“I got my first look at the Apple TV device the other day, and I have to say I liked what I saw. But it’s unlikely I’ll buy one anytime soon,” Arik Hesseldahl writes for BusinessWeek.
“I’ve argued with myself about whether I want to buy one, and right now I’m leaning toward holding off, for a variety of reasons. To begin with, there’s the inconvenient fact of my TV habits. I’m loyal to one, maybe two shows at a time. I loved The West Wing on NBC, and have in the last few years gone mad for Battlestar Galactica on the Sci Fi channel, and just recently lamented the end of Rome on HBO,” Hesseldahl writes.
“Of those, the only one I have any experience watching in a downloaded format is Battlestar… I can’t imagine going to the trouble to buy and set up an Apple TV, especially for just one show. Purchasing the device makes much more sense if you buy lots of video content from iTunes,” Hesseldahl writes.
“Many people apparently do. Last month Apple disclosed that it has sold some 50 million downloads of TV shows and 1.3 million movies,” Hesseldahl writes.
Apple TV “needs to do more than it does now—which Apple has already admitted. Its plans for accounting for Apple TV revenue over two years indicates that Apple has some big plans for updating the device with more capabilities through software updates over time,” Hesseldahl writes.
Full article here.
For my personal experience, it’s not just movies or TV shows that convinced me to buy my Apple TV. It’s also photos and music – the whole package. I now have all of it available on my TV, and the interface for accessing it is great.
This is one of the worst site designs on the web.
AppleTV is a trojan horse, the only on Mac OS X platform.
Yep! i agree… AppleTV is way cool… but… i need a little more for it to be happy and fully intergraded into my watching habits.
They would sell a lot more if they had iTune TV shows in Canada. There is not much reason to buy one at the moment.
Not a complaint, just a fact.
I like the way that they spin Apple’s plan to offer free software updates, as the TV evolves, as Apple ‘admitting that the unit needs to do more than it does now.’
With tubesock and handbrake I easily keep the box loaded with little hoops.
If Apple could find a way to get the iTunes visualizer to appear on my TV via AppleTV, I would buy one today!
That would be cool as shit!
I bought one just last week when I got a new HDTV and I love it. And Jimbo is right, it’s the entire package that is so great. Sure, you can watch videos, but I’ve actually used it more so far for playing my iTunes music library thru my home theater system than I have watching videos on it. And it’s interface is definitely MUCH more elegant than any piece of sh*t Media Center PC I’ve ever seen. I’m also definitely looking forward to the future capabilities that will be added via software updates, because we all know Apple has much more up their sleeve when it comes to the Apple TV than just what it will do today.
Unfortunatly the AppleTv was a big turn off for me.
There is just TOO MUCH VIDEO CONTENT in order to be messing with it, saving it, burning DVD’s for backup and clogging hard drive space. Much less buying sub HD quality and then having to have another device in addition to a computer, to watch it on a big HD screen.
It’s just too darn complicated.
People want it cheap, instant and easy with a huge selection.
Until Apple provides this, I’m not buying anymore expensive toys. I’m tired of working for my content when it’s supposed to work for me.
Nothin’ but a bunch of tangled up tubes.
I love my TV, I don’t do many shows or movies, but for music and photos, it has paid for itself. I have had several parties and people just stand and watch the photos spin away. Even a MS big whig I had at one party loved the device (though he thought the MS offering was almost as good).
If I’m happy now, I can’t wait for the free updates to add new features.
Disney announced yesterday that they would begin streaming HD content within a couple months. WHO is Disney’s largest shareholder? Are you getting it? HD content coming to iTunes real soon (720P) therefore HD streaming to Apple TV in HD, so those complaining about poor video quality can STFU. Go buy one. I love mine.
Not4Me said
‘People want it cheap, instant and easy with a huge erection…
Whoops, I need glasses…my bad..
why would someone who does not watch tv, write a review about apple tv?
I love my apple tv almost as much as my macbookpro. Not only do i listen to my itunes music collection on my home entertainment system, but I just discovered podcasts because the option in apple tv made me curious.
Now that there are software packages for converting DivX/XviD videos to AppleTV, I may consider getting one. If AppleTV ever gets updated so that it will play DivX out of the box, I’ll probably get one that week.
Cubert: Use Snapz Pro X (or something similar) to record the ITunes visualizer. Save it as a QuickTime movie. Load into iTunes. View on Apple TV.
http://www.ambrosiasw.com/utilities/snapzprox/
(Coincidentally, the Ambrosia site shows the visualizer running in iTunes.)
“I loved The West Wing…”
I stopped reading here.
Pay-per-view is the way to go.
The current On-Demand channels are so difficult to use and it is so difficult to find a movie that people just don’t use them as much.
If Itunes had a pay-per-view for TV Shows and Movies AppleTV would sell like hot cakes.
My 2 cents.
I’m using Connect360 to stream content from my Macs to my XBOX 360.
It fools the box into thinking that the Mac is a Media Center PC!
Trial version is free with limited content available from your library.
Full version is 20 bucks and worth every penny, if you happen to have an XBOX360 in addition to your Macintosh network.
This setup for now, does everything that Apple TV can do.
to :rolleyes:
You said, “I’m using Connect360 to stream content from my Macs to my XBOX 360.”
” OH the humanity of it!!”
to “MadMac”:
I think people forget the simple things like music and photos, a great conversation peice or meditation piece and with most HD tvs having high quality sound, its a no brainer.
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Sorry :rolleyes: but the 360 with Connect360 on you Mac cannot do everything the Apple TV can do. Say I want to watch Battlestar Galactica that I legally bought on either my laptop, MP3 player, or TV connected device. 360 can’t do that, your Xbox Live Marketplace content is locked to that one 360. If you bought the content through iTunes, it can go to any device that syncs to iTunes, it can pretty much go anywhere and be watched on any size screen now with Apple TV but it can’t go to the 360 because of the DRM.
I don’t have HDTV, if I did, I would have Apple TV already.
It’s a one bad mother…
when I want to show my pics to my friends, I have to invite them upstairs to my office or give them a link to fotki.com, I don’t make prints anymore.
Although I have this capability in my Sony’s 300 DVD changer, it SUCKS, I was waiting for something like that.
Now I need new TV.
@ rolleyes: it does everything the AppleTV does and at 30 more decibles. You can do the same with the Wii and additional software, get the gaming features of the Wii, stream content from your Macs and without having to drown out the whirring of fans with louder volume. I have people at home that go to bed early while I’m veging on shows.
If Apple TV had DVD recording and DTR it would be worth of 1000€.
TV + DTR + bigger hard drive = easiest to use DTR on market.
TV + DVD drive = best damn DVD player on the market
if they can get video podcasts to be as big as audio – wham all of a sudden who cares about tv shows – would buy Apple TV in an instnt!
EyeTV has already embraced Apple TV and made it into the DVR system every one wants without the monthly payment of a Tivo and all the convenience. Elgato Hybrid connect to NTSC and ATSC broadcast as well all the different digital and analog cable systems across the country. Eye TV software allow you to port stored programs over to Apple Itunes so you can create some pretty cool libraries of cooking shows barbecues, documentaries and port them to your Ipod for live recipe application , barbecues or spending over 9 hours on a plane going nowhere. The Apple remote now controls all of the EyeTV functions as well. The only reason I don’t have one is there is no DVD playback function to replace the Mac mini that I have currently doing the job of the much cheaper Apple TV.
I mainly picked up an Apple TV for the music and photos. Now my entire music library is easily available in another room via my flat screen and surround sound system… I love it! Of course, now I’ve been sucked into Lost, My Name Is Earl and several FREE podcasts (Jigsaw’s great fun)…. and… I love it even more! It’s simple to use, has a fantastic interface and ‘m sure Apple will continue to expand it.
For those complaining about the 40gb hard drive… you can stream from another machine just as easily as you can synch. So the need for a large HD is not a necessity.
When Apple decides to add the capability to compete against TiVo, then they will fly off the shelfs. For now, they are just doing what the TV and movie executives want, not what the public wants.
Yes, there are some that want what it does right now, but Apple is missing the big boat.
I will purchase an apple TV the day they offer <H2>movie rentals,H2> and <H2>HD content.<H2> Until then, the poor quality of the video is a complete turn off. The other features are outstanding, but not enough to warrant the price tag.
Glad I got that off my chest. Can I have my HD content now?
It would be enough to open the platform to third party plug-ins, so you could view internet TV channels, use it with skype, rss feeds, etc, etc…
I think HD content will arrive for sure (june? september?)
I purchased one for my work showroom (interior design) and have it setup with a large library of photos and music and have a running slide on a large plasma tv. The setup works absolutely perfect. Unfortunatley, I do not have need of one at home as my iMac at home is next to the tv and use as a second monitor.
“@ rolleyes: it does everything the AppleTV does and at 30 more decibles. You can do the same with the Wii and additional software, get the gaming features of the Wii, stream content from your Macs and without having to drown out the whirring of fans with louder volume. I have people at home that go to bed early while I’m veging on shows.”
There ain’t no HALO 3 on the Wii.
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P.S. My 360 is very quiet. The noise argument is a total non-issue. If you owned one, you would already know that.
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