While working on a friend's booklet project, I needed a bigger screen to make navigating through all the pages and programs I was using easier. So, I lugged a spare table into my room, placed it next to the LCD TV, and connected my laptop computer to the TV. This worked great, allowing me to open and see several programs and pages at the same time.

During a break, and because my laptop was connected to the TV anyway, I checked out some videos I had downloaded to my computer. Bam! Shows I once had to watch on my 13-inch computer screen (or worse, my iPhone) were now viewable on my 40-inch LCD TV. I was hooked. I wanted a computer to always be connected to the TV. The next thing on the agenda, then, was to convince my wife that such a setup was a necessity.

Luckily, my birthday was just around the corner—time to campaign for a computer; specifically, a Mac Mini. So, I subtly hinted to the wife and kids (grown and working) that it would be neat to get a Mac Mini for my birthday instead of the usual underwear and T-shirts. (OK, I just told them what I wanted.) Everybody asked why I needed another computer, so I had to explain my grand plan: a Mac Mini media center, a media setup that could play my movies and music, view my photos, and allow me to view videos streaming from the Internet all in one system.

Well, to say the least, the campaign was a success and I got the Mac Mini on my birthday. Over the next couple of days, my loving wife let me spend my free time setting up our new media center. Now, everything is right in my world. Well, at least in my bedroom. Below is how I did it.

SETTING UP MAC MINI

After connecting the Mac Mini to the TV and Wi-fi network, I started transferring my music, photos (mostly of my dog Kuma), videos (of Kuma) and converted movies from my laptop DVD collection to my brand spanking new media center. I then placed each file into its corresponding folder: music, videos, movies, etc. Putting these files in the right place allowed me to access them with the Mac Mini's Front Row program.

FRONT ROW

Front Row is the media center software made for Macs. With this program and the Apple remote, I can play or run iPhoto, iTunes and the computer's DVD player from the comfort of my bed. Front Row has a simple interface (shown below), similar to the one you see on your iPod. The controls on the Apple remote are also comparable to the iPod (below). Once I activated the program, I was able to scroll through and play my music, movies and videos, and view photos. SUPAAA!

WATCHING ONLINE

Another great way to watch videos is by streaming them from the Internet. With my Mac Mini setup I am always connected to the Internet via Wi-fi, allowing me to access various sites that stream videos. Sites like YouTube, Hulu, Netflix and the major studio sites (CBS, NBC and ABC), let you watch programs for free with little commercial interruption. To view these videos, all I have to do is log in to the site using my keyboard and mouse, like you would on any computer. The only difference is your screen is now 40 inches, which is the only way to watch that funny YouTube video. Oh yeah!

Sources: jannachan.com, madehow.com, wikipedia.org