“Apple’s answer to the digital media adapter is finally here. The Apple TV is essentially a stationary, networked iPod that lets you enjoy all of your iTunes digital media (video, audio, and photos) on the wide-screen HDTV and sound system in your living room–rather than the confined screens of your video iPod or your PC. The good news is the $300 Apple TV largely succeeds in bringing iPod-like simplicity and elegance to TV-based network media devices. The bad news is its narrow iTunes-only compatibility severely limits the quantity–and quality–of the video content you can enjoy on your TV,” John P. Falcone reports for CNET Reviews (“Very Good” – 7.7 out of 10).
Falcone reports, “Overall, we’d rate the streaming performance as excellent, and that was even while streaming from an 802.11g laptop… Unfortunately, the excellent streaming performance is offset by a drawback that’s more the fault of iTunes than Apple TV: generally disappointing video quality. Movies and TV shows in iTunes are currently available in what Apple calls ‘near-DVD quality’–a maximum of 640×480.”
“To be clear, none of the video quality problems are necessarily the fault of the Apple TV. It’s the movies and TV shows that you’re buying at the iTunes Store that are falling down. Even with the higher resolution (they were formerly optimized for 320×240), iTunes videos are still optimized for the small screen and the storage capacity of the iPod. And they look fine on that 3.5-inch screen, or even a 15-inch laptop screen. But these same videos just can’t scale up to a 50-inch plasma without suffering. Ideally, Apple will someday begin selling files that are optimized for true DVD resolution (720×480) or even true HD resolution (1280×720), and do so with considerably less compression,” Falcone reports.
Falcone reports, “Apple TV’s huge advantage in the market, compared to the competition, is it’s the only noncomputer networking product that’s capable of streaming content purchased from the iTunes Store–the number one digital media retailer in the world. But, unlike the majority of competing products, it can’t stream anything else. If it’s not in iTunes, the Apple TV can’t see it. So it’s up to you to get your media files into iTunes–an easy task for music (CDs and MP3s), podcasts, and photos, but a much bigger challenge for videos.”
Falcone reports, “The easy setup, iTunes compatibility, and iPod-like interface and design is probably more than enough to make the Apple TV a slam dunk for consumers who are already faithful devotees of all things Mac and iPod. And there’s no denying that its design and video streaming performance bests similar network media products we’ve seen to date… If and when Apple improves the quality of its store’s offerings–or includes a better option for reading or converting existing video files–the Apple TV would be a much easier recommendation.”
There’s a lot more in the full review here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Island Girl” for the heads up.]
MacDailyNews Take: You know whose fault it is that you can’t pop a DVD into your Mac or PC and rip it with iTunes like you can with a music CD? Hint: it’s not Apple. So, for now, use MediaFork, the free, open-source, multithreaded DVD to MPEG-4 ripper/converter (available for MacOS X, Linux and Windows), until Hollywood gets its collective head out of its ass.
As for iTunes Store quality, yes, we’d like to see Apple up the audio and video quality on all content yesterday, but the convenience of iTunes Store is what sells. It’s a tradeoff. If you want high-quality, go get a Blu-ray player and buy discs; it’ll be a long time until the Internet will deliver you that level of quality.
For the majority of users, iTunes Store TV shows and movies is surprisingly watchable on a 60-inch HDTV via Apple TV today.
Related articles:
Video: Apple TV menu and interface walkthrough – March 23, 2007
Analyst: Apple TV will change the TV business – March 23, 2007
G4’s ‘Attack of the Show’ host Olivia Munn licks Apple TV – March 23, 2007
Xvid fully functional on Apple TV – March 23, 2007
Apple TV does not require Widescreen TV or HDTV, works with standard TVs – March 23, 2007
CBS looks at Apple TV on ‘The Early Show’ (with video) – March 23, 2007
Scoble: ‘Apple TV rocks’ – March 23, 2007
Apple TV hard drive upgrade works – March 23, 2007
Apple TV dissection photos – March 22, 2007
Apple posts Apple TV User’s Guide online – March 22, 2007
Enderle: ‘Apple’s attractive and well packaged Apple TV likely to set the pace’ – March 22, 2007
David Pogue demos Apple TV in humorous NY Times’ video – March 22, 2007
PC Magazine review gives Apple TV 4 out of 5 stars – March 22, 2007
NY Times’ Pogue: ‘Apple TV offers a gracious, elegant, effortless, delightful experience’ – March 21, 2007
Mossberg hands-on with Apple TV: ‘beautiful design, easy-to-use, classic Apple: simple and elegant’ – March 21, 2007
Apple TV projected to surpass TiVo, Netflix – March 20, 2007
Former Microsoft ‘Enthusiast Evangelist’ Gartenberg looks at impact of Apple TV – March 20, 2007
Apple TV ships – March 20, 2007
Apple shares rise on positive Apple TV analyst comments – March 19, 2007
Analysts: Apple to ride Apple TV + iTunes ‘Trojan horse’ into living room – March 19, 2007
Will Apple TV be even bigger than iPhone? – March 19, 2007
Apple adds 720p Apple TV high-definition export mode to QuickTime – March 19, 2007
Apple planning to buy Miglia to add DVR capabilities to iTunes and Apple TV? – March 17, 2007
Miglia debuts TVMAX+ Mac PVR, TV tuner, content provider for iPod, iPhone or Apple TV – March 16, 2007
Piper Jaffray expects 2 million Apple TV units to be sold in 2007 – March 16, 2007
Apple TV ships – March 15, 2007
Solution providers expect Apple TV to be hot seller – March 15, 2007
Apple TV could help kill traditional TV ads – March 14, 2007
Apple TV manufacturing ramp up to begin as early as today – March 12, 2007
Why Apple TV is more important than iPhone – March 12, 2007
Apple TV concept may eventually catch on with consumers – March 12, 2007
Apple CFO talks Apple TV, iPhone, Leopard and retail (link to full transcript) – March 07, 2007
PC Magazine: Why Apple TV matters – February 23, 2007
Bear Stearns: Apple TV and iPhone have changed the Apple story for the better – February 21, 2007
Deutsche Bank: Apple TV could take 30% of set-top box market within a few years – February 21, 2007
How do Apple TV and Elgato’s EyeTV work together? – February 16, 2007
Apple embraces casual gaming; iPhone, Apple TV to join iPod as gaming devices – February 09, 2007
Former GM of Microsoft’s Xbox Live Arcade: Apple TV to become video game console – February 08, 2007
ZDNet’s Graham: Apple TV hits a number of sweet spots, poised to make a big impact – January 25, 2007
Is Apple out to kill cable television? – January 25, 2007
RUMOR: Apple TV sales blowing away Apple’s internal expectations – January 25, 2007
Steve Jobs: Apple TV is the ‘DVD player for the 21st century’ – January 22, 2007
Apple TV beats out iPod, hits top spot on Apple Store sales chart – January 19, 2007
Report: first batch of 100,000 Apple TVs to ship this month – January 11, 2007
Steve Jobs moves to control the living room with Apple TV – January 10, 2007
Analyst Bajarin: Apple’s iPhone and Apple TV are industry game changers – January 09, 2007
Apple premieres Apple TV: movies, TV shows, music & photos on your big screen TV – January 09, 2007
RUMOR: Apple may enter video game market – December 05, 2006
Could Apple become king of game consoles? – September 26, 2006
Apple will someday begin selling files that are optimized for true DVD resolution (720×480) or even true HD resolution (1280×720), and do so with considerably less compression,
If Hollywood complies, which I doubt, the DRM involved will be punishing.
Lets face it, without content, our devices are essentially worthless.
The content industry and developers want stringent DRM and Intel gave it to them with EFI, HDCP and ACSS.
This is why there is a delay in releasing Lepoard.
Research the truth for yourself, you’ll see that our computers are no longer ours.
Good article. I think TV shows are a no brainer. Who really needs that kind of resolution for a TV show? And TV shows look really really good from iTunes on an HDTV. Better than you’d think. But movies, yeah I’d like a better picture for movies.
“it’ll be a long time until the Internet will deliver you that level of quality.”
Unless you own an XBox 360, with which the internet already delivers HD-quality movies and TV shows.
I think this is a great product….that I will wait to buy until it matures JUST a bit more.
Exciting, though.
XBox 360 = AWFUL experience:
Upfront: they take forever to download. Forever.
When you buy movies on the Xbox, they’re downloaded directly to the machine. You can’t copy them to another machine, play them elsewhere, burn them to disc, and so on.
Moreover, movies are time-crippled in three different ways. First, each movie is available for rental only during a several-week window–then it’s gone. Second, you have to start watching the movie within two weeks of downloading it. Third, once you start watching it, you have to finish watching within 24 hours.
In each case, the movie is lost forever if you’re tardy.
David Pogue, NY Times Blog, March 22, 2007
All it takes is a software update to turn Tv into a DVR.
Wiseguy = Andy = all the other retarded names of the one person that is afraid of trusted computing.
MDN: “If you want high-quality, go get a Blu-ray player and buy discs; it’ll be a long time until the Internet will deliver you that level of quality.”
Agreed and that´s why I will hold off on the AppleTV purchase. Right now I don´t need another gadget on the TV that just gives not so good quality.
“All it takes is a software update to turn Tv into a DVR.”
Yes, and you’re going to get the TV signal into the box how exactly without additional hardware?
Yeah, I take that back. Did’nt think of that.
I don’t understand why no one is putting the dots together.
Apple TV hit the market with iTunes 7.1 and its basic functionality. We already know that iTunes 8 (a part of iLife ’07) is waiting in the wings. This new version of iTunes will not only support the iPhone, it will provide additional Apple TV functionality. Just what are those secret Leopard features we keep hearing about? How many of them relate to streaming media? Or possibly video rental functionality in iTunes? Or even iPhone – AppleTV integration? Or more likely something we never even realized we wanted. The thing is, the platforms are now in place. The only thing needed now is the software to tie these platforms togther. Coming soon in Leopard and iLife ’07.
Irony of ironies, MW=”thing”. The thing is. . .
“Moreover, movies are time-crippled in three different ways. First, each movie is available for rental only during a several-week window–then it’s gone. Second, you have to start watching the movie within two weeks of downloading it. Third, once you start watching it, you have to finish watching within 24 hours.”
Yes, it’s called a RENTAL and that’s why it’s CHEAPER. What a concept!
I don’t agree with people who say “who needs high-def for TV shows”… that’s the whole point of owning a nice high-def screen, is to watch everything, including TV shows, at the best possible picture quality.
You can already find loads of movies and TV shows in high-def or near high-def (still much better than a DVD) on BitTorrent. Of course it’s illegal, but it’s the only way to get what consumers want, an on-demand high-def content including TV shows and movies. When will Apple & others catch up with the Internet?
“Moreover, movies are time-crippled in three different ways. First, each movie is available for rental only during a several-week window–then it’s gone. Second, you have to start watching the movie within two weeks of downloading it. Third, once you start watching it, you have to finish watching within 24 hours.”<i>
Yes, it’s called a RENTAL and that’s why it’s CHEAPER. What a concept!
So stuff for physical movie rental is “<i>available for rental only during a several-week window–then it’s gone“?
When you rent a physical DVD “once you start watching it, you have to finish watching within 24 hours.“?
Not only this “RENTAL” thing does not offer customers the benefits of internet distribution and digital handling of movies, it IS NOT EVEN ON PAR with the functionality offered by renting a DVD from a video store.
And you support this idiotic scheme why exactly? Apart from being an easily satisfied dork, that is.
I think that the ability to rent is the key. And then the option to buy if you like the movie. Apple will figure this out.
“Not only this “RENTAL” thing does not offer customers the benefits of internet distribution and digital handling of movies, it IS NOT EVEN ON PAR with the functionality offered by renting a DVD from a video store.”
Uh, let’s see… you don’t need to leave the house and walk/drive to a video store to obtain and return the movie, that would be one benefit of “internet distribution” right off the top of my head. Especially great for people living in areas where there might not be a video store within short driving distance. If a movie is available on XBox you know you can get it, you don’t need to worry about arriving at the store and finding out every copy has already been rented. I don’t understand your complaint about the 24 hour viewing window. The majority of people watch a movie either straight through or only pause it to use the restroom, get a snack, or answer the phone… you hardly eve need the movie available for more than 24 hours and if you do, THEN JUST BUY IT.
“Each movie is available for rental only during a several-week window”… yes, that’s the same model as pay-per-view, what’s your point? That is the deal that the content owners (the studios) and the distributor (Xbox Live) have set up. iTMS does not carry movies from all the major studios (in fact, only 2 of them), why aren’t you bitching about that? iTMS doesn’t carry HD content either (XBox Live does) even though the Apple TV supports 720p. Don’t you think that’s a little “idiotic”?
The fact of the matter is, Xbox offers a service (cheaper movie rentals) that is not available on the iTMS (more expensive movie sales). Some people like to rent, some people like to buy. They’re different models… how is one overall better than the other?
@foljs
I didnt understand your post. Most movie rentals in Australia are for 1 week, and if you want to keep them longer you can, you just pay the extra when you return them. New titles are sometimes restricted to 2-3 days but, again, if you keep them longer you just pay a late fee.
The xBox rental scheme sounds restrictive but then I don’t have an xBox so its immaterial to me. And we don’t know when, or if, movie rentals will be available on iTunes. Right now there is NO video content on the Australian iTunes store, except for music videos at A$3.99 each, so I guess that is all academic also…
Apple are always ahead of the game. Apple TV is one piece in a larger puzzle which is moving away from physical distribution towards downloads on-demand. Next year we have a federal election here in Australia. The likely winners (the very “liberal” Australian Labor Party is planning to spend billions on a new national broadband network with speeds 45 times greater than ADSL.
So bandwidth is coming – its only a matter of time…
Spock:
Do you really want the aTV to be a DVR? A DVR needs quite a complex interface of program schedules, channels, times, days, repeats, editing ads out, etc – much too complex for the 6-button Apple Remote. I think I would prefer to do the DVR function on the Mac with the much larger and clearer screen, keyboard and mouse, then have this copy to iTunes/aTV.
But I would like a TV tuner on the aTV for simple watching of free-to-air digital TV or cable. I am sure lots of companies are trying to add this simple functionality as a pay-for option right now. Channel surfing alone would be fine with a 6-button remote, or no worse than current method (up/down arrows or memorise 100 x 3-digit channels!).
Apple TV is a smart product. Instead of producing a “multi-media” PC, and having to market, stock, and sell a separate Mac model that is designed for the apparently limited audience of people who want a dedicated PC next to their TV… Apple creates Apple TV. It makes every Mac model into a multi-media Mac, but the Mac (or PC) can stay where it is and the user just has to put thin silver slab next to the TV. And it can connect more than one Mac (or PC) to the TV. The only downside to initial sales is that you can’t use an older TV. I don’t have an HD TV myself, but Apple TV might actually encourage me to buy one.
“Instead of producing a “multi-media” PC, and having to market, stock, and sell a separate Mac model that is designed for the apparently limited audience of people who want a dedicated PC next to their TV”
You don’t need to put a multi-media PC next to the TV. MS and other manufacturers already came out with their own version of Apple TV back in 2004, called a Windows MEdia Extender. The Xbox 360 is one such device.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Media_Center_Extender
PS. Like Front Row, Windows Media Center is a software component of Windows.
Once again, Apple does it’s magic. “MS and other manufacturers already came out with their own version of Apple TV back in 2004,” and nobody cared. Apple’s product is released in 1007, and it’s reported everywhere as an industry-changing event.
I never said it hadn’t been done before. I just said it was a smart product for Apple to create. Apple rarely does things first. It usually does it better (certainly from a marketing perspective).
‘Apple’s product is released in 1007, and it’s reported everywhere as an industry-changing event.’
That would have been a WORLD changing event!
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>MDN’s take: You know whose fault it is that you can’t pop a DVD into your Mac or PC and rip it with iTunes like you can with a music CD? Hint: it’s not Apple….the convenience of iTunes Store is what sells. It’s a tradeoff…
Are DVDs not of the same convenience extension as your precious iTMS. People buy DVDs so they don’t have to go to movie theaters whenever they want to watch a movie (let alone wait for it to show on TV, if ever).
So whose fault is it again for the lack of convenience in Apple’s TV? It’s not Apple’s. Okay, got it!
Great gem of wisdom there, fellas.
Sad!
I think maybe lots of you anti-DVD rental types are immobile, have no job, supported by parents, etc.
You act like renting and returning a DVD is an impossible, out of the way pain in the butt thing to do.
I have a job, I have to drive my car to work every day. I have to shop for groceries and other things. While I am doing that I rent or return a DVD. The place is in the same shopping mall parking lot as the grocery store. In fact the local grocery store even has a DVD rental place.
I buy the milk and bread, I return the DVD.
It is no big deal to do.
Now for those of you relying on “Hotel Mom” to do and pay for everything well I could see how renting a DVD could be a serious challenge….
> I think maybe lots of you anti-DVD rental types are immobile, have no job, supported by parents, etc.
Netflix is even more convenient. You just pick up and drop off mail. That’s why it is popular; busy people like the most convenient system.
But what does that have to do with someone’s employment status. No matter what form the rental (Blockbuster Store, Netflix, or online), it still costs money to do it. Your post does not make any sense. Besides, people who are working and busy would be the first ones to appreciate a system that does not require any extra stops on the way home from work. Conversely, people who have plenty of free time would probably appreciate an excuse to get out of the house. Perhaps you are the one living at “Hotel Mom.”