AppleTV Hits the Streets 474
Stories are starting to pop up all over the web about the AppleTV, which evidently means that Apple has set loose the hounds of marketing and the units are (or will be tomorrow) available in Apple stores. Still no word on whether or not it plays DivX files. That will be the key to me purchasing one.
Re:No chance! (Score:5, Informative)
Or, you know... not.
There's an "Export to [apple]tv..." option in the latest quicktime that produces unencumbered H.264 files. So DRM is not a requirement for it to play. The apple specs only declare a smallish subset of H.264 and MPEG4 files, but 720p H.264 isn't bad at all.
Re:No chance! (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Caution from Hollywood? (Score:5, Informative)
Disney own Miramax, Pixar, Touchstone, ABC, ESPN, Buena Vista, ABC and more. There's a little more to Disney then 40s Mickey Mouse clips.
Re:No chance! (Score:2, Informative)
H.264 and protected H.264 (from iTunes Store): Up to 5 Mbps, Progressive Main Profile (CAVLC) with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps (maximum resolution: 1280 by 720 pixels at 24 fps, 960 by 540 pixels at 30 fps)
iTunes Store purchased video: 320 by 240 pixels or 640 by 480 pixels
MPEG-4: Up to 3 Mbps, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps (maximum resolution: 720 by 432 pixels at 30 fps)
So, it isn't quite as limited as so seem to say that it is. I'm willing to take a look, but I'm happy streaming to my Buffalo LinkTheatre and am looking forward to trying out the Galaxy Metal Gear 3500IPTV box when it gets here. I may try out the Apple TV just because I own a Mac and I like to tinker with such things, but at this point I wouldn't described myself as excited about it. I don't see it giving me much that I don't get with my Elgato EyeHome unit, except for the iTunes content access and the EyeHome has other nice features. (I wonder why Elgate quit selling it.)
But that's just my $0.00 worth. (Yeah, it's free and worth every penny.)
Just use your 360 (Score:4, Informative)
If you are trying to save cash, you can also use your classic XBOX or third-party dedicated device. We call them "Media Center Extenders" here at the 'Soft.
Re:Geeky question (Score:4, Informative)
Why is parent flamebait?
Re:No chance! (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Geeky question (Score:2, Informative)
Apple TV is tiny, just about eight inches square and an inch high, far smaller than a typical DVD player or cable or satellite box, even though it packs in a 40-gigabyte hard disk, an Intel processor and a modified version of the Mac operating system. And it has a carefully limited set of functions.
qz
Re:This whole article is an embarrassment to Slash (Score:1, Informative)
You can use Handbrake http://handbrake.m0k.org/?page_id=2 [m0k.org] to rip DVD into H.264. Free, easy, tri-platform. I think the handbrake guys are still working out the Apple TV details so it can be a one-click conversion.
Re:not for me i guess (Score:4, Informative)
Truely you jest.
Windows Media Center
ReplayTV
MythTV
MediaPortal (open-source backport of XBMC with added TV functionality)
DirectTV PVR (in house, current generation)
MS TV (closed box PVR for cable in use by major cable companies)
MS IPTV (NYR but shown at CES - closed box PVR for IPTV - xbox 360 and standalone)
UltimateTV (defunct)
I'm sure the list goes on. They all support recording, trick play, guide etc. and none of them infringe on any patent Tivo has. I'm sure Tivo's got a patent on a lot of aspects of their implementation, but nothing so all-encompasing that it would prevent Apple from including this functionality.
The reality is that it is HARD to provide a global (or even across the US) solution for TV which includes guide listings for everywhere, works with cable, satellite, etc. and is as reliable as a cable box. Apple is not interested in this (yet at least) and this is never what AppleTV was purported to be. It's more like a media center extender, except that it doesn't require a media center PC, or a windows media connect device with a better UI and no windows requirement.
That's a gross simplification of course, and I know they've made choices around local caching and PC-independent operation that differ from MCX and WMC - and choices around PC/Mac interop that differ from Tivo and all the closed box PVRs.
Tech specs (Score:1, Informative)
Re:Who cares (Score:3, Informative)
Netgear just released Digital Entertainer HD EVA8000. It does MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG4, AVI, WMV, Xvid, YouTube, and PC Tv Tuner with HDMI 1080p. Their previous version is scaled down to just MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG4, AVI, WMV, and Xvid with component cables.
Apple TV is not inventing anything new but just trying to brand themselves into your living room.
Re:iTunes is your Tivo (Score:3, Informative)
So here's a list of most of my current season passes. I didn't bother including shows where I'm recording re-runs since theoretically I could buy DVD box sets or something and just always have them around. Also bear in mind this is a 2-person household.
Heroes: $42.99
Lost: $34.99
Battlestar Galactica: $25.99
Supernatural: $34.99
Colbert Report/Daiy Show: $9.99/16 episodes of each show
Stargate SG-1: $37.99
Stargate Atlantis: $37.99
Dresden Files: 19.99
Bones: $39.99
Monk: $29.99
Weeds: $19.90
Eureka: $23.88
Psych: $28.99
My Name Is Earl: $36.99
30 Days: $11.94
Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends: $19.99
Aqua Teen Hunger Force: $19.99
Venture Brothers: $19.99
Robot Chicken: $19.99
Frisky Dingo: $19.99
Some of our season passes are not available on iTunes. For some of these we could still get them over the air via basic cable, or just have to wait for DVDs to be released months/year down the road:
Dexter
House
Simpsons
Mail Call
Slings And Arrows
So a quick attempt to add up the totals above came to a bit under $540 for a "season" of the shows we watch. (Although the Daily Show/Colbert Report numbers should probably add more to that. We don't always watch every episode but we do watch more than 16 per year.)
Given that I curently have a fairly premium package from DirecTV, that total is only about 6 months worth of DirecTV bills for me right now. So while almost $600 certainly seems like a lot of money, it's still possible that it could work out to be a better deal. Of course I could easily save $40-50/month by downgrading my DirecTV package (there's maybe one or two shows left I care about on premium channels at this point so I'm probably going to do that pretty soon regardless) but the cheapest DirecTV package is still $600/year.
It would take more work to really compare the numbers, as I would almost certainly still need to keep at least basic cable, and then work out what that costs + the $20/month or so monthly fee on the series 3 tivo for recording the things itunes doesn't have and also just random things like live news, sporting events, awards shows, etc. But, as much as part of me thinks it's ridiculous to pay $600 for tv shows piecemeal, I of course have to admit that depending on how much I reduce or eliminate a satellite/cable bill, it actually might still be a better deal.
Definitely something I will need to give further consideration too. I don't know if I would totally eliminate broadcast Tv in favor of downloading everything and paying for it piecemeal, but it doesn't seem to be as unaffordable a concept as I had thought initially.
Re:This whole article is an embarrassment to Slash (Score:3, Informative)
Which makes me wonder why the hell anybody would want one. It doesn't play DVDs, it doesn't play DVDs, it doesn't offer any significant online service, and requires a computer to stream / cache from. What is the point of this thing? Who is insane enough to buy one of these just to be able to watch iTMS purchased movies on their TV. If you're going to fork out $300 + the price of a computer, I can think of much better ways to do it. An XBox 360 for example is more than capable of doing everything the iTV does AND it plays games, videos, DVDs. Or go a bit higher and you have the PS3 which does Blu-Ray and higher again Tivo Series 3 which is a PVR.
I simply see no point in this device.
$100 Media Extender Anyone, Anyone? (Score:3, Informative)
I understand why a person that has a considerable investment in iTunes content would want one of these devices, but beyond that or a new market is something this is not.
What scares me is that Media Extenders have been around for 4 or 5 years, cost about $100, and do everything this product does and more. Also considering a lot of the Media Extenders are UPnP and various other forms, they are not MS Media Center exclusive and I know people that use them with their *nix servers all the time.
So if you can buy a Media Extender that can watch live TV from your computers, watch recorded content, watch DVDs, watch downloaded content, listen to all your music, watch early forms of IPTV, why on earth you would you buy this product instead and lock yourself into iTunes or iTunes only converted content?
Want to play DIVX, WMV, just buy a Media Extender, even hooking it up to a freaking Windows Media Center computer or Vista will allow you to do all of this, and Vista Media Center Extenders natively support HD video out of the box, in a TRUE HD resolution, something Apple isn't even offering or planning to.
Media Extenders are silent, wireless or wired and can access every storage device, computer or computer based Tuner in your house.
As some have suggested, you would be smarter to spend the money on an XBox 360 which also gives you all these features and you can play a game on it once in a while as well. Again in real HD.
Why is it everyone has seen Media Extenders at Circuit City and Best Buy for years and years now, and when Apple tries to create their 'very closed' version of one, they are seen as doing something new?
How is their marketing team always smarter than the people buying this stuff?
Re:This whole article is an embarrassment to Slash (Score:1, Informative)
- it *does* play H.264 and *only* H.264 video (protected and unprotected)
- it plays a myriad of audio formats (probably all the ones the iPods do) but, again, only 1 video format
According to the specs [apple.com][apple.com], it plays two video formats:
Re:Apple TV and Divx (Score:5, Informative)
I actually just finished transcoding all of my video to mp4 as i prefer its subtitle support over the cheesy avi hacks. DivX was created during the non standard days of MPEG4, as the spec was not finalized. That spec is now finalised, and the standard codec is h264 in an mp4 container. These videos play in Windows, Linux or any other OS which has an h264 codec. They can be imported into iTunes as best as i know. My iTunes question of the day is actually which subtitle formats they use, as I don't know the answer to that.
Apple TV/MP4 container HOWTO (Score:1, Informative)
Get mencoder for demuxing from avi, MP4Box for muxing into mp4 and optionally AtomicParsley for metadata. Windows binaries: [1] [mplayerhq.hu] [2] [faireal.net] [3] [sourceforge.net]
On Linux install the packages MPlayer and gpac.
Sample code
You can find out the framerate (frames per second) of the avi with ffmpeg [4] [no-ip.org].
Look for the line with fps in it.
RTFM of the parsley [sf.net] to see what sort of metadata you can add.
Now mod me up, bitches.
Re:Watching Divx with iTunes trick (Score:3, Informative)
Re:CmdrTaco's review (Score:2, Informative)
http://apple.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=01/10/23