Mac Media Center - or how to easily turn your Mac into your own personal entertainment center

Almost any Mac can be used as a home media center. How? - You ask, - all you need is the right tools. Yes, your MacBook Pro, MacBook, Mac Mini, iMac, and even Mac Pro can turn into a media center, and it's a lot easier than you think.
This article may be useful to you provided that you are the proud owner of an HDTV with HDMI input and Mac, preferably with HDMI audio output (if your Mac does not support HDMI direct audio output, do not worry, the solution will be described below for you also). After reading the article to the end, you will get enough knowledge on how to create a Mac Media Center connected to a TV and turn an ordinary room into an unusual home cinema, which can be controlled remotely while sitting on your favorite couch.

Installing a Mac media center
Here's what you need to set up a media center on a Mac:
• HDTV with HDMI input
• Mac that supports audio / video output (it is preferable to use newer Mac models that support full HDMI; the new Mac Mini is ideal for this)
• HDMI-cable (and / or other appropriate cable, if your Mac does not support direct HDMI output)
• Apple remote
• Wireless keyboard and Apple Wireless mouse - not mandatory, but highly recommended condition that allows you to view web pages and games five games on the media center
• Plex... Plex is probably the best software solution for a media center, and it runs right on Mac OS X as an application. Beautiful interface, wide media support and free download. How can you not love him?

Step 1) Choosing the Right Video Output Adapter
So, for starters, the most important thing: sort out the cables. In the latest Mac models, full HDMI audio and video output is via a single cable, but for other models you will need an adapter anyway. For example, the MacBook Pro 2010 only needs a Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapter and a standard HDMI cable, because it supports full HDMI output. The new Mac Mini 2010 supports direct HDMI output without any additional cables, so it only requires an HDMI cable.
The type of cable will vary depending on the computer device used, so you need to determine exactly which output adapter is needed specifically for your Mac.

Step 2) Download and Install Plex Media Center Software Plex is
in fact an excellent media center software that runs directly on Mac OS X.
Plex Media Server boasts the following features:
• Convenient directory, organization, and access to all media files: movies, music, pictures, etc., - all this directly in Plex
• Automatically download movies, TV shows, albums, TV shows, IMDB ratings and much more
• Almost flawless playback of HD video content
• Plug-in video support for Hulu, Netflix, YouTube, MTV, Vimeo and many others
• Codec support for various types of video and audio files
• Ability to fully customize the program interface to suit your preferences, settings and TV
• Subtitle support in films in foreign languages
• Support for Shoutcast stream and visualizers for music
• Weather forecast for any given region (the program automatically determines the default region)
• Support for RSS feeds
• Compatible with Apple Remote, wireless keyboard and wireless bottom mouse
• Support for hardware acceleration of H.264 video playback on the Nvidia 9400M, GT320M, GT330M chipsets
As you can see, Plex is a full-featured program, and that is why we suggest using it for the Mac media center. If there is an application that would be easier to use and not inferior to Plex in its functionality, then we still do not know anything about it. And installing Plex is extremely easy.

How to install Plex:
• Download the latest version of Plex
• Drag and drop the application into the Applications folder
• Launch Plex
• Let it sync with Apple Remote (it may ask you to install third-party drivers, ignore it)
• Using the keyboard (or Apple Remote), find and indicate the direction video source (directory, hard drive, whatever)
• Watch movies, TV shows, listen to music - whatever you want!
Yes, it really is that simple. Plex can also automatically open your iTunes music library, i.e. and install almost nothing here.
Here is a screenshot of the media browser interface: Step 3) Connecting the Mac media center to the TV It is not at all difficult to do this, you just need to make sure that you have the appropriate cables. If you imagine that you are the owner of the new Mac Mini 2010, then you only need an HDMI cable to connect the Mini to the HDMI port on the TV. Step 4) Enjoy Your Mac Media Center!







Once you have launched Plex and connected the Mac to the TV, you can enjoy the work done! It's time to get comfortable and dive into the world of entertainment with your new media center. Subsequently, you can change the Plex settings by downloading additional plugins that can be accessed directly through the Plex application. A few More Questions and Answers to them: How can I access the Internet or play games on a Mac media center? You just need to exit Plex and start Safari or the game. As soon as your Mac connects to the TV, the latter becomes just a big external monitor for the Mac, and therefore you can use it in that quality and play almost any game, browse web pages, etc. - in a word, do everything what can be done on mac.







Why is the creation of a media center possible mainly on new Mac models with HDMI outputs?
For these purposes, the new Macs are mainly recommended because they support full HDMI video / audio export, which simplifies the installation and setup process. In fact, you can set up the same media center on a Mac that does not support full HDMI output, but you will need additional elements for this. What the new Mac can do with a single HDMI cable will require additional cables when working with the old Mac. For example, for an earlier Mac model, you may need a mini-DVI to DVI adapter, then a DVI to HDMI adapter, as well as an HDMI cable, plus an additional AUX cable for audio output. The exact requirements will depend on your Mac model, but since you already know what you will need, it will not be difficult to get it. In other words, if you have an old Mac,

My Mac does not export HDMI, what can I do about it?
If your Mac does not support HDMI direct output, you can use a DVI to HDMI adapter, just remember that you will need an additional cable to carry the audio signal from the audio output connector to the audio input on the TV, since DVI does not transmit sound.

If there are any questions, wishes or alternative solutions, I will listen with pleasure and try to implement it.