On Jan 13, 2005, at 10:08 PM, Stephen Jonke wrote:
On Jan 13, 2005, at 6:06 PM, Garry Hamblin wrote:Give 'em the software they don't have and leave off the peripherals which they probably already own.
I agree that the Mac mini is a very nice system and a good value, but one very strange shortcoming, given that they are targeting this at Windows users in addition to current Mac users, is the lack of support in the box for a PS/2 keyboard and mouse - most Windows users have them in that form, not USB. Apple could have included a PS/2 to USB adapter in the box (presuming these work with the Mac, which I'm not sure about) or at the very least offered it as a pay-for option, right in the main list of options (currently it is not an option anywhere on the Apple store.) While buying a new keyboard and mouse is not a huge expense by any means, this is still a needless obstacle for those thinking of switching. It just doesn't make any sense to me that they wouldn't have considered this. Oh well. Otherwise this is a great little box, and I'm talking theoretically here anyway, as I'm not a Windows user.
On a different note, another thing I really wish the Mac mini did have, and that I would definitely use if it were available, is an s-video out port. I currently have a 400 MHz iMac G3 DV slot-loader that I use for a music box hooked up to my stereo - it's a great stereo component. I really wanted to use it for video too, but I bought a VGA-to-Video adapter and found the picture quality to be truly horrendous - nothing at all like I see from the s-video port on my PowerBook. That VGA-to-Video box was a waste of money and I gave up on that idea, but still would like to have this capability (also for playing MacMAME on the TV!) If the Mac mini had s-video out I'd definitely buy one. Then you could in theory even just plug it into the TV, no computer monitor at all, and use it as a set top box of sorts - it would fit right on top of the TV! Alas, there's no s-video out. End of story, I guess, unless there is some way to get good quality s-video out of the DVI port. ???
Steve
I agree about the s-video, Steve. I wanted to import a bunch of movies into my Mac from VHS tapes, playing them from a VCR through a Miglia DV converter box connected to one of the Mac's firewire ports, and I quickly discovered as you did that the regular video in and outputs didn't give near the quality video of s-video. But just try to find a VCR with s-video in and out! After a long search locally, I discovered one electronics store in town that had a JVC model VCR with s-video both in and out, and I bought two of them (the Miglia box can feed two VCRs at once when I output to tape). I'm able to transfer good quality video that way.
I guess VCR manufacturers figure most people are happy with inferior video, or don't know any better, so they leave off the s-video option to cut costs and be more competitive. I have no idea why s-video is so superior, but the proof is in the puddin' as they say.
Tom
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