Is the minimac good for a beginner?

You could hook up your mac mini onto your TV, however, unless the TV was HD, you’d end up getting some nasty eyestrain after a while. The one thing I remember about WebTVish products is that they fiddle with the fonts to make it easier for people to read.

I have to say, though, that my father just switched over from a PC to a mac, and he’s loving it so far.

Thanks Andrew

How do you know if it’s HD?

Is your TV a large widescreen TV you’ve purchased in last few years? If no, then it’s not.

You’re better off getting a cheap-o monitor, or, even better, just buying an iMac.

The TV is probably not HD and the imac may be what I get, but I do so love to explore the internet in the evenings and a larger screen is easier to view for me. I know I can find a flat panel TV quite reasonably. So then the mac mini should work fine?

Any recommendations on an internet source for monitors?

That’s a good follow-up question for Fluther. Ask a new one!

We have a Mac mini as part of our entertainment system. We could use it to play DVDs, iTunes music and video, and watch Web-based content (hulu, comedy central, ...). We are also about to try Netflix downloads. It was connected to an old standard CRT, and it was very difficult to use as a computer. Now it’s hooked up to an HD LCD, and it looks amazing.

Thanks SimpleD, That’s what I want to do. When I get it set up I’ll contact you for more advise. This website rocks!