iMac as a mini home theater

jvernonjvernon
Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
Due to living space constraints, I am considering buying a new iMac with the 20" screen as a combination computer/stereo system/DVD player/television (with the elgato outboard tuner). My main question is how DVDs look when played back on the iMac screen. The only dealer I have close by is a CompUSA and the guy there got upset when I asked to try watching a movie on one. Most of my listening is through headphones so multi channel sound is not an issue, just the playback quality of DVD video. Thanks for any replies and I apologize if I posted this in the wrong forum by mistake.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 9
    beigeuserbeigeuser Posts: 371member
    IMO, it's not as good as a real TV but maybe it will look good with the new Quicktime Pro 7 adjustments. You really should try to find a place where you can see for yourself. How far is it from the nearest Apple Store? Maybe a different salesperson at CompUSA will be more cooperative.
  • Reply 2 of 9
    jvernonjvernon Posts: 10member
    Nope, no Apple store anywhere close to me. That's why I was hoping to see what current owners thought of its performance.
  • Reply 3 of 9
    sunilramansunilraman Posts: 8,133member
    i think it will be fine in terms of the detail that you see on the screen compared with a standard definition tv. be aware that the standard definition CRT tv though will have a "brighter" looking image than an LCD.



    also you will need to dim the lights in your room or just have a lava lamp or some softt ambient lighting when watching to enjoy when watching on an LCD.



    i can guarantee you though that you will see much more details when watching a quality DVD vs watching it on a standard definition tv screen
  • Reply 4 of 9
    jvernonjvernon Posts: 10member
    Thanks for the info!
  • Reply 5 of 9
    smatanovicsmatanovic Posts: 120member
    I use a Samsung LCD HDTV as our primary viewing TV and it workd just fine. I contemplating dropping my DVD player and using a Mini as a music server/dvd player. all that is holding me back is the lack of a digital audio out solution that I am really happy with. Nothing I have seen so far enthuses me.
  • Reply 6 of 9
    sunilramansunilraman Posts: 8,133member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by smatanovic

    I use a Samsung LCD HDTV as our primary viewing TV and it workd just fine. I contemplating dropping my DVD player and using a Mini as a music server/dvd player. all that is holding me back is the lack of a digital audio out solution that I am really happy with. Nothing I have seen so far enthuses me.



    have you seen this? you can use your Mini as a dvd player, hook it up to the m-audio Sonica, and have dts/ac-3 passthrough so that the sonica theater sends the dts/ac-3 via coax digital out to your dts/dolby digital amp/decoder thingy



    http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_u...ater-main.html



    supports up to 7.1 surround...
  • Reply 7 of 9
    smatanovicsmatanovic Posts: 120member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by sunilraman

    have you seen this? you can use your Mini as a dvd player, hook it up to the m-audio Sonica, and have dts/ac-3 passthrough so that the sonica theater sends the dts/ac-3 via coax digital out to your dts/dolby digital amp/decoder thingy



    http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_u...ater-main.html



    supports up to 7.1 surround...



    I have seen it, but I'm not completely thrilled. I've read some BB postings (here and elsewhere, if I recall) about some latency issues. Mayve v.2 will fix all of that. Here's hoping, anyway...
  • Reply 8 of 9
    sunilramansunilraman Posts: 8,133member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by smatanovic

    I have seen it, but I'm not completely thrilled. I've read some BB postings (here and elsewhere, if I recall) about some latency issues. Mayve v.2 will fix all of that. Here's hoping, anyway...



    dude, do you know the new iMac g5 has a digital optical out ??



    forget da Mini... or the Sonica, for that matter... get da new iMac g5 2.0ghz 20"incher



    edit: except i forgot you mentioned that you already have a HDTV screen
  • Reply 9 of 9
    smatanovicsmatanovic Posts: 120member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by sunilraman

    dude, do you know the new iMac g5 has a digital optical out ??



    forget da Mini... or the Sonica, for that matter... get da new iMac g5 2.0ghz 20"incher



    edit: except i forgot you mentioned that you already have a HDTV screen



    Plus, I don't want a G5 with it's howling cooling fan sitting in my living room.



    The Mini suits my HT needs better. Besides, I'm a powerbook guy. Desktop? Meh...
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