Reviews

21

Hey Jeremy,

I have a question for you that maybe you can clear up. Apple of course couldn't.

I have a 17 MBP C2D. I purchased a DVi to HDMI cable for my Sony KLV S32A10E. Now, if I connect my MBP to my TV is there really a need for an Apple TV? I am trying to see what I am gaining here. I have my iTunes library, Aperture library, and other things on my Mac, so what do I gain by getting an Apple TV? The sales guy at Apple could not really tell me but he keep pushing me to buy one. As someone that has had time with an Apple TV, I figured that you could lend a bit more insight.

Thanks.

Posted by Don Trammell on March 21, 2007 at 3:00 PM (PST)

22

hey Jeremy,

what if you synced it with a usb 2.0 cable, could that make a difference in the transfer time??

Posted by applefrk@hotmail.com on March 24, 2007 at 9:13 AM (PST)

23

I am suprised there was no mention of one of Apple TV's most glaring omissions:

No support for Internet Radio.

Unfortunately, though I like the device, this is a deal breaker for me.

I am somewhat perplexed at the lack as I am certain it can't be a hardware issue.

Any inkling as to whether they might add support via a software update?

Posted by DariusN on March 24, 2007 at 11:02 AM (PST)

24

DariusN:

Front Row doesn't have access to Internet Radio, either, but there is an easy way to get around this.

Simply making a playlist with radio stations in it would allow you to access Internet Radio. The same thing should work in Apple TV.

Posted by jeremyjk1221 on March 24, 2007 at 12:32 PM (PST)

25

Let's not forget the hacking community. Predictably, people are hacking it. The only surprise is how quickly progress has been made:

http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=2391956

XviD files can now play on the Apple TV - although it's not a properly integrated solution yet. It's just going to get better.

Posted by Pikemann_Urge on March 24, 2007 at 6:44 PM (PST)

26

jeremyjk: it doesn't work. no radio streams work.

Posted by mrfett in Washington, D.C. on March 24, 2007 at 8:56 PM (PST)

27

I just don't understand how this device can be useful until you can easily rip your dvd's to itunes to create a useful device. This is no better than a low res tivo. Why would you want to watch gimped resolution content designed for a 2 inch screen on your 50 inch plasma running 720p?

Posted by mgbrown66 in USA on March 27, 2007 at 12:26 PM (PST)

28

I told myself I was going to sit on the fence with this one and wait to get an Apple TV. Well, after reading about all the hacks done to it so far, my wait is over. I just ordered one and look forward to upgrading the HD on it. It seems I just can't shake this "early adopter" sickness.

Posted by Tenchi211 in California on March 27, 2007 at 3:19 PM (PST)

29

this is what i dont get...i wish someone would tell me. apple tv focuses on being HD, but what HD content can it play? itunes doesnt sell HD content, you cant take blu-rays and hddvds to itunes, you cant upgrade ur movies or videos to HD, so what is the point of having HD for appleTV? i dont get it. Not only that, but when can u use the 5.1 surround? if someone could answer this i might consider buying it.

Posted by knelson182 on March 29, 2007 at 5:51 PM (PST)

30

Why has so much been made about the lack of provided cabling? Sure, A/V companies often provide a cheap set of something to hook a particular device up with. But often it's factory-floor remnant level of quality stuff, leaving the consumer to go out and pick up a superior quality connector anyways. Seems to me that Apple merely sidestepped the 'cheap wire' part of the equation.

Posted by flatline response on March 30, 2007 at 12:19 AM (PST)

31

I was looking around the web for Component to Composite adapters, and found a Component to S-Video adapter for AppleTV that is being pre-ordered! It is expected to ship April 30th for $99 US.

http://www.svideo.com/appletv2tv.html

Posted by Tak in Ottawa, Canada on March 30, 2007 at 8:40 AM (PST)

32

Sure, complain about the cables. I'd rather have no cables than pay an extra $50 - 100 for cables I won't need. A $20 HDMI cable is no big deal. An included [read: prepaid] HDMI, optical, component, AV, and ethernet cable is.

Posted by Gordy. in Atlanta, GA on March 30, 2007 at 8:54 AM (PST)

33

Providing component video and stereo audio cables in the box would have been an extremely easy, lowest-common-denominator solution that would have satisfied the vast majority of customers; it's highly unlikely that any current compatible TV (not monitor) lacks component ports, and the cost of making these old cables is negligible. The decision not to include them was a poor one.

Posted by Jeremy Horwitz in East Amherst, NY, USA on March 30, 2007 at 10:20 AM (PST)

34

I agree with you Jeremy. Apple could've/shoud've put at least a cheap component video and analog audio cable in the box just like they do with DVD players and VCRs just to be able to get the average customer or non-technophile recipient up and rolling. If my mom or brother would've gotten one of these as a gift for instance, they would not be able to get the thing up and started. Me as an audio/videophile, I have spare cables all over the place and it's no big deal. But this isn't the case for the average consumer, and believe me, if the Apple TV is as easy to use as it seems, there will be quite a few "average" consumers getting one either as a gift or for themselves.

Posted by Tenchi211 in California on March 31, 2007 at 4:39 PM (PST)

35

I think Apple TV is a waste. Spending a couple hundred more for a Mac mini would be a much better idea.

Posted by KILLxTHExCRAB on April 1, 2007 at 6:34 AM (PST)

36

...unless you could rip DVDs onto it. That would be pretty damn cool. Can you do that?? But if the only way you can get movies onto it is having to buy them again on the iTunes store, then thats just dumb.

Posted by KILLxTHExCRAB on April 1, 2007 at 6:37 AM (PST)

37

I've been using my Apple TV now for about a full day and am loving it! TV shows and movies I've imported myself using Handbrake/Mediafork in 640x480 look very good, as well as recently purchased music videos. In my previous post, I mentioned upgrading the Hard Drive and I still may, although streaming video and audio directly from my computer works great! So far, with my 802.11G setup, there is no lag at all. I do miss the 5.1 Dolby Digital audio though, and hope that Apple includes it in a future update.

Posted by Tenchi211 in California on April 7, 2007 at 12:59 AM (PST)

38

I can see this thing really taking off, especially if Apple includes the ability to browse and buy content from the iTunes Store directly from the Apple TV itself. I'm using this one in my home office and I plan to buy one for our Living Room system in the future.

Posted by Tenchi211 in California on April 7, 2007 at 1:02 AM (PST)

39

It is worth noting for those who are looking to squeeze the best possible network performance out of the Apple TV that Apple's advertised specs are based on using an Airport Extreme or other 802.11n router with no NON-802.11n devices on the wireless network, and little other network traffic going around while syncing.

I've been able to get 500MB/min throughput when syncing content to either of my Apple TV devices, but this is with the back-end Mac connected to the Airport Extreme via Ethernet (a typical scenario for many people with a desktop computer), and no 802.11b or 802.11g devices on the 802.11n wireless segment.

Performance will go down noticeably if you're using a wireless connection from the iTunes computer to the 802.11n access point, largely since twice the wireless bandwidth is required to transmit the content via the access point, but this performance will still be well above what you will encounter with 802.11b or 802.11g devices sharing the access point.

Posted by Jesse Hollington in Toronto on June 5, 2007 at 12:13 PM (PST)

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