Web TV Made Simple by the Mac Mini12

By Brian J. Samuels, Dec 22, 2009 in How To's

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Web TV Made Simple by the Mac Mini

Keeping an online television Network operating 24/7/365 requires me to be on-call 24/7/365 and sometimes it’s nice to do what I do from home. In this regard I thought it was time to take KoldCast TV off my desk and into my family room, where my 50” Panasonic TC-PV10 plasma display sat waiting, and where I also prefer to relax and watch KoldCast TV shows. My home entertainment system consists of multiple game consoles, a DVR, and an A/V receiver, but I knew the nucleus of my new set-up was going to be Apple’s new Mac Mini, so I drove over to my local Apple store this past weekend, made the purchase, and set up the ideal KoldCast TV viewing environment in under an hour. Here’s what I started with and how I completed it.

A few months back, I purchased the Panasonic TC-P50V10 plasma display for a few simple reasons.

• The display is equipped with Panasonic Vieracast, which provides access to a number of popular Internet services (Amazon On-Demand, YouTube, Picassa, and a few others) and continues to improve with each update.
• The excellent black-level performance and color accuracy are crucial for ensuring the best HD viewing experience either via the web or Blu-ray.
• There are plenty of inputs for anything you want to connect to it.

XBOX360:

The first entertainment/game console I added to my system was XBOX360. Overall it’s the most well-rounded console for both entertainment and gaming applications. Here are its definitive strengths and weaknesses.

Strengths:

• XBOX360 clearly sports the most user-friendly interface amongst its counterparts and it is simple, yet elegant.
• XBOX360 offers the strongest Netflix integration when compared to the competition: PlayStation 3, TiVo, Boxee, and Roku.
• The Zune Marketplace, the centerpiece to Microsoft’s entertainment initiatives, provides a simple way to rent and purchase feature films, music, and your favorite traditional TV episodes.
• XBOX360 provides simple access to your video library, owned, borrowed or otherwise, by supporting the widest array of video formats when compared to the competition. And, you can stream content to your XBOX360 via your wireless network, or by connecting a compatible (FAT) hard drive.
• XBOX360 pricing starts at the low price of $199.99.

Weaknesses:

• In order to use Netflix, the Zune Marketplace, and receive relevant software/firmware updates, users must become XBOX Live Marketplace members for an additional $49.99/year.
• In order to purchase content via your XBOX, you need to first purchase pre-paid credits from your computer before ordering content via XBOX360. And, personally, I would rather just see how much something actually costs, in real dollars, at the point of viewing.
• A Web Browser is not included.
• A Blu-ray player is not included.
• The hard drives store a very limited amount of video content.

Playstation 3 Slim:

The second entertainment/game system I dropped into the mix was the Sony PlayStation 3 Slim. The PS3 Slim is the best value in the market largely because of its built-in Blu-ray player. If you have a 1080p television, Blu-ray is a MUST. It legitimately provides the best home audio/visual experience consumers have ever had. That said, the PS3 Slim comes with its own strengths and weaknesses as well.

Strengths:

• As previously stated, PS3 is the only game console with a built-in Blu-ray player and it happens to be one of the best Blu-ray players on the market… not to mention, the best value.
• The PS3 has built-in Wi-Fi. XBOX360 requires users to separately purchase Wi-Fi unless you buy the XBOX360 Elite, which is not cheap at $399.99.
• The PS3 has its own web browser, albeit quite restrictive in some instances when compared to the web browsers on our computers, i.e. Firefox, Safari, and Chrome.
• The PS3 supports Bluetooth for a host of peripherals like keyboards, mice, etc.
• The PlayStation®Network and Store is becoming a very strong offering for movies and traditional TV shows.

Weaknesses:

• The PlayStation®Network and Store is not as strong as the XBOX360 Marketplace.
• The graphical user interface is difficult to read on large monitors and requires more navigation to get to where you want to go.
• The PS3 requires a separate DVD to utilize Netflix’s Instant Streaming service.
• The PS3 is more expensive than XBOX360: PS3 $299.99 vs. XBOX360 $199.99.
• The PS3 does not offer Facebook, Twitter, and numerous other applications that XBOX360 does.
• The PS3 does not play nicely with videos purchased from iTunes.

When it comes right down to it though, both the XBXO360 and PS3 have very solid offerings and serve unique purposes. Both consoles, when connected via HDMI, are capable of displaying a crystal clear 1080p picture.

The XBOX360’s core competencies are its elegant user interface, best-in-class Netflix integration, wide array of accepted video formats, multitude of popular social applications, and vibrant XBOX Live community. The PS3’s core competencies are Blu-ray, web browsing, and media sharing with your personal network. In order to use both of these systems to their fullest potential, users must do certain things on their personal computers such as purchasing credits, sharing content libraries, activating third party accounts, etc.

Despite all these great features, I needed more before I could call my entertainment system complete – I needed (a) a legit web browser, (b) my personal media library at my fingertips, (c) support for all the video formats that I use, (d) the ability to add peripherals quickly and easily, (e) the ability to secure and backup everything I purchase, and (f) the ability to communicate and work within my Networks (Web TV Network, and Personal Network). I simply needed something that respects all of these values and I wanted a simple and relatively inexpensive path to get there. The Mac Mini turned out to offer that path.

At $799, the Mac Mini more than competently handles all the core values listed above, and allows me to do it all from one seat. The only additional accessories I needed were a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, a DVI-to-HDMI adapter so that I can view 1080p video from my Mac Mini, and a Toslink digital audio cable that connects the audio out port to the optical audio input jack on my A/V receiver.

To further optimize image quality, simplicity, and aesthetics, I connected all of my components, XBOX360, PS3, CableBox/DVR, and Mac Mini, to my A/V receiver (Denon AVR-2310CI) using HDMI. HDMI is the only true way to ensure 1080p viewing, and it combines audio and video into a single cable, thereby avoiding cable clutter. The 6.5” footprint of the Mac Mini allowed me to maintain the minimalist appearance of my entertainment system. Setup could not have been easier. Another major advantage to the Mac Mini is the fact that it is really quiet, which is an essential luxury in a theater setting. No one wants to hear the humming and buzzing of a loud CPU fan during a feature presentation.

Of course, adding the Mac Mini created some redundant services already provided by my game systems, but adding the Mini essentially opened up the floodgates in terms of what is possible with my home entertainment system. Below are some of the services that the simple addition of a Mac Mini can offer to your home entertainment system.

• Netflix
• Boxee – a full-featured Web TV application that provides free, web-based content from a growing list of content publishers and television Networks (Watch for a KoldCast TV/Boxee application in January 2010)
• iTunes and Front Row (Apple’s Home Entertainment Interface)
• Amazon On-Demand
• A fully functional computer with an easy operating system and tiny footprint
• Data Security
• A host of additional cutting-edge functionality via the brilliant Mac OSX.

Once I completed my Mini installation, I invited a few guests over, layed back on my sofa and watched as everyone sat in awe of 50” of KoldCast TV original HD programming. And, despite what I do for a living, the moment represented a genuine epiphany. Tomorrow has arrived.

Brian J. Samuels is the Chief Technology Officer, a Vice President and Co-founder of KoldCast TV.