“Apple TV offers a way for consumers to unlock the videos, music, and photos on their computer for use in the living room on TV. The new device competes against a series of other products, including the least expensive option of simply running a long video cable from the computer to the television. Whether Apple TV is worth the price will depend a lot upon on how much users like iTunes already, and how they plan to make use of the Apple TV,” x3nc0re 548 reports for AppleInsider.
“There are few secrets left about Apple TV’s hardware features and its simple software interface; most of those details were originally revealed by Steve Jobs at ‘Showtime,’ the Apple event which previewed the new box under the code name iTV, months ahead of its official launch at Macworld Expo in January,” x3nc0re 548 reports.
x3nc0re 548 reports, “Rather than demonstrate how to run through its simple menus and set it up, this review compares Apple TV against competing devices and the experience of Front Row Macs, examines the future potential of its hardware, outlines its software flaws and missing features, and highlights how well Apple TV fits the needs of its target users.”
Full, extensive review here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “RadDoc” for the heads up.]
Wow… another Apple TV review… 3 months late.
Maybe someday we’ll be able to play iPod games on our TVs!
i love my apple tv
tv = (^_^)
MW: ‘science’ the science broadcasting (updated)
Not a bad article but it avoids – totally – the biggest failing of and most requested features for Apple TV.
IT NEEDS A DVR AND A WAY TO PLAY DISCS.
All you geeks can make as many excuses as you want about how AppleTV is “the future” & all that. But the fact is the future is now my friends. TiVo is now, my DVD & HDDVD collection is now. I would have snapped up one of these things in a minute if they had those two simple capabilities, in addition to the neat things it already does. When a 10 yr old VCR does things that a modern high tech piece of kit like this can’t, something is just plain wrong.
And now Apple is apparently axing the Mini, which was the best REAL digital media device they made. It even played games – take that XBox360! So they completely abandon the product that could do what people want, in favor of another not selling too well that doesn’t, because … why exactly?
Talk about being obstinate in the face of failure.
I love my AppleTV!
but, does anyone know how well it is selling??
Apple peddling crap machinery – the end has started.
It looks very pretty~~I really,really,really want one .
———————-
MP4 Converter
http://www.mp4-converter.net/
TV is from the devil!!!
@HalfBakedTV.
Does your DVD or HDDVD player deliver your iPhoto library to the TV or play your iTunes music library to the TV?
If you want a DVD player, go bloody buy one. I don’t know about the US, but here in Australia, a DVD player is only $60AUD.
If you want HDDVD or Blueray, then go buy one of those too. And unless you’ve got cable, PVR’s are a waste of money, at least in Australia, since there’s nothing worth recording on free-to-air. As for cable, why waste money on subscriptions and the PVR, when you can download exactly what you want from iTStore?
The AppleTV is a media extender. End of story. I bought one a month ago and love it. Here in Australia, we can’t even buy online video for download, so we have to download pirated stuff or rip DVDs (please Apple, convince the stupid studios to fix that). Even so, its the coolest piece of electronics I’ve ever purchased. Being able to sit on the lounge and check out a digital photo album without going up stairs to the computer is awesome.
@Junk.
Your statement is what’s crap. Maybe a bit of reasoning behind your excrement would be useful – otherwise you just sound like an ignorant toser.
Hello!!!,
How often exactly do you feel the need to look at your photo album on your television? Less often than playing DVDs I’m sure.
RE: music, plugging in my iPod to my stereo is a much simpler way to do it than having to turn on my TV, making sure my computer (in another room) is switched on and then navigating using that awkward remote.
And yes, I realise you can rip DVDs into iTunes. But frankly I don’t have the time nor hard drive space to do that, and why should I have to bother when I can just put the disc in my player?
I agree, at this stage, and especially outside the US, AppleTV is useless.
I have had mine for a few weeks now and am very happy with my purchase. GUI is excellent as expected. Would like a good app for converting dvd’s as you can’t do this using quicktime and don’t know of any other good apps. Suggestions anyone?
apple tv owner
use handbrake for converting dvds to appletv-compatible files. works most of the time (sometimes it cant “hack” the drm) but most of the time it works. it even hast an appletv preset.
http://handbrake.m0k.org
have fun!
After a couple months of owning one, it now sits idle most of the time. It plays music fine, but it doesn’t synch photos real well at all, and I agree with the above comments – this thing not having a DVR is criminal.
I didn’t think so at first, but the more I used it the more I wanted to record my own shows without the extra cost of iTunes & hassle of ripping DVDs. I have a huge DVD collection, and it’s getting bigger b/c DVDs cost less than stuff you buy from itunes, WITH extras (iTunes vids have no extras – just movie), and DVD even has a better picture. BRs & HDDVDs will have all the same advantages sooner or later. So, what’s the point of AppleTV & itunes? I really wish I had thought it through like that in the first place, but … I admit it … I got into the hype.
As for needing cable to make recording shows ‘worth it’ – what kind of stupid idea is that? First, whats not worth it to one person may be 100% alright to another. Get a grip. Second, maybe in Australia free TV sucks, but in the US it ain’t half bad. With my roof antenna in NJ area I can get well over 15 channels. I probably watch 6 or 7 regularly, and about three or four ‘cable only’ stations regularly. And on cable, those channels are watched only because they happen to have one or two shows each that I’m interested in – over the air TV channels have more shows that I watch/per channel – Mon & Thurs nights especially.
So basically, if Apple sold the cable shows I watch (which they do, but since I have cable I ain’t gonna buy them again) AND gave me the option of recording stuff off the antenna (local & national) that I actually watch more often, I could finally drop the monthly extortion that is my cable bill! As it stands now, I use my VCR to time shift and/or archive for both types of programming, continue paying for cable cause I really like those few shows, and Apple gets nothing.
I tell my friends all the time – AppleTV is a luxury toy. It does some neat stuff that doesn’t really occupy my life nearly as much as Apple seems to think it should. They could have made it great. With just a disc player & a software app to do DVR (isn’t Apple supposed to be this great software company? shouldn’t be too hard …) the thing could be everything I really want & use 24/7. Certainly I’d be willing to buy individual shows off of iTunes instead of cable fees – cheaper for sure. But I want the flexibility of recording what I want when I want for stuff I don’t have to pay for too. I just do. I don’t care what Steve Jobs or any of you fanatics thinks I SHOULD be doing – that’s what I am doing and I like it. And so does everyone else I know.
So I’m probably gonna eBay the AppleTV and go get a decent DVR (hard drive or disc based – haven’t made up my mind) from Sams with the proceeds. I tried it. It’s not quite there yet.