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Apple Introduces Updated Apple TV with Netflix Integration, TV Show Rentals

I leave our imacs on all the time, not green but there you go.

Honestly Iv'e been looking for a simple convenient solution to watch my content on my TV. Yes I could bring in my huge imac and connect it via expensive cables each time but now I'll be able to point the remote and watch or listen I'm just as excited at being able to browse itunes, I have the iphone remote which is good but this ticks all MY boxes.

I think I'm the only one here this thing is aimed for but hey thanks Steve I'm very satisfied.

I'm not an un-objective apple fanboy. I was in the ipad is JUST a big touch camp (still is doesn't do anything for me until they build in face time, then I can make video calls to my freinds in the UK)

No looking forward to my so cheap apple TV:)
 
spiritlevel said:
I'm another one that's a bit disappointed with this...

In his lead up Steve said that "we listened to our users and one of the things they said was they don't want a computer"

Well he heard, but it seems he didn't understand...

This Apple TV requires a computer more than the last one did. With my old ATV I can listen to all my music (which has been synced to the ATV) without turning on my computer. The kids can also watch their favourite movies over and over without the computer needing to be on.

Neither of these things are possible with the new ATV...

Now I like the smaller size, and it doesn't bother me that there is no built in hard drive (which allows for the drop in both size and price) - BUT I want to be able to connect my own hard drives to it - either directly using the USB port which is already there, or over wifi using a drive connected to my AEBS. That's what "no computer" means to me - simply the ability to access all my content from the ATV without a computer needing to be on.

And no Apps? really? It runs on an A4 processor and an iOS of some sort but rather than give us a proper iOS interface and allow us to stick our apps and games etc on there they've just rebuilt the old interface instead and seriously limited it - WTF? Missed a big trick there imo...

No ability to access users content without a computer being on
No Apps

No deal.
Click to expand...

Yes, exactly my feelings. And I don't get it, by having proper iOS interface and ability to install your favourite apps it could serve as a games console, with an usb cam you could use it for face time calls, it could have for example nice iOS version of PLEX and so on...

I still don't know what to do, shall i get an old mac mini and connect FW disks or shall i get proper NAS like synology or qnap.

I was waiting for this product as my external HDD is filling up and need to do something with it and i was hoping for Apple TV to be 'open' in terms of using iOS with all apps on it and would stream media from a NAS - which would replace my PS3 for media - which isn't very green
 
Seriously guys, just look at other DLNA streamers out there. They come in all shapes and sizes, support way more codecs and containers and are priced about the same, less or more depending on feature sets.

You can get W I R E L E S S L Y in other boxes with better features than this.

The only people who seem to like this new AppleTV are the ones who don't really know about what's out there in the market for network streamers.
 
Uh not an iOS device

Surely the day is coming when Apple TV is revealed to be an iOS device. iOS now dominates portable gaming, if Apple TV were to run iOS then it would become a games console 'for free' with literally thousands of titles already available. It would slaughter its competitors for market share without even trying. Come on Apple tell us this is gonna happen, it seems a no brainer to me.

:apple:TV + iOS = console domination
 
urbanlung said:
if Apple TV were to run iOS then it would become a games console 'for free' with literally thousands of titles already available.
Click to expand...

That is wrong. Touch screen games would just not work on AppleTV, they would need to have at least their input control rewritten for an eventual AppleTV with App support.
 
Apple TV, and Apple TV Take 2 were all about the software.

This new revision is a bump in (some) specs, and refinement of the product.

With the old Apple TV I used to use it only with streaming as syncing was a real pain.

I agree that the lack of an app store sucks, but with iOS as the foundation, it's more likely we'll see an app store at some point in the future.

I'm disappointed that it only supports 720p streaming, but hopefully that works better then the old Apple TV (which stuttered with 720p movies repeatedly).

Only Apple knows, but I hope 1080i/1080p (at least for streaming from your mac or PC) is ultimately a software update away.

Still, I'll have to disagree with the naysayers here and say this Apple TV upgrade is definitely worth it (already preordered mine).
 
jca666us said:
Still, I'll have to disagree with the naysayers here and say this Apple TV upgrade is definitely worth it (already preordered mine).
Click to expand...

Except when you know about all the other options out there. One good thing about it, it made me find a much better network streamer box.
 
whokilledkaji said:
My biggest disappointment was that the remote is still not Bluetooth... I know I can use my iPad or iPhone as a remote, but honestly I'm not a big fan... It kinda feels wrong to me... It's fine for controlling itunes though...

I love my PS3 remote because I don't have to point it at the device... My current apple tv is a pain because I have to aim right at it and there are always obstacles in the way...
Click to expand...

Use an ipod touch/ipad/iphone as your remote then...Apple likely left in the IR port for those people with universal remotes.
 
hexx said:
no need - you could use other iDevices to control it
Click to expand...

So you would have to look at two screens? One to see what buttons you are pressing and another to see what you are doing in game? Does that really seem like a good idea?
 
diamond.g said:
So you would have to look at two screens? One to see what buttons you are pressing and another to see what you are doing in game? Does that really seem like a good idea?
Click to expand...

This. :rolleyes:

Seriously, forget about all the current App Store games. It would require a rewrite of the input code. I'm not saying it's not a good idea to have an App Store enabled Apple TV, that would've been an insta-buy for me, but to think that magically every App currently on the store, or even 1 single game would work out of the box is like dreaming in technicolor.

OllyW said:
Which one are you using?
Click to expand...

Like I said earlier in the thread, got a LG BD560C for the same price as the new AppleTV. It lacks wireless, but since it's not really mobile, I'm going to wire it (the BD570C has the wireless option) and it offers tons more streaming options than the AppleTV box and will "Just Work" with my DLNA server that is already setup in my house for my PS3 instead of forcing me to leave the Mac on to stream from iTunes.

Apple really needs to get with the program, support DLNA and support more than just the mp4 container and their h.264 codecs.
 
KnightWRX said:
Like I said earlier in the thread, got a LG BD560C for the same price as the new AppleTV. It lacks wireless, but since it's not really mobile, I'm going to wire it (the BD570C has the wireless option) and it offers tons more streaming options than the AppleTV box and will "Just Work" with my DLNA server that is already setup in my house for my PS3 instead of forcing me to leave the Mac on to stream from iTunes.

Apple really needs to get with the program, support DLNA and support more than just the mp4 container and their h.264 codecs.
Click to expand...

The UK LG BD560 doesn't support DLNA so I'd need the BD570 which is £60 more than the Apple TV, though it seems to have tons more features.
 
KnightWRX said:
Seriously guys, just look at other DLNA streamers out there. They come in all shapes and sizes, support way more codecs and containers and are priced about the same, less or more depending on feature sets.

You can get W I R E L E S S L Y in other boxes with better features than this.

The only people who seem to like this new AppleTV are the ones who don't really know about what's out there in the market for network streamers.
Click to expand...

People buy what they like and what works best with their Apple devices. What's your problem? Another holy crusade again?

Geek stuff for geeks. This is not for geeks, this is for NORMAL people that have lives beyond media streaming.
 
I think what Apple TV lacks is the cloud storage. I'll bet it was designed to use one but for some reason this key element isn't there. Think about it, unlimited storage for life for the movies and tv shows you bought. Storage for your own content in the cloud (MobileMe with extra storage space) which is available for all your hardware. Without the cloud storage Apple TV is a miss for me. I already have PS3 so I can stream movies to my big screen TV, listen music and view all my pics. Honestly there are already a tons of DLNA devices doing what Apple TV does and much more but none of them has the cloud aspect covered. Unfortunately at its current form Apple TV is nothing special.
 
Žalgiris said:
People buy what they like and what works best with their Apple devices. What's your problem? Another holy crusade again?

Geek stuff for geeks. This is not for geeks, this is for NORMAL people that have lives beyond media streaming.
Click to expand...

Seriously, most DLNA devices require zero config. There is no geek aspect about them. NORMAL people already have DLNA devices running. Its Apple TV thats the geek stuff here.
 
Žalgiris said:
Geek stuff for geeks. This is not for geeks, this is for NORMAL people that have lives beyond media streaming.
Click to expand...

So are most network enabled BD players that stream way more codecs than this. In fact, this is for people with an iTunes fetish, NORMAL folks probably have DLNA devices if they are going to stream from their local network, not iTunes stuff.

AppleTV is a geek toy as much as any other network streamer is. Case in point : It never sold well.
 
Just cancelled my new Apple TV order....

Why, it requires iTunes 10 which doesn't work on OS X 10.4 which my mac mini runs as the streaming resource.

It doesn't have enough ram to run 10.5 so Apple's message to me seems to be... OK spend £99 for a new Apple TV but oh, you'll need to spend another £650 for a new mac mini because we can't be bothered to support 10.4 anymore (but if you had a ten year old Windows XP it'd still work!)
 
Lame!

Was looking forward to at least a 1TB drive. Instead Apple go in the opposite direction. :confused: I give up. I'm looking for an alternative.

What Apple dont seem to realise is that to stream to the ATV you need a computer. Most people have laptops these days with puny harddrives. If you have even a half decent film collection you cant fit it all on your laptop so you need an external drive which is even more hassle and clutter. Their line about "All streaming, no hassle" is utter b******s!

The original ATV always seemed like it had an arm or a leg missing. This new one just seems like a dismembered torso in an oil drum; useless!

I hope this flops big time!
 
The take home at this point in time is:

1. If you aren't tied into the iTunes ecosystem, then there are other streamers that offer more function.

2. If you are interested in "renting" TV shows shortly after the original airing, then the aTV allows you to do that. Other boxes with Hulu can do that as well, but they have commercials and some shows may require a $10/mo subscription.

3. If you want tight integration with iPhoto, then the aTV is the only game in town.

4. If you have media in a variety of formats and codecs, then the aTV is not the streamer to buy. Others like the WDTV live and Sony's upcoming boxes can do more (i.e. stream from a DLNA server, etc). Also, many BD players and Tivo offer these features.

5. I think we can assume that the aTV will have the best UI and should be the easiest to set-up ... although many folks like Sony's X-cross interface.
 
spiritlevel said:
I'm another one that's a bit disappointed with this...

In his lead up Steve said that "we listened to our users and one of the things they said was they don't want a computer"

Well he heard, but it seems he didn't understand...

This Apple TV requires a computer more than the last one did. With my old ATV I can listen to all my music (which has been synced to the ATV) without turning on my computer. The kids can also watch their favourite movies over and over without the computer needing to be on.

Neither of these things are possible with the new ATV...

Now I like the smaller size, and it doesn't bother me that there is no built in hard drive (which allows for the drop in both size and price) - BUT I want to be able to connect my own hard drives to it - either directly using the USB port which is already there, or over wifi using a drive connected to my AEBS. That's what "no computer" means to me - simply the ability to access all my content from the ATV without a computer needing to be on.

And no Apps? really? It runs on an A4 processor and an iOS of some sort but rather than give us a proper iOS interface and allow us to stick our apps and games etc on there they've just rebuilt the old interface instead and seriously limited it - WTF? Missed a big trick there imo...

No ability to access users content without a computer being on
No Apps

No deal.
Click to expand...

I don't think that he said that people wanted to use it WITHOUT a computer. He said that they didn't want ANOTHER computer. Big difference.
 
phpmaven said:
I don't think that he said that people wanted to use it WITHOUT a computer. He said that they didn't want ANOTHER computer. Big difference.
Click to expand...

Yes he did.

Steve Jobs said:
"They don't want to manage storage. They don't want to think about -- they just want to watch movies and TV shows. And they don't want to sync to a computer. And they want whatever hardware we have to be silent, cool, and small."
Click to expand...
 
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