Quote:
Originally Posted by
Osiris1980 
Thank you Somnambulist! So i would then need to buy an old/refurbished mac mini and an external hard drive. Could you please tell me how much I should be paying for a refurb mac mini for this purpose? Also, most mac minis will nave a mini display port out for which I would need to buy a mini to hdmi converter (to connect to my receiver).
The other option of course is the airport express through an ext hard drive connected to my current comp. Do you think there would be any loss in sound quality plating off airport express as opposed to an hdmi input into my receiver?
Lastly, how would I be able to control the mac mini display on my tv> can this be controlled through the ipod app?
Many thanks buddy! Really appreciate your help.
Google 'Apple Refurbished' and it'll give you the link to their special deals page. My Mac Mini is a UK refurb (£100 cheaper than new). The only real difference between a refurb and a new model is it comes in a plain white box. Refurbs are just models that have been sent back, either because the customer decided they didn't like/want it, or it had a fault. They're cleaned/fixed and then put up for sale at a discount. Over here a new Mini was £649, it then dropped to £599. I got mine for £499.
The older models...getting one of the slightly older Intel models, they go for £300ish over here I think. Probably cheaper your way. Either way, with the 2010 model you can connect to the TV via HDMI and to the receiver via the digital out, or if your receiver has pass through, HDMI to the receiver then HDMI to the TV. Can't remember what connections the older ones have, but you'd probably just do mini-displayport to HDMI to the TV, and use the digital out of the MM to your receiver.
Airport express just transfers the ALAC files wirelessly (and bit for bit w/no upsampling), as long as you're using the digital out of the AE connected to the receiver, then you've got an exact copy of the lossless file going into the receiver to be converted to analog, amplified and played through your speakers. You obviously have to have the computer as the middle man though. The Mac Mini set up isn't really a cheap option, but it keeps everything nice and tidy, in one room, and controlled from one place.
You can control iTunes on a Mac Mini with the Apple 'Remote' application. You'd just set iTunes to run on startup so you won't need to use a mouse/keyboard to get things started. That said, a bluetooth mouse/keyboard will be useful when you want to use the Mini as a computer (e.g. ripping a CD w/XLD and moving it to the external). No need to wire anything up to the Mini. :)
