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What will it take to make Apple TV worth it?
- Thread starter iScared
- Start date
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Same here in NZ. Apps cannot be written for it, cannot ask Apple to do it, they need to invite. If the App Store arrives and it uses the same apps as iOS, updated for ATV, that would male the ATV the only STB you need.
4K and H265 HECV 10bit support.
Better Audio support in general:
- HD Audio 7.1 Lossless codec support, even ATMOS
- native sampling rate for redbook CDs/ALACs (44.1KHz) rather than forced 48KHz output. Even going as high as 24/192 support if rather than forcing resamping to 48KHz. DSD/DXD support would be great.
An App store with useful apps:
-XBMC/Kodi app.
-HDHomerun app for OTA channels.
-(dare to dream) Amazon Instant or Vudu/UV.
A lower price for their rentals and better bitrate. Think Vudu HDX vs. itunes HD and 4.99 vs. 5.99.
With AndroidTV boxes coming that can do most of that (Razer ForgeTV/NVidia Shield) with the bonus they can stream PC games to the TV Apple will have to do something.
That said, the ATV is a good box now. A jailbroken ATV2 shows it can be so much more, especially with a newer SoC that would at the least enable 1080p/4k. Its really Apple holding it back at this point.
Better Audio support in general:
- HD Audio 7.1 Lossless codec support, even ATMOS
- native sampling rate for redbook CDs/ALACs (44.1KHz) rather than forced 48KHz output. Even going as high as 24/192 support if rather than forcing resamping to 48KHz. DSD/DXD support would be great.
An App store with useful apps:
-XBMC/Kodi app.
-HDHomerun app for OTA channels.
-(dare to dream) Amazon Instant or Vudu/UV.
A lower price for their rentals and better bitrate. Think Vudu HDX vs. itunes HD and 4.99 vs. 5.99.
With AndroidTV boxes coming that can do most of that (Razer ForgeTV/NVidia Shield) with the bonus they can stream PC games to the TV Apple will have to do something.
That said, the ATV is a good box now. A jailbroken ATV2 shows it can be so much more, especially with a newer SoC that would at the least enable 1080p/4k. Its really Apple holding it back at this point.
@richwoodrocket
My bad, you're right...there is an ATV 3...which begs the question, why is there three versions of ATV and no significant upgrades to it?
@fitschad
AFAIK, Apple TV still has the option to remove unnecessary clutter apps. I have only a handful of apps on my ATV.
@everyone else
Let's just hope that MacRumors is right and that there will be ATV 4 with an actual app store...I really want Amazon and have my Apple and eat it too (since home sharing is a great feature for *ahem* ripping files...).
My bad, you're right...there is an ATV 3...which begs the question, why is there three versions of ATV and no significant upgrades to it?
@fitschad
AFAIK, Apple TV still has the option to remove unnecessary clutter apps. I have only a handful of apps on my ATV.
@everyone else
Let's just hope that MacRumors is right and that there will be ATV 4 with an actual app store...I really want Amazon and have my Apple and eat it too (since home sharing is a great feature for *ahem* ripping files...).
@iScared the third generation of Apple TV could play 1080p, whereas the second generation could not.
The second generation was a huge change from the first generation though...
The second generation was a huge change from the first generation though...
At this point I think I'm beyond anything that could make me buy one again, Apple missed their window of Opportunity with my. I have an xbox One and it has everything I possibly could need, Hulu , Netflix, Sling TV, MLB, Amazon, Plex and a ton more and I have live tv coming in off air thru the mediasonic Box, pretty set at the moment
There was a time I loved my Apple TV before all the IOS updates to accomdate devices I do not own. I guess that's how they get ya to update to their next new product. I love the ATV interface and the organization through iTunes but time keeps on ticking into the future and the reliability of my set up continues to snowball into frustration. Disconnects, buffering, thumbnail pics no longer compatible with my iPad, the list goes on... I just wish it could stay at a sweet spot where everything functioned, roll back my ATV or my iTunes where I could enjoy it again? Sadly this is why I might be looking for an alternative media streamer for my files. One that once I get it the way I like it, it can stay that way until I choose to change things.
Can you stream video, photos and audio to it from iOS? I know XBMC has an Airplay mode, but I found it to be pretty sketchy when I tested it. Could be my setup, though.
My Ethernet run ATV3 does function via latest iTunes on my Mac Pro Tower running Snow Leopard. Once upon a time it ran without issue. Now the performance is all over the place with every new update. I realize Snow Leopard is probably attributing however, as stated above there was a time everything ran great with it. So what gives? Why so many issues with ATV as many here have posted? Doubt there will ever be a clear answer which is why even though I love the organization and media display interface of ATV/iTunes, I may have too find an alternative that would be compatible with my iTunes tagged files, similar metadata orientation if you get my meaning? I have heard of XMBC (now Kodi I think) and PLEX but I wasn't sure how customizable tagging would be with my files or if there orientation would display the same as in iTunes ? I really don't want to retag all my media again, nor have the time to.
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My post was directed at Scarpad that is using Xbox for everything.
There was a recent update on the AppleTV (I noticed it yesterday), so maybe that will alleviate some of your issues.
Not sure how old your three tv's are but I have a setup with a Macmini as a server and stream content to three tv's without an Apple TV. The Macmini runs a Plex server and all the TV's are smart TV which come with an inbuilt plex client.
I found that with current Smart TV tech I don't really need any equivalent device to the Apple TV. My TV has native support for Netflix, Amazon and a host of other apps including many that are not available on the Apple TV.
For me, my Apple TV 3 has been worth it from day one. The Netflix user interface beats all my consoles and the fact that it has no boot time, is completely noiseless, and uses a lot less power means a lot too.
I'm also enjoying using it for video podcasts and Airplay if there is something I want on the big screen. Recently I've started using it for Airplaying HBO Nordic which works perfectly. The Service isn't available in proper quality on anything else apart from certain Samsung Smart TVs so that's definetely another big bonus.
I'm also enjoying using it for video podcasts and Airplay if there is something I want on the big screen. Recently I've started using it for Airplaying HBO Nordic which works perfectly. The Service isn't available in proper quality on anything else apart from certain Samsung Smart TVs so that's definetely another big bonus.
Since I have no interest in a Roku or Android box, can I use AirPlay to get radiosity.sx up on my screen from an iPad or iPhone?
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Definitely worth it to me.
I have several "Smart TVs" and smart Blu-ray players... they all suck.
The AppleTV delivers a simple and reliable experience.
I have several "Smart TVs" and smart Blu-ray players... they all suck.
The AppleTV delivers a simple and reliable experience.
nope radiosity and machtv doesn't like to be put in box and locked up in a walled garden. open source is good thing
None of them are "Smart TVs", and I generally shy away from that anyway, as those are the types of devices that seem to never get updated properly over time, leading to a bunch of less-than-functional or even broken applications.
If Plex works for you, power to you. It doesn't work for my situation, whereas the Apple TV is a simple, out-of-the-box plug-and-play solution that does.
nope radiosity and machtv doesn't like to be put in box and locked up in a walled garden. open source is good thing
So why not give me a web based version, that I would happily subscribe to, and let me airplay it from my browser of choice. THAT, is real open source.
Yep!
And it's less than that now.
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90% of what I use it for, too.
Thinking of getting one for my parents, as I'd much rather watch videos stored on our computers than every look at another cable/sat box interface.
And it's less than that now.
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90% of what I use it for, too.
Thinking of getting one for my parents, as I'd much rather watch videos stored on our computers than every look at another cable/sat box interface.
the platform has to be open source if you want to use radiosity or machtv and if your using anything apple then you should know that all of there stuff is not open. maybe if you send a letter to apple they will make it open source. but i doubt it
AppleTV, like anything is only worth its expense if the end user finds value in what it can do.
For me and playing my iTunes collection in combination with Hulu, Netflix, HBO, and obviously AirPlay make it worth its price.
If you don't have that need its not the device for you and you'll never find value in it. I've always thought of it as a device that compliments other Apple devices so there will be a lot of people that find more value in alternatives.