One definition where John and I agree 100% of the time is IPTV.
John’s definition: “IPTV is the transmission of television shows over the Internet both for viewing in real time and for download-and-play.” BTW – that’s viewing on your TV set.
Six months after it was announced, Apple TV is finally here, and of course, our testing is well underway. In order to canvas a variety of different televisions and possible usage models, iLounge’s editors have assembled a robust testing environment for our two Apple TV units: four computers, five HDTVs ranging in size and resolution, one widescreen non-HDTV, and audio receivers with and without optical audio inputs. Prior to our final review, we wanted to share some of our preliminary findings for those who are interested.
QuickTime Pro-converted videos – including high-res ones – and current iTunes Store videos look great, but old (320×240) iTunes videos do not. It shouldn’t be a surprise that Apple TV-formatted videos created by QuickTime, and recent 640×480 videos purchased from the iTunes Store, look great on a television connected to Apple TV. Few people will be able to tell the difference between 640 pixel-wide videos on Apple TV and 720 pixel-wide DVDs, assuming they’ve been encoded properly (see below). Older 320×240 videos sold by Apple for the first year after the launch of the iTunes video Store look grainy and poor by comparison, but they’re still watchable.
This isn’t a “Final” review. I wonder if he’ll ever get John’s point about IPTV. I think Steve Jobs has.
The essential reason I’ve ordered an Apple TV is to watch IPTV – in my living room. Content available will continue to increase. The Apple TV software will change and adapt over time as did the iPod’s. Of course.
What a concept? Actually reviewing hardware instead of arguing about it before you get your hands on it. Shock and amazement.
Though I don’t do much with video, I have taken video I’ve created in Logitech webcam video capture software and converted it to DivX .mov – which plays through iTunes/Front Row.
Mpg4 is pretty much becoming the standard for broadcast and satellite digital TV; so, it appears Apple’s covered the mass media end of the spectrum.
My Apple TV arrived yesterday and I hooked it up last night.
It took just a few minutes, mostly the time taken to pull the TV out and reach around it to get the cables in the correct sockets.
Setup was very simple and quick. It looks spectacular – the graphics are great, photographs, even my photographs, just look stunning on the big screen. They really show off how good this thing will be over time.
Music sounds good too – I will probably re-rip my favorite CDs using the Apple Lossless Codec.
I have the series Heroes from the iTunes store along with a couple of iTunes movies. They are not DVD quality, but pretty close. I am working on trying to encode a couple of DVDs in 1280 x 720 to see what the box can do given the right content. I’m sure Apple will be changing the resolution of video content to Apple TV compatible levels in the near future.
The key parts are below…
The Wife Acceptance Factor is very high – she will use it, after a couple of seconds playing with the interface and the remote she was off and running. I couldn’t get the remote back from her! I couldn’t hope to get that acceptance and ease of use from something I built myself. Media Center? Ha!
Also, the Finance Committee likes the $299 price tag compared to $500 for the XBox360.
So, in summary, I am really pleased with my purchase. I am a techie, but the thought of putting my own system together and have it work this smoothly, even though it would have more capability, isn’t something that would work for me.
IPTV? Isn’t that something used in furrin places, like Sweden, Shanghai and Oklahoma?
Must be unAmerican.
I think the Apple TV is a neat little box. I just don’t understand why they failed to add PVR capabilites to the box. It could have easily been a TiVo killer.
I think that nower days, it depends on what you mean by “TV set”. I don’t have a traditional TV, but in its place, across from the sofa in the living room is a home-theater PC hooked up with surround sound and a 24″ monitor and remote. With some rabbit-ears and a tv card I can watch broadcast TV, but I can also call up democracyplayer or firefox and watch crankygeeks, dltv and even youtube from the comfort of the livingroom and on a large (ish) screen.
What I’m saying is that what is IPTV to one person may not be to another. A definition of watching it on the big screen in the livingroom makes the term dependent on what people have at the receiving end.
Crankygeeks is IPTV by Dvorak’s definition, when I watch it.
Killing TiVo ain’t as much fun – or as ambitious – as killing the home media center pc.
I wote for MythTV and reusing old PC with it. More capability for fraction of money. I already enjoy various IPTV (and Tivo -like functionality with my ordinary Satellite programming) this way including CrankyGeeks and DLTV. For those remmembering early days of MythTV note the userfriendly change: my 10 yrs old nephew installed it from scratch without any help…
Anyway IPTV is the future, however one decides to get it.
>> Content available will continue to increase. The Apple TV software will change and adapt over time as did the iPod’s.
By the time your AppleTV matures, it will be obsolete, with a better unit having the desired qualities, better performance and lower relative cost becoming available. Heck, just competition will make Apple replace the unit outright, because there is a whole slew of devices coming up shortly.
This is an “early-adopter” toy, just like the current HD-DVD and BlueRay players… it will work, but you are much better off waiting for the next generation of device (1 year?) before actually buying this thing.
Things like this have to be true ‘set top boxes’, with digital tuners (for over the air Digital TV), web browsers (for DLTV type shows), PVR capabilities, plug-and-play for media servers, etc. As is, the AppleTV is quite limited in it’s capabilities, just an overhyped Apple product that in reality isn’t-quite-there.
I was told that it is a giant Ipod. Is it?? Serious question!! I don’t own an Ipod cuz I’m almost deaf.
WTF wit da cowboy, cranky I guess.
several reports are coming out of being able to install a larger Hard drive & being able to run Xvid movies on it (with a little moding of course)
I’m waiting for the larger Hard drive how to so I can install a 120 in mine
I read it will not work with Youtube…WTF? Can someone confirm?
I’ve just spend the last few days building a home theatre pc from old parts and pieces I bought from e bay running Myth. Sorry just had to tell someone as I’m very pleased with myself……It’s a better solution as far as I’m concerned as it’s so flexible. Obviously it has a problem with encrypted video files but I’ll never buy anything from i-Tunes because of the D.R.M.
When someone comes out with an easy way to convert all of my DVDs into a video format that can be played by the Apple TV I will consider buying one. Obviously Apple can’t do this as it would violate the DMCA. What happened to FairUse?
#4. someone will likely come up with a PVR functionality for Apple TV. A vidcap dongle would fit nicely into that mystery USB port. A few reasons for not adding PVR functionality-
to be useful, would need tuners (at least two HD ones to keep the coolness factor) a bigger HD, IR blaster for cable boxes (or CableCard support)
price goes up. way up. think TiVo Series 3.
Apple don’t much care for OTA media. Note the absence of an integral FM tuner on any iPod. this is for getting your content over the internet.
a fair number of us who are going to spring for an Apple TV already have a TiVo or cable-company DVR. don’t want to spring for another one.
Over all, I think it was a good idea to leave it out, or (as I suspect) make it optional by either Apple or a 3rd party developer.
Random thoughts…
A DVR that isn’t in the same box as the tuner is a technology that has proven to not be commercially viable. That’s why it isn’t in the Apple TV.
Calling this an early-adopter toy is silly. This is much more a replay of how Apple took over the MP3 player market in this country, even though the HTPC market is much smaller.
Personally, I’ll buy an Apple TV once someone hacks the thing to output 1080p.