Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple TV Details and Specs
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
1080 Hd?
Whoa whoa... wait a second.
So the
tv doesn't work in full 1080 HD? That's kinda weird. I would have thought that would be one of the main features.
Also, I think they should definately have included an HDMI cable. That is the most horrible and really stupid things, getting your awesome brand new shiny whatever, and not being able to use it because you don't have the right cables.
This thing is awesome, but I think I'll be waiting for the second generation.
Whoa whoa... wait a second.
So the
tv doesn't work in full 1080 HD? That's kinda weird. I would have thought that would be one of the main features.Also, I think they should definately have included an HDMI cable. That is the most horrible and really stupid things, getting your awesome brand new shiny whatever, and not being able to use it because you don't have the right cables.
This thing is awesome, but I think I'll be waiting for the second generation.
Lets see... an Xbox. Can that run my iPhoto library or H.264 videos? (an actual question, I don't use the house 360 for anything other than games). That thing is large, loud, heavy and sucks up power. I wouldn't want that as an entertainment centre. The remote control is hideous.
Mac Mini - good point. But the cheapest is double the cost of an
TV and the main input isn't a basic controller, it's a keyboard and mouse.I imagine the boot up times are quicker and it's cheaper to run too. Mac Mini has component output?
Think a mac mini does indeed look like a better option - perhaps second hand, or with education discounts - at least then I can install other codecs...
I know that some people will be happy with the device just playing form itunes - but not me - we don't have itunes movie or TV content in the UK...
I know that some people will be happy with the device just playing form itunes - but not me - we don't have itunes movie or TV content in the UK...
It does do things better.
For one, it doesn't cost $600 (mini)
For two, it workds directly with iTunes and ITMS purchases (360 doesn't)
For three, it has HDMI (360 doesn't currently)
For four (and this is key), its much more simple than any competing product.
Interestingly the Mossberg review included Mac G5, Mac-Intel, PC-XP and PC-Vista. The Apple TV tech specs page recommends Win-XP home/pro but NOT Vista
Rocketman
Apple wants to be doing the encoding for you. You can also do it yourself and yes it's a bit slower than DivX, but DivX is also slower than a bunch of even older codecs. Where does it end and why is DivX special? If you can show me a legitimate source of XviD/DivX content that approaches even 1% of the content available in h.264 I'll give you a cookie. DivX/XviD, for all intents and purposes, do not exist (to the mass consumer).
Apple chose h.264 because it is one of the new HD standards (used on Blu-ray as "AVC") and because they don't have to pay extra like they do for DivX.
XviD/DivX don't matter at all. Apple has little reason to support them.
The real question is this:
How long until this thing is hacked and taught to run Linux, play games, and be a DVR via the USB port?
I give it 3 weeks. We will here about Hacking theTV on or before April 11th.
Any other takers?
-Clive
How long until this thing is hacked and taught to run Linux, play games, and be a DVR via the USB port?
I give it 3 weeks. We will here about Hacking the
TV on or before April 11th.Any other takers?
-Clive
with 720 by 432 pixels at 30 fps this is hardly HDTV.
Regular HDTV 720p is:
720p - 720 progressive. this technology comprises 720 vertical pixels and 1,280 horizontal pixels.
so, this device will be cute. nice. but hardly a HDTV quality box, so the HDMI is very misleading, it isnt true HDTV
Regular HDTV 720p is:
720p - 720 progressive. this technology comprises 720 vertical pixels and 1,280 horizontal pixels.
so, this device will be cute. nice. but hardly a HDTV quality box, so the HDMI is very misleading, it isnt true HDTV
Lets see... an Xbox. Can that run my iPhoto library or H.264 videos? (an actual question, I don't use the house 360 for anything other than games). That thing is large, loud, heavy and sucks up power. I wouldn't want that as an entertainment centre. The remote control is hideous.
Mac Mini - good point. But the cheapest is double the cost of an
I imagine the boot up times are quicker and it's cheaper to run too. Mac Mini has component output?
If you already have a 360 (I don't), and a Mac, to to http://www.nullriver.com and download the Connect360. I was told this is a slick piece of software that allows you to bring your iTunes (non-DRM, AAC, Apple Lossless, etc) and iPhoto library to your TV using your XBox 360. It also allows you to stream WMV video (no transcoding support right now).
Two things stopping us getting an Apple TV at this point:-
1) Need a new TV.
2) ~40Gb's is too small. If it were 60Gb+, theTV could be sync'd automatically when our media Server/Desktop was turned on, allowing the TV to be used independently later on, to listen to Music and/or view kids videos and maybe even family photo's. No need to have two machines running to do streaming.
Still thinking the iPod Video 80Gb is a viable alternative, with the added benefit of mobility for trips.
1) Need a new TV.
2) ~40Gb's is too small. If it were 60Gb+, the
TV could be sync'd automatically when our media Server/Desktop was turned on, allowing the TV to be used independently later on, to listen to Music and/or view kids videos and maybe even family photo's. No need to have two machines running to do streaming.Still thinking the iPod Video 80Gb is a viable alternative, with the added benefit of mobility for trips.
How about everything else besides just movies? Do you really like pulling guests into your computer room or around the laptop to watch the stuff you create? How about video podcasts? Nothing on TV - how about ask a ninja, without getting up off the couch? Or if none of that appeals to you, what happens if you just got into Grey's Anatomy, burned through seasons one and two in 3 weeks, and can't wait for season 3 on dvd? Watching TV in the aeron chair doesn't pass the wife test...
(nitpicky point- DVD isn't 1080i either. And many things available on iTunes aren't in HDDVD or BluRay.)
If you don't like it, don't get it. But there is a place for it in the market. go back and read all the posts ripping the ipod when it first shipped...
No it's not.
Unfortunately it only supports HDMI and component. My nice widescreen 100Hz CRT doesn't have component inputs (most SDTV's don't, at least here in Europe). So basically you can only use this on a HDTV. I wonder why they didn't add S-Video output.
But an even bigger problem is that there is no content for it to play. It doesn't support DivX, therefore ignoring 99% of the content available. And the iTunes store doesn't sell any movies or series here in Europe. It doesn't do AC3 or DTS so there's no surround which makes it completely useless.
The thing I don't get is: why is normal SDTV not good enough for Apple but only supporting stereo sound is ok ? IMHO good sound quality is even more important for enjoying a movie than the picture quality. (try watching a horror movie and then mute the sound, it instantaneously stops being scary). What is the point in watching a movie in HD and then having stereo audio ? I'd rather trade in the HDTV image for the better audio.
it CAN do HDTV - 720P
from the summary:
Video:
- .264 and protected H.264 (from iTunes Store): Up to 5 Mbps. Maximum resolution: 1280 by 720 pixels at 24 fps, 960 by 540 pixels at 30 fps
so, in h264, it can do 720p/24. just not in mpeg4.
from the summary:
Video:
- .264 and protected H.264 (from iTunes Store): Up to 5 Mbps. Maximum resolution: 1280 by 720 pixels at 24 fps, 960 by 540 pixels at 30 fps
so, in h264, it can do 720p/24. just not in mpeg4.
Lets see... an Xbox. Can that run my iPhoto library or H.264 videos? (an actual question, I don't use the house 360 for anything other than games). That thing is large, loud, heavy and sucks up power. I wouldn't want that as an entertainment centre. The remote control is hideous.
Mac Mini - good point. But the cheapest is double the cost of an
I imagine the boot up times are quicker and it's cheaper to run too. Mac Mini has component output?
I use a Mac Mini for movies, music, photos, etc. on my HDTV. Can run the DVI output to the HDMI input with a $6 cable. Also, the Mac Mini's remote brings up Front Row, which looks a lot the :apple" TV interface. The comparison to the "main input" is misplaced.
From my perspective, it's worth the extra money to use a Mac Mini with EyeTV to get the
TV features (via iTunes music sharing, etc. from other computers on the network) plus a full computer, plus expandable HD, plus full Internet access (especialy YouTube within the media context), plus DVR funcitonality in HD via EyeTV, plus a built in DVD player/recorder, plus playing more video formats, plus, plus, plus. The Apple TV is too close in price to a Mini and too far in capabilities.
i thought the 720p standard is 1366x720 pixel resolution. how does that work with 1280x720?
You thought wrong. 720p is 1280x720@60fps. The Apple TV is 1280x720@24fps, but most content is filmed at 24fps (this includes TV, most shows are shot on film and then converted to 59.94fps interlaced later).
I'm with you on this. Further, the Apple TV should have been able to look in your remote Movies folder, not assume everything is stored in iTunes. Like FrontRow does on your local machine.
Xvid/DivX is important - at least outside of the US where people have been using it for years - and not just for pirating. When the iPod came out, it supported what people had used for years (mp3) - it would have died if all it said was "Supports AAC only".
I use a Mac Mini for movies, music, photos, etc. on my HDTV. Can run the DVI output to the HDMI input with a $6 cable. Also, the Mac Mini's remote brings up Front Row, which looks a lot the :apple" TV interface. The comparison to the "main input" is misplaced.
From my perspective, it's worth the extra money to use a Mac Mini with EyeTV to get the
The Apple TV is too close in price to a Mini and too far in capabilities.
The mini is usable this way if you have DVI/HDMI. It is considerably more difficult to get it looking right on a hdtv that only has component input (or the VGA/RGB), not worth the trouble if you ask me - Apple knew this when they put component out on the iTV... They were careful not to screw all the hdtv early-adopters...
I addressed a few of my concerns with the Apple TV on previous threads, so here are some of them again:
1) Streaming DVDs from a Mac/PC to an HDTV. What about just putting a commercial DVD in your Mac, playing it wirelessly through DVD player software or new software included with TV onto your HDTV? That would be much simpler than ripping them to your HD (ripping an entire movie collection with 4-8 gig's per movie would be an extensive amount of data and time in ripping, especially as I have 1,000+ DVDs). An entire movie collection would be a lot of physical HD space and what if your HDDs fail, losing your entire DVD collection? Will you have backup HDDs and/or your DVD collection stored away? If so, is that not antithetical to the point of Apple TVs simplicity? Why would I want to rip hundred's if not thousands of DVD's onto a hard drive, then spend more time compressing them so they fit and quite possibly losing quality in compression?
It would essentially replace the need for a DVD player next to your HDTV, as a Mac/PC would become a wireless Media PC (as opposed to the wired Media Center's that some people custom build from Windows XP and/or Vista). Utilizing the new Airport N Base Station could wirelessly stream DVD's as they play in your Mac system. Some individuals have made valid points that Mac/PC internal optical drives arent on par with the quality of top set DVD units, however that could easily change (Sony has an internal Blu-ray drive already on the market for only $699, hundreds less than top set Blu-ray units and just as good).
2) DVR capability. Some individuals on Macrumors criticized my issue with a lack of DVR functionality by stating that Cable Television DVR units are down in popularity. Mediamark Research (MRI) finds that 11.2 percent of U.S. adult households have DVRs, up from 8.6 in the fall of 2005 and 3 percent in 2004. DVRs households record an average 11.3 shows per week, up 23 percent from last year. The number of shows actually recorded on DVRs is low relative to the volume of TV consumed. The report estimates 4 percent of all TV viewing in the U.S. is recorded or consumed through on-demand channels.
DVR owners tend to have higher levels of education and household incomes. College educated adults comprise 36.8 percent of DVR owners, compared to 25.2 percent of the U.S. adult population. Seventeen percent of DVR homes have an average household income exceeding $150,000, compared to 8 percent of the general adult population. Nearly 16 percent of DVR households own homes worth over $500,000, compared to 9 percent of the general population.
The DVR market is still considerably a HUGE market Apple, Inc. is essentially ignoring through TV. If the Apple TV had DVR functionality it would essentially replace a digital cable box if the HDTV had a cable card slot.
3) Wireless Mac/PC desktop. Most new HDTVs have DVI PC inputs for computer monitor usage. By supplying a DVI output for wireless remote desktop usage, the Apple TV could transform living rooms into fully enabled Mac/PC entertainment/computer systems with wireless Bluetooth HIDs. It would not be difficult to add that function to the product.
I view the TV as a bridge into wireless entertainment media, not just streaming purchased iTunes content. TV can play movies, music and pictures, so why not go the extra mile and include DVR functionality and allowing DVD streaming, making the the ONLY thing a home entertainment center would need aside from an HDTV and AVR? While the iPod took years to obtain cult status and popularity, the iPod entered a market that was new and undeveloped (digital music content). Many individuals scoffed at the idea of throwing away their CD's for MP3's, and it took a few years for just such to occur. However, comparing CD's to DVD's and DVR equipment is essentially comparing apple's (no pun intended) to oranges, for reasons I will not go into now (such as heavier copy right protection and laws associated with DVD's and the psychology of the average consumer switching from DVD content to even more heavily regulated iTunes video content - is it possible to burn iTunes movies to DVD's?)...
The Mac/PC could become the entertainment hub of the home, eliminating DVD players, CD Players and VCRs (almost non-existent in most homes unless recording from CDs and/or VHS to digital media) and Cable Boxes with the only need of an HDTV and a good AVR surround sound system. Eliminating a top set DVD unit from your home entertainment system and utilizing the DVD player on a Mac or PC would make perfect sense, especially as internal Blu-ray DVD drives are currently available on the market for much less than stand alone top sets. Why not have the home Mac/PC become the "virtual" DVD player without having to rip every DVD in your library? Who cares if you have to go to your Mac/PC to insert a DVD to watch a movie? Are people THAT lazy???
Pioneer has a Blu-ray unit on the market for roughly $1500 that also incorporates wireless streaming and connectivity to Mac/PC systems JUST as the TV does. Pioneer's Blu-ray Disc Player connects easily into your existing home network, allowing you to serve up movies, music and photos from your PC to your flat panelat your TV's highest possible resolution.
It seems to me that the TV is simply a device to promote more spending in iTunes, instead of allowing use of existing entertainment media such as home DVD libraries. TV is a great idea for a possible future in wireless PC home entertainment systems. However, the limitations on usable media (meaning restricted use of only iTunes purchased media) is a major concern. This is perhaps the iPod for home entertainment with clauses attached. For $299, I would rather see less restrictions, improved movie quality availability in the iTunes store, DVR functionality and wireless Mac/PC desktop functionality.
__________________
1) Streaming DVDs from a Mac/PC to an HDTV. What about just putting a commercial DVD in your Mac, playing it wirelessly through DVD player software or new software included with TV onto your HDTV? That would be much simpler than ripping them to your HD (ripping an entire movie collection with 4-8 gig's per movie would be an extensive amount of data and time in ripping, especially as I have 1,000+ DVDs). An entire movie collection would be a lot of physical HD space and what if your HDDs fail, losing your entire DVD collection? Will you have backup HDDs and/or your DVD collection stored away? If so, is that not antithetical to the point of Apple TVs simplicity? Why would I want to rip hundred's if not thousands of DVD's onto a hard drive, then spend more time compressing them so they fit and quite possibly losing quality in compression?
It would essentially replace the need for a DVD player next to your HDTV, as a Mac/PC would become a wireless Media PC (as opposed to the wired Media Center's that some people custom build from Windows XP and/or Vista). Utilizing the new Airport N Base Station could wirelessly stream DVD's as they play in your Mac system. Some individuals have made valid points that Mac/PC internal optical drives arent on par with the quality of top set DVD units, however that could easily change (Sony has an internal Blu-ray drive already on the market for only $699, hundreds less than top set Blu-ray units and just as good).
2) DVR capability. Some individuals on Macrumors criticized my issue with a lack of DVR functionality by stating that Cable Television DVR units are down in popularity. Mediamark Research (MRI) finds that 11.2 percent of U.S. adult households have DVRs, up from 8.6 in the fall of 2005 and 3 percent in 2004. DVRs households record an average 11.3 shows per week, up 23 percent from last year. The number of shows actually recorded on DVRs is low relative to the volume of TV consumed. The report estimates 4 percent of all TV viewing in the U.S. is recorded or consumed through on-demand channels.
DVR owners tend to have higher levels of education and household incomes. College educated adults comprise 36.8 percent of DVR owners, compared to 25.2 percent of the U.S. adult population. Seventeen percent of DVR homes have an average household income exceeding $150,000, compared to 8 percent of the general adult population. Nearly 16 percent of DVR households own homes worth over $500,000, compared to 9 percent of the general population.
The DVR market is still considerably a HUGE market Apple, Inc. is essentially ignoring through TV. If the Apple TV had DVR functionality it would essentially replace a digital cable box if the HDTV had a cable card slot.
3) Wireless Mac/PC desktop. Most new HDTVs have DVI PC inputs for computer monitor usage. By supplying a DVI output for wireless remote desktop usage, the Apple TV could transform living rooms into fully enabled Mac/PC entertainment/computer systems with wireless Bluetooth HIDs. It would not be difficult to add that function to the product.
I view the TV as a bridge into wireless entertainment media, not just streaming purchased iTunes content. TV can play movies, music and pictures, so why not go the extra mile and include DVR functionality and allowing DVD streaming, making the the ONLY thing a home entertainment center would need aside from an HDTV and AVR? While the iPod took years to obtain cult status and popularity, the iPod entered a market that was new and undeveloped (digital music content). Many individuals scoffed at the idea of throwing away their CD's for MP3's, and it took a few years for just such to occur. However, comparing CD's to DVD's and DVR equipment is essentially comparing apple's (no pun intended) to oranges, for reasons I will not go into now (such as heavier copy right protection and laws associated with DVD's and the psychology of the average consumer switching from DVD content to even more heavily regulated iTunes video content - is it possible to burn iTunes movies to DVD's?)...
The Mac/PC could become the entertainment hub of the home, eliminating DVD players, CD Players and VCRs (almost non-existent in most homes unless recording from CDs and/or VHS to digital media) and Cable Boxes with the only need of an HDTV and a good AVR surround sound system. Eliminating a top set DVD unit from your home entertainment system and utilizing the DVD player on a Mac or PC would make perfect sense, especially as internal Blu-ray DVD drives are currently available on the market for much less than stand alone top sets. Why not have the home Mac/PC become the "virtual" DVD player without having to rip every DVD in your library? Who cares if you have to go to your Mac/PC to insert a DVD to watch a movie? Are people THAT lazy???
Pioneer has a Blu-ray unit on the market for roughly $1500 that also incorporates wireless streaming and connectivity to Mac/PC systems JUST as the TV does. Pioneer's Blu-ray Disc Player connects easily into your existing home network, allowing you to serve up movies, music and photos from your PC to your flat panelat your TV's highest possible resolution.
It seems to me that the TV is simply a device to promote more spending in iTunes, instead of allowing use of existing entertainment media such as home DVD libraries. TV is a great idea for a possible future in wireless PC home entertainment systems. However, the limitations on usable media (meaning restricted use of only iTunes purchased media) is a major concern. This is perhaps the iPod for home entertainment with clauses attached. For $299, I would rather see less restrictions, improved movie quality availability in the iTunes store, DVR functionality and wireless Mac/PC desktop functionality.
__________________
Shame there isn't a wider range of formats
Seemingly underpowered processor...
I'm still waiting for streaming on a PS3 :S
I have a question:
REALISTICALLY speaking...is there any difference between the above mentioned resolutions for h264 and MPEG and the widescreen images we see everyday on TV (non-HD content in 95% of the world)?
If anyone can answer me that I would really appreciate...
Shame there isn't a wider range of formats
Seemingly underpowered processor...
I'm still waiting for streaming on a PS3 :S
You can get close to that.
Turn on Personal Web Sharing on your Mac and dump your MP4 files into your Sites folder (you might want to create a new folder inside Sites). You can then use your PS3's web browser to surf to your mac and it will prompt you to download the files into your PS3. Pretty easy.
I love some of the features of the Apple TV, but it can't beat being able to play 1080p video at over 40Mbits per second rates on the PS3.
Actually, I typically take the 1080p trailers from Apple and export them out to MP4 using Quicktime Pro and having the options set to Pass Through (so no loss of quality, just a container change). They play beautifully.
mk2000