Is Apple TV worth it for me?

[applefan289]

I'm trying to figure out if Apple TV is the way to go. I've started to buy TV shows and music videos. I have them on my iPad and Mac.

The reason I'm asking is because I currently am with Comcast cable (which has On Demand, etc.), and I also have a Blu-ray player. Where would Apple TV fit in this setup?

I am currently using iTunes for episodes (or videos) that are not available on Blu-ray or Comcast. In other words, iTunes has its own little niche in my setup.

But how would I use Apple TV? Do I have to have my computer on to stream stuff? Is it impractical?

I love watching stuff on my iPad and iMac, just wondering if I should give these purchases some TV time.

 

[r.j.s]

Yes, you have to use the computer to stream TV and movies bought from iTunes - but you can rent them directly from Apple TV as well.

I use mine to stream Netflix, in addition to the occasional movie rental from iTunes.

 

[Bye Bye Baby]

If you like renting your stuff from iTunes or if you have a large library of itunes stuff than ATV is the way to go for you.

 

[RebelScum]

The best thing ATV is good for is Airplay, hands-down. There are other, more capable devices out there, but only ATV will let you share your iPad/iPhone content on your big screen.

Unless you have a lot of ripped content on your HDD, ATV is a perfectly capable HTSTB, and the only one that handles music well. Yes your puter needs to be on to stream locally stored content (i.e. iTunes purchases), but that's hardly a dealbreaker. For $100, you can't go wrong.

 

[xlii]

I have comcast. I also have a samsung tv that has netflix, hulu plus, vudu and a number of other apps on it. To watch movies that were on my computer I can put them on an external drive and connect it to the samsung using the usb bus. It works very well. The only thing I would like an apple tv for is to use iphoto to display photos on the tv. I've tryed eyeconnect and a few others but the iphoto interface is clunky.

Just my 2 cents. I'm watching to see if an appletv 3 comes out someday and will consider it depending on what it can do for me.