Apple TV.

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BoomAM

Soldato
Joined
5 Jul 2003
Posts
16,206
Location
Atlanta, USA
Hi.
Ive just been reading up on the 'AppleTV' product on the Apple website.
Is it just me or is it a cracking idea at a good price?
Small. Quiet. HDMI+Optical+Component. Outputs upto 1080i. 40Gb capacity. Intergrates with iTunes.

Seems amazing to me.

Anyone seen any reviews or have opinions on it?
 
Not really, the hard disk is tiny for this type of device. BT have their Vision box which is free for BT broadband users, plus as well as downloadable stuff that has freeview capability plus PVR functionality. Plus i'm not sure we'll see that appletv thing over here for a while.
 
read something about it outputs in HD but only takes 640x480 videos, in apples formats, and the itunes store is lacking content for the UK.

People over on AVforums were saying how much of a waste of time it is in fact...
 
Hmm.
Prehaps Apple will start selling HiDef stuff on iTunes?, or produce a converter for DVDs/Videos.
& Theres no point them making a product that can output at 1080i if its not gonna be outputting 1080i stuff is there?
 
I read a few bits on it and it looks rubbish, offers nowhere near the flexibility and freedom of rival network players. As mentioned limited to apple codecs and video in an attempt to tie you in.

I'll stick my snazio thanks.
 
Valid viewpoints, but ive yet to see a player thats £200 with the same specs as Apples product. You cannot deny, specs wise, its impressive (bar the HDD).
 
You can get a Pinnacle Showcenter for £100 that will play HD content/divx/xvid/ripped DVD's/FLAC/MP3

I'm really not sure what Apple is offering here to be interested in. Everything I've read says it only plays 640x480 res files, I wouldn't even use it as a doorstop frankly.
 
Goatboy said:
Everything I've read says it only plays 640x480 res files
Click to expand...
You need to read more then :p

From http://www.apple.com/appletv/specs.html (emphasis added):

Video formats supported:
H.264 and protected H.264 (from iTunes Store): 640 by 480, 30 fps, LC version of Baseline Profile; 320 by 240, 30 fps, Baseline profile up to Level 1.3; 1280 by 720, 24 fps, Progressive Main Profile.
MPEG-4: 640 by 480, 30 fps, Simple Profile


Not too hot, granted, but, for the use it's intended, perfectly adequate.

A friend is in the market for a wireless media streamer. I won't be recommending this to him ;).
 
Goatboy said:
You can get a Pinnacle Showcenter for £100 that will play HD content/divx/xvid/ripped DVD's/FLAC/MP3

I'm really not sure what Apple is offering here to be interested in. Everything I've read says it only plays 640x480 res files, I wouldn't even use it as a doorstop frankly.
Click to expand...

I've got the Showcenter 200 and its very good for the £108 I paid for it. Use it with the Swisscenter alternative software and its non bloaty, quick and feature rich on the PC side of the solution.
 
Doug said:
Not too hot, granted, but, for the use it's intended, perfectly adequate.
Click to expand...


So it is crap, just not quite as crap as I thought. Still in not even as a door stop territory I'm afraid, £179 for that is criminal.
 
Only way i'd buy it was if it supported MPEG2 TS and full 1080p H264. But I can't see it somehow :(
 
Tommy B said:
Is there anything that will play dodgy downloads?

As in DivX HD episodes of Lost :D
Click to expand...


The Pinnacle showceter I mentioned will.

It will also play non-divx HD episodes of Lost (i.e the best ones)

I personally have a snazio which benefits from a DVD drive as well as all the network streaming gubins.
 
Goatboy said:
The Pinnacle showceter I mentioned will.

It will also play non-divx HD episodes of Lost (i.e the best ones)

I personally have a snazio which benefits from a DVD drive as well as all the network streaming gubins.
Click to expand...


sounds interesting

i've got a upnp video streaming NAS device, what should i be googling for to get more info on this ?
 
Goatboy said:
The Pinnacle showceter I mentioned will.

It will also play non-divx HD episodes of Lost (i.e the best ones)

I personally have a snazio which benefits from a DVD drive as well as all the network streaming gubins.
Click to expand...

You can't download non-divx HD episodes of Lost?
 
Not quite sure what you're asking. It will play your divx HD episodes but it will also play the far superior transport stream versions (which clock in at about 3.8GB a piece).
 
Goatboy said:
Not quite sure what you're asking. It will play your divx HD episodes but it will also play the far superior transport stream versions (which clock in at about 3.8GB a piece).
Click to expand...

Ahh for a minute i thought you were hinting at H264 stuff but yeah TS is good quality but uncompressed so easier to play which the H264 is nearly the same but a much lower filesize around 1.3gb per episode

sid
 
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