Tetsuo Time

[Poll #1377879]

[Poll #1377879]

As you may or may not have read my families AppleTV came in the other day. I've been spending the past couple of days messing around with it whenever I can. The way I'm setting it up pretty much is to be a thin client for streaming media files over the network\internet.

I was having troubles with the sharing features at first though. When I first set it up I accidently picked sync instead of stream. So it was copying all ~2,600 songs of mine to its little hard drive. I didn't want that... but I found out that if you disconnect a syncing computer it'll erase the songs from the AppleTV hard drive so that was quick. I then set it up to be streaming just like when shared libraries show up in iTunes on a computer.

This wasn't working very well at first though... partly because of my network issues slowing down connecting to the share and me getting impatient with it. I called Apple and they where baffled by it and thought that perhaps the PC upstairs was conflicting with my Mac downstairs. But later on on my own I figured it out and things are just fine with that. That is one of those times where I wonder why I call tech support because they usually just recommend everything I had already tried before calling.

My high res album covers and iPhoto library looks real nice on their 32 inch HDTV. Sure it's 1280x720 stretched to 32 inches so it's still not as good as a computer but it's a hell of a lot better than an old TV... it gets pretty close especially with HD videos and photos.

The last problem I had which has yet to be resolved is that I was going to install software on there so it can access network shares and play videos like divx and also be able to access more internet video services other than the bundled youtube. You use a flash stick to install the software but it turns out the one I had is most likely not compatible since it didn't work. Luckily the recommended flash stick is only $5... so I have that on order... so I'm waiting for that.. but I will show my family what they can already do when they come home which should be impressive enough as it is to them.

Next I would like my family to get a NAS with iTunes support. I'm thinking this one. I'll be ripping all their music to it and all our DVDs so the AppleTV or any computer on the network can share them. The 2TB one is ~$320... that's pretty tempting.

I was looking at apple's web site and the highest they offer for a build to order option for the current Mac Mini is 160GB... I actually have a bigger hard drive now than Apple offers for its high end option for the Mini (I have 250GB). When\if they update the mini I hope they up the max size they offer on their site for build to order otherwise I'll have to get a 3rd party upgrade again. I'd want at least a 500GB hard drive as an upgrade to what I have now.... everything has to be faster\more capacity when I upgrade. =P

My family is getting an AppleTV and I plan on upgrading its hard drive later on....

Or better yet.... I'm going to get a 1TB NAS with iTunes server support. Then I would rip all our DVDs to it and they would be on demand accessible on the AppleTV or any computer that has iTunes. That way they no longer have to handle DVDs which is good because my dad in particular isn't good about putting the DVDs back into the case right away and is known to leave them laying around collecting dust and getting scratched. I will also install applications such as boxee so we can access the online video services there such as hulu, youtube, netflix online, etc. With that setup and DTV we will be kind of like, "Who needs cable?"

I was looking at apple's web site and the highest they offer for a build to order option for the current Mac Mini is 160GB... I actually have a bigger hard drive now than Apple offers for its high end option for the Mini (I have 250GB). When\if they update the mini I hope they up the max size they offer on their site for build to order otherwise I'll have to get a 3rd party upgrade again. I'd want at least a 500GB hard drive as an upgrade to what I have now.... everything has to be faster\more capacity when I upgrade. =P

My family is getting an AppleTV and I plan on upgrading its hard drive later on....

Or better yet.... I'm going to get a 1TB NAS with iTunes server support. Then I would rip all our DVDs to it and they would be on demand accessible on the AppleTV or any computer that has iTunes. That way they no longer have to handle DVDs which is good because my dad in particular isn't good about putting the DVDs back into the case right away and is known to leave them laying around collecting dust and getting scratched. I will also install applications such as boxee so we can access the online video services there such as hulu, youtube, netflix online, etc. With that setup and DTV we will be kind of like, "Who needs cable?"

I got fed up with having chronic low space on my hard drive. Last week my family said I could order a couple of upgrades for my computer. The first one is the hard drive. I've replaced my 80GB 4200RPM hard drive with a 250GB 5200RPM hard drive. Besides having more space it does seem to load things a bit faster. I was having some trouble while installing it however. Actually upgrading was easier than I thought it would be it wasn't too complicated to take it apart and put it back together. I had opened the case before to put RAM in but not the hard drive.

Replacing the DVD drive would be even easier. The problem I had though is I had accidently reinstalled the cooling fan the wrong way so it started overheating.... especially as I was trying to restore my time machine backup to the hard drive. But once I fixed that everything is OK and I have lots more space than I used to have. This is the biggest hard drive I have had so far.

My next computer I'm going to want at least 500GB though so it can be an upgrade from this.

A logitech quickcam vision pro for mac is coming in for me too soon. Normally it's $129 but I got it for less. There's only one more upgrade I plan on getting for this computer and it's the micro wi-fi adaptor.

Rumors are abound for the upcoming Macworld. There of course is the news that it'll be Apple's last Macworld they are going to be only doing their own events after this and Steve Jobs wont be doing the keynote this time. But what has me excited is the news of possible hardware updates at this Macworld.

The Mac Mini is supposed to be finally updated at Macworld. The design of the case is to be revised to look more like time capsule with a gap between the top and bottom. Some say that the top will be changed to black to match the updates to the iMacs and Macbooks. But others say that's not an update it's going to get. The internals are to be refreshed to be equal to the ones in the new Macbooks including the new nvidia geforce 9400M chipset. Optionally one can get two hard drives rather than a hard drive and an optical drive. Good for those wanting to use it as a mini sever. One other upgrade will be for it to be able to address up to 4GB of RAM. The change to the nvidia chipset is a good thing in my opinion as Apple will have completed transitioning from intel integrated graphics across the entire low end.

I almost imagine my family wanting to get me that as an upgrade from what I have as it'd be the least expensive way for me to get a new Mac as I'd use the same speakers, keyboard, mouse and monitor that I currently use.

iMacs are supposed to get a similar upgrade to the new Macbook Pros but with a few differences. They will have the nvidia chipset but I think they should have a higher end GPU like the previous generation had compared to the previous Macbook pro. The iMac had a 8800GS 512MB and the Macbook Pro had an 8600GT 512MB. I would be disappointed if they just stuck in the 9600M GT 512MB that is currently in the 15 inch and lower Macbook Pros. The iMacs are also supposed to get a new magnesium-aluminum casing for improved cooling and I hear rumblings of Quad Core chips being used in them.

To be honest I'd rather get the top of the line iMac as it'd probably have higher specs than the top of the line Mac Mini but I almost imagine me ending up with the latter anyway.

There are also rumors of an iPod Shuffle redesign but I'd never buy one so while I would be interested in seeing what it looks like it's kind of moot for me. iPod Touch upgrades would be nice as I would like to get one but can't afford one for a while. I would like more graphics capabilities on there as they are fast becoming quite the gaming platform and a lower price. It would be also nice if they stuck a digital camera on there but that's probably one of those things they are keeping as an upsell to the iPhone.

They may show off Snow Leopard at Macworld but I kind of feel like this isn't going to be as flashy a revision as previous revisions are. I may be wrong but I don't think they are going to do much in the way of visual changes or improvements. But I could be wrong.

I don't know what else to expect but I'm hoping this Macworld is going to be good and that Apple leaves with a bang. Last years Macworld was disappointing because they barely even talked about the Mac at all. It was pretty forgettable in my opinion.

Rumors are abound for the upcoming Macworld. There of course is the news that it'll be Apple's last Macworld they are going to be only doing their own events after this and Steve Jobs wont be doing the keynote this time. But what has me excited is the news of possible hardware updates at this Macworld.

The Mac Mini is supposed to be finally updated at Macworld. The design of the case is to be revised to look more like time capsule with a gap between the top and bottom. Some say that the top will be changed to black to match the updates to the iMacs and Macbooks. But others say that's not an update it's going to get. The internals are to be refreshed to be equal to the ones in the new Macbooks including the new nvidia geforce 9400M chipset. Optionally one can get two hard drives rather than a hard drive and an optical drive. Good for those wanting to use it as a mini sever. One other upgrade will be for it to be able to address up to 4GB of RAM. The change to the nvidia chipset is a good thing in my opinion as Apple will have completed transitioning from intel integrated graphics across the entire low end.

I almost imagine my family wanting to get me that as an upgrade from what I have as it'd be the least expensive way for me to get a new Mac as I'd use the same speakers, keyboard, mouse and monitor that I currently use.

iMacs are supposed to get a similar upgrade to the new Macbook Pros but with a few differences. They will have the nvidia chipset but I think they should have a higher end GPU like the previous generation had compared to the previous Macbook pro. The iMac had a 8800GS 512MB and the Macbook Pro had an 8600GT 512MB. I would be disappointed if they just stuck in the 9600M GT 512MB that is currently in the 15 inch and lower Macbook Pros. The iMacs are also supposed to get a new magnesium-aluminum casing for improved cooling and I hear rumblings of Quad Core chips being used in them.

To be honest I'd rather get the top of the line iMac as it'd probably have higher specs than the top of the line Mac Mini but I almost imagine me ending up with the latter anyway.

There are also rumors of an iPod Shuffle redesign but I'd never buy one so while I would be interested in seeing what it looks like it's kind of moot for me. iPod Touch upgrades would be nice as I would like to get one but can't afford one for a while. I would like more graphics capabilities on there as they are fast becoming quite the gaming platform and a lower price. It would be also nice if they stuck a digital camera on there but that's probably one of those things they are keeping as an upsell to the iPhone.

They may show off Snow Leopard at Macworld but I kind of feel like this isn't going to be as flashy a revision as previous revisions are. I may be wrong but I don't think they are going to do much in the way of visual changes or improvements. But I could be wrong.

I don't know what else to expect but I'm hoping this Macworld is going to be good and that Apple leaves with a bang. Last years Macworld was disappointing because they barely even talked about the Mac at all. It was pretty forgettable in my opinion.

iPod Touch\iPhone: I've really been lusting after these lately. The iPod Touch in particular. AT&T is having a sale on the iPhone until the end of the year. You can get a 8GB one for $99 and $200 for a 16GB one (with contract of course).... it's kind of tempting but I realize that I probably wouldn't be able to afford the monthly charges which I hear are up in the $75 price range. The iPod Touch is what I'm pining for but it starts at $230 for an 8GB one I think. I wouldn't want to get a Nano, Classic and least of all a shuffle. Why? Because I want to be able to take advantage of all the great applications and games being made for the iPhone\iPod Touch. I have 14GB of music so in order to be able to carry it all and have room for applications, etc. I'd want to get a 32GB iPod Touch but those are $400.... which is a little tough to swallow especially since I still need a new computer as well.

New iMacs and Mac Minis: I love my Mac Mini although it has gotten long in the tooth. For many years the current intel mac minis have languished with intel integrated graphics but Wired is saying they are due for an upgrade this Macworld to have the same nvidia graphics that the new Macbooks have. However for me personally that may be too little too late. I'm leaning more towards the iMac which is also rumored to be updated at Macworld. I'll especially want one if they put the quad core chips that are reported to be possible upgrades to it as I read on TUAW. I think they should also go with a higher end GPU than what is in the Macbook for the top of the line iMac just like they did with the previous generation.

I haven't done one of these in a while so...



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