What is Digg?107 Comments
- firewars, on 10/12/2007, -12/+42XBMC FTW!
- monkeyrun, on 10/12/2007, -7/+33considering ilounge is pretty much a Apple/iPod fan site, and they wrote this article which you agree with.
Apparently Apple fans are less zealous than you .... believe.
it's really hard to tell who's the zealot in some cases. - LeeSoong, on 10/12/2007, -11/+36720P max resolution.
Wake me up when Apple comes out with a REAL HDTV 1080p or better version...
I'll buy it when:
1080p
Component & HDMI video in.
Full DVR ability.
Uploads DVR to Mac/pc. - iceeblue, on 10/12/2007, -6/+25Personally I want a DVR box that will stream divx movies from my computer, and play itunes through my amp.
Apple TV just not quite ready for prime time. - juanotejano, on 10/12/2007, -15/+30Just what some apple zealots needed to hear for them to realize “Hey I don’t need to buy this just because Jobs tells me too.” I think I fall into number 3 as I have $600 waiting for Jobs to tell me to buy a new iPod, lol. Or maybe it is number 6 becuase I want to protest apple releasing the iPhone and holding off on what is probably a ready iPod waiting for the the iPhone to get outta the limelight. Give me a new iPod already, damnit!
- nograz, on 10/12/2007, -8/+22"Cable HDTV is crap, 720p or 1080i? Wake me up when it is 1080p!"
Have fun waiting and waiting and waiting... 1080p isn't coming for a long time. Besides, 1080p isn't anything special. It is just the new buzzword (partialy thanks to Sony's FUD) and therefore there are so many people out there that think it is a must have. Truth be told, 720p and 1080i are perfectly fine, the gain from 1080p, I just don't feel it is worth the price currently. Not to mention, the very limited 1080p sourced material that will stay that way for some time.
1080p is a bandwidth hog, as it stands, HD over the air is highly compressed and satellite and cable is compressed even more. It just currently isn't feasable with the wire we have currently. Satellite move to MP4 based video is the step in the right direction, but we still are not there and won't be for some time.
Right now you would be perfectly safe buying a 1080i or 720p TV. 1080p would just be a perk and sort of a future proof, but that is only if you plan on keeping the TV for a long time.
Like I said, 1080p is more of a buzz word right now. People need to realize that and that it isn't as important as it is made out to be. - wageslaven, on 10/12/2007, -3/+17Apple TV is an attempt for apple to move into the living room w/ its media.
MS has a 10 Million XBox 360's in living rooms, with the ability to play media bought from Marketplace. The movie-download, tv-download, IPTV future of Entertainment requires a TV-connected box.
Frankly, for $300, Apple TV dosnt have nearly the value-proposition in comparison to XBox 360. It just happens that Apple is *REALLY* far behind in the "internet connected living room entertainment center" field... the atv is a very weak competitor frankly.
Heck, for $200 you can get a Slingbox that does far more. - SwornPacifist, on 10/12/2007, -6/+18Xbox Media Center (XBMC) is such a fantastic product, my wife and I use our XBMC modded Xbox like a Tivo watching TV episodes downloaded through Bittorrent fed from RSS feeds.
And since I pay for cable to watch TV whenever, I don't feel bad in the slightest for torrenting my TV eps
@jedikd and anyone else who is curious, you can browse your files from DVD/CDs or across the network like you view any other file on a computer, so if you organize in directories, you can easily access them through file shares and it'll still be organized - randf, on 10/12/2007, -3/+13@ipodsweats
"Then the idiots jumped on board as soon as an average idiot could get an internet connection working."
i think the word you were looking for was "AOL" - jefdub, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9Number 10 is key... I bought a $2.50 AV cable that plays movies, photos and music from my iPod to my entertainment system. That accomplishes 90% of AppleTV at less than 1% of the price.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -3/+12"Because the Xbox can't play iTunes purchased TV shows or movies?"
It can if you strip Apple's restrictive DRM. I for one refuse to shell out for something just because it supports a certain DRM standard. Can the AppleTV play WMV/WMA's?
XBMC is overall more functional than the AppleTV can ever hope to be
@ drlha
To softmod an X-box you just put a memory card in, load the game, and press ok... that doesn't sound so hard now does it? - kazersoza, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8Good write-up. Add another
#11 Macbook (and MBP) owners (like me) - get the mini-DVI to S-Video attachment, add a mini-to-RCA cable ($50 for both) ... watch iTunes shows, listen to music and view photos (all via Frontrow). - teamparadox, on 10/12/2007, -4/+12For me...
#1-10- My Xbox 360 and HDTV w/Media Center running on my PC and the 360 Live marketplace I really have no need for anything else. - fartingbob, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7So let me get this right?
It will only work with HDTV TV's, and yet there is no easy way to get HD content on it, short of "illegally" downloading/ripping a HD version and re-encoding it? Yea that makes a bucketload of sense... - evilspoons, on 10/12/2007, -4/+10Agreed. It's a hell of a lot cheaper too if you've got an Xbox kicking around. The only problem I have is since it's a bit of an old tank (733 MHz Pentium III/Celeron thing?) it can't decode 720P HD files fast enough for an even framerate even though it can output the high-def resolutions.
jedikd: xbmc shows files in whatever directory structure you've got them organized. It's exactly like browsing the files in folders on your computer. - glucoseboy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7Nice article. iLounge is a great resource. I'm leaning towards getting a media center PC.
- iheartcrack, on 10/12/2007, -3/+9I already have DVR functions with Directv/Tivo. When you can get 720p movies off iTunes (...or BitTorrent), I'm in. Screw HD-DVD and Bluray. Discs suck.
Also, when do we get an Apple monitor with HDMI? - Lou3000, on 10/12/2007, -3/+9Lets see the options I have.
1. I have an airport express and it hooks directly to my stereo.
2. I have a TiVo that now downloads Amazon Unbox Movies and records Television, if I wanted I could upgrade to TiVo HD.
3. I have a XBox360 that can download HD movies, play DVDs, Games, and will soon do IPTV.
4. I have a subscription to Netflix, for the same price of about 1 movie on iTunes I get 2 at a time.
Where does an Apple TV fit into my needs, what does it do that I can't currently do. It simply provides a simpler interface to get media from my computers to my TV. I would be willing to pay MAYBE $149 for this functionality. But $299 is insane. I could get a mac mini for a little bit more. - cbreaker, on 10/12/2007, -4/+9"Apple fanatic or hold-out: whichever side are you on, you'll feel smarter for having read this."
Where's option 3) Never going to buy this product? "Hold out" insinuates that you want one, but just aren't sure about it yet. I'm pretty damned sure I'll never buy one unless it's $5 with free shipping.
The Apple TV is *only* good if you already do everything with iTunes. iTunes is a mess; I tried it (and I have no choice when running OSX) but I always go back to the simplicity of WinAMP and it's easy media library. - drlha, on 10/12/2007, -11/+16Cable HDTV is crap, 720p or 1080i? Wake me up when it is 1080p!
Again, AppleTV is not a DVR, is not meant to be a DVR, will never be a DVR.
What you want, is a DVR. - drlha, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6You realise AppleTV doesn't have any kind of optical drive right?
- cordtripper, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Well Actually
The original Xbox doesnt have a power brick just to power plug, and Microsoft did sell a wireless extender for it. it doesn't need to sync wirelessly you can just browse to the folder or even make a shortcut to a folder on the network to which either iTunes or any other podcatcher dumps its downloads. it has both Component and Composite/S-video ports while its a pain that it doesn't have HDMI the device was released before HDMI it also includes optical out with the HD Kit. as far as the interface XBMC 2 includes a user skinable UI that even can incorporate animations via flash, someone even made an exact duplicate of the apple TV and Xbox 360 Ui's using this engine. as far as the aesthetics of the box who really cares isn't it better to have something that works better than something that looks pretty.
Also one small plush of a Modded xbox is that its a gaming console also you can play games on it, apart from having every single emulator you can imagine on it also. - onidraky, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5"Heck, for $200 you can get a Slingbox that does far more."
While you are right, it's not stopping people from buying cheaper mp3 players from other companies that do more than the iPod. - Erowid, on 10/12/2007, -2/+611. MythTV? ............................ Heck, Windows Media Center Edition looks like it'd beat Apple TV :/ ... And for $299 (probly less) I'm sure you could buy a box (with more storage) that'd run either.
- totorototoro, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4You are joking right? Compared to the iPhone this has been a stealth launch for Apple :p
- mobilehavoc, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6Buried as inaccurate for the "(Yet)" in the title..
- NinjaBoy, on 10/12/2007, -3/+7Heh, i just hooked a computer to mine with wireless kb and mouse. Now i can watch diggnation on my big screen and play counter-strike. If you are a true geek you don't need no stinkin set top box.
- jedikd, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6what can i use to make the old xbox pick up wireless internet?
- x2wenty4x, on 10/12/2007, -3/+6Stick with Windows Media Center. That's one thing they got right.
- maximusGeek, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5I think its a great product but I'm just not sure I will use it enouph to justify it. It took me years to buy and iPod and I am a total MacHead. I'm even a share holder.
- fuerion, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I'm there when they start selling 720P HD video, namely movies, on the iTunes store. Heck, if Microsoft can rent them on the 360 why the hell can't Apple do it too?
- totorototoro, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Great list..actually #10 is probably the most overlooked-the AppleTV is kinda like a big iPod without the white earbuds :p.
- totorototoro, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5dude, sounds like a great multimedia setup. Why would you bother paying even $149 for a product you obviously have no need for? You realize that not every product is targeted to you, right?
- tdhurst, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Good for you! Cookie?
- nograz, on 10/12/2007, -6/+8I don't know if I would say it isn't ready for prime time, but it defiantly falls short of other affordable solutions out there. Mainly the Roku Photobridge or the new Net Gear media streamer client.
- onidraky, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Sorry, terrible wording. I meant to say it's not stopping people from buying an ipod when there are much cheaper mp3 players that do more.
- theGOG, on 10/12/2007, -0/+211. iTunes Canada doesn't sell TV Shows or Movies.
- drlha, on 10/12/2007, -5/+7Funnily enough Apple is marketing to the mainstream, not the kind of people who are willing to mod and install software on hacked Xboxes.
My laptop does a better job than the AppleTV does also (it even has a remote), but does that mean its a simple, easy to use device for the mainstream to use to watch video content? No! - jedikd, on 10/12/2007, -3/+5how good is xbmc? I have lots of tv show avis organized by show, season, ep, etc, will this structure be organized when i go to view it on the xbmc?
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -6/+8A used X-box is all you need. Softmod is free and easy (doesn't void warranty either) and XBMC.
Why shell out for Apple TV when the X-Box can do more and has been around alot longer. - Radan, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3@piratechaos:
Wow, easy on the flame there, you might burn something.
Ok, first of all I am myself using an Xbox 360 as a media center, I'm not saying that the Apple TV is overall better than the Xbox, just the things that the Apple TV does better.
Also, as I myself also owns an Xbox, I can say, it's sure as hell is a lot louder than 'completely silent', and it does have a powerbrick, or well at least the European ones.
When I'm talking about better interface I'm not just talking about better looking. I'm talking about features and how they are implemented, I'm talking about 3D slideshows and gorgeous movie trailer streaming e.t.c.
Additionally, you can't compare hacking the DRM (which I'm actually pretty sure you can't do without turning the video quality into a pot of porridge) to simply opening the movie and choose 'Export to Apple TV'.
To conclude this, if you want a very good looking, quiet and simple working Media Center, and like to pay some extra for good quality, get an Apple TV, else if you want a cheeper media center which also plays games and don't care about the looks and feels, get an Xbox or something similar. Both of them does the same thing, but again it's like comparing a Volvo V70 with a BMW Z4.
Edit: @piratechaos:
FFS! Stop talking about these freaking zealots! Who's a zealot? The ones that likes the things they buy or the ones that whines about what other people buys? - white1827, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I like the concept, but am not too keen on adding yet another box to my living room.
- LeFrenzy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I have a S-video & an auxiliary cable. That's all you need when you own a laptop and a TV.
- dmbfan2007, on 10/12/2007, -3/+5I just don't buy into this societal bliss of "i" products. Sure the iPod is sleek and easy to use, but you will not see me be any Apple product unless it is the flat out best product AND has a good price.
- superkendall, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I missed the device that handled video podcasts.
The 360 comes closest to being the device you have that replaces Apple TV. But there are a lot of people that are not going to spend the money for a 360 when all they want are the video handling features. This devices is for those people. - cyberdork33, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2@jedikd
Yes, MS made a Media Center Extender package for the Xbox that included a Media Center Remote, IR sensor, and the extender software... - slaguru, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I would love one, BUT
I live in the UK, and Europe has no films or tv shows on iTunes. I might as well just download what I want and play it back on my Powerbook.
As for music, I would think that most of the people looking to an AppleTV will have SKY here in the UK. I think that all the free radio and specialist music channels will make people think twice about the ATV.
Shame.
If Apple wants to grow, it MUST accept that all markets should be tackled at the same time. The same might be true about the iPhone. It will be in US hands nearly 6 months before Europe. You only have to see the appathy that the PS3 has generated here to see that bring out good and over exposing them (and they will with the iPhone) months before you can get them your self does not generate demand, but it might generate demand for alternatives.
Nokia have just dropped the N95 here (much to US upset), and I'm sure other manufacturers will fill the demand hole that the delayed iPhone will create here with increasingly sophisticated phones.
Maybe other firms can do the same with the AppleTV idea. - ElectroBot, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1HDMI is DVI + Digital Audio
The (possible) video resolutions for HDMI are 480i, 480p, 576i, 576p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p, 1440p, etc.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDMI)
The 30" Apple Cinema Display has a resolution of 2560 x 1600 which is higher than 1440p. BTW most people will use HDMI at either 720p, 1080i or 1080p. The Apple Cinema Displays have DVI already and don't have speakers so what would be the point of sending a HDMI signal to them? - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -5/+6@ cordtripper
Don't bother. Rational answers only get dugg down my Mac Zealots - originalG, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Used XBOX on Ebay, $60 + Free XBMC softmod = Don't buy Apple TV.
What else do you need to know? -
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