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Apple TV 'Take 2' HD Image Quality
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720p resolution 1080p output
In actuality the ATV has a max. resolution of 720 (1080i), but outputs at 1080p in the same way that upconverting DVD players do.
Apple insider in their review have a very god explanation on this.
ATV upconvertion is better than the DVD players based only on their source material. If the material is HD (720P) it should play better tan stadard DVD (480P)
In actuality the ATV has a max. resolution of 720 (1080i), but outputs at 1080p in the same way that upconverting DVD players do.
Apple insider in their review have a very god explanation on this.
ATV upconvertion is better than the DVD players based only on their source material. If the material is HD (720P) it should play better tan stadard DVD (480P)
J
jmadlena
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Buy iTunes cards
You can buy iTunes card at Amazon and buy directly from the US store. If you don't have a US address, use a known address (look into a US magazine for example) and update your profile accordingly (or create a new profile).
You can use the same hack for content exclusive in Japan , uk, etc.
You can buy iTunes card at Amazon and buy directly from the US store. If you don't have a US address, use a known address (look into a US magazine for example) and update your profile accordingly (or create a new profile).
You can use the same hack for content exclusive in Japan , uk, etc.
I agree... At the price of a DVD player you rip and play every movie you own (if you have the storage) and NEVER HAVE TO HUNT FOR A DISC AGAIN. Not to mention movie rental, music, podcasts,..... Whew. If you want Blue Ray buy it. For me , this type of device is a better way.
I ended up getting a Toshiba HD DVD player before the whole Warners move and there are times I wish I would have waited, but at least it was an inexpensive purchase. There is nothing wrong with the technology behind it. It does produce beautiful HD images and sounds great, however I know that Blu-ray has won that war. I plan on keeping my player and might even buy a dual format player this summer depending on prices. I thought I wouldn't buy any HD DVD's however with people dumping their collections for cheap on eBay I couldn't resist picking up a few great movies for pennies on the dollar. I also am a Netflix member, but with them dropping support I either need to buy a Blu-ray player or cancel Netflix and go with the Apple TV for rentals.
I have a 42" Vizio 720p (well actually 768p) HDTV so for me maybe the Apple TV is the best way to rent movies. I still have a player so I can pick up the occasional HD DVD or SD DVD if I want the actual disk, but for my rental needs I can just use the Apple TV and I do rent more then purchase.
I have heard that some Blu-rays have a long wait time on Netflix. Can anyone confirm this? Of course, with them winning the war that should get better in the future.
Last, if I only have a 720p capable TV is there really going to be a loss of quality from Blu-ray or HD DVD since the TV can't output more then that? I understand the sound quality might not be as good, but for movie renters that have equipment like I do maybe the Apple TV would be a better investment then another disc player.
Personally I see no need to go ape **** over it not supporting 1080p content; Even 720p has a ton more pixels than standard def and is quite obviously better for those who are not blind.
I'll wait for 2k sets before I get something bigger than what I already have; which is a Sony 32" LCD. Actually I will probably just get a projector, since I already have the 5ft wide foam core on the wall from my previous projector.
-mark
I'll wait for 2k sets before I get something bigger than what I already have; which is a Sony 32" LCD. Actually I will probably just get a projector, since I already have the 5ft wide foam core on the wall from my previous projector.
-mark
I have to agree with that. Ratatouille is stunning. The artwork is showcased to the nth degree in HD (in this case BluRay).
My favorite film transfer is an old Cinerama movie called Grand Prix
(HD-DVD). Remarkable!!
Please Stop... You're making me sick
OK.. I'm sitting here reading all these 1080p is uber-best posts... and I'm actually feeling sick to my stomach. Why? Cause I use to be just like them. I bought the home theatre, I bought a $500 DVD player (one of the first Sonys), I bought the Rotel equipment.. the 5.1 audio setup... the whole thing. I also bought in 2001 a Rotel $1500 DVD/DVD-Audio player.. yes, it was $1500. And guess how many DVD-Audio discs I have... ONE. And I don't know where it is. anyway, to my point... I don't own DVD-Audio discs cause mp3's are more convenient. I don't own blu-ray or HD-DVD discs cause DVDs are more convenient. I agree with the article
http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2007/12/04/why-low-def-is-the-new-hd/
Convenience is the future. VOD for all shows, all networks, everything is the future. Watching something on a handheld device is where the teenagers $$ is going to go. The world is a mobile place... and 1080p vs 720p vs 480p doesn't matter on a 4" screen. in 7-10 years those 15 year olds who can't live without their cell phone/hand held device are going to be the mainstream market the companies are going after. Not me or most of the people in this forum. This is my opinion. This is why I buy the used $4 DVD on amazon and rip it to my Mac and can stream it to my apple tv. Would i buy a 720p DVD+ (if it existed) for $10.... not sure. But I'm not buying a 1080p disc for $25-30 so that it will be forever tied to a disc... and i can't take the movie with me on my ipod touch. SACD/DVD-Audio died because the future was convenience with mp3/AAC files. Will blu-ray/HD-DVD die? don't know. But its sure as hell NOT convenient. So, count me out of this "next-best thing".
OK.. I'm sitting here reading all these 1080p is uber-best posts... and I'm actually feeling sick to my stomach. Why? Cause I use to be just like them. I bought the home theatre, I bought a $500 DVD player (one of the first Sonys), I bought the Rotel equipment.. the 5.1 audio setup... the whole thing. I also bought in 2001 a Rotel $1500 DVD/DVD-Audio player.. yes, it was $1500. And guess how many DVD-Audio discs I have... ONE. And I don't know where it is. anyway, to my point... I don't own DVD-Audio discs cause mp3's are more convenient. I don't own blu-ray or HD-DVD discs cause DVDs are more convenient. I agree with the article
http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2007/12/04/why-low-def-is-the-new-hd/
Convenience is the future. VOD for all shows, all networks, everything is the future. Watching something on a handheld device is where the teenagers $$ is going to go. The world is a mobile place... and 1080p vs 720p vs 480p doesn't matter on a 4" screen. in 7-10 years those 15 year olds who can't live without their cell phone/hand held device are going to be the mainstream market the companies are going after. Not me or most of the people in this forum. This is my opinion. This is why I buy the used $4 DVD on amazon and rip it to my Mac and can stream it to my apple tv. Would i buy a 720p DVD+ (if it existed) for $10.... not sure. But I'm not buying a 1080p disc for $25-30 so that it will be forever tied to a disc... and i can't take the movie with me on my ipod touch. SACD/DVD-Audio died because the future was convenience with mp3/AAC files. Will blu-ray/HD-DVD die? don't know. But its sure as hell NOT convenient. So, count me out of this "next-best thing".
From what I hear Blu-Ray does have a longer wait time on Netflix. This should improve now with Blu-Ray winning the format war.
If you have a 720p capable TV the loss quality will be virtually imperceptible compared to Apple TV.
LOL, I just rented it too, I am watching it as I type, It looks ad sounds great, I just got home with the ATV and so far loving it
It won't ever have live TV or DVR capabilities. There's no point to it; even with a CableCard, you can't get access to the full range of content available from your cable provider. Over the past 8 years or so, I've gone through 3 different TV tuner cards for my MythTV setup, and even the current one leaves quite a lot to be desired. Same situation with Tivo boxes--ones from two years ago are now paperweights. It's an exercise in futility to make hardware compatible with cable/satellite providers.
Cable companies refuse to allow guide access, which is the crippling blow to most of the useful features of a DVR. There's a cottage industry in putting up an alternative, but it's not free.
This stupid rat race is part of the motivation behind Internet content delivery and the AppleTV. Why would they add the functionality that frustrated them to the point of trying to create something new?
i totally agree. i didn't buy an ATV because ripping and streaming stuff to the ATV and having a movie library that needs to be synced and all that is not convenient. but with movie rentals directly to the ATV and being able to start watching after a few min. of download/buffering is what i want. i can't care less about 1080p or 5.1 or whatever. it's supposed to be easy. it's just TV, nothing important.
i might cancel my comcast and buy an ATV. at $39/month for my comcast i can easily buy the ATV and rent the TV shows and movies i want.
I like the convenience of the on demand downloads even if they don't take full advantage of my 1080p home theater setup. 720p is easily high enough quality for most people right now. Honestly, we won't be downloading on demand 1080p at Blu-Ray quality from anywhere anytime soon. The file sizes are ridiculous even compressed.
So far, I'm happy with the quality of the 720p Apple TV movies.
So far, I'm happy with the quality of the 720p Apple TV movies.
5 hours to download 2.5gb? Either your ISP is throttling your connection or Apple's servers were really taking a hit.
Interesting. I had a phone line problem until this afternoon which dropped me down to 1400-1800kbps. Even at that, I figured it should have had enough buffered to start in less than 1 hr. It took 2:20 before it gave me the go ahead, at 58% (movie was "Next", 96 minutes - my rough, ballpark, estimate was 3GB).
I'm going to try another HD rental tonight, now that I'm back up to speed (usually 2800-2900).
There really is no subjective difference between 1080p and 1080i.
If a player outputs 1080i and your projector (or tv) accepts 1080p it will still convert it to 1080p as all non-crt displays are progressive scan (I won't get into frame rate or other variables).
And most film is too grainy (director's creative choice) to benefit from any better resolution from HD. That's why some here are commenting on how great Ratatouille looks as it is not limited (or massaged) by the film.
The specs advertised are to make the public think they are getting something more. Smoke and mirrors.
There are other issues involved, but they are too complex for this forum.
The people who understand these things don't need a lesson and the ones that don't will need a semester of study to grasp the concepts involved.
If a player outputs 1080i and your projector (or tv) accepts 1080p it will still convert it to 1080p as all non-crt displays are progressive scan (I won't get into frame rate or other variables).
And most film is too grainy (director's creative choice) to benefit from any better resolution from HD. That's why some here are commenting on how great Ratatouille looks as it is not limited (or massaged) by the film.
The specs advertised are to make the public think they are getting something more. Smoke and mirrors.
There are other issues involved, but they are too complex for this forum.
The people who understand these things don't need a lesson and the ones that don't will need a semester of study to grasp the concepts involved.
Why can't MAC people capitolize correctly?
Blu-ray. Blu-ray.
Blu-ray or BD.
(note the text)
Blu-ray. Blu-ray.
Blu-ray or BD.
(note the text)
I'm so sorry Aiden,
but shouldn't it be capit*A*lize?
I love your hardware posts, but a grammar Nazi has to watch out for spelling Nazis-
Why can't MAC people capitolize correctly?
Blu-ray. Blu-ray.
Blu-ray or BD.
(note the text)
but shouldn't it be capit*A*lize?
I love your hardware posts, but a grammar Nazi has to watch out for spelling Nazis-
Yeah I was kind of thinking with a 720p LCD HDTV I might be better off just to live with a few HD DVD's and up-converted SD DVD's of my favorite movies that I plan on watching a few times and move to the Apple TV for rentals. I am guessing on my TV I would not notice a difference between my current HD DVD's and Apple TV HD downloads. I don't see any advantages to rent Blu-rays at this time for the TV I own. I don't know, there are so many options!
i think this example is still simplifying things too much without even getting into quality of the original. firstly, that resolution (1900*1200) was only for still picture, like a desktop and if anything moved, it was only windows. a 486 could never playback non-interlaced 320-240 stuff very well. as soon as the processor has to do the decoding of the 16 million colours moving and with sound and then add compression onto that, 1080p is reserved for truly high end computers.
without a video card that can help decode, you probably look at a cpu that is minimum 3000mhz to never stutter.
indeed, a wonderful lecteur for us ... but i cannot even understand what you said there. actually perhaps a pm from you with lesson on condescention would be grand. ill be waiting,
your in red hot love.
shigzeo
without a video card that can help decode, you probably look at a cpu that is minimum 3000mhz to never stutter.
indeed, a wonderful lecteur for us ... but i cannot even understand what you said there. actually perhaps a pm from you with lesson on condescention would be grand. ill be waiting,
your in red hot love.
shigzeo
I'm wondering if there's a way you could be more wrong. No, video is not interlaced, unless it is. And if it isn't, it won't be output as interlaced (unless it needs to be).
Film certainly does have grain, some more than others, but there is still plenty of detail to glean from 35mm in HD, certainly more than, say, a standard def DVD can reveal. If there wasn't, then films wouldn't be mastered in 2K (or higher) for film-out.