[freckling]

It just seems like people always use the Mac Mini for their speaker/music systems, yet there's a lot of overlap between what both of them do in terms of audio. Is there a specific reason why? It's just something I've casually observed over time.

 

[tpc41]

I think the fact that it can also functions as a computer makes it more appealing. For some people it is easier to have a whole computer devoted just to media.

 

[majid]

The AppleTV works just fine, and is much more compact, not to mention the absence of a wall-wart. With atvusb, creating a patchstick to activate SSH on it is a breeze (no prying cases open required any more). I used to have a Mac Mini (the PPC version), in an entertainment center it is a far less convenient solution.

The only issues I have with the AppleTV is the limited disk capacity (40GB to 160GB, 250GB with the WeakKnees upgrade), the fact it cannot stream from a library it is also synchronizing with, and that it refuses to stream from a non-iTunes DAAP server like Firefly.

 

[wilsynet]

I can't speak for anyone else, but for myself, I'd pick a Mac Mini over an Apple TV for a number of reasons.

1. USB DACs

Some really great USB DAC solutions on the market these days. A Mac Mini can really be a world class transport here, versus the AppleTV which cannot use USB for audio output. The AppleTV does have TOSLINK digital output, but the implementation is expected to be quite jittery.

2. Expandability

Without hacking the Apple TV, you can't expand it's access to storage. Would be nice to hook up an external USB drive to it for storing my music collection, but Apple doesn't let you do that.

 

[Bones13]

Dedicated Purpose Device vs. General Purpose Device

Different Strokes for Different Folks, many more options with the small computer, good integration with Mac devices and services with both.

I bought the Apple TV myself for the expressed purpose of watching rented videos at home and at the beach. Very transportable, and nice video when plugged into a widescreen LCD.

No doubt the Mac Mini can do that and more, but hauling around the paraphanalia to accomplish this same goal would entail a lot more work. I did not need a portable computer.

I suppose one could ask the question whether my MacBook Pro would do the same. (again more work with special cables, plugging the power and HDMI cables into the Apple TV in a few locations is pretty easy, easy enough for my wife to do.)