apple TV has some advantages.
1.) Price, $99 in the states. I have three, in different rooms for less the the price of a Mac Mini
2.) Totally silent under all circumstances.
3.) Super low power, 6watt vs 85.
4.) Airplay.
All that said, it has limited use. I use them for Air-playing music around the house and Itunes Movie rentals. If you want to move out of iTunes then the Mac Mini might be a better option. Also the new apple tv interface is terrible!
I ended up buying a few Boxee boxes for playing back non itunes content and am really happy with them.
My main reason for not going mac mini is that I'm done with a desktop based centers. You always end up having to find your wireless keyboard while the family is waiting to resume their watching to unlock a screensaver, click away an error message or some other rubbish.
1.) Price, $99 in the states. I have three, in different rooms for less the the price of a Mac Mini
2.) Totally silent under all circumstances.
3.) Super low power, 6watt vs 85.
4.) Airplay.
All that said, it has limited use. I use them for Air-playing music around the house and Itunes Movie rentals. If you want to move out of iTunes then the Mac Mini might be a better option. Also the new apple tv interface is terrible!
I ended up buying a few Boxee boxes for playing back non itunes content and am really happy with them.
My main reason for not going mac mini is that I'm done with a desktop based centers. You always end up having to find your wireless keyboard while the family is waiting to resume their watching to unlock a screensaver, click away an error message or some other rubbish.
With products like Remote Buddy and some basic scripting you can achieve full control of a Mac mini without any need for a mouse or keyboard.
Both my units are driven with no keyboard ever attached or even linked via BT -- from a use perspective it is as simple and reliable as a Apple TV, but of course you're not limited by the iOS interface and/or what a JB can do.
Similarly with products like AirServer or Reflection, you can perform AirPlay functions equal to that of a Apple TV, with the same Apple IR remote, WiiMote, iPhone, iPad, etc.... I do however agree the price of the Apple TV makes it far more attractive than a Mac Mini for basic stuff, but for a complete experience IMO you need a desktop based center (my preference is Mac, but Windows can also do most of the same stuff, except at the moment it's less reliable with AirPlay)
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Worked for me, in both cases -- in truth (full disclosure ) the initial version of reflection trial worked perfectly for me; the AirServer which I own was littered with performance and stability bugs -- helped them to diagnose and they had it fixed in a new version in 2 days.
In your case I'd check if maybe your firewall is blocking the communications or following Apple's diagnosis guide.
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