Mac Mini, market launch II?

The Mac Mini can fit into a lot of roles, but the one that has been getting the most buzz is one it isn't quite up to.  Yet.

Practically since the moment the Mac Mini was announced, the online Macintosh communities have been ablaze with commentary from people who'd like to use one of these suckers as a DVR and A/V hub. From DealMac to AVSForum to PVRBlog, there's a sizeable cohort of tech-savvy folks who look at the Mini-Mac and say, "That belongs right next to my friggin' huge HDTV."

Unfortunatley for all those folks (myself included), the Mini just isn't built for that task. The hard drive is too small and too slow (it's just a 4200 rpm laptop drive), and the video card and G4 processor don't have the horsepower to play back HD video. The current models of Minis are designed to be either second computers for Mac owners, or first Macs for Windows users who're fed up with Microsoft and want to see how the other side lives.

But.  That's just the first model.  Who's to say there won't be an A/V Mini coming down the pipe from Cupertino in the future?

Read the whole post -- lots of interesting technical details are provided.