That's what I use as component cables. I guess other people are willing to pay a 500% premium for specially colour coded RCA jacks. Not me.
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MacRumors Review: Apple TV
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That's what I use as component cables. I guess other people are willing to pay a 500% premium for specially colour coded RCA jacks. Not me.
It may not be a blockbuster, but it will improve with age. The software update option is a great bonus. I have a multi codec dvd player but wouldnt know where to start to update codecs. Presumably Apple TV updating is likely to be a doddle?
One Input Port on TV
As I mentioned before, the real problem with Apple TV is that there is no good backward compatibility for video.
An S-video or composite port would solved the problem.
If you only have one component input connector on your TV you now have 3 items fighting for the connection: A DVD player, nintendo or other game, and Apple TV.
For me it really comes down to the DVD player vs Apple TV.
Do I want to watch my DVDs in full quality, or see my photos, etc on Apple TV?
Here, Apple doesn't give you a choice. If you buy their box, it has to use the component input port, which means connecting the DVD player via composite or S. This is going backwards.
I would like to add an Apple TV to my set-up, but not at the expense of watching DVDs in full quality. Remember that this would also mean that you'd lose the sound quality of surround sound as well.
I would like to have both. Keep my DVD and surround sound at full quality, and just add the apple TV box. Impossible unless I buy a new TV.
I should like to have the choice in which one I'd connect to the older composite port. Without the choice we see apple acting very much like that company in Redmond. What a shame.
The other choice is not to buy it. I'm sure many will elect this one.
As I mentioned before, the real problem with Apple TV is that there is no good backward compatibility for video.
An S-video or composite port would solved the problem.
If you only have one component input connector on your TV you now have 3 items fighting for the connection: A DVD player, nintendo or other game, and Apple TV.
For me it really comes down to the DVD player vs Apple TV.
Do I want to watch my DVDs in full quality, or see my photos, etc on Apple TV?
Here, Apple doesn't give you a choice. If you buy their box, it has to use the component input port, which means connecting the DVD player via composite or S. This is going backwards.
I would like to add an Apple TV to my set-up, but not at the expense of watching DVDs in full quality. Remember that this would also mean that you'd lose the sound quality of surround sound as well.
I would like to have both. Keep my DVD and surround sound at full quality, and just add the apple TV box. Impossible unless I buy a new TV.
I should like to have the choice in which one I'd connect to the older composite port. Without the choice we see apple acting very much like that company in Redmond. What a shame.
The other choice is not to buy it. I'm sure many will elect this one.
Apple TV or just a Mac?
Okay, so after reading all about it I've decided NOT to get an AppleTV. Instead, I'd rather just get a new Mac as part of my media center because I can watch ALL my content (ripped dvds, Divx, etc.) easily on my TV and not just iTunes stuff. I have most of my dvds backed up on a hard drive (to whoever said earlier that ripping your own dvds on your computer is ilegal...no it's not, the US Supreme Court said so).
Here's my question:
The MacRumors review lists a Mac Mini as an alternative to AppleTV, but can a MacMini really output HD quality? How about a MacBook / MBPro? I want to download HD movies/tv (whether iTunes, Bittorrent, Netflix whatever) instead of buying a BluRay player for now, but want to be able to actualy view it in HD. It seems that AppleTV + iTunes will work for 720p (when iTunes has it...why they didn't coincide that with the AppleTV release I can't understand), but will a MacMini or other Mac output actual HD content via DVI or not?
Thanks!
Okay, so after reading all about it I've decided NOT to get an AppleTV. Instead, I'd rather just get a new Mac as part of my media center because I can watch ALL my content (ripped dvds, Divx, etc.) easily on my TV and not just iTunes stuff. I have most of my dvds backed up on a hard drive (to whoever said earlier that ripping your own dvds on your computer is ilegal...no it's not, the US Supreme Court said so).
Here's my question:
The MacRumors review lists a Mac Mini as an alternative to AppleTV, but can a MacMini really output HD quality? How about a MacBook / MBPro? I want to download HD movies/tv (whether iTunes, Bittorrent, Netflix whatever) instead of buying a BluRay player for now, but want to be able to actualy view it in HD. It seems that AppleTV + iTunes will work for 720p (when iTunes has it...why they didn't coincide that with the AppleTV release I can't understand), but will a MacMini or other Mac output actual HD content via DVI or not?
Thanks!
You can buy port switchers that will imput several components and output just one, which plugs into your tv. This will allow you to plug in all your devices at the same time
It should be pointed out that this is not a problem created by or unique to Apple's product.
TVs always seem to have fewer ports of a particular type than you need. IMHO, the solution is not to downgrade the signal to 480i, but to add a switcher as natejohnstone suggests, or even to use an audio receiver as a switcher, which I did in the past.
My currrent TV has 2 HDMI 1 component, 1 VGA, 3 composite/S-Video and now has devices connected to all of them.
B
I've read just about every thing I can find on Apple TVs (hacking and otherwise) and I'm totally sold on it. Hell, even if it ends up not working properly on my wife's SD Sony (it has component inputs but no wide screen squishing) I'll still get it.
There are a few things I really want Apple to enable (although I have no doubt they will all be hacked "on" in a few weeks). All of these can be enabled by Apple with a simple software update.
1: Surround sound. The Apple TV apparently has one of the best surround decoder chips you can get on the motherboard but it's disabled. True that most of what Apple sells isn't surround, but if they really want people to start taking advantage of other sources of getting videos (I don't mean the bad stuff like ripping DVDs... Okay, I do mean that a little) it's something that should be enabled. And promoted to sell more units.
2: Enabling the USB port for external hard drives (as a minimum) for additional storage. DVD players would be really sweet. Granted it's not the most elegent way to get a DVD player, but it doesn't hurt anything at all by giving you the option to connect a USB DVD drive into it. (Yes I am aware that storage isn't a huge deal on the Apple TV due to its ability to stream very well from 802.11g and up.)
3: A mode to output a artificially squished wide screen display to SD TVs without a 16:9 mode. Meaning show it as how you'd watch a wide screen DVD on a 4:3 TV by adding black bars so any TV with component out can use it. I'm not sure if it can be added solely in software though. This might not be possible without a different board design. But if they can do it in software why not? I mean if they tell people all you need is component input you can use it without a problem it will get a lot more people buying them instead of saying "I'm not sure because it may not work with my older TV with component and no wide screen mode" - like my TV.
4: I really hope they don't start adding protection from people altering the OS like they're doing now (installing new codecs, etc). It'll only hurt sales and cost money to implement. Who cares if someone does it? As long as they've bought it they already got their money. I couldn't buy movies/TV shows from the iTMS (Canada) in the first place anyway, so they aren't losing anything from me.
5: Possibly incorporate the Airport Express into it using software. Why not make it act just like it? It already streams music to it and most people will connect it to their home theater since more and more peoples' sound systems are simply what they're using on their TV. Sharing a printer and acting as a router (or even just a repeater for your network)? OS X can already do it so why not just enable it? Unless there's a performance problem with enabling those services on a "slow-ish" computer I don't see why they don't give you the option and tell people about it.
Feel free to correct any errors or suggest some other stuff you'd like to see on it.
PS Did you know that FrontRow on the Apple TV is named differently in the system files? It's called BackRow.
There are a few things I really want Apple to enable (although I have no doubt they will all be hacked "on" in a few weeks). All of these can be enabled by Apple with a simple software update.
1: Surround sound. The Apple TV apparently has one of the best surround decoder chips you can get on the motherboard but it's disabled. True that most of what Apple sells isn't surround, but if they really want people to start taking advantage of other sources of getting videos (I don't mean the bad stuff like ripping DVDs... Okay, I do mean that a little) it's something that should be enabled. And promoted to sell more units.
2: Enabling the USB port for external hard drives (as a minimum) for additional storage. DVD players would be really sweet. Granted it's not the most elegent way to get a DVD player, but it doesn't hurt anything at all by giving you the option to connect a USB DVD drive into it. (Yes I am aware that storage isn't a huge deal on the Apple TV due to its ability to stream very well from 802.11g and up.)
3: A mode to output a artificially squished wide screen display to SD TVs without a 16:9 mode. Meaning show it as how you'd watch a wide screen DVD on a 4:3 TV by adding black bars so any TV with component out can use it. I'm not sure if it can be added solely in software though. This might not be possible without a different board design. But if they can do it in software why not? I mean if they tell people all you need is component input you can use it without a problem it will get a lot more people buying them instead of saying "I'm not sure because it may not work with my older TV with component and no wide screen mode" - like my TV.
4: I really hope they don't start adding protection from people altering the OS like they're doing now (installing new codecs, etc). It'll only hurt sales and cost money to implement. Who cares if someone does it? As long as they've bought it they already got their money. I couldn't buy movies/TV shows from the iTMS (Canada) in the first place anyway, so they aren't losing anything from me.
5: Possibly incorporate the Airport Express into it using software. Why not make it act just like it? It already streams music to it and most people will connect it to their home theater since more and more peoples' sound systems are simply what they're using on their TV. Sharing a printer and acting as a router (or even just a repeater for your network)? OS X can already do it so why not just enable it? Unless there's a performance problem with enabling those services on a "slow-ish" computer I don't see why they don't give you the option and tell people about it.
Feel free to correct any errors or suggest some other stuff you'd like to see on it.
PS Did you know that FrontRow on the Apple TV is named differently in the system files? It's called BackRow.
If people started altering the OS, it will undoubtedly cause many problems and end up costing Apple far more in support costs and lost sales. ...Apple has always been about simplicity, and things that "just work."
In general, those who choose to hack their TiVo/Xbox/
TV know what they're getting into. Support is the first thing to go.B
In general, those who choose to hack their TiVo/Xbox/
B
Absolutely true. If I buy an Apple TV and alter the OS, install a second drive or whatever and screw it up. That's my own fault. I know that I've done something on it they don't intend it for. So why would I call tech support and complain? It makes no sense at all. It's like calling Dell and saying "Hey, how do I download porn and illegal movies on my computer?" or "I downloaded a pirated version of Photoshop and it had a virus". If idiots start messing with their Apple TVs and call Apple because of it... well that's just laughable. I know the first thing I do when I get mine is making a full image of the 40 GB sold with it so if I do something to it I can correct it. (Also, maybe in the future Apple could cripple it with a software update and we'll have a way to revert? Who knows. I'm happy to spare a few gigs for a backup.)
For my TiVos, I just put the original drive on a shelf.
B
Of course. I'll probably do both that and the disk image (so I can examine it without having my Apple TV pulled apart.)
Hopin for future developments.
I bought mine today. Set it up and then stood there trying to figure out why I bought it.
I play Blue ray movies, Hd is amazing in quality. Love the additional extras on DVD's, like Directors commentaries etc.
Why would I get the movie via iTunes? To lose the extras? To lose picture quality? That would be stupid.
Next _ Are there some Podcasts I like, maybe but stretched to this screen size, I wouldnt like them anymore.
Next- Streaming Music? yawn, i have a real stereo for that, doesnt everyone?, isnt that why Apple made the iTunes or Airtunes part of the WiFi ?
Next- Movie trailers, those were kinda cool, streamed from the internet to my huge HD screen. Wish there was more of that kind of stuff.
This should be an internet interface! More of a direct itunes style, straight to all the previews that they have on the Quicktime website.
There seems to be many more than what is listed in ATV than what exists on the Apple site.
So that doesnt really work fully.
I guess that I could Sync all my photos and watch them on the HDTV, not sure if that is worth 300 clams!
I don't see a real product here and kinda feel like there is more coming or I just got fleeced because I trust Apple and buy all their stuff with almost blind faith. Ha, does that make me a loser with too much money?
I think that the killer app of this product is what will scare the hell out of BLockBuster.
Video Rental Online! DO it! Steal millions from BlockBuster and save Gas and the earth from the green house effect by stopping all the travel to blockbuster for video rentals and returning.
I think that the quality from iTunes can be as good as a average DVD rental. This could be a fantastic idea, rent your movie right away through iTunes.
Damn , I wonder who will rent all the empty stores when BlockBuster is gone. And why hasnt it been done already? Could there be a forced deal with BB , not to do this? What the hold up?
Imagine the stock prices on Apple would skyrocket!
I bought mine today. Set it up and then stood there trying to figure out why I bought it.
I play Blue ray movies, Hd is amazing in quality. Love the additional extras on DVD's, like Directors commentaries etc.
Why would I get the movie via iTunes? To lose the extras? To lose picture quality? That would be stupid.
Next _ Are there some Podcasts I like, maybe but stretched to this screen size, I wouldnt like them anymore.
Next- Streaming Music? yawn, i have a real stereo for that, doesnt everyone?, isnt that why Apple made the iTunes or Airtunes part of the WiFi ?
Next- Movie trailers, those were kinda cool, streamed from the internet to my huge HD screen. Wish there was more of that kind of stuff.
This should be an internet interface! More of a direct itunes style, straight to all the previews that they have on the Quicktime website.
There seems to be many more than what is listed in ATV than what exists on the Apple site.
So that doesnt really work fully.
I guess that I could Sync all my photos and watch them on the HDTV, not sure if that is worth 300 clams!
I don't see a real product here and kinda feel like there is more coming or I just got fleeced because I trust Apple and buy all their stuff with almost blind faith. Ha, does that make me a loser with too much money?
I think that the killer app of this product is what will scare the hell out of BLockBuster.
Video Rental Online! DO it! Steal millions from BlockBuster and save Gas and the earth from the green house effect by stopping all the travel to blockbuster for video rentals and returning.
I think that the quality from iTunes can be as good as a average DVD rental. This could be a fantastic idea, rent your movie right away through iTunes.
Damn , I wonder who will rent all the empty stores when BlockBuster is gone. And why hasnt it been done already? Could there be a forced deal with BB , not to do this? What the hold up?
Imagine the stock prices on Apple would skyrocket!
As I understand it.... (I have not tried this personally)
If the reference is to a network path (which the Apple TV can access)
AND
The content is a format which the Apple TV can play, then the Apple TV *will* play it.
Yes, but not a G4 MacMini.
G4s struggle with 720p - never mind more. The Mac Mini - outclasses the AppleTV - and at twice the price - so it should.
C.
I originally Ordered one on Street date, but then cancelled and decided to wait. I ordered one again last night and it should be here by the end of the week. I decided that it fit the niche I'm looking to fill. I'll be able to move my Mac Mini out of the Living room back into my office, it provides a simple and elegent interface for watching the TV Shows I've ripped to Itunes, and I'm hoping that Between Itunes and Other Sources I can significantly Downgrade my Cable Setup, DVR and go this route. I've seen enough progress on it in two days that I know after a few months there's gonna be all sorts of Mods and tweaks you can do. I Have a 32" Sammy LCD in the Living Room, that will be the perfect Size I think for Apple TV, I would put it on my 65" Projection in the basement HT, but for what it will be used for it should do OK.
Wow
Wow that trailer is amazing. Nice recommendation.
Great way to start the work week.
Thanks Multimedia, yet again,
Dante
Just downloaded the new 118MB 3 minute SpiderMan3 Trailer3 exclusively hosted by Comcast and find a fantasticly high quality example of 24fps 1280 by 720P that exceeds AppleTV's maximum allowable bit rate by a mere 454 kbps (5453.58 kbps). Here's an example of how Apple has ignored what bit rates Hollywood is using to post their movie trailers. I don't see why the appleTV maximum bit rate couldn't have been 6Mbps instead of 5 do you?
I recommend you all download and look at this full screen. It will blow your mind. Gotta be among the worlds best movie trailers of all time. Absolutely amazing.
I'm able to watch it on my directly connected Samsung 40" LN-S4095 HDTV and the quality is really outstanding. Looks like HDTV. Never seen a better quality trailer encode ever.
Wow that trailer is amazing. Nice recommendation.
Great way to start the work week.
Thanks Multimedia, yet again,
Dante
I don't know how people can say the quality of the Apple TV looks bad.
Here is what the quality looks like on me TV and it is perfect:
![IMG_5279.jpg]()
![IMG_5276.jpg]()
Do your movies, photos, and TV shows look like this? Do you guys consider this bad quality?
I'm sorry, but you can't really tell anything from that...
as for me, I have no HD in my home other than what might get put on a computer. I'm used to analog stuff. The main complaint is just severe blockiness (and yes, I stood quite a ways back for normal viewing distances for a TV). I understand all we get is 480p from iTS, but it just seemed to me it could have done a better job at scaling.
and how is your wii not overheating? Mine gets pretty warm on the left (when the unit is standing). wouldn't be able to leave it flush like that
And here's the rub... for half the price of a Mac Mini, I stream 720p from my G4/933MHz tower to the AppleTV without skips or jitter. Since I already have about 450GB of total storage connected to the G4/933, I just spent half the cost of a Mac Mini to squeeze more usefulness out of my existing hardware.
I've searched around and read tons of posts but can't seem to figure this out. I have a tv in my office that I loop dvds on (just for show, not for actual viewing). I'd love to be able to do this from a computer or network server rather than dvds, and have no problem setting up my videos in the format that AppleTV requires. My question is, will this device allow continuous playing of media files ? Ie. is there a repeat or shuffle of sorts for video files ? What I don't want to do is to have to play with a menu every 1 hr.
Or you could simply use a component selector:
http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=component+selector&btnG=Search
edit: I see natejohnstone@g already replied
Unfortunately, no. In fact (I just tried and it doesn't work) you can't even make a playlist of videos
More on Surround Sound
I did some more research on the surround capabilities of the Apple TV (or lack thereof).
According to this Apple document, Apple would have you believe that the Apple TV does indeed support surround sound.
This is pretty much along the lines of what other members of the forums have said. However, there was a reason why I put what I put in the review. The surround capabilities STINK compared to true, discrete surround sound.
The way Apple is achieving surround sound is by encoding the movies so that they sound good on a 2 speaker system (aka your computer or iPod), but can also be processed by a Dolby Pro Logic decoder and have surround sound made. This isn't nearly as good as what comes on DVD's, which is often Dolby Digital or some sort of discrete 5 channel mix.
Put simply, I tested the Apple TV using a surround-sound setup and a Dolby II compatible amplifier, and didn't get very good results.
This all being said, the fact that they are purposefully encoding movies using Dolby Surround may be grounds to gain an after-the-fact feature point, but still not on the same level as being able to process discrete surround.
I did some more research on the surround capabilities of the Apple TV (or lack thereof).
According to this Apple document, Apple would have you believe that the Apple TV does indeed support surround sound.
This is pretty much along the lines of what other members of the forums have said. However, there was a reason why I put what I put in the review. The surround capabilities STINK compared to true, discrete surround sound.
The way Apple is achieving surround sound is by encoding the movies so that they sound good on a 2 speaker system (aka your computer or iPod), but can also be processed by a Dolby Pro Logic decoder and have surround sound made. This isn't nearly as good as what comes on DVD's, which is often Dolby Digital or some sort of discrete 5 channel mix.
Put simply, I tested the Apple TV using a surround-sound setup and a Dolby II compatible amplifier, and didn't get very good results.
This all being said, the fact that they are purposefully encoding movies using Dolby Surround may be grounds to gain an after-the-fact feature point, but still not on the same level as being able to process discrete surround.
Grokgod......
I'm 'kinda curious. The Apple TV is a device that streams/syncs iTunes content from your host computer to your widescreen TV.....it doesn't claim to be anything else or do anything else.
The obvious question is why you bought an TV. What did you think you were buying if you didn't want any of these features?
I really *didn't* wake up this morning thinking, "Gee....I think I'm 'gonna rip someone a new *%$# on the forums this morming." However, when I read posts such as yours I wonder if people take the time to check out *what* they are buying *before* they buy it.
Have a nice day?
I'm 'kinda curious. The Apple TV is a device that streams/syncs iTunes content from your host computer to your widescreen TV.....it doesn't claim to be anything else or do anything else.
The obvious question is why you bought an
TV. What did you think you were buying if you didn't want any of these features?Huh? A stereo? I prefer to listen to music I want to hear and playlists that I create. I'm an old guy so I have no problem saying that stereo's are so 70's.....
http://www.netflix.com
I really *didn't* wake up this morning thinking, "Gee....I think I'm 'gonna rip someone a new *%$# on the forums this morming." However, when I read posts such as yours I wonder if people take the time to check out *what* they are buying *before* they buy it.
Have a nice day?