“Apple TV’s simple menu structure and eye-boggling graphics make trolling through the various features and content a joy. Videos from iTunes have a resolution of 640 x 480 pixels, described by Apple as ‘near-DVD’ quality. The Apple TV upconverts this resolution to the native resolution of your HDTV. On our 50-inch 1080i Hitachi P50T501 HDTV, we saw mixed results for television shows; some were full 16:9 aspect ratio, some should have been but were just 4:3, and many looked to be barely VHS quality. But only the platinum-eyed will be able to tell the difference between a DVD and an iTunes movie. Along with your own content, you also get dozens of current movie trailers and music-video clips,” Stewart Wolpin reports for Laptop Magazine.
“But it’s what Apple TV does with your digital photos that’s worth the price of admission. Seeing your shots on a large-screen HDTV is a revelatory experience. The Apple TV automatically supplies your HD slideshow with a soundtrack from your iTunes library, often with eerily appropriate selections. You can choose from 13 transition effects and can select the amount of time each photo is on the screen. Your pictures also become an animated 3D sliding-tiles screen saver. The one caveat is that it’s hard to locate specific images. Apple TV doesn’t supply a thumbnail view or submenus, and it can’t stream photos, since images aren’t stored in iTunes. We hope this drawback will be addressed in the next software build,” Wolpin reports.
Wolpin reports, “We have a few other items on our wish list, including the ability to order new movies, TV shows, and music directly from the sofa (as opposed to your PC). Other than that, and as long as you’re content living and playing in an iTunes world, Apple TV more than lives up to its hype. It’s the most elegant digital media adapter yet, and one that we assume will only get better with age.”
Full review here.
Related articles:
RUMOR: Apple TV team prepping update with new ‘Net-centric features – April 05, 2007
Additional Apple TV models coming? – April 05, 2007
Apple TV USB support is now enabled via hack – March 30, 2007
Digit hands-on with Apple TV: ‘simple to set up, a delight to use’ – March 29, 2007
Newsweek: Apple TV has a lot going for it – March 29, 2007
Apple overriding Apple TV hacks? – March 29, 2007
Hacking Apple TV: Joost successfully run on Apple TV – March 28, 2007
Apple TV software hints at future DVR functions? – March 28, 2007
Ten Apple TV myths – March 28, 2007
Ars Technica in-depth review: Apple TV ‘impressed all those who touched it’ – March 27, 2007
The chips inside Apple TV – March 27, 2007
Analyst: Apple TV is a platform, not a single product – March 27, 2007
Digital Trends reviews Apple TV: 7 out of 10, ‘huge phenomenon will challenge conventional thinking’ – March 26, 2007
Automatically convert video files for Apple TV with Apple’s Automator – March 26, 2007
Apple TV, iTunes, iTunes Store: BusinessWeek’s Wildstrom blows it – March 26, 2007
iLounge gives Apple TV a ‘B’ in hands-on review: ‘recommended’ – March 24, 2007
CNET reviews Apple TV: ‘Very Good’ – 7.7 out of 10 – March 24, 2007
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
TV one innovative product, with a WORLD of Possibilities.
Universe!
yeah… but I cant help anticipating what the Rev B TVs will be like
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How does the ATV use your photos for the screensaver when you’ve selected itunes as the source?
Puzzling,
The ATV stores a copy of your photos on its hard drive. That happens during the first sync.
“and many looked to be barely VHS quality.”
Barely VHS quality? Even an Apple fan like myself has to wince at that one.
I would be surprised (and disappointed) if Apple isn’t already working behind the scene to offer higher quality movies in the near future.
‘The best digital media adapter yet,’
Is there another?
TV uses whatever photos are on it for the screensaver. If you haven’t synced any, it’ll use its built-in gallery of nature images.
And an iPod-like thumbnail view of photos would be nice. Good thing it’s a near-proper Mac so I expect us to get software updates. I predict that “rev B”, with new hardware features, won’t be out any time soon.
If Apple comes up with significant software upgrades for TV, they will be rolled into iTunes upgrades. I wouldn’t mind paying, say, $19 for TV software v2.0, but I don’t think they’ll charge separately for it.
“But it’s what Apple TV does with your digital photos that’s worth the price of admission. Seeing your shots on a large- screen HDTV is a revelatory experience.”
This is sooooo true! I have over 8000 photos synced to my ATV, and it’s just awesome to have them all at my fingertips on the big screen!
I want a DVR more than I want a streaming toaster. Sorry, but AppleTV … the very name tells you what it’s supposed to be all about. That it shows my iPhoto library on a big screen is fine as a suppliment, but it certainly isn’t going to get me to pay $300 for it. Neither is playing my music thru it – my $79 (used) APExpress does that just fine. And what am I supposed to do with my DVD collection? Please, do NOT tell me to rip it – I have better things to do with my time. A DVR and an upscaling DVD player are just too “no duh” to not have on it, AFAIK.
I don’t care how many fawning ‘5 star’ reviews it gets. If Apple wants me to buy an AppleTV, then they have to make it do what any TV oriented device should do – what I want it to do – otherwise I’ll use their computers & their iPods, but their whole video scheme will not be a part of my house.
I’ll second MacUser and go one more: It should play on regular SDTVs without a problem. And it should at least play non-HD content in a way that doesn’t make it look like total ass on an HDTV. Why should I buy a $1K TV just for the ‘privilege’ of streaming iTunes content that probably is gonna look like crap??? That’s $1300 better spent on a Tivo!
These reviews are so ridiculous – 4.5 stars out of 5 despite it not being able to play on devices, or from source material, that is at SD resolution – the majority of what is out there. Stupid. I guess that makes my dad a 4.5 star male model, despite the fact that he’s 5’7″ and 25 lbs overwieght.
Whatever.
The neater solution would be to do away with the Apple TV altogether and just be able to stream stuff around your network wherever you want from screen to screen…. Apple TV is a kludge.
No DVR for you!
You want DVR buy yesterday’s technology.
You want the future of home entertainment free of idiot Networks telling you when to watch and what to watch, buy Apple.
It’s the future.
I just got tv and totally enjoy it. I too wonder what changes will come from a nice firmware update.
JDog, you do not need an HDTV to use TV. It works with a regular TV.
TV would have what otherwise? 300,000 customers? 20,000 sales per Quarter?
Let me guess: You seriously believe TV *requires* an HDTV? LOL
I believe Mac OS X is NOT Unix. I mean, it is a Mac, right? It can’t be Unix.
Apple TV works with widescreen, enhanced-definition or high-definition TVs capable of 1080i, 720p, 576p, or 480p resolutions.
I have an old Philips 16:9 tv, bought in 1996. Definitely NOT high-def. The Apple tv connects via the component audio video cables.