Pogue on the Apple TV
Uncle Walt likes it, but what does David Pogue, NY Times tech columnist, think of the now shipping Apple TV? The short answer: he likes it.Pogue compares Apple's offer to the XBox 360 and the Netgear EVA8000 (seen to the right). The XBox 360 is big and noisy, but offers you HD downloads. Pogue also found navigating the menus a little clumsy with the joystick. Speaking of clumsy, Pogue says the EVA8000, which can stream content from any folder on any of your Macs or PCs and can even play tunes purchased from iTunes (though that's a PC only feature for some reason) has the stink of a 1.0 product all over it. The menu system is ugly, setup was difficult, and overall the experience was not pleasant.
Pogue also included a little tidbit I hadn't seen anywhere else. Thanks to the magic of iTunes/iPod syncing if you are watching a video on your iPod, pause, hook you iPod up to your Mac, and then turn on your Apple TV it will remember where you paused that video and start from that point on the Apple TV. Nifty.
The Apple TV wins based on design, ease of use, and ease of setup. 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)?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Tony said 6:48PM on 3-21-2007
"The Apple TV wins based on design, ease of use, and ease of setup. 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)?"
Who cares? Possibly everyone? With no HD content, how could it possibly look good on a TV that Apple requires should be able to stream HD video? Also, being able to play ANYTHING on my computer is a huge advantage for the EVA8000. If I have to go through some hassle just one single time to set it up in order to get all my videos to play, so be it. Design, ease of use, setup are all great but not if the functionality and content are lacking.
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Matt said 6:57PM on 3-21-2007
"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)"
Everyone cares!! More people have DIVX video and large DVD collections than people with iTunes movie/TV content. And with BluRay and HD DVD on the rise, HD is paramount. In these two key respects, Apple TV is a failure.
And I wouldn't say set up is a breeze either; I hear it doesn't include the cable.
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running said 7:05PM on 3-21-2007
Oh my f.. god, it has better video card than my mac mini, but it CAN'T play DivX? Damned, it has OS X, but it can't play DivX? So what should I watch on it, when iTunes Store is not available in my country?
It's pretty good hardware, but it's terribly crippled by software. I would buy it, if it was 50% cheaper (huh, it's the same with iPhone) :-)
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artifex said 7:10PM on 3-21-2007
running: is it even offered for sale in your country, since you don't have iTunes there?
I agree with everyone else: it's crippled. Okay, the 360 is similarly crippled. But why Pogue can't afford to buy the remote for the 360 is beyond me. And what cool games can I play on the ATV, Mr. Pogue?
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Owain said 7:29PM on 3-21-2007
Artifex: It's on sale in the UK, and while we do have the iTMS, there's no TV/film downloads yet. So why would anyone buy one....?
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YodaMac said 8:51PM on 3-22-2007
Crippled???? The AppleTV does exactly what it is designed to do... and does it brilliantly (from what I've read so far) With even more features surely to come in future versions. (safe bet!) This is a perfect device for those of us with a Mac Life. If there's something I really really need that just isn't available in Quicktime - I'll convert it, and into iTunes it goes.
It's not a DVR. It's not a DVD player. If you are looking for something else, don't blame the AppleTV.
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ThomasB said 8:46AM on 3-22-2007
Same with us in Norway. But remember: Itunes is not only a storefront it is also a media player and everything you can throw at itunes appletv will play. "Yeah, but only video in h.264 and mp4 format!" I hear you cry. Well, the carmakers stopped backwards support for running your car on coal too at a time..
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Karl said 1:07PM on 3-22-2007
Is anyone else expecting Apple to announce HD movies at the "Lights Camera [Apple]" event in April?
It'd be a good fit, and they'd be with the right audience.
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artifex said 8:34PM on 3-21-2007
BTW, Microsoft lets you re-download content if you've erased it, as long as they're still offering it on their servers. So when you run out of space, just kill something, and get it back later.
Apple won't do that, at least not on demand. They'll unofficially let you recover sometimes after data corruption. But it's not an intentional part of the system.
So basically, since the content is tied to my account, on my 360, I can fly to my friend's, and if I've forgotten my 360's drive, I can log in as me and redownload a movie. And then erase it after, since it's tied to my login and is a waste of space, otherwise :)
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Rubbinz said 8:47PM on 3-21-2007
Big, noisy and a joystick? Apparently Pogue hasn't actually touched a 360. Big maybe, it's a fraking Gaming Console after all. Noisy, not mine. Joystick... put the crack pipe down, mine didn't come with one. Yeah, it can be had as a third party add-on.
Who cares that the iTunes store has zero HD content while the Apple TV only allows HD hook-ups? The only people that don't care have probably been drop kick as a child.
The Apple TV is a losing product for the morons and to me is as gimmicky as the canned spray on hair from late night TV. I've had a computer running into the TV and stereo unit for years already, Apple is too late.
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michel said 9:10PM on 3-21-2007
seems to be consideration of technical-inclined people.
I do not know what it prevents you to converts video in h264 . apple tv do not need content from "itms". only what itunes can manage.
and well, I do not want to configure a complex product or to buy a video game box.
(but I do not want to watch video on a TV, so no apple tv neither for me).
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James said 9:17PM on 3-21-2007
"What the hell is DivX?"
- John Q. Public
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tevetorbes said 9:25PM on 3-21-2007
Well, so apparently friggin EVERYBODY cares about the lack of HD content.
Well, that is everybody except Uncle Walt, David Pogue, seemingly every one of the TUAW staff, Steve Jobs, and all of his underlings.
So you guys are right- nobody that *matters* cares, right?
Give me a break! The AppleTV is garbage and will continue to be garbage until (1) the iTMS offers HD content for purchase and (2) I can purchase content directly from iTMS with the AppleTV. Until then, its a fancy, expensive DVI cable to hook my computer up to my TV.
And anybody who thinks that being able to rip content into your iTunes and then stream it to your shiny AppleTV is missing the point: I have a DVD player already thank you that is hooked to my HDTV. I don't need an extra step between me and my content.
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tundraboy said 10:24PM on 3-21-2007
You geeks. There's a reason Steve Jobs has 3.5 billion in his bank account and you don't: He knows that most people are not comfortable with technology. You geeks on the other hand think that everyone else is like you.
No most people don't know what DivX is, or even what HD is. Most people are flummoxed by a game pad. And most people have no idea what h.264 or MP4 is.
Apple will sell millions of AppleTVs because every time someone with an iPod walks in an Apple Store a sales clerk just needs to ask 'Do you want to watch your videos on your flat panel t.v.? It only costs about as much as your iPod with video.'
Then later on Apple will just keep adding more capabilities to AppleTV and hey pretty soon geeks will start buying them too.
In the meantime my Apple holdings shall have tripled in value.
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KR said 11:11PM on 3-21-2007
This kind of reminds me of when Apple stopped including floppy drives as a standard feature. Lots of people were up in arms. "What about our floppies!" Before long, it was "Who needs floppies?"
This seems to be a similar situation to me. Apple is seeing something that they feel will be the standard in the future, and is making steps towards it. Is this the perfect device that does everything for everybody? Of course not. Is it a step in the right direction, and something that will likely entice a few more people to spring for an HDTV when they were just on the fence before? I think so.
If no companies push to embrace new technologies and eventually drop support for older ones, the new stuff will take longer to become standard.
It'll be a long while before I have an AppleTV, if ever, but I think it's a good device to be on the market for the time being.
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eric said 11:12PM on 3-21-2007
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;
* can't record cable or satellite TV;
* can't play DVDs;
* can't stream video or audio directly from the Internet;
* won't let you buy media directly from iTunes;
* won't play music in Microsoft's formats, even from a Windows PC;
* won't let you change volume using the Apple remote;
* won't let you plug in an extra hard drive for more capacity.
This last bit is kind of a pain since as Walt points out, a 40GB drive "is too small to hold many TV shows or movies." Furthermore, Walt points out that Microsoft's Xbox 360, unlike our machine, can directly purchase and download media from the Internet; can play Windows formatted content; can play DVDs; and, oh yea, also happens to play games. But, as Walt points out, you get only a 20GB drive and the price is $399, which Walt "not a math major" Mossberg calculates to be 50% more than the $299 price for Apple TV.
So, should you buy Apple TV? Absolutely, says Walt. He gives it four thumbs up, raves about its simplicity and elegance, and tells you not to worry about the features we don't have, because even though Apple won't discuss these issues, Walt is sure that many of these features will become available in the future.
Couldn't have said it better myself. Oh wait. Um...
Much love, Goatberg. Baaa. Baaa.
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peter said 1:01AM on 3-22-2007
I have lot's of content on my MACPRO i-tunes.
Including recorded digital TV shows and movies via eye-TV.
I have home movies
Now I can play all this on my TV easily
So I'll be getting one as soon as I can.
This is just the start of things to come. Apple now have a bigger reason to add video content to it's i-tunes stores + More.
AppleTV just needs future modified software to get more things happening.
It's been limited for a reason.
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Indraunt said 1:17AM on 3-22-2007
This will be a huge success. As someone has said, most people don't have a clue about hidef, divx, etc etc. You plug this in, log into itunes, buy a movie and then watch it on your tv... Then listen to your music on your home theatre system when you have a party without messing about with cds, show off your photo collection without everyone squinting at your camera screen or crowding around your computer...
People are starting to see Apple as 'sollutions company' rather than a computer company.
Apple had the incredible stroke of genius of calling it the 'appleTV'. TV. People will walk through the isles in the shop and they will instantly get an idea of what it is about. How many people are going to hear the name 'Netgear EVA8000' and say "Oh hey, yeah that lets you watch movies on your telly".
Its a product for average people - not nerds. It is simple and does what it says it does.
And all you whiners complaining about it not having cables - I have never bought a DVD player or amp and had the luxury of getting free cables. Most (especially high-end) gear will require you to supply your own. I don't really see why the appletv should be any different, especially considering not everyone has a tv that uses HDMI...
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PS said 1:10AM on 3-22-2007
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.
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PS said 1:23AM on 3-22-2007
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.
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