Apple Provides Sneak Peak Of Media Center

[balamw]

Here's another pic from the event today, taken by the Gizmodo guys...

Looking at their other pictures answered a question I was wondering. Does this thing have an Ethernet port, and it apparently does. I'd rather not rely on wireless. Right now I have a VGA cable from my iMac to my TV, so I'd gain something by replacing it with a simple CAT5.

I'm a bit surprised not to see any USB or FW ports on there though. I was betting on being able to hook up an optional HDD.

B

 

[theBB]

Does this thing have an Ethernet port, and it apparently does. I'd rather not rely on wireless. Right now I have a VGA cable from my iMac to my TV, so I'd gain something by replacing it with a simple CAT5.

I'm a bit surprised not to see any USB or FW ports on there though. I was betting on being able to hook up an optional HDD.

It's got USB.

 

[skellener]

At $2 a pop I'd be out maybe $6 per month.

Most shows air once a week so that's 3-5 times a month. So even 1 show will cost you $6-$10. So sure, if you watch one televison show (say LOST) at 3-5 episodes a month your doing fine. I would imagine most people take in 5 shows (3-5 episodes a month) or more per month. That's $30-$50 already for only 5 televison shows a month. $50 gets me all the standard and HD channels on DirecTV. iTunes is still not at that quality/price point yet.

 

[sam10685]

Looks like a squished Mini

that's the idea.

 

[balamw]

It's got USB.

Where? The pics I saw looked like power, Ethernet, HDMI and 5 RCA jacks for component out?

B

 

[dmelgar]

Disappointing

Sounded like a downer to me. I haven't seen the presentation, so maybe its better than the story sounds.

- Whatever happened to a Tivo killer? No TV? No DVR?
- Sounds like this doesn't have a hard drive, supposed to display on a TV a video bitstream received via network connection. There are already many devices out there that do this, starting at $99. What makes this any better? Big problem with those so far is that you need an excellent 802.11g connection or you get dropouts when playing a DVD. Ethernet is the only thing that makes it reliable.
- 1Q2007? Since when does Apple pre-announce. They've been working on this for over a year and 1Q2007 is the best they can do? I wonder what the holdup is. Missing the Christmas shopping season? Horrors!
- Movies on iTunes. What DRM is associated with the movies? Can you burn the movie to a DVD to play in a DVD player? How do the prices compare to buying a DVD. If its similar price, I get much more on a DVD, ie special features, can play anywhere.
- No rental? Why not. I'm much more likely to rent a movie than buy one. I'm more likely to value the convenience of renting quickly online vs. driving to a store. But to buy and keep forever, I'd rather get a DVD.
- What movies? Only from Disney? Doesn't sound very impressive. What would make other studios jump on the bandwagon? I thought Apple would come up with something revolutionary that would drag the studios in. But I don't see it yet.

 

[theBB]

$50 gets me all the standard and HD channels on DirecTV. iTunes is still not at that quality/price point yet.

Off topic, but how do you get your broadband internet? DSL? I guess DSL requires me to pay for a landline phone for another $20 per month, as I currently do not have a landline phone. Then, there is the DSL fee itself. Basic cable, broadband + HDTV is $62 per month right now. If I go with DirecTV, I would end up with DirecTV fees + $40 per month for DSL. Overall more expensive than cable.

 

[theBB]

Where? The pics I saw looked like power, Ethernet, HDMI and 5 RCA jacks for component out?

Between ethernet and power.

 

[timswim78]

I could not disagree more.

It exceeds the xBox 360 due to the inclusion of HDMI.

- XBOX might be getting HDMI, or maybe not.

It will play DVD's, for sure, through the desktop server

- Not very convenient to have to have a computer turned on to play DVD's. If your computer is in another room, changing DVD"s will be a real pain in the neck. It would be a whole lot simpler to just have a DVD drive in the unit.

It uses the superior FrontRow navigation system

- Superior to what? FrontRow has nothing on MCE's interface. I've used both, and MCE is better, IMO. (Of course, MCE allows one to record television.)

It has a cleaner appearance than xbox, no power brick, runs quieter and cooler

- No moving parts would make something quieter and cooler. However, this is not a standalone unit, and the need to run a server computer changes the quietness and coolness. I don't really want to look at computer or A/V equipment anyway.

Will not crash like the hot running xBox.

- And you know this from the test unit that Apple sent to you?

Will be prices slightly cheaper allowing for inclusion on multiple TV's throughout the home

- Cheaper than what? Or do you mean a quantity based discount?

It does not play games will work in Apple's favor as many parents don't want this feature for their children.

- So, these paretns should buy a networked DVD/Media player or a Media Center Extender. Are these the same parents that don't want their kids watching crappy TV, or is it OK for kids to watch horrible televsion programming as long as they don't play games?

Digital Cable and TV recording to Hard Disk are handled by the Media SERVER (desktop) using cheap and currently available 3rd party products -- watch for apple to bundle this in the coming year and one half.

- Sounds like a hodge-podged mess to me. If you really want simplicity, just buy a Media Center PC and one of the Windows Meda Extenders.

iTV is a winner for sure.

- I'll hold off judgement until I try one out for myself. (Actually, I probably won't try one. I only have on small TV in my house, and I only get over-the-air HDTV programming, no cable or sattelite.)

 

[gnasher729]

I sure wish Apple would have come up with a system for ripping DVDs to my computer and cataloging them, that I would have loved. How much you want to bet that never happens?

Use Handbrake to convert to H.264, then drag the result into iTunes.

 

[7racer]

This will be a nice solution if HD streaming is available.

I record my trips/vacations on a HD Sony camcorder and make a iDVD of it.

Hopefully, I will be able to stream this with HiDef to my TV without the need for either Bluray or HDDVD standard to play itself out.

 

[Demoman]

Part of a component system?

What do you think? Is this going to be part of a component system which may included a Blue-Ray, DVD, Mini...system stackable and user configurable?

 

[ddrueckhammer]

Actually as a media advertising agency owner I can tell you that you've got it backwards. Cable and Satellite are all planning to go to a totally on-demand solution much like iTunes. Commercials and advertising will evolve, through viral marketing and embedded content, as it always has. The days of linear programming cut up with ads are nearing their end.

You are right on track. I don't know if advertising is going the way of the Dodo but Verizon Fios was just introduced in my city and their on-demand content is instant and has the potential to far surpass anything that Apple can offer.

- No rental? Why not. I'm much more likely to rent a movie than buy one. I'm more likely to value the convenience of renting quickly online vs. driving to a store. But to buy and keep forever, I'd rather get a DVD.

I think Amazon stole their thunder...The Amazon offering at least offers rentals which competes somewhat with Netflix.

Off topic, but how do you get your broadband internet? DSL? I guess DSL requires me to pay for a landline phone for another $20 per month, as I currently do not have a landline phone. Then, there is the DSL fee itself. Basic cable, broadband + HDTV is $62 per month right now. If I go with DirecTV, I would end up with DirecTV fees + $40 per month for DSL. Overall more expensive than cable.

In my area, Verizon has unbundled the phone from the DSL. You don't have to pay for a phone to get DSL, it is just their gimmick to get you to pay for more. In fact, I'm not sure but I think the FCC might have ordered the phone companies to offer unbundled options...but that may be wrong.

 

[solafide]

Long term desires for this type of unit

I think this will be a great first step for Apple. Long term, I'd like to be able archive all my DVDs and play them through iTunes, just as I have done with my CDs. In the mid to long term, this would mean that Apple would have to work out a deal with a DRM solution with the content owners that would allow for a DVD (obviously this would not work with my currently owned DVDs) to be stored on a computer - authenticating back to the content owner's server, for example.

It may not be worth it, as everything will likely go to digital delivery anyway, in time.

I also would like a DVR, but in the long run, the traditional delivery model of TV will likely change. iTunes is a small foretaste. This would be huge, as it would necessarily change where, who, and how advertising dollars would be made. I betcha this will be keeping the cable, network, and movie execs up at night thinking through how they can control this potential shift in power and revenue to their own benefit.

All I know is I want to get rid of all the boxes surrounding my TV and speaker system, and be able to control all my TV, video, and audio assets through the TV - in the kind of eloquent way that it seems only Apple is capable of (I am sure this is not true - but I believe they have the best shot at providing an end-to-end user-friendly system).

The next few years are going to be very interesting.

 

[After G]

I don't watch TV - the market for it is not me ... TV these days is too full of crap. No DVR because I don't want to save crap.

My watching model is: I watch it once, I know what happened, I don't care for keeping it. Because of this, I don't buy DVDs. I don't want to pay $20 for a watch-once movie. And most of the $5-11 deals aren't. The theater is a better offer for me, but the environment sucked a long time ago, and still does.

Hmm ... I find myself doing more with the computer ... and less everywhere else. Sounds like I fit right in to the iTV demographic, that "digital hub" thing.

 

[tf23]

Will it support third party codecs?
Does it have an internal flash drive?
Will I be able to order Music, TV shows and Movies using it?
Do I need a separate computer to use it?

So far, I'm not impressed. How's it different than a media extender?
I would rather have seen a mac mini with core 2 duo, better graphics support, an internal 3.5" hard drive, and HDMI.

Outside codecs are doubtful. It'd support it in that if you convert the media that's encoded with the 3rd party codecs to something quicktime can handle.

Flash drive? *why* would that have any benefit. Too small. Very doubtful.

Ordering from it. Maybe. But then if you have 2 machines that it's pulling content from, which machine actually does the payment, downloading and storing of the file(s)?

A seperate computer? Seemingly, any OSX or Windows machine running iTunes will be what the 'iTV' pulls it's content from. So yes.

What's a 'media extender'?

I would love to know if those who are saying they'd rather have a Mac Mini, rather then an iTV (which would approx cost half what the Mini would) have ever used a Tivo or a ReplayTV. It's the interface that makes both of those what they are, the ease of use. It's what MythTV's always battled. Yes, you may be able to buy a Mini and morph it into an iTV, but at half the price, and having to spend the time dealing with it to make it all work, why bother? About the only justification for buying the Mini instead that I can see is if you don't already have a machine that can run iTunes.

 

[tf23]

I think it was a big mistake not to add a HD/TV-tuner/optical reader... THAT could be a killer. Right now we have an upgraded Airport extreme.

A tv-tuner/encoding chip on the thing would a) raise the price and b) be counter-productive for them to *sell* content through iTunes. So they won't do it.

But the eyeTV et all 3rd party makers have just got to be drooling over this 'iTV'. If there's enough processor power in the thing to play full HD out w/ full dolby audio, then it's only a matter of time (or imcremental upgrades) to 3rd party add-ons that could possibly let the 'iTV' grab content and store it locally on itself.

I for one hope the iTV can mount NFS shares and look for media files. If not NFS, smb could work, too.

 

[tf23]

...The think that worries me is that there is no mention of this device being able to play non-iTunes movies. What about if you back up a DVD to your computer. Can you play it on this? We'll have to wait and see.

I am willing to bet if you backup all your DVD's and then run them through handbrake you'll be set. Take all those 500-1.5GB mp4 files and drag and drop 'em into your iTunes. Then the 'iTV' would see them and there's your movie collection easily accessible.

 

[MarkCollette]

I realize they are saying that you're getting high-def, and it's wireless, but I have a hard time believing that a movie you can download in a half hour will be as good of quality as a DVD which is nearly 8gb in size.

To be fair, these videos are encoded using H.264, which is a newer and more efficient codec, bitrate wise, than MPEG2 which is used in DVDs.

EDIT: Plus I think these are 640x480 progressive scan, whereas DVDs are interlaced. Sure, that'll take more space, but it will also give it better quality.

 

[KindredMAC]

i haven't read through all 200+ postings but....

Could this actually be the Mac Home or iHome resurrection of the name of the fake product that came out a couple of years ago????

 

[EagerDragon]

So it seems from the coverage that the device has no optical drive, and no internal mass storage? Is that correct? And also that it is not itself a DVR? Don't get me wrong -- I'm reserving judgment. I just want to understand at this point. It sounds as if the basic purpose of the device is to draw high quality AV off a computer and onto a home entertainment system, sort of as the Roku SoundBridge did for the iPod's audio, but in a very Apple sort of way? In other words, it follows the computer-centric sort of model where a desktop or notebook Mac on the network is the "server"?

It is an overgrown Airport Express that only receives content and fowards it to the TV. Sorry, nothing to see here.

 

[egsaxy]

a red herring??

so a month ago, apple won't show us Tiger because they don't want anyone to copy what they're doing. Today they show us this set top box, that (atleast from the engaget comments) people think is pure rubbish, far behind everyone else's current products. Without reading the full 10 pages of commentary and not knowing if this has been brought up yet or not, but what if the prototype box, isn't anything like what they will give us in three months time? What if as someone mentioned on page one of these comments that its to pressure a studio into a contract? What if the living room box, ends up being far superior to what they showed us? what if it ends up having a dvd drive, and the tv tuner, and all of that other stuff that we want, and to be a truely amazing product we deserve. What if this box does look anything like the actual product? What if this box has totally different specs? What if we were shown this, and something else was going to be released? Apple is far too protective of its vision, strategy, and products that showing us this box doesn't add up. There will be an event about this box when its finally ready. The best place to hide is in the open. Not because you can't be seen, but because you can and its unexpected. Apple is doing a little magic trick for all of us, flashing this prototype iTv infront of us, and will deliever something far better when the time comes.

 

[maxspivak]

Is it just me or does the iTV look very stackable? My guess is that eventually you will have a Hard Drive, Optical Drive and the iTV all separate. This way you can upgrade to a BlueRay from a DVD drive or a 500Gig HD from a 250.
Do you think Im way off?

I actually like no built-in hdd. Storage should be attached physically or over the network. What's necessary on the client, and this iTV is definitely a client, is intelligent volume management. It should allow me to combine any number of physical disks into a single logical volume.

The same footprint as Mac Mini is also probably not a coincidence. If you want, you can stack both of them.

 

[EagerDragon]

This is the same thing as having a mac mini connected to your TV...though I guess it has HDMI. This leads me to believe that they will release a Software Update for Front Row upon release of the "iTV".

Now, who wants to start speculating when this device will become the long-rumored TiVO killer? Doesn't look like there's much room back there to fit in a coax - seems like Apple missed out on a decent opportunity...

Not the same as a mini. You can not play a DVD like in a mini, you can not store content on a permanent basis like you can with a mini, and is not a full computer like a mini. It has a very small subset of the capabilities of the mini but with HDMI. A mini can do the same and more.

 

[srf4real]

thanx for posting the picture. i couldn't find it. I'm getting one and hope 811g from 15 feet is sufficient!
[edit] and another thing, I don't thing my mini connects to my tv??