Back in November, we told Directv to “stick it” after 10 years with them. Why? Well, quite frankly, I got really tired of all the crap on tv, I just wanted to be able to watch what I wanted to watch. Problem: How can one acheive this? Solution: the Mac Mini!

We turned our Mac Mini into our media server and shut off Directv. We use our 47″ Plasma as our monitor and can watch what we want, when we want. Now, I’m not going to lie, there were a few bumps in the road, such as audio. We had to use our computer speakers as the output for a month or two until we got our Mini Display Port and USB Audio Converter from Monoprice. (Which, by the way, they have the best customer service!) Once we got the converter and hooked it up, we were doing just fine! We can buy shows and movies through iTunes or we can rip them using Handbrake, which is great for ripping DVDs into m4v files (which can easily be imported to your iTunes library). If you want to rip the whole DVD however, use Rip It, which will rip the whole DVD, menus and all. (There are also other ways to get tv shows and movies, however if you are smart, you can figure it out.)

The Mac Mini also shows a great picture and the sound is good as well. One thing I would suggest is to buy a wireless keyboard and an Apple Remote. (I will warn you if you have a first-gen iPod Shuffle, don’t leave it next to your remote, they look too much alike and this can cause some irritation when your Shuffle won’t control your tv!) Logitech has some great wireless keyboards, as does Apple as well.

The only small drawback is pricing. It is a big investment upfront. The Mac Mini was approx $700, the HDMI adaptor cable appr0x $60, and the Hard Drives to store our tv shows and movies approx $300 (for 2). This might sound steep and it is a bit, but if you are like me, you know that in 12 months time of not paying Directv, Dish Network or whomever you have for tv, it has paid for itself and that, my friends, is worth it. (Also worth it, the lack of actual DVDS and DVD cases cluttering the house!)

So, while everyone was stressing about Blu-Ray versus HD, we chose neither. We chose digital formats, they last longer, play better and don’t leave a mess in your house! If you have more questions about this type of set up, please feel free to email me at krisy@mygeekvoice.com or leave a comment!