Rather see it done properly than rushed. If that means waiting until Feb. then so be it. Better that than a buggy system.
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'iTV' Availability: Late January/Early February?
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I suppose, but from everything Apple has said and we've seen, the iTV will not be a DVR.
I wonder if the device will also be a 802.11n basestation kind of like the Airport Express is a basestation and music streaming relay device. I sure could use an upgrade to my original graphite Airport basestation.
I also read somewhere that devices based on the draft spec of 802.11n may not be compatible with the final spec.
I also read somewhere that devices based on the draft spec of 802.11n may not be compatible with the final spec.
And where do you plan on getting the 1080p content. 720p is the best broadcast or upscaled to 1080i...only HD-DVD and BluRay provide 1080p content..there is no other source of 1080p.
Still, do you know how long it would take to actually download 5GB worth of data?
With current broadband bandwidths I think this is unreasonable. Although I would definitely appreciate it with a 5Mb connection.
I understand that for many (most) people watching Hollywood movies and recorded television is about the only use of this gadget but for people who own and use cameras this is going to be very usful even if iTunes does suck (it does and will until they get at least 480p content) I like to watch stuff that I shot and edited on the Sony LCD TV but the only way to do that now is to burn a DVD. But my Sony LCD is 1080p and currently I don't have ANY way to move 1080p content from my mac to the TV screen. I hope iTV will allow this. I couldn't care less about Hollywood movies and TV shows.
The spec is pretty much locked though and I'd say the changes can be pretty much coped with with a firmware update.
TV watching is a VERY passive activity
can I have your attention please.
Watching TV is a VERY passive thing that we all do! Whatever form the release iTV takes; it will make watching TV laborous. I and the whole 95% of the human species will not bother with it if we have to think of what we want to watch every single time we turn on the tube. For the iTV to succeed, it will have to be very easy to use. Infact it has to be easier to use than the iPod. Having say that I predict the iTV will be the new Apple flop taking the place of the Cube.
Cinch
can I have your attention please.
Watching TV is a VERY passive thing that we all do! Whatever form the release iTV takes; it will make watching TV laborous. I and the whole 95% of the human species will not bother with it if we have to think of what we want to watch every single time we turn on the tube. For the iTV to succeed, it will have to be very easy to use. Infact it has to be easier to use than the iPod. Having say that I predict the iTV will be the new Apple flop taking the place of the Cube.
Cinch
We all have Macs right? Don't we use them to create videos, slide shows. My Nikon D50 shoots 3000 x 2000 pixels. It looks decent when down sampled to 1080 but not to 480. I'd really like to get this displayed on my 1080p screen. I don't own an HD video camera but I've been wanting to try Green Screen I could composite live action over a background I shot with my DSLR to make a 1080P final result.
exactly unless its homemade
this is the point i was originally trying to make about the feasibility of HD content. it would take a long time to download 720p, but 480p just isn't sexy anymore.
Have you actually used a TiVo?The UI is very easy to use and can make watching TV much more enjoyable. Why do you assume that Apple can't do something similar here.
B
You can get uncompressed 1080i over-the-air with an antenna. Most 1080p TVs will deinterlace this and display it at 1080p.
The UI is very easy to use and can make watching TV much more enjoyable. Why do you assume that Apple can't do something similar here.
B
I think he is referring to actually having to download the episodes first.
Anyway, this is not just for TV it is for movies, music, photos, TV shows and more.
Of course deinterlacing doesn't actually add any information back into the signal it's still 1080i just displayed as 1080p, it's not much better than 720p scaled up to 1080p.
FWIW I've watched some low bitrate 960x540 content that looks quite a bit better than DVD, but is still only ~700 MB/hour. Yes, you can see artifacts in fast moving or dark scenes, but overall it's quite viewable.
I was including that too. Picking a program to record on your TiVo is not difficult and/or laborous.
B
The UI is very easy to use and can make watching TV much more enjoyable. Why do you assume that Apple can't do something similar here.
B
no, but I've seen it use. Do I feel compel to get TiVo? no. I ussually come home late ~10 to 11pm, and by then my brain is fried or physically exhausted from work and working out. I don't have a regular time that I sit down to watch TV, and I can't think of a show that I would devote time to watch regularly. Haven't say this, I got to get back to work.
Cinch
So... the product is still on schedule for release in the first quarter of 2007 - or am I missing something?
There were several rumors that the iTV would actually be released at MWSF, but now it is looking like that is not the case. Obviously yes January and February are still 1Q07, so the product is not necessarily delayed per se.
IMHO this is exactly where TiVo fits in for 95% of people who own them.
Think of it as your own personal On Demand channel that has only the programs you like to watch whenever you want to watch them. Want to watch a movie in 10 15 minute slices? Go ahead. Skip commercials? Or even as I sometimes do, watch a show at 2X speed with the closed captions on. It's all at your fingertips.
I think that iTV is already a bit of a niche market product as previewed since it seems to only be worthwhile if you already have an HDTV.
B
By the time they have given a detailed overview of Leopard, introduced iLife 07, shown off the iTV in more detail, and perhaps tied in with that 802.11n availability for all new macs, and perhaps a few other minor updates for the Macs, I cannot imagine they're going to fit much more into the Keynote. Last year I was expecting everything, and was disappointed. For me, anything more than what I've described will be a bonus.
I've been using a mac mini, HDTV ant. and an eyetv hybrid for months now. It works great. I have it hooked up to my 60 inch Sony SXRD via DVI. The only problem is the resolution is not perfect (top and left side of screen is cut-off a bit), but hardly noticable. In order for me to abandon my set-up it would have to allow me to kill my cable tv altogether. The only channels keeping me tethered to my cable is ESPN.
Yeah, I guess I'd be surprised if we really see all the things people are anticipating...
iTV
Leopard
iLife07
iPhone
video iPod
new displays
new MacPros
Would be nice though.
I agree. Last years keynote was disappointing. It's hard enough not to begin to buy into the rumors when you're being bombarded with them everyday. I'm just hoping this year they really release a lot of (hopefully new but okay if only updated) goodies... otherwise, Apple's new ad on their website "the first 30 years were just the beginning" is just a big tease.
hmmm...
wasn't there a report of apple talking with the studios about releasing MP4/Quicktime compatible versions of movies on Blu-Ray and HD-DVD Discs?
That could be very interesting, since then you could buy the HD-DVD's as well as Blu-Ray and know that you have an authorized copy for your computer or streaming media server.
VERY interesting indeed.
I would drive purchases for the studios as well as supplying content for the new apple products.
wasn't there a report of apple talking with the studios about releasing MP4/Quicktime compatible versions of movies on Blu-Ray and HD-DVD Discs?
That could be very interesting, since then you could buy the HD-DVD's as well as Blu-Ray and know that you have an authorized copy for your computer or streaming media server.
VERY interesting indeed.
I would drive purchases for the studios as well as supplying content for the new apple products.
Of course, listening to music is even more passive than watching TV. The Christmas day crash of the iTS should be some indication that consumers are willing to casually interact with a device in order to appreciate their content anywhere and anytime.
That being said, I wouldn't be surprised to see the iTV crash and burn. I think it still may be ahead of it's time. Those of us who are technologically inclined have been waiting for something like this, but I think the rest of the general consuming public is still getting used to their Tivos. In fact, I think that with Tivo's brand recognition, they are the company best suited to offer online content distribution.
The difference is that Apple is a world wide known brand.
Tivo is nothing much outside of the US. They pulled out of the UK years ago.
Of course just because I've heard of Apple and own several of their computers does not mean I would by content via their online store. I still buy CDs for music and DVDs for TV and films.