“Two years later, and our Editors’ Choice set-top box Apple TV ($99, 4 stars) is back, and it’s new and improved,” Will Greenwald reports for PC Magazine. “Those improvements are very, very slight, but they still count. The 2012 model is pretty much identical to the old one in size, shape, features, and its $99 (list) price tag.”
“An overhauled iOS-like interface gives the Apple TV a fresh menu system, but that’s available to last-gen Apple TV owners through a software update. Still, the new model supports 1080p video and keeps its under-$100 price, so it retains its Editors’ Choice crown.,” Greenwald reports. “If you already have an Apple TV from 2010 or you don’t have a large 1080p HDTV, you don’t need the new box. If you’re new to the game, and want to stream all of your iTunes media and Netflix, the new Apple TV is a top choice.”
Greenwald reports, “If you have an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad, the benefits are even more apparent thanks to AirPlay support and the ability to use those devices as a remote.”
Read more in the full article here.
More info about Apple’s new Apple TV here.
Related articles:
Wired hands-on with new Apple TV: Snappy, intuitive, and 1080p – March 12, 2012
Apple TV contains custom A5 chip not found in any other Apple product – March 7, 2012
Netflix now offers integrated iTunes sign up and 1080p HD streaming on new Apple TV – March 7, 2012
Apple brings 1080p high definition to new Apple TV – March 7, 2012
The new software (or it might be iTunes, or both) has borked the display of TV Shows on my Apple TV. Everything is now displayed in the order it was added, not by show. Since I have hundreds of episodes it’s impossible to navigate using the remote. Most of the time I do us my iPad/iPhone, but still, I find it irritating.
1
I don’t understand. You are navigating by episode?
Click “Computer” then “TV Shows” then, e.g., “Unwatched.” All the shows that you have not yet seen are listed by show, not episode. For whatever show you click, it shows at the top the oldest episode that you have not seen.
I do on occasion want to watch things I’ve already seen. To go through a list of shows (not episodes) that aren’t in alphabetical order is impossible. Imagine having a few hundred films and them being in the order you added them, you’d find it impossible to find the one you wanted using the remote.
Same problem here. Finding a particular episode is now too tedious to be attempted, and keeping track of which episode is the first unwatched is impossible.
…and this follows the previous major update/borking, from the original AppleTV with the built-in hard drive to the little black model, which decided to unbundle the different seasons of each show which makes the list of TV shows unwieldy.
There are lots of people complaining about both of these problem in many blogs and support sites, but not a single solution is offered that’s acceptable to the original submitters. The best workaround currently offered involves re-tagging ALL your episodes to use the track# tag instead of the episode# tag, but I haven’t tried it myself because it makes me feel like a victim.
Mine arrived the day of launch. It was easy to set up. I use alongside my iPad 2 and Air Video. I can stream any video to my HD TV, so no need for iTunes. Am I pleased with it? Silly question. It is brilliant.
love mine, but I found a problem that others have with it also.
Mine is hooked up to a Receiver. then to my TV.
every HDMI device I have works 1080P through the Receiver, EXCEPT the Apple TV. it goes to 720P.
Unplug from receiver and go directly into TV.. 1080P
Read the apple Discussions, not the only one. my receiver is about a year old and like I said, 1080P with everything else.
Hopefully there will be an update to address the issue.
I’m in a similar but even worse situation as my big TV doesn’t have an HDMI port. The original Apple TV worked just fine with it with an HDMI-to-DVI adapter, but not the new one: it drops the resolution to 480i! Horrible. Apparently my only solution is to buy a new 60″ TV. That’s not happening any time soon. So I had to go back to my original ATV. No AirPlay for me! 😔
Try a different HDMI cable.
apple hdmi cable..
And I did try, same result. Tried a different port on the receiver also.
Hoping it’s just a minor bug.
Thats odd. What brand receiver and I’m sure you’ve tried to manually set 1080p 60hz on the ATV3 while plugged into the TV HDMI port then plugged it back to the receiver to see if the manual setting took right?
Yamaha (can’t think of the model off hand)
On the apple tv, while plugged into the receiver (not multiplexer vanfruniken)
The apple tv doesn’t even list 1080p as an option… Highest in 720p.
Directly into tv, yes 1080p is listed.
My tv does have two hdmi ports. The Yamaha receiver has 4, and I have 4 hdmi devices plugged into it.
No other device has any problems doing 1080p through it. (Xbox 360, ps3, satellite)
Like I said, go to the apple discussions. Everything has been tried, no luck. It’s an apple issue.
“Directly into tv, yes 1080p is listed.”
Right, so you have “Auto” turned off for ATV3 resolution when plugged into the HDMI TV Port. Thus forcing ATV3 to output in 1080p only.
http://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio-visual/av-receivers-amps/rx/rx-v565_black__u/?mode=model
I think they discontinued it last year, may be why I picked it up..
full 1080P compatible HDMI ports
always get 1080P, except the Apple TV. Probably just a Bug though.
Define: “Receiver”.
I am an electronics engineer, but maybe I lack some US TV-set marketing vocabulary.
Do you mean a HDMI multiplexer? (I know the HDMI standard allows devices to control each other (CEC))
Doesn’t your TV have multiple HDMI inputs?
Personally I hope that, eventually, the aTV will be able to tell the TV-set which input to choose, with the aTV keeping track of the various input sources (by “aTV channel”, so to speak).
Even more, I hope that the aTV2, and now, the aTV3 will be able to be firmware upgraded, to exhibit this behavior.
A receiver is the amp, pre-amp and tuner combined into one unit. Most are now considered to be A/V, or audio/video receivers, which have multiple amps for surround sound, plus HDMI connections for TVs. Here are some from Pioneer:
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Home/AV-Receivers/Pioneer+Receivers
I’m absolutely loving my Apple TV, but for the love of god, please get the HBO Go app on there!
2nd that.