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Where to get HD content for your Apple TV

Thursday, March 29, 2007 · 2:59 pm · 16 Comments

“I have done the legwork and pulled together a list of resources for getting a little 720p action from your new honey [Apple TV]. If you’re able to find something I haven’t listed here, let me know and I’ll update this post,” Tony writes for harikari.com.

• BBC in HD: They’ve got some great, free content over there in QT format.
• Technology Evangelist: Fun tech geekery in glorious 720p.
• MariposaHD: The world’s first HD internet TV show. Chicks in bikinis. Site may not be wholly SFW.
• ItalyGuides.it: These guys are marketing directly to you, you Apple TV owner you.
• TrailerCast HD 720p: HD movie trailers!
• Tecnocato: They’re now producing an HD podcast

Links in the full article here.

MacDailyNews Note: Apple TV specs:
• Video formats supported: H.264 and protected H.264 (from iTunes Store): 640 by 480, 30 fps, LC version of Baseline Profile; 320 by 240, 30 fps, Baseline profile up to Level 1.3; 1280 by 720, 24 fps, Progressive Main Profile. MPEG-4: 640 by 480, 30 fps, Simple Profile
• Audio formats supported: AAC (16 to 320 Kbps); protected AAC (from iTunes Store); MP3 (16 to 320 Kbps); MP3 VBR; Apple Lossless; AIFF; WAV
• Photo formats supported: JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, PNG
• Enhanced-definition or high-definition widescreen TVs capable of 1080i 60/50Hz, 720p 60/50Hz, 576p 50Hz (PAL format), or 480p 60Hz

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Comment Feed

16 Comments

WiseGuy

Thursday, March 29, 2007 - 3:06 pm · Reply

Piratebay.com

Did I just say that?

First post.
Skabeetle

Thursday, March 29, 2007 - 3:08 pm · Reply

AWESOME … can’t wait to get home and check them out!
eMax

Thursday, March 29, 2007 - 3:11 pm · Reply

Umm….

MariposaHD: The world’s first HD internet TV show. Chicks in bikinis. Site may not be wholly SFW.

Please explain why they provide HD content in WMV10 format, yet they provide portable content for an ipod?

No HD content for Apple TV from here. Sumone needs to tell this guy he is wrong.
WiseGuy

Thursday, March 29, 2007 - 3:15 pm · Reply

err thats thepiratebay.org

first post rush.
ByeTakeCare

Thursday, March 29, 2007 - 3:35 pm · Reply

@Wiseguy

Huh?

I think I’ll have to do like neven and get the toaster.
Steven - Problems With Delivering HD

Thursday, March 29, 2007 - 3:46 pm · Reply

1. US consumer pipes via the service providers are pathetic.

2. HD content files are HUGE.
1280 x 720 (720p) h.264 highly compressed video, with a 90 minute movie, with minimal AAC audio encoding, using YUV 4:2:2 footage, will run around 4 Gigs for “minimally acceptable” HD viewing on a LCD or Plasma.

But build files differently, and they can grow 15 – 20 Gigs for 720p and 50 gigs+ for 1080p!

Apple must simply figure out a way to build their own compression scheme that reduces file sizes with h.264 equivelant image quality…

This is no small task, as h.264 is extremeley efficient.

Secondly, Apple must somehow develop a “zip-like” streaming ability. The files are already compressed so how does one compress them futher? They can’t be, but this is software, so don’t tell me “It can’t be done,” it just takes time, effort, money, or a combo of the three and just about anything with software can be done.

For Apple the question is mostly one of time…

If Apple can somehow compress files while streaming and expand them on the fly to a buffer on Apple TV, they could make considerable bank with either selling or renting flicks…

Until then, Apple TV does not replace my DVD player…
whoeverisme

Thursday, March 29, 2007 - 4:06 pm · Reply

jeez, i was expecting more than 6 sources. thats pretty pathetic.
ron

Thursday, March 29, 2007 - 4:14 pm · Reply

>Sumone needs to tell this guy he is wrong.>

Yeah, Sumone, you tell him.
Who...

Thursday, March 29, 2007 - 4:15 pm · Reply

Need links to “actual” content. Otherwise its worthless. BBC content is more than likely blocked, because they’ve started restricting content to their locale.
Vanillacide

Thursday, March 29, 2007 - 4:24 pm · Reply

1. move to UK, my uncapped consumer pipe is being upgraded from 10Mb to 20Mb next month for no extra charge. But you have a point, broadband in USA is in need of some enhancement.

2. Microsoft’s IPTV service and Xbox Live Marketplace delivers 720p 24fps in YUV 4:2:0 ** with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound in VC-1 codec and 120 minute movies take 6GB.

** DVD, HD DVD and Blu-ray, and broadcasts are in YUV 4:2:0, the decoders output 4:2:2, so can’t see downloads being any different.

VC-1 has come on leaps and bounds since initial use in HD DVD, and is many a video-philes prefered codec (as opposed to MPEG-2 and H.264) which has driven its uptake in Blu-ray releases.

Hats off to Microsoft, they’ve done a lot of work with VC-1 and have now got it so efficient that they’ve got two hour 1080p24 movies into less than 13GB, and they look better than 30GB MPEG-2 version.

H.264 could do with the same level of codec development, it’s a more widely used standard (e.g. in Europe used for HDTV broadcasts) but lags VC-1 at the moment. Maybe Apple could put some resources into this area?
hd sucks, sorry

Thursday, March 29, 2007 - 4:36 pm · Reply

sd looks like crap on my hdtv, i bought it thinking things would be in hd but it is still so so so far off- dont be fool’d like me – stick sd until those damn cablies comapnies convert to hd!!! your tv will look like crap on a stick on hdtv!

dont fall for it!
Tax $ @ Work

Thursday, March 29, 2007 - 4:51 pm · Reply

NASA HD

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/videogallery/hd_index.html
The Dude

Thursday, March 29, 2007 - 5:41 pm · Reply

@ Steven

US internet sucks. I live in the US and cannot believe that we are ranked 12th in broadband subscription and our speed is paltry.

Check out this article… a couple months old… but details why higher speeds are needed.

http://www.govtech.net/digitalcommunities/story.php?id=103080

There are MANY other articles showing the US is slow to adapt to faster broadband technologies… just hit google and you spend hours reading about it. But it basically boils down to our government “for the people” to get off there butts, stop taking the Telco kickbacks and payoffs and let technology move forward. I pay $34.00 a month to my local telco for a 1.5 MB connection… Highway robbery! But I am trapped in my apartment that does not allow cable to come in (Dish Network exclusive contract), and wireless internet is more expensive for the same speed.

I want the Koreans 50 Mb connection (without having to run and OC-1 line).

The Dude abides.
alansky

Thursday, March 29, 2007 - 5:46 pm · Reply

your tv will look like crap on a stick on hdtv!

They don’t tell you this at the tv store! But it’s true: standard def (SD) broadcasts look worse on a state-of-the-art HDTV than they do on your old, outdated tv set. The amount of HD content available from cable companies like Comcast is also extremely underwhelming. Now that people are finally rushing out to buy high-def tv’s, the content providers better get on the stick pronto if they want to keep the ball rolling. Consumers really, really don’t like being disappointed when they’ve just spent a bunch of money.
Allen

Thursday, March 29, 2007 - 5:56 pm · Reply

@Steven, How is Microsoft delivering their HD content through their xbox service?

They are even delivering HD with 5:1 surround with their rental service and they have all the major studios on board… I just don’t get it, how did Microsoft strike that type of deal and Apple can’t?

Even if the HD files are bigger and take longer, i’d be willing to wait.. I’m just not gonna pay to buy a movie of the quality Apple is offering.. I’m not looking for perfection, but I did spend good money on my HD set and home theater setup and current iTunes content honestly does not look good on it.
ron

Thursday, March 29, 2007 - 6:41 pm · Reply

The dude. I pay $34.00 a month to my local telco for a 1.5 MB connection.

I pay $14.95 for the same speed as you dude. AT&T. So Cal.