Thinking of getting Apple TV

gadget123 said:

I'm thinking of getting this but is a new model
not due soon?

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nothing new is due soon

I have been following the news on this topic very closely as I needed to pick up another media streaming box and I agree with Heisenberg. Apple just released a new model number ATV 3 with a slight processor change with no appreciable spec boost, and I would imagine that will be the end of the hardware changes until next year.

I do think there will be software based enhancements coming in the next couple months along the lines of new channels (HBOgo has been mentioned) or maybe even something bigger (ATV dedicated app store?) but the current hardware will be able to handle changes of this nature.

With this in mind, and after seriously considering the new Roku 3, I went out an bought another ATV 3 and am quite comfortable with the decision.

The ATVs don't tend to see as frequent changes as Apple's other products. I doubt ATV will see any major updates until Apple decides to radically change things, like integrating the set-top box with a TV or adding some kind of gaming ability. The only real change between the ATV2 and 3 was the addition of 1080p capability. Other than that, the two are pretty much the same.

Most of the updates have been on the software side, which has been great for ATV2 and 3 owners. Personally, I'm hoping for some additional channels -- most notably Amazon Prime -- though I think HBO Go will probably be the next one to appear.

I think there's a good chance they will include H.265 HEVC support in the 2014 model. Whether they start selling their encodes in this format I don't know, but it would roughly double picture quality at the same file size.

StinDaWg said:

I think there's a good chance they will include H.265 HEVC support in the 2014 model. Whether they start selling their encodes in this format I don't know, but it would roughly double picture quality at the same file size.

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Doubtful. Its a spec but is wicked slow to encode and in fact in testing has little better quality vs. file size using the few known encoders that can encode it.

Give it 3 - 5 yrs.

Also keep in mind that would mean Apple's iTunes content would be reencoded for this format - something they don't do often ...

Apple TV updates have been slow and infrequent since they were first introduced. It's unlikely that there's a hardware update coming in the near future, and there have been no indicators that there will be one any time soon, but as with any technology there's no way to know for certain.

My guess is that if there's an update coming it won't be until the fall, but I wouldn't even count on that.