“Apple TV’s most important features — the ability to buy and download television programs and movies — are simply not available in Canada. Apple has cut deals with Hollywood and Tellywood for content, but these deals are made only for the U.S. market,” Kapica writes.
Kapica writes, “You cannot stream your MP3 files or your YouTube clips to Apple TV without organizing them first through iTunes. It’s not that big a deal on the surface, because iTunes and the QuickTime player are free products. But because it’s bundled with iTunes, Apple TV becomes a closed system. Put another way, you can’t stream much through Apple TV unless iTunes declares it to be legal, whatever that means in the context of the Canadian legislative jurisdiction.”
“Now the lack of content for Canadians might be the fault of an insufficiently internationalized copyright system, but it still amounts to coercing people to use iTunes to buy all their entertainment products,” Kapica writes.
Kapica writes, “You can’t buy iTunes content through the TV; you have to do that through the computer where the iTunes program resides. And even if you could buy iTunes video, there’s no HD content for sale — Apple sells stuff it calls “near-DVD quality,” which runs a maximum of 640 by 480 pixels, a resolution even lower than analog TV.”
MacDailyNews Note: Apple’s iTunes Store content is not “a resolution even lower than analog TV.” It matches ATSC’s 640×480 resolution for 4:3 Standard Definition square pixel aspect ratio specs.
Kapica continues, “Still, there are things to admire in Apple TV. It is, as usual, a gorgeously designed box, all white and brushed titanium (or whatever metal it is), and about the size of a small box of bonbons, a concept I’m sure its designers entertained. It is operated by a remote control reminiscent of a prepubescent iPod, and perhaps as easily lost as a toddler at a summer picnic. (If you have a recent iMac machine, you’d recognize it right away; it’s the same remote.)”
Kapica writes, “The actual Apple TV unit does, however, turn hot when it runs for a short while. Very hot — it’s wise to find a well-ventilated place for it. And it’s designed to be left on all the time: There is no off switch.”
MacDailyNews Note: Apple TV does have an “off button.” Apple TV is basically an iPod for your living room. How does iPod turn off? Press and hold the Play/Pause button. How does Apple TV turn off? The same way: just press and hold your Apple TV remote’s Play/Pause button (click any button to turn it back on). Logical, huh?
Kapica continues, “So, Apple TV is technologically a lovely little machine, and it offers the ability to stream content to your TV, including MP3 music files, rock videos and movie trailers. But if it will not play content protected by copyright purchased on another system, if it will not sell you TV shows and if it will not sell you movies, as it is designed to do, is it really worth considering? Apple TV remains quite overpriced for what Canadians can use it for.”
Full article here.