I've just bought a Mac Mini on eBay. One of the main purposes will be to help hack my Apple TV. But this will work both ways since I can also hack the Mac Mini to run the ATV interface. Only one of our TVs has an HDMI interface so this Mini can stand in for it until we have newer TVs. I'm thinking that the Mini is so portable, that it can be used in mutiple locations for multiple purposes:
1. Day to day service in the living room, replacing the DVD in our home entertainment system and also playing ripped DVDs synced to the local drive or from a mounted network drive. Plan to do a 802.11n upgrade for this purpose.
2. Lab machine in the basement work room. I'll add a mountin bracket underneath the work bench with dedicated power, video and USB connections. A monitor will be shared with an existing windows box. I'll use a VNC remote desktop as much as possible to reduce the need for multiple keyboard, mouse and monitor connections. Should I get KVM switch anyway? Probably not.
3. Ski condo in Winter Park. It will replace the DVD currently used. The plan is to load it up with ripped DVDs while in Boulder. I have ordered a purpose built case to transport? Can it also replace my laptop in WP or is that asking too much? I could keep a monitor, keyboard and mouse there.
Tentative ToDo List:
Hack Apple TV interface to Mini using info here? Better option here?
Mount network drives to access library of ripped DVDs.
Upgrade memory from 1Gb to 2 Gb or even 3Gb?
Clone disk to larger drive and upgrade new disk to Leopard?
Install Windows using Bootcamp? Linux too?
Upgrade to an 802.11n wireless connection from Quickertek? Sonnet? nQuicky? nNano?
Buy power bricks on eBay for multiple dedicated sites?
Install bracket under work bench.
There's a good disassembly guide here.
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