Apple TV 'Take 2' HD Image Quality

[ikir]

I think i will buy an AppleTV this year if the rent service will be activated in Europe.

 

[smallfield]

I guarantee he is properly connected. (Kinda condescending to assume someone can't plug in a cable properly.)
I have the same rig... got the 480p 37" Panny commercial ED monitor after long discussions on AVSforum showed me the LT 42" > 8 ft rule.
The funny thing is to watch the folks who popped big $$ for their 1080p justify their pursuit of diminishing returns by dismissing those (as someone just put it about music) who are watching the content, not the monitor.
Yes there's a difference for really large screens simply because they put you functionally closer to the screen.

But most hilarious are those who call for HD on the iPhone. THAT's 'spit-take funny'.

I agree that over about 9-10ft you shouldn't be able to tell HD v. ED on a 46" screen. To me it just looks better. Maybe you're right, it's because I bought one. I did think it looked better before spending money, hence the money...

Either way, using my Mac Mini on a 480p set would be annoying (Used this previously). The higher resolution gives me a usable desktop.

DVD should be 480p. I was just saying you can tell DVD from BD (granted on the same monitor). By the numbers you shouldn't be able to tell. Maybe it is a source effect (as you state). I've never had a 480p LCD/Plasma for comparison. So, I do think 1080i/720p/1080p are worth more than 480p (even at the longer viewing distance). 1080i v. 1080p... I don't see a difference, maybe you can. That is good for the iTunes/Apple TV. For me getting 1080i movie in an hour or 2 would be nice.

I agree you'd have to look really close at your iPhone to appreciate HD content...3- 4" viewing distance?

I was not trying to be condescending. This is a mac forum, not AV in nature. My friend using coaxial from his HD box is a doctor, owns an iPhone and MBP and is a smart guy. He had just recently gotten a HDTV. Some say about 1/2 of people with HDTVs have them setup where HD content is not transmitted. Trying to be helpful. Sorry.

You're misunderstanding me. I'm not talking non-hd content versus hd content. I'm talking taking the same HD content (720p, 1080i, whatever) and sending it to the 480p and the 1080p set - from 10' away it's not a huge difference on a 42" plasma.

Blu-ray is a whole other issue and, frankly, doesn't even belong in the equation. There's no way ANY streamable deliverable on-demand medium is ever going to be able to compete with Blu-ray. That being said - for a rentable, on-demand service - in my mind AppleTV is hard to beat for image quality, ease of use, etc.

I did misunderstand, didn't realize same source, different monitor. I can tell DVD v. BD, which should be 480p v. 1080p. At my distance/monitor size you shouldn't be able to tell. I agree there is a very small difference.

I think the Apple TV is a great idea. I wish they'd let my Mac Mini for HD content. Then I could use what I have already hooked up.

 

[avkills]

I generally do not have HD content going to my 32" Sony; but on occasion when the cable company decides to actually have the local stations HD broadcasts live (like they are suppose to); the difference is instantly noticeable; and my couch is about 6ft away.

In a way I wish they had never done 1080i, there is really no sense in it considering the way 99% of all HD sets work. Interlaced video should have died with Analog NTSC SD.

-mark

 

[diamond.g]

In a way I wish they had never done 1080i, there is really no sense in it considering the way 99% of all HD sets work. Interlaced video should have died with Analog NTSC SD.

-mark

Sadly, we would have been stuck with 720p broadcast. 1080p takes up too much bandwidth to broadcast over the air (mpeg2). What you really would be looking for would be cable boxes and tv's that can decode over the air mpeg4 (avc, h.264, ect). Which would be sweet, but more expensive than what we have now.

 

[kangaroo]

It may look good, but if Apple wants to compete with Netflix they had better increase, significantly, the number of titles available for rent. At this time Netflix claims ~90000 titles are available vs. only ~150 via iTunes.

 

[skp574]

I was holding out for an Apple TV after playing with the first incarnation. But since downloading some 1080p video files and playing them on my TV with my MacBook Pro, I am not going to get an ATV. It really should be 1080 ready at least so we can play out own content as well.

I have decided to get one of these instead: http://www.tvix.co.kr/Eng/products/HDM6500A.aspx as it plays just about anything you throw at it without the time consuming re-encoding to get it into an iTunes friendly format.

 

[zac4mac]

I got a 720p Aquos last year.
By the time 1080p is commonplace, that TV will go to the bedroom and I'll get a bigger set for the living room.
We rented and watched Matrix Revolution last night and I was very impressed with the quality.
Downloaded about 45% in an hour(Comcast Cable), then started watching.

I'm happy with the update and will use my TV more now.
I expect their movie selection will grow exponentially now.

Z

 

[dabirdwell]

Well MAC was clearly on purpose...

...and you honestly don't think that I intentionally made errors on both "MAC" and "capitolize"?

I hope that most of the regular readers caught those "errors" and realized that they were part of the joke....

Whoa, easy there, just kidding around.

I guess I didn't get how a spelling error buttressed a capitalization joke.

Must have been having a dim day- don't take it personally. Never again will I challenge your mastery of the language or ability to use it incorrectly for ironic effect.

 

[MagnusVonMagnum]

Just wanted to say... 93" plasma HDTV?! Drooooool, man you must have paid out the ass for that!

Still, to imagine, I paid only $750 for my 720p projector, and now have a ~120" (yeah, that's a 10' screen, baby) with great image quality, for a fraction of a fraction of what your TV costs, probably.

I'm not exactly sure what gave you the idea I have a 93" plasma. I have a 93" screen with a 720P Panasonic LCD projector. I was commenting on how good the picture looks at 720P on it and that 1080P isn't going to make a HUGE difference by comparison, IMO, especially given compression and resolution limits on most broadcasts (cable/sat), seating distances (as mentioned by others in this thread) and especially given not all sets are created equal. I used to have a 57" CRT HDTV that could do 720P and 1080i and my 720P LCD looks better at 93" than it did at 57" by far. That's probably in part due to the fact the CRT sets had to be perfectly calibrated or you didn't get all your resolution. LCDs are typically better set up at the factory by comparison to CRTs. Alignment issues are non-existent on my Panasonic LCD, for example.

Yeah, it does have negatives - lighting issues, having to have a clear wall for it to project on, having nothing in the way between the projector and the wall, having to watch where you sit so you don't block the screen, etc etc. It's a pain, but when I think of the cost-to-size ratio, it makes it all worth it.

I don't need a clear wall. My screen drops down from the ceiling in front of my black-out drape set. When not in use, I can send it back up to the ceiling and open my drapes and use my family room as normal. I mounted the projector on the ceiling using a ceiling mount (~$40) so the only time anything/anyone could get in the way of the picture is if they're standing up with their arms up in the air. Setup was obviously more of a pain than setting a flat-screen on a stand, but not necessarily a lot more than than mounting one on a wall (drill a few holes; put in some hooks and anchors and put the screen and projector in place; hiding cables can be a chore, though).

But considering the whole system cost me less than than the price of a typical 46-inch plasma, I've been relatively happy with it. Lately, the bulb has been producing some occasional flicker (reminds me a bit of macrovision in appearance), though (stopped for a few months and just now started doing it again). Sadly, it's out of warranty. I don't know if it's the bulb or something else in the unit. I hate to buy a new $300-400 bulb and still have the issue. Hopefully, it's just passing another wear zone on the bulb and will stop again.

 

[Sheradon]

I have a 6Mbps DSL connection, and it took around 5 hours for me to download Die Hard in HD. It gave a notification that it was ready to play after about 3 1/2 hours of downloading. I went to sleep instead, and plan on watching it this weekend.

I also have a DSL connection from Bell (i'm in Canada) with 6 Mbit download and I rented the movie 'No reservation' in HD and it took about 10 min before the movie was ready to start and it was downloaded at 6% as per the AppleTV. The Movie played flawlesley for the next 2 hours.

The only thing, even if the soundsystem was showing Digital Dolby as a source the movie did not feel 5.1.