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Who's dumping their ATV for Amazon Fire TV

Everyone should be rooting for FTV, so apple gets a wakeup call and decides to devote some effort into appleTV. Having games on atv is a no-brainer. But apple refuses to do such for some damned reason.

Plus there is no way I am buying a single core A5 Apple TV. You would have to be amazingly short sighted, or a real non-critically thinking apple fan to buy the offering that is out now.

Apple TV was due for a refresh a couple years ago. Now, it's amazingly overdue.
 
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Irishman said:
There's just not enough there for me to jump ship. Maybe if they got HBO Go and Airplay? For what they're offering, it should have been less expensive. The Chromecast has set a new value bar.
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The Synology NAS can use Airplay. 😀 Wake up Apple, smell the coffee.
 
Count Blah said:
Plus there is no way I am buying a single core A5 Apple TV. You would have to be amazingly short sighted, or a real non-critically thinking apple fan to buy the offering that is out now.
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It works as advertised. Why do you want more? To waste more energy?

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bearcatrp said:
Apple is to high on itself to smell anything. Apple just got spanked.
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Spanked by a copycat product? This doesn't make any sense.
 
matrix07 said:
It works as advertised. Why do you want more? To waste more energy?.
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Because it's a joke compared to what it should be doing b now. Check out the appleTV2 story on the main page. The one from Steve jobs from many years ago. THAT vision is what the Apple TV should be, and I am holding off on buying until it is released. And anyone who wants more than the tired, 4 year old standard that is the current offering, will hold off as well. Because the current form is not going to be supporting the new functionality.
 
I'm very happy with my ATV. For me, like many people posting on this thread, I like to stream my movies purchased and rented from iTunes. I play ripped DVD's and I have iTunes Match for my music. I use AirPlay for Digital Theatre and BBC iPlayer. No need for me to change. It just works, and it does what I want and need. 🙂
 
Backegg said:
I'm very happy with my ATV. For me, like many people posting on this thread, I like to stream my movies purchased and rented from iTunes. I play ripped DVD's and I have iTunes Match for my music. I use AirPlay for Digital Theatre and BBC iPlayer. No need for me to change. It just works, and it does what I want and need. 🙂
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I think you spelled it out pretty well by your own experience - those that enjoy the Apple eco system will continue to get plenty of enjoyment out of it. For some others, their needs might be different and thus look elsewhere to fulfill their entertainment desires.

In a world a bit "smarter," all of the streaming folks (Netflix, Amazon, Vudu etc.) would have a real app that people can get (free or purchase) so they can play highest quality on any playback device and be done with various devices that have some but not other streaming options.

I use iTunes for my computer, some Airplay and to load up my iPhone. I also have files in other formats and use other devices to play back - my blu ray player handles discs and stored media files quite nicely which go to my AVR and as needed, TV. I have no need for an ATV but set up a few for other people who absolutely love them as it meets their needs and is "easy."

For me, the biggest challenge was finding what plays streaming best as my TV can stream, my blu ray player can stream, my AVR can stream and I can set up my extra Mac Mini (XBMC with Ubuntu Linux installed) can stream. The overlap is crazy but ended up with TV for Amazon, Oppo Blu Ray player for Netflix and Vudu streaming. My guess is that the new Amazon player has a hardware advantage over ATV, Roku and Chromecast simply by having more CPU power and RAM (needed for buffering). I'll see how the new Amazon device fairs over the next few weeks before judging it on real performance.
 
Count Blah said:
Because it's a joke compared to what it should be doing b now. Check out the appleTV2 story on the main page. The one from Steve jobs from many years ago. THAT vision is what the Apple TV should be, and I am holding off on buying until it is released. And anyone who wants more than the tired, 4 year old standard that is the current offering, will hold off as well. Because the current form is not going to be supporting the new functionality.
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Don't tell that to my wife because she's enjoying it very much. lol.

If we hold THAT vision as a gold standard, the newly released Amazon FTV is still a sub par product. 😎

The new one will come. In the meantime I'm enjoying what I have right now which serve my need extremely well.
 
Count Blah said:
Because it's a joke compared to what it should be doing b now. Check out the appleTV2 story on the main page. The one from Steve jobs from many years ago. THAT vision is what the Apple TV should be, and I am holding off on buying until it is released. And anyone who wants more than the tired, 4 year old standard that is the current offering, will hold off as well. Because the current form is not going to be supporting the new functionality.
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This. I've two ATV2's, and they're used to watch stuff I've ripped / purchased from iTMS, and stream from Netflix. But with no support for apps / channels / or whatever they're called, it means I have to switch inputs when I want to watch something on Amazon Instant, and that's what Apple should be afraid ( well may be not afraid, but you get the idea ) of if it wants to expand it's ATV business beyond the hobby perception.

Amazon - at least in the UK - has all the new releases that Apple has available for purchase / rent ( and some Apple doesn't have; GoT / Elementary, for example ), plus it will no doubt be more open to allowing other options for viewing. I realise some of the lack of options on ATV ( the UK doesn't have anywhere near the channels as the US ) is due to licensing, but if Amazon can overcome that, then surely Apple can....
 
matrix07 said:
Don't tell that to my wife because she's enjoying it very much. lol.

If we hold THAT vision as a gold standard, the newly released Amazon FTV is still a sub par product. 😎

The new one will come. In the meantime I'm enjoying what I have right now which serve my need extremely well.
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sounds like your wife's A/V needs are met by the current version - great for her. To simply stream what I want, I bought a chromecast for $35. I had a need by having the tablet version of NFL Sunday ticket, and I needed to get t on the tv. I so wanted to get an Apple TV, but I refuse to buy one for many reasons - the hardware was so damn old that the retooling if ATV was not getting supported by the current hardware. That ATV is a joke compared to what it could be, that others fulfilled the basics needs for much less, etc...

And Jobs' recently released email proves that I was 100% correct in being horribly disappointed with the current offering of Apple TV. It should do and offer more. It's been over tree yeas since Jobs sent I that email, and still Apple TV languishes in unfulfilled promises land. You can go back years searching my complaints about Apple TV, but it's amazing how my desires/complaints match what jobs put in gin email. Yet I've been ridiculed the entire time as as anti-apple. Glad to know Steve and I are both in lock step as beig anti-apple.
 
I have had Roku since they first came out and presently have a Roku 3. I use to use it all the time but since I purchased a Mac Mini I use it extensively to stream from. I find that that it streams better and I can get all the channels or services I want from the browser. I use the HDMI straight from the Mini to the TV. I thought that I might get a ATV when they come out but I'll have to see If it will improve my current experience.
 
I love my ATV but it's support is woeful now, its slow and awkward to use compared to most other units, but as normal Apple spread their engineers so thin we wait forever to see any updates. I am going to wait till after WDC to see if they do release an updated ATV then will get an Synology play, this does everything as well as store backups..so I can backup iTunes movies server, family home movies archived via FCPX..as well as play the odd MKV without any transcoding.
 
Not dumping my ATVs.
But might try out a Fire for Amazon Prime movies.

I wish there was a channel/service/App?? that would play any available movie.
For example, often we say "lets watch "x" movie ". First you go to Netflix, then iTunes & then Youtube or Amazon prime.
An app that allows to search for "X" movie, then it saying its available on Netflix and or iTunes … then pick the one.
 
Irishman said:
How exactly did Apple get spanked?? I don't see it, but maybe I can be educated.
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All you have to do is see what the amazon fire can do vs ATV. Apple could have done this years ago. They were ahead of everyone. Apple now needs to go above and beyond, not match, the offerings of the fire. The one thing apple could score big with is recording. Since the iphone can have 32gb of storage, put this into a new ATV, along with auto sync so when you do record something, the next time your ATV connects with itunes, it will put it on your computer automatically.
 
I have and use both the ATV2 & Roku. I prefer the UI and Remote on the Roku. The wireless remove is really nice. I use the ATV mostly for airplay.

I don't see anything about the Fire that would cause me to choose it over either of my current units. If it is a clear upgrade over the ATV2, I plan to buy the next generation ATV.
 
Not interested but happy that there is increasing competition. We are too entrenched (and very happy) in the Apple ecosystem. We've got two ATVs, iTunes Match, Time Capsule, connect/airplay from Macs and iOS devices.
My next step is to get a Mac Mini to use as a networked headless a file/media server.

The only thing I'm looking forward to from Apple would be more robust hardware and a games store. Icing on the cake would be a Apple-designed controller but it's not a deal breaker.

We cut cable years ago and only pay Comcast for the 'dumb pipe,' Internet connection. My only fear is that Apple starts inking deals with the Cable providers and forces us into subscriptions. At a minimum I hope there's at least an option for those of us who want to stream from the web and commit directly with content providers.
 
I don't get the cries for Apple to add an Amazon channel. Should Amazon add an iTunes channel? Why is this expected for one, but not the other? 😕

We cut the cord about a month ago and use our Apple TVs as our primary devices. Between Hulu Plus, Netflix, and HBO Go (which I pay for via a relative, until HBO provides a way to order it w/o services being necessary) we're pretty much covered. If there's something specific that's on Amazon Prime Video that isn't on Netflix or Hulu, I'll AirPlay it. No big deal. The Amazon stuff is subpar IMO anyway. It's confusing to me what's free to prime members vs what they want you to pay for. (The phone app is pretty clear, but the PS3 & Vizio TV app aren't.)

Like many, I've invested too much in the Apple ecosystem to just jump ship on a new product, but if it was truly better, I'd consider it. I don't know what the fuss is over Plex - I setup a home media server so all of my content is centralized and hosted by iTunes. Since iTunes is the "provider" that's hosting the content locally, I can set parental controls for my kids. I also run AirVideo on it, which allows me to access the same content remotely (which I find that I seldom ever do.) My very first home server setup used DLNA and it was always a chore - no parental controls, clients were buggy/subpar (blu-ray player interfaces, inconsistent device apps/players, etc); the server software would sometimes crash, etc etc... So from that perspective, iTunes is a perfectly capable and acceptable software package to host the content. It's not like there are any solutions out there that don't require *some* sort of server software to be running to host the content.

I'd like to see some more channels on the Apple TV, sure. I'd like to see an interface that's a bit more streamlined and interesting than a page of tiles. But the functionality is WAY too useful to consider an alternative just because of a few superficial complaints.

The Apple TVs let me:
- AirPlay video and music
-- From my iMac I can AirPlay music from one source to multiple targets and stream music across the house
- Watch streaming content from Netflix, Hulu, HBO Go, along with the copious amounts of other sources (PBS, Smithsonian, YouTube, whatever)
- Watch TV and movies on my own home network
- Use parental controls on my own home network
- Rent/buy movies & tv shows in the cloud and watch them instantly (Apple sometimes has exclusive early access to content as well)
- Access all of my music via iTunes Match, natively on the device
- iTunes Radio & the "original" radio that had a bunch of streaming music options
- View photos on the TV & use as screensaver (amateur photographer, this is nice)
- Simple setup, small footprint

So... I'd have a *really* hard time moving away from the Apple TV. It would have to be a helluva device to get me to switch. That's not to say the ATV can't be improved upon. It certainly can. But I'm pretty happy with how it is right now to consider the Amazon or Roku or WD or anything else anywhere near competitive.
 
Flynnstone said:
Not dumping my ATVs.
But might try out a Fire for Amazon Prime movies.

I wish there was a channel/service/App?? that would play any available movie.
For example, often we say "lets watch "x" movie ". First you go to Netflix, then iTunes & then Youtube or Amazon prime.
An app that allows to search for "X" movie, then it saying its available on Netflix and or iTunes … then pick the one.
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Roku 3 does exactly this without an app. The Roku Search channel will peer into some of the most popular apps available on the device, including Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, Hulu Plus, Crackle, VUDU, and HBO GO. In addition to searching for a movie or TV show title, users can also search for available titles that include specific actors or directors. Once you’ve found a title you’re looking for, you can see which services a piece of content is available on and choose between them.
 
bearcatrp said:
All you have to do is see what the amazon fire can do vs ATV. Apple could have done this years ago. They were ahead of everyone. Apple now needs to go above and beyond, not match, the offerings of the fire. The one thing apple could score big with is recording. Since the iphone can have 32gb of storage, put this into a new ATV, along with auto sync so when you do record something, the next time your ATV connects with itunes, it will put it on your computer automatically.
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You're certainly asserting that this is true, but you're not explaining how it's true, much less demonstrating how it's true.

Repeating a claim doesn't make it true.
 
I'm not dumping my ATV, but I welcome FTV. Amazon's Kindle is the best not-Apple tablet I have seen. It will get a lot more people to cut the cord. Get enough people using Roku, ATV, FTV, Chromecast, etc. instead of traditional services and we will become our own market just like satellite users back in the day.

I keep screaming that I would pay per channel for certain channels if the content and usability is right. I would pay about $10/month for the standalone WatchESPN package. I could do HBO Go for $10-15/month. I'm paying $8/month for Hulu Plus and would pay a couple bucks more for live access -- i.e. watching "Cosmos" when it's on instead of many hours later.

I was sick of satellite at $60/month. I hear the average bill is more like $120/month per household. Geez. Anybody here watch $120 worth of TV per month who isn't taking home the darn video via iTunes purchases?
 
Nope. I love my Apple TV and my airplay capabilities I use everyday for music, YouTube and watching shows. Love using Beamer to stream whatever file I want from my Mac via Airplay. I love being able to airplay music to all Apole Tvs in the house when there's a party.

So no, not ditching it anytime soon.
 
Airplay from my iOS and OSX devices will cause me to never "dump" it. For all I'm concerned with my current set up and how I use it the ATV can't be beat.

I don't oppose the idea of also getting a Fire TV though if it ever offers me something I want.
 
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