Michael Homscheidt wrote:
Hi,
maybe a stupid question but I couldn't find an answer to this topic: how can I watch a DVD on the new 2011 Mac mini?
- Can I stream the DVD from another Mac?
- Do I have to rip the DVD to an iTunes compatible format?
- Do I have to buy the external drive or use an already existing one?
Reason for this question is the fadc thatI want to replace my multimedia Mac mini with a newer one with more (graphics) power.
I do not watch DVDs too often. But in this rare occasions I would not like to rip it in advance. A MacBook 2009 running Snow Leopard (or maybe Lion in the future) could be used as streaming server.
Kind regards
Michael.
You cannot stream from the original physical disc in another Mac as DVD sharing in Mac OS X does not support this. In theory if the DVD was successfully copied to a hard disk as a VIDEO_TS folder then this could be played either via file sharing or by putting the VIDEO_TS on to the Mac mini. However in some countries this would be illegal to do as it involves bypassing the DRM on the DVD discs.
Yes, in theory using an external DVD drive would work, however as standard the DVD Player application may be upset about this, see this tip for a workaround.http://macenstein.com/default/2011/07/how-to-get-your-external-super-drive-worki ng-in-lion/
I see no reason why other makes of external DVD drive would not work but you may still need to do the above trick.
Note: The free VLC would play perfectly happily both VIDEO_TS folders and from an external DVD drive.
