Apple TV

[MendoDave]

Anybody use it?

I think I want one. Experinces?

[derby]

what, exactly, are you hoping to do with it?

i have experience with the original appletv, but none w/ the newer "diskless" platform.

[MendoDave]

Well i was thinking of downloading the occasional video from the web or i tunes store and streaming it to the TV

[derby]

Well i was thinking of downloading the occasional video from the web or i tunes store and streaming it to the TV

the only problem you'll have is possibly needing to convert your downloaded video to a format/codec that the appletv can play. not really a show-stopper.

http://www.apple.com/appletv/specs.html

Video Formats
H.264 video up to 1080p, 30 frames per second, High or Main Profile level 4.0 or lower, Baseline profile level 3.0 or lower with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps per channel, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats
MPEG-4 video up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats
Motion JPEG (M-JPEG) up to 35 Mbps, 1280 by 720 pixels, 30 frames per second, audio in ulaw, PCM stereo audio in .avi file format

Audio Formats
HE-AAC (V1), AAC (16 to 320 Kbps), protected AAC (from iTunes Store), MP3 (16 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, and 4), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV; Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound pass-through

Photo Formats
JPEG, GIF, TIFF

[Barney]

it's pretty sweet - stream music and movies from your iphone/ipad/ipod/mac in itunes. streaming content from the internet as well. if you have a newer mac running mountain lion you can even mirror your laptop monitor on the tv.  you might be better off elsewhere if you're not using apple products though...

[MendoDave]

I should have mentioned that Im running iOS 6 on a iPad. I plan on getting a mack book later on.

[kopfjäger]

Friend of mine has one and he loves it.

[Autostrada Pilot]

I love mine.  Use it all the time for Netflix (also does HuluPlus, but I don't subscribe).   My favorite thing is that I can control music from my phone (called airplay) that is playing though my receiver.  From the other room, I can change songs, albums, adjust volume, etc all from my phone using my wireless network.  You can also send videos, etc from iPad or iPhone to your TV.  I bought (rented) a movie from iTunes a few weeks back.  I had it set for 1080p so it took about 15 minutes to buffer before I could start watching, but I'm told turning it to 720p would make buffering much shorter.

If you have your movies/music/TV shows added to iTunes, the AppleTV can pull those files from your iTunes library using your wireless network.

The remote that comes with the AppleTV is pretty good, but there is a free app that allows you to use your iPhone/iPad as a remote for easier typing and control (which is nice when typing search words into Netflix).

AppleTV is great if you primarily use Apple Products (iPhone, iPad, iTunes).


Cliffnotes: If you use iPhone/iPad/iTunes, it's a great way to pull your media to your TV/Stereo using your wireless network.

[MendoDave]

so should I get the new one (Little black box) or one of the previous versions?

I understand that they have different capabilities.

[muskrat]

I have two, one I won in a raffle.  They work great and are pretty fast with excellent viewing quality on my 60 inch HD.  The only thing I'd say is to make sure you have enough internet bandwidth.  I also use it for netflix and it works better than my playstation. 

[ute]

No need for the high price stuff I'm using

XBMC with a RaspPi   not bad for $25 full 1080p

where to buy Rasp Pi
http://canada.newark.com/jsp/bespoke/bespoke7.jsp?bespokepage=newark/en_US/landing/raspberry-pi/rasp-pi-accessories.jsp&isRedirect=true

download the image here
http://www.xbmchub.com/forums/raspberry-pi-discussion/2623-latest-test-image-openelec-image-addons.html

any 4 gig sd card

keyboard , mouse , TV

not much else to do its that easy ..load and go

[Speeddog]

I wish I understood some of this thread, it sounds good. 

[hbliam]

I wish I understood some of this thread, it sounds good. 

What do you want to do? Stream (Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc) or use it to use your iPad/iPhone on your TV? If you just want to stream Roku is fine. Also most new TV's, DVD players, PS3, Tivo, etc. already have streaming capabilities built in. I stream from my Tivo mainly but have a Roku to stream UFC.

[MendoDave]

Well i guess ill go with the new Apple tV. Its only $99
I have looked at Raspberry pi but i just dont feel like configuring and the apple is supposed to work with apple stuff.

Its not like im made out of money but on the other hand i just got done cleaning out grocery outlet of their stock of champagne to the tune of $120 so i guess i can afford $99 for apple TV.

[kopfjäger]

Good call.