“Starting at $229, the new-and-truly-improved Apple TV, re-released last month, is a device that could change the entertainment world, again,” Mark Kellner reports for The Washington Times.
Apple TV 2.0 is now “able to download music, pictures, video and movies to the device and work with them directly… and the result is stunning,” Kellner reports.
“Thanks to our Verizon FiOS connection and a wireless router, the rental downloaded in under five minutes and played in perfect HD, with very good sound, Dolby Digital 5.1, to be precise,” Kellner reports. “Using Apple TV makes me very glad I don’t own stock in a video rental chain.”
“I’m told that the unit is always ‘on’ to allow it to ‘talk’ to the wireless network and receive software updates. My ‘inner BGE customer,’ however, would like to see a power off switch somewhere,” Kellner reports. “But that’s my only quibble: setup, wireless networking and usage are all flawless.”
MacDailyNews Note: To put Apple TV in standby mode press and hold the Apple TV remote’s “Play/Pause” button for about 6 seconds. The status light will turn off. Standby mode is not “off” (pulling the cord is the only way to truly turn the Apple TV completely off), but it is as close as most users will probably want to come with equipment that is meant to be an “appliance” or able to instantly turn “on.” Find more info in Apple’s Apple TV Setup Guide.
Full article here.
The funny thing about all this “new and improved” is that only the software was updated so if you bought Apple TV 1.0, you’re not left out in the cold. Plus, the studios have eased a bit and let Apple rent HD content – something that took a little longer than anticipated, I’m sure.
Power turn off? Press and hold play button for about 4 seconds. Doesn’t anyone read the manual?
Or you could just unplug it???
I wish my download time for a movie was 5 minutes! Most movies for me take 40 to 50 minutes, but I can start watching them within 15 minutes. It beats having to go to a store.
A lot of appliances are doing the always on thing… Nintendo Wii for example.
except the wii doesn’t actually do very much
@ anthony007
You’d be surprised how many people I know who don’t read manuals.
Then when I go round to fix their ‘problem’ I follow the instructions given by the manufacturer and get whatever it is working. They always think I’m gifted in some way.
Yes. I have common sense.
In most cases, I do not require or read the manual.
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I too would like a true “off” switch – and yes, I did read the manual and I know exactly how to put it into Standby. It does not say that press-and-hold turns the Apple TV off. My TV and receiver have no off switch either, but the surge suppressor into which they’re all plugged has a very effective one!
Apple TV is just screaming for games. Also, I have a fairly large HDTV. I’d love to be able to do some modified net surfing – like, reading the New York Times on my TV, for example.
Apple, please buy Nintendo, and let them make your remote.
@Mister Snitch
I think the TV remote is great from what it is designed to do, and the SOFTWARE backing it. Apple could add 50 thousand buttons like my TV remote, or my stereo remote, or any other remote I have. But Apple keeps it SIMPLE, and lets the software make the experience enjoyable.
Not saying you are wrong, just saying that Apple is trying to keep it simple… complex is why MS has failed in the HTPC area. And by failed… not saying NO ONE uses it… just has not been a huge success… and Windows Media Center will be the Zune compared to an iPod in the near future… if not already.
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The Dude abides.
More good news for Apple so then why is the stock taking another f***ing beating. Lets see negative rumors most of which turn out to be false, compared to common sense good analysis which mostly turns out to be true. What a bunch of spineless piece of sh** investors, damn them all. I would really like to meet one of them face-to-face, it could be a spirited discussion.
Apple TV rocks and it works great with the Logitech Harmony universal remotes!!!
Better sleep it first before you pull the plug. I don’t think the drive on the ATV sleeps. You could damage the heads.
As far as these X-Box babies always saying theirs can do this and that already. Your dreaming. Don’t make us list every single thing the ATV can provide, you might barf.
As far as saying games, what for? I would rather use a PS3 than another monopoly feeding product from MS that tried to tie in HD-DVD on their X-Box and failed. LOL
ATV + PS3, is the perfect combination.
Jubei: Better sleep it first before you pull the plug. I don’t think the drive on the ATV sleeps. You could damage the heads.
Not likely. All modern harddisks have a power failure auto-park mechanism where the remaining energy in capacitors or in the spindle motor acting as a generator is used to park and lock the heads safely before the platters can actually wind down far enough for the heads to land on the surface.
The ony danger would normally be in the filesystem possibly being damaged by unwritten sectors from the cache. If the Apple TV is also using journaled HFS+ that risk should be minimal, though, especially if power is lost without any copying or downloading taking place at the time.
@ping
I hope your right, but why risk it? Sleep it first before you pull the plug.
I can start watching a movie about 15 seconds after I rent it.
I no like manuals. I like automatics.
Jubei: I hope your right, but why risk it? Sleep it first before you pull the plug.
Sure, that is always recommended. But a device still shouldn’t get damaged by a(n accidental) loss of power in any case.
Manuel: I no like manuals. I like automatics.
Okay… but you probably wouldn’t find finer points like the pairing of Apple devices to their respective remotes without occasionally looking into a manual nevertheless…
Apple TV change the world? I can’t stop laughing….
I put an in-line on/off switch ($3 from hardware store) on my Apple TV. Works fine.
I keep all of my AV equipment on a single surge protector. That serves as my “switch” for all of my electronics. That way I don’t have a bunch of electronics sapping my electricity 24/7.
“Was that the remote? No, ok.”
“Was that the remote? No, ok.”
“Was that the remote? No, ok.”
“Was that the remote? No, ok.”
“Was that the remote? No, ok.”
Amazing how the ATV failure suddenly becomes a success! The iPod grew in much the same way. At first it was too expensive, etc. Then the iTunes [Music] Store and the shuffle and the nano and so on…
ATV will sell. Big. And Apple will rent movies. Many.
What’s really amazing is that Apple didn’t actually change the hardware for the “new-and-truly-improved Apple TV,” just the software and price. That’s great, because Apple now has about a million unit head start for relaunching AppleTV 2.0. Those “old” 1.0 devices are just “pre-sold” 2.0 devices.
Yeah, the ability to rent HD movies is a revelation on my Apple TV here in Canada. Oh, wait, we can’t. But what about the fact that there are about 12 episodes of TV shows in total you can buy. You know, shows about igloos and such that we have here. That’s a bonus…
I’d be satisfied with Apple TV 1.5 for now.