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Apple Enters Media Center Domain

Posted by Zonk on from the another-front-in-the-battle dept.

An anonymous reader writes "CNN has a story up describing Apple's new media center concept. The software takes on a classic Apple approach: simplicity. 'The program, called Front Row, lets you listen to music, watch videos, play DVDs and display photos from a distance with a few clicks of a lighter-sized, six-button remote control.'" More details available from ThinkSecret.

2 of 241 comments (clear)

  1. Personally I would not buy it.... by WTBF · · Score: 4, Interesting

    For a media centre it does not seem to have very many features, even if it is meant to be simple.

    Here is what I use on my MythTV box that are not available for this:
    - Watching live TV
    - Scheduling recording of live TV
    - Web interface to access information
    - Weather
    - Games
    - News feeds
    - Advert detection

    These are all things I use on a daily basis and I think that they should be included in any media centre, and Apple's offering barely meets any of those.

  2. Re:Or.... by JazzCrazed · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Hopefully Intel will give the Mini a real good boost, then - or some magic has to be done with the tuner, because the current solution for an Apple-based PVR timeshifting 1080i HDTV requires no less than a dual G5 (click requirements on right side).

    I wouldn't even dream of using one of today's Minis as an HDTV PVR. I got so frustrated with mine that I sold it.

    Not to mention that unless the Mini does real-time compression it'd probably run out of disk space real fast with its 2.5" drives that currently max out at 100GB - at least, for anybody who records a lot (at 8GB/hr. for uncompressed - that is MPEG-2 - 1080i, that's at most 12 hours of recording time before something needs to be compressed, and MPEG-4 compression on today's Mac Minis is, IMHO, HORRENDOUS - it took mine 16 hours to compress MPEG-2 to H.264 MPEG-4 for a 2 hour movie - and that was at DVD res, not 1080i).

    But who knows... Maybe Intel will make this bottom-rung Mac more powerful than some of the top PowerMacs out now. And I'm speculating like the rest anyway, so I hope you had your salt shakers with you while you read this comment. ;)