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Apple Announces Apple TV (Formerly 'iTV')
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The point is, I think, that it is also half as capable. Obviously what is going on here is that many of us (myself included) have been trying to implement the mini as a home entertainment device, with less than great results, so we immediately compare the two when comparison is not really fair. Frustration about our lack of good options, compared to what is available on the Windows platform, is making people hold this device up to a standard higher than it was intended to meet.
But I have a mac mini already that I can do that with, only via a DVI to HDMI link which isn't widescreen. My mini also acts as a DVR via eyetv.
That's all very well, but what about the role gaming plays as a part of most peoples home entertainment? I think that Apple TV, in its current state, won't get anywhere near to matching either the PS3 or Xbox 360 for all round home entertainment.
IMO, this is disappointing from Apple. It seems they've learned nothing from the relatively good things that competitors like MS excel in...but only because the market for gaming is massive.
I really wonder how it will handle my home-made iMovie projects. Front Row plays them from my "movies" folder. It would be really strange if Apple sold a device that didn't play them on the TV. And I would hate having to convert them to a specific format solely for ATV.
That being said, Front Row plays anything in my "Movies" folder because I have added codecs for anything to QuickTime. Let's hope this is doable on the ATV one way or the other!
That being said, Front Row plays anything in my "Movies" folder because I have added codecs for anything to QuickTime. Let's hope this is doable on the ATV one way or the other!
DVD as an option for aTV?
First off, apple TV looks awesome. I have two minis (G4 and Intel) and I'm looking for an iTunes video box for the living room and to build a dedicated server. The low price option (and best) is to buy the apple TV and make the G4 the server. All of the other options require more configuration or more money.
I didn't see it mentioned before, but does anyone think that Apple will sell an external DVD (or HD-DVD or Blue-Ray) option for apple TV using the USB port in the back? I would buy the DVD option in a heartbeat!
First off, apple TV looks awesome. I have two minis (G4 and Intel) and I'm looking for an iTunes video box for the living room and to build a dedicated server. The low price option (and best) is to buy the apple TV and make the G4 the server. All of the other options require more configuration or more money.
I didn't see it mentioned before, but does anyone think that Apple will sell an external DVD (or HD-DVD or Blue-Ray) option for apple TV using the USB port in the back? I would buy the DVD option in a heartbeat!
http://www.apple.com/appletv/specs.html
Video
Video formats supported: H.264 and protected H.264 (from iTunes Store): 640 by 480, 30 fps, LC version of Baseline Profile; 320 by 240, 30 fps, Baseline profile up to Level 1.3; 1280 by 720, 24 fps, Progressive Main Profile. MPEG-4: 640 by 480, 30 fps, Simple Profile
Audio
Audio formats supported: AAC (16 to 320 Kbps); protected AAC (from iTunes Store); MP3 (16 to 320 Kbps); MP3 VBR; Apple Lossless; AIFF; WAV
That would seem to clear it up, eh? No ogg, no other formats enabled in iTunes by plugins. The list of formats is determined by appletv, not iTunes. What would make you think it plays any iTunes format?
Isn't that to be expected, more or less, at half the price? If you want the features of a mini, and are willing to pay the cost of a mini, then get a mini. There are many of us for whom a mini is overkill and would rather get a smaller cheaper unit that leaves out things we don't need.
What movie format does iMovie save final projects to?
Why would I want/need an Apple TV when I already have a 80GB mac mini with front row hooked up to my HT now?
What feature(s) am I missing if any? I dont see anything obvious.
What feature(s) am I missing if any? I dont see anything obvious.
If you want a DVR get an EyeTV, hook it up to your media server, create an automatic export script/automator action to iTunes and watch it on your Apple tv.
If you want a DVD player, rip the disc with Handbrake to your media center, import to iTunes and watch it on your Apple tv.
So you can do almost all the things you can currently do on your Mac mini.
But the benefit is that you only need one media server (DVR, DVD, music, photos, etc.) for all your TVs.
So the little bit more work you spend on getting your content into iTunes is offset by the time you save for not having to synchronize 2-3 Mac minis in every room you have a TV.
Thanks but only need one mac mini with my basement HT, thus no plans to have apple TVs or mac mini for every TV in my house.
Why sync? I stream iTunes content from my Dell to my iMac all the time. Including video.B
Well, I'd argue that it's much less than half as capable. The mini is a full-blown computer and can do anything a computer can, TV-related or not. At half the price, I would almost expect the Apple TV to at least do everything the mini can do with respect to TV. That's still a tiny, tiny fraction of what the mini can do, and the Apple TV doesn't even do that.
Mind you, I'm not really complaining. I didn't really expect much from a first release. But it is frustrating to me that while the mini is definitely overkill, the next step down is "underkill" - not capable enough.
But actually, I find that to be the case in the home theater market for many products I'm interested in. (warning, long rant coming up...
) All I want to do is connect 5 or 6 devices to my home theater, with a media server and my cable DVR as the centerpieces. I don't want ridiculous audiophile quality for 5+ figures $$$$$, and I don't even want HDTV yet, as the prices are still too high for my frugal wallet. I just want good sounding surround with picture as good as my decent standard def TV will display. And I want it all easily controlled by one remote from any room in the house.I'm 90% of the way there, but the remaining 10% could easily multiply the price by 4-5 times. Very frustrating. For example, I absolutely love my universal remote. It controls all of my devices, it can be updated with new device codes over the phone by calling the company (you hold the remote up to the phone will they play a modem-like signal for it -- how cool is that?), it learns new remotes that aren't in its database by pointing the other remote at it, it has an RF extender so it can be used from any room in the house, it has macros to carry out multiple functions at once, buttons can be reassigned, and it's PC programmable. I got it for a great price, too. The only problem? I've run out of learning/button/macro memory and I want to add a couple of commands. The next remote up with more memory and all the above features costs over 5 times as much.
Total overkill. It probably would have cost the manufacturer another dollar or two to double the memory (we're talking low kilobytes here).Same with home theater receivers. I've been looking for a way to hook up my Airport Express digitally, but also have an analog out to go to other rooms with analog equipment. My receiver only passes digital in to digital out, and analog in to analog out. It does no internal conversion from digital to analog. I looked at receivers up to 5 times the price and all of them are the same. Since it HAS to convert to analog in order to output to speakers, surely adding another conversion to analog line-out can't be that hard?
Back to Apple/Mac, since prostuff1 pointed me to DVDAssist earlier in this thread (thanks again!) I've been seriously looking at doing a home theater server with all of my DVDs ripped to hard disk and accessible in Front Row via DVDAssist. I can't help but feel that a Mac mini is still overkill for this since it would be essentially sitting idle and unused when not watching. Apple TV is much closer to the price I'd like to spend, but it's simply not capable enough yet. Frustrating, but I guess you can't have everything you want in life.
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In that case one of the major advantages doesn't apply to you and it is probably not for you.
B
Well, if you stream from iTunes you're using your mac for the same thing as the Apple tv is for which is a lot cheaper than any mac.
I was talking about media that you actually would have on every Mac. For streaming iTunes Apple tv is great.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mrthieme
The point is, I think, that it is also half as capable.
Isn't that to be expected, more or less, at half the price? If you want the features of a mini, and are willing to pay the cost of a mini, then get a mini. There are many of us for whom a mini is overkill and would rather get a smaller cheaper unit that leaves out things we don't need.
You are absolutely right, this box is a great solution for one problem, and at this price it may do well. There are other larger problems that plague the living room, and people who are not looking for the cheapest solutions but rather the best.
Originally Posted by mrthieme
The point is, I think, that it is also half as capable.
Isn't that to be expected, more or less, at half the price? If you want the features of a mini, and are willing to pay the cost of a mini, then get a mini. There are many of us for whom a mini is overkill and would rather get a smaller cheaper unit that leaves out things we don't need.
You are absolutely right, this box is a great solution for one problem, and at this price it may do well. There are other larger problems that plague the living room, and people who are not looking for the cheapest solutions but rather the best.
Apple TV
Just a few questions I hope someone can answer (sorry if this has been answered before):
Regarding the surround sound, how do people play surround sound on, say, an iMac? I would like to but I have no idea what program/cables/surround sound system to use to do this. How do you play DTS soundtracks?
With Apple TV, what is the use of the optical output for the sound? I thought this would be used for the surround sound system? Is there a way to rip a DVD with it's surround sound onto iTunes so the Apple TV can play it with the surround sound?
Also, to get 720p, does the Apple TV "upscale" a DVD you have ripped into iTunes to get the better picture? What would be the specifics on Handbrake or another program to get the best picture quality from a DVD?
Also, if you have bought a movie from iTunes, does it have surround sound? I'm rather confused about this optical output.
Thanks
Just a few questions I hope someone can answer (sorry if this has been answered before):
Regarding the surround sound, how do people play surround sound on, say, an iMac? I would like to but I have no idea what program/cables/surround sound system to use to do this. How do you play DTS soundtracks?
With Apple TV, what is the use of the optical output for the sound? I thought this would be used for the surround sound system? Is there a way to rip a DVD with it's surround sound onto iTunes so the Apple TV can play it with the surround sound?
Also, to get 720p, does the Apple TV "upscale" a DVD you have ripped into iTunes to get the better picture? What would be the specifics on Handbrake or another program to get the best picture quality from a DVD?
Also, if you have bought a movie from iTunes, does it have surround sound? I'm rather confused about this optical output.
Thanks
Do you mean to plug the Apple TV into an amplifier which would then produce the surround sound? Sorry, I'm a bit slow.
Also, are iTunes movies in surround sound? Any way of ripping DVD with their surround sound? I'm a little confused why this optical output is there if we can't use it.
I was confused about the apple TV but I watched the keynote and it seems a great machine for me. I'm thinking of getting one as I want to be able to play all my music on my decent hifi and be able to navigate it on my TV-perfect. Its like a ipod for the living room as I see it.
Just a few questions if anyone knows:
What channel would you tune it into to- would it conflict with existing DVD players tuning??
I don't have a wfi computer, just a wireless router, but can I load songs directly onto it from my computer and then take it to my TV
Is there any way to load it apart from the streaming?
On the face of it seems just what I am looking for, personally I am not interested in video or films but the photo storage and slide shows look good and also what we are looking for.
Just a few questions if anyone knows:
What channel would you tune it into to- would it conflict with existing DVD players tuning??
I don't have a wfi computer, just a wireless router, but can I load songs directly onto it from my computer and then take it to my TV
Is there any way to load it apart from the streaming?
On the face of it seems just what I am looking for, personally I am not interested in video or films but the photo storage and slide shows look good and also what we are looking for.
Has anyone tried and proved this with the actual device? I've read several other forums and there is huge disagreement regarding this issue. It'd be a huge shame in my opinion if it didn't support any formats but those listed on the box.
If that actually is the case (this limited support), think it might be a simple firmware upgrade to add new codecs??
You keep saying that, but where's the evidence? It contradicts this (if true):
(via Ars at Macworld: Questions about the AppleTV)
And iTunes, QuickTime, and other QT-compatible apps are capable of playing mux'd exported MPEG-2 program streams from EyeTV, but Elgato Systems claims Apple TV won't:
(via Can EyeTV work with the new Apple TV device?)
I'd be glad to be proven wrong, but so far it's looking like Apple TV is more compatible with formats that iPod supports rather than what iTunes and QuickTime are capable of playing.
Yep, that's more how I'm seeing it, too.
Probably so, too simple. Sending uncompressed video (which you'd have to do to make the device fully codec agnostic) over to the aTV would take up far too much bandwidth.
Then again, the SlingCatcher claims to do something like this...
B
A modded XBox can output 1080i (there's a hardware scaler in the XBox), but there's of course a limit to the resolution of the source videos with that older CPU. But coverted DVD's and that sort of thing are absolutely fine.
Pretty impressive for a cheap box and a little spare time to set up. It can do just about everything an AppleTV can, and can play DVD's and supports more video formats.
I understand of course that AppleTV is for a different market, no hacks needed, etc. If anything, it's a compliment to the developers of the XBox Media Center (the main media player app).