I've got a headless 867MHz model that I'm turning into a TV box. It seems to be alright for most things, so far. Too bad there isn't a lightweight, modern video player for OS 9, like CCCP for Windows...
Anyway, MPlayer Extended, VLC, and Perian are pretty good at playing a video decently under Tiger, when I find which one wants to play nice. mkvs can be troublesome, particularly if they're hi-def because, as much as I love the PowerPC 7400 series, they're a bit out of their league when it comes to decoding that stuff. At least, with the software available for them. But hey, at least it'll play the vids without transcoding or anything, which is a far sight better than the XBox 360 or PS3.
Mine has a combo drive, though, and since it's a Matsushita drive, it hates life. Specifically, it hates burned DL DVDs. I cleaned the hell out of it by disassembling the laser pickup assembly and removing bits of broken epoxy from the lens focusing assembly, so at least it works for the single-layer burned DVDs and stuff now, and will occasionally read a burned DL disc.
... yeah, the epoxy was the original adhesive used to hold the case together. For some reason, Apple thought it would be a good idea to use a weak glue with migratory tendencies to keep these things in one piece. I haven't tried to see if the epoxy shards are electrically conductive yet or not, but they sure as hell love magnets. I use JB Weld to replace whatever that cheap stuff is, because JB Weld is non-conductive, non-magnetic, and has a very high tensile strength. I highly recommend that stuff.
Anyway, MPlayer Extended, VLC, and Perian are pretty good at playing a video decently under Tiger, when I find which one wants to play nice. mkvs can be troublesome, particularly if they're hi-def because, as much as I love the PowerPC 7400 series, they're a bit out of their league when it comes to decoding that stuff. At least, with the software available for them. But hey, at least it'll play the vids without transcoding or anything, which is a far sight better than the XBox 360 or PS3.
Mine has a combo drive, though, and since it's a Matsushita drive, it hates life. Specifically, it hates burned DL DVDs. I cleaned the hell out of it by disassembling the laser pickup assembly and removing bits of broken epoxy from the lens focusing assembly, so at least it works for the single-layer burned DVDs and stuff now, and will occasionally read a burned DL disc.
... yeah, the epoxy was the original adhesive used to hold the case together. For some reason, Apple thought it would be a good idea to use a weak glue with migratory tendencies to keep these things in one piece. I haven't tried to see if the epoxy shards are electrically conductive yet or not, but they sure as hell love magnets. I use JB Weld to replace whatever that cheap stuff is, because JB Weld is non-conductive, non-magnetic, and has a very high tensile strength. I highly recommend that stuff.