Mac Pro's + Leopard = the ultimate HTPC -- nope
By Matt Burns 
posted Aug 7th 2006 3:27PM
posted Aug 7th 2006 3:27PM
Another Apple announcement and yet we still don't have our Apple home theater system. The big S did introduce the Mac Pro and while it looks like a mighty powerhouse, it just doesn't met our HTPC requirements of integrated ATSC/Cable Card capability and Blu-ray/HD DVD media option. The new version of OS X didn't get any home theater option and while Front Row is great, it still doesn't have any DVR functionality built-in. But when you look at all the power and storage that can be configured with the Mac Pros, a person has to wonder how far off are we. Slap together a nice looking media center bezel, keep the Xeons and hard drives, add a tuner (or two) all paired with a Front Row upgrade, don't forget that nifty Apple remote, and we have ourselves a great machine.Would you buy an Apple media center?
"Slap together a nice looking media center bezel, keep the Xeons and had drives, add a tuner (or two) all paired with a Front Row upgrade, don't forget that nifty Apple remote, and we have ourselves..."
1) A small-jet-turbine-equivalent noise maker to sit under your TV
2) A wicked powerful PVR that you have to sit in a remote server room lined with sound absorbing foam and equipped with its own HVAC system
3) The most expensive source of mind-clogging noise in your house
I could go on, but you get the point. ;-)
Sorry Apple....Microsoft still has you beat as a Home Theater Media Center PC..and that is with XP. When Vista is released (which will be BEFORE Leopard mind you), it will be even further ahead.
This seems similar to complaining that a politician didn't answer your question at a press conference you didn't actually attend. There are certainly Mac users who want an Apple HTPC or apps created to perform those functions. PVR functions--Macs don't have them. Front Row gives you music, movies, photos. Pointing out that there's no PVR/true HTPC support doesn't seem a little...obvious?
Hey #2, when did Microsoft announce a firm release date for the consumer version of Vista? Last I heard it was "early 2007". How can you say with any certainty that it will be out BEFORE Leopard? OH, unless you know something no one else in the world does you can't.
Also, I would look for a PVR feature in the "next-gen" Front Row that Jobs refered to but did not elaborate on or even a full PVR/Media program as one of the Top Secret items refered to in Job's speech but also not elaborated on.
Finally, I would hardly say Microsoft is far ahead of any one in the Home Theater/Media arena since it is arguable that they even have the best service available now without any Apple competition. Have you ever heard of the MythTV or XBOX Media Center projects? If you have half the brains and desire it takes to set them up, then they are both capable of being superior to Microsoft's half-assed-bugged-out monstrosity. But maybe Vista's HTPC will be decent.
A properly configured Windows Media Center 2005 box still beats an Xbox Media Center easily nowadays. A Xbox Media Center (by that I mean a modded xbox running XBMC, not XBME from MS) is a great Media Extender but it is NOT a good Media Center/HTPC compared to a well configured Windows Media Center 2005 box. There are also a lot of great controller options for WMCE. So Ya actually I would still put MS at the top in HTPC if you properly configure a high end WMC2005 box and especially if it's tied with an XBOX 360 as an extender. And yes I also think it's far superior to Myth TV, cause I can play tons of real pc and/or 360 games on the WMC2005 box and/or Xbox 360.
Granted if you don't play games I'd say they're about tied.
Apple will never sell a DVR. It's not in their best interest. They want to sell content from the Apple Media Store. LET IT GO!
Jake, I've got a dual 2 GHz Power Mac G5, and it's much quieter than most other computers I've owned. I.e., on this machine, Apple obviously directed some engineering effort to to the noise issue, and did so successfully. So I'm curious -- what's your basis for saying the new Mac Pro's are extremely noisy? Have you actually had a chance to hear one?
This is a stupid article since Apple is not even trying to provide a HTPC with the Mac Pro or any of it's other products.
When Apple is able to come to an agreement with the movie industry for movie distribution through iTunes, then you'll start seeing HTPC solutions from Apple. Until then, anyone that slams apple for having a poor HTPC solution is an idiot because at this time Apple is not even trying to provide a HTPC. You can guarantee that when Apple is ready to offer a HTPC solution, it will be the best HTPC on the planet. My prediction is a MacMini with a cable card slot around Christmas if Apple has won over the movie industry by then.
#1 - Obviously you don't own a PowerMac computer because if you did you would know that it is one of the quietest computers ever made yet one of the most powerful. Unlike my Xbox360 which is the loudest, most annoying piece of hardware I've ever owned and it was designed to integrate into a home theator...what were they thinking with that amount of noise??? I'd take my G5 sitting beside my TV over my noisy Xbox360 any day if it were capable of HTPC. But, you won't ever see Apple trying to use a full tower for HTPC, it will be something small and unobtrusive like the mini.
I just ordered the new Mac Pro quad Xeon today...I can't wait to get my hands on it! Now if Microsoft would get on the ball and start supporting H.264, I might actually be a little happy about the 360.
to answer your question YES!
in the mean time I will continue to use my Elgato EyeTV2 and EyeTV500 HD which works great with my iMac and FrontRow. Check out the newest version on EyeTV2 it works with Frontrow and has PVR funcitons as well as on screen schedule.
elgato.com
Yeah, Microsoft has a has media center but who really wants to use Windows. Blah
Yes, I would buy one (in a heart beat), but I'm not holding my breath. I'm guessing Apple can wait to move into the living room because the iPod business will eventually flatten out and massive storage will continue to get cheaper and cheaper.
Ditto to Aron (#6). My G5 tower is a quiet machine and I've used it my front room from time to time. As a PowerMac owner and a video editor, the Mac Pro is exactly what we've been asking for. It's HD-DVR possibilities are just an ancillary benefit building an ever better machine to edit video.
Aron: no offense intended, but if you think that the Power Mac G5 is a quite computer, then you clearly don't care about PC silence.
Me, I have two boxes in the same room, and I want them both to be seen, not heard. My P4 3.4GHz is only audible when you are sitting next to it (and even then, you hear only a soft whirring), and my HTPC is dead quiet. The unfortunate (truly ugly) truth is that it is getting harder and harder to build a quiet HTPC. Processors generate heat (though the Core 2 Duo shows some promise) at a pace that outstrips the adaptations of cooling product manufacturers.
Now, maybe I exaggerated before to make my point: will it necessarily sound like a jet? No. Will it be quiet by home theater standards? Again, no. I will give you that Apple computers are quieter than 90% of their PC counterparts. But they are hardly home theater quality when it comes to sound (excepting the Mini). And this box is almost certainly going to be no different (2 processors, 4 cores = at least 2 large fans, plus at least 1 case fan, probably 2 = not quiet).
Having the ability to sell movies or television shows through iTunes is not a mutually exclusive requirement preventing Apple from adding HTPC/PVR/DVR functionality to OS X. If that were so, iTunes - and the iPod - would not be able to play MP3s.