By mr. Obsession in Applications
I’m all about consolidating as many components into as few devices as possible. But sometimes additional hardware is unavoidable. This is how I felt about my beloved Sirius Satellite Radio. Commercial-free channels like Chill, Alt Nation, and (yes) Big 80s mean I’ve been willing to add a Sirius receiver to my spartan set of HTPC hardware to get the amazing programming into my Mini.
By mr. Obsession in Applications, HDTV
BOTTOM LINE: Plex is hands-down the finest media manager/player available for the Mac HTPC enviornment. Gorgeous and exponentially more flexible than Front Row, it rules HD playback, handling 1080p material with ease.
By mr. Obsession in Applications
Among the many features VLC brings to your Mac HTPC is the ability to create and save video playlists to control playback of more than one file at a time. And its compatibility with almost any format allows mixing more than one file type not a problem, unlike some other programs (iTunes, I’m looking in your direction…). Best of all it’s simple: just load up the playlist, save it if you like, and press play when you’re ready to watch!
With a little imagination, this feature can be a huge advantage in a HTPC environment. I use it on a regular basis in a variety of situations and I thought I’d share a couple of the most common.
TV Programmer: With the state of network television’s quality, watching reruns of “classic” shows is a no-brainer. Since I’ve backed up a bunch of my favorites from DVD sets to a HD, I routinely “program” my own night of TV shows.
Check out how the line-up I’ve created below…
…blows away anything CBS, NBC, ABC, et al could throw at me! And the lack of commercials is just icing on the cake. I also will often load a whole series into the playlist and just choose “Random” for a customized marathon.
By mr. Obsession in Applications
Well, it took Rogue Amoeba more than a year to develop and after many replies of “It’ll be released when it’s released” in their now-dead forums, RA released a major upgrade to their Airfoil application today.
At the top of the “Wow” list is the app no longer requiring Airport Express units to play audio on different Macs! Instead, they use a free app called “Airfoil Speakers” that runs on any Mac you want to route sound to and shows up in Airfoil the same way an AEX would.
By mr. Obsession in Applications, EyeTV, HDTV
A definitive list of apps that help my Mac Mini HTPC realize its full potential.
Plex - Amazing (and free) media manager/player that has no peer. Read my full review here.
EyeTV - The only real option for a Tivo-like experience on a Mac is thankfully well-tended by its developers at El Gato Systems. Use it to record & playback HD, digital, and/or analog programming (depending on your hardware).
Must-have features include time-shifting, scheduled recordings, integrated TV guide, snappy editing to remove commercials, robust exporting to devices like iPods and iPhones, and much, much more.
VLC - Hands down the finest standalone Mac video player - VLC’s versatility, price, and feature set make Quicktime look like a child’s toy by comparison. Support for almost every codec out there means you can play a DVD image (or actual disc) back-to-back with AVIs, TS streams, MKV HD files, and whatever else you may find in your archives.
As if that’s not enough, this badboy has been free for years.
Remote Buddy - Whatever you may be using to remotely control your Mac HTPC, Remote Buddy can enhance and refine the experience to EXACTLY how you want it to be. I started out using the Apple Remote, which RB allowed me to remap so it could browse and control every app I use. I then upgraded to an IR receiver from Keyspan and RB allowed me to do the same with a standard universal remote. Now I’m on my iPhone, using it as a beautiful universal remote to control my Mac from anywhere in the house via WiFi.
Extras like Applescript support only gild an app already worth every dollar (or Euro, in Remote Buddy’s case).
