I currently only have a Macbook Pro from 2007. Since it has been a few years since buying a new computer I am looking into what my next Mac machine will be. My Macbook Pro does all of the day to day tasks that I am needing out of computer (except Mac OS X and Flash Player do not play YouTube as well as Windows – arg!!)

Since I have purchased a Samsung lnA550 40″ Television I have been watching my videos by hooking up my Macbook Pro to my HDTV. This has worked great but I want there to be a more permanent solution in place. My televsion is located in a Armoire so I have cable running out the front and down to my Macbook Pro. Needless to say, this looks a little messy.

Therefore my next Mac machine is going to be the newest Mac Mini. This is truly an impressive machine for its size. The following are the base specs of a Mac Mini:

• Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard
• iLife ’09
• Combined optical digital audio input/audio line in
• Combined optical digital audio output/headphone out
• Five USB 2.0 ports (up to 480 Mbps)
• Mini DisplayPort video out
• Mini-DVI video out – with adapter for DVI Cable
• AirPort Extreme (802.11n)
• Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate)
• Gigabit Ethernet port
• One FireWire 800 port (up to 800 Mbps)
• NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics processor with 128MB or 256MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory

The following are the options I would choose when customizing the Mac Mini for final purchase:

• 2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor – Running video can be quite processor intensive so I would opt for the best possible chip
• 4GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM – 2x2GB – I like to run lots of applications at the same time and some can be resource hogs – like editing video, using Photoshop, etc.
• 120GB Serial ATA Drive – this is a tough call, I would use an external hard drive interfaced with a Firewire 800 cable so I don’t think I would pay an extra $150 for 230 more gigabytes when the same amount could get me 1TB of external storage (what are your thoughts??) – I just realized that if you opt for the 320gb model the NVIDIA memory bumps up to 256mb maybe I would go with the 320gb version after all.

How Big is the Mac Mini

The dimensions of the Mac Mini are 6.5″ wide by 6.5″ deep and only 2″ tall! That should look nice with my Airport Extreme Base Station and Nintendo Wii. It will look even better to have all of these cables out of the way and have a permanent entertainment set up with a Mac.

Now I can just set my Torrent downloads of television shows up in the morning and they should all be ready to watch when I get home from work. I can also have my iTunes library and video and other media library stored on an external hard drive and I can access them from a home network on my Macbook Pro laptop if I want.

I currently have my external hard drive attached to my Airport Extreme Base Station via usb. This allows me to keep my iTunes on a remote hard drive and play them on my Macbook Pro on my network however this does not work very well for video. Being able to have a Firewire 800 connection straight to my Mac Mini will allow for volumes of video to be watched without having to download it to the hard drive first.

I will also move my iPhoto library and iMovie events to this computer so I should be able to free up a ton of space on my Macbook Pro.

Let me know what your ideal set up is and if you have any suggestions for mine!

If you use Front Row you may have found that it will only catalog video from your Movies folder. If you kept all of your movies in there this would be fine but for laptops or people who prefer to keep downloaded movies and television shows on an external hard drive Front Row is pointless.

So if you have your Macbook Pro hooked up to an HDTV and you want to sit back and use your Apple Remote and Front Row to browse your movies and television shows, you’re going to need a way of making sure those shows are accessible in Front Row. So here is a simple trick that will allow you to import a folder to be accessible in Front Row.

Step 1:
Navigate to your Movies folder.

Step 2:
Open a seperate window and navigate to the folder that contains the video that you want Front Row to access.

Step 3:
Create a shortcut (or alias in the world of apple) of the folder from Step 2.

Step 4:
Drag the Alias folder to your Movies Folder.

Step 5:
Begin using Front Row by using the keyboard shortcut “Command + Escape”. This will begin Front Row. Now navigate to Videos and then Movies and you should see the folder contents of the shortcut that you created earlier. All of your videos should now be accessible through Front Row even though they are being stored in a folder that is not actually located in your Movies folder.

Note: You must ensure that the content you have downloaded is able to be played by Front Row. Front Row uses Quicktime to render video so you must ensure that your video content will play in Quicktime for it to be able to play in Front Row.

There is an excellent free plugin for Quicktime that will allow it to play pretty much any video you throw at it just like VLC player. This plugin is called Perian and it will make Front Row a very versatile program that will allow you to enjoy your media library from afar while sitting back and watching video on your mac played through an HDTV.

Front Row is good for those looking for a simple interface that is more like a media center. It displays the titles in a way that you can read them from afar and is designed to work with the Apple Remote. There are also other media center applications out there that you should look into if you are looking for a different experience than the one Front Row provides.

In the past the method would be to burn avi files to a recordable dvd. Not only does this process take forever, it also doesn’t work that well if you don’t know how to do it properly. Another problem is that DVD-R’s cost money. Why on earth would you need copies of the vast majority of the shows or movies you download. I would say 90% of the movies I download and watch are not worth watching again, so why would I waste more time and money on them?

So download your shows and movies and watch them directly from your computer on your HDTV. If you like it you can then burn it, if you don’t you can delete it.

GATHER THE NECESSARY MATERIALS

• Video: DVI to HDMI Cable (length depending on your needs)
• Audio: 3.5mm to RCA Cable (length depending on your needs)

What cable to do you need to hook up a Macbook Pro to an HDTV?

My Macbook Pro has a DVI port on it. You can buy a cable that is called a DVI to HDMI. The DVI end (which looks a little wider than a standard PC Monitor Cable -VGA) hooks into the Mac. The HDMI end hooks into the television. A DVI to HDMI cable is your best video quality option for hooking your Mac up to an HDTV.

If you are looking for a good deal on these types of cables I would suggest the Apple Store – either online or in person (more options online). You can get a cable for about $20 which is cheaper than the other options available at Best Buy or other electronic stores.

You will also need an audio cable that goes from the speaker out on your Mac to the audio in on your television. This cable is called a Stereo 3.5mm to RCA Cable. You may already have one kicking around if you use it to connect your ipod to a larger speaker system.

How to Hook Up your Macbook Pro to an HDTV

Step 1: Turn it On
Turn on your HDTV and make sure that you select the proper source channel. There should be a source button on your remote where you can select the appropriate input. On my Samsung LNA550 the source menu reads HDMI/DVI which is the correct channel for the type of cable that we are using.

Step 2: Plug It In
Plug in the HDMI end of the cable into the appropriate section of your HDTV. This HDMI connection will be different than the others because it will also have the audio input next to it. While you are behind your television you should also plug in your audio cable. Neatly run the cables to where your Macbook Pro is kept. Plug the DVI end into the DVI out of your Macbook Pro. Plug the 3.5mm end of the audio cable into the headphone jack of the Macbook Pro.

Step 3: Set Up Your View
Your Macbook Pro should automatically detect the new display. If it does not you must force it to detect displays. To do this you must go to System Preferences -> Displays and then press the button that says “Detect Displays”. This should refresh the screens and both should be tied into the Macbook Pro.

Once both screens are active, you have a few different options.

• Mirroring: Both screens show the same thing
• Dual Monitor: This setup allows you to move different windows to whichever screen you choose. This can really expand your real estate. You can also choose which monitor will be primary through your Display Settings under System Preferences. Go to the tab marked Arrangement and you will see two blue windows or screens. One of the screens will have a white rectangle across the top. This represents the menu bar. Drag the rectangle to the screen that you want to be primary. (Note: When using full screen applications like Quick Time or VLC I make the primary monitor the HDTV otherwise when you enter full screen mode it will switch back to the Macbook Pro screen thus defeating the purpose.)

You should now be setup to enjoy your Macbook Pro through your HDTV. You just need to learn how to watch television shows on your mac computer for free. Now here are some things that will make this setup even more convenient.

GATHER THE UNNECESSARY MATERIALS

Wireless Keyboard and Mouse
If you are planning on sitting well back from your HDTV then you are going to want a way to interact with your computer from the comfort of your couch. There are many wireless keyboards and mice available. Obviously Apple makes some pretty slick wireless devices for your Mac. The choice is up to you – just make sure that the device will be able to offer the range you are needing.

Cooling Pad (if you are using a Macbook)
Running video on your Macbook Pro can make it warm up pretty quick. You can also start to hear the fan at this point. Laptop cooling pads are designed to be silent and keep the Macbook or Macbook Pro cool and quiet. You can also look for laptop cooling pads that offer extended functionality like memory card readers and extra usb ports.