Nothing bothered me more than seeing the space wasted by 100’s of DVDs on a shelf, at least that was my excuse I told everyone, there had to be a better way. Almost a year ago now I began the process of digitizing my DVD library to have a simpler setup to watch and enjoy my movies. I additionally wanted to take advantage of streaming digital content that had become available online via Netflix and other sources. The idea of cutting the cable cord also flashed across my mind but for various reasons hasn't come to fruition.
I toyed with the idea of converting a windows box into a linux media server, but that seemed too complicated and the end user interface wasn’t that clean. The goal was to find a end user interface that was intuitive enough that none tech friends could use it without much instruction. The first decision was to stay with a Apple product at the time I could chose between a Apple TV (1st Gen.) or a Mac Mini. I decided to go with the Mac Mini because I didn’t feel like have to either succumb to the limitations of the machine or modify it to fit my needs. Then I went on Craigslist and found a good deal on a intel Mac Mini, I ended up with a 1.5ghz Core Solo with 2GB of RAM and a 120GB hard drive. Not a powerhouse of a machine by any means but it gets the job done. A newer one would be nice but this one gets the job done.
The next step was to find a application in lieu of iTunes that would handle my media content. This is where the process becomes personal and where I will live you with resources to make your own decisions.
Here are some of the resources I checked out that should be of help to you in determining the system that you want to set up. This is by no means an exhaustive list but should help you get on your way.
How-To: Building a Home Theater PC using the Mac mini – Part 1 (Hardware)
How-To: Building a Home Theater PC using the Mac mini – Part 2 (Software)
Revisiting the Mac mini media center
Mac mini media center: Control everything remotely
Boxee
Plex
XBMC
Mobile Air Mouse
I ended up using Plex and truly enjoy and its recently updated features. It also helps that I can now stream Plex to my iDevices (iPhone and iPad) wirelessly with ease. Plex also has plugins that allow for integration of my netflix account as well as Hulu.
One additional note is that media, as you probably already know, takes up a ton of space. Fortunately external hard drive prices are coming down with time but my 1TB external drive which once seemed large is already full with pictures, music and video. With the ability to record digital video on almost every device, I find space is becoming more and more precious.
