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160GB Apple TV vs Current Apple TV

S

Skittllez

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 24, 2010
20
0
Hey there,

Just picked up one of the last 160GB Apple TV's at my local bestbuy but have a 14 day satisfaction guarantee, and I still am uncertain on this purchase.

Are there any disadvantages of having the last generation compared to the newer ones? It seemed to me that having the harddrive would be an advantage as size does not matter for me. any input would be great!

Thanks alot,
Skittllez.
 
B

BertyBoy

macrumors 6502
Feb 1, 2009
326
0
Keep your eyes on the 2nd hand prices when the new model comes out. It's a fantastic product. The only real immediate benefit of the new one is its price.

Old Apple TV may go the way of the original FireWire iSight camera, Tiger OS install disc, original AirPort card, etc - that the 2nd hand price exceeds the original full retail price when Apple stops selling them.
 
ayzee

ayzee

macrumors 6502a
Jun 12, 2008
576
35
The only difference is the new atv has a faster processor and can handle better quality video at higher bitrates. If it wasn't for this, I would probably snap up an old atv too.
 
JoshBoy

JoshBoy

macrumors 6502
Oct 12, 2008
484
361
Sydney, Australia
i say stick with the old one. I am keeping mine, I will buy a new one for the bedroom because of the price however if i find an old apple tv for the same price I will consider that one.
 
hitekalex

hitekalex

macrumors 68000
Feb 4, 2008
1,624
0
Chicago, USA
Skittllez said:
Hey there,

Just picked up one of the last 160GB Apple TV's at my local bestbuy but have a 14 day satisfaction guarantee, and I still am uncertain on this purchase.

Are there any disadvantages of having the last generation compared to the newer ones? It seemed to me that having the harddrive would be an advantage as size does not matter for me. any input would be great!
Click to expand...

Return it and get the new one.

Apple will no longer develop for or release major software updates for the old Apple TV. You will be missing out on features like NetFlix, and more importantly AirPlay.. And of course whatever new features will be coming out, like iOS Apps for Apple TV.. You will not see any of that on the old model. Makes no sense to me to spend money on an obsolete technology..
 
dongmin

dongmin

macrumors 68000
Jan 3, 2002
1,709
5
ayzee said:
The only difference is the new atv has a faster processor and can handle better quality video at higher bitrates. If it wasn't for this, I would probably snap up an old atv too.
Click to expand...

Is this a fact? I'm curious b/c I'm thinking of picking the older gen, but worried that the experience won't be so smooth with the older hardware.

My primary use will be streaming DVD rips and few iTunes shows to my TV. Most of the content will be standard def, as I have very little HD content. Probably will be hacking the ATV and running something like NitoTV.

Also, I read somewhere that you can use a hacked ATV as a NAS. Is that really practical?
 
B

BertyBoy

macrumors 6502
Feb 1, 2009
326
0
Skittllez said:
Hey there,

Just picked up one of the last 160GB Apple TV's at my local bestbuy but have a 14 day satisfaction guarantee, and I still am uncertain on this purchase.

Are there any disadvantages of having the last generation compared to the newer ones? It seemed to me that having the harddrive would be an advantage as size does not matter for me. any input would be great!

Thanks alot,
Skittllez.
Click to expand...

Not trying to tell you what to do unlike other posts.

The old model does the job it was designed for, it buys, rents and plays Tv, movies, music, photo slideshows, youtube (if that's your thing). Apple may have stopped manufacturing the device, but TV and HDTV still plays fine.

It's your choice, depending on your needs.
I used mine to allow me to view all my DVDs and BluRays (ripped into iTunes). I never need to physically scan my video collection again, looking for a film to watch that night, it's all at the touch of the Apple Remote (well, my old iPod Touch). I don't know how the caching will work on the new one, but the old one allowed me to store all my favourite movies on the 160GB hard disk, so the computer with iTunes could go to sleep.
Biggest benefit was I could load it up with movies, TV shows, photos, etc and take it with me on my (frequent) travels, especially with kids in tow. 7 hour stopover in Dubai, Singapore, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Sydney, wherever, no problem, plug it in, attach the HDMI to the hotel room plasma and I have 35 episodes of Bob The Builder or Chuggington to keep the little ones occupied while I repack and sleep. Four weeks away anywhere, I still have all my movies, photos, home movies, etc to show friends, relatives, etc.

My 2008 Mac Pro is nearly as old as my "obsolete" Apple TV,is it obsolete too ? So no more updates for my AppleTV ? Well I like it just the way it is thanks, after the train-wreck that was AppleTV OS v2.

Only you can decide, will you miss the internal storage ? Many would.

Or you could sell it on eBay, for more than you paid for it. We had £149 clearance price from Apple in the UK, they all went in hours. Now they go for more than that 2nd hand and no free postage.
 
N

newagemac

macrumors 68020
Mar 31, 2010
2,091
23
dongmin said:
Is this a fact? I'm curious b/c I'm thinking of picking the older gen, but worried that the experience won't be so smooth with the older hardware.

My primary use will be streaming DVD rips and few iTunes shows to my TV. Most of the content will be standard def, as I have very little HD content. Probably will be hacking the ATV and running something like NitoTV.

Also, I read somewhere that you can use a hacked ATV as a NAS. Is that really practical?
Click to expand...

Yes it is a fact. For instance, the old Apple TV can only play 720p at 24 frames per second. The new Apple TV can handle 720p files at 30 frames per second. This is especially important if you have an iPhone 4 because it records HD video in 720p/30 and the old Apple TV won't play it but the new one will.
 
ayzee

ayzee

macrumors 6502a
Jun 12, 2008
576
35
newagemac said:
Yes it is a fact. For instance, the old Apple TV can only play 720p at 24 frames per second. The new Apple TV can handle 720p files at 30 frames per second. This is especially important if you have an iPhone 4 because it records HD video in 720p/30 and the old Apple TV won't play it but the new one will.
Click to expand...

Wow didn't realise that one, thanks

I was referring more to the old atv not being able to handle certain ripped 720p content. When reading the specs it seemed like there were limitations to the bitrate of the video and certain audio formats.

But as for DVD rips the old atv will be fine
 
CWallace

CWallace

macrumors G5
Aug 17, 2007
12,026
10,727
Seattle, WA
I just bought the old one because the new model adds features I don't need and takes away features I want.

But since they knocked $80 off the price of the old one when I bought it, if the new one proves to be epic, I'll just buy it, too, since it's effectively "free".
 
MuggleReviewer

MuggleReviewer

macrumors member
Sep 22, 2010
34
0
Cambridge, UK
Also depends on weather you have an iOS device or not... Without one I would definitely choose the older generation! But if you have an iPad/iPhone it's a tougher call... AirPlay should allow you to stream content from NAS devices using apps like StreamToMe and others so can still watch all of your ripped movies/tv shows if your like me and have almost all of you collection on a network drive (connected to a time capsule or airport extreme).. Major advantage to 1st gen is that computer can be asleep or even still in your bag and your entire library is still available... Sort of nice after a long day to just drop the bag on the table and sit down to watch a show or three:)

I have had my 160GB aTV for almost 3 years and use it every day... Even canceled my cable because I would rather rent/buy the few shows that I enjoy than pay a heap for the ones that I don't (i know this isn't really possible with sports but I prefer to go to the pub for games anyway so I wasn't bothered) it is nice to be able to store your favorite iTunes content (especially music and photos) so they are ready for when ever you feel like some tunes but in the end I would hang on to the 1st gen and maybe ask for the new one for your birthday:D
 
tbayrgs

tbayrgs

macrumors 604
Jul 5, 2009
7,343
4,867
BertyBoy said:
Not trying to tell you what to do unlike other posts.

The old model does the job it was designed for, it buys, rents and plays Tv, movies, music, photo slideshows, youtube (if that's your thing). Apple may have stopped manufacturing the device, but TV and HDTV still plays fine.

It's your choice, depending on your needs.
I used mine to allow me to view all my DVDs and BluRays (ripped into iTunes). I never need to physically scan my video collection again, looking for a film to watch that night, it's all at the touch of the Apple Remote (well, my old iPod Touch). I don't know how the caching will work on the new one, but the old one allowed me to store all my favourite movies on the 160GB hard disk, so the computer with iTunes could go to sleep.
Biggest benefit was I could load it up with movies, TV shows, photos, etc and take it with me on my (frequent) travels, especially with kids in tow. 7 hour stopover in Dubai, Singapore, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Sydney, wherever, no problem, plug it in, attach the HDMI to the hotel room plasma and I have 35 episodes of Bob The Builder or Chuggington to keep the little ones occupied while I repack and sleep. Four weeks away anywhere, I still have all my movies, photos, home movies, etc to show friends, relatives, etc.

My 2008 Mac Pro is nearly as old as my "obsolete" Apple TV,is it obsolete too ? So no more updates for my AppleTV ? Well I like it just the way it is thanks, after the train-wreck that was AppleTV OS v2.

Only you can decide, will you miss the internal storage ? Many would.

Or you could sell it on eBay, for more than you paid for it. We had £149 clearance price from Apple in the UK, they all went in hours. Now they go for more than that 2nd hand and no free postage.
Click to expand...

+1 for this explanation. If you need the HDD, get the old version. Like BertyBoy, I like being able to load it up with my kids movies and bring it on vacation--not possible with the new version. It's also far across the house from my router so streaming his hit or miss. For these reasons, I bought another old 160 GB version as a backup for the day when the current unit bites the dust.

On the other hand, if you really want the new features (Netflix, AirPlay), it's an obvious choice to get the new one. I have an old 40 GB version in our bedroom and only stream to it. When it eventually dies, I'll get a new one.
 
CrAkD

CrAkD

macrumors 68040
Feb 15, 2010
3,180
255
Boston, MA
I think you should get the new one. Airplay is going to be HUGE and I know apple has a ton of stuff up their sleeve with this new apple tv. after everyone has one theyll launch the app store for it and turn the living room upside down.
 
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