Using a Mini as a DVR?

You don't give enough information to give an exact answer but here are some general suggestions.

For the Mac, the current best DVR application is Elgato's EyeTV. This software supports a wide range of TV tuners for the Mac which covers, analogue, ATSC, US Cable TV, DVB-T, DVB-C, and DVB-S. In fact the only TV standard it currently does not support is DVB-S2.

For the US market, it does provide access to a free EPG (TV listings), for DVB-T it can access the 'over the air' listings. Otherwise you might have to subscribe to TVTV (it includes a years subscription). Annoyingly, they still don't support using XMLTV for listings.

The hardware you need will depend on the TV system you want to use which you did not state so I cannot answer.

An Intel Mac mini even with its built-in Intel video chip is perfectly capable of driving a TV display.

Elgato's website is at http://www.elgato.com

The Elgato software will let you easily send a recording to Roxio's Toast to burn to a DVD.

Now, as I said the above is the current best Mac OS X solution, there is also the Tube from MediaCentral but it supports far fewer types of TV tuner, there is also SageTV which in my opinion is a complete joke as it supports exactly two models of tuner (both analogue I believe).

I personally, even though I also have Elgato's EyeTV software, currently run (gasp!) Microsoft Media Center 2005 on my Mac mini. This is one of the few (possibly only) categories in which Microsoft have genuinely provided the best product on their own merits, without copying, stealing, or otherwise cheating, (which does not mean it is perfect). Media Center supports all the TV system listed for Elgato EyeTV, but unlike EyeTV it does not support subtitles for DVB-T, DVB-C, or DVB-S. As long as the TV programme is not marked as protected you can using various tools to edit, convert, and burn to DVD recordings. Media Center includes a free EPG service.

I have not bothered to upgrade to Vista Media Center since it adds, zero, diddly squat, zilch, not a sausage in terms of additional Media Center features for Europe (over MCE 2005). However if you are starting from new you may as well get the Vista version included in Vista Home Premium or Ultimate.

Of course we all wish Apple would come out with a version of FrontRow that also acted as a DVR. 😟

XMLTV is a standard that various programs support to get TV listings. Typically sources of XMLTV listings are free and cover up to 14 days. The free EPG data provided by Microsoft also covers 14 days and I think the free data used by Elgato EyeTV in the US also covers 14 days. However the over the air data for DVB-T (which is not used in the US) is typically only 7 days, Sky do not provide any over the air data for their DVB-S system, and therefore in Europe you typically have to use TVTV a commercial subscription service that EyeTV supports. If EyeTV supported XMLTV then it would be possible in Europe instead to use one of the free XMLTV providers.

Media Center (I am running it via BootCamp on a Mac mini) supports 2 tuners for recording, includes 14 days TV listings (free), has the best on screen user interface for controlling things like scheduling recordings using a remote control (FrontRow might be better in the areas it does, but it does not do TV recordings). Media Center also unlike Elgato EyeTV includes DVD playing, Video playing, Music Playing, etc. as well.

Media Center also has a 'record series' (aka. Season Pass) feature unlike EyeTV and many others. But it is very inaccurate compared to Tivo or Sky+ (at least it normally errs on recording too much, i.e. repeats as well as first showings).

In short, Media Center, is a complete solution, unlike FrontRow or EyeTV, and compared to other complete solutions has a far more attractive user interface (than MediaPortal, SageTV, etc.). While it is far from perfect, it is currently better as a total solution than anything else. About the only major thing it can't do that FrontRow can is PodCasts.

Regarding that TV, yes it should work via DVI to HDMI cable. However you might find that the Mac will only do 1280x720 and not 1366x768 resulting in black borders on the sides (certainly this is a problem with Sony Bravia TVs, although someone said Samsungs don't have this problem). If you use VGA instead then this will not happen but the picture quality might be a bit worse (and it looks like that particular model does not have a VGA connection).

Believe me, I would far rather run a full Mac OS X solution, its just I don't think EyeTV or FrontRow are there yet.

EyeTV does subtitles, picture in picture, and digital sub-channels (for ATSC or DVB-T) all of which Media Center does not. However these are features you would not use all the time.

If you buy EyeTV you get a years free subscription to TVTV or TitanTV, or 30 days subscription to iEPG or IceTV. Which of these you might want to use depends on your location.

If you are using DVB-T then you can instead use the 'over the air' free EPG included with the DVB-T signal. The following is taken from the Elgato website.

Integrated, searchable Program Guide (EPG)
EyeTV puts detailed and up-to-date TV listings at your fingertips, ready to view and search. In the USA, free TV listings are supplied by TitanTV, and by the DVB guide in Europe and Australia. EyeTV also comes with one year of free listings in Europe from tvtv.com (19.90 EUR value), and in Australia a 30-day free trial from IceTV.com.au.

A tuner is the device that you fit to your computer to receive a TV signal - it 'tunes' in to the TV signal. Having the ability to use two at the same time means you can record two channels at the same time, or watch one, and record another.

FrontRow does not have the ability to watch live TV, or to tell (something) to record TV. It is possible to set EyeTV to automatically export TV recordings to a format and folder that can later be viewed using FrontRow. However Media Center as I said is a full-blown solution and has all this integrated in to one solution. It is not that Media Center is nicer than FrontRow or EyeTV, it is that is does the job of both in one integrated program.

EyeTV will currently either save a digital TV signal in the original MPEG2 format (DVB-T and ATSC both use MPEG2) exactly as broadcast meaning no loss of quality, or it will convert an analogue TV signal in to a digital MPEG2 file. Currently EyeTV does not support MPEG4 TV signals (and for that matter neither does Microsoft Media Center).

For digital MPEG2 broadcasts EyeTV does not have to do any conversion or compression (since it is already digital and compressed). If you are using analogue, then yes it converts and compresses it to MPEG2. If you are using analogue, then unless you get the new EyeTV 250 Plus model, the computer will have to do the conversion in software. Any current Mac should still cope with this but older ones might struggle especially if you try and use two tuners at the same time.