The Apple TV
OK, since I did the excited iPhone writeup back in January I thought I’d revisit the Apple TV (henceforth aTV because Windows browsers don’t display the Apple character correctly). Now let me note that I don’t have one of these things. So this is basically an apology for why I’m not buying one and why you probably shouldn’t either.
The Pros
o Easy streaming of your music and home videos to your home entertainment center. I think Apple was right to make this more like an iPod for your TV that supports streaming. In a way it is halfway between an iPod and an Apple Express. (The little box that let you stream audio via wireless to your stereo) And it’s a good way to approach the issue
o Nice interface. While it’s not entirely polished (and the volume control doesn’t work) it’s better than any equivalent out there.
o It’s a nice way to store often watched videos - say kids movies.
o It’s surprisingly hackable, running a version of OSX. Although it’s still a pain enough to do that this is just a pro for geeks.
The Cons
o No 5.1 sound. Yes. That’s right. This is huge and the ultimate killer for me. I’m convinced far more people have Dolby Digital sound than have HDTVs. Why Apple did this is inexplicable to me. (I should note it will do 5.1 AAC sound - but almost no receivers support this)
o No 1080i. Only a big deal if you have a very large screen. (Say 50″ or bigger) But it’s a big limitation
o Subpar 720p. Low frames per second and if you’re counting on hacked DiVX movies from friends, be aware that the CPU on the aTV is weak. It may not play them well. If you play via QT then it’s surprisingly crappy video for a device aimed at the HDTV market.
o Only a few codecs. No WMV or DIVX without hacking. So basically you can play Quicktime encoded home movies and movies bought via iTunes. That’s a real big deal. Although you can rip DVDs fairly easily into QT format.
o Some huge interface quirks. The volume control on the remote doesn’t work. So you’ll need an universal learning remote or two remotes. The Front Row application works good for playlists but not for traversing artists in a large music library. (Probably something most of us here have) Sorting of movies is also quirky - especially for TV shows like 24. It sorts by name rather than date. Given that many people will use it for TV shows bought via iTunes, this is a huge issue.
o You’ll need a new wireless hub or directly wire this into your network. Your existing wireless is too slow for streaming. Not a big deal if you don’t have one yet, but something to keep in mind if you’ve already invested in a hub. Also note you’ll do most of your control not via your TV but via your computer from whatever room you have it in. Including ordering music and videos.
o Existing iTunes content is low resolution. (Sub DVD quality) So the main videos Apple is hyping you to buy for the aTV don’t even take advantage of what the aTV can do, let alone your HDTV.
Analysis
OK, so I sound like a bit of a spoilsport. I admit I was pretty underwhelmed back in January. This just didn’t seem like what I’d expect from Apple. It seemed like a product halfway there.
Now I’ll admit that the discoveries this week regarding just how hackable the machine is excited a lot of people. So a lot of the limitations (no WMV or DiVX) seem overcomable. However the CPU on the box is slow, so doing really large video will be difficult. Further the hacking of the box is non-trivial for average users and involves voiding ones warranty at this stage.
I’ll admit that for me the crappy sound was the killer. I still have a 32″ TV I bought just out of college. I’d like to upgrade but just don’t have the money yet to go HDTV. So in a way the aTV isn’t for me anyway. But despite my video limitations I have a very nice 5.1 sound setup. So even if I had the HDTV I can’t see buying this.
Some suggest this is a great box for kids. You rip the DVDs for your kids that they watch over and over again. However I have a PVR and simply have lots of Go Diego Go, Jimmy Neutron and so forth stored. I think a PVR is ultimately more useful for this. Plus kids don’t care about HDTV quality.
If you do care about HDTV quality then the aTV will be pretty underwhelming. I’d advise getting a Dish HDTV PVR. You’ll enjoy it far more.
Perhaps the 2cd gen device will change all this. But as for now, it’s just not quite ready for prime time. There will be a few for whom this is ideal. But for the rest of us I think it is pretty underwhelming.
To add, Microsoft has XBox 360 Elite coming out which is black, matching ones stereo equipment and has a 120 GB HD. It’ll have an optional HD-DVD drive and will to 1080p. It obviously plays games as well. For only $500 it’s a pretty compelling deal and also does streaming video (albeit only WMV) and you can buy HD content from Microsoft.
So Apple has competition, even if the UI for the XBox isn’t as nice.
Comment by Clark — March 28, 2007 @ 12:11 pm
right now i’m using a pc w/ media center on a vizio 37″ lcd. it’s not ideal, but i can get dolby 5.1 output, record over the air hdtv broadcasts, and watch divx movies. the main problems are that you have to leave your pc on all of the time (it can’t auto-power itself) unless you want to miss any scheduled pvr recordings, the media center software occasionally crashes, and you have to use a wireless keyboard/mouse for any applications other than media center.
but it works well enough that it’s worth it to me to keep it so that i can play my mp3’s and watch divx movies/tv shows in my living room.
Comment by mike d. — March 28, 2007 @ 12:24 pm
I think the stand alone PC or Mac is the better deal. Although you’re paying more.
If you have satellite (which is simply better than cable) then the PVR features aren’t as compelling on PCs. But you get better sound and much more flexibility than using an aTV or an XBox. Linux running MythTV seems a pretty compelling product, truth be told.
Were I filthy rich I’d consider getting a MacMini myself.
Comment by Clark — March 28, 2007 @ 12:27 pm
Clark,
Just sell more chocolate, then you’ll be rich and can buy a mini and a giant sized TV.
I am also without a giant TV, so I have no reason to purchase an tv. However I do think that the hackability is a very promising aspect of this system which should make version 2 of this device very compelling assuming that they address some of Clark’s concerns.
I’m convinced that in the long term neither HD disc type will win the format war. It will be downloads. Maybe if there were only one format it would have a chance to survive for a while. Most consumer with HD TV sets have no idea about HD content. They like the size and other form factor considerations more than the resolution. Ask your friends with big TVs if they think that DVDs suck on them. They’ll look at you like you’re crazy.
Apple needs to use something similar to Bit Torrent to enable big downloads from the iTunes store and make the complexities of such a task invisible to the consumer. When they do that this will be a device to watch. Until then I expect hackers to add such capability from illicit bittorrent sources.
Comment by a random John — March 28, 2007 @ 12:54 pm
Yeah, but by then I’m sure the 2cd gen tv would be out.
More seriously though I think I’d upgrade my Dish to the HDTV PVR before I’d get the tv. I’d probably plunk down the $200 for the XBOX HD-DVD player as well.
I’ll lay good odds though that things will be significantly different come next year. I’m just awaiting Apple releasing their next gen iMac/MacMini which I suspect will be much more compelling and likely will include a Blu-Ray player. Reportedly there is a significant revision of the iMac coming.
Comment by clark — March 28, 2007 @ 2:47 pm
I don’t think DVDs suck on my 50″ plasma, but HD looks way, way better.
I’ve bought into HD-DVD, for now. I also get HD over cable, which looks pretty great, too.
I can certainly live without the new Apple TV. I might buy a new Mac, instead.
Comment by D. Fletcher — March 28, 2007 @ 8:30 pm
A Mac Mini with a large hard drive and a remote seems like a better fit for me.
Comment by jjohnsen — March 29, 2007 @ 11:15 am
Note that the Mac Mini comes with the Front Row remote as do all Macs now with the exception of the Mac Pro towers.
D., If you need to unload your G5 tower (for cheap) let me know.
Comment by a random John — March 29, 2007 @ 1:53 pm
Note that the Front Row with the mini is different from the aTV. (Personally I don’t like Front Row for various reasons — it’s definitely an Apple v.1.0 product)
Comment by Clark — March 29, 2007 @ 9:31 pm
Apple is letting down some of its loyal customers (read: me) with its computer software, and focussing too much on its iPod customers.
Ever try to use iDVD? It’s just very inconvenient, terribly interfaced un-unintuitive crap.
Comment by D. Fletcher — March 30, 2007 @ 9:31 am
I agree that iDVD is not as nice as the other iApps. Also I have a hard time figuring out the details of iMovie. Each time they release a new version the UI changes enough that doing things like putting titles in is different.
Clark, if you don’t like front row with a mini you can probably find a way to run aTV on a mini instead.
Comment by a random John — March 30, 2007 @ 9:49 am
iDVD is ok, but nowhere near the level of iPhoto, iMovie or iTunes. It’s not even close to as bad as iWeb though, that’s total garbage. I agree I’d like to see them focus more on software and actual computers. The fact they changed their name from Apple Computers to just Apple is a bad sign in my opinion.
Comment by jjohnsen — March 30, 2007 @ 12:32 pm
iDVD is just too limited. (IMO) I hope they allow a lot more flexibility rather than being pigeon holed into a few templates. But DVD Pro is too complex. I think iDVD is by far the weakest of the iApps people use.
I don’t think the interface is bad though. I throw together quick family videos with it all the time.
I agree iWeb is useless though. I can’t believe they released that - although I suppose some people use it.
Comment by Clark — March 30, 2007 @ 2:23 pm
I have some big problems with iDVD, but perhaps the biggest is — DVDs created with it won’t play in my Mac, the one used to create them! My little stand-alone DVD-recorder I bought to get stuff off of television works every time, and the disks work in every machine they’re put in.
I just did a very complex movie/menu project in iDVD. It took me 10 hours to create the chapters and menus, and I let it burn to disk overnight (double-layer disk).
In the morning, iDVD was still encoding, 12 hours later. It never did finish that disk, without giving me any error code or any other message of any kind.
I’ve got 2 gigs of RAM and a 500 gig hard drive and I just hate that program.
I’ll try anything else.
Comment by D. Fletcher — March 30, 2007 @ 2:50 pm