Apple CEO Steve Jobs today previewed a half-size Mac mini-like set top box codenamed “iTV” that is slated for release in the first quarter of 2007.
“Enjoy your media on big screen TV, works with PCs or Macs, Coming in Q1 2007, $299.”
The “iTV” is connected to your TV and allows you to access all of the media (movies, TV shows, music, photos, and podcasts) that’s on your Mac or Windows PC running iTunes.
The $299 “iTV” will feature a next-gen Front Row interface the box with the following announced features:
• Built-in power supply (no power brick)
• USB 2.0
• Optical Audio
• HDMI port
• Component Video RCA stereo audio ports (for older sets)
• Apple Remote compatible
• Ethernet
• 802.11 wireless networking
Steve Jobs gives sneak peek of Apple’s “iTV” wireless set-top box:
Steve Jobs begins talking about iTV in the QuickTime video of today’s presentation at the 52:25 mark here.
Related article:
Apple’s QuickTime stream of Steve Jobs special event now live – September 12, 2006
IT guy: They don’t need to attach a DVD to that device. Your Mac (or PC) has a DVD player built in. All they need to do is find a way to stream that content through iTV to your big screen while using the iTV remote and GUI to handle all the control.
The comment by “war” about the Mac being the central server to your digital life is on the money.
As for his wondering about journalists, that’s not their place. They gather the news, verify the news and report the news (or, as is to often the case, simply re-write a biased press release.) However, I expect to see columnists and anylists starting to explain the big picture to the masses (but only a few will get it).
I HATE IT! IT’S CRAP! IT’S NOTHING NEW! IT’S A FAILURE!
(Actually, I don’t know much about this new product, but I want to keep up with you doomsdayers and naysayers that are never satisfied with ANYTHING Apple rolls out. Gawd, but I wish my tastes, needs, and expectations were as sublimely refined as yours!)
Not everyone has HiDef yet — maybe they’ll offer an HiDef upgrade option.
And there’d be too many companies to work with to do the set-top box for digital/cable/dish/whatever. Would be way too much of a headache. Although if TiVO’s woes continue, Apple could buy them and use their technology…hmmm…
Seems like Apple are testing the waters for this. Seeing what the media and consumer reaction will be.
Basically it’s a beefed up Airport express with video connectivity.
No firewire means it can’t connect to cable boxes for raw HDTV feed. Not surprising since the cable companies have locked out the interesting channels.
I think the price is reasonable and it is designed to work with existing mac products – not be a stand alone device.
I can see Apple making other variants, such as DVD or PVR capabilities. For the latter will need computer guts.
Not quite what I need since I would still prefer to use Netflix to get movies. I can wait for new ones to come out or go to the theatre for special movies.
But this is definitely how Apple is going to merge computer and video across the whole spectrum. Great of Apple to give us the teaser
If this is a device to play movies that reside on my Mac and show on my TV then I don’t get it. What about my current DVD player and VCR player and what about my Cable box? How do those all play into this. If it is to be my AV control center then it better have a way to talk to all those devices, but I don’t see interfaces for those (just the legacy RCA jacks) but only one set of them.
OK, so this is the year of the laptop, etc. How does this thing “access all of the media … that’s on your Mac” when your Mac is a laptop?
Sounds like this baby has no storage (unless it can accept external or networked storage) so it won’t work stand-alone without a running computer. Bummer.
Ok, notice the Ethernet and HDMI ports?
Those are for compliance with HDCP content protection schemes where your HDTV with a HDCP DRM chip must “talk” to a master controller somewhere.
Lose your broadband service and you lose your TV, cable companies are not going to like this.
As we all know only cable really offeres enough speed and reliability, DSL sucks.
Cable companies will most likely throttle the download speeds much like they do to bit torrents.
I think this whole HD HDCP thing is going to fail over the internet, it’s just too darn complicated and one needs so much equipment. A cable box is really not all that simple, but at least the cable company can come out and set it up for you.
TRUSTED COMPUTING IS GOING TO TIE ALL THIS TOGETHER, YOUR EFI WILL BE SNITCHING ON YOU!!!
iTV looks like a good product. Although it was not shown, I wonder if it would have the capability of making your TV act as a display for, let’s say, a notebook computer. I would buy this product with no hesitation.
Wake up, people! HDMI *is* hi-def.
About 4 years ago, I used to connect my ibook to the TV to watch movies using “Apple AV Cable for iBook” ($19). I used to watch DVDs and movies this way.
So what does the iTV will do more ??????? (doing the same wirelessly !!!!)
It’s simple folks. Its just like Airport Express except it does videos. Input is all wireless(video/audio). Output is 5.1 surround sound and HDMI and component.
It also allows you to in essence control Media on you computer which is in the other room with it’s remote.
It’s brilliant……….
MDN word is game as in game over for microsoft
For those who are complaining about a lack of Firewire, what would you use it for anyway. The USB port I assume is for a printer, like the Airport Express?
HDCP has nothing to do with the ethernet connection. All HDCP does is make sure that you are hooked to a monitor or other device that does not allow recording. It does not have to call anywhere.
802.11: notice that they do not specify b, g, or n. I suspect 802.11n will be required for HD, and that 802.11g will be fine for the 480 that they announced today. This will be interesting.
For $299, I’m not sure what you get besides an Airport Express with a/v out. Seems steep. For another $300 you can get a mini that will do all of this and more. I hope there is something they are not telling us.
“MDN Magic Word” program–as in “watch your favorite program with iTV.”
I just don’t get it. For a company that has been pioneering the HD revolution, this is one huge step back. The future of HD is now, with Sony’s new true 1080P sets and Blu-Ray discs. Why would would I want to download inferior video for the same price that DVDs cost now, if not more. The ability to import my dvds now (like cds) and put them in my itunes library would be nice. How about building the itv into a mini, so I can use my TV as monitor and for streaming video from other computers or external drives, or DVRed content from Elgato systems. I don’t like apple saying you can only use this product to watch content you purchase from us. At this point, I’ll hook up a mini, an Elgato DVR, and a playstation 3 (Blu-Ray) to a new 1080P Sony LCD. Then I can do it all.
They should make this the “server” that you can back up to with Time Machine and then for the price you really have something!
When iTunes streams wirelessly, the song is re-encoded (compressed) to AAC no matter what the source format. A no-go for the audiophiles.
What will be the compression for DVD video? Blu-Ray? HD-DVD?
What about surround sound?
I love my Airport network but not for streaming music to anything with real speakers. I’ve got the iPod dock for “nice stereo” hook-up.
But video? Wireless?
Come on .11n!
Guess I’ll still be picking up a Blu-Ray/HD-DVD stand alone player.
ok, looks very nice.
USB hopefully means you can connect your iPod and read movies/music/pictures off of it using a dock.
One thing I’m not sure about: can you stream DVDs from your computer? it wasn’t mentioned explicitly in the presentation…
Also, anybody else notice Elgato’s Eyehome is not listed on their site anymore (other than in support) or in the online Apple Store?
Look at the picture and see whether you reckon that the USB port is a flat outlet one or a squarer input one.
It looks to me like it’s flat, the same as on a Mac, so it’s there to drive a peripheral. I don’t see much need for a printer or scanner, but an external hard drive would make an awful lot of sense.
What I think is fascinating about today’s announcement has nothing to do with the new devices, software or the update to what I guess we’ll now refer to at iTS. Rather, I found it fascinating that Steve Jobs PRE-ANNOUNCED a product six months in advance. That’s not like Apple.
Here’s what why I think he did this:
Today, Apple announced a content partnership with just one studio. Amazon can fart in the general direction of Cupertino and claim relationships with a number of studios, regardless of how flawed the model of their competing offering may be. I suspect that the comb-over slimeballs at the movie studios are trying to play hardball with Apple. Being the utter control freaks that they are, the studios are terrified of Apple and Microsoft, and deep down, view them as a threat to their hegemony.
I believe that Apple wanted to trot out a bunch of executives from different studios today, but that did not happen. I suspect that in response, Steve showed off the “iTV” prototype to sweeten their offering and up the ante. You can expect to see Zune and other iPod wannabes in short order, coupled with a heavy ad blitz before the holidays. (It could be that Microsoft is trying to use their largesse to lock out Apple from signing deals with other studios, giving Zune a way to jump into the movie market with both feet, regardless of how flawed it may be.) In response, by showing off the prototype, it’s partially an attempt to freeze the market and pressure the studios to sign on, as it is clear that Apple has an end-to-end solution, not just a player, or, for that matter, a store.
As to those of you who wanted iTV to have FireWire, a hard drive, a Blu-Ray DVD drive/burner, an espresso maker and whatever else, fuggedaboudit. Apple engineers and product planners aren’t dumb. They know what you fanboys want. But they are also feeling pressure on pricing (adding all those items could price this much higher) and political pressure from the studios and cable/satellite carriers. I don’t see this as a DVR or server. It’s a conveyance device that would allow the Mac (or PC) to be a part of the digital living room without having to get in the middle of things.
If you recall, Steve Jobs was previously emphatic in stating that the Microsoft model for the digital living room was badly flawed. People watch TV to turn off their minds, said Steve, not to have to think about booting up a PC in order to watch the tube. I agree. All this may be reasons to keep “iTV” or whatever it will be called, simple in concept. Besides, if it was a computer of and by itself, there would be updates needed. This is merely a conveyance. If it works in two directions (downloading from your Mac or uploading to it), it could be a lot of fun.
I have a hunch we’ve not seen everything about this new prototype, and as another posted suggested, Apple could be testing the water to see if further changes or additions would be required.
In short, behind the scenes, it must be ugly. Trying to come to an agreement with the motion picture studios, while placating the cable/satellite carriers and TV networks, and all while fighting off possible maneuvering by Microsoft, can’t be easy. If you see a lot of FUD from the usual pundits and C|Nets of this world tomorrow, don’t be surprised.
And me? Hell yes I want one!
Max:
the ‘iTV’ – ‘eyeTV’ link is an deliberate pun since I assume Apple is negotiating to buy El Gato. Once the details go through the name can become official – no lawyers.
schmluss:
the USB connection will be to connect the El Gato EyeTV
Signals come in via 802.11n, ethernet or USB (iPod, Mac Mini or eyeTV). Signal goes out to TV via HDMI or component, and to the stereo via the two audio ports. It looks to me like a flattened Airport Express with video added.
Personally I would have preferred a black Mac Mini so developers can begin to work out how to make out living room as ‘active’ an experience as the den e.g. while watching a movie, pause and buy the soundtrack, or watch live TV and vote on an issue in Oprah with feedback live over the internet into their studio, or rate a TV ad out of 5 stars as it appears. You would need a computer to do this social computing.
I assume this means front row is coming to your PC?
As for those saying you can use your Mac DVD player, front row only works with files already on your computer like quicktime movies. Not sure how well this will stream an entire DVD, but as of now Apple made no mention of this.
OK, why not just use a Mac mini to do all of this stuff? What gives?
iTV is the missing half of TiVo….If TiVo wants to ensure their survival, all they have to do is take the existing TiVo Desktop where you stream music and access photos from your computer over a home network to your TiVo and include video. This is exactly what the iTV will do, but TiVo has a tuner and recorder in it.
iTV is obviously an appliance rather than a computer peripheral. People will be able to use it without thinking that they’re operating a computer. But that’s not news to anyone.
I think that iTV is even more than that, it’s also a computer peripheral too and one hell of a clever one at that. By combining a USB socket with an AirPort Base Station on steroids, they have the potential to offer a personal server. You can plug in whatever size of hard drive is appropriate for your needs.
Imagine all your photos, all your music, all your videos and everything else stored centrally in your house and accessible by AirPort or ethernet. Everything in the one place and available to anybody who’s authorised to access it. iTV will probably have a flash drive and the ability to power up instantly. It will certainly have significant computational abilities and may even run a version of OS X, but I very much doubt that it would be an actual Mac as we think of it.
Then look at the new features coming out in Leopard. Shared iCals, which need a server, Time Machine benefits from a server, iPhoto and iTunes can use a server, Mail could use a server. Nobody currently knows that they need a Personal Server, but come 2007, they’ll be desperate to get hold of one.
Er, what about composite video? Not all of us have shiny new LCD megascreens with HDMI or component inputs. What if I just want to watch a show I bought on the iTunes Store that’s only 640 x 480? Do I have to buy a whole new TV to use this thing?
Why do the specs just say “802.11 wireless”? I think it may be because they don’t know yet if it will be .11n or .11g. Obviously, we all hope it is “n”.
This will be another way for Apple to give PC users a taste of the Mac. They will basically be using Front Row when they navigate through the iTV on their TV (yeah, the name needs to change).