Apple on a Boat thread

[Turtlesboat]

Ok, since there seems to be enough Mac freaks here. I think we should have a dedicated thread.

I'm planning on putting a mac mini on the boat over the next few months. Gary linked me to a 12v power supply. here's the thread about touch screen and 12v power supply
http://blog.shofr.com/2007/corvette/mac-mini-meets-corvette-pre-installation/

I know Gary also has a wifi antenna on his boat. wondering about incorporating a long range high gain wifi antenna for the mac mini.

Right now i'm only concentrating on 1 screen for entertainment and info in the cabin. maybe expand to a second screen at the helm, but i thought i'd focus on 1 for now.

Goal is HDTV with an elgato USB type device, there are a few manufacturers that make compatible units too. feed it with Glowjunk switcher and antenna. Antenna for over the air HDTV and cable at the dock.

itunes music, video rentals, buying movies, ripped DVD's etc...

playing DVD's with the built in DVD drive.

wireless keyboard/mouse, remote control.

LCD screen. 12v power may or may not be touch screen.

Navigation software and weather tracking

For work: remote access to work computers. Long distant calling via bluetooth headset.

control computer from iphone via network.

webcam hooked up to computer for monitoring boat and chatting with friends and family.


I plan on documenting my buying and installation of these things and pitfalls etc... for this endeavor. Any info, links, opinions, ideas relating to macs on boats are welcome and encouraged. Viva la Mac.

 

[Four Suns]

I've had some experience messing around with using computer systems as home entertainment systems (since about 2003 but with Windows Media Center) along with using a "mounted" computer on the boat so I'll give a few opinions here.

I know Gary also has a wifi antenna on his boat. wondering about incorporating a long range high gain wifi antenna for the mac mini.

There isn't going to be any real "secret sauce" on this if the configuration involves an external marine wi-fi antenna. The details, however, will involve getting to the wi-fi card/antenna connection in the Mac Mini and putting a cable on it with an inline amp then tied to the external antenna. I don't have a Mac Mini but if you check out http://www.mac-pro.com/ they seem to have the pieces to make that happen (other than the antenna). However, I don't think any of the connectors or amps are "mac specific" so other vendors should work just fine.

The one issue you will run into will be with the operational capability of 802.11n because it operates in the 2.4GHz and/or the 5GHz spectrum. All the external marine wi-fi antennas I know about, like at http://www.digitalantenna.com/ are only going to do 2.4GHz and that will limit you to the b/g wi-fi bands. The 802.11n technology has far greater range than b/g so when marine antennas are available for 5GHz, it should be pretty sweeeeeet. There is not wide adoption of the 802.11n yet (as it is not a final spec) so 802.11g is what you'll always get anyway.

Right now I'm only concentrating on 1 screen for entertainment and info in the cabin. maybe expand to a second screen at the helm, but i thought i'd focus on 1 for now.

If you are using a nice LCD type HD TV screen on the inside, you'll be fine. However, I'll warn you about the helm aspect of this. To be anywhere outside, you'll need a sunlight viewable display as regular type of displays (even the ones they put in cars) are not going to work. The other aspect of the helm mounting is it needs to be rugged and waterproof. If you want to put a computer display at the helm, you real need to get a marine display like http://www.nauticomp.com/ or equivalent. The other aspect is I have found that a touch screen is a requirement as you can't use a keyboard or mouse when the boat is bouncing all over the place.

The other thing you'll have to worry about is video/audio distribution and doing that with high-def is not cheap...

Goal is HDTV with an elgato USB type device, there are a few manufacturers that make compatible units too. feed it with Glowjunk switcher and antenna. Antenna for over the air HDTV and cable at the dock.

So now I'll give you my opinion in general about using a computer (Mac, Linux, or PC) as the central point of an entertainment system: Don't do it. I've spent thousands of dollars on multiple systems over the last 5 years trying to make a computer work as the central piece to an entertainment system and I've come to the conclusion it's just not a good idea.

First off, although we are all geeks and don't mind this, most people do not like having to "boot the TV". Bring the average person into a room with an media PC and don't say anything and see if they can figure out how to watch TV.... The collection of hardware and software one needs to even make it work is like a bunch of duct tape holding a TV together. My Windows Media Center PC (the latest one) literally takes 5 minutes from power on till you can watch TV (add another 5 minutes if it has to do an AntiVirus update)... or.. you'll be watching TV and all of a sudden a window will pop up saying a "critical update has to be installed). Just not the TV experience most people want.

The other issue is with digital, premium and HDTV broadcasts. The cable and satellite companies encrypt many of the channels and other than "basic" services, you are not going to be able to view things anyway. You'll need the cable box anyway and to dump out those channels to a computer, it'll have to be done at low resolution. I went and looked at the Elgato stuff and it pretty much confirms that. You can obviously get the HDTV stuff from the Glomax antenna though.

The other thing I've always been annoyed with is the multi-level sound control problem. The computer will have a master sound volume and then each piece of software will have it's own volume control on top of that and they always seem to get messed up.

itunes music, video rentals, buying movies, ripped DVD's etc...

This is why I am excited about the new software for the Apple TV. It's a single function device that can do those things (except ripping DVD's) and doesn't have the clunkiness of a full blown computer. Combine and Apple TV with an H20/DVR DirecTV box, and you have a nice set up. Having a Mac Mini sitting beside that set up and tied into a different input on the screen would be ideal.

playing DVD's with the built in DVD drive.

Does the Mini Mac have a BluRay or HD DVD drive?.... I didn't think it did...

wireless keyboard/mouse, remote control.

You'll need to get an RF based wireless keyboard/trackpad/trackball combination.

LCD screen. 12v power may or may not be touch screen.

See comments above.

Navigation software and weather tracking

This is where computers do well IMO. However, I have a copy of MacENC and it is just not very good. It is definitely not ready as a real-time navigation piece and it is not really good at planning either... It feels like a hack to me.

As far as weather tracking, I assume you mean using the Internet and NOAA or some site that ties into NexRAD radar or something. My XM weather on the boat (WxWorx) only runs on Windows (yuk) but it does a decent job. I wish there was a Mac version out there...

For work: remote access to work computers. Long distant calling via bluetooth headset.

control computer from iphone via network.

webcam hooked up to computer for monitoring boat and chatting with friends and family.


I plan on documenting my buying and installation of these things and pitfalls etc... for this endeavor. Any info, links, opinions, ideas relating to macs on boats are welcome and encouraged. Viva la Mac.

Those things are great for a Mac or any other onboard computer. I guess I've just determined that a computer is a great "supplemental" device for an entertainment system and not a good "primary" device. Same is true for navigational systems. I think I view the dedicated embedded systems cable box/sat box like I do my primary chartplotter... I want to be able to literally hit the power button and it works and it can't get screwed up. Everything else attached to it is gravy.

I can't wait to see what you come up with.

 

[Turtlesboat]

Awesome. Thanks Gary. You are right about the all in one with a computer. I failed 5 years ago trying to do this in my apt for the most part. Now that i'm a little wiser, I'm going to beat my head against a wall again.

Found an interesting card and antenna here

http://www.quickertek.com/products/acard_mini.php

has all of the bands and designed for the mac mini. looks promising but still looking.

 

[Turtlesboat]

I just realized that this is in the wrong area. WESLEY!!!! HELP MOVE ME PLEASE. thanks

 

[Turtlesboat]

thanks.

 

[fc3]

Many years ago, I tried to do something like that. At the time, I was working for a company that sold hardware and software for video processing, animation, editing, and so forth. After a number of brain-storming session with our in-house engineers while at a trade show, (NAB) we decided it was a non-starter. While you can put together something that works, the WAF would be near zero. I thought about doing it again using a Mac and Front Row, but WAF is still way too low.

In short, what Gary said.

Best regards,
Frank C.

P.S.
WAF = Wife Acceptance Factor

 

[Turtlesboat]

well I've been playing around with Automator and it's really easy to write a script and place it on the dock. Clear all the other junk off the dock and put a script that says "TV" . Hit that and a few seconds later the tv pops up. Just have simple icons on the doc that run all the necessary scripts to make it easy. Still playing with it but with a little up front script writing, should make it easy, I hope.

 

[Four Suns]

I got a Mac Mini delivered to the house today....

I'm going to mess around with it and see if I can get it to replace my marine PC...

Mac Geek-fest can now commence.

 

[wish2fish]

let's rap on macs!

 

[Turtlesboat]

well slow start, but a start. I found a 12v TV/monitor 15" for $199 that I bought. Some L brackets to mount the TV to the lazy Susan. This way I can do it in stages. First mount the TV to the L brackets which mount to the pullout swivel shelf. The TV will cover most of the opening to allow storage in the cabinet. Has VGA, HDMI, component, Digital tuner, coax input, and runs off 12V. Let's see if this will work.

 

[Turtlesboat]

well that was a waste of time. drilled the holes in my brackets, mounted them on the tv.... "Why is the TV back flexing so much???? It's flexing.... A LOT". Take the brackets off, hmmm, let me take the back of the TV off and see what's going on. NO BACKING PLATE. Some small tin insert for each screw, the tv is supported by only the thin plastic back. Normally the mount is supported by the frame of the TV, well these aren't. One bounce on chop and that TV is coming down, heck I don't think it would even last the small G-Force getting on plane. Back to the store it goes.... PIECE OF JUNK CHINESE INSIGNIA TV, DON'T GET ONE.

 

[timinfla2]

Mike,
What's the latest here? I'd love to see if you were able to put together a compelling solution as I LOVE my mac.

-T