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Apple iTV Impressions and Details
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heyisa
macrumors member
I'd rather wait for a mac mini w/iTV combo,
that would allow you to stream Bonjour content as well.
(could you imagine that in a dorm network!).
I think the second generation of this will be awesome, if apple does it screw it up.
I hope you could also use it as a seperate monitor for a computer.
Would make it really easy to hook up a computer to a projector that way.
that would allow you to stream Bonjour content as well.
(could you imagine that in a dorm network!).
I think the second generation of this will be awesome, if apple does it screw it up.
I hope you could also use it as a seperate monitor for a computer.
Would make it really easy to hook up a computer to a projector that way.
adamfilip
macrumors 6502a
The hard drive is just to store files while it outputs them to the tv
much easier to cache on the hard drive then play. rather then stream constantly. it also makes it more reliable and less prone to interference
Since there are no inputs on this thing it wont be a PVR
much easier to cache on the hard drive then play. rather then stream constantly. it also makes it more reliable and less prone to interference
Since there are no inputs on this thing it wont be a PVR
ready2switch said:
Well, it isn't "without storage", it has storage.
It's fairly simple: it's a Set Top Box. It's another one, to add to your DVD player, cable box, and DVR. Well, I say "add to", but actually, you'll probably not need them. What is does is show whatever Quicktime will show that's accessable via iTunes.
- That means anything on the iTunes Store
- It means anything in your .Mac storage.
- It means anything on your network, if you have one, that's exported via an iTunes Library.
You'll go home after work, pick up the remote, and maybe you'll:
- Buy a movie and watch it.
- (Rent a movie and watch it, assuming Apple eventually supports the idea, or someone else finds a way to interface to it)
- Watch a new episode of a TV show you subscribe to
- Watch a free pilot of a show you're interested in.
- Listen to a streamed radio station
- Watch a subscribed-to video blog or browse other blogs, and watch them
- Watch that highly amusing rip from "America's Funniest Videos" that your friend told you to watch, from Google Video, or other Google video clips.
What will be available? Anything you want. As this becomes more and more popular, more and more content will become available. Expect CNN news to be just as available as episodes from ABC mini-serieses.
How will you get it? Over your $25/month broadband connection. Which you'd have anyway for web and email.
That's how you use it. For many people, cable, as a "just put on background noise and forget it" medium, will still rule. For others, such as myself, the prospect of TV built for me, rather than advertisers, is more compelling.
I think it's awesome.
It will be perfect for me. I need a video airport express type machine to connect to a big old projector in a cupboard that I want to feed dvd to wirelessly from the mini.
The big question in my view is whether you can indeed browse the store directly through the box itself, or whether my mini has to do that. Personally, I don't mind the mini doing it, because that's what I primarily want this functionality for.
But I reckon they would shift many, many units if they sold it as a standalone unit. Movies from your couch at any time more or less instantly, iTunes interface, no computer necessary at all. As simple as plugging in your cable box. You pay for what you want to watch, full stop. Even people without any idea about computers love movies. They would sell x*n units to the older generations, like a grey-haired 'vPod'. If they opened up the movie store worldwide with this online vPod for your fat tv, it would be very big.
The people begging for pirating capabilities are way off base. As someone mentioned earlier, Apple's interests, and the market differentiation they seek, lie in having people pay a fair price for a pleasing entertainment experience. They sell more hardware, the artists are paid for their trouble. How would they 'sell' this device to media companies that own content if it wasn't as 100% above board as buying a cinema ticket? Recording tv and burning dvds isn't what this device should be about. It should be about killing off cinemas for good, denting Blockbuster and DVD sales and appealing to a MASS market, not just hardware freaks and technology fetishists.
edit: can't spell
The big question in my view is whether you can indeed browse the store directly through the box itself, or whether my mini has to do that. Personally, I don't mind the mini doing it, because that's what I primarily want this functionality for.
But I reckon they would shift many, many units if they sold it as a standalone unit. Movies from your couch at any time more or less instantly, iTunes interface, no computer necessary at all. As simple as plugging in your cable box. You pay for what you want to watch, full stop. Even people without any idea about computers love movies. They would sell x*n units to the older generations, like a grey-haired 'vPod'. If they opened up the movie store worldwide with this online vPod for your fat tv, it would be very big.
The people begging for pirating capabilities are way off base. As someone mentioned earlier, Apple's interests, and the market differentiation they seek, lie in having people pay a fair price for a pleasing entertainment experience. They sell more hardware, the artists are paid for their trouble. How would they 'sell' this device to media companies that own content if it wasn't as 100% above board as buying a cinema ticket? Recording tv and burning dvds isn't what this device should be about. It should be about killing off cinemas for good, denting Blockbuster and DVD sales and appealing to a MASS market, not just hardware freaks and technology fetishists.
edit: can't spell
quigleybc said:
If you fit a mod chip to an Xbox it allows you to do lots of cool things, including upgrading the hard drive and run non certified software (eg homebrew, open source).
Probaby the most popular is Xbox Media Centre, which is what it says and does it pretty well. So for about £150 you end up with a decent media centre which isn't bad, plus its a game console as well.
TEG
macrumors 604
arn said:
That is an awesome Idea. Hopefully the iTV will be able to be integrated with the TiVo. Maybe being an external HD if needed. I just don't want Apple to go into the DVR business, because TiVo already did it right, and I don't think anyone could improve on it. I would like to see a software update for the TiVo that changes the encoding from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 so when they launch TiVo to Go for Mac, you are 90% closer to being able to use the video in other places, plus it could improve video quality with smaller file sizes.
TEG
Porchland said:
Perhaps what Apple should do is have two types of TV "season passes" - one at the current price point (or perhaps slightly cheaper) that gives you the episodes permanently, and one that's substantially cheaper ($4.99 per season or thereabouts?) where the shows expire after a period of time, or a certain number of viewings.
They'd also need to have the shows available to start streaming as soon as they are broadcast - a lot of people aren't interested in buying them after the fact because they want to be able to talk about the show areound the water cooler at work the next day.
A setup like that, and I'd think about dropping cable like a bad habit. The only catch is live sporting events. Unless Apple could capture those broadcasts and begin streaming them to subscribers in real time.... imagine a season pass for your favorite team. The pro leagues would be tough negotiators, but colleges would probably jump at the prospect of having all their football games available on iTunes and getting a cut of the action.
theBB
macrumors 68020
Here is my wishlist:
1) Basestation or range extender for 802.11 b/g and maybe "a" or "n".
(Airport Express has both of these features, so I'd say likely.)
2) Using the ethernet connection instead of wireless network to stream music, photo slideshows and videos.
(I don't see why not)
3) Hooking up a USB harddrive with my music, photos and videos to avoid any wireless connection hiccups.
4) It would be great if I could also use that same harddrive as a sort of media server that I can reach from other computers at home.
(3 and 4 could happen, but I would not be surprised if they leave them out.)
5) Using it as a print server by connecting a USB printer, like the current Airport Express. (Well, if iTV is in the living room, this feature will not be really necessary. Still, a few years down the road there will be a newer and better version. Then, I could use the old one for more mundane network tasks.)
1) Basestation or range extender for 802.11 b/g and maybe "a" or "n".
(Airport Express has both of these features, so I'd say likely.)
2) Using the ethernet connection instead of wireless network to stream music, photo slideshows and videos.
(I don't see why not)
3) Hooking up a USB harddrive with my music, photos and videos to avoid any wireless connection hiccups.
4) It would be great if I could also use that same harddrive as a sort of media server that I can reach from other computers at home.
(3 and 4 could happen, but I would not be surprised if they leave them out.)
5) Using it as a print server by connecting a USB printer, like the current Airport Express. (Well, if iTV is in the living room, this feature will not be really necessary. Still, a few years down the road there will be a newer and better version. Then, I could use the old one for more mundane network tasks.)
rtdunham
macrumors 6502a
jasper77 said:
Nice idea. and car makers could have the iTV built in, so kids or passengers in the back seat could stream video to the car's built-in video system (the link could just as easily be wired, but none of today's iPod-ready cars provide for this video-to-dvd player useability, do they?
theBB said:
That's why I'm ripping my DVDs in H.264/AAC instead of the ever-popular DivX/Xvid or any other AVI/Quicktime nightmare. Too many CODECs.
Dr.Gargoyle
macrumors 65816
Hmmm, that makes me wonder if iTunes in a later version will be able to rip DVD's as well as Cd's.Yvan256 said:
My thoughts on the hard-drive are very similar to "adamflip's" and "chromos's" in that it's simply a way to get around the video streaming limitations of the 802.11g protocol.
If you've got a movie sitting on your iMac in one room and it can simply transfer the iTunes video file to the iTV in the living room then the iTV could begin playback in a fairly short period of time while it caches the remainder of the movie to the iTV HD during playback. Voila - streaming problem solved.
I'm presuming that all the functionality to stream music (i.e. - airport express like...) will be incorportaed into the device and that no data other than that which is cached to it will be stored on the hard-drive. In other words, you won't store movies, music, etc. on the iTV - you'd continue to do that via your desktop Mac and manage them in iTunes.
I, personally, could care less about any DVR functionality as my HD cable-box already provides me with this functionality.
What I would love to see is DVD playback so that this box could essentially replace my existing DVD player in my home theater system.
If you've got a movie sitting on your iMac in one room and it can simply transfer the iTunes video file to the iTV in the living room then the iTV could begin playback in a fairly short period of time while it caches the remainder of the movie to the iTV HD during playback. Voila - streaming problem solved.
I'm presuming that all the functionality to stream music (i.e. - airport express like...) will be incorportaed into the device and that no data other than that which is cached to it will be stored on the hard-drive. In other words, you won't store movies, music, etc. on the iTV - you'd continue to do that via your desktop Mac and manage them in iTunes.
I, personally, could care less about any DVR functionality as my HD cable-box already provides me with this functionality.
What I would love to see is DVD playback so that this box could essentially replace my existing DVD player in my home theater system.
Westside guy
macrumors 604
It seems like a lot of people don't really grok what the advantages of having a network really are. You don't need a full-blown computer dedicated to the television - e.g. yet another Media Center PC or Myth-TV box. That "solution" is too expensive, way too overpowered, and too energy-hungry for what it needs to do. I suspect the hard drive inside the iTV is somewhat equivalent of "network attached storage" - the computational heavy lifting, such as it is, will occur on your actual computer; but it'll be using the iTV's drive rather than its own drive for storing the shows etc. I imagine you can plop a DVD into your computer and watch it on your TV, too - if you're watching a movie, you're probably not using your computer's DVD drive at the same time anyway.
Heck, this is the sort of thing I always wished Tivo would come up with. I have two Tivos - but really all I need is one Tivo plus a wireless receiver that'd let me watch shows on a second television. Doubly so now that Tivo is selling their own two-tuner units.
This whole iTV thing will be rather interesting. Depending on how it plays out, I can see myself dumping Tivo and buying an EyeTV (the El Gato (?) product). This Apple iTV doesn't need to be a PVR per se, but for flexibility's sake if EyeTV can hook into this whole system - for the people that want to still have over-the-air/cable television - it could be pretty sweet.
Heck, this is the sort of thing I always wished Tivo would come up with. I have two Tivos - but really all I need is one Tivo plus a wireless receiver that'd let me watch shows on a second television. Doubly so now that Tivo is selling their own two-tuner units.
This whole iTV thing will be rather interesting. Depending on how it plays out, I can see myself dumping Tivo and buying an EyeTV (the El Gato (?) product). This Apple iTV doesn't need to be a PVR per se, but for flexibility's sake if EyeTV can hook into this whole system - for the people that want to still have over-the-air/cable television - it could be pretty sweet.
bretm said:
TiVo will also charge you $12.95 every month (or $299 every two years) for the rest of your life for the privilege of using their box. Look at that - you can buy the newest, latest-n-greatest iTV every two years (if Apple adds functionality that often) for the price of TiVo's service fees. And then probably sell the old one on eBay for enough money to buy the next version of OS X. Besides, if you want HDTV, the TiVo solution is $800. Plus fees. Plus a USB wireless receiver. And you still can't play music or video from the iTunes Store.
Don't get me wrong, I think TiVo's technology is great... but, I'm already paying $ every month to my cable company who sends me TV listings, and numerous sites on the Internet have free TV listings; at least some basic level of TiVo functionality should be free as well (yes, I know about the TiVo Basic or whatever they called it in some of the DVD-burning TiVos - that wasn't good enough). I'd much rather have TiVo than this crappy Scientific Atlanta DVR that Charter provides. But it costs less to rent than the TiVo service fee, and I'd still need to pay Charter to rent two CableCards if I replaced it with a TiVo. Which would suck, since I'd have just emptied my checking account to buy the TiVo in the first place.
My dream is for Apple to buy TiVo. Last I checked, Apple's cash on hand was more than TiVo's market cap.
The iTV makes the elgato eyetv hybrid even more appealing. 🙂
http://www.elgato.com/index.php?file=products_eyetvhybridna
Use it to record your shows and then stream it to the iTV.
-bye bye comcast DVR.
what about calling it the iStream (ha)
http://www.elgato.com/index.php?file=products_eyetvhybridna
Use it to record your shows and then stream it to the iTV.
-bye bye comcast DVR.
what about calling it the iStream (ha)
ShavenYak said:
I guess I'm lucky in that my Scientific Atlanta 8300HD-DVR works flawlessly and is well worth the $6.95/month my cable provider charges me. Having that DVR functionality included in the box that's got dual-cable-HD-tuners and its own show listing/management software just makes sense as a cable subscriber.
This is why the DVR functionality is meaningless to me with regards to the iTV. Plus, it's pretty meaningless funtionality in the US unless you're pulling SD or HD content over the air. Apple knows this and it will most likely mean that DVR functionality will never be a part of the iTV with regards to the US market.
I'll consider buying the iTV as it stands soon after it's released if it proves functional. If it had even a progressive-scan DVD player included it would be a no-brainer in my opinon and I'd be first in line the day it's released.
gugy
macrumors 601
lipinski77 said:
yeah, that looks cool.
I am seriously considering buying one. Plus get an external antena and get HDTV. sweet.😀
But I would still keeping my dishnetwork DVR. I think it will take time to completely get rid off any cable/dvr package.
The fact that the computer has to be on everytime I want to watch or record a show is somewhat a hassle.
I think iTV is a waste of time and money for apple. In essence, the mac mini can do ALL OF THAT, plus more, minus the ability to go out via HDMI. If apple just upgraded FRONT ROW to the quality of the iTV user interface, you have an iTV right there on the mac mini! Just add some more ports, including HDMI, cable in for DVR recording, a massive hard drive, and you have a MAC MEDIA CENTER PC! What about connecting to other machines to share content? YOU CAN ALREADY DO THAT!!! In iTunes you say "share my media on my network" and any computer with iTunes can read that information! Come on apple...this iTV thing is a WASTE. It's a dumb down mac mini...apple will make way more money selling mac mini's with TIGER/LEOPARD on it, so not only would you get a DVR, STREAMING MOVIES, DOWNLOADABLE MOVIES TO PLAY ON YOUR TV, but you get WEB TV!!! Or edit a MOVIE ON YOUR BIG ASS TV! Sorry for the rant...I just don't know why apple doesn't merge both technologies together in one system to compete with media center pc, and convert MORE mac sales.
DVR? No way!
I think it's pretty obvious that iTV will NOT have DVR functionality- The iTunes store is a competitor to DVR. This thing is a means of connecting your computer (iTunes) to your TV- not about connecting your TV to your computer. It's a completely different take on watch-your-show-whenever-you-feel-like-it mentality.
I think it's pretty obvious that iTV will NOT have DVR functionality- The iTunes store is a competitor to DVR. This thing is a means of connecting your computer (iTunes) to your TV- not about connecting your TV to your computer. It's a completely different take on watch-your-show-whenever-you-feel-like-it mentality.
emotion said:
That's what we need here in the US. I have a Comcast DVR and I have no way to save any of the programs to my Mac's hard drive. It's getting kind of pointless. The DVR's drive is constantly filled to 85% or more of capacity, and I'm starting to have to delete things that I really would like to have been able to keep. I can't even get the damned programs onto a VHS.
Does anyone know how to save Comcast DVR 'files' to an iBook?
robotx21 said:
The iTV is going to be $300. You're talking about ordinary users paying well over $600 for a set top box. Requiring that they get a Mac mini raises the barrier to entry but doesn't provide any significant advantage to the person who just wants iTunes on their TV.
spicyapple said:
And this is how the device will be able to do high definition. Since it's pretty difficult to stream 720p (or higher) content in real time, the iTV will buffer the stream and start playing when it is able.
This opens up tons of new possibilities and affirms for me at least, the ability to.
The real question is, is the HDD upgradeable?
