Jul 16, 2018 - While Apple essentially cutting the cord on the original Apple TV was a bummer for those with sizeable iTunes libraries or Blu-ray pack-in. How to set up a Mac mini-based media server part I: Physical connections. 10 Feb 2014 35 If the Apple TV isn't enough for you, maybe a Mac media center is the way to go. Here's how to use a Mac mini to get the job done. So if you're connecting your Mac media server to an HDTV or HDMI-equipped receiver, you'll get multichannel.

Hello all, For the past several years, I have had fantastic luck with my setup: using my aging Mac Mini as an iTunes server, allowing the TVs in my home to access music and video files stored locally. This all worked wonderfully until the Mini finally gave up the ghost after 10 years of faithful service. Now I'm re-evaluating the setup.

I liked having the Mini in this role, because it was versatile and it was always nice having one extra computer around. On the other hand, it just seems like overkill for this purpose, and it seems like the kind of task that could be handled by a smaller, cheaper device. So I started looking for other options. Since the Home Sharing service needed by AppleTV is proprietary, there really isn't one. The closest I could come up with is a, and that still seems like a fair amount of overkill. If I were going in that direction, might as well just drop the other shoe and get another Mini. Has anyone else gone down this path, and if so, what was your answer?

It seems like a void in Apple's lineup that they should logically want to fill, but I realize their business plan revolves around streaming movies from the iTunes store, not ripped from shiny discs. They hate people like me. If you want to stay with iTunes as your media server you're stuck. Many people here, myself included, have made the switch away from iTunes to Plex. Plex has some advantages over iTunes. It does video and music but also photos.

It plays just about any file type. You can even configure it to stream content over the internet to remote devices. You can set up a Plex server on a computer or an NAS server (basically an external hard drive with it's own stripped down OS). But if all your content has been bought from Apple and is DRM protected I don't think Plex will work for you. Xbox roms for mac. Last I looked video bought from iTunes would only play in iTunes. Have you checked eBay for prices on used Minis?

OP, ive had the same thoughts over and over for years. My background is similar.

1 ATV4, 3 ATV3s, various iphones/ipods/ipads. Various airplay speakers, and various home kit devices. My itunes library consists of 1000s of itunes formatted movies/tvshows/home videos. I have an always on 2010 mac mini with a 3TB external hooked up firewire 800. The latest Tv shows automatically download and rip to my itunes library and movies show up in other various ways. I take home videos off our devices and save them there as well. Ive looked into older headless macs, the old apple server, NAS or cheaper PC options and by far i keep coming back to a mac mini.

Every now and then i do some pages or numbers work on the mini. Ill do some web research, etc. Star vpn free download for mac.

But my main usage comes from the main Tv, the AT4, and our ipads/iphones. Apples solution is the cloud - and they make that clear every update where they give less and less attention to the 'computer' option on the ATV. However the mini, hands down is the cheapest/most efficient way to use our OWN LIBRARY on every I device we own. OP: A Mini is not overkill for a media server. IMO its a pretty good option for home sharing since they use virtually no power while asleep and can wake reliably (in my experience) with a network call. The limitations are severe though. You need to use iTunes friendly formats, media needs to be encoded at complexity the weakest device can decode.