SnApple PVR

[Jeremy Charette]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.snapstream.com/community/articles/macmini/default.asp' target='_blank'>http://www.snapstream.com/community/articles/macmini/default.asp</a><br /><br /></div><i>"When the first Mac mini was released, we thought it was the perfect form factor for an HTPC or maybe even a Link client. But it suffered from the same problem that all Apple products have—it’s an Apple product! It looked cool but you just couldn't do anything practical in terms of creating an HTPC. This left us dreaming of using Mac mini PC clones as substitutes. When the Intel Mac mini was released, we were one step closer to our SnApple PVR. There were bountiful rumors about how Windows could now finally be installed on a Mac. This wasn't as easy a task as one would think. With EFI (a new replacement for BIOS), the Intel Mac mini wasn't a PC in Mac clothing. It was truly a new, unique PC using state-of-the-art components. This is nothing new with Apple, which is always on the cutting edge of technology. When Boot Camp was released it was the final piece of the puzzle that brought everything together."</i><br /><br /> <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/mac_mini_setup_tn.JPG" /> <br /><br />This article is a couple months old, but it's a good read nonetheless. Using SnapStream DVR software, and a couple of USB TV tuners, they managed to turn a Mac Mini into a tiny (and very capable) DVR. I only have one question though: why didn't they just use Windows XP Media Center Edition?

[Damion Chaplin]

I have another: Why didn't they just build a windows machine in a Shuttle or some other small form factored case? I know it was just an experiment, but shoot, it seems like an excercise in frustration to me. Just look at the con list:

• Price
• Initial configuration to install Windows XP
• Video Card configuration
• Need to use external tuner cards
• Need to use external hard drive for best performance as a PVR
• It's a Mac

The first and last ones are the important ones. :wink:

And Jeremy, they used BTV instead of MCE because it's the Snapstream community site. They'd get lynched or fired if they used MCE. :)