AppleTV Survey

[dernhelm]

The first act should be relatively simple.

Allow importing of DVD's into iTunes in the same manner as you can with CD's. If they made that simple for the average bod, sit back and watch sales climb.

That would be difficult to do short of rewriting the DMCA law. That law makes it illegal to break the copy protection of a DVD for _ANY_ reason. Fair use doesn't enter into it, you simply are not allowed to break the encryption on a DVD. That isn't to say there aren't a lot of people that do it anyway, but Apple would not sell software that helped people break the law.

Now whether or not the DMCA is a good law or not...

 

[knarzie]

2+ HDMI ports

Blu Ray drive

ability to play .avi files

wireless remote accessibility

streaming

 

[jackfrost123]

APPLE YOU KNOW THAT BY FAR THEM MOST CRIPPLING FEATURE IS THE INABILITY TO PLAY DVDS, AVIs FROM XVID, DIVX AND X.264, and generally opening it up to other formats as well via plugins, BUT IF YOU WANT TO FORCE PEOPLE TO BUY FROM YOUR ONLINE STORE YOU WONT ALLOW ALL THESE TO PLAY.

SO INSTEAD OF PRETENDING YOU CARE JUST OPEN THE FORMATS UP AND SEE YOUR PRODUCT SELL AT LAST, BUT IT SEEMS YOU WANT LESS PEOPLE WITH TV BUT ALL OF THEM BUYING AND PLAYING ONLY ITUNES STORE CONTENT.

Plus, add a home server to the line up already, like I ve said 10000000s times here what's the use if you have a streaming device if you don't have a simple home nas to stream from, if you have to turn on the computer to stream then you might as well just copy the file on a pen drive or even dvd-rw and play it in your dvr!!!!! ISNT THAT OBVIOUS? APPLE you need to have a four bay home server nas to go with apple tv, to stream content from there and not worry about turning on the pc, to centralize your media storage and access it in all your devices, and appletv would then be a product too.

 

[knarzie]

APPLE YOU KNOW THAT BY FAR THEM MOST CRIPPLING FEATURE IS THE INABILITY TO PLAY DVDS, AVIs FROM XVID, DIVX AND X.264, and generally opening it up to other formats as well via plugins, BUT IF YOU WANT TO FORCE PEOPLE TO BUY FROM YOUR ONLINE STORE YOU WONT ALLOW ALL THESE TO PLAY.

SO INSTEAD OF PRETENDING YOU CARE JUST OPEN THE FORMATS UP AND SEE YOUR PRODUCT SELL AT LAST, BUT IT SEEMS YOU WANT LESS PEOPLE WITH TV BUT ALL OF THEM BUYING AND PLAYING ONLY ITUNES STORE CONTENT.

Plus, add a home server to the line up already, like I ve said 10000000s times here what's the use if you have a streaming device if you don't have a simple home nas to stream from, if you have to turn on the computer to stream then you might as well just copy the file on a pen drive or even dvd-rw and play it in your dvr!!!!! ISNT THAT OBVIOUS? APPLE you need to have a four bay home server nas to go with apple tv, to stream content from there and not worry about turning on the pc, to centralize your media storage and access it in all your devices, and appletv would then be a product too.

couldn't agree more

 

[UFOGoldorak]

Build a couple tuners into it and give it DVR capabilities and you got my money.

 

[MysterMac]

a survey is cute, but imo unnecessary - apple should just look to the atv hacking community to see what people want.

its under powered (better cpu, more ram)
its disabled (more (all!) codecs, oh and a decent remote! please! although I have a harmony one
its closed (networking files across without itunes sync, usb hd)


the rest is, A. not gonna happen, B. meh...

 

[syndalis]

A few things:

1) DVR: A dual input DVR, with a TB of storage behind it, would be ****ing aces.
2) 802.11n router: Along with the HDD, throw in the router functionality, and you have replaced the time capsule. This thing is already sitting close to your cable jack most likely; why do I need two boxes there? I don't care if this adds thickness; the thing could be mac mini thick and I don't think anyone would care.
3) Better input device: Yeah, the remote is cool and all, but anyone who has EVER tried inputting a long name into the keyboard on youtube will know it is an exercise in frustration. Give us bluetooth. Anyways, if this thing goes DVR, there is no way that the iconic apple remote will be able to do everything anymore.
4) Platform agnostic content: I don't want the AppleTV to only stream Apple's content; Give me all the various codecs and popular flv websites like Hulu...

I of course do not expect Apple to do even one of those suggestions... but as a generally happy aTV owner, I feel I have every right to mention the shortcomings of the device.

 

[Aegelward]

With market conditions the best thing apple can do at the moment is offer a monthly subscription, which seems far more likely than offering an outside library such as Hulu.

Some kind of scheme like

Basic - SD TV Shows - occasional free movie but otherwise pay - $15-20

Standard - SD TV shows, some HD - 3-5 free movie rentals a month - $25-30

Premium - SD & HD TV shows - 10+ free movie rentals a month - $50-65

Premium Plus - SD & HD TV Shows - Unlimited movie rental - $80-100

[Edit] To toss in something different

Catch Up - HD & SD But Currently Airing TV only - No Movies - $10

 

[NightStorm]

Very interesting. No more than 4 days ago, I used the TV Feedback form to request the addition of HDMI-CEC support (for both power off, and remote control). The little apple remote works good for your computer, but sucks as a TV remote (too easy to lose/misplace). And the bottom line is that I already have a TV remote with a perfectly operational set of arrow buttons. Why can't I just use that to control the TV?

You can do this via the latest software update.

APPLE YOU KNOW THAT BY FAR THEM MOST CRIPPLING FEATURE IS THE INABILITY TO PLAY DVDS, AVIs FROM XVID, DIVX AND X.264, and generally opening it up to other formats as well via plugins, BUT IF YOU WANT TO FORCE PEOPLE TO BUY FROM YOUR ONLINE STORE YOU WONT ALLOW ALL THESE TO PLAY.

SO INSTEAD OF PRETENDING YOU CARE JUST OPEN THE FORMATS UP AND SEE YOUR PRODUCT SELL AT LAST, BUT IT SEEMS YOU WANT LESS PEOPLE WITH TV BUT ALL OF THEM BUYING AND PLAYING ONLY ITUNES STORE CONTENT.

You will not see an AppleTV officially support AVI/XVID/MKV. x264 is an H.264 encoder, so I'm not quite sure what you mean there... my AppleTV has no problems playing h.264-encoded content. I don't see the problem... if you've already encoded to these older containers, just pull the disc out and re-rip it using h.264 and enjoy the benefits of a more efficient encoding scheme and AC3 sound. Of course, if you don't have the original DVDs, then you shouldn't be stealing the content anyways. The fact of the matter is you can buy and use an AppleTV without ever visiting or buying a single item from the iTunes Store.

Plus, add a home server to the line up already, like I ve said 10000000s times here what's the use if you have a streaming device if you don't have a simple home nas to stream from, if you have to turn on the computer to stream then you might as well just copy the file on a pen drive or even dvd-rw and play it in your dvr!!!!! ISNT THAT OBVIOUS? APPLE you need to have a four bay home server nas to go with apple tv, to stream content from there and not worry about turning on the pc, to centralize your media storage and access it in all your devices, and appletv would then be a product too.

I can agree with you that they need to have more server options, but in all honesty it doesn't need to be a separate piece of hardware. Build iTunes server capabilities into OSX 10.6. What's the difference between leaving a NAS on, and leaving your desktop iMac (or whatever you have) on?

I'm really tired of the countless people who think they understand Apple's products better than the company. The AppleTV was made for a specific purpose, not to be an all-in-one, play and do everything I want it to because I want it to box. I for one would be pretty disappointed if they added DVR functionality or a Bluray drive because I don't need these devices.

My biggest gripe with Apple at the moment regarding iTunes/AppleTV would be the inability to upgrade SD TV show purchases to HD.

 

[MrCatMan]

I have a couple of requirements.

1) Let me import the DVD's I have bought into iTunes in the same way I can if I buy a music CD. The fact I have to use Mac the Ripper and Handbrake is a pain.

2) Let aTV be a expandable 10 tB media server that allows me to look at my content from any of my products; Plasma, iMac, Powerbook, MacBook iPhone. The current 160 gB is way too small

3) Let me save content from my Sky+ box (UK Eqiv to Tivo) onto my aTV.

MrCatMan

 

[ddrueckhammer]

What's the difference between leaving a NAS on, and leaving your desktop iMac (or whatever you have) on?

I can answer that one... Most people who have Macs have a MB, MB Pro, or iMac. If I want to stream a library of say 10TB then I couldn't do that from my iMac but I could from an HP Media Smart Server running iTunes or from a NAS of some sort.

Also, I personally don't want all of my media (music, photos, and movies) on the machine that I use for everyday work but thats just me.

I'm not saying that I have 10TB of media but I am nearing 1 TB. If I were to re-rip all of that content in lossless for Audio or MPEG 2 for DVDs (not saying that I have ripped any DVDs mind you) then it would take a bunch of space.

Also, I agree with you that it doesn't need DVR functionality or a Blu-Ray drive (just cheaper TV and Movie options either via subscription/ad support or a deal with Tivo/Hulu) but still it is a very nice selling point. Many people, after all, would like to just have 1 box under their TV rather than several. Of course I already have a TivoHD, PS3, Wii, and HK Receiver under mine so who am I to talk...

 

[NightStorm]

I can answer that one... Most people who have Macs have a MB, MB Pro, or iMac. If I want to stream a library of say 10TB then I couldn't do that from my iMac but I could from an HP Media Smart Server running iTunes or a NAS of some sort.

Also, I personally don't want all of my media (music, photos, and movies) on the machine that I use for everyday work but thats just me.

I'm not saying that I have 10TB of media but I am nearing 1 TB. If I were to re-rip all of that content in lossless for Audio or MPEG 2 for DVDs (not saying that I have ripped any DVDs mind you) then it would take a bunch of space.

Also, I agree with you that it doesn't need DVR functionality or a Blu-Ray drive (just cheaper TV and Movie options either via subscription/ad support or a deal with Tivo/Hulu) but still it is a very nice selling point. Many people, after all, would like to just have 1 box under their TV rather than several. Of course I already have a TivoHD, PS3, and HK Receiver under mine so who am I to talk...

I know that feeling... I have a ReadyNAS NV+ that serves up all of my content (1.5TB of usable space, and almost full). I guess it doesn't bother me as I leave my iMac on all the time anyways. While it would be nice if the NAS could pair directly to my AppleTV, I don't think it's really that bad (I've never had problems streaming SD/HD content since the last major AppleTV update was released).

At present, the HP Media Server and any other NAS devices out there cannot pair directly with the AppleTV. The majority of these systems all use the Firefly Media Server at their core for iTunes serving capability.

 

[ddrueckhammer]

I'm pretty sure the HP one can because you can remote desktop into it and install iTunes on it if you want...

Hopefully, Apple gets a competitor out there fast because I want one now...

 

[colinmack]

Having cancelled cable and being on the Apple TV exclusively, there are a few things that I don't think would be too difficult, but would be an improvement:

- bump the specs up to 1080p - not a big deal hardware-wise (and the added bandwidth for HD downloads may be prohibitive today), but it makes the device more future-proof and eliminates being ruled out by a consumer based on specs

- provide some sort of widget/app capability - stocks, weather, simple games, browsing, make this iPhone/iPod remote-compatible

- offer a better TV subscription model (monthly by network? better/more season passes?) - downloads are the future, but give me a reason to get them from iTunes (for example, in Canada there's no reduced season pass for Corner Gas, it's simply $1.99/episode...come on)

- provide some way of getting live TV, at least for news/sports - whether it's a special widget, or an extension of the existing live radio station stream method

My two cents.

(oh, and I don't think DVRs or BD/DVD drives are going to happen - too much like keeping the floppy drive)

 

[The Monastic]

I want to buy an apple tv, but i won't most likely. The ps3 does what i want the atv to do. Have easily upgradable storage, works as a media server (this i believe is what apple is wrestling with, they want your mac to be the hub, but users want the the atv to be the media hub of the house) and its a gaming/bluray player.

Personally, i don't care about gaming, and bluray would be nice, but i can live without it.....the atv needs a direction...and an atv as a media center would tie all their devices together nicely as it was described by the op.

 

[M!M!C]

Apple TV Request

Firstly I don't agree that I just don't need one and would not purchase one no matter the configuration. I just don't see why I need to purchase the current configuration.

1) I want DVR functionality. If i can't have this, then a simple way to jack in a Miglia.

2) I would like a SuperDrive with BluRay

3) Two tuners (I would pay extra for the second)

4) Ability to attach a Drobo (or similar) for mass storage and backup. Then I don't need a huge drive in the TV. Perhaps then opting for a SSD?

5) Ability to have the TV manage all my content rather than my computers. (as mentioned above)

6) I want the ability to have two or more TV's all pulling the same content. One being the master with the NAS, and the others as slaves.

7) The SDK and an App store would be sick! I love that idea!!

8) Ability to pull any content from the web is necessary. I want to be able to pull up http://www.CH52.hulu.com and get a list of Burn Notice episodes. Save that as a fav and be done. Also, the TV should be smart enough to pull most recent content from that channel if desired.

I can see smaller shops looking at this feature rather than broadcasting on TV. Upstarts, Churches, .org, etc. Maturing this idea would greatly increase the desire for TVs

9) Support for older TVs would be nice also.

 

[mattwolfmatt]

I just opened my email and clicked on "take the survey". Then a white page came up with "Thank you for being willing to participate in this survey. This survey is now inactive. We appreciate your consideration."

I guess I need to check and respond to my email within 24 hours otherwise the survey expires. I received the email Feb 9 at 2:17pm. Now it's Feb 10 at 10:13am.

But since my voice was unheard...I'd like the ability to use external hard drives to increase storage, I'd like to buy HD movies, and I'd like a DVD/blu-ray drive.

Similar to Apple, Inc. my Apple TV is a hobby, but it's almost full with just a handful of movies. 160GB just isn't enough. I shouldn't have to be a computer engineer to hack it open to use larger hard drives, which I know is a possibility. We should be counting the space in terabytes, not gigabytes.

 

[mattwolfmatt]

Also, the fact that they are just now doing this survey tells me that an Apple TV update is years, not months away. Ugh.

 

[boxlight]

I would buy one if it were 1080p compatible
What is Apple TV (pardon me, I'm very uninformed) supposed to be now anyway?

I don't know if it's "true" 1080p or not, but I have an Apple TV and a 46" Sony LCD and all I know is I can set the video output on the settings page to 1080p and HD TV shows I've bought look as good or better than HD TV from Rogers. HD movies I've rented look great too, good enough, in fact, that I have not used my Blu-Ray player in over a year.

For me, Apple TV is:
- a way to have all my music and my vacation photos in my rec room (it syncs with iTunes and iPhoto on my iMac)
- It's how I rent HD movies and watch TV that I get online, both from iTunes and an occasional DivX download (after a convert to AppleTV format with iSquint).

If I had been able to get to the survey in time, I would have asked for two things:

- ability to *rent* HD TV shows for, say, 50-cents a show
- for Apple to make a PVR that Rogers can resell instead of their Atari-esq Scientific Atlanta boxes

box

 

[seedster2]

My friend's Apple TV sits and collects dust and after playing with one at the Apple store I can see why. In order to make it attractive you have to hack it. It appears to be a limited function, closed device simply existing for apple to sell movies to you.

Many potential adopters can already order a movie through their cable subscriber. They get packaged discounts for the phone, internet and cable. There's no compelling reason to eliminate cable for TV when it is only 30 bucks a month. In addition one still has to pay a couple of hundred to get an apple TV which i imagine is a major deterrent. As a videophile, I think the media is far too compressed and with no support for 1080p content, I will stick with a PS3.

The ipod was cool because you can take all of your music with you rather than carry around CD's. Apple TV doesnt really simplify life in an obvious way.

 

[trip1ex]

It's over for the ATV. Once you go to the focus groups it's all over. RIP ATV 2009. I laughed when I heard some columnist say this yesterday. It is true.

ATV just needs cheaper content and a bigger variety of content and a way to store the content they buy. Do that and people will buy it. Otherwise (it's) hard to beat Cable or Satellite w/DVR especially if you have a family of 4.

ATV doesn't need to be a DVR or CableBox. It won't help because you get those for free from your Cable or Satellite co.

Putting BR in won't help either. It would jack up the price and folks who want BR will then just buy a BR player for cheaper.

Why do folks want Apple to buy Tivo? Tivo is fairly slick as it is. Just go buy Tivo if you want a DVR. Plus Tivo is losing money.

 

[megfilmworks]

Well if uninvited individuals have such a strong opinion as to crash a "private" market research survey maybe they have something substantial to say.

Maybe, probably not.

 

[jettredmont]

These threads remind me of the old "I'd buy an iPod if only it had an FM radio!"

No, they wouldn't have, and no, you won't. The Apple TV always needs just ONE more thing and suddenly everyone would buy it!

You all don't really want one, and that's fine. But why can't you* just say that instead of making up reasons why you haven't bought one? You just don't really need one. There's nothing wrong with just saying that.

*[edit: I'm talking about the thread in general, not an individual.]

For me, I can only give two responses:

1. I DO have an AppleTV, and I'm getting somewhat frustrated getting it to work the way I want to. Not to the point of dropping it, but to the point that I'd re-up on the hardware IF the new hardware would make my life easier, and to the point that I will NOT be buying a second one for our other television until/unless there are significant advances.

2. I DO recommend AppleTV to people who have a specific set of needs. However, those people are few and far between; I'd recommend it to a LOT more people (ex, my parents and inlaws) if it had real support for things like Hulu et al.

I love my AppleTV, and have loved it since before we put Boxee on it. However, without Boxee it's a one-trick pony, a single-box-per-household item. With Boxee, I want to have it on every TV in the house. The problem is: Apple doesn't support Boxee, and breaks it every time they update. Oh, and the hardware decoding of video they do for iTS-bought shows doesn't carry over into Boxee's Flash player hack (because the video hardware drivers are proprietary and obfuscated by Apple).

IMHO, give us an Apple TV with hardware capable of 1080p decoding, and built-in support for Flash sources (Hulu, CBS, etc) and Java sources (ABC, Fox, etc), and you've got yourself at LEAST two more sales, as well as upgrades in the future.

Without this, I'm considering a Linux box to augment the ATV in the main living room, and if that goes well two additional such boxes (one for our bedroom TV and the other as a gift for my inlaws). Boxee runs just great on Ubuntu, and the Boxee interface is just as easy to explain to my tech-phobic inlaws as the Frontrow interface (surprisingly). I'd love to be able to have them get the other advantages of the ATV, but honestly the cost difference there isn't worth it.

 

[pjarvi]

With only 1 wish all I really want is the ability to purchase HD versions of movies. The AppleTV has no shortage of issues that need to be resolved, but most of them can be resolved with an installation of NitoTV and USB flash. The type of content being offered is something that only Apple can change though.

I am against the inclusion of a Blu-ray or DVD drive. It would destroy the whole point of having a digital media player in the living room. Discs are dead as far as I am concerned, all hail the digital download future!

 

[hiimamac]

Apple is so out of touch.

Watch the first intro with Jobs and 1st iMac!!! He says, the computer for the masses, the iMac, and it's ease of use to get on the net. Problem was, it was too expensive and limited, even for it's time and far from the reach of the average consumer. Therefore the iMac ended up in studios ad agencies, assistants for studios, agents, entertainment firms, music library offices, and education, yet Jobs thought it would be in every home. Nope. Didn't happen. Reason, cost. In fact, it wasn't until the Intel iMac that the prices finally dropped.

With Apple and LG working close together, its hard to imagine Apple coming out with anything less than $4999 for a 40+ inch, Apple TV. Yet today, you can purchase a TV that was $2500 six months ago for $1300 (and rated #1, Samsung Touch of Color Series), that also includes ethernet that allows the end user to network the TV, download Shows (and pirate movies if they want) and play them directly from the computer. Meanwhile, Apple will probably release something they think EVERYONE will want, they won't, it will be limited and at best, maybe, MAYBE, have the ability to record TV programs. Problem is, Apple wants you to buy there content which is inferior compared to standard HD content.

Really, ...sometimes I think Apple is so out of touch.

One can hope though for a machine that records, allows for a browser to work, wireless keyboard, 40 inches, blue ray, DVR, email, iWeb.
Would also like to see iWeb mature a bit too.