PVR Wire

21. Anything apple is always propriety propriety propriety. I want divx divx divx.

Posted at 9:22PM on Jan 14th 2007 by Motorcycle Guy

22. "Many existing Apple TV alternatives already out-compete the Apple TV in functionality."

OK, your list of "alternatives" is great if you are a Windows user. However, Macintosh users and folks that buy music/movies from the iTunes Store will find it a little difficult to access their purchases from any of those devices. The only one on your list of alternatives is the Mac Mini. I currently use my MacBook to serve up content on my HDTV. A $500 Mac Mini might not be bad as an alternative, but why not just spend the $300 and get the AppleTV and have all the content you have pushed to the device.

I would personally love to use an alternative that allowed me to access all my content, your list doesn't quite do it.

Posted at 9:48PM on Jan 14th 2007 by Dave M.

23. Interesting, but no deal. Without 1080p, just not worth the it. Seems like if you are going to the effort of including HDMI, stopping at 720p is nonsense.

Posted at 10:04PM on Jan 14th 2007 by Ken Hanscom

24. I enjoy people that know what they're talking about, so I'm a little dissappointed with this article.

>> "How easy is it to watch TV"
Wow. Believe it or not, with your Mac/PC on, you only need to use your iTV. Much of the "syncing" happens automatically, and what's not synced can be streamed. Ok, maybe that was just an oversight...

Here's your NEW edit:
>>> How easy is it to watch TV:
>>> 1. Turn on your TV and play videos right away.
>>> NOTE: Video downloads like TV "subscriptions"
and video podcasts sync automatically, unlike
any of these other products. You can also have
new download/purchases sync automatically, as
well as "streaming" content from your computer,
much how other computers/users on your network
can share content between each other through
iTunes.
>>> "What other people say..."
"For $100 more you could pick up an Xbox
360 with TV and Movie downloads direct
to the console, no PC required."

Geez... I'm scratching my head... what happened to ripping your DVDs and video podcasts? Isn't this quote talking about a scatter-shot of other gripes? And who says I wanted to use Microsoft points? Does XBox allow me to do movie playlists... podcasts? You guys realize that as an Xtender, most of the best PC/sync connectivity means I can't use Windows XP Pro and need to install Windows Media Centre Edition, right?? This has been an issue with me. And... why doesn't Microsoft simply have an "application" called "Windows Media Center" that people can download for free, like iTunes? Oh, yeah... they make more money that way. I think its about $120 last I saw, and you need to blow-away the OS you have... and god help you if you use a domain controller.

I mean, it goes on like that too. This article sucks if you're actually looking to get practical about this stuff. If you live in a dreamworld though, I'm sure it all makes perfect sense. FYI, if you want to NOT sound like a Microsoft evangelist, please go to your article on "alternatives to Apple tv", and update the pricing on your Windows Media Center to NOT include Black Friday pricing... even on Nov. 30th when you posted the article, it was well past black Friday (it was the 24th of November). Eesh.

Posted at 10:46PM on Jan 14th 2007 by Dudley

25. The one thing that Apple TV does that all other Apple products do, is deliver on it's promise. It does what it says with ease and simplicity. This alone will make it a good product for a lot of people.

Look at what most companies deliver. Some of what they promise and a poor user experience. Why, because they try to please the tech savvy. People including myself that will spend hours to solve a problem that does not really exist, or not truly wort the time. There is such a thing as a point of diminishing returns.

Posted at 11:51PM on Jan 14th 2007 by kvocal

26. I, too, am unimpressed. For the price I would expect full support for all MPEG-4 profiles *and* MPEG-2. MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 is one of the most demanding codecs to handle. It should be able to handle 'lesser' codecs like MPEG-2. Why MPEG-2? Because there is a lot of video in MPEG-2 - DVDs, TiVoToGo video, etc. And since it supports some MPEG-4, the most difficult to support (AVC), then support MPEG-4-based codecs like Divx. I can understand Apple not supporting WMV/VC-1, since it is the major rival format.

This is really just for people locked into Apple's ecosystem. If you buy video from iTunes, then you need a device that will support it on your TV - and since Apple won't deign to license their FairPlay to others, you're stuck with their hardware. Which is why I won't buy video from iTunes. My TiVos do a fantastic job of getting my music and photos to my A/V system. And I do buy ITMS music - and I strip the FairPlay deliberately to use it on my TiVos.

I can send video to my Series2 TiVos, and I do expect we'll see it on the Series3 later this year, reinforced by conversations I had at CES. And with the coming Desktop 2.4 it will auto-transcode other video sources to make it easier for non-technical users.

From what we've heard, the SlingCatcher may be a better option, especially if you use a Slingbox anyway. I believe we'll see a combination SlingCatcher/Slingbox, maybe by the end of the year. I asked about it at CES and I got the chin-stroking "Well, that's an interesting idea." And that *if* it were to happen, it might happen six-months or so after the SlingCatcher ships.

I think that's the route I'll be going - adding Slingbox/SlingCatcher to my TiVos.

Posted at 11:11PM on Jan 14th 2007 by MegaZone

27. Yea it's a bit of apple fanboyism - it'll be like TIVO - DRM and all.

Posted at 11:48PM on Jan 14th 2007 by Senator IPTV Snips

28. One thing most bloggers fail to realize is that they're not necessarily Apple's target market. Heck, I'm not even Apple's target market.

The Apple TV is designed for people who haven't even heard about DivX or Xvid and don't want to spend time finding content online. They want the simplicity of downloading a wide selection of content from a single source. By hooking into Apple's iApps, such as iPhoto, iTunes and iMovie, Apple TV is an easy way to bring this content from their Mac (or PC) to their TV.

Nothing else, nothing more.

"According to the Apple TV website:
1. Download movies, TV shows and more from iTunes.
2. Sync wirelessly from your Mac or PC.
3. Watch everything on your widescreen TV."

You don't need to sync you videos to Apple TV before playing them, which looks like..

1. Download movies, TV shows and more from iTunes.
2. Stream videos from your Mac or PC?

Or, If you've already downloaded videos from iTunes, creating home movies in iMovie or ripped DVDs to H.264...

1. Stream videos from your Mac or PC.

".. It does not support Xvid, DivX or WMV. In my opinion this is extremely restrictive meaning you'll need to do a lot of converting of video to watch everything through your Apple TV device."

If you're an extremely media savvy user running Windows, you may have videos in these formats on your PC. But most users don't even have a clue what Xvid, DivX is. If you've exported home moves in WMV from a third party Windows video editing app you'll have to convert. However, all of the iApps, such as iMovie, create Apple TV compatible files and it's dead simple to rip DVDs to H.264. I'm sure Handbrake will add a Apple TV preset, just as it has for the iPod Video.

"You can add other plain Quicktime movies into your iTunes library though but this is still very limited."

Again, this is dead simple. Drag and drop any compatible movie to import into iTunes. You can even tell iTunes to reference your content in place, or copy it into your library. However, I do wish that you could configure iTunes to prompt you (for large video files), instead of always copying or linking.

And, for crying out loud, iTunes / Quicktime has let you pick the poster frame used to represent a video since day one. (no black thumbnails on videos that fade in from black) Has WMV / WMP finally added this functionality?

If you're looking for a PVR, Apple TV isn't it.

Posted at 2:00AM on Jan 15th 2007 by Scott

29. First of all, I think this article is slanted. The "questions" are set up in a rhetorical way, to specifically make digs at the points you're trying to criticize. I mean, c'mon... "Am I restricted to the video formats that I can watch?". Hehe. That was one of the most blatant attempts at passive aggressive criticism I've ever seen. Further in fact, strictly speaking, ALL media players are restricted in the formats they can view. The section "How easy is it to watch TV:" is also flat-out completely wrong. You magically removed the Tivo's step of getting content onto the Tivo box, which requires just as much effort as downloading content on the Apple or XBox side, which you explicitly added steps for. And furthermore, the "sync" step that you added on the Apple TV list of steps is completely optional, which you failed to mention. Here's how the list would look if it were honest:

Steps to watching content:
TiVo:
1. Using Tivo, select TV shows to record.
2. Wait for their air date for them to be recorded.
3. Watch on Tivo.
Xbox 360:
1. Download content on Xbox Live marketplace right on the Xbox 360.
2. Watch on Xbox 360.
Apple TV:
1. Download content from iTunes on one of your computers.
2. Watch on Apple TV.

Dude... do you like own a Tivo or something and are insecure about your purchase choice? Why the misleading info?

Posted at 6:15AM on Jan 15th 2007 by Justin

30. Justin: However way you write it the fact is its quicker and easier to set up watching TV on a TiVo, then an Xbox and then an Apple TV.

A regular TV:
1. Choose channel and watch
(no purchase of TV shows neccesary, monthly subscription)

TiVo
1. Tv shows recorded automatically or you choose a TV shows to record.
2. Wait for TV shows to record when TV show airs.
3. Watch at your convenience on TV via TiVo box
(no purchase of TV shows neccesary, monthly subscription)
NOTE: Steps 1 and 2 are rarely noticable since TiVo often does it automatically and there is usually alot of shows on your TiVo to watch already.

Xbox 360
1. Find and select content to purchase on Xbox Live marketplace through your TV and Xbox 360.
2. Wait for video to PARTIALLY download
3. Watch on TV via Xbox 360.
(purchase of TV shows neccesary, no monthly subscription)

Apple TV
1. Find and select content to watch on iTUnes on your PC
2. Wait for ALL video to download.
3. Go back to PC and setup in an iTunes playlist if neccesary.
4. Let it sync with the Apple TV
5. Go back to the living room and select movie and watch.
(purchase of TV shows neccesary, no monthly subscription)

The point is that the Apple TV is overly complicated compared to other mainstream solutions. Obviously this is less of an issue for techie people.

My personal choice is to have a networked PC in the living room.

Posted at 6:26AM on Jan 15th 2007 by Chris Tew

31. Just another white shiny product to boost iTunes sales. The only sales argument it has is that it syncs with the iTunes application, but so what? Why would I want iTunes installed on my computer? It's not as if I need it to watch videos, listen to music, or organize my media library.

Right now I'm using a DVD-player that I bought a year ago, it has DivX, Xvid, WMV9, OGG... support, Wifi and a USB connection. It's also HD. The DVD-player streams video from my PC using Windows Media Player (no third party application needed), and connected to my DVD-player is a 300GB hard drive containing TV episodes I've downloaded in DivX/XviD format over p2p. Now, why would I need the Apple TV?

Posted at 4:11PM on Jan 15th 2007 by Theli

32. I don't care much for the Apple TV but this article was more about poorly rationalized personal preference than an objective product discourse. Really exposes the author's fatigue with Apple marketing more than anything about Apple's product.

Posted at 6:27PM on Jan 15th 2007 by PSandiford

33. Personally, I don't really care about watching shows on it. I enjoy listening to my iPod rigged up to my stereo, it's my primary use of it. So being able to to easily play my music on my HD is perfect for me. Sure, I may watch a video, or look at pics once in awhile, but for me at least, just having a convienient way to play my music is worth it for me.

Posted at 6:33PM on Jan 15th 2007 by sp

34. "According to the Apple TV website:
1. Download movies, TV shows and more from iTunes.
2. Sync wirelessly from your Mac or PC.
3. Watch everything on your widescreen TV."

You forget that the syncing is automatic, so your point that it is the most complicated is invalid, bringing your entire rant into question.

Posted at 2:18PM on Jan 16th 2007 by Aphoric

35. If you don't live in the States, this device is useless.

(1) Some countries like South Africa, don't even have an iTunes Store, so buying any type of video content is impossible.

(2) If you're prepared to re-encode your entire DivX/XVid library of videos back to H.264, then go waste your valuable computer and personal time to do it. It can't even playback a DVD inserted into your DVD drive on the PC/MAC. What a waste! There is NO ability for iTunes to convert your DVD's into its H.264 format - you'll have to buy QuickTime Pro or some free stuff to do that!

(3) Winners of this race will be people like LinkSys and Netgear, which support DivX,Xvid,WMV, MPEG1/2/4 and H.264 all in one go. Netgear's model even networks over your power connection (no network required!)

(4) Most people outside of the States cannot even view HDTV, because its not aired in HDTV format anyway, so the only way to get it - is to buy it (which we can't do) or to illegally download it via BitTorrent (in DivX,Xvid) formats, which is unsupported by appleTV

(5) The HD is only for caching, not for your TiVo stuff anyway...

(6) Even if more expensive, the MacMini will be almost as small and much more versatile - with codecs it will be able to playback anything and FrontRow will work just like the appleTV interface!

Posted at 3:08AM on Feb 6th 2007 by Thyon

36. i agree 100% with your remarks on the AppleTV, it is completely uselless if it cant stream DIVX and xvid

however to say that the xbox is a alternative when its locked into the even worse wma seems like bad advice,

i have a imac and an xbox360, i love the 360 for games, but as a media device it is even more useless than an apple TV, at least the appletv will play MPEG

Posted at 2:22AM on Feb 12th 2007 by michel

37. I think all the bashing about the Apple TV is in the wrong direction. I use both Mac's and Windows computers at home and I also have an Xbox360. The 360 is great for getting my media from Vista to my TV. Then again, I also use Connect360 on my Mac that will let me use my 360 to pull my itunes and iphotos to my TV (not DRM'd stuff of course). For me, the thing that makes me mad about the Apple TV is the price! $299 is way too much to spend on something that is basically an ipod without a screen. Let's face it, you can take your ipod and connect it to your TV and do the same exact thing as the Apple TV (without the pretty interface). Now I love Apple products and they do a great job with stuff. But for me, the 360/Vista combo works great. Like others said, the apple TV is not meant to compete with a Tivo or 360, it has a different purpose, but at least Apple should price it accordingly. $300 for that is way too much. I think $150 would be fair.

Posted at 5:01PM on Feb 21st 2007 by joe

38. I purchased Apple TV mainly because I want to put videos downloaded online to the device and enjoy on my TV.
Apple TV Technical Specs:
Storage: 40GB;
OS: Mac, Windows PC;
Wireless: Wi-Fi, Airport Extreme;
Video: MP4, MPEG-4, H.264;
Audio: MP3, WAV, AAC, AIFF;
Photo: JPG, BMP, GIF, PNG, TIFF;
More Apple TV features: http://www.dvdtoappletv.net/Apple TV Technical Specs:
Storage: 40GB;
OS: Mac, Windows PC;
Wireless: Wi-Fi, Airport Extreme;
Video: MP4, MPEG-4, H.264;
Audio: MP3, WAV, AAC, AIFF;
Photo: JPG, BMP, GIF, PNG, TIFF;
More Apple TV features: http://www.dvdtoappletv.net/review_specs.html

Posted at 7:05AM on Mar 22nd 2007 by Morris Barrett