Hopefully someone can answer this question. I've got a Apple TV 3rd gen. I'm in the need of a new router and have been considering the new AirPort Extreme. I read that it has a USB port which a hard drive can be plugged into to make a networked drive. Simply put, will this illuminated my need to have my computer connected to use iTunes to stream movies to the atv?? Will atv see the files on this drive and play them WITHOUT using my computer??
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Can New AirPort Extreme stream movies to Apple TV 3 via USB?
- Thread starter YoNadz
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I have no problem with it, my mac mini doesn't sleep but spins down the drives etc to save on them, but when it gets the networking ping, it is ready to stream. I mean this is why I went Apple TV because of home sharing and this is how my movies etc will be, on my mac mini or soon a 2 tb external drive to not clog up the internal drive. Now if the Apple TV 4 (whenever it comes out) allows me to slap drive to a usb 3.0 drive, then I will get that, transfer stuff to it and use it, I see what you want, but right now it is mac/pc over to Apple TV. Lets hope they add the drive feature on a new version.
Why?
Why in hell would Apple do something like adding USB to an AppleTV? There are devices for $20 that do that easy enough (WD, Roku1 even!) so why go backwards?
All they need to do for Apple TV is add the ability for the Airport Extreme to be a DLNA server (not that hard!) and it will not only work with every SmartTV out there, but they could just add an app on the Apple TV that supports DLNA. Then no Mac or PC is needed! They are so far behind that curve right now, that their current rumoured TV plans (the actual TV, not the set top box) wouldn't even bring them up to current speed if they released it today.
Very surprising for Apple.
Why in hell would Apple do something like adding USB to an AppleTV? There are devices for $20 that do that easy enough (WD, Roku1 even!) so why go backwards?
All they need to do for Apple TV is add the ability for the Airport Extreme to be a DLNA server (not that hard!) and it will not only work with every SmartTV out there, but they could just add an app on the Apple TV that supports DLNA. Then no Mac or PC is needed! They are so far behind that curve right now, that their current rumoured TV plans (the actual TV, not the set top box) wouldn't even bring them up to current speed if they released it today.
Very surprising for Apple.
But Apple doesn't appear to be very interested in helping you PLAY any content they don't SELL . . .
Makes for a good business model, but a lousy customer experience, at least for those of us with libraries filled with non-Apple compliant video files.
That is an absolutely ridiculous comment! The majority of my content I didn't buy from Apple and yet I have no problem playing it on Apple products. Rather than dumping on Apple for not supporting every conceivable device configuration, why not point out to the OP that they don't even need the ATV to accomplish what they need?
Not ridiculous at all.
It's not ridiculous at all. First off, of course they need an ATV. Do you think the Airport Extreme is going to display itself on the TV? But the fact that the Airport Extreme doesn't connect with the ATV to provide files without a computer to intervene is completely idiotic. EVERY other set top box does that. Even the PS4 and XBox One are doing this in the coming upgrades and THEY are gaming consoles.
The ENTIRE point of an ATV is to serve video, picture and music to the TV...That's all. It has no other function. So it needs to do that function better that something else, otherwise it becomes redundant. My upstairs TV is a hacked ATV2 and the only reason it still lives is because the jailbreak allows me to connect to DLNA and file servers like the Airport Extreme without a computer being on. My ATV3, being unable to be jailbroken, is useless and I can't even find a buyer on Kijiiji for $50. Shows you how in demand they are...not.
If you are buying anything for playing video, music or pictures, an Apple TV is not the thing to buy until Apple fixes that problem. You can't play AVI files, MKV files, WMV files unless you convert them. It works with most, but not all MP3 files and MP4 files, but there are some out there that still fail. I, for example, used to have a digital video cam that recorded in AVI. I have probably 300 home videos which cannot play on the ATV without conversion. So I COULD buy a $50 program to convert them, spend 5 hours getting it done, then play on the ATV. OR I could just play them on any other set top box on my "not so Smart" TV or directly on my Smart TV.
Apple is great for many things, but the ATV is not one of those things. Don't defend them for a faulty thing, when what they really need to do is make a simple fix. But they have moved on to other things and there will be no more ATV's. They will be releasing a real TV (actual screen) instead and it will probably be awesome, IF they learn from their ATV mistakes. But if people just tell them what they want to hear "Ooooh, Apple is good, Apple is great, Apple is god!!", then nothing ever gets improved on.
>>That is an absolutely ridiculous comment! The majority of my content I didn't buy from Apple and yet I have no problem playing it on Apple products. Rather than dumping on Apple for not supporting every conceivable device configuration, why not point out to the OP that they don't even need the ATV to accomplish what they need?<<
It's not ridiculous at all. First off, of course they need an ATV. Do you think the Airport Extreme is going to display itself on the TV? But the fact that the Airport Extreme doesn't connect with the ATV to provide files without a computer to intervene is completely idiotic. EVERY other set top box does that. Even the PS4 and XBox One are doing this in the coming upgrades and THEY are gaming consoles.
The ENTIRE point of an ATV is to serve video, picture and music to the TV...That's all. It has no other function. So it needs to do that function better that something else, otherwise it becomes redundant. My upstairs TV is a hacked ATV2 and the only reason it still lives is because the jailbreak allows me to connect to DLNA and file servers like the Airport Extreme without a computer being on. My ATV3, being unable to be jailbroken, is useless and I can't even find a buyer on Kijiiji for $50. Shows you how in demand they are...not.
If you are buying anything for playing video, music or pictures, an Apple TV is not the thing to buy until Apple fixes that problem. You can't play AVI files, MKV files, WMV files unless you convert them. It works with most, but not all MP3 files and MP4 files, but there are some out there that still fail. I, for example, used to have a digital video cam that recorded in AVI. I have probably 300 home videos which cannot play on the ATV without conversion. So I COULD buy a $50 program to convert them, spend 5 hours getting it done, then play on the ATV. OR I could just play them on any other set top box on my "not so Smart" TV or directly on my Smart TV.
Apple is great for many things, but the ATV is not one of those things. Don't defend them for a faulty thing, when what they really need to do is make a simple fix. But they have moved on to other things and there will be no more ATV's. They will be releasing a real TV (actual screen) instead and it will probably be awesome, IF they learn from their ATV mistakes. But if people just tell them what they want to hear "Ooooh, Apple is good, Apple is great, Apple is god!!", then nothing ever gets improved on.
>>That is an absolutely ridiculous comment! The majority of my content I didn't buy from Apple and yet I have no problem playing it on Apple products. Rather than dumping on Apple for not supporting every conceivable device configuration, why not point out to the OP that they don't even need the ATV to accomplish what they need?<<
Thank you for your long and besides the point rant! I agree with you that it would be great not having to have a computer running iTunes involved but that isn't what the argument was about.
"But Apple doesn't appear to be very interested in helping you PLAY any content they don't SELL . . .
Makes for a good business model, but a lousy customer experience, at least for those of us with libraries filled with non-Apple compliant video files."
This statement is what is completely ridiculous and false.
Yea, umm...I'm pretty sure you haven't read the whole point of this thread, which was connecting an Airport Extreme to an ATV without a computer. So really, the person who is beside the point is you. And if you think that Apple is just forgetting to update the ATV and isn't using it as a business tactic, then you are naive and are forgetting Apple's entire history, which has been to hold everything tightly, not share and not integrate with standards until the absolutely have no other choice.
Yes, I wasn't commenting on the entire thread, maybe you don't understand how a message board works!
Yes, it works in threads, which are topics. And when people veer off topic, we usually move those comments to a different thread.
So feel free to open an "I defend Apple to the Death, no matter what they do" thread and we'll all go over there and argue your off-topic points. But unless you have a magical solution to hooking an ATV up to an Airport Extreme, then you are off-topic.
So feel free to open an "I defend Apple to the Death, no matter what they do" thread and we'll all go over there and argue your off-topic points. But unless you have a magical solution to hooking an ATV up to an Airport Extreme, then you are off-topic.
Again, I did not veer off topic, I responded to a specific comment that I felt was ridiculous. If you feel that the following comment is true:
"But Apple doesn't appear to be very interested in helping you PLAY any content they don't SELL . . .
Makes for a good business model, but a lousy customer experience, at least for those of us with libraries filled with non-Apple compliant video files."
Then perhaps you can explain to me why I have no problem using Apple products to play content that I did not purchase from Apple?
I'm not here to defend Apple but you certainly seem overly eager to dump on the company and while some of your criticism is accurate some of it is completely off base.
Now if you want to discuss the larger points of this thread we can do that but don't take my previous comments out of context. First, the majority of my content is not from Apple and I have most of it stored on a NAS connected to my Airport Express. For the non-iTunes content, I have the option to play it through my ATV and if I want to I can bypass the ATV and play it directly from the NAS with my Smart TV. Of course, this doesn't work for iTunes DRM protected content which is precisely why I prefer to get my content from other sources. From a hardware perspective, even though you make Apple out to being this evil empire, which it may very well be, there is nothing that Apple is doing to prevent you from playing content you didn't purchase directly from them.
Apple, just like all others, are all about doing away with local storage and having everything on the cloud. Managing local storage can become a chore the more your media grows. It's the main reason Jobs gave for turning the Apple TV into a pure streamer.
First off, I'm cool with what they are doing - I understand it and I made my choice to use devices that do work for what I need.
Second, my comment is not "absolutely ridiculous". Maybe slightly inaccurate. How about this - they don't support FORMATS they don't sell. To have your kind of extreme attitude about an Apple product that clearly is restrictive about file formats is a little over the top. Especially when you are out of step with VAST sections of power and even casual users that DO want that capability.
When you say "every conceivable device configuration" that is MASSIVELY disingenuous and you have got to know it. Apple is infamous among power users for restricting what will play on their devices. If you are pretending that is because they just missed some niche formats that nobody uses, well . . . you can guess what I think of that perspective. You're acting like there is no such thing as the "walled garden". Really?
I'm also way, way past converting the thousands of videos I have to whatever format Apple has blessed. THAT is what is ridiculous - refusing to support a large swath of file formats. I'll just simply use apps (AV Player HD) and devices (WDTV) that will play virtually anything without any issue. Problem solved, hours and hours saved. That doesn't mean I'm evangelizing any particular device over the Apple TV, they all have their problems. And I'll soon get an Apple TV and enjoy that as well.
So in conclusion, you can really only have one substantive, accurate issue with my comment and that is the word "content". Replace it with "format" and there you have it. Because not supporting FORMATs you don't sell DOES, "make(s) for a good business model, but a lousy customer experience, at least for those of us with libraries filled with non-Apple compliant video files."
And that is a fact.
Fair enough, you're upset with Apple for not supporting the file formats you want them to support. Nothing wrong or ridiculous about that. If Apple products don't meet your needs then perhaps its time to move on to some other products that will. No company can meet the needs of everyone, it isn't practical.
I have issues with Apple as well but overall their products align better with my needs than other products. Am I starting a crusade against Apple proclaiming that they are an evil empire because they don't do everything I want them to do? Not at all, I can honestly say that despite the many shortcomings of Apple products, they are far less frustrating to deal with compared to other brands.
sigh
Ummm...you really missed the point. You can't play ATV content off any NAS without iTunes running on a computer. It won't work, which is what this whole thread is about. Apple has an entire document on it, and no one has been able to work around it. So, no, you aren't playing stuff from your NAS to your Apple TV. You are playing from your NAS to your computer running iTunes, then to your Apple TV which is what we are saying is silly. And the fix is so simple that it would coast nothing for Apple to do it. The only reason for them NOT to do it is to force people to buy movies through iTunes, which makes it convenient for ATV users who have the money and not enough knowledge to convert their existing libraries. But what about home videos, etc.
If you have some magical way of making an ATV play content from your NAS without a computer running, then by all means, share, because you'd make BIG money in donations for that. Not even Apple techs have been able to give anyone the workarounds.
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Yes. That's what this thread was all about. You've discovered us. We're a secret Illuminati group plotting to start a crusade against Apple. Even though we are on a MacRumours forum and I own 2 Macs, 3 iPads, 2 iPhones and an iPod. That's my cover. Oh, AND 2 Apple TVs.
Excellent detective work, Sherlock.
Ummm...you really missed the point. You can't play ATV content off any NAS without iTunes running on a computer. It won't work, which is what this whole thread is about. Apple has an entire document on it, and no one has been able to work around it. So, no, you aren't playing stuff from your NAS to your Apple TV. You are playing from your NAS to your computer running iTunes, then to your Apple TV which is what we are saying is silly. And the fix is so simple that it would coast nothing for Apple to do it. The only reason for them NOT to do it is to force people to buy movies through iTunes, which makes it convenient for ATV users who have the money and not enough knowledge to convert their existing libraries. But what about home videos, etc.
If you have some magical way of making an ATV play content from your NAS without a computer running, then by all means, share, because you'd make BIG money in donations for that. Not even Apple techs have been able to give anyone the workarounds.
----------
Yes. That's what this thread was all about. You've discovered us. We're a secret Illuminati group plotting to start a crusade against Apple. Even though we are on a MacRumours forum and I own 2 Macs, 3 iPads, 2 iPhones and an iPod. That's my cover. Oh, AND 2 Apple TVs.
Excellent detective work, Sherlock.
Okay, this will be my last response to your comments because you must be either really dense or your reading comprehension skills need improvement. I am very familiar with the limitations of ATV and the challenges of playing iTunes content. I never said I was playing my iTunes content that is stored on my NAS without my ATV. I said I'm able to play my non-iTunes content stored on my NAS directly through my Smart TV.
I honestly don't know what your deal is but these back-n-forths, because of your poor reading skills, are really pointless.
bye
Uh, I believe your EXACT words were
"For the non-iTunes content, I have the option to play it through my ATV and if I want to I can bypass the ATV and play it directly from the NAS with my Smart TV. "
So you actually DID say you could play your non-iTunes content through your ATV, stating you have the option to do that OR play it to your SMartTV.
SO glad you are stopping.
MIke
Uh, I believe your EXACT words were
"For the non-iTunes content, I have the option to play it through my ATV and if I want to I can bypass the ATV and play it directly from the NAS with my Smart TV. "
So you actually DID say you could play your non-iTunes content through your ATV, stating you have the option to do that OR play it to your SMartTV.
SO glad you are stopping.
MIke
I recommend that you not hold your breath. It might be best to sell your ATV and buy something else.
I think the Apple TV was designed to do a couple of things, and I think it does them mind-bogglingly well*. First, it plays your purchased content, either from the cloud or from iTunes. Second, it plays your ripped content from iTunes. You can fight the design if you want, but I do not think it is worth your frustration (I would not wait up for DLNA either).
A.
* By mind-bogglingly well, I will repost how I use my Apple TV:
I sit down in the living room and decide to watch a movie. I pick up my the remote control and wake up my Apple TV. I choose 'Computers' and navigate to my office machine. The Apple TV wakes up my Mac in the office which powers up its external drives, ready to serve up my movie. As I watch the movie, I get a little sleepy and move to the bedroom where I pick up my movie where I left it in the living room. The movie ends, I fall asleep. The Apple TV goes to sleep. The TV powers off. A few minutes later the office machine goes to sleep, powering off its external drives.
The OP was lamenting the lack of functionality of the the Apple TV and/or the Airport Express. I suggested that the Apple TV was designed to do a specific thing - to act as an iTunes accessory (in the cloud, or local) - and that he should not expect that to change. Additionally, I provided an example of just how nicely the Apple TV performs in its role - I am not aware of another hardware platform that duplicates it.
Given that, I am not sure how your list of content providers fits into the thread.
A.