Have you cancelled your Cable / Satellite TV service?

[tawcat]

My wife is contemplating cutting U-Verse service. Our TV is a Vizio WiFi HD ready and it is setup to our network. I've read a lot about Apple TV, but am confused. The Vizio has a popup menu for such things as Yahoo Finance, Netflix, Hulu Plus, YouTube, etc. Here is my confusion: is Apple TV basically for TV's that are internet ready or are there other viewing options within Apple TV?

I am TV dumb, I barely know how to use the remote, I think I actually recorded a TV program once, yay me!!!!

Any insight to this is greatly appreciated.

 

[Rushli0n]

My wife is contemplating cutting U-Verse service. Our TV is a Vizio WiFi HD ready and it is setup to our network. I've read a lot about Apple TV, but am confused. The Vizio has a popup menu for such things as Yahoo Finance, Netflix, Hulu Plus, YouTube, etc. Here is my confusion: is Apple TV basically for TV's that are internet ready or are there other viewing options within Apple TV?

I am TV dumb, I barely know how to use the remote, I think I actually recorded a TV program once, yay me!!!!

Any insight to this is greatly appreciated.

The biggest draw for the Apple TV is the ability to stream your own iTunes collection to your TV (all your DVDs, music, etc) and also rent/buy directly from iTunes. No smart TV that I know of allows for this type connection.

Also as mentioned recently, Apple TV now has access to Watch ESPN and HBO Go which your TV may or may not have.

 

[heimbachae]

it also has a much slicker interface than most smart TV interfaces

 

[otisg]

Why is it that whenever this topic comes up no one can ever just be honest and mention torrents? Look, I'm not going to provide you with a how to guide but if you know where to look you can find pretty much every show ever made, and as soon as they air.

You're absolutely right. However, the last time I brought up Usenet/Torrents/Sickbeard in one of these threads I was called out by the mods. It is against the forum rules to talk about piracy.

 

[otisg]

My setup: OTA --> HDHR --> EyeTV --> iTunes --> ATV2's. Free Hulu (no subscription) via jailbroken ATV2's. Netflix subscription.

We get all the network shows we want popping up on our Apple TV's automatically (just like a DVR), at OTA quality (1080i or 720p), with the ability to skip commercials.

I used this setup a year ago and found that the intermediate transcoding (MPEG-2 to H.264) was a deal breaker. Of course, I was using a Core 2 Duo MacBook for this, without the Turbo.264 HD. What is your experience with this and what kind of horsepower do you have for the transcoding?

I have since found a far better setup, but discussing it is against forum rules.

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I sure with Apple would add Amazon Instant Video to Apple TV, to give me even more selection.

If you jailbreak an iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch and install UnrestrictPremium 2 (you CAN install it on iPad 1, but you need a different repo) from Cydia, you can AirPlay Amazon Instant to an Apple TV. It is beyond me why they didn't just enable AirPlay, since they have also have apps for connected TVs. They must feel piracy is a possible issue, but I can't imagine many people seriously trying to record AirPlay content.

 

[tawcat]

So we have one TV that is WiFi equipped and one that is not. Do I need an Apple TV box for each TV?

Again I am so inept about this TV business it's not funny. My wife DVR's a lot of stuff as well, can we DVR with Apple TV, providing of course we had a DVR?

 

[Scarpad]

An easy solution is a smart VPN such as unblock us or unotelly. It's "smart" in that it is only activated when its needs to be, unlike something like hotspot shield which is either on or off. I myself set it up on my router, and now all my apple TVs and iPads can play NHL MLB or nfl without the blackout restrictions. Sadly it doesn't work for nba, so for this I have to manually turn on hotspot shield when a game is blocked out

What do you have to do on the router I use UnblockUS and it works on my Apple TV, and Roku, but will not work on my Devices

 

[Rushli0n]

So we have one TV that is WiFi equipped and one that is not. Do I need an Apple TV box for each TV?

Again I am so inept about this TV business it's not funny. My wife DVR's a lot of stuff as well, can we DVR with Apple TV, providing of course we had a DVR?

Well we are talking about cancelling your cable/sat service, so real DVRing would be limited to just OTA (over the air) channels. However setting that up doesn't sound like something you'd want to do as it would involve setting up an antennae and buying your own DVR.

Again, it depends what you want to do with the Apple TV. If all you want is Netflix and Hulu (which your TV already has) then you'd just need one. However if you want to buy shows/movies through iTunes then you'd want 2 as your TV wouldn't hook into that.

As for DVRing, Hulu has a good selection of shows that once you "favorite" them will show up in a queue which you can watch later. iTunes allows you to buy a season pass of a show and you get the new episodes the next day, which again can be streamed via the Apple TV without needing any other setup.

Also if you live in NYC, Boston, or Atlanta you could look up www.aereo.com. They allow you to stream your locals for $8/mo and have 20 hours of DVR service. They are expanding this year so your city might be on the list.

 

[tawcat]

RushLiOn: Thank you so much, I checked Aereo, Arkansas is not on the list. If I understand correctly, with ATV I can stream TV shows etc from our "i" devices as well as get content from iTunes? Whereas with just the WiFi TV I am limited to what it offers as far as content etc goes?

I really appreciate the education about this stuff, maybe one day I'll even figure out how to change channels!!!!

 

[linds15]

What do you have to do on the router I use UnblockUS and it works on my Apple TV, and Roku, but will not work on my Devices

They have a guide on their site explaining what to do. I have an airport so it was pretty easy to just chance the DNS on it from my Mac.

 

[Rushli0n]

RushLiOn: Thank you so much, I checked Aereo, Arkansas is not on the list. If I understand correctly, with ATV I can stream TV shows etc from our "i" devices as well as get content from iTunes? Whereas with just the WiFi TV I am limited to what it offers as far as content etc goes?

I really appreciate the education about this stuff, maybe one day I'll even figure out how to change channels!!!!

Yes, that feature is called AirPlay. Most apps support it, while others do not (see Amazon Instant Video as an example that does not support it). You can "mirror" your screen, but that is not ideal for video as there is lag and the quality is real low.

But any video you watch through Safari can be AirPlayed to an Apple TV.

 

[tawcat]

Yes, that feature is called AirPlay. Most apps support it, while others do not (see Amazon Instant Video as an example that does not support it). You can "mirror" your screen, but that is not ideal for video as there is lag and the quality is real low.

But any video you watch through Safari can be AirPlayed to an Apple TV.

Ugh my head is spinning!

One, I hope, last question. In order for her to play content via Safari to the ATV, you mention Airplay, is that something else I need to get or is it an app I d/l?

Thank you again for help, I really appreciate it.

 

[linds15]

Ugh my head is spinning!

One, I hope, last question. In order for her to play content via Safari to the ATV, you mention Airplay, is that something else I need to get or is it an app I d/l?

Thank you again for help, I really appreciate it.

AirPlay is a feature of iOS and Mac osx. To AirPlay from a Mac you will need a relatively new Mac, as it is only compatible with a small range of previous macs

 

[tawcat]

AirPlay is a feature of iOS and Mac osx. To AirPlay from a Mac you will need a relatively new Mac, as it is only compatible with a small range of previous macs

Perfect, thank you. Bought the ATV this eve, not sure she is ready to pull the plug on her beloved U-Verse

 

[Indy2424]

Cancelled cable. Used handbrake to digitize all of my movies. Share the movies through iTunes using my AppleTV. Subscribe to Netflix and Hulu. Also AirPlay apps from my iPad that have full length episodes of shows. Thing I miss most is sports, but I have never looked back and don't regret it.

 

[tawcat]

Looking for Airplay for my iPad, can't find it?

 

[heimbachae]

Looking for Airplay for my iPad, can't find it?

if you double tap the home button the quick launch menu should pop up from the bottom. scroll to the left (swipe right) to access the music/volume/brightness controls, then go one more that same way, click on AirPlay to ATV and boom, iPad screen on HDTV.

Also, in apps like YouTube that little icon should appear at the bottom right of videos, click on that and hit the ATV and it should stream audio and video.

 

[Cnasty]

Thing I miss most is sports, but I have never looked back and don't regret it.

Just pulled the plug recently as well and my biggest concern was sports too. I really only watch 2 shows religiously, Breaking Bad and the Walking Dead. So I will buy those season passes which is still cheaper than cable and also catch up on all the great HBO GO content I never watched like True Blood, Band of Brothers, Sopranos,etc.

For sports, look into a Mohu Leaf Ultimate. I hooked mine up and it picked up 55 local channels and a ton in HD including all major networks like ABC,NBC,CBS. I live in Orlando and the thing is so strong I got the Orlando stations as well the Tampa ones.

Great buy off of Amazon and between that for the local channels, the MLB/NBA apps on ATV,and Watch ESPN we should be pretty covered sports wise.

 

[sonicrobby]

With Netflix and Hulu Plus on the Apple TV, I'm strongly considering it. Directv is great and all, but I never use it as I'm always traveling.

I'm pretty certain you could meet over 90% of your needs with OTA, Netflix, and Hulu Plus.

Has anyone else done this or is taking this into consideration?

Wish we could, but Im too attached to my football and Walking Dead (which takes forever for the new episodes to get onto nextflix). But maybe if there were a good, reliable, free site for football streaming, I would consider dropping it.

 

[Rushli0n]

Looking for Airplay for my iPad, can't find it?

If you are playing a video on your iPad, tap the screen for the controls. You should see the AirPlay icon to the right.

Note that your Apple TV and your iPad need to be on the same network.

 

[heimbachae]

if any of you are outside a major city get an OTA antenna. we have one from RCA and get most major channels in HD. it was only 25 bucks off amazon, not even the top of the line one but still, free HD is free HD.

 

[tawcat]

I want to thank all of you that gave feedback, esp RushLiOn, most helpful.

So this morning I called and downgraded to a basic U-Verse TV plan, still $50 a month, but it's a start. My wife is a TV addict, being a theater major, she is really into stage. So this will be a weaning process!

Was successful in streaming from my iPad, however, not all video content has the capability. And the content we streamed provided a better picture than ATT.

We are on the way to cutting the cable/U-Verse tether!!!

 

[eecyclone]

I have cut my Cable TV service since starting to use the Apple TV but in the fall football will be starting back up. Does anyone have cable or satellite TV service that they turn on and off depending on what sports seasons are active?

 

[dgalvan123]

I used this setup a year ago and found that the intermediate transcoding (MPEG-2 to H.264) was a deal breaker. Of course, I was using a Core 2 Duo MacBook for this, without the Turbo.264 HD. What is your experience with this and what kind of horsepower do you have for the transcoding?

I have since found a far better setup, but discussing it is against forum rules.

I use a Macbook Pro 17" mid-2009, which has a 2.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo. NOT using a Turbo.264 HD. And it is doing that transcoding in the background, often while we are using the machine for regular home stuff (iPhoto management, web browsing, e-mail).

The transcoding does indeed take a while. The primetime shows for a given show (say, 8 pm or 9pm shows) won't show up in iTunes until very late at night (after midnight).

Effectively, this means we watch the shows on the Apple TV the day after they air. This may not be acceptable for some people, but it is acceptable for us. (We are busy parents, so we fit TV in when we can. We would probably often be time-shifting these shows by at least one day anyway, just due to our volatile schedules.)

On the rare occasions where there is a TV event that we really DO want to watch the same day that it airs (the super bowl, the oscars, a presidential debate), we do the following:
-Set EyeTV to record the event. Then 20 minutes or so after the event starts, start playing the recording in EyeTV on the mac, and use AirParrot to mirror the computer's screen to the TV. This lets us pause, rewind, and skip commercials just like a regular DVR. No, the picture is not quite as nice as the transcoded file playing in iTunes (mainly due to the limitations of AirParrot and my hardware), but it's good enough for us.

All that said, the transcoding is indeed an annoyance, and I'd like to be rid of it. That's why I'm looking forward to the relase of the Silicon Dust HDHR-4 (which is supposed to come out some time this year). That device does the transcoding of the OTA program stream from mpg2 to H.264 in real time onboard using it's own hardware, so that EyeTV will end up with H.264 video at the outset. This means the "export to iTunes" function should be nearly instantaneous.

I'm very curious about your "far better setup". Would you be willing to tell me about it in a private message?

 

[linds15]

Wish we could, but Im too attached to my football and Walking Dead (which takes forever for the new episodes to get onto nextflix). But maybe if there were a good, reliable, free site for football streaming, I would consider dropping it.

Nfl game pass air played to atv. Problem solved