Basically I want to buy a Mac mini and a time capsule to use a media server.. Would it work to hook my tv up to my Mac mini and store all my media onto my time capsule? Will I be able to access my media from my time capsule to my Mac mini to play onto my TV? I'm sick of all the wires from my laptop to my tv.
Mac mini
So how are you connecting the mini to the TC?? Speed of wireless can be an issue in some cases..
Mini has usb3 now.. I think so you can buy cheap large external drives.. much faster and better than wireless.. but if you really crazy for wireless you can try the TC.. just the TC has no way to back itself up and the mini cannot backup network drive with TM.. so how are you going to back it up??
I have a cord to connect the mini to the tv.
Say I download a movie and move it to my TC until one day when I want to watch it. Am I able to move it back to my Mac mini and watch it on my tv through an HDMI cord?
I know it may seem like an expensive alternative to other cheaper media storage servers. But is it possible?
Ikilledbert wrote:
I know it may seem like an expensive alternative to other cheaper media storage servers. But is it possible?
Sure, it works fine.. I am not concerned about the connection mini to the TV.. but mini to the TC.. if you want this to work well, stick with ethernet. Your dislike of cables is understandable.. but wireless performance is voodoo.. ethernet works at exactly the speed it always works at and always will.. wireless depends on all sorts of factors.
I guess the other part of this is what are you storing on the TC.. if it is just movie files that is fine.. if you are storing iTunes library that is a different thing. It sounds like you intend just files and are going to use Plex or XMBC or something as a player.. then great. But if you expect to use iTunes.. then it can get messy.
The key issue.. TC cannot back itself up.. any files you store on the TC.. and only the TC can be lost or corrupted.. TC is not the greatest for reliability.. how are you going to backup files.. you cannot use TM as it cannot read network drives.. and what are you going to back up to.. If you end up using an external drive plugged into the computer, then you have the whole thing the wrong way around. Use external for store and TC for backup.. then it is the right way around.
I don't have cable, so I download all the tv and movies I watch. I want to buy a Mac mini for my tv anyways. What would you suggest would be the easiest way to hook something up to the Mac mini to store and easily access my media for my Mac mini to play through my HDMI cord to my tv?
I just want to play all my shows and movies on my tv from my Mac mini with some sort of storage drive that I can access on my Mac mini.
Buy a 2TB usb3 (or whatever is the fastest affordable connection you have) or even a 1TB internal drive. Drives are not huge and ugly as they used to be.. most a solid black box that hides neatly away.
Using Mini direct to the TV is great.
Using network drives for storage is fine if you connect by ethernet.. by wireless is not fine.. and the wireless takes over.. it becomes a hinderance. If any weak point is going to crack it is the wireless.
You can use wireless for your network.. that is fine.. it is faster for most people than their internet connection.. but once you try to stream over it.. or even store and access files,,, it is not good enough.
I don't want to stream any media.. I want something thats basically just a folder on my mac mini.. So i can access it, play it on VLC and while my mac is connected to my tv with HDMI.
Time Capsule>MacMini>TV
