After reading everything about aTV and all its downfalls, as well as what we all would like to do with it...I had an idea that is similar but slightly more expensive. Now you tell me if this is dumb or not.

What if I bought a couple TB external HDs and put them on the new Airport Extreme base station. Then I got a mac mini or two to hook up to my TVs.

Wouldn't I then be able to view my ripped DVDs on my networked HDs in full sound and video quality via the mac minis?

That's pretty much what many of us want to use the aTV for, but obviously full quality of sound and video is the issue.

So would this idea work and would the DVDs play back without any glitches?

It's a little more expensive, but it just might work!

I would guess it would work, but why not just use the Mac Mini without the hard drives and without the Airport Extreme? Just pop the DVD into the Mini connected to your display and you're done.

Other then that, the only problem with your idea is cost, but it is a big problem.

well the idea would be to have a central DVD server that can be accessed by any TV in the house....and to have my DVDs backed up.

Yeah but make sure all the computers you have connected to the network are 802.11n compatible or the speeds will slow down dramatically and you wont be able to stream the videos.

So would this idea work and would the DVDs play back without any glitches?

Yes. A mini (or other core duo Mac) at your display is what the vast majority of us here recommend--the question is what kind of network you set up to integrate it with your other Macs and storage.

It's a little more expensive, but it just might work!

It's a lot more expensive, a lot more time consuming to set up and maintain than the simplistic aTV but of course it would work: folks here started using the G4 mini this way two years ago, ripped dvds often (but not always) stream fine over a g wireless network and are glitch-free over a wired 100 ethernet network (regardless of where they were stored, either on a NAS or as directly mounted firewire volumes.) Add n wireless and gigabit to the equation, as Apple did, and you're set for the future.

It's easy as pie to rip, store and access video_ts on hard drives, you have many options.

Draft n capable core duo minis and the new Extreme n basestation could certainly handle streaming ripped dvds no matter how you attached your storage--over the USB Airdisk, via a NAS on one of the ethernet slots or as firewire externals on either of the Mac minis.

So you'll have no problem handling video_ts, even old equipment handles that, the question becomes a little more complicated if you plan to record and move high def around, and whether you're going to wire up your minis or try to stream. The jury is still out how well this works over the USB of the new basestation. The caveat is none of this is as seamless, as thoughtless to hook up and operate, as the aTV.

That's pretty much what many of us want to use the aTV for, but obviously full quality of sound and video is the issue.

That's the issue for some--not for others, who are perfectly willing to trade down when it comes to sound and video quality in order to regain all the thought involved in keeping a network going. An obvious appeal of the aTV is how simple it promises to make everything, as long as you play by Apple's rules.

If you already think you're the type of person who wants to stretch Apple's rules, then most of us would probably say stick a cheap core duo Macbook or mini at your HDTVs instead.

I agree with much of the above posts and posters. I just wanted to point out one major factor that the aTV has over using a Mac (mini) connected to a TV. The input device.

Presumably, the aTV will ship with an Apple Remote (or something a little more "full featured") and it will be able to control all of the aTV's functions. For a Mac, the Apple Remote works great with Front Row, but very little else. If you want to fully utilize the Mac, you'll need a keyboard and mouse (preferably wireless and integrated). As of right now, no one makes a dedicated Mac keyboard/mouse-trackpad-etc. combination.

Personally, if I had the know how, I would design a BT remote similar to the Nintendo Wii Remote. It would have a gyro in it so that your movements in air would control the pointer. A couple of dedicated buttons for media playing (play. pause, stop, etc.). A button for bringing up a virtual keyboard for some couch surfing and limited Finder use.

Keep a cheapo USB keyboard and mouse tucked away for using when you need it.

I'm convinced that if someone made such a device, they would sell at least 2 of them (maybe more) ;).

ft

I agree with much of the above posts and posters. I just wanted to point out one major factor that the aTV has over using a Mac (mini) connected to a TV. The input device.

Presumably, the aTV will ship with an Apple Remote (or something a little more "full featured") and it will be able to control all of the aTV's functions. For a Mac, the Apple Remote works great with Front Row, but very little else. If you want to fully utilize the Mac, you'll need a keyboard and mouse (preferably wireless and integrated). As of right now, no one makes a dedicated Mac keyboard/mouse-trackpad-etc. combination.

Personally, if I had the know how, I would design a BT remote similar to the Nintendo Wii Remote. It would have a gyro in it so that your movements in air would control the pointer. A couple of dedicated buttons for media playing (play. pause, stop, etc.). A button for bringing up a virtual keyboard for some couch surfing and limited Finder use.

Keep a cheapo USB keyboard and mouse tucked away for using when you need it.

I'm convinced that if someone made such a device, they would sell at least 2 of them (maybe more) ;).

ftI think that Apple may be closer to such a device than we realize. The iPhone meets most, if not all of these requirements. All it would need would be a good software package to control it, and the WiFi or BT hooks to connect. Apple could make a kick*** dedicated remote, using the iPhone concept as a starting point, if it wanted to.

I haven't personally tried it, but not only does Remote Buddy (http://www.iospirit.com/index.php?mode=view&obj_type=infogroup&obj_id=23) enhance the functionality of the Apple Remote, it is apparently compatible with the Wii remote. Not sure about the specifics, but definitely worth looking into...

I think that Apple may be closer to such a device than we realize. The iPhone meets most, if not all of these requirements. All it would need would be a good software package to control it, and the WiFi or BT hooks to connect. Apple could make a kick*** dedicated remote, using the iPhone concept as a starting point, if it wanted to.
wildrock,

That's a great idea. I hadn't thought of the iPhone as a remote, but it would work. My idea of the virtual keyboard was that it showed up on the TV and you would wave the remote around to select the characters. However, having the virtual keyboard on the remote is a much better idea.

I'm not sure if the gyros in the iPhone are sufficient for using as a gyro mouse. I could be wrong, but I thought it was only for determining whether the iPhone was in portrait or landscape mode.

In any case, Apple could use the basic iPhone platform and create a World Class universal remote. The only problem is that the market for such a device is sorta limited.

As for Remote Buddy and the Wii Remote, I've checked it out. They haven't gotten the gyro portion of the the Wii-mote done yet. When iosoft finishes it, tt may be a good stop-gap until Wildrock finishes up his iPhone/Universal Remote software. ;)

ft

until Wildrock finishes up his iPhone/Universal Remote software. ;)Actually, I've been spending some time working with DashCode building Widgets. If Apple were to open up the platform a teeny bit, or someone hacked a way in, you can do a lot with Widgets. And they definitely are going to be a major way that apps are going to be utilized on the iPhone (and hopefully the video iPod later, or the appleTV???). Now we just need to get some IR into the package.