Comments on: Fuzzy picture for Apple TV

Not everything Apple put out this year was a success. Of course, Apple TV is just the latest product to enter a category that has yet to catch on: linking a PC to a TV.

[chonnom]

ummmm

Not exactly the same thing but AT&T has the U-Verse; digital TV delivered over the internet to your living room.

[Technoracle]

I only own one PC now

And it is a Media Center PC. Apple is sadly behind in where it coudl
be if it adopted the Windows Media Center PC mentality but used
open formats instead of DVR-MS (really cool but no editors
available today).

[zeroplane]

How really?

A quick search in google and "poof" tools to convert DRM movies

http://www.jkg.in/49-convert-dvr-ms-to-avi-divx-xvid-wmv-mkv-ogm-mp4.htm

[p.shearer]

Media extenders will become a commodity

I don't see AppleTV being another IPod. There are to many other media extending devices out there now like the D-Link Media Lounge, X-box, or Wii. Coupling this with the TVestity software you have a great, low-cost solution for watching on your video content on your TV.

Media extenders will become a commodity. I think the real money is to be made in content aggregation and deliver.

Bottom line: I-tunes makes sense; AppleTV does not.

[ssmiroldo]

Waiting fro Apple TV 2.0

I LOVE the concept of Apple TV but agree that, for this device, it
needs to work with as many format and media venues as
possible.

Apple needs to partner with Blockbuster, NetFlix, etc. to allow
customers 1-click access to renting movies online. I'm sure
they'll come out with renting on iTunes as well but think AppleTV
should work with ALL vendors. It would be a win-win situation.

If they added movie rental support, had hard-drive choices 2-3
times larger, web video support other than YouTube, and added
a DVD drive, I would buy one in a heartbeat!!

[dcvchigago]

Sansa Take TV

Sansa Take TV could be a killer. For $100, sneaker-net video from your PC to TV. Looks as simple to use as a flash drive.

[neuronetix]

iPhone is my Apple TV

I use my iPhone for that, send video from Elgato EyeTV2.

[neuronetix]

iPhone is my Apple TV

Apple TV is a great concept but as shipped requires too many
other things to be in place. You have to not only buy an Apple
TV, you may have to buy a new digital widescreen TV, a wireless
router, more storage. If you want off-air delayed replay you
need an Elgato EyeTV which can't run on the Apple TV. The
iPhone is actually a better Apple TV when it comes to fitting in
with legacy TV sets. It does a great job of delivering shows to
analog sets. Once I get these other things in place, I imagine
Apple TV in bedrooms instead of a stack of AV gear, however,
you really need a Mac MIni or something more dedicated to use
as a living room hub since it is not ideal to try to run it all merely
from your laptop or office Mac, especially if you want two tuners.
Would have gotten one or two by now if they'd just done an
analog out. Cheap. I look forward to the day when I don't have
to search endlessly for DVDs.

[novelmakerchris]

Apple TV

We love it, Apple TV. But I suspect it has become Jobs' orphan
child. The existing product is great -- whatever is on iTunes is on
your big screen, and it is fast and reliable, like a huge iPod.
However, its potential certainly hasn't been exploited by Apple, and
that's a shame. We watch movie trailers, movies downloaded from
iTunes, youtube content, and our picture albums using the device,
and love it! But it could do so much more, to be sure. Hey Jobs:
get with the program!!

[Norseman]

I love my Apple TV!

I have one, and I've only downloaded a couple of TV shows and no movies, but I use it to view photos I've taken with my digital camera on a HDTV, and it does an excellent job. It wirelessly syncs to iPhoto on my iBook, and does all the slide show options very simply. So Apple probably isn't happy that I'm not buying more content from them, but it's a fantastic way to look at digital photos.

[cross platform]

Well As I've Said It All Comes Back To One Thing

Portability! If you can't download this movie or TV show and take it over to a friend's house to watch it's not portable. You really didn't buy the show you rented it. This is what's wrong with all download schemes ( especialy HD content which Apple TV isn't ). I like Apple and the notion of downlading things. I just realize that if you can't have this kind of convenience it'll never fly. The reason is that people are already used to the VHS model. For a long time now. So for this to work you've got to be able to pick it up and move it. The problem is that the studios aren't likely to go for that. And where does that leave you? Back to hard copies.

[Norseman]

Huh?

About a week ago, I took a bunch of vacation pictures to a friend's house to show. All I had to do was unplug power and a HDMI cable and make those two connections at their house. Of course, they had a HDTV with a HDMI input. I can understand the complaints about incompatibility with standard-def TVs. And, although I havn't tried it, why couldn't you do the same thing I did with a movie you've downloaded? I'll have to try that.

[edgedesign]

Not sure I follow...

I transport the same shows that play on Apple TV on my iPhone
and/or iPod.

[cogx]

(HD) TiVo is still the best option

TiVo has Unbox video purchases from Amazon.com and I assume people who are into the latest gadgets already have one or more TiVos. Of course, the problem with the whole Internet-to-TV plan isn't the technology, it is the content folks can't all get on the same page, so you can only get so much content through Unbox.
At least now the ability to upload back your own videos to your Series 3 or HD TiVo has been added (October 2007), even when one could do that to the older non-HD TiVo models for years.

[cross platform]

Except

It's not portable. See above.

[reykjavik]

Thats not why the Apple TV failed

The Apple TV failed because it was made compatible with only
2% of all the TVs out there. The reality is that a massive
percentage of TV viewers out there don't have an LCD/Plasma
HD TV. Many of us still have the basic big ugly TV and have no
desire to get rid of it any time soon (especially if it means having
to drop a grand for something that in my opinion looks worse
then my current setup).

The point is, I would have gladly purchased an Apple TV, but it
doesn't work with my TV. I have a sincere feeling that I'm not
the only one. Apple cut itself out of the majority of the market
for no apparent reason and thats why the Apple TV failed.

[cross platform]

That's......

The other reason.

[stevesabol]

AppleTV works on my tube TV

I have a 27" crappy tube TV and it works fine on it (bought it in
2001 I think)... the trick is that your TV needs to have
component video (R/G/B instead of just Y) to hook up the
AppleTV. One caveat: because my TV is older it doesn't realize
that the AppleTV sends a widescreen signal and the TV then
stretches it. I had a dozen family and friends over for
Thanksgiving and they didn't notice it until I pointed it out.

If you have an older TV and want to try it, buy it from Target or
Best Buy because they may have more liberal return policies than
the Apple Store.

Now if Congress and the Studios would allow us to rip our
legally owned DVDs legally, then the AppleTV would be a huge
hit. The percentage of iTunes purchased music on any iPod is
small (most songs are ripped from their CDs). People don't like
paying twice for something just for media shifting. Of course, I
pay for the convenience of watching TV shows on different
devices: on my iPhone on the train and our TV with my family.

[nicmart]

Sorry, wrong number

I've had a widescreen LCD for a couple of years and would not
consider buying Apple TV. I have a Mac mini connected to my TV
and audio system, holding an iTunes collection of 40,000 "songs."
I can see no reason to stream the songs through Apple TV,
though it is capable of handling it. As the author says, I wouldn't
think of restricting myself to the video content on iTunes, little of
which interests me and whose visual quality I mistrust. If it were
possible to rip a DVD to a computer and then stream it to Apple
TV with no compromise in quality, I would buy one. Part of my
skepticism is induced by what I see as Apple's sloppiness around
the margins. For instance, while Apple suggested that people
connect the mini to a TV, it has never bothered to correct the
overscan problem, so a small part of the image is off-screen.

[Stan_Timek]

"The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated..."

Apple TV hasn't "failed." As others have mentioned, the issue we face today is that content owners aren't willing to place the "jewels" on Apple's servers. Apple TV supports HD video and looks good doing it! That's why you -ideally- will have it connected to an HD set. There are ways to connect it to an SD set but the experience isn't optimal... and that's what Apple is all about, the experience.

I thought is was interesting the way you described your existing TV "the basic big ugly TV." HDTVs are dropping in price weekly and sales are going through the roof. I don't have the stats handy but sale through to consumers is greater than the 2% you mentioned.

In the end it's all about content... and when you're talking studio or network content, lawyers. These things take time. Have patience.


Stan Timek

www.pollywogtheater.com
www.hd4appletv.com

[jasonfiske]

Yes and I'd like to add a couple of other things

Reykjavik is partially right.

I don't think that AppleTV failed, its just not the run away
success that the iPod or iPhone are

I have an AppleTV and I really like it, but I do want more from it.

See the list below:

SDTV: If you iTunes doesn't have HD content, why not allow for
standard def viewing of standard def. I have a standard def TV
because the Standard Def looks way better on it than on the HD
set. I use my iPod for watching a lot SD TV shows and movie
that are in my iTunes.

Also, SDTVs are cheap and the AppleTV is the best UI media
library interface going right now. I'd like to have the AppleTV as
a front end for my music library on my two channel audio only
stereo systems. I do not listen to music on my Home Theater
System I watch TV there. I think most people are the same.

True HD content.

True High Def delivery on non iTunes content. For example, I
have an HD camcorder. I can edit HD content on my mac, but no
HD capable DVD delivery, why not thru AppleTV?

Capacity. 1TB option. Also, content that doesn't have to be
duplicated on my computer's hard drive. Can't I just park it on
my AppleTV and back it up locally.

External Drive. It has a USB connection, why not let me use it?

[jypeterson]

Burst.com DVR Patents

What about the recent settlement with Burst.com? Read the following quote from Cringely on the recent settlement:

"Then there is the peculiar detail of the settlement that Apple's license specifically excludes one issued and three pending Burst patents on digital video recorder (DVR) technology, yet Burst promises not to sue Apple for infringing these patents for which it is specifically NOT giving Cupertino a license," Cringely writes. "How odd is that? Isn't saying you won't sue someone for infringing the same as giving a license?"

So, Burst will not sue Apple if they incorporate DVR technology, but they will not license it. Will Apple add DVR technology to the Apple TV? It seems like it is more of a possibility now.

[edgedesign]

Still love it

Apple TV 1.0 is a fantastic device despite the narrow view many have
about it. While focusing on Apple TV's current standard video features
only can lead some to call it 'crippled', those who can think outside of the
box are left smiling.

Apple TV makes my entire music collection available in multiple rooms. A
Mac mini-based entertainment center with Bose speakers in one room
and an Apple TV linked HDTV with surround sound in another fills the
appetite of this music lover. Sharing new photos from the comfort of a
couch or bed instead of in front of the computer is quite pleasant. As for
video... Handbrake, Eye TV, YouTube and iTunes can drum up many hours
of video entertainment.

Don't forget, Apple TV is a hard drive in a sleek box that can easily be
updated at any time. It could ultimately sidestep the HDDVD vs. BluRay
war. When iTunes starts offering rentals, I may cancel my Netflix account.

Food for thought.

[Maclover1]

I doubt Apple

will let you upgrade the box. They will want more money from you. You can probably do it yourself....but goodbye to support.

Everthing you have described plus way more has done by MS already with media center. With one media center PC you can stream music, photos, and videos to any windows PC on your home network. Also Linksys, Dlink, Netgear....all make media center aware devices that can be hooked up to your TV to pull the content to them. Linksys even has a media center wireless radio you can move around your house.

Throw in the Xbox 360 and you can stream all of it to there. Not to mention the 360 is a DVD/HD-DVD player, plus you can download HD content...movies and tv shows to it. Throw in the zune with its latest firmware/sofware and it can sync and push media as well.

I am not praising MS so much as I am bashing Apple. Apple sadly lags behind MS in this area when they should be setting the trend.

[feralrom]

6/30 * 20 = $4, not $2

6/30 * 20 = $4, not $2, so even when we price out the commercials, they overcharge us.

[weldon]

$20/hour not $20/half-hour

Of course, the article was suggesting that you value your time at
$20 per hour, not $20 for the 30 minute show.

[DamDisIsShiznats]

6/60*20=$2

He said if you value your time at $20/hour not per half hour.

-Nate

[jocal69]

Apple Tv

Just got the 80 gig zune, and it's my apple tv. I have my media center box record shows and add them to the zune software. The zune software auto downloads all the podcasts I want. I have the zune hooked perminately to my tv via the component out on the dock. I then just wirelessly sync the zune with my pc, and viola, apple tv, and I can take it with me...

[Maclover1]

Xbox 360/Live

flat out better.

[DaiMac]

RROD - No Thanks

As somebody who is on their 3RD Xbox360 after the first two got
RROD, I'll just steer clear of having it on for hours at a time
watching Video, thanks. I like playing games too much on it to
waste it on something my AppleTV does just fine.

[thedreaming]

Got a friend

That uses his xbox 360 for pretty much all this entertainment needs. He plays games, listens to music, views photos, watches tv shows and movies bought at the xbox marketplace and hddvds he buys at the store using the external hddvd drive. He has a computer, but rarely uses it for anything other than schoolwork and email.

[missapple27]

costs too much for what you get

If the Apple TV had a built-in DVD player or could double as a
recorder, it would be worth getting. It is nice that Apple now lets
you watch stuff like YouTube videos, but it is still limited. For the
money, I prefer a TiVo.

[chickenman_08]

I love my apple TV and Elgato Eye TV

I use my apple TV for viewing my tv shows that I have used
toast and handbrake to encode from my Elgato EyeTV 500 (the
HD one) and 200 (the Standard Def one). It is a great way to
watch stuff that I record, and then I don't have to put it on DVD.
Plus although the compression is to something a little less then
HD due to some kind of processing issue with the Apple TV (its
biggest flaw), I can still stream and watch the shows on the nice
little device. Sure Apple needs to do a much better job of
marketing this device rather than killing it off, but IMHO the
Apple TV is taking the place of my DVD player for my TV
watching of stuff I record, and if it was a little snappier at
transferring movies from iTunes I would totally welcome it as a
full fledged replacement for my DVD player as well. The rental
idea may see its time, as this would be an ideal way to transmit
movies that you want and help finish off Blockbuster, but the
studios may never hop on board the Apple TV express as they
want it there way....but the consumer can inform them that if
the Burger King model is to work, the consumer gets to choose
how they want the content delivered, not the Big Goliath media
companies. The Apple TV is a great idea, it just needs a little
more time and content to get on its feet.

[ppredux]

Question re adaptability

Can Apple TV be used off the shelf with a Windows XP PC or, must one purchase some sort of adapter in order to enable this mis-match to work ? PPredux

[tundraboy]

I think all you need is iTunes.

Of course you also need a local network.

[proadventurer]

I love mine

I hate cable, but love apple TV. Qul is sub on a 37 HD LCD TV, but I am not paying $109 a month for HD basic up here in Alaska. Have 500+ gigs of movies and TV shows and load what I want.

[tundraboy]

It's all about bandwidth

Without the internet bandwidth there isn't much you can do with AppleTV or any similar device. All the neat things people expect from such a device; HD video, rentals, real-time streaming, etc. -these all require more bandwidth than currently available. Until the bandwidth is available there's no point in pouring more development money into the AppleTV.

[Maclover1]

Wrong

other companies already do it. Xbox 360/Live download a HD movie. You can start watching it once its 5% downloaded. Not to mention the 360 cost about the same, plus it has a DVD player and go figure it can play HD games as well.

I think the PS3 has or will have something soon. Sony owns a lot of movies, they should have had something day one.

Cable companies do it, ATT Uverse does it.

Its possible.

[jmv2007]

peer to peer

I agree largely with your sentiment. You can't set up a server which serves hundreds of thousands of viewers without peer to peer