Possiblility of new Apple TV at Macworld?

i think this would be very cool...possibly even with a DVR feature to record stuff and possibly even watch shows that you recorded on your computor and ipod. sortof like tivo, and i think the movie rentals will also be very awsome as well.

If they update the hardware, it would likely be to support HD content better. So moving to Gigabit Ethernet on the wired end (since 802.11n wireless is already supported) and maybe true 1080i/1080p output (with a bump in GPU power if necessary). That way, if you rip Blu-Ray or HD-DVD content on your PC, you can send it quicker to the tv as well as see it in all it's glory.

Perhaps add that new Display Port display connector technology.

Do enough people care about the Apple TV to warrant an upgrade.

MacNut said:

Do enough people care about the Apple TV to warrant an upgrade.

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Maybe not. For the technically savvy, the Mac Mini offers more capability - for admittedly more cost, but not unreasonably so. I like the concept of the tv, but not the execution for what I want it for. As such, I think a Mac Mini with the new Front Row will be the better choice for me.

I think its time they made the tv a whole lot cheaper.

What I want/not so much think/hope they will do is......They will have two models of the appletv. One will be a tv with all of the stuff built in and have a DVR. The other is it's current state with maybe some additional features they will add at Macworld. They will both have bluetooth. They will both be running OS X and they will have a new interface with a home screen sort of look (like the iPhone's). They will have Safari, iChat, maybe some widgets. I don't know. But that's what it will be like.

I keep saying "They will have" when basically it should be "I hope they will have". Haha.

Apple didn't give the Apple TV enough features to warrant it's release. If it did more it would of sold more.

MacNut said:

Apple didn't give the Apple TV enough features to warrant it's release.

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Sure they did.

If it did more it would of sold more.

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If it did more, it would probably cost more.

If it has enough features people will over pay, look at the iPhone.

Yes please on a new tv, though I'd be more happy if it was after MW as my wishlist has a new MBP at the top of it. Really want to jump in. If the rumors are true on the subscription model, I'm going to be diving in.

Now if they would get rid of old models by bundling it with a MBP purchase, I'd be very happy. Who needs a free printer anyways?

alchemistmuffin said:

I think that's the movie rental announcement is all about.....

with TV, watching movie rented from iTunes Store is much easier, and more convinent for some people....

and another thing now I'm predicting....
TV will also have the iTunes Store app, just like the iPod touch and the iPhone, so people can buy music, but also rent or buy movies, audiobooks, all from the comfort of one's couch....

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I think a lot of people want a Tivo type device.

MacNut said:

If it has enough features people will over pay, look at the iPhone.

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Apples and oranges (no pun intended). The ATV is entertainment, the iPhone is principally a tool.

I think it is time to kill the Apple TV before Apple gets back into the Newton years.

Cave Man said:

Apples and oranges (no pun intended). The ATV is entertainment, the iPhone is principally a tool.

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A lot of it is useless fluff. Besides the phone what do you really need an iPhone for that an iTouch can't do. I don't think I would call the iPhone a tool more of a gadget.

synth3tik said:

I think it is time to kill the Apple TV before Apple gets back into the Newton years.

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TV is already quite useful if you already have lots of video in iTunes compatible format, so why should they kill it?

As the hackers have shown it could be A LOT more powerful. What irks me about it is how decidedly un-Mac it can be, if I needed to enter an access code every time I connected my iPod to a new library, the iPod would have been a failure of monumental proportions.

Things that would IMHO make the TV even more useful.

• Enable the USB port. (Hooking up a 1TB drive to the TV would be just great).
• A companion server product. ( I don't want to have to have my Mac/PC on to stream media to the TV)
• A small display. (Particularly so it could be used as a standalone stereo component).

Depending on what comes at MWSF, I am planning to put the largest HDD I can fit in mine once the warranty is up.

B

balamw said:

What irks me about it is how decidedly un-Mac it can be, if I needed to enter an access code every time I connected my iPod to a new library, the iPod would have been a failure of monumental proportions.

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This is because of the networked connection for pairing. With an iPod you have a dedicated USB/Firewire connection. In an environment with potentially multiple Apple TVs on the network, deciding

a) which one is yours and

b) keeping someone else from accidentally/purposely picking it

makes the pairing scheme a necessity...

Kevin

imlucid said:

makes the pairing scheme a necessity...

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It's NOT a necessity for streaming from iTunes to iTunes, so why should it be for streaming from iTunes to TV.

If I bring home my notebook from work, it can stream from my shared iTunes libraries without "pairing". If I had a Mac Mini hooked up to my TV, it also would not need to pair. (I can password protect the shared libary to avoid unauthorized use.) Same would be true if the TV had a manual mode like most iPod do (so you could add content to it from any of the computers in your house.)

Apple touted the feature of playing back content from a PC or Mac brought to your house, but made it difficult to do in practice. (In fact the 1.0 rev wouldn't even handle shared photos from anything but your paired PC/Mac.)

This could be handled SO much easier, in a more Mac like manner with only software changes.

B

I thought that the Demi-gods, of everyone, would be the ones to appreciate the AppleTV most. There are many of us who love it, not necessarily because it is the most full-featured device of this type out there, but because it works wonderfully with our Macs and iTunes. Anyone who is too blind to try it out (Costco, people!) can go screw themselves.

Alchemistmuffin, I'm eagerly awaiting the release of your app.

I agree with CWallace, If I were in the market for an apple tv i would just save a bit more money and get a mac mini. You can do everything apple tv can, and also have another computer

alchemistmuffin said:

I have a EyeTV set as well, and I wrote an app that lets you convert the recorded show automatically into format compatible with TV and iPod, and since my TV is always connected to my Mac Pro, the show is ready to be streamed over to my HDTV.....

and no, I'm not going to share the app to the public, since it's still in beta....

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At the moment EyeTV gives you the option to automatically convert to iPod or AppleTV when you set a recording.