After getting Apple TVs for all of my family I finally hooked one up in my own home. I realized that with Shared Screen updates in Mavericks, every Mac can be an effective Home Theater PC. If you've cut the cable and live with Macs, then there is no excuse for not having an Apple TV.
In 2009, as the result of an experiment with minimalism, I discovered I could live without TV service and a number of other things that clutter my attic. I also discovered that I cannot live without an Internet connection. I do love watching TV shows and video podcasts, so I bought a Mac mini. It is more expensive than set top boxes and home built HTPCs. It just works out of the box. Apple has really pushed the Mac mini into the role of HTPC by adding HDMI as a primary display output.
I selected the Mac mini after looking at a number of different options. Set top boxes were too limited. I've lived with Boxee on Linux and on Windows and on the Mac mini. It offers a lot, and it requires some fussing to make it work. Apple TV offers fewer options than Boxee. Finally Roku offers fewer options than Apple TV. I haven't used Chromecast yet. It sounds like Apple TV for Android and Google fans, though I have heard some complaints about bugs.
When I got the Mac mini, I was still watching Hulu.com, not to be confused with HuluPlus. I've been on Hulu.com since they first came out. I still remember watching Master and Commander on my laptop in the den through Hulu.com. After the market wars for mobile and TV viewers between Hulu and Boxee, I knew I still needed a full PC in order to enjoy the still available, rarely discussed free Hulu.com content.
The Mac mini offers a lot of variety in viewing online content. Start with the easy. Everything Apple is available on it through iTunes. Podcasts are also available through iTunes. Despite the craziness that was about three years of unusable Podcasts App on the iPhone, Smart Playlists still work great in iTunes. Netflix is available through Safari. Hulu.com is available through Safari. Boxee can run on the Mac mini, but I'm disappointed that the company has put all of their developer efforts to the Boxee Box leaving loyal early adopters to wonder if they will ever again be able to watch their favorite shows through the Boxee interface. CBS.com, A&E, Discovery Channel, and History Channel are all available through Safari, even if they haven't come out with Apps yet. Even Amazon Instant Prime is available through Safari and there is no indication that it will be available on the Apple TV.
For years as I was encouraging my family to get Apple TVs and finally when I bought the boxes for them, I still saw that my Mac mini had more capability than the Apple TV. My two hang ups were Amazon Instant Prime and Hulu.com.
This all ended with Mavericks. Sure I saw in July from WWDC that Apple created an AirPlay capability that allows you to extend your desktop to an Apple TV. It sounded incredible and my mind locked onto the great options that will open up for business conference rooms. (My company still has hard wired projectors with VGA cables routed through the walls and available on the conference room tables. The idea of wirelessly streaming what's on my desktop to what is being projected and allowing multiple people to share without having to toss the cable around the table seems like a dream come true.) I was so focused on the business advantage that I missed entirely the entertainment value.
This weekend while setting up an Apple TV for a friend, I got a chance to wring it out at my house. It wasn't long after I got it set up that I extended my MacBook Air's desktop over AirPlay, moved a new Safari window to the TV and started watching The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Opening a second Safari window and I was able to continue to edit a shared Pages document on iCloud. That's when I realized that I no longer need the Mac mini to provide HTPC capability at home. I can install the Apple TV. It does Apple entertainment better than the Mac, while still open to non-Apple content through Mavericks AirPlay from any Mac.
When I have to return my friend's Apple TV, I'm going to get one for myself. I'll put the Mac mini in the office. It still needs to manage my iTunes Libraries and my iPhoto Albums. I'll be able to AirPlay from it or my MacBook when I need to. I can listen or watch podcasts in My Stations with just the Apple TV.
Mavericks was the final piece in the puzzle to make the Apple TV the only device I need attached to my TV and still get full HTPC capabilities. Thanks Apple!
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