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Apple TV Software Update Adds Streaming of Purchased TV Shows, Vimeo Support, and More
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when you mention AMAZON, are you talking about physical media or digital media... if you're talking about dvds/blurays, i dont want that
edit: i see the Amazon Instant Video now... but does that give you the ability to store it on your computer or is it simply streaming?
This is a good update for me since I have been buying TV content from Amazon since you can buy directly through Roku for Amazon--now the same will apply for ATV--good move!
I'm pretty sure he is talking about Amazon streaming. I too usually buy from Amazon since it is usually cheaper than Apple but not every TV show is available in both iTunes and Amazon so it is good that now you can buy from both without having to use your computer.
I'm pretty sure he is talking about Amazon streaming. I too usually buy from Amazon since it is usually cheaper than Apple but not every TV show is available in both iTunes and Amazon so it is good that now you can buy from both without having to use your computer.
Amazon needs to be shut down for anticompetitive practices. They sell books at less than the price they paid for them with the intent of running all the other bookstores out of business. They also have contracts with all the publishing houses that state, the publishing houses MUST sell books to Amazon for less than the other book stores.
Sometimes cheaper prices are bad for the consumer.
If I remember, the ATV 2 uses a new CoDec for streaming that is more secure but requires more processing power. It might be that the studios require this CoDec for rented content.
Cool. Did they also fix the issue where both of my AppleTVs repeatedly stop seeing my Mac Mini, and I have to turn Home Sharing off and then on again to get it to respond? It's getting annoying.
They are certainly not doing anything any worse than the big B&M companies like Walmart so it is a bit unfair to single them out just because they are the biggest online retailer.
To be fair, though, you bought a device which hadn't seen an update in almost two years. From Apple. When Apple rumor boards like this one were rife with speculation on an update. AND, your purchase date (Aug 24) means you were WELL within the no-questions-asked 14-day return window when the ATV2 was announced Sept 1.
You do have a valid complaint, but in the future, please take advantage of things like the Mac Buying Guide here on macrumors. It will save you significant buyers' remorse!
More importantly: it would leave Apple Software Engineers (and QA, etc) very little time to work on improving the software for current devices.
The architecture of the ATV1 is entirely different from the ATV2. Other than the fact that they both send HDMI out and with similar-ish interfaces, they are completely different beasts. One is ARM and the other Intel, FFS!
Maintaining development on both platforms would be a major cost hole for Apple. Apple is Apple because it keeps itself forward-looking and is not afraid to jettison the outdated cruft when necessary.
If you want new features on your Apple TV 1, look to the "jailbreaking" community. There are lots of turnkey toolkits that let you update and enhance that hardward (with varying degrees of stability, as you would expect from folks who don't exactly get paid to make your TV box stable).
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So I can safely delete my iTunes TV shows from my HD?
Nice!
So, does this mean that I no longer have to store those Battlestar Galactica episodes I purchased in iTunes? They're taking up several GB worth of space, and I probably wouldn't re-watch them more often than, say, once a year.
It sounds like with the "re-download' ability, I can just delete my iTunes TV shows from my hard drive, and then when I get the inkling to re-watch any of them, just decide then whether I want to re-download. Quite handy!
Nice!
So, does this mean that I no longer have to store those Battlestar Galactica episodes I purchased in iTunes? They're taking up several GB worth of space, and I probably wouldn't re-watch them more often than, say, once a year.
It sounds like with the "re-download' ability, I can just delete my iTunes TV shows from my hard drive, and then when I get the inkling to re-watch any of them, just decide then whether I want to re-download. Quite handy!
Speaking strictly about digital content, but their bluray/dvd prices are outstanding too. With Amazon you can either stream everything to your computer or a device that supports the Amazon store, or if you're on a Windows PC you can download everything to your HD and then stream it a device that runs Windows Media Server, like the xbox 360.
I'd love that too but I think you will find that Amazon is just a bit too close to Apple's model for them to put it on ATV.
Hmm. You know, I hadn't looked at Amazon's streaming service in a while, and at the time the streaming service was absolute crap compared to iTunes downloads. It still has the same pricing structure ($1.99 per ep), but has a better "season pass" than Apple (guaranteed $1.89 per ep, pay as you download eps, cancel any time). And, at least from the bitrate, it looks like it should have vastly superior quality as well (max bitrate of the stream is twice that of Apple's downloads!)
I'll have to try Amazon's service the next time we buy/download a show. Unfortunately, it only allows actual downloads (and thus only allows "full quality") on a Windows PC, so we're stuck with the half-bitrate streaming-only service (no way in hell I'm hooking a Windows PC up to a big screen to watch a show!)
I've bought a **** load of content from iTunes over the years and there is a lot that isn't showing up, my wife bought Cougar Town (both seasons) and half the episodes from Season 2 are missing. Some shows have complete seasons missing and some have half the episodes missing from some seasons.
Maybe it will all sync up eventually!
Maybe it will all sync up eventually!
Yes, hopefully very soon! This TV news is great but I never watch TV. Now movies would be AWESOME!!!
I'm sure Apple is working on it but the studios are being morons as usual. P.S. It is showing TV shows that I have never purchased or even seen before in my life lol. Anyone else seeing weird things or bugs like this?
Once the ability to stream purchased movies comes out, I'll update to v2. It's the last missing piece for our household (we only have laptops which makes v1 so necessary to hold on to).
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
So you're saying we exist to throw more and more money at Apple, rather than Apple existing to make us happy with what we buy from them?
As another guy said in this thread: Apple was still selling the first generation less than ONE YEAR ago. It seems like they could add a few of these features to at least feed those buyers with some fun new stuff for 365+ days. Apple still releases new software that will run on PowerPC Macs which haven't been sold new in many years.
It's called business, and how they sell new devices... They support most of their flagship devices for AT LEAST 2-3 years (EG. iPhone, iPod Touch) which is way more than can be said for lots of other companies.