Mac Mini or something else for home theater use?

[johnsonad]

I would like to integrate a computer with the TV.  Many of you use the Mini for audio and I was wondering if it works well for video also?  I'm open to suggestions.

Regards,

Aaron

[Doc B.]

A newer mini works fine, but I had to buy an aftermarket app and an external Bluray drive to play blurays with the 2010 Mac I have. It plays the movies very well and of course you can actually browse and add stuff to your watch list in Netflix, which totally whups my bluray netflix app. My biggest beef is that I can't overscan my projector screen slightly like I can with my bluray player, because I loose the top menu bar. The desktop screen was definitely not developed with projection TV screens in mind. The text is tiny.

[johnsonad]

Thanks Dan. Is Apple the best option or should I consider a Windows based system? I'm running an old 720p TV with intentions of making the leap to 4k in the next couple of years.

[Doc B.]

I think a PC is going to be a more versatile choice for the long run since you can change video cards as the resolution goes up. But if you are watching 720p right now and have a flat panel display I think a mini sending 720p over HDMI would be great for the time being.

It will be intersting to see how 4K evolves. Sony's new player seems like a good step forward. Of course this 4K stuff will make my CRT projector useless. And 4K projectors are still fairly spendy.

But at this point I just wish more stuff was even 720P! Crappy lores youtubes and such are a drag on the big screen.