mac mini as media server connected to hi-fi amp

marcospt wrote:

Hello,

I'm considering a Mac Mini to replace my aging Lacie Cinema drive as my media center. It will be connected to TV and, ideally, to an analogue hi-fi amp for sound.

The Mac Mini are great little computers.

(to me, it almost seems like a waste to use it as only a media center. I use my as both a media center and a desktop at the same time)

- want to browse my media library and control the Mac through my iPad and/or iPhone. Don't want to use keyboard or physical remote. Does something like plex installed on ipad control the files residing on the Mac mini (or external HD connected to Mac Mini)?

Not to sure about this one. I'm a desktop user and control my media from there.

- since my amp is analogue (with RCA connections) I presume I would have to convert digital to the RCA plugs in the amp.

All you need for an analog RCA connection is a 3.5mm stereo to RCA cable.

example > http://www.amazon.com/Dynex-Mini-Stereo-Audio-Cable

There are quite a few DACs available. Here's one company:

http://schiit.com/cart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=0&products_id=7

http://schiit.com/products

Here's another:

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_779DAC100B/Cambridge-Audio-DacMagic-100-Black.html

Yes Plex would be a good choice for this, another similar app which I prefer is KodiTV.

Plex on an iPad/iPhone can work in one of two ways and might need different versions depending on your choices. One way is for a Plex app to play content stored on your Mac on the iPad screen, this does not sound like what you want, the other way is to make the iPad/iPhone in to a remote control for the Plex application on the Mac.

This is the first approach - https://plex.tv/ios

This is an example of the remote control approach - https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/plex-co-pilot-media-remote/id817719884?mt=8

There is another remote control approach. This involves using a 'smart' remote controller like a Logitech Harmony Ultimate remote. You would be viewing Plex running on the Mac on your TV and would use the Harmony remote to 'control' Plex running on the Mac, by pressing buttons on the remote you can navigate Plex menus, press play, pause, etc. It is even possible to do this approach using the old Apple infra-red remote http://www.apple.com/uk/shop/product/MC377Z/A/apple-remote or an Apple Bluetooth keyboard.

The Mac mini has analogue audio built-in in the form of a 3.5mm mini-jack connector. You can connect this to a matching socket on an AV receiver or use a mini-jack to RCA cable. You can configure the Mac to send audio via this connection even if it is using HDMI for the video connection. Some TVs offer the ability to receive audio via HDMI and send it straight out to another device also via a 3.5mm mini-jack.

Yes there are USB to RCA DACs for the Mac but I see no need to splash out on one.

Note: Both a 3.5mm mini-jack and an RCA connection are analogue only connections and only support a maximum of stereo 2.1 sound, i.e. left, right, and sub-woofer. For 5.1 surround-sound you need to use a digital connection i.e. a TOS-Link optical connection which the Mac mini also has built-in or send the sound via the HDMI to an AV Receiver.

FWIW, I use a 2011 Mini Server as a media center. However, mine is a full digital

5.1 system via HDMI to my receiver which controls other digital sources.

I use iTunes for music and some video material and Kodi for

the rest of my video media. I prefer Kodi to PLEX as it is difficult

if not impossible to bring any content into the PLEX data base that

was not commercial like home movies and slide shows. Kodi is

much more user friendly in that case.

For controlling from the comfort of my easy chair, i use an app called

Row mote Pro which has apps that install on an iDevice and the Mac.

It emulates a trackpad or an Apple remote (old style) and has a pullup

keyboard for typing when installed on the iDevice. The system works

over WiFi.

Another alternative to control is simply a Bluetooth trackpad and keyboard.

marcospt wrote:

Hi John, thanks for your detailed reply, I'm clear now on the audio front. I have a Rotel amp and not really interested on multi-channel audio, good old sterreo is fine for me :-)

Having the interface displayed on the TV and controlled on the ipad would work, but I would prefer if main interface would be on the ipad, but playing content residing on the Mac.

Maybe I'm over complicating and I could use apple remote to control itunes library on the Mac mini through my ipad? I have a Macbook pro so I can test on that first to see how it works.

I believe the Plex Remote Control apps would be the closest to this. Plex seem to have changed their software more recently and currently there seem to be fewer such choices, there are more options on the Kodi front to do this.

This should let you browse a list of movies etc. on the iPad and tell them to play on the Plex/Kodi computer.

Note the Plex will not play iTunes-purchased moves because of DRM

https://support.plex.tv/hc/en-us/articles/201128288-Why-don-t-videos-from-iTunes -Amazon-etc-play-

marcospt wrote:

Thanks for the feedback,

You are welcome.

I knew about the 3.5 to RCA possibility but I was wandering if I can use of of the USB 3.0 outputs of the Mac to connect to a DAC?

I'm under the impression sound quality could be higher that way but I'm not a audio geek so not sure.

I was hoping that a few real Audio Geek would eventually chime in to help. 😉

I will try to find out if I could control the Mac through my ipad,

Might be a good idea to post that spicific question over in the OS X, the iPad and/or iPhone sections of these forum.

it's one of the deal breakers if not possible (although I could use it as a desktop from time to time).

Might also help if you were to visit an Apple Store or Apple Retailer and run your questions past a genesis.