Apple iTV Impressions and Details

[kugino]

I hate to be the first to post a negative but here it is. I don't think this will be overly expensive, but I also think we will be underwhelmed with it's features. Wireless is not that important to me. There are many wires back there already. It sounds like it will not have HDMI or TiVo features, and it will play movies out of iTunes, which screams to me that it will only play .mp4 and .m4v files much like my 5G iPod. If it cannot browse my my mac or firedrive, cannot stream from them, cannot play .avi, .wmw, .rm or VCD, then it will not replace my 4 year old xbox. Which itself has a 120Gig drive and a remote. Unless we are all sorely mistaken about what iTV will end up being, and it ends up adding these features (as someone above me noted, hoping Apple would read this forum) I will wait. Honestly, I am far more excited over the prospect of the MacBook Pros hopefully switching to Core 2 Duos before year end. Then I will have a much more powerful machine slung to my firedrive, router, xbox and tv.

dude, do a little research before droning on and on with misinformation. many of your concerns were addressed by steve in the keynote and by reading some of the other threads on the subject.

 

[emotion]

iTV is basically a limited Mini with better remote control software, if i can use an Elgato eyeTV on it to record i'm buying for sure. Ideally would be an eyeTV with a USB 2 connection to add a big HD.

It's not a cut down mini. Think of it more like a wireless iPod for your TV.

The iPod is a device for getting music etc in your iTunes lib into your ears. The iTV is a device for getting video content wirelessly from your iTunes lib to your TV. (The model is that you stock your iTunes lib with your existing CDs, likelwise you replace your DVD player by stocking your iTunes lib with films from your DVD collection. From then on buying both audio and films from iTunes store).

I suspect the hard drive is just for caching.

I'm guessing the problem Apple face here is that people want PVR functionality but that digital tuner standards are different all over the world (aren't they? EDIT: From wikipedia, "The technology used is ATSC in North America, ISDB-T in Japan, and DVB-T in Europe and Australia; the rest of the world remaining mostly undecided. ISDB-T is very similar to DVB-T and can share front-end receiver and demodulator components." Seems the US has chosen a different system to the rest of the world.).

You can readily get PVRs in the UK with a 80G hard drive and two digital (freeview) tuners from 120 quid.

 

[rikers_mailbox]

My thoughts on iTV.

If Iger is correct and iTV has a hard drive.. then I beleive iTV could serve as an external iTunes Library server/device. Authorized computers can access and manage it using iTunes (running as a client). iTS downloads, podcasts, imported physical CDs, etc would all be stored on iTV.

Look at your hard drive usage, Music takes up a significant amount of it. Why does it need to be kept on your local machine if iTV provides a network?

 

[Stridder44]

Look at your hard drive usage, Music takes up a significant amount of it. Why does it need to be kept on your local machine if iTV provides a network?

Thats an interesting point. I dont know though, something makes me cringe about not having my prized music library on my own computer (fear of losing it I guess?)

 

[dobbin]

I don't want to have to put yet another box on the shelf under my TV and have yet another remote control kicking around my living room.

I already have a DVD, a VCR, and a Sky+ box (DVR). I know that in theory I should choose just one or two of these, but that doesn't work in practice. What happens when my mum records something on a video for me - I still need a VCR, and until Sky bring out a Sky+ box with a *much* larger hard disk then I'll need a DVD for keeping things long term.

If Apple could include at least a DVD burner and ideally a DVR hard disk as well, then I could actually start replacing the other machines I have rather than just adding to them and cluttering up my living room.

Its probably a moot point anyway as I doubt iTV will be launched in the UK for a long while anyway.

 

[sunfast]

If Iger is correct and iTV has a hard drive.. then I beleive iTV could serve as an external iTunes Library server/device. Authorized computers can access and manage it using iTunes (running as a client). iTS downloads, podcasts, imported physical CDs, etc would all be stored on iTV.

Look at your hard drive usage, Music takes up a significant amount of it. Why does it need to be kept on your local machine if iTV provides a network?

That would be sweet. I hate having to keep plugging and unplugging an external HDD into my MacBook.

 

[illegalprelude]

This indeed makes a nice add on to the Soon Blue-Ray player and the home theater setup but this will never replace a tivo. The amount of things I can do with my Tivo, the fact that im always wirelessly streaming media from it to my computer and the fact that my Tivo can have slide shows and play my music like the iTV says alot. Again, it will be a nice add on if it dosent limit you to just iTunes downloads but never will it replace my trusty Tivo

 

[toodeep]

Paraphrasing @emotion: "it's an mpeg-2 world".

Potential iTV customers will have expectations of being able to watch DVD-content and recorded digital TV programmes, and Apple would be wise to not dissapoint them I think. Similarly for the true video iPod. And if the iTV engine can render MPEG-2 on the fly (and why not: my pocket drive can do this and at the same time up-convert to 1080i) them maybe adding a USB tuner will be an option. (That said I'm very satified with my Mac-friendly Toppy PVR.)

 

[MacBoobsPro]

I don't want to have to put yet another box on the shelf under my TV and have yet another remote control kicking around my living room.

I already have a DVD, a VCR, and a Sky+ box (DVR). I know that in theory I should choose just one or two of these, but that doesn't work in practice. What happens when my mum records something on a video for me - I still need a VCR, and until Sky bring out a Sky+ box with a *much* larger hard disk then I'll need a DVD for keeping things long term.

If Apple could include at least a DVD burner and ideally a DVR hard disk as well, then I could actually start replacing the other machines I have rather than just adding to them and cluttering up my living room.

Its probably a moot point anyway as I doubt iTV will be launched in the UK for a long while anyway.

Im hoping Apple bring out a HDTV of there own, with iTV built in. Basically a 50" iMac Seriously though that would be cool and I would buy it straight away. Eventually i think thats where Apple will end up.

 

[Marx55]

What iTV needs is the option to boot Mac OS X to be used as a wireless computerless presentation remote tool. Just plug the flash disk with the Keynote or PowerPoint presentation made on a Mac or PC-Windows and use the remote control to give the presentation. Great for corporations, education and domestic markets. With a huge halo effect. Apple will sell millions.

 

[tiramisu]

naming propossal

how about 'mac ibox' or 'apple ibox'?

itv - well for sure - is a more like a genre name.

 

[dernhelm]

I know of at least one company in the UK who won't be too happy if they keep that name.

Maybe they'll call it the Revolution.

 

[Jo-Kun]

Iger also indicates that the device does indeed contain a hard drive... a fact that was not entirely clear from the preview.

actually... he doesn't indicate a HD... why? well the iTV (sorry, not really impressed with this name) streams media from your mac/pc trough wifi or ethernet... so if you buy an episode on iTunes... it will be stored in your iTunes library on the content-hosting mac/pc in your house and thus be available for iTV to play on your TV...

since it has a USB port I guess it will be possible to attach a USB HD... and store files locally instead of on a remote mac/pc...

 

[macintel4me]

my thoughts and prediction...

I think the HD is using just for caching the streamed content. My prediction is that Apple will come out with a SAN with iTV/FrontRow streaming smarts in it. This way we don't have to run into our office to turn on our computer so we can watch TV in our living room.

 

[Fotek2001]

actually... he doesn't indicate a HD... why? well the iTV (sorry, not really impressed with this name) streams...

You don't need to be impressed with the name 'iTV' because it's a code name... There are at least three companies in this space using similar names already so Apple wouldn't be able to use it even if they wanted to.

 

[superleccy]

I know of at least one company in the UK who won't be too happy if they keep that name.

<UK>Indeed. EyeTV and ITV was confusing enough, but now we have iTV too. And I don't think I'll be watching Coronation street on iTV if Apple are going to charge £1.99 an episode. Think again Steve.</UK>

<Everyone Else>ITV is the name of the UK's biggest terrestrial commercial TV network</Everyone Else>

 

[aegisdesign]

If Apple could include at least a DVD burner and ideally a DVR hard disk as well, then I could actually start replacing the other machines I have rather than just adding to them and cluttering up my living room.

Er, that's what your Mac is for.

All these calls for adding tuners, hard drives and burners are missing the point. Those functions belong in the host computer. iTV is just a method of getting the content from your Mac/PC to your stereo or TV.

In Microsoft terms, it's a media center extender, nothing more, albeit a pretty one.

If it's got a hard disk in it that's used for anything more than caching your iTunes Library file and thumbnails, I'd be very surprised.

 

[Machead III]

<Everyone Else>ITV is the name of the UK's biggest terrestrial commercial TV network</Everyone Else>

It's also far and away the worst. It's the televisual equivalent of drilling a hole in your skull and pouring pure ethanol into your brain.

 

[superleccy]

Watch for EyeTV and Apple coming together over the next 3 months!!

Oh please, yes. For me, iTV will only truly be the final piece of the jigsaw if I can also watch my recorded (and possibly live) EyeTV content through it.

A hook-up between Apple and Elgato sounds the most natural thing. Elgato should continue to make hardware for all the various TV standards (terrestrial / cable / sat / digital / etc etc), but perhaps use some Apple desigers to make their boxes a bit more "Apple-looking". Then, Apple can take the EyeTV 2.x software and integrate it with iTunes.

To those that say that Apple won't allow this because it would hit their own TV show revenues from the iTunes store... I disagree. They'll have to give in sooner or later, because EyeTV isn't going to go away. Would iTunes/iPod have been such a success if they'd have made us purchase all our music from iTunes, even the stuff we alread had on CD?

I'm not going to pay £3 (or whatever) for an Episode of Lost if I could have recorded on EyeTV last night... especially when C4 repeat each episode about 6 times per week anyway.

Regds
SL

 

[jasper77]

Maybe in the future, Apple teams up with Marantz, Onkyo, Rotel and other AV surround reciever manufacturers to built ITV inside their recievers? (like some of them already have ipod dock connectors)

That way you don't need an optical and HDMI cable from ITV to your receiver. you just need 1 HDMI cable to connect your receiver to your HDTV. The ITV is built inside the AV receiver. And you can use the remote from your receiver the control the new front row.

that would be cool

 

[dobbin]

Er, that's what your Mac is for.

All these calls for adding tuners, hard drives and burners are missing the point. Those functions belong in the host computer. iTV is just a method of getting the content from your Mac/PC to your stereo or TV.

Yeah Ok, thats fine, but then I also need a machine to get content from my TV/tuner/satelite to my Mac.

As I understand it, iTV is only for wireless streaming in one direction. If I need a cable to get broadcast programmes into my Mac, then I may as well use that cable to get the content back onto my TV!

 

[MacsRgr8]

Maybe the HD has a slimmed down version of Mac OS X installed on it, making it necessary to be in there, and it's very likely for caching purposes too.
Wish it did have a DVD-player in it, so that it could replace any ol' DVD player hooked up to the TV aswell. With the iTV you still need one.

That's pretty much what I did with my Mac mini Core Duo.... I have a LCD TV hooked up to the mini via DVI. I use Front Row to watch all my favorite movies I have downladed, and VLC for some HD content. And I use the mini's DVD player for wathcing these. It's great!

 

[superleccy]

It's also far and away the worst. It's the televisual equivalent of drilling a hole in your skull and pouring pure ethanol into your brain.

Not quite. Having a hole in your skull and a brain full of ethanol is actually a pre-requisite for enjoying ITV.

 

[odedia]

For 300$, it'll only have a tiny hard drive for caching large h.264 videos on the iTV itself instead of continuesly streaming it over the Wi-Fi.

I am pretty darn sure that iTV will be able to play ANY quicktime video. Meaning - in order to playback other formats, like DivX, just download the quicktime Codec.

 

[superleccy]

All these calls for adding tuners, hard drives and burners are missing the point. Those functions belong in the host computer. iTV is just a method of getting the content from your Mac/PC to your stereo or TV.

Agreed. If you want a Mac Mini on the shelf under your TV, then, er, buy a Mac Mini!

If it's got a hard disk in it that's used for anything more than caching your iTunes Library file and thumbnails, I'd be very surprised.

Agreed again. If the HD was to be used for anything more than this, Steve would have made a bigger deal of it at the presentation.

Cheers!
SL