“But it has to be said, the Apple TV is a great way to take advantage of your large, high-def, widescreen TV. The old Front Row-style interface has been phased out in favour of a far more appealing look in the free version 3.0, which is available through a software update from the Apple TV menu,” EMOIZ.com reports. “The 160GB hard drive is still a little pokey for the average film buff and there’s no DVD or Blu-ray drive. There’s no web browser to speak of either. In short, it’s limited. So why not just get a Mac mini, pimp that up and use Front Row as the front end? The mini lacks none of these limitations.”
EMOIZ.com reports, “There are other alternatives, too. It’s possible you already have a set-top box that can double as a media player: a games console… The Apple TV [also] has set-top box competitors, of course. However, they almost always have a fatal flaw… The Apple TV, like the Mac, is designed for everyone to be able to use, easily, and works equally well with Windows and Macs. The new Apple TV 3.0 software is far easier to use, and integrates content from linked computers far more simply. The ability to rent and buy from the iTunes Store directly from the Apple TV is the main draw, as is its ability to play content already on your Mac. If a powerful media centre is what you want, the Apple TV isn’t it. But if you want a very good media centre that everyone can use and which matches the Apple aesthetic, the Apple TV is the one for you.”
There’s much more in the full article here.
Sorry, for the money, and its ability to play content already on my Mac via a shared folder I’ll stick with my $130 Western Digital WDTV Live.
Plus it’ll play just about EVERYTHING I throw at it… ISO images, matroska, divx, mpeg4, h.264, etc… It’ll play more than my Quicktime with Perian installed even.
The problem with the Apple TV and iTunes solution is that it doesn’t deal well with content outside of iTunes. Until the AppleTV can link to external sources of media that are not in an iTunes library, I will stick with my mac mini and media software like Plex.
I don’t know anyone who has one and have never heard anyone discussing one. It seems to me a US centric appliance.
“Apple TV is an expensive (+£200), under-featured way to put whatever you have in iPhoto or iTunes on your TV, especially when there are more powerful alternatives out there.”
Really, there are other more powerful ways to get HD video, all your audio and your pictures onto your TV from the unit and from other computers in the area, and rent movies, buy movies and TV shows, and buy music, and at a better price?
I think the Mac mini is the better choice for a Mac-based HTPC, especially with ElGato’s EyeTV hardware and software than can relay your live television signals to your iPhone or iPod Touch. Apple TV can’t do that. I expect ElGato will have great software for television viewing on iPads too.
The Western Digital WDTV Live has the following limitations…
“Does not support protected premium content such as movies or music from the iTunes® Store, Cinema Now, Movielink®, Amazon Unbox™, and Vongo®”
from their website.
I love my Apple TV! I just wish Apple would release a new one with a faster and cooler lower power CPU, 4 GB of Flash memory (for OS and Rented content) and maybe a 2TB Hard drive for media content backup/storage.
I might be wrong but I thought ATV 3.0 was released ages ago.
Ah, but add TVFlash and suddenly my TV can also play:
– .avi, .dvix, flv, .m4v, .mp4, .mov, .mpeg, .mpg, .ogg, .ogm, .rm, .rmvb, .wmv, .xvid
– .mkv format supported up to 480p resolution (hardware limited)
– DVD files (VIDEO_TS/VOB)
– Audio support for: AAC, AC3 Audio, H.264, MPEG4, and VBR MP3
– Subtitle support for SSA and SRT
I can surf the web, check my email, and update Twitter from the comfort of my couch. You should see web browsing in HD!
I can add an external hard drive to expand my storage and use Transmit to ftp all of my media.
I can now add a USB hub to use a keyboard and mouse.
Included Software:
– FTP/SFTP/SSH Access – Transfer files to and from your AppleTV
– NitoTV – Play DVD files, enable USB storage and much more
– Couch Surfer Pro – Powerful Safari based web browser
– Sapphire – Play and organize media using IMDB database
– ATVFiles – Browse and play stored media
– AirControl beta – Use the Loop™ Pointer from Hillcrest Labs on AppleTV
– XBMC – A fully customizable media center software
– Boxee – Watch and share media with your friends
– Maintenance – Manage installed plugins, and install additional features
– All Available Video Codecs (Perian, A52, Mplayer + more)
I got a refurb 40 GB unit from Apple two months ago ($149) and we’ve used it a lot, mainly for renting HD movies from the iTunes store. It sure beats running out to the local video store and picking through their limited selection of HD stuff. It’s not revloutionary (and clearly, we’re not using it to it’s full potential), but even at this level, in terms of convenience and time savings, it will more than pay for itself in a year.
Put a DVD drive in it, and I will buy 2.
I want to use my existing DVD’s as well.
It’s very simple – get an Apple TV, hack it with a patchstick, put Boxee on it, and then viola – you can view movies and pictures, and listen to music, all streaming from any computer in your house, in ANY FORMAT (avi, wmv, disk images, matroska, all the various mpegs and HD formats, wma, aiff, wav, mp3, m4a, and it goes on and on and on).
You don’t need a big drive. I have an Apple TV with a 40GB drive and at any given time I have wireless access to over 3TB of data from my home computers. All viewable in HD, super fast, streaming perfectly, and Apple TV can even use my universal remote. So I just have one remote for my TV, sound system/DVD player, and Apple TV. It’s by far the best solution out there. Been using it for almost 3 years now, never had a single problem.
Don’t have an ATV, though looking forward to next iteration. Apple will eventually recreate the ATV as some hybrid game and media player that can run iPhone apps and use the iPad or iPod touch as controller and game wand.
Just bought my 2nd aTV-160 this week.
We have had the other for a bit now. They are both fed via a MacMini and FW Drobo doing server duty in a back room.
If you have young kids, ripped kids movies in sync is a great thing, and the interface can be driver my them… I don’t trust a 3 year old with a Mini… but he does have an iTouch
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drz:
They should put apps on it.
Monopoly for the whole family, via a 52″ screen.
They are also only 149/189 in the refurb store (us).
I have a PS3 and recently purchased “Rivet” for my mac… I can now view my iPhoto library, listen to all my iTunes music and also watch any video I have on my mac all wirelessly through the PS3 (also works for Xbox 360) on my Plasma TV… works great
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Apple should buy TiVo, it’s a very user friendly stable platform that lacks the necessary R&D;budget. I have a 10 yr old unit and 3 5 year old units. All are networked I can transfer shows between units and best of all I use Roxio on my Macs to download and convert shows for iPod use. I forgot to mention that I also have access to my iTunes library and my photos. There many other reasons it would make sense but this is a starting point.
Mike
Apple does not sell media on DVDs, so why would they add a drive? Think about it! Apple doesn’t make money off Apple TV; they make it off iTunes! Thus the design! I love my Apple TV!
Would like to go with a Mac Mini, but one thing really not covered is audio- Will it deliver 5.1 surround to the receiver?
If I were to buy now, I would get a Mini rather than an TV.
I’m thinking of doing that anyway and putting my TV in the kid’s room.
iMaki:
Apple traditionally makes money off of hardware. I’m not saying aTV is not currently setup as a loss leader or a break even thing like an R&D;project, but Apple has stated more than once that the iTunes Store is to sell hardware (add value) and it’s cut is to keep it up and running. (overhead)
In the end I would say iPhones are paying for aTV. As it’s profits are fueling the R&D;for aTV and the iPad.
macbones
not sure if this still applies
http://geekwithfamily.com/2007/07/05/home-theater/howto-5-easy-steps-to-output-dolby-digital-from-quicktime-player/#more-228
“it doesn’t deal well with content outside of iTunes.”
And it shouldn’t. If you need access to non-iTunes content, there’s a lot out there for you, options galore!! Heck, all those options also work for iTunes music, so go, enjoy yourself!
I’ll never understand the standard techboy refrain of “It’s not for me, so it’s useless”.
Anyone who buys an AppleTV then gets TVFlash already misses the point in the first place.
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