Considering Apple TV, worth it?

cloroxbleach4 said:

I have a question about Apple TV. Is there anyway to use it with my Macbook Pro? I am wanting to display my desktop wirelessly. Does it do either mirroring or be able to extend my desktop at all? I'm also assuming that it will carry the audio as well.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

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To expand a little bit about what linds15 said,

Most newer Macs have mirroring enabled, so you can show what is on your MBP screen on your ATV.

One of the "tent pole" features of Mavericks (OS X 10.9, which will be available later on this fall) is the ability to use the AppleTV as an additional display (extend the desktop).

Well guys,

Its with much regret that I am ditching my 'suite' of Apple TV 1's after years of solid service.

For me though, local storage (or the ability to add some) is paramount. While all the content was streamed to ATV 1's via the NAS/Laptop running iTunes when in the house i need local storage when I'm on the road. I travel with work a lot and holiday in a cottage out in the country that has no broadband internet connection. I want a device I can walk into a hotel with, or my holiday cottage in and plug into a tv with enough content to keep me occupied for a couple of weeks away from home.

Unfortunatley, the Apple TV 1 can't handle high(er) resolution/profile 720p and can't even think about 1080 unless the innards are modified which is something I'm not prepared to do. Re-encoding into compliant formats is also a pain but I've alwasy accepted that and kind of understand Apple's desire to be quite format specific.

I tried ATV 2, but found the requirement to navigate content stored in-house (ie on the NAS) in the 'Computers' menu infruriating. I loved the fact with ATV 1 all Films, TV Shows, Music would appear in the same place regardless of where they are stored (if the NAS was off and the ATV could only access local content it would only show local content in the library).

I waited for the latest ATV3 update in the hope Apple would allow me to connect a storage device into the Micro USB port - but alas this did not happen.

So - I went out and bought a Raspberry Pi and am running Openelec XBMC on it. It allows me USB attached storage, plays 1080 HD, doesn't require re-code of downloaded content and pretty much plays everything I've thrown at it, and stores all my content in one menu (although if the NAS is off the content is still listed and you are presented with 'content unavailble' message if the NAS is unreachable). Raspberry Pi + IR remote cost me less than £50 (although I already had USB storage and didn't have to buy it).

I've lost arond 10% of my content bought from iTunes which no longer works, but everything else has been ripped from DVD or recorded off TV apart from the odd other download.

It's really sad as the ATV1 was a qualilty product and even more sad that Apple don't always listen from the feedback from its customers. Many many people want the facility to add USB storage to the ATV but it never comes.

Now that I can't play my iTunes purchased content I have little reason to carry on using iTunes to sync my iPod classic - might as well use a media manager that plugs in nicely with XBMC.

Sad day really.

The best TV set box on the market right now is hands down the Nvidia Shield, it's simply awesome. Not only does it not have any of the restrictions that the Apple TV has like, no 4K output, no ability to use USB accessories like; game controllers (great for special controllers used for emulatorsm i.e. N64, SNES, Sega), hard disks, web cams (I have a 360 degree camera that follows me around, super cool), keyboards with built in trackpad (a must have if you surf on your TV which if not, why, it's great), no SD Card slot, etc. It can't be used with special software like Kodi or even be turned into a desktop computer by installing Linux on it, which by the way, works fantastically, there is even native GPU drivers. There is also the Nvidia games streaming software, which is simply bitchin, PC games that have been ported specifically for the Shield brand like Doom 3, Crysis 3, Half Life 2, Portal and the ability to stream games from your PC directly. It's also the fastest on the market and of course handles 4K. Before you guys jump in about the lack of 4K content, 40% of the shows I watch now are being streamed in 4K (check out Amazon's Ultra HD), I have over 80 films now in 4K, with more coming each month. This notion that 4K is still 2 - 4 years away is absolute BS, maybe for broadcast but online streaming service are quickly adopting this format and in just 6 months would have tripled the amount of media available for it.

calden said:

The best TV set box on the market right now is hands down the Nvidia Shield, it's simply awesome. Not only does it not have any of the restrictions that the Apple TV has like, no 4K output, no ability to use USB accessories like; game controllers (great for special controllers used for emulatorsm i.e. N64, SNES, Sega), hard disks, web cams (I have a 360 degree camera that follows me around, super cool), keyboards with built in trackpad (a must have if you surf on your TV which if not, why, it's great), no SD Card slot, etc. It can't be used with special software like Kodi or even be turned into a desktop computer by installing Linux on it, which by the way, works fantastically, there is even native GPU drivers. There is also the Nvidia games streaming software, which is simply bitchin, PC games that have been ported specifically for the Shield brand like Doom 3, Crysis 3, Half Life 2, Portal and the ability to stream games from your PC directly. It's also the fastest on the market and of course handles 4K. Before you guys jump in about the lack of 4K content, 40% of the shows I watch now are being streamed in 4K (check out Amazon's Ultra HD), I have over 80 films now in 4K, with more coming each month. This notion that 4K is still 2 - 4 years away is absolute BS, maybe for broadcast but online streaming service are quickly adopting this format and in just 6 months would have tripled the amount of media available for it.

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Yet you can't watch them on the Shield TV because there isn't an app for it.

Without Amazon Prime Video, no it's not. Apple doesn't seem to want to give their convenience to their users, but instead force them to use Apple TV and got to my Smart TV when I want to watch Amazon Video. Bad move Apple.

There are competing companies with competing media offerings and competing hardware offerings. There likely will always be differences in offerings, and content you simply cannot get on every box. I think we'll need to accept that at least for the foreseeable future if not forever.

Razeus said:

Without Amazon Prime Video, no it's not. Apple doesn't seem to want to give their convenience to their users, but instead force them to use Apple TV and got to my Smart TV when I want to watch Amazon Video. Bad move Apple.

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Apple has nothing to do with this. there are other streaming apps with their own storefront for buying and renting content directly on the Apple TV. Amazon simply will NOT make a tvOS app. Period.

pbateman said:

Hope they eventually add Amazon Prime Video but HBO go is the main one for now

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Amazon is starting to play exclusives and not supporting any other platforms outside of amazon fire stick and tablets. So don't look forward to that. I always hated amazon anyway because it wasn't clear what was free ans what was prime free. Last time I tried prime video I was confused and frustrated and thought it sucked.

My wii u and blu ray players have amazon but anything new won't include it in app stores.

I have a Sony blu-ray and Panasonic and those app stores are not as good as Apple TV. I really like the Siri remote and using phone to type stuff. I just got my apple TV and I like it allot, but I would still recommend a blu ray player to watch disks.

2010mini said:

Apple has nothing to do with this. there are other streaming apps with their own storefront for buying and renting content directly on the Apple TV. Amazon simply will NOT make a tvOS app. Period.

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You're acting like there's Amazon Video even on the older Apple TV. There wasn't. There never have been. I don't expect to see on on tvOS either, ever. And that's not because of Amazon. You're argument is invalid.

Razeus said:

You're acting like there's Amazon Video even on the older Apple TV. There wasn't. There never have been. I don't expect to see on on tvOS either, ever. And that's not because of Amazon. You're argument is invalid.

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The ATV 3 was exclusively a streaming box. It did not have apps as other platforms. The channels on it were limited to a distinct UI which a lot of streaming services did not want.

Apple made the ATV 4 with an App Store for anyone to make an app. You are trying making an argument with NO EVIDENCE to back it up.

Do you really think if Apple rejected Amazon, that they would not use that to beat them over the head? That would've been a huge embarrassment for Apple. And Amazon would've used that to poach customers from Apple.

And just in case you think I'm some blind Apple fanboy..... I am a Prime user. But I am also not blind to notice Amazon's MO when I see it.

Razeus said:

Without Amazon Prime Video, no it's not. Apple doesn't seem to want to give their convenience to their users, but instead force them to use Apple TV and got to my Smart TV when I want to watch Amazon Video. Bad move Apple.

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It's not Apple's fault! Blame Amazon for selling their FireTV and they won't even sell an Apple TV! So using LOGIC you can infer Amazon(since they ate on iPads and iPhones) is playing the old protection racket!

pbateman said:

Hey guys
I am interested in getting a streaming box and I was about to get the Roku because, honestly it is cheaper after all (50 bucks for the LT), and one of my main reasons for getting it was for HBO GO. however I found out Roku does not stream HBO GO if you have Comcast. This made me start looking into ATV in which HBO Go apparently does work.
I have not been up to date with news on ATV but it does not seem that a new release is imminent.
After reading a bit about it seems nice that you can display whatever is on your iPhone trough the ATV.
Jut looking for some opinions, how do you like it. is the ATV worth it? Is HBO Streaming good? As I said I have not heard of rumors of any hw updates to it coming up soon, not sure if you have? and I should hold off on getting it till then?

Thanks!

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I'll be straight up. Get a BD player that gives you access to all the services you want. Maybe even consider and XBox One or a PlayStation. ATV is nice, but I totally ran out of patience. We wait a year for the promised land of an App Store with delay after delay. It finally comes full of promise and the field of useful apps is a desert.

Snoopy4 said:

I'll be straight up. Get a BD player that gives you access to all the services you want. Maybe even consider and XBox One or a PlayStation. ATV is nice, but I totally ran out of patience. We wait a year for the promised land of an App Store with delay after delay. It finally comes full of promise and the field of useful apps is a desert.

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Ah you got got burned there was no 4K or Amazon refusing to port over their iOS Amazon a Prime viewing app.

satcomer said:

Ah you got got burned there was no 4K or Amazon refusing to port over their iOS Amazon a Prime viewing app.

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It's more than just Amazon. Amazon is just a plus if it ever gets there because we have prime for shipping. Half of our digital copies are in UV. This of course gets fixed if Apple plays nice with UV, but that's not happening anytime soon either. I'm more irritated that Apple has so mucked up their relationship with the studios that most movies don't even have an iTunes copy anymore. For our house, we buy a BD for the main room then use streaming devices to watch that material remotely on smaller sets so the BDs don't get dragged all over the house. I'd like to stream my DirecTV service to ATV via an app to simplify things, but that's not there either. The whole idea of these boxes is to access as much content as possible from a single source. The App makes that possible, but like I said, it's a desert.

Snoopy4 said:

It's more than just Amazon. Amazon is just a plus if it ever gets there because we have prime for shipping. Half of our digital copies are in UV. This of course gets fixed if Apple plays nice with UV, but that's not happening anytime soon either. I'm more irritated that Apple has so mucked up their relationship with the studios that most movies don't even have an iTunes copy anymore. For our house, we buy a BD for the main room then use streaming devices to watch that material remotely on smaller sets so the BDs don't get dragged all over the house. I'd like to stream my DirecTV service to ATV via an app to simplify things, but that's not there either. The whole idea of these boxes is to access as much content as possible from a single source. The App makes that possible, but like I said, it's a desert.

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satcomer said:

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More equipment?

Doesn't work with DRM. Designed for cable and OTA, not DirecTV. Nice try though.

pbateman said:

Hey guys
I am interested in getting a streaming box and I was about to get the Roku because, honestly it is cheaper after all (50 bucks for the LT), and one of my main reasons for getting it was for HBO GO. however I found out Roku does not stream HBO GO if you have Comcast. This made me start looking into ATV in which HBO Go apparently does work.
I have not been up to date with news on ATV but it does not seem that a new release is imminent.
After reading a bit about it seems nice that you can display whatever is on your iPhone trough the ATV.
Jut looking for some opinions, how do you like it. is the ATV worth it? Is HBO Streaming good? As I said I have not heard of rumors of any hw updates to it coming up soon, not sure if you have? and I should hold off on getting it till then?

Thanks!

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As opposed not getting one? I don't think u have much of a choice.. If u have all Apple products/devices, u need an Apple TV to stream Home sharing content to.

Snoopy4 said:

More equipment?

Doesn't work with DRM. Designed for cable and OTA, not DirecTV. Nice try though.

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That is why you need the Cable Card Version HDHomerun Prime.

satcomer said:

That is why you need the Cable Card Version HDHomerun Prime.

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Cablecard is cable, not DirecTV. HDHomerun Products do not work with DirecTV. Read the very bottom paragraphs from their support page:

SPECIFICATIONS:

• US Digital Cable
• 3 tuners
• M-Card CableCARD interface
• USB port for connection to Tuning Adapter (for providers utilizing Switched Digital Video)
• 1000baseT (gigabit Ethernet) network interface (compatible with 100baseTX networks)
• 1 year warranty

HDHomeRun Prime is designed for use with digital cable providers such as Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Charter, Cox, Cablevision, Bright House, and Verizon/Frontier FiOS.

It is not compatible with satellite providers (DirecTV/Dish Network), IPTV providers (AT&T U-verse), or antennas.

Keywords: CableCard tuner, MCard Cablecard, M-Card Cablecard, HDTV cablecard tuner.

Apple TV 3rd and 4th generation.
very satisfied and does what it is intended to.
Newer version is very smart and remote is fun to operate.
We have only AppleTV 4th in our bedroom, hooked to 40 inch panasonic and it looks fabulous.

There is also the newer TabloTV DVR.

L*O*V*E I*T

And that despite the fact that amazon offers more channels (free tv), localisation (an odd thing considereing that Apple doesn't seem to care although it would be so easy...)

However, the ease of use for the Apple TV is amazing and if you have more than one Apple device, you will find, that it is a treat to your evenings.

Razeus said:

Without Amazon Prime Video, no it's not. Apple doesn't seem to want to give their convenience to their users, but instead force them to use Apple TV and got to my Smart TV when I want to watch Amazon Video. Bad move Apple.

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So you are one of those users to still believe this farce. There are other services with their own stores to buy and rent content on the latest Apple TV. Apple isn't shutting out anyone.

Amazon does not want to be on the Apple TV or Chromecast. Period.

Razeus said:

You're acting like there's Amazon Video even on the older Apple TV. There wasn't. There never have been. I don't expect to see on on tvOS either, ever. And that's not because of Amazon. You're argument is invalid.

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Then why can't you buy a forth gen Apple TV on Amazon, wake up and blame the correct company?

satcomer said:

Then why can't you buy a forth gen Apple TV on Amazon, wake up and blame the correct company?

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Oops quoted wrong post.