If you find yourself looking at your Apple TV every Tuesday to learn what new releases Apple and the movie studios have blessed us with, then you might find Apple TV Junkie really useful. That's because Apple TV Junkie posts all of the new releases of High Definition rentals -- along with other important Apple TV news.
In one glance of the page you can find out:
The $.99 movie rental of the week
How many HD movies grace the iTunes shelves
Top 10 movie purchases
Top 10 movie rentals
So, if you're always looking for the hotest new movie rentals on the Apple TV and iTunes, you can make Apple TV Junkie your first stop.
Time is running out for Toshiba and friends; the high definition format wars are almost over now officially over. HD DVD hasn't found the footing it needed to earn the support of retailers and studios alike, and it seems that Sony's champion, Blu-Ray, is going to win the day.
So what does that mean for Apple users? Several years ago, Apple latched onto Blu-Ray as a format, but aside from an MCE Blu-Ray drive, we still haven't seen HD media used in any of Apple's products. There have been plenty of rumors (aren't there always?), but whether it's because they want to sell HD content in iTunes or for some other reason, a Blu-Ray drive to replace the SuperDrive hasn't happened yet.
Which leaves us wondering: now that we've seemingly got a winner, will Apple step up with the Blu gear? Of course, the MacBook Air doesn't even have a drive, and we're sure Apple would love to have content distributed only through iTunes and Apple TV. But surely consumers still have a need for physical media -- will Apple now take advantage of its early-advocacy position on Blu-Ray and update the hardware?
Posted Feb 13th 2008 6:00PM by Mat Lu Filed under: Apple TV
There's been some controversy about the HD video quality on the Apple TV, which we've covered before. Now that Take Two has dropped, iLounge has done the legwork to put together an excellent visual comparison. They compared four versions of Live Free and Die Hard: Blu-ray, Apple TV HD, Cable HD, and DVD.
The results were quite good for the Apple TV; while Blu-ray was the clear and expected winner, the Apple TV version outpaced the Cable HD version on several of the tests, particularly those testing compression artifacts. The upshot: "Because of its cleaner motion and audio, we felt that the Apple experience was better in both overall audio and video quality than the HD cable experience, and for most users, superior to renting a standard DVD as well." Check out their full article for many more comparison shots.
ZDNet's George Ou doesn't exactly have a great record when it comes to Apple related analysis, but even the stopped clock is right twice a day, and he's got an interesting article up about the forthcoming HD movies that Apple is planning to offer with Apple TV Take Two. His central point is this: high definition video is about more than resolution (whether 720p or 1080i/p); it also matters significantly how much the video is compressed. So his complaint is that the HD download services (both Xbox Live and the forthcoming Apple TV) offer video compressed so highly that even if it has the requisite number of pixels it "is simply not HD by any respectable definition." He's got another post illustrating the point.
Having become a bit of a HD video buff myself, I think his central claim is true. The highly-compressed video from the download services does not hold a candle to Blu-ray or HD DVD on a large 1080p display. If you think about the files' relative sizes, how could it possibly? By the same token, however, it's not entirely clear that this is what matters most to consumers. The obvious comparison is to audio; 128kb AAC files sound significantly worse than CDs with complex music and yet Apple has sold literally billions of them. So it may turn out that the convenience of the HD downloads ends up trumping video quality except for the videophiles. However, if that's so it's nonetheless true that average consumers make up the fat part of the curve where the real money is to be made. So even if Ou is right about the technical issues, it's not entirely clear that it'll matter in the long run. What do you think?
The Apple TV has hardly been the most successful Apple product. In fact, you could say it has been kind of a flop. Even Steve Jobs admitted in his keynote address that the Apple TV has failed to meet expectations and truly link online content with the television. So what is Apple's plan to try to change that? Welcome to Apple TV Redux!
While the Apple TV's form factor remains the same, the software interface has changed significantly. The most notable feature is the ability to buy music, movies and iTunes rentals directly from the device, no computer required. Frankly, this is something I think should have been included from the very beginning. The Apple TV will be able to playback HD and standard definition movies and support Dolby Digital 5.1 sound.
Additionally, Apple TV will now support interactive slideshows via Flickr and .Mac accounts.
There's one more change - one I also think is a big improvement to the overall product - the price has dropped. The 40 GB entry model is now just $229 USD (down from $299) and the 160 GB model is $329. Now that users actually have the ability to buy content directly from the device, and that HD content will be readily available, it has suddenly become much more attractive.
Current Apple TV owners can get the additional benefits via a software update now in the two weeks (when the new units ship).
iTunes 7.6 is out, and it finally has something we've been hearing about for a long time: movie rentals. As announced at the Macworld Keynote earlier today, Apple has made deals with all of the major studios to provide streaming, downloadable flicks for you to watch on your computer, iPod or iPhone. Library titles are $2.99, and new releases will be available 30 days after DVD release and will cost $3.99. Each movie will be available to download within 30 days, and once you start watching it, you'll have 24 hours to finish.
There is good news for HD viewers-- HD rentals will be available, but they'll cost an extra buck (so $3.99 and $4.99 for library titles and new releases. There'll be 100 HD titles starting today, and more all the time. And of course, movie rentals will be sync-able with the iPhone and iPod, or have the ability to be downloaded straight on to the revamped Apple TV. Unfortunately, we haven't heard an official resolution on the HD (720p is one of the numbers being tossed around, and that's not great for serious HD viewers), but if we get to see one of these flicks, we'll let you know.
Get out the popcorn-- it's time to rent some movies from iTunes!
Unfortunately, an HD TiVo was too expensive for me in 2007, and none of my friends or relatives ponied up the cash to get me one as a gift this holiday season, so I'm forced to settle with the extremely inferior Comcast HD DVR box. But for you TiVo owners, here's an awesome plugin to easily and stylishly connect your TiVo with your Mac. Showcase is a dashboard widget that, given your TiVo's IP and MAK, will not only show you what your TiVo is up to, but also let you download and decode shows directly from there on to your Mac.
TiVoToGo was shipped almost exactly a year ago for Mac, but Showcase seemingly does almost everything TTG does, and is available in simple widget form for the low, low price of free. A few users say it's a little slow (not surprising, given that it's doing all of this stuff from a widget interface, not a full application), but if, unlike me, you did have people who loved you enough to get you a TiVo HD this year, it's definitely worth a download.
I'm not sure how closely you're all following E3 (the big gaming convention going on this week in LA), but one of the tidbits of news dropped by some little company named Microsoft last night is Disney movies are now available for download on Xbox 360's Live Marketplace. Finally, just like all of us iTunes users have been doing for months, Xbox owners can enjoy Disney flicks via digital distribution.
But wait-- the Xbox flicks are available, right now... in HD. Wha? Is Microsoft's CEO the largest Disney shareholder and on their Board of Directors? Did someone from Microsoft run the animation company that turned Disney animation around? Why are Xbox 360 owners watching these movies in HD when we can't do the same on iTunes?
We've speculated before that HD movies would be coming to iTunes, but right now, Xbox 360 owners can see every single hair on Ariel's head, and iTunes purchasers cannot. What's wrong with this picture?
Many of Apple's media apps rely on QuickTime in one way or another, so it probably comes as no surprise that a Final Cut Studio 2 announcement means we'll see at least a slight QT update to bring everything up to speed. Sure enough, eagle-eyed TUAW readers have caught QuickTime 7.1.6 listed on the System Requirements page for FCS2. Though a minor upgrade that is probably filled with compatibility updates, it is also likely to include that fancy new Apple ProRes 422 codec (who names this stuff?) which supposedly offers uncompressed HD quality footage with SD file sizes. That's a pretty tall claim to fill, but we'll have to wait for the reports to roll in on whether Apple delivers on the promise.
Regardless, it's a pretty obvious bet that QuickTime 7.1.6 will soon be coming to a Software Update near you.
Earlier today, The Washington Post announced the release of hi-def video podcasts, specially formatted for the Apple TV [iTunes link]. They're encoded at 720p, and include some of their most popular writers. The Washington Post is the first news outlet to specifically target the Apple TV, and their Managing Editor of Multimedia had this to say on Tuesday:
"High-definition is the future of video; we have moved beyond standard definition to provide viewers with a higher standard. We knew we needed to evolve past web video to remain a relevant, innovative news source."
We agree! Afterall, isn't this the year of HD? Oh wait, that was 2005.
Back when Apple TV was announced as a real product XtremeMac was on point announcing their lineup of cables and accessories for the Apple TV. Now that Apple TV is shipping Monster is selling their own line of cables. The cables include:
I tend to think of Apple TV as an accessory for your TV (though Apple is billing it as a 'DVD player for the 21st century'). Apple TV is designed to work with a widescreen HDTV (though it will work with a standard def TV). Since the world of HDTVs is scary and confusing to many people (including yours truly) I thought I would point everyone to Jonathan Seff's great write up on picking the right HDTV for your Apple TV. You're bound to learn something about HDTVs, even if you're not getting an Apple TV anytime soon.
If you want to learn even more about HDTVs, and related technology, be sure to check out our sister blog EngadgetHD. Those guys and gals are crazy about HD.
Steve Jobs declared 2005 the 'Year of HD.' He was a little premature with his declaration, but now in 2007 HD is popping up all over the place. BBC Factual, the division of the BBC that is responsible for documentaries and and reality TV, has committed to delivering HD content to their viewers, and they are using Final Cut Pro to achieve this goal.
They want to film everything in HD, tapelessly, by 2010. For more info check out this profile on Apple's UK site, it is a little old but it gives you a good idea of the equipment they are using.
With the release of Quicktime 7.1, Apple has added a nifty feature that isn't immediately apparent: Export to Apple TV. It's notable because the result is DVD-quality 720 by 404, as well as 1280 by 720 videos. That's 720p at 24 frames per second. Speculation is rampant that this points to HD movies in the iTunes store.
For now, movies converted at the above rate will play in iTunes but won't transfer to an iPod. Keep you eye on the movies section of iTunes... Thanks to everyone who sent this in.
For getting a couple of gigabytes from point A to point B, thereareplenty of onlineoptions. For getting lots of gigabytes from point A to point B... well, never underestimate the bandwidth of a carryon bag full of hard drives. If you're gonna fly that drive, best to go ruggedized and improve the likelihood of all the bits arriving safely at sunny, scenic point B.
If you're in the rugged drive market, RadTech is now shipping its tough line of Impact HDD enclosures for 2.5/3.5" drives. The aluminum casings are listed for crush loads of 4000 pounds and the drives themselves are mounted on flexible bushings to improve shock resistance. The enclosures support PATA or SATA for drive connection, and on the SATA 3.5" model you can use eSATA to connect a host (in addition to the usual Firewire 4/800 and USB2 ports). The company has also updated the Drivemate USB 1" product to include an 8 GB, encryption-enabled pocket drive. Pricing and options available over yonder at RadTech's site.
If you find yourself looking at your Apple TV every Tuesday to learn what new releases Apple and the movie studios have blessed us with, then you might find Apple TV Junkie really useful. That's because Apple TV Junkie posts all of the new releases of High Definition rentals -- along with other important Apple TV news. 
Time is running out for Toshiba and friends; 
There's been some controversy about the HD video quality on the Apple TV, which we've 
ZDNet's George Ou doesn't exactly have a 
I'm not sure how closely you're all following E3 (the big gaming convention going on this week in LA), but one of the tidbits of news dropped by some little company named Microsoft last night is Disney movies are now available for 
Many of Apple's media apps rely on QuickTime in one way or another, so it probably comes as no surprise that a 
Earlier today, The Washington Post announced the release of hi-def video podcasts, specially formatted for the Apple TV [
Back when Apple TV was announced as a real product XtremeMac was on point 
I tend to think of Apple TV as an accessory for your TV (though Apple is billing it as a 'DVD player for the 21st century'). Apple TV is designed to work with a widescreen HDTV (though it will work with a standard def TV). Since the world of HDTVs is scary and confusing to many people (including yours truly) I thought I would point everyone to Jonathan Seff's 
Steve Jobs declared 2005 the 'Year of HD.' He was a little premature with his declaration, but now in 2007 HD is popping up all over the place. BBC Factual, the division of the BBC that is responsible for documentaries and and reality TV, has 
With the release of 
For getting a couple of gigabytes from point A to point B, 
