Apple TV confusion..

flogen

One thing that got a little over looked in all the iPhone hype was details on iTV, or Apple TV as it's now called.

The thing is, I'm failing to see the use in it, so maybe I'm missing something.
I know it'll use new wifi standards to stream video & audio from up to 5 computers to your TV, which is fair enough if you have loads of video content on your computers (which I don't really have), but is that it?
I've seen people compare it to a TiVo, but wouldn't that imply that it can record programming from your analogue/digital connection (a la Sky+), or that it does the whole smart recording thing like TiVo does?

Is it a DVR as well as a streaming device? Just trying to figure out what else it does (as if it just streams video to a TV I'd rather just run a cable from my PC to my TV - it'd be a lot cheaper and not that messy at all).

aidan_walsh

Is it a DVR as well as a streaming device?

No, its not. Its simply for playing content from (the next version of) iTunes on your widescreen TV. As far as I can see, it doesn't support the majority of television sets out there well. Even from the Apple TV homepage...

Apple TV brings iTunes to the big screen.

* Widescreen TV
* Mac or PC
* iTunes 7.1 or later
* Wired or wireless network
* HDMI cable or
* Component video cables and analog audio cables or optical audio cable

Not entirely sure its worth it, at least until the movie store opens up in Ireland, IMO.

Dr_Teeth

Yeah.. tbh for a little more cash you could buy a Mac Mini and plug that into your TV instead! I think that would be a much more flexible/powerful solution.

jester77

I think it's a pretty usless device. It doesn't appear capable of streaming from an NAS server, only from a client PC and only one that has an i-tunes library. You might as well just connect the PC directly to the TV. Very disappointed by it. I was hoping it could stream from an NAS server and cut out the need for a PC in the middle! Maybe the next Mac Mini will do what I'm looking for!

flogen

Dr_Teeth wrote:

Yeah.. tbh for a little more cash you could buy a Mac Mini and plug that into your TV instead! I think that would be a much more flexible/powerful solution.

Very true - would be a far more worthwhile investment from what I can see, even if the iTunes movie store was available in Ireland.

Certainly lacks the "must have" appeal that seems to come with many new product lines from Apple HQ - I'll stick to pining for an iMac/macbook/mini mac for the time being (until I buy one, I mean!)

Dont be at yourself

If the next version of iTunes is able to offer proper support for my library of divx movies etc, I probably will look into getting it. Install TED on your PC/Mac and you've got yourself an automatically updating, personalised TV/Movies/Music/Photo on-demand system under your telly for €299, not bad.

Chardee MacDennis

apple said it will only play what the ipod plays, ie no divx.

see ars technica for more cons to this device

http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2007/1/9/6543

although the way they answered the question has made me think iTunes 7.1 and iPod software update could make divx playable on both. otherwise this is a limited device and as Dr_Teeth said may as well spend a bit more and buy a mac mini.

also where the hell are our movies in the iTS?!?!

uncle_sam_ie

Ya sure, you could just do much the same with a Mac Mini, but for the average joe the Apple TV will be a lot simpler to setup and use. They'll have to get video content onto the Irish iTunes store though or it wont do well. As far as divx goes, all you need to do is convert the file and then stick into itunes. It's really just an big iPod for the TV.

uncle_sam_ie

#Elites wrote:

You cant import videos onto iTunes, so you have to BUY eveything on itunes if you wanna watch it Ireland can't even buy tv shows/movies yet..

Yes you can. Just use Handbrake or iSquint to convert the file.

Dr_Teeth

uncle_sam_ie wrote:

Ya sure, you could just do much the same with a Mac Mini, but for the average joe the Apple TV will be a lot simpler to setup and use.

I don't think so. Remember that the AppleTV only works when another Mac has been set-up to stream content to it, what's the difference between setting up that desktop Mac and just setting up a Mac Mini plugged into the TV?

The announcement I most wanted to see at MW2007 was a rev to the Mini - better graphics card, Core 2 Duo etc. Damn it! I think I might just get one anyway, and upgrade it myself later..

aidan_walsh

Dr_Teeth wrote:

I don't think so. Remember that the AppleTV only works when another Mac has been set-up to stream content to it, what's the difference between setting up that desktop Mac and just setting up a Mac Mini plugged into the TV?

The announcement I most wanted to see at MW2007 was a rev to the Mini - better graphics card, Core 2 Duo etc. Damn it! I think I might just get one anyway, and upgrade it myself later..

No-one at Apple said anything about needing a Mac, just iTunes 7.1.

According to the Apple TV website, you sync with the Apple TV in the same way that you do with the iPod, so iTunes will already know how to connect to it.

Cabaal

imho a modded X-Box running X-Box Media Center does almost everything the apple tv does with the big exceptions of wireless and hd content as it only has a 733Mhz CPU sadly

K.O.Kiki

Cabaal wrote:

imho a modded X-Box running X-Box Media Center does almost everything the apple tv does with the big exceptions of wireless and hd content as it only has a 733Mhz CPU sadly

.... it doesn't have wireless sync with up to 5 computers, nor (near?) HD content... thus making it a TOTALLY DIFFERENT SETUP!!

Honestly, how hard is it to see that comparing it to an AppleTV is like comparing oranges to apples? Plus, modding an Xbox is a hassle the average consumer will not put up with -- us tech-freaks maybe, but not Joe Shmoe! Joe wants his setup to be 1-2-3-done! Which the AppleTV appears to be:

1. Plug in AppleTV
2. Install iTunes & fill up library
3. Sync AppleTV with iTunes library or libraries
4. Play!

#Elites wrote:

stupid q: how do you select something etc? what does it look like when its on the tv?

It seems to be a version of Front Row (should be stuff in its section on the Apple site).

Dr_Teeth

I think I'm going to go with:

1. Plug in Mac Mini
2. Setup any library, any media-type
3. Play!

Cabaal

Dr_Teeth wrote:

I think I'm going to go with:

1. Plug in Mac Mini
2. Setup any library, any media-type
3. Play!

Indeed, much more options with a mac mini.

While the AppleTV is nice its just not amazing and is no better then tv-out from a macbook or imac to a TV and running frontrow imho

jester77

Dr_Teeth wrote:

I think I'm going to go with:

1. Plug in Mac Mini
2. Setup any library, any media-type
3. Play!

That's what I'm looking for as well. Looking for something to replace my aging MCE box. MCE is too fiddly for me but does everything I need and plays all my movie formats. Apple don't have anything yet that I can replace it with. Will prob do it near the end of this year so I'll either be building a new Vista MCE or getting a Mac mini if it exists and does what I want! Hope it's the latter!

aFlabbyPanda

why a mac mini, there a loads of media streaming devices out there at the moment that are cheaper then buying a mac mini. but I agree that the iTv is pretty useless at the moment, in this country anyway. and the lack of divx support rules it out completely

uncle_sam_ie

BrianjG wrote:

and the lack of divx support rules it out completely

Again, all you need to do is convert the file to get it to work.

aFlabbyPanda

uncle_sam_ie wrote:

Again, all you need to do is convert the file to get it to work.

I'm not going to convert 150Gb's of divx files. there just isnt enough to attract people

Bunnyhopper

Fair point, BrianjG. It should be able to play on the TV screen anything that you can play on the screen of the Mac (or PC) you're using.

I think it's of pretty limited use here as long as the iTMS doesn't allow movie and TV downloads. Even then, a 40GB HD seems a bit stingy - you're going to end up needing a huge backup drive. DVR would be nice, too: maybe Elgato or Miglia will step up with something if Apple doesn't.

On the point of needing a new AirPort to stream from the computer, I think the newer iMacs, MBs and MBPs have the hardware to run the new WiFi standard but whether or not they'll be able actually to do it in practice is another thing.

Dr_Teeth

BrianjG wrote:

why a mac mini, there a loads of media streaming devices out there at the moment that are cheaper then buying a mac mini. but I agree that the iTv is pretty useless at the moment, in this country anyway. and the lack of divx support rules it out completely

For me, I plan it being my all in one media viewer / home server / torrent downloader etc. box so I'd like a "full" computer. Plus, it's small and cute and runs OSX.

jkb_dub

I'm actually quite interested in this device as it has HDMI output. I am looking to have multiple TV's all connected to my devices (SKY HD, DVD, Mac Mini etc etc). I'm planning on using HDMI cables to each TV and this will a) save me having to distribute the signal from the mac mini and run a separate DVI/audio cable to each TV or b) convert the mac mini outputs to HDMi via a DVI to HMDI converter with audio and then distribute. While functionally the Apple TV could be a whole lot more it could serve a purpose for distributing to multiple TV's.

Luckily enough I've everything stored in iTunes using Handbrake already...

falteringstar

What exactly is the point in the HD outputs... does iTunes even sell HD content?

K.O.Kiki

falteringstar wrote:

What exactly is the point in the HD outputs... does iTunes even sell HD content?

Higher video quality than composite video. I thought that one was easy
I think I remember Apple saying they'd be selling "near-DVD quality" 640x480 (or whatever the widescreen equivalent is) video in the near future.

Bunnyhopper wrote:

Even then, a 40GB HD seems a bit stingy - you're going to end up needing a huge backup drive.

quick point: the drive is for storing media during streaming only -- it's not a DVR; it accesses your iTunes libraries.

Bunnyhopper

Bunnyhopper wrote:

On the point of needing a new AirPort to stream from the computer, I think the newer iMacs, MBs and MBPs have the hardware to run the new WiFi standard but whether or not they'll be able actually to do it in practice is another thing.

Further to this see Appleinsider's report on unlocking charges for 808.11n here.

K.O.Kiki wrote:

quick point: the drive is for storing media during streaming only -- it's not a DVR; it accesses your iTunes libraries.

Exactly - so the media itself is going to be taking up a huge chunk of your computer's hard drive. I wonder will it be possible to connect an external HD direct to the AppleTV (rather than connecting it to the Mac and having to run everything from external HD to Mac to AirPort to AppleTV, which seems a bit pointless). I guess there comes a point where you just buy a Mini and be done with it, right?

K.O.Kiki

Bunnyhopper wrote:

Exactly - so the media itself is going to be taking up a huge chunk of your computer's hard drive. I wonder will it be possible to connect an external HD direct to the AppleTV (rather than connecting it to the Mac and having to run everything from external HD to Mac to AirPort to AppleTV, which seems a bit pointless). I guess there comes a point where you just buy a Mini and be done with it, right?

Nope; the USB port looks like it's for "servicing only".
I actually have no idea what they mean by servicing, though.

BTW, the setup would be

• external HDD
  to
• Mac
  to
• AppleTV

since Macs have wireless built-in
I'm just wondering if the AppleTV can access a Mac which is in power-saving/sleep mode.

Dont be at yourself

If this lack of support for codecs is true, it will really cripple the device. I wonder if it will support any codecs that are installed as plugins on the mac's quicktime app, ala Front Row?