Is the Mac Mini's mini-optical limit of 96 kHz/24 bit output a software or hardware limitation?
I'm interested in using a Mac Mini as a transport for hi-res music up to 192/24 by connecting it to a seperate DAC using TOSLINK. I believe that when running OS X the output from the mini-optical jack is limited to 96/24. My question is whether by running Linux or Windows (via Bootcamp) I can get around the 96/24 limit, or whether the limit is due to hardware. If running Linux, I'd probably use XMBC to play the music and control it using the XMBC Remote ap for iphone.
Also, I'd love to know if anyone else is using a similar setup, and if so, how it's working out.