Lion updated to 10.7.1 – fixes annoying HDMI issue

In a recent post, I proclaimed that Lion was the perfect OS for a Mac mini Media Center (MmMC). Today apple fixes an annoying audio issue that relates to the HDMI audio:

Resolves an issue that may cause system audio to stop working when using HDMI or optical audio out.

I recently observed this issue while running Plex on my MmMC and I attributed this bug to Plex, not the OS. For the life of me, I couldn’t figure it out. My short term fix was a reboot – very inconvenient. Turns out this was a Lion bug! Who’d a thunk it. So if you are running your own MmMC, visit  | Software Update... to get the latest update for Lion and apply the fix.

Google+ invites free to good home

If you would like an invite, post an interesting comment below. Interesting means your comment is more than a “give me one” statement. Share an interesting tip, trick, quote or suggestion. Be sure to add your Google ID so I can send you the invite. As of today, I have about 148 invites left. 100 of those are for readers of Doc’s Tech Notes and I’ll reserve the other for family and friends. This is first come and first serve. Again, only interesting posts will receive the invite so make them pithy folks. Let the comments begin! 

If you are interested, you can follow my public Google+ posts without joining by clicking here.

Lion is the perfect Mac mini Media Center OS

In this next post related to converting a Mac mini into a Mac mini Media Center (MmMC), I want to share what I discovered once I upgraded to OS X Lion and why I consider Lion to be the perfect OS for my MmMC. You can read my thoughts after hitting the link below.

Mac Mini to MMMC Unboxing

Last night I unpacked the Mac Mini I purchased from Amazon and connected it to our Sony Bravia 55” HDTV. After hitting the link below, you’ll find images from that unpacking (in all their exciting glory) along with some notes that might be useful for folks with a limited technical background who are also converting a Mac Mini into a Mac Mini Media Center (MMMC).

MMMC Software Downloads

The Mac Mini is still in the box. Once I break it out, the first step will be to upgrade it to OS X Lion. In the mean time, I am downloading several software packages and placing them in a Dropbox folder so I’ll have quick access once Dropbox is installed on the MMMC. Below is a screen shot of my selection so far with Boxee my planned main interface. Any other software recommendations?

Mac Mini to the Media Center Rescue

In a previous post I discussed a recent downgrade of our Dish Network services to reduce overall household monthly costs. At the end of the post there is mention of my desire to purchase a Mac Mini to function as a media server and provide access to the world of quality online content that is available to replace the missing channels from our Dish Network subscription.

I am happy to announce that the delivery of that Mac Mini by FedEx. I chose the previous generation Mac Mini (see image). I did not purchase the new model as it does not include a SuperDrive (DVD/CD). We have a large collection of DVDs and while I could rip them on another machine and then transfer them, that’s a process that just sounds painful and time consuming. It is much faster to just pop in a DVD and enjoy. Besides, the primary use for this machine is to stream online content – all of it and not just the limited content available on the AppleTV and Roku devices.


I will soon begin converting this Mac Mini into a Mac Mini Media Center (MMMC) that can be “easily” used by anyone in the household. Can you actually make a MMMC into a family friendly device? That is what I hope to find out and I will document the process and my progress. As I make adjustments and discover new software, I’ll share those experiences as well.

To follow along, subscribe to Doc’s Tech Notes. There will be numerous posts as I create and tweak the MMMC and I have created the label “mmmc” so that the series of posts can be viewed on a single page. As you follow along, I do hope you will add your questions or your own ideas/experiences to help me create the ultimate family friendly MMMC. Hopefully, at the end, I will have a guide that anyone can follow to create their own easy to use MMMC. The ultimate goal for this project is to say “Hasta la vista, baby!” to all satellite and cable providers. I have a year. Let the games begin.