Mac mini as a dvd player

Just wondering does my mac mini upscale my dvd's when it plays them like a dvd player with HDMI would do.

One of the options of the DVD software is Interlacing in the menus of the application. While not quite upscaling, it does offer a sharper picture for some movies when you do interlace, and sometimes when you don't. Upscaling is a function of the TV set you attach the Mini to, and not so much the Mini itself. The Mini has DVI which can be connected to HDMI with a single adapted cable. Don't try to downstep to VGA, as there you will lose image quality. If your TV has no DVI nor HDMI port, the best image resolution you'll get is 720 x 480 over S-Video as S-Video/VGA adapters exist.

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How do I download dvd's to my Mac Mini from my dvd player?

I am wanting to download dvd's to my mac mini from my dvd player. Can anyone tell me how to do this? Also, after I get them on my mac mini I want to put them on my IPAD. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! I am not the most tech savvy person

You cannot.
DVDs are encrypted to stop you from doing this. Breaking this encryption is illegal.
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Mac Mini + External Superdrive DVD Player Crashing

Hi,
I have a brand new Mac Mini on OSX Mountain Lion and a brand new external superdrive. If a DVD movie is inserted in to the superdrive, DVD Player attempts to load, and then promptly crashes. Anyone else having this problem?

Same thing here. My work around is VLC player but one would think that a brand new mini and a brand new superdrive would work with the Appple DVD Player.
Must be because Steve J. is no longer around

Mac mini as HD-DVD player ?

I use DVD studio pro to make hd-dvd's right now. I would like to know if either one of the new mac minis will be capable of playing back a 720p HD DVD smoothly, out to a Panasonic HDTV.
It works fine from my G5, but will I be able to get the same performance from a mini ?
Thanks
artgug

I have the core solo mini with 1GB of RAM and it has no problem with 720p. It plays smoothly with no dropped frames.

Mac mini (Mid 2007) DVD player/burner issues

I have a Mac mini (Mid 2007) that I purchased on Ebay about a year ago. When I purchased it, the DVD drive was all ready bad and it only had 1 GB of RAM. I tore apart a different Mac Mini I had lying around with a dead motherboard, and took the DVD burner out of it and put it in the one I purchased off Ebay. I also upgraded the RAM to 2 GB (new RAM, not from the old Mac mini with the dead motherboard), and upgraded the OS X to Lion.
The DVD burner worked perfectly until yesturday. The problem I am now running into is the DVD drive works fine during boot, and I can boot to the original Mac OS X disc that came with the Mac. But once the operating system is loaded, it is like the DVD drive does not even exist. It is not displayed in hardware, I can't burn DVDs, I can't watch DVDs, and I cannot eject anything by any means other than a forced eject during boot. Again, it is like as far as the OS is concerned, it does not exist.
I am also having this issue with the headphone port on the back of the Mac, but more on a intermitent basis. The headphone port works, and is seen by the OS 50% of the time, but the other 50%, the OS does not see it at all. And it is the same way with the integrated speaker. (The DVD drive is all the time.)
Everything works fine during boot, but not in OS X. Any ideas or help would be greatly appreciated.

Good work, thanks for the report!

New mac mini and noisy dvd drive

Any time I have a DVD in my brand new mac mini, from commercial DVDs to trying to author a blank DVD, I get the dreaded chainsaw sound that plagues anyone who has owned an xbox 360. Has anyone else suffered with this with their new mac mini or should I send it back to apple

I should have been a little more specific. This happens usually when I try and do slightly disc intensive tasks, such as burn a disc, import a disc to itunes, and I can even get it to sound when I leave a disc in the drive, turn the computer off, and as it's booting it will make the grinding noise. I first thought that the computer couldn't lay on it's side as that's when I first noticed it (sort of like the wii on it's side because this fits my setup), but it makes the same noise whether I have it on it's side or not. This is also not disc specific, I can re-create the noise with different discs, DVDs, CDs when importing to itunes. Guess I'll be taking it to an iTunes store to get it checked out.

Why does my Mac air have a DVD player app but no where to put a DVD?

why does my mac air have a DVD player app but no where to put a DVD?

Because you can purchase an external optical drive like the Apple USB SuperDrive.
Apple USB SuperDrive - Apple Store (U.S.)

Mac Mini Slow playing DVD from Network

Hi,
I was just wondering is anyone else has experienced slow dvd play with their mac mini's.
Playing from the SuperDrive (dvd player) or Firewire DVD player is NOT a problem. however I have a couple of backed up DVD on a LACIE network drive using CIFS or AFP(Gigabit although my mini is 100FD) and on a Linux server (NFS mount)and the DVD's will not play smoothly.
They are very choppy and unwatchable. I have also tried using VLC but that is even worse.
I 1gb Ram in my mini, I also had this problem under os X 10.4 as well as 10.5. I know that apple say that an intel processor 1.6 is needed for interlacing, but just playing should be fine.
My Suse Linux IBM T42 which is old has no problems playing the movies, but I want to play them on a 23inch Monitor. (the problem also occurs on my 19inch Monitor)
CPU wise. it never gets to 100% but when it goes over 70% the problem seems to occur.
I have tried to shut down all possible applications and disabled spotlight. this improved the playing experience a little.
Any thoughts on this would be great.
Thanks
Pete

HI,
The local disk is about 40% full, I upgraded it to a 160GB drive. (plus leopard was therefore a complete fresh install on a new drive)
If I play the files from the local drive then there is no problem. I also noticed that if I use a local USB to play the movies then this works. But when you only have 2 x usb ports on a mac mini, and the fact I don't want my mini to have control over the disks (so the mini can be turned off etc) as my house mate also has a mac and would like to stream music and I like to have access from my Linux Laptop.
I also noticed that the Mac Mini was very slow at accessing my NFS mount.
I have also done the normal network tests such as forcing Full Duplex 100mb or allowing Auto etc. (also my house mate has the same problem using Mac book pro with a wireless connection) The switch is not busy at all, and until two days ago the only two devices turned on were the Mac mini and the lacie drive
It is very frustrating, I want to upgrade to an iMac next month, but would have like to keep the mini as a media player. I like front row and dvd player they rock as applications. (except for the current issues I am having)
My switch is definitely up to the task. I got a netgear. When my laptop and server (old P4 PC running Linux) are plugged in they are fine with streaming and copying files.
I do notice that the Samba protocol on apple seems quite an 'expensive' over head with resources, but it still seems to work better than AFP. (from my Lacie drive)
I have a suspicion that the problem is a mixture of DVDplayer that was not designed to play dvd's from the network and maybe the protocol stack on OS X? I guess the next stage is to sniff the network and see if packets are getting dropped.
Thanks for any pointers so far.
Pete

Mini as a DVD player & PVR

Your expert opinion needed:
I'm soon to upgrade my entire AV set-up at home. This is what I'm thinking:
Mac:
Intel iMac/MacBook where iPod will dock
Audio:
iTunes Library held on a Time Capsule
Wireless music in house with Sonos (no doubt Apple will soon bring out an update to Airtunes allowing the same functionality using an iPod Touch!)
Video:
Video files stored on Time Capsule
Apple TV to watch rented/ripped video content
Mac Mini to act as DVD player and as PVR/Tivo using EyeTV
Does anyone have any experience of using the Mac Mini as their sole/main DVD player & PVR/Tivo? Is it in practice a bit clunky to boot up a full working computer (rather than a stand alone DVD/PVR machince) to watch or record a show (and having to come out of TV stream to access recording functionality)? Or does the addded functionality/adaptability work really well?
Would love to get opinions as I'm still undecided about having this set up or a Topfield (Toppy) and EyeTV on the iMac. Only trouble with that would of course be that I would also need a DVD player and recording a TV show wouldn't be very sponstaneous as the EyeTV would be in a different room. Would be nice to have recorded shows ready to go on my iPod though. Decisions decisions...
Many thanks

I had had a setup like that for a couple of months now. It is easier to never turn the Mini off and simply put it in sleep mode when not in use.
The most annoying part is the keyboard and mouse. I use a Logitech DiNovo Edge wireless keyboard and trackpad and it is a bit akward. It would be really nice to have some kind of "air" mouse which can act as both a mouse and remote for Front Row.
Another issue is that there is no good way to keep 5.1 audio when you rip DVDs to something iTunes/Front Row and see and play even though the Mini as a TOSLink output which goes to my Yamaha receiver. DVDs played through OS X Leopard player keep 5.1 audio just fine.
I use EyeTV and it seems to work ok, I just wish it was fully integrated with Front Row rather than using its own menu system. EyeTV can automatically recompress recorded shows to H.264 and dump it into your iTunes library which is really convenient.
Things get complicated if you're trying to use EyeTV for, say, cable TV and over-the-air HD. I have tried using 2 USB tuner sticks and EyeTV requires that both use the same signal type (cable or OTA). If you use a QAM capable tuner card with cable, you'll be able to tune in all open HD channels (cable companies were mandated to rebroadcast local network stations unscrambled in HD by the FCC)

Mac Mini & The Simpsons DVD Boxsets.

Today, I tried to watch a DVD of The Simpsons on my Mac Mini. However, when I insert the DVD, the drive spins for about 30 seconds, and then just ejects the disc without mounting the DVD or trying to load DVD player at all. I cannot find any mention of this either on the Fox Website or on the Apple website or forums.
Any help will be greatly appreciated,
Thanks,
Tom Wright.

Not really, it's just all of the Simpsons Box Sets that does it! That's what makes it so strange to try and explain to people. I know I've tried season 2 in it, and that did what I'm describing, so maybe you could try that?
Thanks for your help,
Tom Wright.

Mac mini server install DVD - install on a different computer

I bought a Mac mini server (= a Mac mini with a Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server pre-installed) a while ago. I am planning to install Lion Server on the same Mac Mini and get rid of the Snow Leopard installation DVD. My question is, can the DVD that came with the Mac mini be used to install the server OS on a different computer (another Mac mini or iMac etc.)? or is it somehow tied to the original Mac mini?
Thanks!

Install discs included with a Mac are only able to install on the same model Mac. However historically Mac OS X Server install discs are not limited in the same way. (Remember there is no such thing as a Lion install disc.)
The server install disc is more typically limited in being an older version of Mac OS X e.g. 10.6.3 and thus not able to boot and install on the latest model Macs. It is however possible to boot and install on an older Mac e.g. an older Mac mini but install on to an external hard disk which might even be the internal hard disk of another Mac connected via FireWire Target Disk Mode. You can then run the Mac OS X 10.6.8 Server Combo update to update it to the latest Snow Leopard Server version which will then boot successfully on all the current Macs including those that have only ever shipped with Lion.
Since a DVD disk takes very little space I would suggest you don't throw it away.

I just replaced my hard drive and am trying to install the Snow Leppard OS on my Mac mini using the DVD's that came with the unit. Is there a step by step procedure that will guide me through this process?

I just replaced my hard drive due to failure in my Mac mini. I am trying to load the Snow Leppard OS from the DVD's that came with the unit. Is there a step-by-step procedure somewhere that would help me? This is my first problem with my first Mac. I thought getting to the hard drive and changing it would be the hard part but I made it through that with little trouble. My lack of software experience on the Mac is really slowing me down. I believe I'm not making the right choices in the Disk Utility program.Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Prep the new drive:
Drive Preparation
1. Boot from your OS X Installer Disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu.
2. After DU loads select your hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Note the SMART status of the drive in DU's status area. If it does not say "Verified" then the drive is failing or has failed and will need replacing. SMART info will not be reported on external drives. Otherwise, click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.
3. Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Click on the Partition button and wait until the process has completed.
4. Select the volume you just created (this is the sub-entry under the drive entry) from the left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.
5. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Options button, check the button for Zero Data and click on OK to return to the Erase window.
6. Click on the Erase button. The format process can take up to several hours depending upon the drive size.
Upon completion quit DU and return to the installer. Install OS X. When the installation has completed you can proceed to restore your data from your backups. If you have an existing backup from Time Machine or another hard drive then upon completing the Setup Assistant you will have an option to restore from another Mac, a TM backup, or another drive. Use the appropriate option.

Does Mac Mini use stock DVD drive ?

I have a mac mini in which the original DVD drive has failed. It packed up mid way through installing a new system - now the original system won't boot. Can I replace it with a standard drive available from a PC shop ? Or will a separate USB DVD drive enable me to load a new system ? Many thanks for any responses.

I have been looking and looking, but I can't even find the internal DVD drive in my mid-2011 Mac Mini!

New mac mini - cannot burn dvd

I have recently purchased a mac mini. I already had an external dvd burner, but I can't burn dvd projects from iMovie since no idvd is on the mac. HELP!

Tbirdvet, thanks for the suggestion. That is what I planned to do today unless someone can suggest another idea. I can always use a usb extended Mac keyboard anyway. And a mouse is certainly cheap enough.

Mac Mini Server w/DVD drive?

I'm considering adding a Mac mini with Snow Leopard server to my home setup, and I have several questions about the mini, since it looks like I might have to do something custom to get the setup I want...
1. Is it possible to change the OS installed by Apple when ordering? They don't offer the Mac Mini with Super Multi drive with an OSX server option, and I'm a little wary of having a server I have to use an external drive for to install from DVD or rip music or movies.
2. How large a single HD will the Mac mini support? If I'd only have one HD, I want to make it a big one...

1. I don't think it's possible to order it that way. You'd have to order the regualar mini and buy OSx Server separately. I recommend getting the server hardware. The faster processor, more memory and an additional 500G disk makes it most cost effective. I have the $99 external superdrive and use it on my MBair as well as the mini. I bought it 2 years ago with the MBair and it works just fine. No failures on either machine. Also, if it did fail, it's $99 to replace and just plug it in.
2. The largest drive Apple supplies is 500G for the mini. There might be something larger by 3rd party vendors but with 1T in my machine, I didn't need to go there.
Hope this helps...

Mac mini as a dvd player

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