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Intel Mac Mini owners, please take a quick peek
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Mac Elite
Join Date: Sep 2005
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What are your experiences with hooking up your Intel Mini up to a 720p Plasma display via DVI/DVI-to-HDMI?
Basically, are the Intel integrated graphics sufficient for driving a 720p Plasma display at a perfect or near-perfect resolution (so that there isn't much ugly boxing), and is DVD/XviD/DivX video playback smooth?
Right now, I've got a PC with a GeForce 6600 GT hooked up to my 50" Plasma, and it looks like absolute ****. Videos, when maximized, become extremely pixelated. Text is not very sharp either. The same TV with my MacBook Pro looked lickable, so I'm just going to blame this one on Windows/the video card.
The reason I ask is because I'm planning to shell out for a Mac Mini to use as a media center system as soon as they're updated to Core 2 Duo.
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Posting Junkie
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Houston, TX
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Your problem isn't the video card you have. It's either the media player or the interconnect.
The Intel minis work great with displays up to 1080p; I used one at a trade show last month.
They also play back H.264 smoothly, so of course DVD/Xvid/Divx are smooth.
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Mac Elite
Join Date: Sep 2005
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Originally Posted by mduell 
Your problem isn't the video card you have. It's either the media player or the interconnect.
No.
Hardware video acceleration seems to become disabled when the Windows desktop is set to an HD resolution, on a GeForce 6600 GT (tried it on a 5950 Ultra, and it did the same thing). The interconnect is straight DVI to HDMI. VLC and Windows Media Player both look the same.
I'm going to try a GeForce 8800-based system to see whether that fixes anything, but I'm set on the Mini. I used to have one, and I sold it, and now I miss it. :-(
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Posting Junkie
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Houston, TX
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I don't buy it. My X300 Mobility can play fullscreen video (MPEG2, Divx, or H.264) videos on a display with 60% more pixels than a 720p display. Even if your PC had GMA900 it should be fine.
What are you using to connect your PC to the 50"?
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Mac Elite
Join Date: Sep 2005
Status:
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Just a straight DVI to HDMI cable. It goes into the HDMI port on the TV.
Ah well. I love Minis. I'm simply going to get one once the next update hits them. :-D
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Mac Elite
Join Date: Sep 2005
Status:
Offline
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Hah, well ... I ended up snaking a deal on a refurb 1.66 GHz Core Duo Mini on the Apple store website. It was $589 CAD, and it's one of the latest updated models.
After getting this, I think I'm going to go for refurbs of all the Apple stuff I buy, because the savings are phenomenal, but without any catches. Everything is basically new and came wrapped in the plastic stuff. Everything from the remote to the DVI adapter to the power brick is brand-new. Even the top and bottom covers of the Mini are brand-new.
Here's the best part: It was advertised as coming with 2*256 MB of RAM, but it came with 2*512 MB. So basically I got a brand-new 1.66 CD/1 GB/60 GB Mini for $589 CAD, with the regular 1-year warranty straight from Apple.
It looks and works very awesomely on my 50" Plasma. Front Row is one thing on a MBP, but on a 50" plasma display ... :-o
I <3 the Mini.
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