Since downloads now have their own Forum I thought I'd start a Apple TV thread. As of 5/08/08 Apple TV offers 240 HD titles.

Not affiliated with them in any way but for a list of titles and other information you can visit here (http://www.appletvjunkie.com/appletvjunkie/Home/Home.html). Movies are encoded in 720p and most offer Dolby Digital 5.1.

Once downloaded (typically 3GB+ a movie) you have 30 days to view the movie and once it has started you have 24 hours before it expires. During the 24 hours you may view it as many times as you wish.

Currently there is a mixture of catalog titles ($3.99) and new releases ($4.99). Having viewed a half dozen or so titles in my opinion the image and audio quality is fairly good (based on a 1080 TV with a 55 inch image and 1080 projector with a 110 inch image). You won't see any motion artifacts or blocking and overall I think most viewers won't be disappointed.

Neither the video or audio quality is up to the level of Blu-ray however based on your display and the movie transfer itself you'll have to judge how happy you are with the experience.

Hi...

3GB? That does not seem like much in quality for an HD film or am I missing something?

3GB? That does not seem like much in quality for an HD film or am I missing something?The best way I can answer that is to say...

I watched The Brave One in the my theater (1080 projector and 110 screen) and it didn't jump out at me as not being Blu-ray. Having seen well over a hundred HD movies in there I have seen many look worse and many look better.

Now if I A/B compared them I'm certain the Blu-ray version would look and sound better and all things being equal I'd pick Blu-ray. For casual rentals and content you can't get elsewhere I think it's a great alternative.

I think he meant that most movies will be 3GB+...not that 3GB is the limit. As far as Apple TV and similar services go, I think it will be a nice alternative to current methods of video rental. If you think about it, download services like this have the potential to be the BEST way to rent a movie.

The oldest method requires you to physically drive to a video store, fight crowds (especially Fridays/Saturdays) and take a chance that what you want to watch is available, and then you have to repeat the process to return the movies. The new hotness delivers movies straight to your mailbox, but the drawbacks are a 2-3 day waiting time and the same problems of availability you get with the B&M store.

Download services such as Apple TV have the potential (if properly implemented) to solve the availability problem while at the same time eliminating a trip to the store and/or cutting the wait time to a few hours instead of a few days.

I think that if download services are done the right way...and fiber optics reach more of the country...download services could make physical media a niche product just like cd's are rapidly becoming. There will always be people who want physical media for certain movies (myself included) but it may just require changing the way you think about it. A plastic disk is just a storage medium...just like a harddrive is a storage medium.;)

Hi...

3GB? That does not seem like much in quality for an HD film or am I missing something?

AppleTV and the iTunes store use a video codec called H.264 which is technically superior to many other HD codecs in terms of efficiency and consequently file-size.

If you want an idea for the quality of the initial HD rental offerings from iTunes and the AppleTV, and a comparision against Vudu, and Xbox 360 downloads, click here:

AppleTV vs. Vudu vs. XBox 360 (http://gizmodo.com/363600/apple-tv-vs-vudu-vs-xbox-360-video-download-battlemodo)

of all the options the one with the most potential for me is appletv.

the connection to mobile playback is the key.

two things holding me back at this point...

- appletv native resolution in hardware needs to go to 1920x1080 to support possible future applications.

- i want a new version of the ipod that would have the features of the touch but with a large hdd like the classics.

i haven't invested in ipod yet. so, keeping an eye appletv and latest ipod news.

I think that if download services are done the right way...and fiber optics reach more of the country...download services could make physical media a niche product just like cd's are rapidly becoming. There will always be people who want physical media for certain movies (myself included) but it may just require changing the way you think about it. A plastic disk is just a storage medium...just like a harddrive is a storage medium.;)CDs have been rapidly declining for years now or so they say yet they made up roughly 90% of music revenues last year. Last good estimate I saw was that in 2012 downloads will capture 50% of music revenues. Even at that point they are only halfway home.

Now with music being so much easier to download (and play) I don't see movies having nearly as much success. Especially if you are talking about purchases. However I think they have a good shot at the rental market.

A lot people feel bandwidth is an issue but I don't agree based on two factors. Downloads are only going to grow so fast regardless of the available bandwidth to a large degree. Those that would take advantage of the service already have or will have the enough bandwidth (geeks). The others aren't nearly ready and if and when they are the bandwidth will more than likely be available.

Also remember it doesn't have to be video on demand... the other day I ordered three movies and watched one the next night and the other two I haven't gotten to yet. For me the secret will be content and convenience with content being most important in the early geek stages. They need movies you can't acquire (in HD) anywhere else.

charles,

you nailed exactly my reason for interest in downloads.

i am wondering what the rate of growth is for the content library.

in theory, they should be able to add content a lot faster then for physical media.

it would be a big deal just to have access to a lot of hd content without waiting in a queue, waiting for the mail, waiting for a release date. downloading over night works for me for rental.

of all the options the one with the most potential for me is appletv.

- appletv native resolution in hardware needs to go to 1920x1080 to support possible future applications.


That would require a hardware upgrade at this point. Apple chose hardware that maxed out at 720p to keep costs down (to make it economical for buyers AND keep profit margins high). At least the new software upscales content to 1080p, the old software maxed out at 1080i.

Ted

That would require a hardware upgrade at this point. Apple chose hardware that maxed out at 720p to keep costs down (to make it economical for buyers AND keep profit margins high). At least the new software upscales content to 1080p, the old software maxed out at 1080i.

Ted

true. i can wait for a while..possibly until next hardware version.

Looks like Apple has added another dozen HD titles in the last two days... total of 168 as of today.

Looks like Apple has added another dozen HD titles in the last two days... total of 168 as of today.

cool! they will have my full attention when they catch the number of titles on bd. :)

cool! they will have my full attention when they catch the number of titles on bd. :)They will have my full attention when they have exclusive HD content. Although I will say I watched August Rush last night via Apple TV (on my 55 inch set) and it looked very nice. One thing I have noticed on several movie transfers is that they appear to have great dynamic range. On the surface I'd say more than a lot of Blu-ray transfers.

I'm not saying they look better all around however they have a great amount of pop. The ANSI contrast simply looks very high (as an example The Brave One was another I remember as well). I haven't noticed this on all the movies but I have seen it with enough of them to say it's differently a trend.

Apple TV is an excellent offering and alternative IF movies were being offered on their ITune services in Canada.

I just bought an Apple TV and am quite happy with it overall.

The selection is solid and will undoubtedly improve as time goes on. Renting couldn't have been easier and my HD movie was ready to view in a minute or two.

Do the 720p HD downloads look or sound as good as Blu-ray? Of course not. BUT, they look and sound every bit as good what what I get from DirecTV HD.

The standard def downloads look softer than their DVD counterparts, though they don't have the pixelation you get with SD cable or satellite.

The one knock I have against movie and TV download services is that many people like to OWN their movies. I can't justify paying $15 for a downloaded movie when I can buy the disc for roughly the same price (more in the case of Blu-ray, but it's worth it IMHO).

Apple TV is an excellent offering and alternative IF movies were being offered on their ITune services in Canada.

You can't blame Apple for that one. Place blame on the studios and the Canadian government for making things tougher than they should be.

You see, the government protects local distributers and tries to force the studios to go through them. When that happens, Apple has to negotiate and you get an army of lawyers involved who deal with the legalities of distribution rights and royalties.

I understand the Canadian government's position here (and any government, for that matter). They are protecting workers and their economies. The down side is that legal proceedings move way slower than consumers would like.

Having just received my latest batch of RewardZone Certificates I purchased another iTunes Gift Card. Typically I use the credit to purchase HD movie rentals via my Apple TV.

I hadn't checked lately but noticed they now have 212 titles. Perhaps not growing as fast as I had expected. Most of the new movies (released in 2007) appear to still be ones that are being released on Blu-ray too.

I could only find four I wanted to watch. Atonement, Into the Wild, American Ganster and Beowulf. There were a few other new releases but I have already seen them on Blu-ray.

I was hoping they would have available more titles than Blu-ray (since its selection is very limited) but so far it doesn't appear to be the case. I guess the demand for HD just isn't there yet for media or downloads.

I don't think the AppleTV "5.1" is actual 5.1.

The brief amount of investigation I did seems to reveal that even the HD films aren't true 5.1. My subwoofer never activates. I don't think there is any LFE.

I have my Apple TV connected directly to the receiver via HDMI. My TivoHD is connected similarly and I get true 5.1 from it.

Anyone else notice this?

I just upgraded to the latest version of Handbrake and am pretty impressed with the results of good DVDS ripped with the AppleTV presets. Does anybody know what the maximum bitrate is that the AppleTV will take from iTunes?

One other thing. I've noticed that the AppleTV output for DVD sourced 480i files is 480p. The AppleTV does not seem to be the best scaler in the world. However, the 480p output is quite impressive. I was able to rip SW2 down to 3.1 GB and the PQ is quite good.

I just upgraded to the latest version of Handbrake and am pretty impressed with the results of good DVDS ripped with the AppleTV presets. Does anybody know what the maximum bitrate is that the AppleTV will take from iTunes?

One other thing. I've noticed that the AppleTV output for DVD sourced 480i files is 480p. The AppleTV does not seem to be the best scaler in the world. However, the 480p output is quite impressive. I was able to rip SW2 down to 3.1 GB and the PQ is quite good.

I copied some settings from their forum from Dynaflash, who is a developer of Handbrake, I think. Max bitrate in those settings is 4900. Basically, if I did it correctly, it's constant quality 68% and the following pasted in the advanced option string on the advanced tab:

bframes=6:ref=6:mixed-refs=1:subq=6:me=umh:no-fast-pskip=1:trellis=1:weightb=1:bime=1:brdo=1:direct=auto:vbv-maxrate=4900:vbv-bufsize=3500

These settings take longer than the default AppleTV setting, but the quality is supposed to be better. I've tried popping it up to 72%, but according to the Handbrake experts, beyond 68% yields significantly diminishing returns. YMMV.

I copied some settings from their forum from Dynaflash, who is a developer of Handbrake, I think. Max bitrate in those settings is 4900. Basically, if I did it correctly, it's constant quality 68% and the following pasted in the advanced option string on the advanced tab:



These settings take longer than the default AppleTV setting, but the quality is supposed to be better. I've tried popping it up to 72%, but according to the Handbrake experts, beyond 68% yields significantly diminishing returns. YMMV.
Thanks jpco. I'll play with some of these. I'm the process of ripping SW2 at 5000 kbps with 2-pass, so it will make a while.

I don't think the AppleTV "5.1" is actual 5.1.

The brief amount of investigation I did seems to reveal that even the HD films aren't true 5.1. My subwoofer never activates. I don't think there is any LFE.

I have my Apple TV connected directly to the receiver via HDMI. My TivoHD is connected similarly and I get true 5.1 from it.

Anyone else notice this?

I guess your receiver would need to tell you that.
I have never rented a 5.1 source from Apple/iTunes but I have ripped some of my DVDs with Handbrake and I can assure you, 100%, I am getting Dolby Digital 5.1 sound from them on Apple TV.

I don't think the AppleTV "5.1" is actual 5.1.

The brief amount of investigation I did seems to reveal that even the HD films aren't true 5.1. My subwoofer never activates. I don't think there is any LFE.

I have my Apple TV connected directly to the receiver via HDMI. My TivoHD is connected similarly and I get true 5.1 from it.

Anyone else notice this?

I get true 5.1 from my DVD rips. All it's doing is passing through the AC3 track from the DVD and muxing it into the newly encoded video track.

I was referring specifically to iTunes content, sorry.

I never knew about the ripping DVD's. I'd rather just watch the DVD itself but I'll rip one as a test.

This article states what I'm noticing. iTunes HD 5.1 movies use Dolby Surround Pro Logic and not 6 discrete signals. There is no subwoofer. There is no discrete rear left and right.

http://www.roughlydrafted.com/RD/RDM.Tech.Q1.07/147048D8-D8B7-45E7-9A97-3CD5B4C2B75A.html

This article states what I'm noticing. iTunes HD 5.1 movies use Dolby Surround Pro Logic and not 6 discrete signals. There is no subwoofer. There is no discrete rear left and right.

http://www.roughlydrafted.com/RD/RDM.Tech.Q1.07/147048D8-D8B7-45E7-9A97-3CD5B4C2B75A.html

Some movies are Pro Logic and others are 5.1 as indicated on the rental screen.

That article is from over a year ago, when it couldn't pass 5.1. I get plenty of low frequencies with rented HD 5.1 movies. Since my crossover is set for 80, I haven't tested to see if there is true .1 signal sent, but there is nothing lacking in the audio I have received from AppleTV HD rentals, and the receiver lights up all 6 channels.

I just bought apple tv and so far am quite impressed. I have downloaded three movies and i would say the quality of the HD movies are decent. I have it hooked up via HDMI, 110" 1080p projection system. As for the audio issues mentioned, i did notice on the movie Superbad in HD i was not getting 6 discrete channels, even though my receiver (Denon 4306) indicated it was receiving the signal correctly. My next HD download (feast of love) seemed to play the dolby digital correctly.

On another note, I am Canadian and the way to get around the content problem is to register an American itunes account. How? first you buy an itunes gift card from a us retailer, then you register with a U.S. address and redeem the gift card as your method of payment. Works great for me, can't wait to get more content.

Haven't seen this posted here, but looks like AppleTV will be getting most movies day/date with the DVD release now. Might finally be time to buy one.

Link to original article at IGN (http://gear.ign.com/articles/872/872053p1.html)


Hollywood Studios Announce Major Digital Distribution Support
Will release movies via iTunes day and date with DVDs.

May 6, 2008 - For years, digital distribution has been thought of as the next big thing in media sales. The music side of the business has already been well established by the iTunes Music Store's $4-billion in music sales, yet the movie and television side of the digital distribution paradigm has been progressing very slowly. A number of factors have impeded the process, including bandwidth concerns regarding the speed at which multi-gigabyte files can be streamed to home users, the difficulty of convincing consumers to buy expensive semi-dedicated hardware to download movies, the disconnect between PCs and living room TVs, and the simple fact that people tend to like to own physical copies of video content they purchase.

Progress is being made in resolving many of these issues, as faster and faster broadband services roll out across the country and devices like the Xbox 360 and AppleTV offer value-added digital distribution hardware solutions that fit in the living room. Despite such technologic progress however, the major Hollywood studios have remained extremely cautious regarding digital distribution of movies, primarily, it is thought, due to their fear of allowing their products to be commoditized and controlled by a single sales outlet, in the way that Apple seems to have established a lock on digital music sales via iTunes. Though most studios eventually deigned to allow some movies to be rented and sold digitally, the majority of releases were undesirable back-catalog flicks, priced the same, if not more than, their physical counterparts. Worse still, the digital release of major movies lagged months behind the release of the DVD versions, further degrading the value of digital distribution solutions to consumers.

Shockingly, in the newest of a series of major and unexpected coups, it would seem as though Steve Jobs and the power of Apple have prevailed once again. Apple has announced that from this point onwards, the largest movie studies have agreed to release new movie titles on iTunes the same day the flicks hit stores on DVD. Fox, Disney, Warner Bros., Paramount, Universal, Sony, Lionsgate, Image Entertainment, and First Look Studios are all in on the deal, which will mean consumers will be able to enjoy both brand new hits and an expanded selection of back-catalog titles on any of their Apple products, from iPods, to iPhones, to most notably in this situation, the AppleTV.

Also somewhat amazing concerning the issues of the studios' fears of media commoditization, Apple has apparently managed to assert its demand for a fixed pricing scheme similar to the $0.99 cap it places upon music tracks. New movie releases will all be priced at $14.99, and "most catalog" titles at $9.99. Though we'd still like to see bigger price breaks on digital movie purchases considering their lack of extra features and inability to be transferred to non-Apple devices, $14.99 is a lot better than the $19.99 most digital distribution services have previously attempted to push. Rental pricing will remain the same, with library titles running $2.99 ($3.99 in HD) and new titles $3.99 ($4.99 in HD).

With this deal complete, the AppleTV has certainly jumped into the lead among the digital distribution solutions currently available. For an overview of the competitors in the field (AppleTV, Xbox 360, and Vudu), peep our video special. Keep in mind however, we filmed this piece months ago when none of the services offered day and date releases coinciding with movies on DVD.

... and I was about to buy a Squeezebox.

Can the Apple TV look at a folder/share/fileserver/ for content and media? Or does it all have to run out of iTunes?

It if does have to run via iTunes does it just sync with an existing iTunes library over the network for content you already own.

edit: seems like a really cool cheap terminal to use instead of attaching a full blown HTPC...

... and I was about to buy a Squeezebox.

Can the Apple TV look at a folder/share/fileserver/ for content and media? Or does it all have to run out of iTunes?

It if does have to run via iTunes does it just sync with an existing iTunes library over the network for content you already own.

edit: seems like a really cool cheap terminal to use instead of attaching a full blown HTPC...
The Apple TV syncs with your iTunes library -- these can be iTunes Store purchases or ripped CDs. You can also play MPEG4/AVC files imported into iTunes. Also, if you have a Mac you can access iPhoto libraries.

The Apple TV syncs with your iTunes library -- these can be iTunes Store purchases or ripped CDs. You can also play MPEG4/AVC files imported into iTunes. Also, if you have a Mac you can access iPhoto libraries.

The renting movies thing just makes it all worth it haha.

I’m pretty much all PC but ill take one. What I pay for convenience...

Does anyone have any specs in regards to the optical out? Does the sample rate stay locked at 44.1 for music playback or does it upsample to 48? Im looking for bitperfect for 2 channel.

The movie rentals are actually a nice plus. I own over 600 DVD/BD/HD DVD titles and subscribe to Netflix, but there are times when you don't have anything on hand and an audience that wants to watch something new.

Does anybody have experience with converting AVCHD files so that I can stream them to an Apple TV? I just got my wife one of the Canon SD based AVCHD videocams and hope that I can convert to 720p to send to my Apple TV from iTunes.

Does anyone have any specs in regards to the optical out? Does the sample rate stay locked at 44.1 for music playback or does it upsample to 48? Im looking for bitperfect for 2 channel.

44.1 for music playback via HDMI. Don't have optical hooked up right now.

It's really very intresting,thanks for it Guys :)

Can the Apple TV look at a folder/share/fileserver/ for content and media? Or does it all have to run out of iTunes?

Not out of the box, but after a fairly straightforward software upgrade that adds the ability to SSH into the Apple TV, you can install a package (NitoTV) that gives you the ability to mount shares and play files. You need access to a Mac to build a bootable USB stick for the first phase (there is an outfit that will sell you the software to do this on Windows; haven't tried it).

Can the Apple TV look at a folder/share/fileserver/ for content and media? Or does it all have to run out of iTunes?

Not out of the box, but after a fairly straightforward software upgrade that adds the ability to SSH into the Apple TV, you can install a package (NitoTV) that gives you the ability to mount shares and play files. You need access to a Mac to build a bootable USB stick for the first phase (there is an outfit that will sell you the software to do this on Windows; haven't tried it).

Thanks, that info really helps... I just wanted to see how much I can push this little box.

I still think the Squeezebox is a better solution for me for streaming media and internet radio... but the apple TV rentals are too cool.

I think the Apple TV just does TV and Media?

BTW AppleTV can do internet radio also - just need to put the url in iTunes and sync it to the AppleTV. i also like the AirTunes feature where I can use my Mac to play whatever music I want on the AppleTV - that way I don't have to turn on the TV. I hope new apps come out for iPhone and iPod Touch that will accomplish this from the palm of our hands too.

Whilst I'm generally happy with AppleTV, they ddon't seem to be keeping the correct aspect ration for all their movies.

I'm watching The Longest Day at the moment and it is 16:9 rather than 2.35:1.

Whilst I'm generally happy with AppleTV, they ddon't seem to be keeping the correct aspect ration for all their moviesLike HDNet and others to some extent I'm sure they are limited by what transfers are available.

Now that Netflix has a standalone player I'm hoping Apple will come out with a monthly rental program. :) Currently for me about 95% of its use is music streaming.

I am looking for a way to distribute Apple TV video to a whole house system:

I want to set the Apple TV to 1080i for HT viewing, but need an S Video or composite video feed for the whole house system

One idea I am considering is pulling the feed from an iTouch which is synced with the Apple TV: I have a Denon base that has S Video and analog audio out which can be used to feed the whole house system

any other ideas?

I've had apple tv for about a month now and think it's great, I'm new to all this HT equipment, just to let you know I have an epson 1080P projector, 106" screen, Pioneer receiver, pioneer Bluray and apple tv.

I haven't tried the rip thing with Handbreak yet, but would like to load all my DVD/Bluray movies on my apple tv for convienence.

This apple tv thing is pretty cool and I think it's going to grow faster than it has. This is going to be the way to rent/buy movies in the future, just stand back and watch...

I agree on the rent part. The Apple TV is just too convenient and you can't help but feel good with the interface. I still have a hard time understanding how the buy would work with the AppleTV though. For the most part I only do HD and none of them are for purchase. If I did purchase something I would quickly run out of disk space. I guess I'm also too much of a Blu-ray bigot. If I invest in movies I do not want to be stuck with a single vendor for playback. For the same reason, I purchase one song album at the iTunes Store and decided that was the last after I began dealing with DRM stuff.

........ I still have a hard time understanding how the buy would work with the AppleTV though. For the most part I only do HD and none of them are for purchase. If I did purchase something I would quickly run out of disk space............

When you purchase something (movie, TV show, Muaic video) it downloads to the Apple TV, then the next time iTunes syncs with the Atv your download is transfered to your computer. I ussually back up my purchases to disc just in case the hard drive should fail.

When you purchase something (movie, TV show, Muaic video) it downloads to the Apple TV, then the next time iTunes syncs with the Atv your download is transfered to your computer. I ussually back up my purchases to disc just in case the hard drive should fail.
What happens if you don't back it up and lose the disk. Are you entitled to another download?

No

That is kinda what I figured. Then I'll stick with using AppleTV for previewing potential Blu-ray media purchases:-)

Does anyone know why you cannot shuffle Music Videos with Apple TV like you can on a iPod or on your desktop for that matter? How annoying that I can only play 1 music video at a time! I have over 70 videos. Even when I select My Music>Music Videos>Playlists>All - it will still ONLY play 1 video at a time! I am a huge fan of Apple products but I am not sure why they made the ATV to not shuffle video content and/or came out with an update to allow shuffling of video content. I would like to be able to have a continuous stream of music videos playing and it stops after every video. It does the same thing if I select an Artist where I have 2 or more music videos from them, it will still stop after each one plays! So Annoying!!!!

I don't remember where, but very recently I read where HD movie purchases are coming (don't think that's yet confirmed, though) to aTV.

Some questions:

1) I don't need anything set up on a PC, correct? The Apple TV can operate stand-alone? The only thing I care about is video rentals on-demand. I won't be buying movies, converting my own videos, trying to stream off a PC, etc.

2) My HDMI inputs are limited. Since the Apple TV is only 720p anyhow, will I notice much difference going to component vs. HDMI? I have a 92" screen with a 720p projector. Or will magnifying to 92" make the difference stark?

3) Is there anywhere I can go to preview the catalog selection? Not trailers, just a list of titles. In-particular, HD (I don't foresee myself renting SD titles).

Some questions:

1) I don't need anything set up on a PC, correct? The Apple TV can operate stand-alone? The only thing I care about is video rentals on-demand. I won't be buying movies, converting my own videos, trying to stream off a PC, etc.
Yes you can use the Apple TV as a stand alone device for HD movie rentals and to purchase SD movies, TV shows or music.

Some questions:
2) My HDMI inputs are limited. Since the Apple TV is only 720p anyhow, will I notice much difference going to component vs. HDMI? I have a 92" screen with a 720p projector. Or will magnifying to 92" make the difference stark?
I can't answer your question I use my AppleTV with a 46XBR5.

Some questions:
3) Is there anywhere I can go to preview the catalog selection? Not trailers, just a list of titles. In-particular, HD (I don't foresee myself renting SD titles).
Check out the link below. The website has a listing of available HD movie rentals.

http://www.appletvjunkie.com/completehdlist
http://www.appletvjunkie.com/

Does anybody have experience with converting AVCHD files so that I can stream them to an Apple TV? I just got my wife one of the Canon SD based AVCHD videocams and hope that I can convert to 720p to send to my Apple TV from iTunes.

While it is a little expensive, I have been impressed with Elecard Converter Studio for converting AVCHD to mpeg-2, which is what I have mine set up to do. Mpeg-2 to itunes is pretty easy in any case.

There could be a specific AVCHD to itunes converter. But I haven't looked for one yet :)

Whilst I'm generally happy with AppleTV, they ddon't seem to be keeping the correct aspect ration for all their movies.

I'm watching The Longest Day at the moment and it is 16:9 rather than 2.35:1.

It's what the studios provide them, unfortunately!

So we are all hearing about the new audio codecs and how it makes for a paradigm change in the way we listen to music.

Well, check this out. It seems on the video side the "bits" make a real difference. Bluray has 10x the bit rate as itunes.

Thoughts?

http://gizmodo.com/5048025/giz-explains-why-hd-video-downloads-arent-very-high-def

Paul

So we are all hearing about the new audio codecs and how it makes for a paradigm change in the way we listen to music.

Well, check this out. It seems on the video side the "bits" make a real difference. Bluray has 10x the bit rate as itunes.

Thoughts?

http://gizmodo.com/5048025/giz-explains-why-hd-video-downloads-arent-very-high-def

Paul
You can't argue about Blu-ray being noticeably better than Apple TV, but the article focuses too much on bit rate and ignores resolution and compression. I have to say that Apple TV is slightly better than DVD. This is especially apparent on slow moving scenes where you see more detail. On fast moving scenes DVD might have more detail. I've been using Apple TV to audition movies that I'm not sure I want to own. If I want to own them I buy Blu-ray when the price is right -- usually <$20.

Cool tv to hang out with

Sometimes I notice that my ATV is on when I walk in the room. I am the only person that lives here and am wondering if this happens to anybody else? If it cuts itself on, but doesn't it shut itself off? There are days when I don't go in my theater room at all. Its in the basement of my house so I don't think another remote device is turning it on. The only other remotes I use in the house is in my bedroom which is 2 floors up from the basement.

Any thoughts?

Sometimes I notice that my ATV is on when I walk in the room. I am the only person that lives here and am wondering if this happens to anybody else? If it cuts itself on, but doesn't it shut itself off? There are days when I don't go in my theater room at all. Its in the basement of my house so I don't think another remote device is turning it on. The only other remotes I use in the house is in my bedroom which is 2 floors up from the basement.

Any thoughts?

It happens to me. Have given up on trying to figure it out. Lately, it seems less frequent than in the past. Sometimes I think a remote signal for another piece of equipment turns it on.

This did cause me to move it to a well ventilated area due to how hot it gets.

I don't remember where, but very recently I read where HD movie purchases are coming (don't think that's yet confirmed, though) to aTV.

I think they were probably getting TV & Movies mixed up. The latest update for AppleTV adds HD TV purchase.

Can you get simultaneous HD video output over component and hdmi on the Apple TV, or do you need to pick one or the other. I am trying to push content to two devices - one of which is component only.

Can you get simultaneous HD video output over component and hdmi on the Apple TV, or do you need to pick one or the other. I am trying to push content to two devices - one of which is component only.

Yep all ports are active.

Thanks, that info really helps... I just wanted to see how much I can push this little box.

I still think the Squeezebox is a better solution for me for streaming media and internet radio... but the apple TV rentals are too cool.

My momma got a Squeezebox and now Daddy never sleeps at night.

It happens to me. Have given up on trying to figure it out. Lately, it seems less frequent than in the past. Sometimes I think a remote signal for another piece of equipment turns it on.

This did cause me to move it to a well ventilated area due to how hot it gets.

Happens to me too. I've noticed it happens when my computer is on with iTunes running. I'm thinking it's probably syncing when that happens. If that's the case, it would be nice if it would automatically shut down when it's done. Also, even when it is turned off and the power light is out, the optical port on the back still glows red and it stays warm. I don't think it's ever completely off.

Has anyone been having a problem trying to update their ATV? I keep trying to update it from version 2.1 to the latest version and it won't update. The status bar keeps telling me that it has 5 minutes left and then I get a message that says ATV cannot complete the update and for me to try back later. I have tried now up to about 5 times and keep getting the same message!

Has anyone been having a problem trying to update their ATV? I keep trying to update it from version 2.1 to the latest version and it won't update. The status bar keeps telling me that it has 5 minutes left and then I get a message that says ATV cannot complete the update and for me to try back later. I have tried now up to about 5 times and keep getting the same message!
No issues updating mine. Call Apple.

Has anyone been having a problem trying to update their ATV? I keep trying to update it from version 2.1 to the latest version and it won't update. The status bar keeps telling me that it has 5 minutes left and then I get a message that says ATV cannot complete the update and for me to try back later. I have tried now up to about 5 times and keep getting the same message!

I had trouble. After three times, I ended up restoring factory settings and then updated. Went fine, but I then had to re-setup and re-sync content.

jpco,

how is your remote working now you did the update? I heard some people saying after they updated to version 2.3, the apple remote seems to not work all the time or you have to double click items on the screen a lot. I use a universal remote so I am not sure if I am going to have those problems or not when I finally update mine.

just opened my ATV.

I know it's overkill for the application, but all I want it for (initially) is to have local play of my iTUnes library. It's a pain to get a wired ethernet connection to my TV area and I'm concerned about the initial syncing of my 40G Itunes library

My Q is can I set up ATV on the TV with a wireless setup and simply move it to my wired PC (where I have no TV monitor to allow interaction) and allow Itunes to transfer my audio files... escentially manage the process without a TV display?

Alternative is to find a big a$$ ethernet cable

TIA

--- update -----

Initial iTunes library transfer ran over the wireless link, took 3 hours (link went down once and I needed to restart). Worked better than my expection. After 2 days on monkeying around trying to get a simple Denon Ipod dock to work, this sure was a breeze

My first reactions
- Allow customization of the menu - I don't need to see all the choices
- Have a real on/off switch or at least a hibernation mode, sheesh...

......... i also like the AirTunes feature where I can use my Mac to play whatever music I want on the AppleTV - that way I don't have to turn on the TV. ..........

I'd like to do this but am not familiar with AirTunes... any clues on how I could set this up on my PC?

TIA

Interesting couple of questions. Looks like you've dealt with the wireless versus wired debate, and sounds like your library was not too monstrously large. I tried carrying my ATV over to my computer to sync it via ethernet, but without my hdmi-receiver link in place, it didn't respond. I didn't try just plugging component and rca inputs into the back to see it it could be fooled that way.

Which brings me to your question about airtunes. Airtunes should allow the copy of itunes on your computer to look for remote speakers and stream music to them. The remote speakers tend to be either other computers, an airport express (and maybe airport extreme?) router, or your appleTV. I think you can make sure that iTunes is looking for remote speakers by going into preferences [Ah, I just noticed you're on a PC. Should be under options?] and checking a box under devices. Unfortunately I'm at now, but I think that available speakers should show up in the bottom right of itunes.

Still, I have a couple of things I'm not certain about. I think the available speakers button might have been bumped to make way for the execrable Genius feature, and I'm not sure whether iTunes will be able to wake up the appleTV unaided. To be honest, if all of your iTunes library is on the ATV you may not find it that useful. If, however, you have another library on your network that isn't synced, or you want to use the ATV without having your TV on, you might find this feature useful I think I will try and tinker this evening because I've been curious too about this question.

I'd like to do this but am not familiar with AirTunes... any clues on how I could set this up on my PC?

TIA

AirTunes is the name for the builtin wireless audio streaming of iTunes. If you have iTunes installed on a Mac or PC you can stream music wirelessly to multiple Airport Expresses (Apple's wireless router that has a stereo and digital audio jack on it) or AppleTVs. Alternately with the latest AppleTV software you can use your AppleTV as a source for streaming music over AirTunes.

And here is a crazy link to 5 AppleTVs streaming from a single Mac Mini. They then setup 5 Airport Express base stations and control all the AppleTVs and Airport Express base stations from the iTunes Remote on their iPhone. Too funny:

http://www.9to5mac.com/iTunes-streams

jpco,

how is your remote working now you did the update? I heard some people saying after they updated to version 2.3, the apple remote seems to not work all the time or you have to double click items on the screen a lot. I use a universal remote so I am not sure if I am going to have those problems or not when I finally update mine.

Haven't been using my ATV much the past few days, but I haven't noticed any differences in the remote performance yet. The positive for me is that it has not sporadically turned on once since the update, which had been a problem for me. I'll report back if I notice any remote problems.

AirTunes is the name for the builtin wireless audio streaming of iTunes. If you have iTunes installed on a Mac or PC you can stream music wirelessly to multiple Airport Expresses (Apple's wireless router that has a stereo and digital audio jack on it) or AppleTVs. Alternately with the latest AppleTV software you can use your AppleTV as a source for streaming music over AirTunes.


thx all... i've some time off after the holidays so i'll play with it then

Can you get simultaneous HD video output over component and hdmi on the Apple TV, or do you need to pick one or the other. I am trying to push content to two devices - one of which is component only.

No you can't. HDMI takes preference.

I recently discovered MetaX (http://www.kerstetter.net/page53/page54/page54.html) on the Mac and I have to say that it completely changes my Apple TV experience with ripped movies. MetaX allows you to easily and efficiently add metadata such as case artwork, description, title, genre, etc to you MP4 files. MetaX gets all this metadata from Amazon the same way all those DVD cataloging tools work. The really cool thing is that this information is presented in Apple TV in a very polished manner. Your ripped movies now look like something you purchased from the iTunes Store.

I've turned a few other Apple TV owners onto this tool and they are all drooling now. I just wanted to share with the AVS crowd.

OK. Now I'm hoping that somebody might be able to help me with a crazy idea I have. I have been wanting a way to show the catalog of DVD/BD movies that I own, so that when people come over I can let them browse my collection to pick a movie. After discovering MetaX I started using it to add metadata to small mp4 files that are just used for carrying the metadata payload. When I import these files into iTunes I can use the Apple TV as a media catalog. I can even get Apple TV to sort my movies by genre -- really sweet. Of course, I use a different iTunes account that I do for the real DVD rips and Movie catalog stuff shows up under Shared Movies.

Now, what I would really like to do is to actually use trailer mp4 files as the video, so that people can not only look at the title, artwork, rating and description -- but also view a trailer of the movie to really decide if they want to watch it. Anybody that rents movies with the Apple TV knows how nice it is to see a preview of a movie before you hit the rent button.

So, I'm wondering if anybody knows of a way to pull down the trailer for the movie at the same time that you get the other metadata from Amazon. I'm guessing the mp4 trailer file and metadata come from different places. Anyway, I haven't had much luck finding high quality trailers -- even manually searching with google. Does anybody know of a good source of mp4 or any Quicktime trailer files for popular tiles over the last 30-40 years?

I know that the Apple TV is not that big yet, but I was thinking it would really be cool if somebody wrote a utility that automated the generation of this multimedia, movie catalog for Apple TV. Maybe I'll bug the MetaX people to see what they think.

I'm a recent ATV owner and it's a wonderful device. I don't have a Mac but wish something like MetaX had a PC version. Of course Handbrake is an excellent encoder for the ATV.

And here is a crazy link to 5 AppleTVs streaming from a single Mac Mini. They then setup 5 Airport Express base stations and control all the AppleTVs and Airport Express base stations from the iTunes Remote on their iPhone. Too funny:

http://www.9to5mac.com/iTunes-streams

And as soon as it can play SEPERATE songs in those zones, we may have a winner..

:cool:

I have my setup configured for separate songs in different rooms/zones, it can be done, with no hacking or workaround.

Just got an ATV for Christmas, love it. Used Handbrake to put my movies in Itunes with perfect Dolby Digital 5.1. Video podcasts make for good entertainment too. Also have all my CDs in Itunes and multiple airport expresses, as well as an ipod touch. I've been accruing equipment bit by bit to get to what is now a convenient home theater nirvana. My wife wouldn't touch the HTPC, but she thinks this is easy to use. I think the screensaver with pictures of our dog won her over.

Comments on previous posts... Can't push HDMI and component at same time, but with an HDMI switcher, as long as you're on a different input, you don't have to switch wiring, just HDMI source to anything but ATV if you want to watch component.

I can play different songs to different zones of the house using the airtunes feature of the airport express or ATV. I have my desktop running Itunes, and streaming to my ATV. That makes two Airtunes sources, which means I can have two different songs to whatever airtunes destinations I want. If I need a third song, I fire up the old laptop and open Itunes to share the same original library. These could be controlled from the independent sources, but I use the free Remote app on the touch to get it all going from one place.

This means I can have multi zone audio, video on my main tv, all on a hand-held remote (ipod touch) I carry in my pocket anywhere in the house. Expandable to more rooms/remotes, limited by budget and how many old computers and PC speakers you have sitting in your junk closet.

Bit-perfect sound limited only by your receiver/speakers, and video quality comparable to cable channel HD. And I don't even own a Mac, this is all from a PC guy.

What is the native rate for HD and SD out of the Apple TV for items downloaded off of the iTunes Store?

Is it 720p for HD content and 480i for SD content?

I have an external video processor and would prefer that it do all the scaling.

Thanks.

I just got an apple TV and this thing rocks. But someone told me a new model is coming out soon. Does anyone know anything about this?

What is the native rate for HD and SD out of the Apple TV for items downloaded off of the iTunes Store?

Is it 720p for HD content and 480i for SD content?

I have an external video processor and would prefer that it do all the scaling.

Thanks.

HD is 720p, SD is 480p. The output is determined by the AppleTV. If you set it to 1080p then it will perform the scaling (not what you want). If you set it to 720p then HD content will not be scaled but SD will be scaled to 720p. There is currently not an option to not scale any of the content out the ports.

HD is 720p, SD is 480p. The output is determined by the AppleTV. If you set it to 1080p then it will perform the scaling (not what you want). If you set it to 720p then HD content will not be scaled but SD will be scaled to 720p. There is currently not an option to not scale any of the content out the ports.
I sure wish this was more configurable -- and sure would like a no scale option. I was using 720p, but when I started watching photos changed it to 1080i. I don't see a huge difference and think that I may be getting less judder with 1080i since my Kuro plasma can reverse telecine with film based material. The ATV scaling is not all that bad.

I'm a recent ATV owner and it's a wonderful device. I don't have a Mac but wish something like MetaX had a PC version. Of course Handbrake is an excellent encoder for the ATV.


Tagger

I have had great enjoyment from my Apple Tv since I purchased in in October. The HD movies with the dolby digital tracks are great on my 102" Optoma 1080p projector. I even enjoy the standard definition TV shows which look better than some HD material. I use the photo screensaver when I play itunes music for parties. Best $230 ever spent.

Yeah i have been using mine for almost a month and i love this thing more and more every day. I originally bought it as a great way to have my music on my main system, but lately i have been renting HD movies on here and greatly enjoying them!!! This unit has SO much to offer. The interface is so incredibly slick! I love being able to just go through all my albums and choose what i want. I also love being able to scroll through TONS of movies to figure out what i want to watch. Best purchase i have made in some time! well...besides my speakers ;)

has anyone seen this??? Looks fricken amazing!!!

http://gizmodo.com/5082130/how-to-max-out-apple-tvs-potential-with-boxee

I'm running Boxee. Works as advertised.

I'm running Boxee. Works as advertised.

how do you like it?

And it says it still allows for the apple interface but how do you access the boxee interface? because in the pics it looks completely different. Thanks for the info!

How buggy is it?

Boxee is accessed through the main menu. It adds a couple of menu options on the left side, but everything that was there previously is intact. Launching it is like launching a full screen computer app, and that's the interface you see in the pictures. Exiting brings you back to the Apple TV main menu.

I've had it installed for a few weeks. I don't use it much, but the Hulu and Joost stuff work fine for me. I did have to fiddle with the screen position, but after that, no problem.

It's somewhat slow loading and has crashed a couple of times (just reboots and returns to regular menu). XBMC, which installs with it was extremely buggy for me and not worth messing with at this time.

On the plus side, it did not change the functionality of the the Apple TV, so there was no loss. If it doesn't work out, one can restore the Apple TV, run any updates, and relink with iTunes. That's a bit of a hassle, but you may find it worth it to see if Boxee works for you.

I like my Apple TV but would have preferred updates to give more access to internet video. Boxee does that quite well for an alpha, and I look forward to seeing where the product is going.

If there's anything specific you'd like me to check out, let me know.

^ awesome! thanks for the clarification! i really appreciate it :)

Has anyone tried to load a Safari or other internet application to this to be able to surf with Apple TV?

Has anyone tried to load a Safari or other internet application to this to be able to surf with Apple TV?

Do a Google search on "safari on apple tv", a whole bunch of stuff is available to do it.

Mike

What is a Patchstick 2.3? Some guy charges $50 and claims it will UNLOCK the AppleTV.


If you buy a DVD player, are you happy to be restricted to only one rental store? So it is with your Apple TV ! You're locked up in the iTunes . Dream to enjoy all your medias outside? We're here to help. The Patchstick will unlock Apple TV in minutes. It will NOT void your warranty. You can restore to factory settings at any stage.

Our Patchstick will boot up Apple TV and at the meantime install a collection of free plugins.

Once the Apple TV is unlocked, You can:

ssh into Apple TV from a Mac or PC
Transfer Non-iTunes files to/ from Apple TV
Play videos not supported by Apple TV, such as DIVX/AVI, Mpeg, RMVB, +more
Organize All your media files with Sapphire
Install your favorite programs to Apple TV
Enable USB keyboard support
Watch video stored on USB external drives
Watch video stored on network computers
Watch free movies,TV shows, Podcast on HULU
Browse internet with a safai-based web browser
Watch Weather Forecast, read RSS, and more



It looks like a USB flash drive, does it contain moonshine? :)

What is a Patchstick 2.3? Some guy charges $50 and claims it will UNLOCK the AppleTV.



It looks like a USB flash drive, does it contain moonshine? :)

Thats all exactly what Boxee will do for you and its free...lol some guy is charging $50 for something that is free.

http://gizmodo.com/5082130/how-to-max-out-apple-tvs-potential-with-boxee

Has anybody else watched Eagle Eye in HD on the Apple TV? I have plenty of Blu-ray movies and know what HD is, and I have to say that Eagle Eye was quite impressive last night. There was plenty of detail in many scenes. Sure, the lower bit rate did not do so well with fast motions, but I was less distracted than in the past. I have to wonder if they gave Eagle Eye some special treatment.

Has anybody else watched Eagle Eye in HD on the Apple TV? I have plenty of Blu-ray movies and know what HD is, and I have to say that Eagle Eye was quite impressive last night. There was plenty of detail in many scenes. Sure, the lower bit rate did not do so well with fast motions, but I was less distracted than in the past. I have to wonder if they gave Eagle Eye some special treatment.

Yeah i watched it Friday night. It was definately awesome!!! I dont know about special treatment though.

I've been pretty impressed with the DD5.1 to be honest. In most of the movies i watched i was excited it sounded so good.

I was dissapointed though that Pride and Glory was not in 5.1...i guess thats what Pro logic is for but still....

Does anyone watch the various free HD podcast that are available. There are quite a few to choose from and the Hubble and NASA ones are great. They are in 720p and look great on Apple TV.

Yeah i watched it Friday night. It was definately awesome!!! I dont know about special treatment though.

I've been pretty impressed with the DD5.1 to be honest. In most of the movies i watched i was excited it sounded so good.

I was dissapointed though that Pride and Glory was not in 5.1...i guess thats what Pro logic is for but still....

Great to hear! At Apple we obsess about quality. Nice to know the years of hard work on this one are really starting to payoff :)

The only thing missing for me is some type of safari browser so I could check my email and surf on my 102" screen. Oh and 1080P would be nice too.

The only thing missing for me is some type of safari browser so I could check my email and surf on my 102" screen. Oh and 1080P would be nice too.

+1...and purchase remotely over the internet and download to box, especially if 1080p were a reality.

The only thing missing for me is some type of safari browser so I could check my email and surf on my 102" screen. Oh and 1080P would be nice too.
I would also like to see support for more video file types and media server sources like DLNA.

More than Safari I would like to see a bunch of the iPhone/Touch apps. This would be a way of adding more photo services, weather, etc.

That is the immediate answer and so easy. Make all of the Iphone apps that you sync already be useable from Apple TV, you could check the weather stocks email etc. with the same devices you use on your phone. They could probably send this as an update without much effort.

re: Safari on ATV

Will it support flash based video...HULU?

Since boxee no longer works with hulu, I am looking for a solution.

The whole idea is that between a roku box, an ota dvr and an appletv I will be able to tell comcast to "toss my salad"!!!

re: Safari on ATV

Will it support flash based video...HULU?

Since boxee no longer works with hulu, I am looking for a solution.

The whole idea is that between a roku box, an ota dvr and an appletv I will be able to tell comcast to "toss my salad"!!!

Yes. But not like on a mac. See here and on the applecore website.

http://geoffhankerson.com/c/node/86

http://www.atvflash.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=53&start=20&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

Yes. But not like on a mac. See here and on the applecore website.

http://geoffhankerson.com/c/node/86

http://www.atvflash.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=53&start=20&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

Damm...looks like full screen hulu doesn't work. That gets me back to using a pc and qam256 modulator...

Anybody know if the Apple TV can play HD movies in real time with the 6 Mbps DSL service? I currently gave Comcast cable and can play HD movies after about a one minute delay and never have interuptions. Will I get the same service if I switch to U-verse 6 Mbps? The price is $35 versus $60/month.

Is Apple TV outputting 1080p @ 24fps?

720P - no 1080

Is Apple TV outputting 1080p @ 24fps?
As far as I know 1080/60i or 1080/30p -- no 24 fps -- that would be nice.

720P - no 1080

This guy is adamant that it got upgraded to output 1080p.

He's going to Settings the Display 1080P listed and TV is picking it up as 1080p. :confused:

720P - no 1080

As far as I know 1080/60i or 1080/30p -- no 24 fps -- that would be nice.


:confused::confused:

:confused::confused:

The source resolution is 720p/24fps, but you can output at various resolutions -- just no 24fps. This is old news.

The source resolution is 720p/24fps, but you can output at various resolutions -- just no 24fps. This is old news.

Cool. Thanks.

Asking again. Anybody have experience with U-verse and Apple TV?

Anybody know if the Apple TV can play HD movies in real time with the 6 Mbps DSL service? I currently gave Comcast cable and can play HD movies after about a one minute delay and never have interuptions. Will I get the same service if I switch to U-verse 6 Mbps? The price is $35 versus $60/month.

All I know is that my apple tv takes about 2 hours before I can play an HD movie and I have 1.5mbps DSL through AT & T/SBC so just taking a guess you might be able to start playing after about 30 minutes with yours that fast.

All I know is that my apple tv takes about 2 hours before I can play an HD movie and I have 1.5mbps DSL through AT & T/SBC so just taking a guess you might be able to start playing after about 30 minutes with yours that fast.

ouch....that sucks...

mine takes about 30 seconds...

All I know is that my apple tv takes about 2 hours before I can play an HD movie and I have 1.5mbps DSL through AT & T/SBC so just taking a guess you might be able to start playing after about 30 minutes with yours that fast.
Well, with Comcast I get almost 6 Mbps down and I rarely have more than a one minute delay. I'm hoping that U-verse 6 Mbps will be similar. The ATT guys are supposed to install tomorrow, so I guess I'll find out. However, I'm trying to figure if I may need to revert back to cable after the trial is up.

ouch....that sucks...

mine takes about 30 seconds...
What ISP and download speeds are you using?

What ISP and download speeds are you using?

I have medicom here in columbia, mo and i get about 8mbps.

I used to use my PS3 to download movies, but seriously took like 3-4 hours to d/l the whole movie....yes you could view as it d/l'ed but it would stop every 5 minutes to catch up...

When i got the appleTV i was AMAZED at how quickly it would allow me to watch a movie... I rented Rainman in HD last night and it took about 35 seconds to start viewing, i have yet to view an SD flick (doubt i will as its only a $1 more for HD) so i cant tell ya how fast that would be, but imagine probably not THAT much faster.


Has anyone else had issues where sometimes you go to view a trailor or movie and the screen is just blank. You can hear the audio but there is no pic. That occurs sometimse with the itunes store stuff and even the movies and TV shows i own on the harddrive.... the only way to fix it is unplug it for hard reset and its fine...

Has anyone else had issues where sometimes you go to view a trailor or movie and the screen is just blank. You can hear the audio but there is no pic. That occurs sometimse with the itunes store stuff and even the movies and TV shows i own on the harddrive.... the only way to fix it is unplug it for hard reset and its fine...

I had a white screen and no audio with a rented movie (Apple credited my account no quibbles), and with my own movies I've had the black screen plus audio. This seemed to replace the old problem I had (frozen on the apple logo whenever I'd start up TV, receiver, etc) after a firmware update. My pet theory was that this was something to do with the ATV's HDMI implementation, but I also thought it might have something to do with the fact that I hacked the thing to install boxee. I got bored with Boxee, so I did a factory install, resynced my content (140GB, urgh) and it seems much better.

"Blindness" just became available to rent in HD. Since this didn't come out on blu-ray, this is the only way to watch it in high definition, right?

"Blindness" just became available to rent in HD. Since this didn't come out on blu-ray, this is the only way to watch it in high definition, right?

unless they make it available in HD over DirecTV's on demand service.

Anybody know if the Apple TV can play HD movies in real time with the 6 Mbps DSL service? I currently gave Comcast cable and can play HD movies after about a one minute delay and never have interuptions. Will I get the same service if I switch to U-verse 6 Mbps? The price is $35 versus $60/month.
OK. I got U-verse 6 Mbps installed yesterday. Also, I kept my cable connected so that I could go back and forth. Speakeasy indicated almost identical speeds of around 5700 down and 920. The Start-up time with U-verse was about a minute just like Comcast. I have never had any stalls with Apple TV over Comcast, but got stalls when watching an HD movie "Vicky Cristina Barcelona." I figured out that my wife was watching Youtube with her Touch. When she stopped the Youtube streaming that Apple TV stalls stopped and we were able to watch the rest of the movie with no problem. With Comcast cable we could have one of the kids stream Youtube to a computer at the same time as watching an HD movie on the Apple TV with no stalls.

So, it seems that U-verse 6 Mbps is boarderline on performance for Apple TV HD movies. However, since my high speed internet bill dropped from $62 to #35 I will be sticking with U-verse, and canceling cable. I just hope that the U-verse throughput does not degrade over time. I did make sure that the cable was not physically disconnected, so it should be easy to re-establish cable service in the future if I have problems with U-verse. The other option for me is to increase the U-verse plan to 10 Mbps, but that increases the price $20.

Actually I think one of the last updates allows a mix of music videos to play even as a shuffle. What you have to do is create a playlist of all of your music videos and then select that as the playlist for apple tv to play. I have not tried this yet.

Every now and then, something comes up that is just jaw-dropping!

This was quite unexpected for me and I have to (sadly) admit that this doesn't happen a lot...

So I got my ATV on Friday and installed it on Saturday morning in my home theater. Installation cound't have been any easier. once it got connected to my network and recognized my iTunes computer and account, it was quick and painless to get all my music and pictiures synched.

During that day, my wife asked me if this could help to listen to her iTunes throughout the house (we have a Russound system piped throughout the entire house). I looked at her and thought about it. Went back down to my HT and hooked-up the line-level out to my Russound and it worked despite me using the HDMI for my HT!

I though that this was quite impressive but still had an issue on how to control the ATV's content. I obviously could not do it via the Russound Remote Dsiplays... As I was on my iMac, I noticed that i could use my iMac to control the ATV (using the multiple speaker function in iTunes). Since my iMac is on th main floor just off the kitchen, I though this was great but still not perfect...

Later that evening I saw that I could pair-up my iPhone and my wife's iPod touch to the ATV by downloading the free APP from the iTunes APP Store. Okay this is where my jaw dropped! I can now access (and view) my entire library from anywhere in the house, garage and even in my yard (I have the Russound also piped in the garage and outside) with my iPhone and iTouch used as a remote. Now that is slick!

As for the ATV's HT experience, the movie selection is huge and much quicker to download and access with ATV. No comparison! Even got HD content to boot! One drawback is that my pictures dont look amazing on my 110" screen. it would be nice to boost the resolution of the pictures.

I just can't say enough about how this is a great system. Too bad Apple doesnt even promote it like that...

I had been looking at many ofther options such as the Squeezebox Duo and others not to mention the Russound server (at 2000k$). This is way better! Did I mention how good it looks? Too bad it is in my HT's equipment room. BTW, the unit gets very hot so be mindful of it's location.

BR

I rented the Changeling in SD and got curious. Normally, I have the Apple TV set to 1080p because that looks best for movie artwork, photos, etc. While watching Changeling I was surprised with how soft the image was. I decided to change the resolution to 480p and all of a sudden the image almost becomes DVD quality.

I know that my 60" Pioneer Kuro plasma's scaling is pretty close to perfect, but I had no idea how bad the scaling of the Apple TV is. I sure do wish that the Apple TV had a source direct setting so that I could view photos at 1080p, HD movies at 720p and SD movies at 480p.

Has anybody else noticed the PQ difference in 480p and 1080p for SD movies on a good 1080p display?

As mentioned above, I did find that my pictures did not look good (very soft, lacked detail). The only movie I rented was in HD and it was okay.

As mentioned above, I did find that my pictures did not look good (very soft, lacked detail). The only movie I rented was in HD and it was okay.
If you have a decent display you may want to see how things look when outputting from the ATV at the native resolution. In my case there was a night and day difference between 480p and 1080p with that one SD movie. The 480p image was very close to DVD quality. 1080p was just ugly soft.

I'll give it a shot. Thanks.

If you have a decent display you may want to see how things look when outputting from the ATV at the native resolution. In my case there was a night and day difference between 480p and 1080p with that one SD movie. The 480p image was very close to DVD quality. 1080p was just ugly soft.
Interesting since Apple TV as far as I know uses the same graphics card as my Sony TP 20 HTPC. It's the Nvidia 8400GT that includes purevideo. So it should be able to scale well. In fact the processing on my HTPC beats my Pio 151FD.I guess Apple's software is at fault here.

Interesting since Apple TV as far as I know uses the same graphics card as my Sony TP 20 HTPC. It's the Nvidia 8400GT that includes purevideo. So it should be able to scale well. In fact the processing on my HTPC beats my Pio 151FD.I guess Apple's software is at fault here.
Video processing is one thing, but when it comes to pure scaling I found my Kuro plasma to be near perfect. It is identical to what I get with either the Reon in the HD-XA2 or the VRS in the DVD-983. When it comes to de-interlacing (conversion from 480i) I found the VRS solution to be better than the Kuro. I would not be surprise if an HTPC has better de-interlacing than the plasma.

Has anybody else noticed the PQ difference in 480p and 1080p for SD movies on a good 1080p display?
You don't say explicitly but I assume you're using HDMI rather than component output.

Just for fun, why don't you try component output and see what the difference is. I don't own AppleTV; can it can do 1080p/24 over component? I don't think it does 1080p/60 at all, does it?

You don't say explicitly but I assume you're using HDMI rather than component output.

Just for fun, why don't you try component output and see what the difference is. I don't own AppleTV; can it can do 1080p/24 over component? I don't think it does 1080p/60 at all, does it?
I did all my comparisons with HDMI everywhere. I've used component in the past and it was hard to tell the difference. The Apple TV does not out put 1080p/24fps over anything. It only goes to 1080p. But then again for the Apple TV you want to output 480p for SD and 720p for HD if you have a decent scaler on your display.

Well for me availability and mobility is good... I'm sure everyone will be sporting this sooner or later the way everyone has ipods these days. Though not upto the BluRay video and audio quality, many Video formats for movies are becoming more and more sophisticated now, I'm sure this one will be promising...

Apple is an excellent company. I encourage them to design a device such as this.

OK. I got U-verse 6 Mbps installed yesterday. Also, I kept my cable connected so that I could go back and forth. Speakeasy indicated almost identical speeds of around 5700 down and 920. The Start-up time with U-verse was about a minute just like Comcast. I have never had any stalls with Apple TV over Comcast, but got stalls when watching an HD movie "Vicky Cristina Barcelona." I figured out that my wife was watching Youtube with her Touch. When she stopped the Youtube streaming that Apple TV stalls stopped and we were able to watch the rest of the movie with no problem. With Comcast cable we could have one of the kids stream Youtube to a computer at the same time as watching an HD movie on the Apple TV with no stalls.

So, it seems that U-verse 6 Mbps is boarderline on performance for Apple TV HD movies. However, since my high speed internet bill dropped from $62 to #35 I will be sticking with U-verse, and canceling cable. I just hope that the U-verse throughput does not degrade over time. I did make sure that the cable was not physically disconnected, so it should be easy to re-establish cable service in the future if I have problems with U-verse. The other option for me is to increase the U-verse plan to 10 Mbps, but that increases the price $20.

Ideally your router should be able to handle multiple streams without creating a bottleneck. What router are you using? I can do Apple TV HD and Netflix streaming at the same time with no issues. I think I've been up to 2 Apple TV HD streams with no issues in the past.

anyone aware of a new apple TV coming out?

i work at best buy and its status is now "deleted" in our system.

Ideally your router should be able to handle multiple streams without creating a bottleneck. What router are you using? I can do Apple TV HD and Netflix streaming at the same time with no issues. I think I've been up to 2 Apple TV HD streams with no issues in the past.
Well, I have the previous generation Airport Extreme in bridge mode behind the U-verse 2wire or whatever it is called router. I heard that the Apple HD streams can be around 4-5 Mbps. I haven't had any problems lately with streaming Apple TV while somebody else in the house is doing YouTube. I can't imagine running 2 HD streams when I'm getting less than 6 Mbps overall throughput.

I just picked up the Apple TV and hooked it up in my system. Can you connect your Macbook straight to the Apple TV and download your I - Tunes quicker. I have over 500 disc on my I-Tunes in Apple Lossless and it is taken forever through my network to synch. Let me know if this is possible.

Thanks,
Ted

I just picked up the Apple TV and hooked it up in my system. Can you connect your Macbook straight to the Apple TV and download your I - Tunes quicker. I have over 500 disc on my I-Tunes in Apple Lossless and it is taken forever through my network to synch. Let me know if this is possible.

Thanks,
Ted
If you are syncing your iTunes with your Apple TV it only takes a a long time the first time you copy the data to the Apple TV. When you make a lot of changes to iTunes you will also need to sync that with the Apple TV, but then you are done with that. The alternative approach is to not sync the two and stream everything to the Apple TV from your MacBook.

You should be able to run an ethernet cable from your macbook to the aTV. I've had mixed results doing it off the network. Taking my aTV over to the computer and connecting via ethernet without it being connected to my receiver didn't work, and it stalled when I hauled my iMac over to the receiver and TV to connect to it via ethernet, but I got a fair amount done, and if you keep an eye on it and be prepared to restart iTunes if it hangs you should be OK.

I already have an Xbox 360, but I've havent rented an HD movie yet. How does the Xbox Marketplace 720p movies compare to Apple's 720p movies in terms of picture quality? Are they pretty much the same?

I already have an Xbox 360, but I've havent rented an HD movie yet. How does the Xbox Marketplace 720p movies compare to Apple's 720p movies in terms of picture quality? Are they pretty much the same?

They are pretty much the same. In my opinion Apple HD is slightly better than the 360 HD. Apple has a better selection across the board (TV - Movies). But you can't go wrong with either.

Is there any way for my apple TV not to transfer my downloaded TV shows to itunes on my computer?

Whenever i try to sync more songs to my appleTV it keeps trying to transfer my appleTV tv show purchases first and it takes forever. In fact i dont think its ever attempting the transfer because it just sits there for hours without doing anything.

help?

Is there any way for my apple TV not to transfer my downloaded TV shows to itunes on my computer?

Whenever i try to sync more songs to my appleTV it keeps trying to transfer my appleTV tv show purchases first and it takes forever. In fact i dont think its ever attempting the transfer because it just sits there for hours without doing anything.

help?

Just go into itunes and open up your Apple TV Synch Setting and uncheck the TV Shows and Video synching. It should not synch or try to synch.

They are pretty much the same. In my opinion Apple HD is slightly better than the 360 HD. Apple has a better selection across the board (TV - Movies). But you can't go wrong with either.

From what I have seen the Apple TV is totally silent whereas the xbox 360 fan can get a little loud based on where it is placed.

Also, another plus with Apple TV is that you can output video and audio from all the connections at the same time. I have an RF remote for my Apple TV and I have 2 TVs connected to 1 Apple TV and it works great! Of course both TVs must see the same show. But still it's nice....I can rent a movie and start watching it in my living room and then end by watching it my bedroom TV. Both the component/optical and hdmi have the same PQ/AQ.

New to ATV and I have exhausted my searching here and on google. It's been a long day so if I am overlooking an obvious post, just kindly point me to it. I have a consistent 3mbps download speed. I picked up an ATV primarily as a slick way to watch HD trailers in the home theater. I am ethernet connected to the ATV, not wireless. It is taking up to 3 to 5 minutes for a 2 minute HD trailer to begin playing. What gives? I don't have other devices competing for bandwidth here. I also use a Roku Netflix box and get a full 4 dots and no studdering with HD streaming. Just to be certain, the only thing hooked to my network is the ATV, I even bypassed the router and went straight to the modem. Not trying to compare apples (pun intended) to oranges but I figured I would get much better results with the ATV than I am getting. Anyone care to share any insight with me? Thanks!

I have a 10 mbps connection and it works perfectly. I think your speed is too slow. I upgraded mine internet connection from 3 Mbps soon after my ATV purchase about a year ago.

So when you go into the trailers section and select and HD trailer to view, it starts pretty quickly? I double checked and I am paying for 6 mpbs connection, but I am only getting 3-4 consistently so I will be having a talk with my ISP (like that's going to do any good). I am unsure of what my options are here with regards to internet. I think it's either AT&T, which I have now, or Cox Cable.

I just checked and if I switch from AT&T to Cox Communications, I will end up spending $13 more each month, but I will go from 6 mpbs to 20 mpbs. I am wondering if that is 20 most of the time, some of the time or hardly ever... Regardless, I am going to do it. I have more than just the ATV that will benefit so I think it is the right move to make. Thanks for the response.

I have a 6 MBps connection and do not have problems unless somebody else in the house is doing a big download at the same time.

Hi

I have a VuNow and am considering to purchase APPLE TV.

Can anyone help me with some answers:

Apple TV is stand alone, can it run BOXEE, MY Lil JukeBox, XBMC

and COUCH SURFER in STAND ALONE MODE???

(without hooked up to pc)?

Can I set up other movie sites into the APPLE TV also

like Fancast, Vuze, and other sites?

thanks everyone IPTV is great!:)

Hi

I have a VuNow and am considering to purchase APPLE TV.

Can anyone help me with some answers:

Apple TV is stand alone, can it run BOXEE, MY Lil JukeBox, XBMC

and COUCH SURFER in STAND ALONE MODE???

(without hooked up to pc)?

Can I set up other movie sites into the APPLE TV also

like Fancast, Vuze, and other sites?

thanks everyone IPTV is great!:)


sure if its hacked...

I have a new I-mac computer which has my home movies and pictures on it. I have just purchased a ATV and Tivo HD DVR, both appear to stream pictures andf home movies. Has anyone tried to do this with both of these products? if so, which worked the best? Thanks Bob H

Streaming from iTunes to AppleTV is simple if the AppleTV is linked to iTunes.

Streaming video from a Mac to Tivo requires Roxio Toast. I wasn't very happy with it because it messed up the titles from my iTunes videos. I couldn't tell what was what on the Tivo.

40gb or 160gb? for itunes music playing through receiver with maybe an occasional music video and movie tv show.

Have most found 40 enough?

I've had my ATV for several months now and I really like it. I primarily use it for renting flicks, showing off photos and playing my iTunes music when I'm cleaning around the house or even entertaining.
Just the other day, I was able to quickly bring up my HD video that I shot on my Flip Ultra HD camcorder and had streamed to iTunes. Very nifty device.
One of the advantages I see to renting HD movies is that there will occasionally be movies available in HD that aren't out on Blu-ray. Or if one is backlogged on Netflix, I can be watching it within in hour or so on my ATV.
So is there a great resource out there for this type of information? I regularly visit 'appletvjunkie' and I find it informative but there is no master list for movies that are ready to rent in HD that have no BD release. I tried googling but I've only found some minor sites that aren't that helpful.
Any ATV owners care to share?

40gb or 160gb?

If your computer is always on, and always connected to your ATV with a wired or wireless connection, 40G. If not, then 160G. It fills up quicker than you think.

You can find them here (http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/clearance?mco=MTE3Njg).

They were never a value but I thought it was interesting.

i just randomly clicked update software tonight and i have a completely new interface for the appleTV...

How long has this been available?

Since yesterday.

I like the new interface better than the old. The thing I really like is Internet Radio. You can pick a genre like 80's Rock and use the arrow keys to scan channels.

I got 2 160s, I'm happy with this new update giving internet radio, already saved several channels.

I got them in the first place to play my itunes, the podcasts and some of the youtube especially the crank calls are a nice bonus.

The internet radio sounds very good especially the stations at 128kbs

I like the new interface better than the old. The thing I really like is Internet Radio. You can pick a genre like 80's Rock and use the arrow keys to scan channels.

me too...

i hope they enable the ability to control internet radio by use of the remote app for iphone/itouch without having the display turned on... that would be a real plus for those of us who use atv as strictly a music streaming device...

Does anyone know how to add custom stations for Internet Radio? I really would like to add the Alice station from Denver (105.9).
Thank You,
RabidBunny