ATV1 vs ATV2

[B.A.T]

I'm thinking of selling my old ATV and buying the newer version since all I do with it is stream anyways and I'm tired of ripping dvds with Handbrake. Two questions:
1) How much faster is the new ATV compared to the last generation when it comes to loading movies and fast forwarding?
2) How is the quality of the streams from Netflix compared to streaming from your mac?

 

[DJinTX]

I'm thinking of selling my old ATV and buying the newer version since all I do with it is stream anyways and I'm tired of ripping dvds with Handbrake. Two questions:
1) How much faster is the new ATV compared to the last generation when it comes to loading movies and fast forwarding?
2) How is the quality of the streams from Netflix compared to streaming from your mac?

I have no experience with ATV1, but I enjoy my ATV2. As for handbrake, I don't see how the new one will eliminate the need for it. On ATV1 you could either stream from your Mac or play the movie from the internal HD, both of which would require handbrake or similar application. On the new one you have no internal hard drive, but you would still need to get it into iTunes in a compatible format in order to stream.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

I'm a long-time TV user. Last night, I got my first crack at the new one at the Apple store. The new ones UI is wayyyy faster than the old one. There are no delays as you click around through menus. Relative responsiveness is Apples to Oranges in favor of the new one.

However, I like the old (latest) version of the UI better- the one on version 1. I think the layout was smarter on the more recent iternation of TV1. I much prefer having dedicated main menus for the various kinds of media (Movies, TV Shows, Music, Photos, Podcasts, Internet) vs. the "simpler"(?) arrangement in the new one. Maybe that will come back in a future update?

I don't dig lumping all of the local (home iTunes) content into the one "Computers" menu at all, and consider that the biggest step backwards. I wish they had simply duplicated the layout of the old TVs latest UI version on the obviously faster/better hardware of TV2.

Don't get me wrong though. If you're interested in anything that TV can do, this is a great update. If you're not used to how the UI was in version 1, you probably won't find much fault at all with version 2 (it will just be the way you learn to use it).

 

[B.A.T]

Thanks for the info. Anybody want to buy an old ATV?

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

I've seen a lot of comments that they are selling very well on Ebay. Some people prefer some of what the old one has. You might try selling it there.

 

[Markusp]

I easily prefer the ATV1 to my ATV2. Homesharing is a nightmare in my setup - constantly dropping sync, stating that format is unsupported etc., forcing me to restart iTunes to get things working. This becomes a giant PITA.

Switching to my ATV1, I hit sync once and everything is rock solid (I stream ALL my content). It is also far more responsive with the remote app on my iPad - music switches almost instantly while with the ATV2, skipping songs takes an age!

I now have my ATV1 back in my main setup and will use the ATV2 sporadically in my office for background music listening.

 

[cdavis11]

As a long time ATV1 owner I was ready to be let down by the new "My Movies" layout - having to drill down into the "Computers" menu was going to be trouble.

But I've been pleasantly surprised by the new UI - Your movies can be accessed from the coverflow style listing at the top of the screen when you highlight "computers". Home Sharing, for me, has worked very well.

I am loving the Netflix integration, much better menu structure than my Roku downstairs.

 

[paduck]

Bearing in mind that I don't have an ATV2, here is my comparison of the differences:

1. With significant on-board storage ATV1 allows you to pack up your ATV and take it on the road with you - without any other hardware. This is convenient on a vacation with the kids. ATV2 doesn't have that capability.

2. ATV1's on-board storage is in the form of a physical hard drive. These things can be sensitive and fail. ATV2 has no such thing. That most certainly makes it more reliable (and cheaper).

3. ATV1 allows for analog audio out which means you can use it to play AirTunes. ATV2 only has digital audio out which limits that capability.

4. I don't feel strongly about this, because why wouldn't you always use HDMI if it were available, but ATV1 has component video out. With current DRM technology, I fully understand why Apple went with just HDMI.

5. Did I mention the ATV1's on-board storage via hard drive? Well, it is always on and uses a lot of power. The ATV2 sips power. Big enhancement. Of course, to stream your personal content, you need to have a power-hungry computer on (unless it is a Mac Mini). But with Wake-on-LAN technology, that is significantly mitigated.

6. ATV2 has got to be faster with the A4 chip. Sometimes I find the ATV1 a little sluggish in terms of interface. I do like the breakout by type of media on ATV1, which I understand ATV2 doesn't have.

7. I like owning my own content - at least for movies. ATV2 is really rent-only. OK, fine. The solution is that you can purchase via iTunes or rip like in the past with Handbrake. I would be interested in more renting options though - especially for TV. If I want to rent TV shows, I supposed I can do it on iTunes as well and then stream to my ATV1. I haven't checked that out yet though.

8. Netflix - I wish ATV1 had Netflix. That is probably reason enough to go with the ATV2.

I think ATV2 is a solid performer. The price is most certainly right - heck the remote alone you have to pay $19 for separately. I could see Apple rolling out Apps at some point that would be very useful (although perhaps not too sophisticated given the interface limitations of their current remote.) That is something they would have to address. If they figure out how to stream live events (sports) I think that that becomes the killer app. The cable companies would hate that - especially if people drop cable and are using their ATV's over cable internet to view premium content that someone else is making money on!

 

[pedz]

In response to the specific question asked, I find loading times and fastforward much faster. Especially fast forward and rewind. the atv2 buffers the movie (you can see it buffering) so ffw never hangs. On the atv1 it would always stop forwarding and play the movie because it didn't have the buffer, never get that now. And even if the buffer isn't available (which is rare, it is fast), you can still fastforward, just without the preview images! Helpful if trying to move far ahead and don't have a chapter marker.
Same for rewind. To me this is a huge improvement.

As far as quality of netflix vs itunes stream it is hard to compare because it depends on the quality of what you are streaming from itunes. But i have been happy with the netflix quality so far.

I too was not happy about moving the itunes content under computers. but i have find that i like it now. Fact is i am either looking for rental content or my own content, so going to two different places for them is fine, and kind of clean. It would be nice if i could do a search and it search itunes rentals, my content, youtube, and netflix, but that is wishful thinking.