Mac mini Media Center
Image by Andrew Coulter Enright
Westinghouse LVM-37W3 LCD Video Monitor – 37", 1080p
Sanus System VM1B VisionMount LCD Wall Mount
Apple Mac mini – 1.66GHz Intel Core Duo, 2GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM, 60GB HD – CoverFlow RC1.2, iTunes, Last.fm, GasLight, Front Row, VLC, Handbrake
NewerTech miniStack v2 – 500GB HD – Music, Photos, Movies
NewerTech miniStack v2 – 120GB HD – Backup
Apple Wireless Keyboard and Mouse
Griffin PowerMate
Apple iSight
Sherwood RVD-6090R AV Receiver
Technics SL-1200M3D Quartz Direct Drive Turntable
Infinity Reference 2000.6 Speakers
Infinity BU-2 Subwoofer
The Westy is connected to the mini via DVI at a native resolution of 1920×1080–no overscan whatsoever. The picture is terrific, 1080p content is breathtaking. The wall mount is pretty flush, just a couple inches, and strong as it was set into brick. The mini is connected to the receiver via mini TOSLINK. The hard drives are quiet. The remote works well through that tinted glass. The PowerMate provides fast, intuitive scrubbing through CoverFlow (1381 albums) and videos (both QuickTime and VLC). The iSight clings magnetically to the back of the display when not in use–when a call comes in we just move it to the top of the display where it also attaches magnetically. It’s microphone still works well back there–voice calls and room recordings sound good. The receiver’s tape-out runs back into the mini so we can rip vinyl. The 1200 uses a Stanton Discmaster.
how much did this all run you?
Not as much as it seems.
The panel came down in price quickly. I watched it for a good long while then found it at J&R for a little over a grand. I weaseled out of sales tax (I live in New York City) by shipping it to my folks’ place in Jerz, then driving it back into the city. The mounting hardware was forty bucks on top of that.
The mini cost what it cost. The 500GB drive was maybe two hundred. The 120GB I built myself in an identical NewerTech enclosure with a spare drive I had laying around.
The PowerMate was a small payday gift to myself. I bought the iSight off my brother’s roommate (unused) for sixty-five the other day. I traded my bike to my best friend for the turntable. The receiver, speakers and subwoofer were all hand-me-downs from my generous, stereophile father-in-law.
I splurged a little, and got lucky the rest of the way.
A.
Love the setup….
Awesome setup!
I envy you.
And I’m glad to see a rather complete looking Sonic Youth back catalogue.
How is it using the non-media functions of the computer from across the room? Is the screen big enough to browse the web while sitting on the couch?
It’s OK if you amp up the point-size in your browser. Definitely usable. I’ll admit though, I don’t do it often. I have a laptop for that.
A.
Hi, I’m an admin for a group called Emirates Mac, and we’d love to have all your apple photos added to the group.
appetizing… wish I could have that level of equipment at home one day…
where are the wires coming out of the TV going?
You can see them better in the full size pic (click on All Sizes). They are wrapped in a milky plastic spiral material, that makes their color pretty close to the wall. You can see them running from the lower right-hand corner of the TV to the upper left-hand corner of the right speaker. They then run behind the speaker and into the mini.
A.
nice set up!
do you have any complaints about the westinghouse lcd monitor because i plan on getting the 47" 1080p monitor.
Nah, I’m very happy with it. It works perfectly with the mini, no overscanning or other such nonsense. I’m in the design field with a lot of knowledge about color calibration, etc. and I’m really happy with the display in that regard as well. Contrast ratio could be better, but it’s def a good value.
A.
I just bought this TV for $580 shipped. Thanks for your input and pictures, it helped me purchase it.
i like 🙂
good
mac mini
+
Hi, I’m an admin for a group called Electronic Gadgets, and we’d love to have your photo added to the group.
OOOOOOOoooooohhhh!!!
What kind of table is that?
this is cool
—
[discovered in definetheline’s photophlow room] (?)
oh yeah ….sonic youth..dirty!
i think i am the bigest fan of sonic youth!
wow. really love your interior design. the floor against that wall is so right!
/mathias
sweet apartment!
Beauty, I like this.
neat n sweet
Very cool set up. I am just buying this monitor (can’t beat $550 shipped) to bring into my existing Mac Mini based HTPC setup. Your setup is perfect 🙂 I must ask, how did you setup the iSight to be magnetically mounted to the back? I was thinking of removing the one we have from our old g4 iMac and attaching it to this in a similar fashion, but I didn’t notice any magnet mounting equipment, just a plastic bracket… any help on this?
The top of the monitor happens to have metal beneath the plastic housing. The plastic is thin enough that the standard Apple magnetic mount for the original iSight will cling to the metal through it. This is true all the way across the display actually, I can position the camera anywhere along its width.
A.
very nice!
wow that is beautiful.
nice setup ……
This is such a pretty room. I love the finish on the floor and the brick wall gives a very interesting look to it. Don’t the speakers sound harsh though? Regardless, that’s a nice setup.
I love it!
Hi, I’m an admin for a group called Artefactos, objetos & productos tecnológicos, and we’d love to have this added to the group!
Hi, I’m an admin for a group called Remote Viewing Media, and we’d love to have this added to the group!
Yes, but does it cut waffle fries? Seriously, nice setup. I’m jealous.