Apple TV – thoughts before I (possibly) buy

By Tyler

36547 responses2010-10-03+15%3A25%3A44Tyler. »

I haven’t bought a DVD in over seven years, nor have I bought a CD, unless it was by a local band that I really liked, in about ten.

I was a Napster kid.

I don’t have cable, nor do I subscribe to anything like Netflix, but my lady does. I don’t own a DVD or Blu-Ray player, nor do I plan on buying one. I do own a very nice TV, a 32″ LCD from Phillips that I bought from Best Buy a few years ago. It’s 720p, which seems pretty damn sharp to me.

For years, I attached a video iPod to my TV that I regularly synced with iTunes. I watch a combination of downloaded, ripped and converted TV shows and movies. After being given a 400 mhz G4 Tower, I tried to use that as my video storage unit, but connecting it to the TV never gave me the right aspect ratio. I solved that problem by again using the video iPod, which required constant syncing.

After using that for nearly three years, my girlfriend bought a Mac Mini, which she used for her personal computer and we used to watch shows with. It worked, but it required that she use the Phillips TV as her monitor, which wasn’t ideal.

And then came the new Apple TV. It’s small, it syncs only and it will play anything that I have in my iTunes library. Here’s what I’m thinking:

1. Do I really need another gadget?
Not really, but this thing is small. Very, very small. And it will play songs from my iPhone, my MacBook Pro and the Mac Mini. Cool!

2. Is HDMI-only a problem?
Nope, at least not with my TV. I have two HDMI ports and I’m sure most modern TVs do as well. Oh, and don’t buy a Monster cable. Trust me.

3. Is DRM an issue?
No more than it is in iTunes. As long as I can play it there, and I can for anything ripped or converted with VisualHub, I’m good.

4. Does buying another gadget really simplify anything?
For me, yeah. I’m looking forward to being able to move the Mac Mini, and the four hard drives plugged into it, away from the TV. And because Remote works on both my iPad and iPhone, I can control my music and video from anywhere in my house.

5. Is $100 too much?
Seeing as how I haven’t heard or seen anything simpler, I’m going to go with no. I can’t say it’s a NECESSARY expense, but the ability to watch my movies, NetFlix and the occasional YouTube video is nice (‘though I’m not really big on watching blown up 320×240 videos on my TV).

(Writing this article, and receiving an unneeded new iPod Shuffle as a gift, convinced me to go grab my very own Apple TV. Expect a full review in the next few days.)

About Tyler

Storyteller. Inspirator. Opens bananas like a monkey. Minimalist runner. Eliticist. Have my name on my shirt. Knows all the words to Baby Got Back.

36547 Responses2010-10-03+15%3A25%3A44Tyler so far.

David Fields
October 3, 2010 at 11:49 pm
1) Do I really need another gadget? Maybe not, but this will probably go so much farther than simply replacing your synch-intensive iPod. It offers a direct connection to any iTunes-equipped computer in your household.
2) Is HDMI-only a problem? Not really. Considering that LCD TVs are now the norm rather than the exception, almost any set you choose has an HDMI connection available.
3) Is DRM an issue? As you said, if it can play through iTunes, it will play through the AppleTV. Essentially, it's little more than a video-capable AirPlay device.
4) Does buying another gadget really simplify anything? Definitely! Not only will it replace your iPod for this purpose, but like most of the game consoles today, it can also tie directly to Netflix for your movie streaming, giving you access to an even larger movie library than iTunes'. You can also use the Remote app on your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad to directly access anything in your library in a much more intuitive manner that minimizes menu browsing even more than the iPod did for itself.
5) Is $100 too much? Again, I agree. At the moment there is no equivalent device on the market that does as much at a lower price. Game consoles are priced at $250 or more while even Blue-Ray DVD players with Netflix capability run $200 or more. This puts the AppleTV at half the price while giving you immediate access to all your digital media for streaming. Add to this the tight integration with Apple's other products and the AppleTV can become your primary home entertainment device. What with the iTunes service offering your favorite prime-time TV shows when you want to watch them (admittedly for $0.99 each) you could conceivably cancel that $120/month cable service and save money as well.
Dan
October 4, 2010 at 4:00 am
I think you answered my question, which was very close to your #3 point. I do bittorrent a few shows here and there because I either miss then (my damn Comcast DVR might not record them) or I just plain don't have the room on my DVR.
What I usually do with these bittorrent'd shows is watch them on my MBP through Quicktime or hook up my MBP to my tv and watch through Front Row.
So you are saying if I convert and import to iTunes I'll be able to stream these to the new Apple TV?
My other question is that Front Row didn't even need me to do that. I just selected my movies directory and played the avi's right from there. Will I be able to do that? That'd be ideal since it saves the step or converting and importing to iTunes.
Alvaro Nunes
October 4, 2010 at 8:32 am
For me the big question is if I can stream to my Tv via wifi the content (videos, movies, etc.) from the disk attached to my Airport Extreme router. Can I?
Tyler Hurst
October 4, 2010 at 8:41 am
My iTunes library is stored on an external hard drive, hooked to the Mac Mini and available through iTunes. It works just fine.
There's no technical reason, if it works through iTunes on your computer, that it wouldn't work through the Apple TV.
David Fields
October 6, 2010 at 2:45 am
I'm disappointed that my extensive reply made on the date this blog was posted disappeared into the ether. I am happy that you decided to go ahead and buy.
Tyler
October 6, 2010 at 3:14 am
David-
Our reasons to buy were almost identical. Getting $50 off made buying it a no brainer.
Tyler
October 6, 2010 at 3:20 am
Dan-
I don't see any option to select media that's not in an iTunes library.
So it would seem an extra step may be necessary.