Pogue on the Apple TV

I guess no one has noticed that currently the Apple TV only supports stereo 2ch. audio. I won't even consider buying movies or TV shows in 2 channel stereo when they are mixed and released in 5.1. I can get 5.1 audio off a DVD and play it on a $20.00 DVD Player. I can also play 5.1 audio off a DiVX file (if it's on there) via the same DVD player or the Toslink out on my Macbook Pro using VLC. The Apple TV hardware can support it, I just wish Apple would make it a priority.

I'll stick with a DVI-HDMI cable running out the side of my PowerBook thanks.

AppleTV is Steve Job's opening salvo on his full scale assault on the living room.

It is pretty clear now what the battle plan is. Do an end run around the cable & satellite companies, Tivo, IPTV, Xbox 360 and PS3 by building a totally separate content distribution channel.

He is betting that the content providers will go where the viewers/customers are. He is hoping that by extending the iTunes/iPod infrastructure without sacrificing simplicity he will attract enough AppleTV viewers that the content providers will have no choice but to put their shows on iTunes.

This is a long term play. The upgrades on AppleTV features need to keep on coming. i.e. resolution, 5.1 encoding, direct internet downloads, etc. But also, for iTunes to be a viable alternative to cable & satellite, bandwidths have to grow as well.

There's no guarantee Apple will succeed but if someone can offer me the programs I want to watch (i.e. a la carte) at a cost substantially less than the 80 dollars a month I pay Comcast (regardless of how little I watch some days), heck I'm interested.

"I'm pretty sure that the box does everthing Apple said it would. Sadly, you lot are complaining about the things that IT WASN'T DESIGNED TO DO!"

Well, since I apparently am a 3-year-old with the IQ of a can of spray paint, I'll try to use bigger words as to not confuse you...

If the AppleTV REQUIRES that you use an HDTV (it does) then you would think that Apple would provide some HD CONTENT to watch on said AppleTV (it doesn't) since, as any retard toddler like myself knows, SD content looks like COMPLETE GARBAGE on an HDTV.

I don't want AppleTV to blow me, make me toast, paint my house, find me a girlfriend or teach me how to pilot a helicopter. No, in fact, I'd rather Apple just provide some HD content since they require me to use an HDTV to watch it, mmkay?

I'm sorry, but expecting people to transcode their PVR videos is unrealistic. Rather than expect the device to just play a file format, you'd rather your computer be transcoding for three hours per one hour of video media? Seriously, it takes my dual G5 3 hours to convert an hour of standard definition video to the newest iPod compatible video format. That's the most inefficient thing I've heard of. Without HD media, one is better off with a remote control iPod media dock connected to their TV.

A good PVR allows you to start watching a show as soon as it starts or while it is playing. That's impossible with the AppleTV/EyeTV way, you have to wait hours and after venting a lot of power as heat to do a needless transcode cycle. It's the worst kluge I've ever heard of, and I'm surprised Apple fans even suggest it.

Frankly, I'd suggest buying or using an old Mac and just use EyeTV, or buy an iPod media dock.

it's only a matter of time before single click conversion scripts and proggies come out. aside from that, some download locations will be adjusted for appletv and offer material allready in the right format exactly like they did when ipods started to play movies.
i have been using a mac mini for some time to whatch all my media, and if the appletv can do the same but easier I think it's a winner. while we do not have movies and tv shows in the itms. i will be converting all my material for itunes soon.

"The XBox 360 is big and noisy...Pogue also found navigating the menus a little clumsy with the joystick."

Mine is quiet and I can use either the controller or Logitech Harmony remote, and the special HD episode of South Park is great along with all the other stuff I have downloaded to a 20GB hard drive. I can also stream my iTunes to it.

"the EVA8000...has the stink of a 1.0 product all over it."

Uh, what's the Apple TV?

"The Apple TV wins based on design, ease of use, and ease of setup."

Cool, but...

"Who cares that it only works with iTunes (though on both Mac and PC) and that there is no HD content to be had at the iTunes Store (not yet, anyway)?"

Me, and by the looks of other comments, many others here.

Based on the comments above, the average age and iq of the negative posters is about 3 on both scores.

I'm pretty sure that the box does everthing Apple said it would. Sadly, you lot are complaining about the things that IT WASN'T DESIGNED TO DO!

It's a little box, that happens to plug into TV to extend the media capabilities of your Mac, or the iTunes part of your PC. It has a hard disk to cache some content.

It's not going to blow you, make you toast, paint your house, find you a girlfriend or teach you how to pilot a helicopter.

"Your computer is the center of your digital life. Your TV is the center of your entertainment life. But what if you want to watch movies, TV shows, movie trailers, podcasts, and photos from your computer on your TV? At $299, Apple TV brings iTunes to the big screen."

Using iTunes, what part of the above is not delivered by this little box.

IF YOU DON'T LIKE THE BOX, DON'T F***ING BUY IT.

Can EyeTV work with the new Apple TV device?

Yes, it appears that EyeTV can export any recording so that the Apple TV media player can use it.

Apple’s upcoming Apple TV media player uses iTunes as a media management application. EyeTV can already export to iTunes, in an iPod compatible video format (H.264 or MPEG-4), and that video will appear in the “TV Shows” section of iTunes. In turn, that “TV Shows” list will be accessible via your TV, using Apple TV.

Currently, EyeTV’s iPod exports are in 640 by 480 or 320 by 240 resolution. Since the Apple TV also can receive 720p videos, our engineers will investigate how to best leverage that format as well, with HDTV EyeTV recordings.

The official specifications from Apple are:

H.264 and protected H.264 (from iTunes Store):
640 by 480, 30 fps, LC version of Baseline Profile
320 by 240, 30 fps, Baseline profile up to Level 1.3
1280 by 720, 24 fps, Progressive Main Profile.

MPEG-4:
640 by 480, 30 fps, Simple Profile

Once the Apple TV is shipping in February, then we can have a more definite statement about what video formats EyeTV can give it. Most likely, additional export options will be added to a future EyeTV update, specifically for Apple TV.

At this time, EyeTV’s MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 recordings don’t meet the specifications for Apple TV’s video formats. So, there will always be an export involved, which will take some time - the faster your Mac, the faster the export.

Such exports to “iPod” format can be automated now, so that when a scheduled recording is completed, it will automatically be exported, and synched with iTunes. From there it can be easily sent to an iPod, or Apple TV.

Check out his review of Apple TV in this morning's Wall Street Journal. As Walt points out, our product:

* won't work with older TVs; = Who cares
* can't record cable or satellite TV; = You use your computer. Dooh!
* can't play DVDs; = Every mother f_____r has a DVD player.
* can't stream video or audio directly from the Internet; = Future ?
* won't let you buy media directly from iTunes; Future!
* won't play music in Microsoft's formats, even from a Windows PC; = Future ? ( but I don't care about MS rubbish )
* won't let you change volume using the Apple remote; = Use the other remote.
* won't let you plug in an extra hard drive for more capacity. = You don't understand the buffering technology. It's a staging area not a storage area.