I have an iMac and was considering buying a new 52" LCD and hooking it up to it. So, I came here first to learn what I could and found very little info in regard to the iMac as an HTPC. Is there a problem using the iMac in this way compared to a mini?
Thanks,
Mark

I use an iMac as a regular computer and a HTPC - hooked up to my Epson 1080p projector. I sit at the computer and do computer work and then use the projector for watching ripped movies, eyeTV content, etc. Works great!

However, if you want a dedicated HTPC, iMac might be an overkill and people might want a smaller machine like the Mini, but for dual use, iMac is the way to go.

I came here first to learn what I could and found very little info in regard to the iMac as an HTPC. Is there a problem using the iMac in this way compared to a mini?

One of our Macs is a 24" 2.4 C2D w/ HD 2600 Pro graphics (256 VRAM) and it would be a superb Mac for home theater tasks--I tested EyeTV 1080i playback with it and it's great--the reason you don't find much info on iMacs per se is they'd stick out like a sore thumb "in" the home theater--most of us are going for something small and quiet, like a Macbook or Mini, and even if we have an iMac, or even more powerful, a Mac Pro, we don't want that "in" the HT.

But, if you're one of the lucky few that have the ability to put an iMac near your HT viewing area, by all means consider an iMac--it's certainly much better than any of the Mac mini and Macbook models, especially those with the GMA 950 or X3100. I'd only recommend it if you also have a reason to use the iMac's built-in display, i.e. in a work or family context as well as HT. As bommai suggests, it's overkill to consider an iMac just for HT. The new $599 mini is a much better "just for the HT" option. In fact, it could be argued that the new $599 mini is the best desktop Mac that Apple has ever offered...

Which particular iMac model do you have...and what do you plan to do with it HT-wise?

On an iMac, is it possible to run with the backlight off when using frontrow/plex/vlc on a external (tv/projector) display?

ah! i was going to ask this same question, and i was beat to it. i need a new computer (my dual 2 ghz g5 is a little long in the tooth) and with my desire to ditch comast, an imac doing double time is what i'm considering. i have a lot of questions regarding this kind of setup, not the least of which stevegt87 just asked (for what it's worth, apparently there's a keyboard shortcut, control+shift and the eject button, that turns off the backlight of the main display, but it responds to keyboard and mouse movement, so i don't know if using a remote to control plex/boxee/front row would 'wake' the imac monitor). i'm also curious about how performance is with plex or eyetv running on the tv and simultaneous activity on the main imac display. i would get a mini but the performance just doesn't seem to be there (either for home theater use or as a full time computer doing video and graphics work), and a mid range imac seems a nice value proposition in comparison to the mini. any thoughts?

And that's the rub... you can not turn off the iMac display backlight, while running an external monitor.

I just bought a refurb 2.8 C2D, and hooked it up to my Samsung LN 52A650. Issues arise when you connect a 1080p monitor - if you mirror, then the graphics card is forced to run both displays - you get noticeable tearing and dropped frames, particularly on the iMac.

If you go spanning, then the problem is control of the screen. Plex/Boxee will play full screen on a second monitor and allow you to still work on the iMac monitor, but Front Row will black out the iMac.

The only options I've seen is to turn the backlight down to a minimum and then run a black screen saver. Backlight is still on though...

... all that said, I ended up buying the low end mini, and it's AWESOME. Handles full screen 1080p EXTREMELY well, and can utilizing all my media files on the iMac with build-in networking support from the OS.

Let me know if you have any questions. I looked into this issue for an entire month after I got my iMac, and could not come to a full resolution. I did not want my iMac on while running the HTPC portion, simple as that.

Thanks for the info guys. I decided a mini would be easier and would give us more flexibility long term.

And that's the rub... you can not turn off the iMac display backlight, while running an external monitor.

I just bought a refurb 2.8 C2D, and hooked it up to my Samsung LN 52A650. Issues arise when you connect a 1080p monitor - if you mirror, then the graphics card is forced to run both displays - you get noticeable tearing and dropped frames, particularly on the iMac.

If you go spanning, then the problem is control of the screen. Plex/Boxee will play full screen on a second monitor and allow you to still work on the iMac monitor, but Front Row will black out the iMac.

The only options I've seen is to turn the backlight down to a minimum and then run a black screen saver. Backlight is still on though...

... all that said, I ended up buying the low end mini, and it's AWESOME. Handles full screen 1080p EXTREMELY well, and can utilizing all my media files on the iMac with build-in networking support from the OS.

Let me know if you have any questions. I looked into this issue for an entire month after I got my iMac, and could not come to a full resolution. I did not want my iMac on while running the HTPC portion, simple as that.

hmm this is sort of disappointing. can you speak to any performance issues (either with mac applications on the imac, or with plex/boxee, or media playback, on the tv) when the imac is set up to span? also, i don't know if you used the [ctrl+shift+eject] keyboard combo to sleep the imac screen, but if you did, does it also 'sleep' the television? and does any input (i.e. through remote control to control plex, eyetv, etc) wake the imac screen? if it's not possible to sleep the imac screen (with no backlight on) and wake it at will then the home theater imac seems pretty useless to me, especially considering that the imac would likely need to be on nearly all the time if it was to function as a dvr through eyetv.

on the other hand, that's great that you're happy with the lower end mini! that's initially what i was interested in, but i started having misgivings given reports of eyetv performance issues (particularly when deinterlacing 1080i content). i'm trying to avoid purchasing two computers (imac to replace my current computer and mac mini for the home theater) but if the mac mini performs well enough i may be able to get one on the cheap. thanks for the reply, by the way.

especially considering that the imac would likely need to be on nearly all the time if it was to function as a dvr through eyetv.

EyeTV will turn on, or wake from sleep, a Mac in order to record. So no issue there...

i started having misgivings given reports of eyetv performance issues (particularly when deinterlacing 1080i content)

the only Intel Macs that have issues with EyeTV and deinterlacing 1080i are those with the GMA 950.

EyeTV will turn on, or wake from sleep, a Mac in order to record. So no issue there...
ah, good to know, thanks. that's a little piece of info that i probably glossed over at some point.

the only Intel Macs that have issues with EyeTV and deinterlacing 1080i are those with the GMA 950.
i could be mistaken, but from what i remember reading the eyetv can't use graphics acceleration, so the graphics card isn't really an issue (i can see it likely being an issue if running eyetv and doing other things in osx, though). historically, video has been fairly processor intensive, but not graphics intensive, in the case of editing and playback at least (but not including video compositing, which does put a burden on the graphics card), though i guess it's possible this may have changed recently. over at the elgato forums, people have reported dropped frames with some 1080p content and deinterlacing 1080i content on higher settings with the new mini, with performance being comparable to the older mini. if this in fact isn't the case in the wider experience that would be nice to know.

this is still probably relevant for the imac, as it goes into the question of whether to get the newer model with the shared graphics or the dedicated graphics card. though i suspect that at this point, both will run well enough.

I've recorded QAM and ATSC with EyeTV for 4-5 years, hong kong, and have used it with various minis and Macbooks. I know it inside and out, and trust me, I've tried to squeeze the best EyeTV performance out of the least expensive Intel Macs, putting the fastest hard drives inside and maxxing the RAM, and know precisely where the 1080i playback dividing line is with EyeTV's best deinterlacing setting: essentially, it's any Mac with the GMA 950 can't handle it and any Mac with something better than the GMA 950 "can" handle it.

So, a 2.0 C2D Macbook or Mini with the GMA 950--can't handle it and you have to step down to "motion adaptive;" a 2.0+ C2D with anything better--can handle "progressive."

Macbooks since late 2007 and I presume the new Mini w/ the 9400M can handle EyeTV 1080i just fine. It's not just the better graphics, it's that it comes in conjunction with a faster FSB, faster RAM, and the ability to use more RAM (4+ GB versus 2-3 GB) that helps EyeTV handle 1080i at its "progressive" setting.

So the graphics is an issue--agreed, not because of any acceleration--but because that's the real world performance determinant between Mac systems--anything better than the GMA 950 and you'll be fine, anything with the GMA 950, and EyeTV will choke on it at the progressive setting.

people have reported dropped frames with some 1080p content and deinterlacing 1080i content on higher settings with the new mini, with performance being comparable to the older mini.

well, there's no 1080p content that my El Gato tuners can record.

And I'm a charter member over at the El Gato forum, which doesn't actually mean squat, but it does mean they came over here and recruited a bunch of us because they knew we were pretty smart EyeTV users. Link to the thread(s) where you feel someone is saying the new mini is comparable to the old mini--I'd find that claim really suspect. (Unless they're using 1GB RAM, which would be pretty stupid.)

No old mini could handle 1080i on progressive--and I believe the new mini would handle it like butter. Hope that helps you make a decision...

thanks, that does actually help quite a bit with my decision.

regarding the 1080p dropped frames, i'm not sure where the 1080p content was coming from, but the thread on the elgato forums is this one...

http://forum.elgato.com/viewtopic.php?f=88&t=4517

...the last and third to last posts. also it looks like you have the second post in the thread (from just before the newer mini's were released).

i'm hoping there's some way around the imac issues, as i'd like to only purchase one mac in the next 5 months.

OK, I remember that thread, yeah, I found his results interesting--three different Macs, a Penryn MBP, an old 2.0 C2D mini and the new 2.0 C2D mini, all could play 1080i at EyeTV's "progressive" setting without skipping a frame. The MBP and new mini, that's what I'd expect, but the old mini, well, we'll just have to agree to disagree on that...that hasn't been borne out by others over there, and at least one of the El Gato staff owned the same mini and reported progressive choked his machine.

In any event, you're not considering an older mini, so you should be fine with whichever make and model you choose. A fast hard drive helps if you plan to play back and record at the same time. Good luck!

as i'd like to only purchase one mac in the next 5 months.

good, we may find out more about Snow Leopard and Quicktime X by then and that might help your decision.