Turn that Mac mini into a media center - finally

I have tinked about buying a Mac mini and use it as a media center for a long time. It's just one thing, no one mention anything about the region lock for the DVD player. I have both region 1 and 2 DVD movies and would like to view them both via the Mac mini. Do any one know how I can solve this or any web-links where I can get the information?

Thanks in before hand.

Distant DVD looks rather keen! Thanks for posting that s'ware; never heard of it. I have been using Matinee (http://matinee.dizandat.com/), which I really like, but it is only a Video_TS lancher. I will need to compare it with Distant DVD.

One thing I have forever craved was a launcher integrated with my DVD database. There is a piece of s'ware on the horizon called MacDVDOnDemand
(http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=130800)


The installer was hosed when I tried it yesterday, so I have not been able to actually play with it, but it reads promising.

#9, I feel your pain. I have a useless EyeTV box with no IRBlaster, and digital cable. I bought it way back when it first came out, and have been waiting for the blaster to make it useful ever since. It seems like ElGato is more interesed in doing ANYTHING but coming up with a little blinky IR LED. Until they do that, the box is all but useless. Oh well. I'll just go get a Hauppauge PCI card and toss it in an old PC, and end up spending LESS for the whole thing than a top of the line EyeTV. What a waste of an opportunity!

You do know that this is the N-millionth article on this subject, right? Same old, same old stuff. It isn't a "media center" of any sort until I can inexpensively (below $300, preferably $150) output my Mac's video via component or HDMI. DVI inouts are dead as of at least 1 year ago, every new set has HCMI and Component video.

Honestly, in this "age of HD" I'm still kinda shocked that Apple didn't include HDMI or Component connections (or even a good converter dongle) with the new Mac mini. I'd have bought one immediately.

Wow, 'no longer with apple', thanks to your sterling advice, I shall now dump my powerbook (in the nearest river, probably) and invest in a PC, as they are obviously trouble-free machines that have never given anyone the slightest hint of a bit of difficulty! All those people talking about how much better windows runs on the new macs are obviously either high or stupid, right? And surely no mac user has ever even laid a finger on a windows based machine...heavens, no. We lay mired in ignorance of the rest of the world, in our smartly desinged cocoons, awaiting a prophet of computing such as your good self.

MICROSFT VS APPLE
------------------------------
My faith in apple has disappeared!!
FORGET APPLE AND GET A PC WITH WINDOWS, JUST BUY MORE MEMORY AND MAKE SURE U HAVE A DECENT GRAPHICS CARD, (will still cost less than a mac!!and for the same price as a mac will run better, even for graphics and videos.)

all we pay for is the design!!!

apple have a history of cover up problems with their machines, just look at all the people with problems with the powerbook, macbooks, and ibooks!!!

** GOOGLE Search "logic board" with "G3", "G4" and see all these people with mac problems.**

If this was a car, u would get a letter in the post calling a recall, if it was windows they fix it with an update...apple, well leave it to us to figure it out and if u get the problem sooner than any 3yr extension replacement program, then great, but any time after that....GOOD LUCK

Awesome. Been looking for a short review on that EyeTV EZ. Thanks!

Chris, you should really check out Keyspan's RF Remote for Front Row. Built in RF plus 9 buttons totally completes the Front Row experience. Additionally, this remote provides Mac users a better way to enjoy their [Mac] media experience.

http://www.keyspan.com/products/usb/errf1/

Cheers,
Sam

This is great, but what about those of us with Digital Cable and the dreaded cabled box? Is there an IR Blaster that's compatible with the EyeTV software? Google turned up nothing.

Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

cnn is playing all happy for me in firefox (mac), i guess the wmv plugin for qt does it...