With the new Apple iMac and Front Row software (see this page for a demo), the video iPod, video sales of TV shows on iTunes, and Quicktime’s MPEG4 encoding/decoding abilities (giving small file sizes of high quality video), Apple is finally stepping hard into the video distribution market as predicted. With the iMac’s built in camera and remote control, it really does look as though it’s becoming an ideal living room PC. It’s powerful too, suggesting its ability to decode High Definition video has been considered. Shhh, nobody show Kim. It really does look like a superb media hub, with great communication abilities.
Most importantly, now I can connect the iMac to my home theatre surround sound system via the built in optical out. Oh great, thanks Apple, great timing. Just as I almost finish building my HTPC you bring out a Mac that’ll do everything I want probably better than my PC. But wait, what’s this? No DVI output for connecting my plasma TV? VGA is not acceptable these days. I’m guessing that it’s still not possible to map the video output to the exact pixel dimensions of widescreen TVs either. This seems a bit of a large ommission to me, what with the huge number of flatscreen HD-ready displays being pushed on consumers these days. OK, I’ll stick with my PC for living room media. It will cost me about £800 less than the new iMac, and it’s more configurable. Plus, I can’t imagine I’ll ever buy TV programmes from iTunes when I’ve got Sky+. Do many people pay for things they could also get for free?
If you’re buying a new computer, look at the iMac. If you’re looking for a Home Theatre PC, wait a bit longer if you want a Mac to do the job.
