Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems Mac and Meridian

No.

Sorry for the reference to the 30" display. In my head I had the Apple Cinema Display 30" (which is 2560 by 1600 pixels) - I should have been more clear about this...

Of course it it�s the resolution that matters - not the size of the actual screen. I was just taking to much for granted because I know what the Apple Cinema Display 30" is.

I will try to be more detailed next time.

yes, an apogee duet FW
I also feed my IMAC video to my 50" Kuro with HDMI excellent result.
Roger

Thanks for your answers: keep them coming!

OK - that explains your ability to output 88.2

I rip CD's as Apple lossless to iTunes on an iMac which synchronises a copy wirelessly to an Apple TV. In this case there is no interuption to the music playback which is fed via HDMI into an HD621, then 568.2MM.

If however I stream music from the iMac to Apple TV through my wireless network (Time Capsule/2x Airport Express all 802.11n) it can sometimes stutter during replay. For this reason the music server (Apple TV for now) will always be wired to the HD621.

From the preceding posts it appears there is actually a technical disadvantage to the Apple TV, namely it is limited to 16/44 and will not output 24/96 and 24/192 which the Mac Mini can. Therefore the choice would be a Mac Mini if you want these file standards.

My Apple TV is controlled via the shipped small remote, through Front Row which is displayed on a plasma. Front Row also provides access to your photo library, and iTunes if you wish to browse music, or browse and download movies. Alternately the downloaded iPhone/iPod Touch App provides simple straighforward and rapid access to music without the need for a screen.

As I've learned more about higher quality music files (24/96 and 24/192) (thanks to everyone on the forum) I'd be inclined to opt for an iPad and Mac Mini connected to the HD621 using the Kanex Optical & Mini Display Port to HDMI cable. This would provide storage of 16-24/44-192 files and a superdrive to rip them directly into your server from discs, plus the ability to review and control playback from the iPad using the remote App. The disadvantage is a need to switch the Mac Mini between 16 and 24 output in order to hear the benefits of 24.

What is not clear to me is whether it will be possible to purchase and download music files with the iPad, which are then stored automatically on the Mac Mini. Likewise whether it is possible to control music stored on the Mac Mini using iTunes rather than the App on the iPad. Finally whether the iPad can act as keyboard/mouse/screen for the headless Mac Mini. After all they are really two separate computers.

One final observation, when I purchased the Apple TV just a few weeks ago it did not recognise 1080p. Only after downloading the latest version of software did this occur. This may explain why some HH's see it as 720 and others as 1080p.

Comments are very welcome as I am new to this game and have probably made some incorrect statements.

I would store all your music on a NAS, not the Mac Mini. Your Mac Mini will run out of space pretty quickly, and the NAS will be able to run in RAID for redundancy protection against disk failure. If you buy a NAS that can run iTunes Server, then all your Apple products will be able to save content to, and access content from the NAS independent of each other, using iTunes.

I have no doubt there will be apps available that will allow you to use the iPad as a remote to work the Mac Mini headless.

Interesting. How would I set-up a NAS based iTunes server to hold the families music and movies (would you recommend any hardware or software)? We have an iMac on which I have ripped my lossless CD library, and my kids each have a MacBook on which they hold their own iTunes libraries. Could the NAS be wired into my existing Apple TV and accessed through front row, as I'm disinclined to stream from the NAS due to signal dropouts between my iMac and Apple TV? Assuming this approach could the iMac and Macbooks then access and stream from the NAS as required, and also hold any choice of music files on their local hard drive?

Thanks for the advice!

I got the Mac Mini Server and contacted Apple Enterprise Support about this very issue. They strongly recommended NOT using iTunes from NAS. They said iTunes does not run optimally from NAS and it is much better to use local storage. In addition, they specifically recommended not using Snow Leopard Server for serving media via iTunes.

I rip on my mackbook pro, have a copy of the rip on that, and also on an external drive attached to our iMac, plus obviously the copy on the AppleTV, so data loss is not a concern for me as I can't see me loosing all 3.

I do like the idea of the macmini and very nearly cancelled my appleTV and ordered one of those, but not auto switching between standard and high res out puts automatically put me off and made me stick with the ATV, as I would never use the hirez formats if it was a ballache to switch. I just wanted a really slick interface with no messing around at all. I know that the macmini is pretty slick, but I really didn't want a keyboard an mouse hooked up at all, something the whole family can use just turning it on and with a remote as this is what they find non techy.

Simple external hard drives could expand the memory on the mac mini, and that can then be passed around with Airport Express. Can you get external hard drives with similar data safety features like RAID?

The one issue for me gIzzE is I have already filled the Apple TV! I completely agree though with your comments though on the slick interface, and the need to avoid switching and a keyboard/mouse. Clearly the iPad will overcome the need for a keyboard/mouse.

What is the practical problem with switching? If the Mac Mini is set at 16 bit output will it only play 16 and not 24, or will it play both but downsample 24 to 16? If it is set at 24 bit output, will it only play 24 and not 16?

Then there is the interface. I haven't checked but are there any practical differences between the latest Apple TV interface, and front row on the Mac Mini?

Comments appreciated...