Early Apple TV Sales Estimated at 1 Million Per Quarter

[notjustjay]

If you have a collection of movies, I see the point in streaming directly from a NAS. But what about viewing pictures? What application will you use to store pictures on the NAS? I guess you can point your iPhoto or Aperture to store their libraries on the NAS, but from what I hear, this does not work very well. You may be able to get this working with Picasa, but then you are outside of the Apple ecosystem. Like it or not, Apple is killing the NAS, which I resent myself, but I think we should consider adjusting. The NAS can still be utilized as the Time Machine backups repository of the content stored locally on the central Mac (iMac or Mac Pro) which will have to be running 24x7.

That's my problem: I don't want to have a central Mac (or PC for that matter) running 24/7. First there's the cost issue of having a server PC that essentially exists for the sole purpose of being able to watch a movie on a whim. Then there's the energy consumption.

You're right about pictures, but that's not really something I have any interest in doing right now. And, it is still possible to view pictures over DLNA/UPnP. Not from iPhoto, true.

I would even entertain the notion of replacing (or augmenting) my D-Link NAS with a Time Capsule, if it was simply a matter of Apple wanting you to stay within their ecosystem (and possibly even for legitimate reasons, like DRM negotiation). But a dedicated computer running 24/7 is not an option.

 

[notjustjay]

I think the form factor of the Boxee Box will limit it to only the geekiest of geeks.

Luckily, since the remote is RF and not IR, you can place the Boxee Box somewhere completely out of sight.

 

[tintincub]

I only have Home Sharing on. I have "Show: Items not in my library" selected so as to not duplicate music I already have on a machine. My wife wanted a Robert Plant track from the "Band of Joy" CD I just bought - she went to my library Home Share from her computer, selected it and clicked "Import". Any more step-by-step than that I'll leave to you to figure out, as it's not hard at all.

But what if you want to store all the music in one central location, say on a NAS? Let's say that I configure iTunes libraries on my MacBook and on my HTPC to a single folder on my NAS and I have "copy music when I import" UNCHECKED in both libraries. How would Home Sharing work then?

 

[mdelvecchio]

I'll buy it when it runs Plex, which should be quite soon hopefully.

ya...for me Plex on a Mini is a better option, at least for my main tv. costs a lot more, of course, and the mini doesnt do AirPlay.

hopefully in a few years we will have a mature set of tv-media technology. ATV is a good step.

 

[reckless2k2]

recession?

Aren't we supposed to be in a recession?

We've got record unemployment, foreclosures, record number on all forms of Government assistance, huge deficits, and languishing sales in many sectors of the driving force of the economy but Apple is selling record numbers of iPads, ATVs, and continues to sell a record number of iPhones that supposedly have antenna defects.

Interesting.

 

[tivoli2]

But what if you want to store all the music in one central location, say on a NAS? Let's say that I configure iTunes libraries on my MacBook and on my HTPC to a single folder on my NAS and I have "copy music when I import" UNCHECKED in both libraries. How would Home Sharing work then?

I don't know, since mine isn't set up that way. I do have my tower's iTunes library on a drive that's hooked up to my Airport Extreme, though.

 

[tintincub]

That's my problem: I don't want to have a central Mac (or PC for that matter) running 24/7. First there's the cost issue of having a server PC that essentially exists for the sole purpose of being able to watch a movie on a whim. Then there's the energy consumption.

You're right about pictures, but that's not really something I have any interest in doing right now. And, it is still possible to view pictures over DLNA/UPnP. Not from iPhoto, true.

I would even entertain the notion of replacing (or augmenting) my D-Link NAS with a Time Capsule, if it was simply a matter of Apple wanting you to stay within their ecosystem (and possibly even for legitimate reasons, like DRM negotiation). But a dedicated computer running 24/7 is not an option.

I think you perfectly nailed what's wrong with the new Apple TV. Just because I might want to watch something on a "whim", I don't want to have a computer running all the time. In my case I would have to keep running my HTPC running all the time with iTunes open all the time and the PC can't even go into sleep mode (this is in addition to my always on home server). This is just insane and a huge waste of energy.

The inefficiency of the New Apple TV is that it needs a computer running in parallel all the time (for non Internet stuff).

Am I missing something here?

Edit:

To add to the pain, even if I decide to keep a bazillion devices turned on all the time, I would still have to worry about syncing multiple iTunes libraries etc etc. I an having trouble seeing any pragmatic use cases for the Apple TV

 

[sirozha]

I only have Home Sharing on. I have "Show: Items not in my library" selected so as to not duplicate music I already have on a machine. My wife wanted a Robert Plant track from the "Band of Joy" CD I just bought - she went to my library Home Share from her computer, selected it and clicked "Import". Any more step-by-step than that I'll leave to you to figure out, as it's not hard at all.

So, it's a manual process, then. I was speaking about the automatic syncing among several Macs that works only with iTunes store content.

You can always manually move the content - your way, or just copying the files and re-importing them to iTunes on another computer. That's not the seamless syncing of content that you would want to have that would replace a centralized storage.

 

[foiden]

Guess that means more format software should be added, in the future. On the other hand, I kind of work around that issue by having my big libraries on the laptop. When you're not using the screen, per se, you can pretty much sit one of those out, on battery, for a good 6+ hours at a time. That is, if energy conservation was your primary concern.

Oddly enough. It's one of mine. Going to a laptop house kind of makes me use so little power these days. With the exception of my TV itself, and the higher power consoles such as PS3 and 360.

 

[sirozha]

But what if you want to store all the music in one central location, say on a NAS? Let's say that I configure iTunes libraries on my MacBook and on my HTPC to a single folder on my NAS and I have "copy music when I import" UNCHECKED in both libraries. How would Home Sharing work then?

You cannot manage the same iTunes library from two different computers. It will have to be re-indexed every time you connect to the library from another computer, which takes a long time. I tried that many years ago, and it did not work well at all. Currently, there is no way around having your Mac always on if you want to be able to stream to the Apple TV (old or new) at any time.

 

[sirozha]

That's my problem: I don't want to have a central Mac (or PC for that matter) running 24/7. First there's the cost issue of having a server PC that essentially exists for the sole purpose of being able to watch a movie on a whim. Then there's the energy consumption.

You're right about pictures, but that's not really something I have any interest in doing right now. And, it is still possible to view pictures over DLNA/UPnP. Not from iPhoto, true.

I would even entertain the notion of replacing (or augmenting) my D-Link NAS with a Time Capsule, if it was simply a matter of Apple wanting you to stay within their ecosystem (and possibly even for legitimate reasons, like DRM negotiation). But a dedicated computer running 24/7 is not an option.

A dedicated computer running 24x7 is the only solution right now if you want to stay within the Apple ecosystem. The introduction of iPads makes this concept more attractive because if you think you can consume content on an iPad, all you need to have at home is one dedicated Mac that is always on. All other Macs (MacBooks, MacBook Pros, etc) can be replaced with iPads. The total price of this solution will be the same as having several Macs at home. If you already own a NAS that supports Time Machine backups, you do not need a Time Capsule. If you don't have a NAS yet and want to remain within the Apple ecosystem, you would be better off augmenting one Mac and several iPads with a Time Capsule to store your Time Machine backups so that you do not lose all of you content when your Mac's hard drive fails.

Apple does not like NAS. If you absolutely have to have a RAID device at home for centralized file storage, Mac Mini server is the only solution. You can stream from it to the Apple TV (new or old).

 

[mdelvecchio]

I think you perfectly nailed what's wrong with the new Apple TV. Just because I might want to watch something on a "whim", I don't want to have a computer running all the time. .... This is just insane and a huge waste of energy.

well, i have a computer on all the time (not sleeping) -- the mac mini. apple claims its at <10 watts when inactive. i can live w/ that, much less than some light bulbs.

 

[DJinTX]

Aren't we supposed to be in a recession?

We've got record unemployment, foreclosures, record number on all forms of Government assistance, huge deficits, and languishing sales in many sectors of the driving force of the economy but Apple is selling record numbers of iPads, ATVs, and continues to sell a record number of iPhones that supposedly have antenna defects.

Interesting.

I think you missed the memo. They ran a story awhile back on CNN (and presumably other news outlets) that the recession ended awhile back. Some new statistics came in that supported it and everything. So, all is good again. Now go buy something, preferably from

 

[foiden]

Aren't we supposed to be in a recession?
Interesting.

The people still hanging on with money look for stuff that could satisfy a variety of their needs in a small number of devices. So while they're spending money, the devices we're getting now handle the tasks we normally had to buy several devices to do, in the past. The devices are changing with the economy, and generally doing market tests to see which features they can leave in (for consumer demand) while dumping just enough (lower in the consumer demand scale) features that would drive costs up.

That and some of that recession has lifted. Plus the idea of more being energy use savvy.

 

[newagemac]

I think people will have to rethink how they do home computing at this point. I believe the only answer is to have a powerful Mac at home that is always on, which will host all of the content and can be used for content creation, and to replace all other Macs (MacBooks and MacBook Pros) with iPads.

You sir are exactly right. Your desktop basically becomes a server and hub for all of your mobile devices and media. Plus a powerful desktop does all the processor intensive stuff like video encoding, running extensive content creation programs like CS5, and heavy 3D graphics stuff like gaming. And it does it better than a laptop. The benefits of an iPad are now obvious over a laptop and for the things that an iPad can't do that a laptop can, a desktop will always be better at it than a laptop. It is becoming more and more obvious that a powerful desktop + Ipad combo makes more sense than the recent years trend of a buying a laptop to do everything. That combo is less expensive, more mobile, and more powerful and capable than a laptop. You use the right device for the right situation.

I have a Macbook Pro but I have learned from experience that I never want to do processor intensive or real graphics work on a laptop screen on my couch or while I'm traveling. I am much more productive doing it on a desktop with my large dual screen monitors, nice keyboard, mouse, comfy office chair, and all materials I need at my desk in my office.

A desktop can be always on, set to sleep automatically, and wake on demand. You can permanently attach large external hard drives to it if you want to store a lot of media and all of it can be accessed from any iOS device. Content can be shared with others locally using Home Sharing and other sharing options built into Snow Leopard. With that setup, there isn't much value added in a NAS for most people. I think more people are going to be moving in the desktop+iPad direction and the new Apple TV is positioned well for that shift.

 

[tivoli2]

So, it's a manual process, then. I was speaking about the automatic syncing among several Macs that works only with iTunes store content.

You can always manually move the content - your way, or just copying the files and re-importing them to iTunes on another computer. That's not the seamless syncing of content that you would want to have that would replace a centralized storage.

My apologies - I didn't realize you were talking about automatic physical transfer.

 

[DJinTX]

So, it's a manual process, then. I was speaking about the automatic syncing among several Macs that works only with iTunes store content.

You can always manually move the content - your way, or just copying the files and re-importing them to iTunes on another computer. That's not the seamless syncing of content that you would want to have that would replace a centralized storage.

Yes, using homesharing to copy music from one Mac to another is manual. Now you don't have to do each song individually... you can select all songs, or some songs, and then click ok, and it will do it all for you in one big process. But it doesn't sync like an iPod would.

As far as I know there is no software solution (by Apple or anyone else) that touts automatically keeping all your macs iTunes libraries in sync. So I have no clue what you are talking about there. It sounds great, but I do not believe it exists. The only automatic process I can think of is time machine, and this would work for multiple macs, but not to keep them in sync with each other. Rather it just coordinates automatic data backup.

 

[sirozha]

Yes, using homesharing to copy music from one Mac to another is manual. Now you don't have to do each song individually... you can select all songs, or some songs, and then click ok, and it will do it all for you in one big process. But it doesn't sync like an iPod would.

As far as I know there is no software solution (by Apple or anyone else) that touts automatically keeping all your macs iTunes libraries in sync. So I have no clue what you are talking about there. It sounds great, but I do not believe it exists. The only automatic process I can think of is time machine, and this would work for multiple macs, but not to keep them in sync with each other. Rather it just coordinates automatic data backup.

With the content purchased on iTunes, when Home Sharing is enabled, a song just purchased from the iTunes store gets automatically copied to another Mac if it is enabled for Home Sharing with the same iTunes account. If you don't want to pay a buck to see this happen, go to a Starbucks and pick up a free song download. Then, on one of your Macs, redeem the code and once this song is downloaded into your Mac's iTunes library watch it being automatically copied by your other Mac's iTunes library.

 

[newagemac]

Well I initially agreed with this, but now I am questioning my memory. 80% of my iTunes library is ripped from CD, and so is my wife's library. And I believe that we have homeshared both purchased and non-purchased music between our macs. Now I am going to have to test this tonight when I get home to make sure.

Home Sharing does allow you to see and get content from other computers on your home network and put it in your own iTunes library regardless of how it was acquired. The only difference between iTunes purchased content and non iTunes purchased content is that you can setup iTunes purchased content to automatically copy to other computers' iTunes libraries. You download from iTunes on one computer and it automatically downloads to your other computer when you open iTunes. You can turn that preference on or off. Otherwise, you need to drag and drop manually.

 

[mex4eric]

Harmony?

I have an old AppleTV and control it with my Harmony remote (along with everything else in my home theatre). Works like a charm. Has Harmony updated their software to control the AppleTV2?

Anyway, I live in Canada and there are no TV rentals here yet and almost nothing on Netflix (which just came to Canada last week), so I will stay with my old one.

 

[notjustjay]

well, i have a computer on all the time (not sleeping) -- the mac mini. apple claims its at <10 watts when inactive. i can live w/ that, much less than some light bulbs.

I considered this option. The power consumption specs are good, but I'm concerned about the longevity and capacity of the 2.5" laptop hard drives. I would want a 1 terabyte or larger drive, and those are expensive in that size.

 

[sirozha]

I have an old AppleTV and control it with my Harmony remote (along with everything else in my home theatre). Works like a charm. Has Harmony updated their software to control the AppleTV2?

Anyway, I live in Canada and there are no TV rentals here yet and almost nothing on Netflix (which just came to Canada last week), so I will stay with my old one.

Same remote codes that work with Front Row on a Mac work with the new Apple TV. I am using a Harmony remote with my new Apple TV, utilizing the activity I had created for my Macbook Pro running Front Row.

 

[DJinTX]

Home Sharing does allow you to see and get content from other computers on your home network and put it in your own iTunes library regardless of how it was acquired. The only difference between iTunes purchased content and non iTunes purchased content is that you can setup iTunes purchased content to automatically copy to other computers' iTunes libraries. You download from iTunes on one computer and it automatically downloads to your other computer when you open iTunes. You can turn that preference on or off. Otherwise, you need to drag and drop manually.

This is very surprising. I have never heard this feature reported before, although maybe I wasn;t paying complete attention when homesharing came out.

Ah well, yes sometimes I am wrong. It's the good kind of wrong though.

 

[ipedro]

Message to NBC, CBS...

If the new tv manages to maintain good sales throughout Christmas, other networks won't be able to ignore it. While ABC, Disney, Fox and BBC rent TV shows to tv and iPad users in increasing numbers, will the other networks want to be losing out?

It's bad PR to be absent from a hit device.

 

[shk718]

I just had a revelation about my TV. I pay $30/month for cinemax and showtime and I watch 1 show between the two of them and I don’t even like it that much – Dexter. If I get the $9/month Netflix – I can save $20 and watch any freaking tv show or movie I want on my apple tv whenever I want - i get a much larger selection that the pay channels. am i missing something or is this a no brainer?