Large screen, nice for meetings or a family gathering.
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You Can Join FaceTime Calls on an Xbox but Not an Apple TV
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If only Apple TV had a USB port to allow a webcam to be connected to it…
there's no screen on it either, yet...Am I missing something? There's no camera on an AppleTV.
The entire pandemic I have wished for this. For my family to be able to sit on the couch, camera above the TV - and facetime grandparents who live elsewhere. Might have to pick me up a Series S!
I can only hope this embarrasses apple into a solution. Currently we have to use multiple devices and go to separate parts of the house so no audio echo while we facetime relatives as a group.
I can only hope this embarrasses apple into a solution. Currently we have to use multiple devices and go to separate parts of the house so no audio echo while we facetime relatives as a group.
You can open FaceTime links on an Xbox but not on a HomePod mini. Shocking!
Different devices can do different things and randomly connecting them in a sentence doesn’t mean they are failing or it’s a scandal. Just silly reporting.
Different devices can do different things and randomly connecting them in a sentence doesn’t mean they are failing or it’s a scandal. Just silly reporting.
Yeah, but you’d need a lot more than a basic webcam to make it an experience that doesn’t suck.
You’d need a very large TV (think 80-100”), you’d probably want the TV to support 4k, you’d need fast internet to support uploading a 4k stream, and you’d need a 4k webcam with a wide angle of vision. Oh, and you’d need some top notch microphones to be able to capture audio in such a way that you could hear everyone over background noise.
That’s part of the weakness of Facebook’s Portal (other than the whole Facebook connection, of course). You’ve got a 15” screen, that’s really only suitable for one or two people at a time to appear on video. That kind of defeats the purpose of having a dedicated home video phone device, might as well use a far more functional tablet or phone that’s just as good of a video device as Portal. I’m not sure anyone makes video conferencing gear suitable for the large groups required for family video calls.
I don't know why you'd need anything this crazy. I've used a chromebox and a logitech webcam with google meet above a 50" HD TV and had a great experience.
Nah, before I sold my 2nd Mac mini we did a lot of Zoom and FaceTime calls on our 55" TV. It worked great. Yes, the quality of the camera matters—I would usually repurpose one of my DSLRs—but Apple can do that already. Plus their pan-and-scan front facing cameras on the iPad is begging a big screen like this.
I don't think this is a case of comparing separate devices, I think this is a case of Apple failing to innovate. TBF, Microsoft didn't directly innovate here either they just have a slightly more open platform. Love the Apple ecosystem but sometimes Apple just shuts the door on what they fail to see is possible.
Technically, the Xbox does not have a camera built in either. But unlike the Apple TV, you can add one to the Xbox.
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TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️
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All that would be needed would be a centre-stage style camera and a beam-forming microphone array. Both of these devices are found on low end devices (cheapest iPad, HomePod Mini) so shouldn't cost much. Probably too niche for Apple to sell and a wireless setup whereby an iPad is propped up below the TV and HomePod Mini acting as microphone both connecting to the Apple TV wirelessly is too convoluted for an Apple solution even thought it would likely work.
Basically this. Both use a slightly modified AMD 3700x CPU and some form of their RDNA video card a 6700XT or 6800 non XT. The Xbox is running Windows 10 and Hyper V (for backwards compatibility).I mean, I’ve seen one IRL, and I’ve never seen an Xbox Series X!
But they’re both basically PCs. They both have USB ports, they both are running OSes derived from desktop (well, perhaps server, in the case of Sony’s use of FreeBSD Unix), and both have x86 chips powering them. For that matter, both are still pursuing media center PC functionality in addition to gaming functionality. It’s really the difference between Coke and Pepsi at this point, and it just boils down to whether you prefer the flavor of Microsoft or Sony. Since they’re so PC-like, it really shouldn’t come as a surprise that you can do FaceTime on the web using them.
Right now for the price they are pretty powerful. Yes they easily surpassed by a 3060ti or higher in a gaming PC, but the cost of a video card right now is simply insane if you cant find one for retail and pay the asking price.
GamePass is driving the Xbox demand and Sony has nothing like it. That said all games from Microsoft are coming out for the PC and Xbox at the same time. Some like Flight simulator and Age of Empires on the PC first. Also all of these new games are forced cross play. Basically if you have a good gaming PC, there is zero reason to get an Xbox anymore.
I can't imagine why you'd really want it, as the Apple TV doesn't have a webcam and the mic on the remote isn't made for such a purpose. Use your Mac or iPhone and AirPlay it to the Apple TV if you really have to make a call on the TV.
Handwaving away airplay as an alternative is kinda dismissive. Setting up an iPad or iPhone on a stand in front of the TV as a stand-in for a USB camera and using that to both initiate (which you can't do on the Xbox) and receive facetime requests and then airplaying to a TV is equally as easy, if not easier than going through the trouble of using the browser on an Xbox and adding a usb camera to the console. Though I am surprised apple doesn't have a more elegant way to use a phone as a wireless camera (or maybe a BT/wireless webcam) and a native facetime app on tvOS already. tvOS lacks alot of things iOS/iPadOS has, Siri working differently on all the different OS, or tvOS lacking a native homekit app (you can toggle favorites and some integration with homekit cameras and notifications) and the API is there for 3rd party apps at least.
Good to know. Maybe a future Apple TV/HomePod combo device could support FaceTime
Yes they are but it is months and years after they are on the playstation console. MS is releasing its new releases day and date on the PC.