[quote author=“DaiMac”]I bought an AppleTV despite the fact that it replicates the functions of other devices I own. My old G4 tower has basically been serving this function already, and in theory the xbox 360 could be used as a video conduit to my 46in DLP, but I know this is going to be a good product.
I was skeptical before I knew it had a Hard Drive. Once I saw that I was going to store.apple.com once every 2 min until it came back up so I could give them my Visa number I forsee that people will have a new, larger HD hacked into it by April at the latest, so even it’s relatively small size doesn’t bother me.
I kinda wish it supported 1080p, but since I haven’t gotten a TV capable of that yet its not too big a deal.
It really doesn’t need a larger hard drive. With its intelligent caching, it always ensures it keeps:
1) new additions
and
2) unwatched
...videos from your iTunes library locally, leaving the rest on your Mac. The whole point is that you don’t NEED to duplicate your files on the aTV. It keeps 95% of what you’re most likely to watch locally, and then accesses the rest from your Mac’s iTunes as-and-when necessary. A far more sensible arrangement, and one which ensures that however many aTVs you might have in the house, they can all access the same content from your central iTunes library. It also keeps costs down by allowing a smaller hard drive to be used in the device itself.
I think its a genius implementation.
As for 1080p, well I’m sure future versions will support it, as and when there’s any actual need for it
It really doesn’t need a larger hard drive. With its intelligent caching, it always ensures it keeps:
1) new additions
and
2) unwatched
...videos from your iTunes library locally, leaving the rest on your Mac. The whole point is that you don’t NEED to duplicate your files on the aTV. It keeps 95% of what you’re most likely to watch locally, and then accesses the rest from your Mac’s iTunes as-and-when necessary. A far more sensible arrangement, and one which ensures that however many aTVs you might have in the house, they can all access the same content from your central iTunes library. It also keeps costs down by allowing a smaller hard drive to be used in the device itself.
I think its a genius implementation.
As for 1080p, well I’m sure future versions will support it, as and when there’s any actual need for it
Well obviously I’m not planning to put my whole video library on it, but especially with HD stuff it would be nice to have a bit more elbow room than 40gb. I was thinking 80 or 120, not anything extreme. Thats what the TB SATA raid in my Intel Box is for
Also, I’m anticipating that there might be a need to hack around or in the software to play some content, I’m really hoping that Apple will prove me wrong.
And hey, I NEED 1080p man, I NEEEEED it *junkie cough*. Not really, but then 3 years ago I didn’t think I needed 1080i, and now I know better.
Well, I’ve got 1080p. But I get at least 90% of the movie experience with upsampled SD. I think Apple have correctly identified that if they stay away from 1080p, Hollywood can license Apple to distribute, and keep their HD DRM paranoia for a couple more years, and the smaller file sizes can deliver a better consumer experience in everything except ultimate screen resolution.
The BBC have been ordered to ensure this works with all platforms, not just Windows. How they’ll do that is anyone’s guess, as there is no DRM-equivalent on OS X outside of AAC-protected (Fairplay) which Apple have so far refused to license to anyone. How about RealPlayer perhaps? Ugh, horrid I know. A solution - some kind of co-operation - with Apple that would permit downloads into iTunes would be just perfect. Given that the BBC is a publicly-funded body and not a commercial organisation, I wonder if Apple might choose to be a little more flexible with them and make special provision? Imagine having all the BBC’s content downloadable to iTunes .. the BBC should offer Apple their own back catalogue as paid-for downloads in exchange for Apple agreeing to carry host the BBC’s download service for Macs for a nominal service fee.
I have not ordered yet, but I never order a first edition product. especially from Apple. Nonetheless, the product excites me, and I will get one down the road.
[quote author=“wheeles”]Just to get an idea of the popularity of the Apple TV when it comes to putting your money where your mouth is, here’s a quick poll.
That still doesn’t answer the question of filetype and whether or not there will be DRM since Azureus is basically a P2P service and can deliver any kind of files really. I’ve tried the Mac OS client. It’s pretty slick and very fast, much faster than regular BitTorrent P2P, even on files that are older. Right now it has a mix of material that can be found elsewhere (movie trailers, music videos, fan films, short films, etc.), but with a few distribution agreements they could be a promising outlet for both regular produced and independently produced material.
I have a basic IBM laptop from work, that I take home with me in the evenings and use it for surfing the net and grabbing content from Itunes. I store all my downloaded content on an external harddrive, so I don’t eat up space on my work computer. I’ve considered buying a personal computer for home, but I can’t justify it, because the work laptop works just fine. My company upgrades it roughly every 18 months, no cost to me. I really wanted to be able to stream media content (particulary music videos for when I’m entertaining) to my HDTV, but it was a pain trying to get my work laptop to do the task. Apple TV is my bridge, and I’m counting the days until it ships.
Oh and I know I’ll wind up buying the latest and greatest as they upgrade this product line. I’m on my 3rd Ipod in 4 years, so Apple has me hooked.
When you order your AppleTV, be sure to grab one (or twelve) of the $19.95 XtremeMac HDMI 2-meter cables. And get a DVI-HDMI cable while you’re at it for your PowerBook, MacBook, or Mini. These are a great value. The cheapest HDMI cable I’ve been able to find from a reputable vendor was $26 from WalMart. There’s no reason to buy these things painted pink and plated with platinum. If it connects snuggly and works and has the HDMI logo, they are as good as the most expensive one you can find. Kudos to Apple for not marking these buggers up and padding their margins on them with FUD like most other TV retailers!
P.S. Saw the article here today, and remembered my plan to buy one. It’s ordered and should be here by March 5!
Macrumors is reporting that the Airport Extreme is starting to ship ... and that the Apple TV may be available in stores on Feb 20th ... which is interesting in that coincides with the rumors about a Feb 20th special event.
Haven’t ordered an Apple TV yet… because I blew my disposable income this month on a brand-new widescreen HD TV so I *can* buy an Apple TV. I will also have to buy an 802.11n wi-fi card for my HP Media Center PC. (Any suggestions? One reason I haven’t ordered the Apple TV is I’m not sure if there is a wi-fi solution for the Media Center PC that will work well with it.) Or I’ll have to bribe my electrician nephew to come crawl under my house long enough to run an Ethernet cable from my office to the entertainment center in the family room.
Yes, it’s a lot of expense at once, but I expect Apple is going to make it worth my while in the long run.
[quote author=“GuyMc”]I will also have to buy an 802.11n wi-fi card for my HP Media Center PC. (Any suggestions? One reason I haven’t ordered the Apple TV is I’m not sure if there is a wi-fi solution for the Media Center PC that will work well with it.)
When it comes to 802.11n, chipsets from Atheros seem to be the ones in favour. I’m not entirely sure who these get supplied to, but I think D-Link is a customer. It’s probably a good idea to do some research on this.
Regarding current results of the poll, there continues to be an even split across Yes, No and Maybe. I think this is encouraging as I am fairly confident that roughly 50% of the Maybes will get one at some point.
I have been anticipating this device for a few years and can’t wait to get both of them installed (I ordered two). Apple TV solves my problem with controlling iTunes remotely. Now I can access my large library of ripped CD’s and DVD’s from the comfort of my couch, or anywhere else in the house (within IR site/range of course). Although I would have liked to see DVR capability for TV, I already own an eyeTV which does a great job of recording HDTV content over the air. Can you imagine complete seasons of current shows like Lost, in HD, browsed in by remote??!!
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I forsee that people will have a new, larger HD hacked into it by April at the latest, so even it’s relatively small size doesn’t bother me.
.. the BBC should offer Apple their own back catalogue as paid-for downloads in exchange for Apple agreeing to carry host the BBC’s download service for Macs for a nominal service fee.
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