AppleTV Take 2 - Question about no need for a computer

[broboore]

With the Take 2 software now out, can I keep all of my content on a external drive connected via NAS and open up my own ripped DVD's without a computer being on?

Or do I still need to have a computer on somewhere in order for ATV to find any content?

Does no need for a computer only mean for rentals?

I did try to look for the answer for this and could not find anything. Any help is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[Markleshark]

With the Take 2 software now out, can I keep all of my content on a external drive connected via NAS and open up my own ripped DVD's without a computer being on?

Or do I still need to have a computer on somewhere in order for ATV to find any content?

Does no need for a computer only mean for rentals?

I did try to look for the answer for this and could not find anything. Any help is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Yeah, you'll still need a computer on with iTunes for the streaming.

The No Computer, as you quite rightly stated is just for the rentals and such.

 

[broboore]

Thanks for the quick reply.

Hmmm. Sounds like ATV isn't quite what I'm looking for yet....

Runs off to find the Mac Mini forum.............

 

[supercooled]

Yeah, you'll still need a computer on with iTunes for the streaming.

The No Computer, as you quite rightly stated is just for the rentals and such.

Wow, how deceptively clever piece of marketing. What's the use of having an internet connection for the device if you can't even go out and grab the content itself?

I was under the impression Take2 was sort of a full fledged update so you could venture into the wild on your own. Might as well hack the AppleTV and install OSX on it.

 

[Superman07]

What are these NAS boxes that claim iTunes 7 serve functionality then?

 

[BaldiMac]

Wow, how deceptively clever piece of marketing. What's the use of having an internet connection for the device if you can't even go out and grab the content itself?

I was under the impression Take2 was sort of a full fledged update so you could venture into the wild on your own. Might as well hack the AppleTV and install OSX on it.

There wasn't any deception. The AppleTV can grab plenty of content if you don't have a computer.

YouTube
Flickr
.Mac Web Galleries
iTunes store purchases (music, movies, tv shows)
podcasts

 

[supercooled]

There wasn't any deception. The AppleTV can grab plenty of content if you don't have a computer.

YouTube
Flickr
.Mac Web Galleries
iTunes store purchases (music, movies, tv shows)
podcasts

On its own? Why doesn't it have an iTunes engine on its own and grab files off a NAS? Having to run another computer to delegate files to it seems crippled.

Don't misunderstand me; I like the AppleTV, but I just think it could be so much better. I like products that take the guess work out of building one myself and the aesthetics is unmatched but a basic function like this should have been included from day 1.

 

[Superman07]

On its own? Why doesn't it have an iTunes engine on its own and grab files off a NAS? Having to run another computer to delegate files to it seems crippled.

Don't misunderstand me; I like the AppleTV, but I just think it could be so much better. I like products that take the guess work out of building one myself and the aesthetics is unmatched but a basic function like this should have been included from day 1.

If you're getting at the same thing as this thread I agree.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/433670/

I don't understand the requirement to have a host machine running iTunes in order to stream content vice a dedicated NAS box.

Saying you can store your media on the network and use it on the ATV then, is really a misnomer. Yes, technically you can, but there is an extra step involved - running a dedicated client with iTunes.

 

[sJv]

I believe these are running Firefly/mt-daapd, which is an open-source DAAP protocol server (DAAP is the iTunes protocol). I use this to stream music from my Simpleshare NAS to a Roku Soundbridge. mt-daapd currently doesn't stream anything but audio. AppleTV doesn't seem to consider it a real iTunes server, though, so it can't be used. TV only works with the real deal.

-steve

What are these NAS boxes that claim iTunes 7 serve functionality then?

 

[BaldiMac]

On its own? Why doesn't it have an iTunes engine on its own and grab files off a NAS? Having to run another computer to delegate files to it seems crippled.

Don't misunderstand me; I like the AppleTV, but I just think it could be so much better. I like products that take the guess work out of building one myself and the aesthetics is unmatched but a basic function like this should have been included from day 1.

The problem with your earlier comment is that you referred to "deceptively clever piece of marketing". Where was anything deceptive said?

I can't imagine that the number of people that are running a NAS and are unwilling to leave one computer on is big enough to consider this a "basic function."

I understand that this would be a useful function for someone with a huge library (> 160 Gigs), but I would think of it as a feature request rather than a "crippling" of functionality by Apple.

"Why doesn't it have an iTunes engine on its own and grab files off a NAS?" Because the NAS is not advertising its content with a protocol supported by Apple.