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

[zedsdead]

The streaming better be significantly better than the current Apple TV, because the current version is very laggy with HD content at times. Menu response better be fast too.

As for the update, why on earth would they get rid of purchases? Makes no sense at all.

No apps, and apple wonders why no one buys these...

I am happy with the newe hardware, but again, streaming content from my mac is now more difficult since it is in another submenu. That is like version 1.0...another mistake.

 

[daveh007]

Boooo to Apple!

Streaming only on the AppleTV? Why, oh gawd, why?

I want storage! Why you may ask? So I don't need to have my main Mac online just to serve up a movie!

Is that too much to ask for? I want my movies STORED by the AppleTV. Streaming does NOT always work 100%. If I'm using my Mac for work in my study, why should I suffer with disk and network activity being chewed up so the kids can watch a movie downstairs?

I have a pile of Disney DVDs. I rip them, and load them onto the iPad for the kids. But streaming off the iPad to the TV isn't a viable solution either. If I'm streaming a movie, I can't use the iPad! Two devices for one task? Why, Steve, why?

There's a USB port on the AppleTV. Would it be so hard to allow us to plug in a drive and save a local copy for FAST, RELIABLE access? You know, kinda like yesterday's AppleTV? (Okay, it had an internal drive, but you know what I mean)

Sign...I was hoping for something better than this. I won't be buying one.

EXACTLY!!

Sorry, but this is just an epic fail on Apple's part. (And that's probably the first time i've said that about an Apple product in 5 years or more!)

If you have kids who like movies, or is a big kid who likes to have movie COLLECTIONS -- the ability to purchase movies is critical. Buying a movie via iTunes, then having to wait for it to download before syncing it to Apple TV is a major pain in the a$$ when I can buy the movie directly from the Apple TV then it syncs back to iTunes later automatically.

And are you kidding me? If the kids (or me!) want to watch a movie over and over - well, I'm NOT renting it over and over again. I'll go back to renting and buying DVD's. And I guess ripping them too. Great. I LIKED being legal with movies!

And if, like we do, you travel with the family, the Apple TV was the most BRILLIANT solution for bringing your favourite movies along with you. no more DVDs getting lost and scratched, just one box and one cable to plug in and there you go.

Now, you'll have to have the movies on your laptop or something, then make sure there is a Wifi connection where you're going, and if not, then you know, bring your own wireless router to set up a network to stream from your laptop... I really don't need to go on with how ridiculous that is, right?

What a fail. Back to buying DVD's and watching the kids scratch them up.

And since this is just a "Hobby" product, I doubt that bitching will do anything to change it in the future.

 

[bushido]

lol 150 $ here no thx i can get the WD Digital for 30 less

 

[MacRickW]

I usually try to not get sucked into the hype of Apple rumors, but this is one of those situations where I totally did.

I was CONVINCED along with others that this device would run iOS and have the ability to stream content from Netflix, Hulu, and other places. I was set to cancel cable and get a higher-end Internet connection and put the savings there towards a new TV.

I guess, though, we're still waiting on the TV revolution that some of us thought the Apple TV would initiate...

Well, I'm still holding out for GoogleTV. Apple hasn't set the bar very high for Google to exceed all expectations.

 

[RockRidgeGames]

Not sure if this has been answered yet, but does anyone know how the streaming from an iOS device works? Does the Apple TV act as a mirrored display, showing you exactly what's on the screen of your iPad/iPhone?

Just wondering if this feature only works for certain apps or if I can use it to play games...

 

[ksgant]

Any word about Hulu? Any word about watching AVI or MKV or whatever other than mp4 videos? Only bought content? No ripping a Blu-Ray and streaming it through?

Seems like spending extra for just a Mac Mini is more of what I want. Well, can't expect the world for $99.

 

[Small White Car]

Not a Dime until it is 1080p!

Apple TV... FAIL!

Come on Apple. I know most people won't know the difference between 720 and 1080. But being that most HD TVs are now 1080p you should at least support it. Even if most of the movies right now are only 720 at least we will know that when they HD movies come out it will be a software upgrade or just work.

What other companies are streaming 1080p over the internet?

Should the AppleTV be made to support the distant future? At $99 what's the big deal? You can get a new one once that happens in a few years.

Any word about Hulu?

Hulu is not allowed on TVs. They'd have to change their deals with the studios before they could be added to the AppleTV.

 

[dolstein]

Am I correct that if you have Hulu Plus on your iPad and get the new Apple TV, then you can watch Hulu content on your TV? To me, that's a big deal. Obviously, Apple TV would be a better product if Hulu streaming were as easy as Netflix screening, but I assume this was the price Apple had to pay in order to get Fox and ABC to sign on for $0.99 rentals. Does anyone know what the resolution pushed from an iPad would be?

Look, in a perfect world, we'd have an Apple TV running iOs that has a built-in Blu-Ray player and outputs video at 1080p. But Steve just doesn't seem interested in targeting the videophile market. Instead, his focused on casual viewing, where 720p is acceptable. And as someone who cancelled my cable service a year ago and have survived on a combination of Hulu and iTunes, the AppleTV is still a worthwhile product. So I'll have two boxes hooked up to my TV - a Blu-Ray player for serious movie viewing, and the AppleTV for casual viewing. I can live with that.

 

[jaykk]

... if you're trying to compile XBMC for A4 right now

The major problem with new ATV is that the entire software is on firmware, there are no hard disk. Unless we hack USB functionality for external storage and apps(widgets), its hard to put any other software on ATV. I could see a whole lot of possibilities with iOS apps running on ATV.

 

[Xtremehkr]

Well, there's another nail in the coffin of Blu Ray. In a couple of years people are going to be wondering why they spent all of that money on those expensive discs.

 

[markgo2k]

Boooo to Apple!

Streaming only on the AppleTV? Why, oh gawd, why?

I want storage! Why you may ask? So I don't need to have my main Mac online just to serve up a movie!

There's a USB port on the AppleTV. Would it be so hard to allow us to plug in a drive and save a local copy for FAST, RELIABLE access? You know, kinda like yesterday's AppleTV? (Okay, it had an internal drive, but you know what I mean)

Sign...I was hoping for something better than this. I won't be buying one.

I'm confused. It sounds like you want the original Apple TV, particularly the 160GB model. eBay is >>>> that way.

Seriously though, they tried it your way. It didn't sell well enough. So they're going to try streaming instead.

I'm of two minds. I love my original AppleTV (like you, I have kids that have seen Toy Story approx 2583 times). But I always hated having to buy TV shows that I would watch once.

Disappointed that the new rental functionality, not to mention Netflix won't be coming to those of us who spent the money on the original one. Hopefully at least we get the more permissive rental windows for movies....

 

[ksgant]

Well, there's another nail in the coffin of Blu Ray. In a couple of years people are going to be wondering why they spent all of that money on those expensive discs.

Apple TV is still only 720p...not 1080p like Blu-Ray.

 

[bushido]

Any word about Hulu? Any word about watching AVI or MKV or whatever other than mp4 videos? Only bought content? No ripping a Blu-Ray and streaming it through?

Seems like spending extra for just a Mac Mini is more of what I want. Well, can't expect the world for $99.

nope no avi and mkv only iTunes supported files, its apple we'r taking about and they r trying to get the most out of their sales ... excuse me rentals

Well, there's another nail in the coffin of Blu Ray. In a couple of years people are going to be wondering why they spent all of that money on those expensive discs.

lol what? - 4,99 $ for a rental movie / 15 $ for a new released Blu-Ray with special features etc and u OWN it

physical media isnt going anywhere unless the studios grow a brain

 

[clebin]

The more I look at it, the more rubbish it looks.

No storage, no apps, no 1080p, no UK specific content and a dreadful exchange rate. To me, $1 for TV programme rental was not deserving of applause.

Instead of the innovative convergence device that takes on the games consoles, Apple TV is still just an unloved hobby project. Google TV will be breathing a sigh of relief.

 

[Mistrblank]

Apple TV
Price: $99
Resolution: 720P
Includes: Netflix, YouTube

Support Video Formats: M4V, MP4, MOV

Supported Audio Codecs: HE-AAC (V1), AAC (16 to 320 Kbps), protected AAC (from iTunes Store), MP3 (16 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, and 4), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV; Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound pass-through

Built in Wi-Fi N


WD TV HD Live Plus
Price: $109
Resolution 1080P
Includes: Netflix, YouTube, Flickr, Pandora

Supported Video Formats: AVI (Xvid, AVC, MPEG1/2/4), MPG/MPEG, VOB, MKV (h.264, x.264, AVC, MPEG1/2/4, VC-1), TS/TP/M2T (MPEG1/2/4, AVC, VC-1), MP4/MOV (MPEG4, h.264), M2TS, WMV9

Supported Audio Codecs: MP3, WAV/PCM/LPCM, WMA, AAC, FLAC, MKA, AIF/AIFF, OGG, Dolby Digital, DTS

Wi-Fi only available through extra purchase.



So tell me again, how the Apple TV can compete with the WD TV HD Live Plus and other devices?

Why does Apple come out with a great design, superb UI, but ruin the functionality?

It doesn't integrate with Apple's lineup, doesn't integrate with Apple Remote, doesn't play iTunes shared libraries, doesn't play media straight from my iDevices...

For some of us, all of that does matter, and it's packaged in a nice little environment I don't have to hack with to get working.

This is for the rest of us that would rather spend our time watching and listening and generally experiencing our content rather than hacking the latest and greatest device to make it happen.

 

[MacRickW]

Hulu is not allowed on TVs. They'd have to change their deals with the studios before they could be added to the AppleTV.

Well Hulu Plus just showed up on my Sony Blue Ray player this week, so it is allowed on TVs. Hulu Plus is $10/month. Although the menu item has been added, it will be a few weeks before Sony turns it on.

 

[thetaylor13]

Still no 1080i or p. Crud!!! Come on Steve J, the HD standard is 1080i60, p24, or p30 (with some new cams doing 1080p60, but no other support for it yet). Most new HD sets are now 1080p60 at least, and most now oversample to 120 or even 240 (actually kind of useless, but can make 1080p24 an even multiple of the HD TV's refresh rate - but most TVs persistence is less than 120Hz, so who cares).

Any way, Apple seems to me to be falling behind in the HD arena: no 1080 anything for Apple TV or iTunes video rentals, no BlueRay on their computers, and only limited support for BlueRay authoring in Final Cut Studio.

I can sort of understand the BlueRay player deal (Steve is likely correct the future is online delivery when internet speeds for the average consumer catches up; though I think by that time, we'll have BlueRay 4K); But limiting to 720p is not wise imho.

hehe

BlueRay....

 

[sublimentality]

Airplay for 3rd party iOS apps?

Does anyone know if Apple is gonna let any other developers use the Airplay streaming feature for their apps, or are they gonna be the only ones allowed to use it?

 

[Macsterguy]

Apps, Apps, Apps...

 

[bushido]

Well Hulu Plus just showed up on my Sony Blue Ray player this week, so it is allowed on TVs. Hulu Plus is $10/month. Although the menu item has been added, it will be a few weeks before Sony turns it on.

yep hulu PLUS but not the regular one

 

[DarkKnightNine]

WRONG WRONG WRONG. I hope they do, but the remote app has not been updated. Nov 1999. It needs to be, and not just for the iPad to solve the 1x 2x pixelation, but redesign the app.

Dude forget about Apple's Remote App. It sucks anyway. TouchPad is waaaaay better! Controls just about everything on your computer and gives you a remote, a keyboard and trackpad with almost of the finger gestures (no pinch) all rolled into one. It's awesome!

 

[Rogzilla]

As I got an 80 Gig Apple TV with the sole intention of streaming my media over to it, I think this is great. If there is a software update, then great! Either way, I'll probably eventually pick this up and make it my new living room Apple TV. Then the old one can go into the bedroom.

 

[Scarpad]

The streaming better be significantly better than the current Apple TV, because the current version is very laggy with HD content at times. Menu response better be fast too.

As for the update, why on earth would they get rid of purchases? Makes no sense at all.

No apps, and apple wonders why no one buys these...

I am happy with the newe hardware, but again, streaming content from my mac is now more difficult since it is in another submenu. That is like version 1.0...another mistake.

Yeah allow you to buy it from the ATV and have the connected Itunes download it and place it in your PC Itunes Libary, not having this feaure makes little sense

 

[Dan--]

This.

Boooo to Apple!

Streaming only on the AppleTV? Why, oh gawd, why?

I want storage! Why you may ask? So I don't need to have my main Mac online just to serve up a movie!

Is that too much to ask for? I want my movies STORED by the AppleTV. Streaming does NOT always work 100%. If I'm using my Mac for work in my study, why should I suffer with disk and network activity being chewed up so the kids can watch a movie downstairs?

I have a pile of Disney DVDs. I rip them, and load them onto the iPad for the kids. But streaming off the iPad to the TV isn't a viable solution either. If I'm streaming a movie, I can't use the iPad! Two devices for one task? Why, Steve, why?

There's a USB port on the AppleTV. Would it be so hard to allow us to plug in a drive and save a local copy for FAST, RELIABLE access? You know, kinda like yesterday's AppleTV? (Okay, it had an internal drive, but you know what I mean)

Sign...I was hoping for something better than this. I won't be buying one.

I need access to a (not yet ripped) lossless music library, and want it all local and easily manageable. Maybe get the old one?

 

[Small White Car]

Well Hulu Plus just showed up on my Sony Blue Ray player this week, so it is allowed on TVs. Hulu Plus is $10/month. Although the menu item has been added, it will be a few weeks before Sony turns it on.

Ah...right. I'm talking about regular Hulu. I forgot that Hulu plus probably came with all new rules.

Kind of takes the big appeal away for those trying to drop their cable bills just to save money, but yeah, it's still better at least.