Guide to Using Your Mac as an HTPC (Home Theater PC)

Using Your Mac In Your Home Theater

Your Mac can be the center of your home theater, essentially turning your computer into an HTPC (Home Theater PC). Once you have your Mac, your TV, and your multi-channel receiver all hooked up, you're ready to share all of the multimedia content stored on your Mac. You can watch your home movies, check out your iTunes video collection, or just browse the web on a really big screen. And don't forget: games can be an entirely new playing experience on a huge TV.

Want to get connected and make the best use of your Mac and HDTV? Just follow our list of guides below.

2 kids watching a movie
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Connect Your Mac to Your HDTV

This is the newest version of our guide to connecting your Mac to your TV. It includes information for connecting Macs with Mini DisplayPorts, as well as how to troubleshoot a picture that refuses to appear on your TV.

Getting Surround Sound From Your Mac to Your AV Receiver Using VLC

Your home theater probably isn't just the TV. To make the most out of your setup, you need to configure your Mac to use the surround sound system and take full advantage of your hardware.

How to Copy DVDs to Your Mac Using HandBrake

You may have good, legal reasons to copy your DVD collection to your Mac. Maybe you're worried your kids will wear out their favorite disc. You can also use this technique to digitize your library and transfer it to your iTunes library, where you can keep it backed up without worrying about physical media.

Using an iMac as an External Display

With the proper accessories, you can use the 27-inch iMac as a second monitor for another computer. Use this feature to watch movies on a bigger screen when an HDTV isn't available. Check out this guide to find out which ports, cables, and adapters you need to increase your screen size.

Apple TV

Apple's small but powerful set-top box lets you watch your iTunes collection, stream your Apple Music collection, and look at your photos wirelessly. You can also mirror a display from any Mac device that uses the same Apple ID. Check out this guide to setting up the Apple TV to see one of the quickest ways to get media from your Mac to the biggest screen in your house.

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