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Reader report: 1080p 24fps playback on Mac mini Core Duo plays fine

Friday, March 3, 2006 · 1:05 am · 47 Comments

“I was one of the most skeptical when it came to [Apple's new Intel-based Mac mini] playing back 1080p h.264 video. Well, the proof is in… i just did it,” writes a long time MacDailyNews reader who wishes to remain anonymous.

The Mac mini’s “About This Mac” dialog box:
http://homepage.mac.com/gsf/macminidualcorespecs.png

Mission: Impossible III trailer screenshot (24 fps.):
http://homepage.mac.com/gsf/mac_mini_dual_core_mi3_trailer_screenshot.png

Superman Returns 1080p, 24 fps. This is looking good:
http://homepage.mac.com/gsf/mac_mini_dual_core_superman_trailer_screenshot.png

The anonymous MDN reader explains, “One thing that is for sure – it is working HARD to do this… its not just lollygagin’ thru it…. check out the CPU-o-Meters… Trying the XMen 3 trailer at the part where its going from scene to scene to scene in rapid succession – this should choke it… Nope. it does it fine.”
http://homepage.mac.com/gsf/mac_mini_dual_core_xmen3_trailer_screenshot.png

Anon concludes, “It passes. It’s working hard, but it passes. The Mac mini dual core – even with only 512 megs of ram and NO dedicated video ram or separate video card CAN decode and playback 1080p mpeg-4/avc (h.264) 24pfs footage without losing frames.”

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Comment Feed

47 Comments

1 2 Next »

Essefgy

Friday, March 3, 2006 - 2:22 am · Reply

Ohhh…all right…I’ll buy one
Derrick

Friday, March 3, 2006 - 2:24 am · Reply

Thanks for the info … wonderful news … my Mac mini should arrive next week.

One question … are you able to test wireless streaming from another machine?
John

Friday, March 3, 2006 - 2:32 am · Reply

Wow, that’s pretty impressive, considering how much it taxes my dual 2.5GHz G5. Obviously they built this sucker with specs just high enough to crank out full HD video. Good for Apple!
pino

Friday, March 3, 2006 - 2:35 am · Reply

Good news for the whiners.

(Now shut up, MacDude!)

Anyway, X-Men 3 is gonna blow.
Jaakko

Friday, March 3, 2006 - 2:48 am · Reply

But the Core Solo might be a whole different story…
piyes

Friday, March 3, 2006 - 2:56 am · Reply

I’m now curious about the single core
MacSingleCore

Friday, March 3, 2006 - 3:19 am · Reply

The Single Core is for your momma and her emailing friends.
Dank

Friday, March 3, 2006 - 3:37 am · Reply

just my little notices…

“a long time MacDailyNews reader who wishes to remain anonymous….
Anon concludes….”

unless Anon stands for anonymous, i think we have a penname.

“One thing that is for sure – it is working HARD to do this… Nope. it does it fine.”

a bit contradictory but i guess it works.
Dank

Friday, March 3, 2006 - 3:40 am · Reply

and I forgot to mention this is good news…. wait, where’d my first post go?
Dank

Friday, March 3, 2006 - 3:40 am · Reply

there it is. silly me.
DUAL Core, eh?

Friday, March 3, 2006 - 4:03 am · Reply

I think the REAL question is how well the Core SOLO does with video. Can’t wait to see.
Petey

Friday, March 3, 2006 - 5:59 am · Reply

What about playing world of warcraft?

Can the graphics card handle it?
Dynamoc Duo

Friday, March 3, 2006 - 6:22 am · Reply

I ordered mine with 2GB of RAM. Based on this news, it should be a downright party! Woooo Hooooooo! I received my iPod HiFi yesterday and boy does it sound great! I can’t wait my Mac Mini Media Center to get here. HURRY!!!!!
Bill

Friday, March 3, 2006 - 6:41 am · Reply

Whew…all excited about a machine that plays videos…blargh. I would never, never, never buy a computer with its main purpose being so it could play videos. I don´t play games on the computer either, but game players are at least more interactive with their computer than video watchers.
Is there really that big of a market for people to hook up a macmini to a TV screen to use it to watch semi-okay quality videos?
Cop EE

Friday, March 3, 2006 - 6:51 am · Reply

That superman screenshot doesn´t look so great to me. Show us a video of it running. (video camera recording video running on the screen) Hmmm….wonder why Apple doesn´t have one on their website to demonstrate it working.
Michael Cheung

Friday, March 3, 2006 - 6:57 am · Reply

One problem I’ve observed with my G4 mac mini is that when the CPU works hard, the fan kicks in and it can get really loud! Not that ideal for the quieter thriller movies…. but i guess thats the price for such a small form factor.
Jeff

Friday, March 3, 2006 - 7:14 am · Reply

I think most people knew the graphics engine was capable. The problem is that because of its integrated graphics, it uses system memory. You absolutely need to order a Mac mini with 1GB of memory. This is just like last year when the mini debuted with only 256MB of memory. With this graphics processor using between 80MB and 224MB of your main memory, Apple should have made 1GB standard. Or kept the price at $499. Now the entry price into a respectable performing mini is $699 after you pay the additional $100 for 1GB of memory.
macnut222

Friday, March 3, 2006 - 7:38 am · Reply

“That superman screenshot doesn´t look so great to me. Show us a video of it running. (video camera recording video running on the screen) Hmmm….wonder why Apple doesn´t have one on their website to demonstrate it working.”

Do they do that for the iMac or MacBook Pro?
Proof of the pudding...

Friday, March 3, 2006 - 7:45 am · Reply

I may be mistaken, but has Apple EVER show a video of Mac running an application on it’s website? I don’t think so. Why start now? Mags and websites are testing it thoroughly now, so we’ll just have to wait a few days.
maczealot

Friday, March 3, 2006 - 8:09 am · Reply

I am too skeptical to believe the report of just one person to convince me that that the mini is capable of functioning without degradation of performance. Besides, without knowing the amount of system RAM; and number, type, and version of programs running simultaneously one really has no clue how to interpret the results. That is, without pushing the limits of the mini one cannot know the “true performance capacity”.
Elgato got your tongue?

Friday, March 3, 2006 - 8:31 am · Reply

How about getting an EyeTV 500 and telling us if that works, now?

To the person who asked if there is a market for this – YES! It is one of the largest new markets for new computers/media devices on the planet. Home Theater is the largest expanding market there is – some people actually spend upwards of $100,000 on good home theater, so using a Mac Mini in a smaller room of the house is chump change.

Imagine a Mini connected to a multi-terabyte media server where all of your DVDs and 10,000+ songs reside and then have the ability for that same device to record and playback High-Def TV. I alread have this in place with a Microsoft Media Center and an Xbox 360, but if the mini can record and playback HD, then I would be tempted to use that setup instead and put the 360 back on game duty.

With the Mini, I could easily equal MCE for videos and music playback, plus I could actually let my wife load an iPod with the Mini, not just play songs through it – and she could use iTunes as the main music repository – currently, she buys songs on the PowerBook, we burn to CD, then transfer to the MCE. The Mini would shortcut a lot of this.

If the EyeTV 500 works, the Mini may start flying off the shelves.
evil monkey

Friday, March 3, 2006 - 8:46 am · Reply

I miss MACDUDE where is he?
macnut222

Friday, March 3, 2006 - 9:18 am · Reply

“Besides, without knowing the amount of system RAM; and number, type, and version of programs running simultaneously one really has no clue how to interpret the results.”

It has 512 MB Ram, as the article itself says. Also, I think we can assume Safari is running, what else? Who knows.

To Jeff: The Mac mini uses a MAX of 80 MB of your system memory.

http://www.macworld.com/weblogs/editors/2006/03/miniboger/index.php (read fourth paragraph).
maczealot

Friday, March 3, 2006 - 9:35 am · Reply

“Also, I think we can assume Safari is running, what else? Who knows.”

I prefer facts to speculation, marketing quotes, and shoulder shrugs. Please note the conjunction “and” in my previous post. More than one indepdendent observer is needed to provide a real and objective analysis.
bradychase

Friday, March 3, 2006 - 9:38 am · Reply

Hey “Elgato got your tongue?” I’ve been using a month old minimac to do just that. I have the EVE TV 500. I recorded a 2.5 hour long documentary on Helen of Troy off PBS HD a couple of night ago, my mini didn’t miss a beat, my record and display specs are set for 1080i. Now granted my minimac has the 1.5 Ghz G4 processor and seperate dedicated video ram. Other post on this site routinely point out the higher speed bus and memory of the new Intel Mini as well as the dual core. You should be no worse off with the new dual core mini the only question is wether the EYE TV software is optomized for a dual core.