[G4] Using a Mac as a Media Server

[RICHARD NORTHOUSE]

Thanks Rich

On Feb 12, 2010, at 12:18 PM, Richard Klein wrote:

> On Fri, Feb 12, 2010 at 12:53 PM, RICHARD NORTHOUSE
> <rnorthouse at wi.rr.com> wrote:
>>
>> a) I am currently loading my 300+ music Cd's from a Pioneer  
>> jukebox  to the
>> hard drive via iTunes. That seems to be going well -- however after  
>> I finish
>> loading these CD's -- what is the best technology to interface my  
>> Mac to my
>> surround amplifier?  The amp has the usual set of inputs -- analog  
>> RCA jacks
>> [ Red(right audio), White(left audio) and Yellow for video]; S-jacks;
>> digital coax(RCA jack); and optical(special plug).  Am I right in  
>> assuming
>> that either digital (coax or optical) input should give better  
>> performance
>> than the older analog technology?  But how do I connect the Mac to  
>> this
>> amplifier?  Do I need a sound card?  If so which one?
>
> I just ran an 1/8" to RCA cable from the headphone jack on the back of
> my QS2002 to the RCA inputs on the amp, but I'm not an audiophile.
>
>> b) After I get the music interfaced, I would then like to tackle  
>> the video.
>> I have similar questions -- How do I get from the Mac to the  
>> amplifier. Can
>> I use the Mac for high definition ?  Again, how do I connect the  
>> Mac to the
>> HD jacks on an amplifier or TV set?  What interface do I need for  
>> this task?
>
> My TV has lots of inputs: composite video, component video, S-video,
> DVI, and HDMI.  The video card (ATI 64MB, but I forget if it's a
> Radeon or pre-Radeon) has ADC and DVI outputs, so I used a DVI cable
> to connect my Mac to the TV.
>
>> c)  I would also like the Mac to be able to acquire TV signals and
>> distribute them to the amplifier and TV -- back to the high def  
>> question!
>
> A USB tuner would probably be the easiest solution, but your Mac
> probably only has USB 1.1 ports, which probably aren't fast enough for
> TV, so you might want to get a USB2.0 PCI card for your Mac.
>
> I've been meaning to post a question about using my G4 as a media
> server, so I'll tack my question onto this thread:
> When I hooked my QS2002 up to the TV I imagined using it to stream
> Netflix and Hulu to my TV, but streaming Flash video on this computer
> is slow and jerky.  Is there anything I can do to speed up Flash video
> on my QS2002?  It's kind of jerky on my FW800 with a Radeon 9800 Pro
> video card, too, so I don't think upgrading the video card is the
> answer.
>
> -- 
> Rich
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