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awaspaas · Jan 10, 2007, 03:12 AM

Originally Posted by funkboy

Can I purchase iTunes stuff with Apple TV from my couch?

Not in the demos or specs, but it would be a good opportunity for a software update/added feature in the future though. I doubt Apple would ignore any method for you to spend more money in their store!!

awaspaas · Jan 10, 2007, 03:14 AM

Now I just want to know how someone would type their 128-bit WEP key into this using the apple remote!

eddiecatflap · Jan 10, 2007, 06:21 AM

i agree with the general concensus , this is a waste of time

personally , i'd get a mac mini plus elgato eye tv

all the pvr functionality for a little bit more dough plus the front row and elgato interfaces

wipes the floor with appletv imo

kamina · Jan 10, 2007, 07:24 AM

Add a tuner and the ability to use it as a "vcr" and I would buy it.

gregjsmith · Jan 11, 2007, 01:50 AM

I predict...

Shortly after AppleTV is out, iLife 07 will be out with all the apps able to export directly to it.

csimon2 · Jan 11, 2007, 03:27 AM

For the vast majority of people out there (yes, at least 95% of you) 1080p shouldn't be a concern for you with your 720p or 1080i TV. If it were 1080p, it would just have to be scaled down to your res anyway. What the real concern should be is that it is 720p24, not 720p60. 720p60 and 1080i30 are very similar and each require about the same bandwidth. I can understand Apple not quoting 720p60 in their iTunes movies area (films are 24fps and there would be no reason to compress pulldown), but it doesn't appear that even if one were to have a 720p60 H.264 that this would be compatible.

Also, the lack of MPEG-2 support is a major bummer IMHO. EyeTV 500 addicts like myself are going to stick with their IODATA STB and EyeConnect sw. And finally, GigE is NOT necessary for an appliance like this. In fact, very few home entertainment devices have GigE because it is not even close to being necessary in order stream any of the compressed video formats. For transferring large files, yes it would help, but I would imagine that the appleTV doesn't need the entire file on its hard drive in order for it to start playing. If Apple set this thing up right, then it will be able to play videos in a progressive downloading sort of way, a la QT and the trailers on Apple's website.

bobolicious · Jan 11, 2007, 07:50 AM

I had been hoping for 1600p <grin> so that I could use my 30" display to get a 4mp DVD experience @ 2560x1600...

Apple could in fact leapfrog the entire industry if it wanted?
;-)

David Esrati · Jan 11, 2007, 08:14 AM

Originally Posted by kamina

Add a tuner and the ability to use it as a "vcr" and I would buy it.

How would Apple make money providing a dvr function? They wouldn't.
Apple TV should be a give-away product with a commitment to purchase X$ of content per month. It's not much more than a drm protected repository for your purchases.
The 1080i v 720p argument is a bit lame- the content is still highly compressed compared to broadcast- just like mp3's aren't DVD's.
All this is is an iPod without a screen - plus HD output- I'm surprised more of you aren't whining about the 40gb drive- in this form factor you should get at least a 120gb drive for that price. Wait for version 2.

OtisWild · Jan 11, 2007, 10:33 AM

Originally Posted by Eug Wanker

The Xbox 360 will do 1080p streaming for $299. (Yeah, I know it's subsidized.)

Actually, that requires the hard drive setup since 1080p support is enabled by a downloadable patch, so it's at least $399. And there's no HDMI or digital DVI connector available for the 360 to my inconsiderable annoyance.

Still, the AppleTV does seem a bit of a waste of time IMO. No 1080p = lose.

csimon2 · Jan 11, 2007, 01:33 PM

Originally Posted by David Esrati

Apple TV should be a give-away product with a commitment to purchase X$ of content per month. It's not much more than a drm protected repository for your purchases.
The 1080i v 720p argument is a bit lame- the content is still highly compressed compared to broadcast- just like mp3's aren't DVD's.

Give away product in order to entice purchasing and rental sales? Yes! This is not only the way it should be, it is the ONLY way it should be. This is exactly why these types of boxes have yet to and I seriously doubt ever will catch on. (The AppleTV may indeed become a success, but as a device that seriously drives HD movie downloads, that I am not so sure about.) The distributors of movies over the internet such as Apple, CinemaNow, and NetFlix need to learn that there aren't many people who are willing to spend $300 on a box that locks them into their own proprietary system. This is why DivX failed and DVD soared.

On the second point though, I would be very surprised if the 720p movies Apple offers isn't of a significantly better quality than broadcast HDTV. As a compressionist, when I really look and study broadcast HD today, it can be very depressing. Artifacts are rampant and while it looks 10x better than broadcast SD, it still has a long way to go. I fully expect that the 720p encodes Apple releases will look much better than broadcast solely because of the time they can spend encoding each movie.

msuper69 · Jan 12, 2007, 08:43 PM

Originally Posted by David Esrati

... It's not much more than a drm protected repository for your purchases.
...

The Apple TV hard drive is a cache device. The content remains on your Mac(s) while a copy is streamed wirelessly to the Apple TV. It's not some kind of central repository for iTMS purchased content.

MikeD · Jan 13, 2007, 01:58 PM

I wonder if the Apple TV could handle files created by handbrake.

Horsepoo!!! · Jan 13, 2007, 02:04 PM

How many of you have 1080p movies sitting on your HDs right this moment.

*crickets*

*tumbleweed*

Thought so.

kamina · Jan 13, 2007, 02:34 PM

I have one. It's too large to keep there though, and too large to burn on a DL dvd... Won't be getting more anytime soon

godrifle · Jan 16, 2007, 11:02 AM

To be fair, though, wouldn't you also need to convert your salary from pounds to US dollars? It's not accurate to convert only one side of the equation.

Originally Posted by reknaw

Think of us poor Brits. It is being charged at $400 (in US equivalent) on our soil. Why is that - does it fly club class over here?!

MikeD · Jan 28, 2007, 03:04 PM

Anyone know if it'll take the standard handbrake file? Usually 720 x something (Can't remember). I know usually that is at about 1000kbps (in the middle for the slider). and most movies are between 700meg to 1.3gb... If Apple TV can handle that, I would probably try it out.

Mike

charmdustio · 03:37 PM

Lots of places outside of the U.S, including where I am won't be able to put iTV to any use (apart from photos & music) unless it can play Divx/Xvid content (which it should technically have enough power for considering it has that Intel chip in it). We don't have an iTunes Store and most of my DVD's are ripped into Xvid. So it just doesn't make any sense to buy something primarily for video and not use the feature.

Its like buying an iPhone just for Safari & Google Maps. Now the new Airport Extreme is a different story. Definitely more appealing & looks sweet.

mduell · Jan 28, 2007, 08:56 PM

Originally Posted by MikeD

Anyone know if it'll take the standard handbrake file? Usually 720 x something (Can't remember). I know usually that is at about 1000kbps (in the middle for the slider). and most movies are between 700meg to 1.3gb... If Apple TV can handle that, I would probably try it out.

Probably. Might have to watch which profile you use in Handbrake (don't use the more complex ones), but I wouldn't be surprised if they used baseline as the default.