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Is the new ATV better at ANYTHING?

D

Dan--

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jul 30, 2008
237
23
Does the new ATV do anything better than the old one (expect for price)?

The only things I can see are:
  • Heat
  • Size
  • Netflix
  • Airplay
  • Potential
Heat - how much of a factor is this?

Size doesn't make much of a difference - the old one was pretty small, and if it's less than 17" it fits with the rest of the components - it's not like I'll be taping it to my projector.

Netflix - interesting, but not a dealmaker for me.

Airplay - interesting, but without Flash on my iOS devices, pretty much all the content comes from my computer anyway.

I kinda wanted to get the old one, but wasn't ready just yet, and wanted updated hardware - the old one was so... old - items such as a faster chip, bigger HD and SATA, and the ability to do local and network drives out of the box were what I was looking for. 1080p would be a bonus.

Sigh.

For now, I'd like to use it primarily for music, and preferably not have to have a computer on. I also have some DVD sourced material but am interested in expansion later.

The new model only seems to take away - the only saving grace seems to be potential.

Am I missing anything?

Should I just get an old one? (Sigh. At least it's cheaper now.)

Thanks,

Dan
 
K

KDR

macrumors regular
Mar 8, 2007
119
1
If you care about 1080p and managing a colossal library then you should wait and cross your fingers that Apple succeeds with this so you can start buying new ones with more features every year like the iPods and iPhones.

Ironically if you want to stream music I'd say buy an Airport Express, but guess what, it's $99!!! If you don't need to rebroadcast your wifi then accept the limitations for now and buy the Apple TV for the same price.
 
Z

zedsdead

macrumors 68040
Jun 20, 2007
3,403
1,147
I think the best thing about the new update is that the menu system finally seems to have zero lag, as does the streaming performance. Those were my two biggest complaints, so they seem to be fixed (hopefully).

As for everything else, it was a letdown outside of the price point.
 
R

rayward

macrumors 68000
Mar 13, 2007
1,697
88
Houston, TX
Cave Man said:
720p at 30fps. The new ATV is pretty much a lateral move, IMO. I won't be giving up my original ATVs anytime soon. Fits my needs better.
Click to expand...

Of course, if you have a mixed selection of old and new ATVs, you can't take advantage of the 30fps capability, unless you are happy that certain files can be played only on the new unit.
 
R

rayward

macrumors 68000
Mar 13, 2007
1,697
88
Houston, TX
zedsdead said:
I think the best thing about the new update is that the menu system finally seems to have zero lag, as does the streaming performance. Those were my two biggest complaints, so they seem to be fixed (hopefully).

As for everything else, it was a letdown outside of the price point.
Click to expand...

Presumably, the menu performance is a result of the upgrade to Apple's A4 chip, perhaps with a little help from iOS. If it doesn't get hot enough to power the ISS, then that's a benefit. Otherwise, I agree that I don't see any improvement other than the price point.

HOWEVER, I think price point is the key. Apple didn't want to continue with its hobby project, unless they could sell more units to make it worthwhile. Thus, strip out the HDD to save cost/size/heat (and say they did it because that's what customers wanted) and voila! Apple TV v2. The 99c TV show rental only works if there's enough volume to make it viable to the studios, so sacrificing capability for the price point became the driving force behind the design. Airplay is simply a byproduct of using iOS to run it, which itself is an economy of sorts.
 
F

FrancisD

macrumors newbie
Apr 13, 2010
25
0
rayward said:
Airplay is simply a byproduct of using iOS to run it, which itself is an economy of sorts.
Click to expand...

I'm thinking that for people who are heavy users of iOS devices (especially iPads) the connection the aTV provides between devices via Airplay is going to be very compelling at this price point. I don't really see the aTV as being a complete solution on its own, but in the context of iOS devices it has a lot of potential.

Unfortunately that's all theory until 4.2 ships for iPad, but here's hoping.
 
G

GermanSuplex

macrumors 68000
Aug 26, 2009
1,529
29,960
Netflix is a big deal to me, as is 30fps 720p. That takes care of my immediate needs that the current ATV does not.

And to be honest, I have noticed how much heat my current ATV puts out, so this thing being cooler and using less power is certainly a bonus.

It doesn't look like a perfect device, but for only $99 its a welcome step up for me. I've had my current ATV for about 2 years and its biggest features over the new model - purchasing and local storage - I never use.

In the keynote, Steve made this sound like an upgrade, but truth be told its not - it's a more consumer-friendly model to appeal to more people, but it does offer a couple of features to entice current-gen owners.
 
Z

zedsdead

macrumors 68040
Jun 20, 2007
3,403
1,147
This makes sense given Steves comments at All things Digital.

What I think happened is that Apple was planning an iOS version (the tear down and remake the set top box, with subscriptions), but two things happened.

(1) Google TV accelerated the timeline for Apple to release something.

(2) The full iOS Apple TV is probably in the works, but content studios haven't signed onto the all streaming model yet. Apple is clearly heading in the streaming direction, but they need more support.
 
S

shingi70

macrumors regular
Mar 14, 2010
160
0
Not really.

I can do netflix, hulu, and espn streaming on my xbox 360.

Steve said people don't want to manage space and delete stuff they bought. Well thats because itunes doesn't let wou redownload. My xbox connected to the zune market place lets me DL HD movies/TV (i like to purchase to rewatch) and if i can delete the media i can redownload any time on my PC or xbox also i don't have to download but stream like i do with most of my media.


Only problem is my internet is down and i never clicked DL on any of my shows just stream (meant to DL later) so now i can't watch my videos.
 
T

trip1ex

macrumors 68030
Jan 10, 2008
2,889
1,423
It's also better on the pocketbook.

When you see such a major price drop don't expect a boatload increase in features and abilities.

It's obvious the goal was to get the price much cheaper.
 
D

Dan--

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jul 30, 2008
237
23
trip1ex said:
It's also better on the pocketbook.
It's obvious the goal was to get the price much cheaper.
Click to expand...

The new one is ok I guess, for what it is and it's price point. I just wish they announced a 2nd model. Same form factor as old one, A4 chip, 500GB SATA drive, $179.
 
ipedro

ipedro

macrumors 603
Nov 30, 2004
6,232
8,493
Toronto, ON
Back to basics

I think that Apple went back to basics with this. They retuned it to include the most popular features and slimed down the components to reduce the price to under $100 to appeal to more people.

I think we'll be seeing Music rejoining the main menu once the iTunes Cloud is released. Purchases might make a return at that point also.

I'm an early adopter, I've had mine for almost 4 years. My biggest (only) complaint about the original AppleTV, is file management. I hesitated in buying content because while AppleTV has onboard storage, it would sync everything I bought back to my main computer, a MacBookPro. Managing the ever increasing iTunes Library size was getting to be a real hassle.

Apple fixed that problem in a way I didn't expect by removing purchases entirely but I think in retrospect this will be viewed as the right way to go. Shift content to iOS devices and allow it to be streamed to your TV via AppleTV.

I'll be getting one, once TV show rentals come to iTunes Canada.
 
bigpatky

bigpatky

macrumors regular
Sep 7, 2007
246
33
ipedro said:
I think that Apple went back to basics with this. They retuned it to include the most popular features and slimed down the components to reduce the price to under $100 to appeal to more people.
Click to expand...

you nailed it. we'll see consistent upward-upgrades from know on imho like we've seen with most every other apple products. next year we'll get 1080p and apps. who knows from there.
 
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