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The remote app on the Ipad is totally awesome! If you have a Ipad and a AppleTV 2...get the remote app. You have way more real estate to navigate on.

Now all we need is a 7inch Ipad with a retina screen...and its all over...
 
I guess I just don't understand the value (for me at least) of the ATV.

1)I get the streaming Netflix concept...that's easily understood and I can do that already. So no value here for me. Besides, I think the Netflix selection stinks for streaming...not to mention the performance.

2)I can pay and rent tv shows...? why? Why not just watch them or record them with my dvr every week? Unless there are very premium shows like HBO or Showtime (for $.99) that I do not have to own HBO or Showtime. My tv cable bill alone is $70/month for 1 cablebox...I'm not paying $.99 to watch a Seinfeld rerun that is on TBS every day or the newest Discovery Channel show that I can dvr for free.

3)There is no mention that I can store my bazillion dvds or blurays on the ATV. Nor can I attach a USB drive filled with movies. Nor is there any mention of streaming these movies from my personal network (and even if I could, I would bet I would be forced to store my movies in iTunes).

4)I can rent movies. From where? Who promises and guarantees the quality? And I only get 24 hours to watch it from the second I press Play? This concept (common in Pay Per View) has annoyed me for years. There are plenty of times that I'd like to watch the movie again...or the wife fell asleep...or something interrupted us. I'll keep my simple 3-dvd Netflix account where I can easily rent 10+ month for about $15 (compared to $40 if I rented via Apple)...all in beautiful quality with no cable operators pointing fingers at why the video stinks/freezes/performs badly. And I can watch the movie more than once if needed...or pause/resume quite easily...or take it to another dvd/bluray player.


Whether it's $99 or $299, I just don't get what the lure is unless you're a consumer who owns no cable and thus has nothing to begin with. I bought a Western Digital WD TV a few weeks ago and love it for #3 above. The $99 ATV price is very catchy but after thinking it out for a few mins, at least for me, I don't see the point. Unless someone can elaborate on something I'm overlooking.

Hey, I'm all ears if someone can give me some reasons to buy ATV.

-Eric


I think it's all about personal preference.

I was paying $84/mo for HD cable service (just basic plan) with 2 boxes. Outrageous in my opinion. I added up how many TV shows I watched a week, and times it by 4 to get a month's total # of TV shows watched, then divided into the $84 bill - this came out $4.50/show I was paying!

So I said goodbye to cable, I'll pay $.99 for the shows I am addicted to, and any other entertainment I need I'll get from Netflix or Red Box (sorry apple, not paying 3.99 to rent when I can rent from Redbox for $1.00).

Love aTV - good replacement for cable.. now just need Hulu or Boxee on it! (jailbreak hopefully soon)
 
Looks like a great box, I'd probably buy one of it supported sdtv.



Did it? Numbers?



So far just a rumor, but if it costs that much they'll have an uphill battle.

Its not a rumor bro...$300...but year we will find out next week. Remember Sony and Logitech are coming out with the first boxes....Sony a TV with integrated GoogleTV and Logitech with a set top GoogleTV box. Both companies don't sell stuff cheap.

If the set top box is less than $200...it has a chance.

$99 bro...The appleTv is gonna rule the world. Look what nintendo did with the Wii?
 
I guess I just don't understand the value (for me at least) of the ATV.

(long post truncated)
You've done an excellent job showing why the Apple TV may not be for you. That's fine. It's a free market economy. You are free to vote with your dollars.

Apple designs and markets their products for the overall consumer marketplace. If you think your points would help increase marketshare/improve the chances of you purchasing the device, you are welcome to provide Apple feedback using their customer support infrastructure.
 
Is it just me or was this designed just for the USA?

In the UK if we buy it:

- It costs $160 USD.
- Rentals are $1.60 USD.
- We cant watch netflix or any other on-demand service (other than iTunes obviously)

Am I missing something or is this just an expensive way to rent stuff from iTunes?

(Note: I'm not bashing it, I'm just a little confused!)
 
It's not for everybody. ATV I has been a hit in my household due to the fact I ditched cable two years ago and didn't replace with anything but rabbit ears and ATV. Hulu/iTunes in bedroom on iMac and rabbit ears and ATV in TV room for family. I went from paying $125+ for cable to less than $30 average a month for purchasing kids shows and renting movies. There was a 'liberation' that I got rid of Comcast. I have ordered the new ATV and look forward to bringing Hulu to the TV room for the whole family. btw, you think you need all those channels until you go a few days without them. Try it, you may like it and if you don't - call your cable/satellite company and have them turn the service back on.

I guess I just don't understand the value (for me at least) of the ATV.

1)I get the streaming Netflix concept...that's easily understood and I can do that already. So no value here for me. Besides, I think the Netflix selection stinks for streaming...not to mention the performance.

2)I can pay and rent tv shows...? why? Why not just watch them or record them with my dvr every week? Unless there are very premium shows like HBO or Showtime (for $.99) that I do not have to own HBO or Showtime. My tv cable bill alone is $70/month for 1 cablebox...I'm not paying $.99 to watch a Seinfeld rerun that is on TBS every day or the newest Discovery Channel show that I can dvr for free.

3)There is no mention that I can store my bazillion dvds or blurays on the ATV. Nor can I attach a USB drive filled with movies. Nor is there any mention of streaming these movies from my personal network (and even if I could, I would bet I would be forced to store my movies in iTunes).

4)I can rent movies. From where? Who promises and guarantees the quality? And I only get 24 hours to watch it from the second I press Play? This concept (common in Pay Per View) has annoyed me for years. There are plenty of times that I'd like to watch the movie again...or the wife fell asleep...or something interrupted us. I'll keep my simple 3-dvd Netflix account where I can easily rent 10+ month for about $15 (compared to $40 if I rented via Apple)...all in beautiful quality with no cable operators pointing fingers at why the video stinks/freezes/performs badly. And I can watch the movie more than once if needed...or pause/resume quite easily...or take it to another dvd/bluray player.


Whether it's $99 or $299, I just don't get what the lure is unless you're a consumer who owns no cable and thus has nothing to begin with. I bought a Western Digital WD TV a few weeks ago and love it for #3 above. The $99 ATV price is very catchy but after thinking it out for a few mins, at least for me, I don't see the point. Unless someone can elaborate on something I'm overlooking.

Hey, I'm all ears if someone can give me some reasons to buy ATV.

-Eric
 
Is it just me or was this designed just for the USA?

In the UK if we buy it:

- It costs $160 USD.
- Rentals are $1.60 USD.
- We cant watch netflix or any other on-demand service (other than iTunes obviously)

Am I missing something or is this just an expensive way to rent stuff from iTunes?

(Note: I'm not bashing it, I'm just a little confused!)

We haven't got TV rentals yet in the UK so how do you know the cost?
 
We haven't got TV rentals yet in the UK so how do you know the cost?

I'm going by the UK iTunes price. Thats the cheapest they go. Some such as the new series of House are stupidly priced. £2.49 an episode or £50 for the season!
 
Is it just me or was this designed just for the USA?

In the UK if we buy it:

- It costs $160 USD.
- Rentals are $1.60 USD.
- We cant watch netflix or any other on-demand service (other than iTunes obviously)

Am I missing something or is this just an expensive way to rent stuff from iTunes?

(Note: I'm not bashing it, I'm just a little confused!)

It was designed for the USA. I can certainly appreciate the draw of such a device for the US market but outside of it the device has quite limited utility, particularly in those markets where the iTunes Store is either not available or it does not provide film rentals or TV shows. The UK is comparatively OK but I confess that I'm not happy with paying a higher price for a device that actually does less over here.

That said, I am buying one later this month because it will allow me to put my iTunes content onto my TV at a price that is much less bonkers than the old Apple TV.
 
Is it just me or was this designed just for the USA?

In the UK if we buy it:

- It costs $160 USD.
- Rentals are $1.60 USD.
- We cant watch netflix or any other on-demand service (other than iTunes obviously)

Am I missing something or is this just an expensive way to rent stuff from iTunes?

(Note: I'm not bashing it, I'm just a little confused!)

Get a USA :apple:TV and set up a USA iTunes account, get prepaid cards from reputable ebay sellers. This set up will allow you to get TV shows like house and lie to me before Sky airs them.

:cool:
 
It's going to be a popular item because of its lower price.

$99 means it is worth it just as digital picture frame or airtunes box.

$99 next to Apple's own iPOD AV cables/dock makes it look inexpensive.

$99 means its a competitively-priced Netflix streaming device.

$99 is impulse buy, xmas stocking territory.

On top of this you can rent movies and a few tv shows or stream them from your pc. YouTube is a fun option once in awhile.

And who knows what the future holds. Obviously it is very capable of becoming a home to more services with a simple update. And AirPlay has alot of potential as well.
 
Apple does not provide data on Apple TV unit sales in its quarterly earnings release, so firm estimates of the device's performance since its 2007 introduction are not available.

Roughly translated, the old Apple TV didn't sell well. I expect this reporting situation will change if the new Apple TV sells well because companies always crow about successes.
 
...

There are no TV shows available for rent in Canada anyway.

Your cable(satellite?) subscription that allows you to use your PVR isn't free, and depending on the provider you may have to pay a separate fee for the PVR rental if you didn't buy it outright, otherwise the cost is baked into the subscription itself. One way or another, you are paying for the PVR.

You are right though, internet streaming isn't for you. Hopefully you get some better internet service in your area.

I use an antenna and get all the major networks for free. The antenna runs into a windows pc and I use media center to pvr and get an epg
 
Sure, it's not likely to compete with consoles like the PS3, XBox, or Wii, but it could allow Apple to further blow-up the hand held market and steal away a bit of console market share.

I agree it needs some tweaks to compete with consoles... but it could easily trample the Wii with a nice remote system and an app store. Wii is 480P and folks gobbled it up. Here we have a 720P gaming system that could potentially be opened up to thousands of game developers...
 
I am not interested in Apple TV until it gets Blockbuster streaming. Once it does, then, it will be a "must buy." I prefer Blockbuster over Netflix.

Dude I think blockbuster is in the process of going bankrupt
 
They sure are.

The Dallas, Texas-based company said it had made the decision as part of attempts to cut its debts and restructure the business.

Agreements with its creditors will allow it to cut its debts from nearly $1bn to about $100m, Blockbuster said.

Blockbuster's non-US operations are not included in the bankruptcy, as they are legally separate entities.

That includes its 4,000-strong network of stores in the UK, Canada, Denmark, Italy and Mexico.

Blockbuster's 3,000 stores in the US will remain open for the time being, the company's statement said.

It has also secured a new $125m loan it says will allow it to keep working during the restructuring process.
 
I really really, like this device, but that's mostly based on what I expect it will become, not on what it offers today.

I'll buy one when the app/channel store opens and the eyetv app is available.

(Not that ATV's not good now, just limited -- that's fine, IMHO, for $99, but not yet compelling enough to replace my setup based on a mini.)
 
I really really, like this device, but that's mostly based on what I expect it will become, not on what it offers today.

I'll buy one when the app/channel store opens and the eyetv app is available.

(Not that ATV's not good now, just limited -- that's fine, IMHO, for $99, but not yet compelling enough to replace my setup based on a mini.)

Not a bad assessment. Personally, I already like what it has to offer while recognizing that it's only going to get better. I currently own an ATV2, a Roku, a PS3 running Hulu Plus and a MacBook running Boxee. Of all of them, the ATV2 is clearly the best in terms of interface, integration with my media library and ease of use. The Roku comes in second due to the expanded content selection. In third place is the PS3 running Hulu Plus. Boxee has a LONG way to go in order to compete, though it has the second best interface behind the ATV2.
 
It amazes me that apple can sell a second rate product so fast, so quickly, and with massive profits! Gotta hand it to apple, they got "it":D

Wow, that proves me wrong. I really didn't think apple-tv was going to be hit, for lots of reasons.

It's the price point. $100 is a psychological threshold for a lot of people. Crossing it can make purchasing a device A LOT easier.

The second thing it has going for it is that it will most likely start getting streaming content apps in the future. Just iTunes and netflix now. But imagine when it gets a Hulu plus app, a MLB app, etc- it starts becoming a potential replacement for cable boxes. The versatility of the NAND plus an app store guarantees it can always stay relevant because any new content provider can simply write an app.

On top of that, if Apple's tendency to let the competition in a la the kindle app, other VoD choices like Amazon VoD may creep in and drive competitive prices for content.
 
It's not for everybody. ATV I has been a hit in my household due to the fact I ditched cable two years ago and didn't replace with anything but rabbit ears and ATV. Hulu/iTunes in bedroom on iMac and rabbit ears and ATV in TV room for family. I went from paying $125+ for cable to less than $30 average a month for purchasing kids shows and renting movies. There was a 'liberation' that I got rid of Comcast. I have ordered the new ATV and look forward to bringing Hulu to the TV room for the whole family. btw, you think you need all those channels until you go a few days without them. Try it, you may like it and if you don't - call your cable/satellite company and have them turn the service back on.

That's sound interesting. The last thing keeping me from jumping into ATV and ditch my cable is the NBA. I am addicted to Basketball. If they can bring live games to ATV I will be set.
 
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