Apple unveils new Apple TV with 1080p video output, simpler interface - Page 2

It's a single core A5. In semiconductor manufacturing, you'll hear words like "yield" like it is a farm or something. Yes, you cannot develop a fab that builds every chip perfectly, with every chip meeting TDP and performance requirements. So the yield coming off a wafer is one of those hugely important parameters that determine the end of cost of the chip. The better the yield, the cheaper it is.

So, Apple may be taking some of the rejects, those that didn't meet voltage-clock frequency or functioning req'ts, and are using them in the AppleTV!

H.264 media uses dedicated "processing" units inside the A5, so the need for both CPUs working or even both GPUs working isn't hugely important. These chips may also run hotter than those in iPhones and iPads, and Apple's basically turned off parts of the chip to conserve power while still be viable for the AppleTV.

If Apple ships a single core A5 in an iPod touch, this line of thought will be incorrect and they are likely taking good chips suitable for the iPhone and iPad 2 and fusing off one of the cores.

"Global Moderators" don't have to be bothered with the niceties of consistency or reason. ;-)
Typically those endowed with the responsibly of "global moderation" lose the ability to moderate themselves. This is why most sites do not have moderators take part in forums.

[I do however agree with TS, it's really stupid that the AppleTV needs iTunes on, etc. It's also annoying that it doesn't just download streams. if your watching a stream on a low bandwidth connection the lack of proper cashing is a PITA. Then there's the question of why the USB is disabled for off device storage, the relatively crappy and non-customizable interface, the nearly unusable remote,and a few other things. It's all very "hockey puck mouse" and un-Apple like in my opinion.]

Yeah, but with an AppleTV and Mountain Lion, you can just use AirPlay to stream it to a TV. It's better than nothing.

Obviously a iTunes Match for video would be ideal, but quite a ways off I'd say, given the file size. A media server/Time Capsule would make sense on paper, but that fits more with Apple's philosophy 5 years ago (the "hub" philosophy), and not Apple's cloud-centric approach.

Exactly.

It would be great if I could use my iPhone or iPad to rearrange the ATV interface. If there's no easy way to rearrange the interface, I fear it'll get annoying really fast. Hope I'm wrong though.

Sounds terrible, but does it really matter? Would you ever notice? Given the amounts required, I imagine Apple is also having an actual single-core A5 produced. Also, likely the only ones being "recycled" are those where one core on a dual-core chip is faulty, and disabling said core. In the end, it would function basically the same as an actual single-core chip.

Perhaps the problem needs to be redefined as power consumption or background noise level. If a device can be left on without consuming power or making too much noise, it would seem to resolve all of the above issues. Would there still be an issue that I'm failing to realize?

This is why I run a low wattage NAS for my streaming needs. When idle, it consumes about as much power as my doorbell transformer.

I wonder if a new Remote app will display these new icons instead of a quasi-trackpad-esque interface. Since this resembles the iOS Springboard, why not use a similar interface to control the AppleTV on an iOS device?

I don't see how that's much different from the current setup. Still have to have a computer on.

Ah, well.

What about NAS' that are advertised as having an iTunes Server? Do they even exist, or is it just illegal false advertising?

40 feet away?

It's not different, but right now to to watch it, you're currently using your computer. Which means your computer is on. If you're doing that anyway, why not watch it on a bigger screen?

Are you sure the A4 in the original iPad would be capable of handling the image processing components? I know apps that processed images on my iPhone 4 were painfully slow compared to the 4S.

Because that's not a solution.

Ah, well.


I can imagine it would be fine. Just like iMovie runs perfectly fine on the iPad (it does). The lack of cameras made Apple decide not to include it. Never mind that there's ZERO excuse for not having iPhoto…


Yeah, my house. All this stuff is in my house. It's a small house…

With iTunes Match streaming all your music from iCloud to your A/V setup via Apple TV, the only time you MUST have your Mac on and iTunes running is to watch your own videos via Apple TV. i should know, i have a couple thousand of them, short ones, and do this a lot. it would be nice if they could be streamed from iCloud instead too, but they are several hundred gigs total, so i don't really expect that.

if you don't use iTunes Match, sure you have a problem. but it's not my problem.

and with Screen Mirroring, you can display any app that runs on your iOS device on your TV anyway via ATV. so we don't need more ATV apps that duplicate them. (except, yes, when it's not handy to use your iPhone/iPad at that moment, or for hours to watch a movie etc.) and some iOS apps - more coming - are specifically designed to take full advanatage of such a "dual screen" setup.

if you don't have an iPad or iPhone, sure you have a problem there too. but that's not my problem either.

the one thing i really hope to find as part of all the built-in iPad app updates Cook said are coming is a new version of the Remote App to match the new ATV UI. the old Remote app sucks, and that IS a problem for me.

I see the requirements are 1080P or 720P. I bought the ATV2 when it came out but it could not connect properly with my old TV that is 1080i. It produced wavy lines. Any idea if it will work with 1080i?

I want to stream stuff from my NAS. Firecore.com has great software, but it just doesn't feel right - the need to jailbreak a device to make it do something it should by default.

this box i imagine will be in most household living rooms. many living rooms are owned by families. thus, why not have this box pull from more than one iCloud account for photos and videos? turn media management into an event apple. i don't get why it's limited to only one iCloud account when the box is designed to sit in the central hub of your house.

I have a Dlink DNS-323 NAS which is supposed to have an itunes server built in. If it does it was certainly beyond my capability to get it to work. With FileBrowser I can pull videos off the NAS to my iPad without having to use itunes at all.

Ya I have XBMC / Boxee on my ATV1 right now but i'm debating getting a ATV3 for my main LCD in the loft and move the ATV1 to the bedroom or living room. Either have to port my local video content into iTunes for the ATV3 to see it or need to jailbreak the ATV3 / load XBMC, similar to ATV2....hmmm.


My FreeNAS box has iTunes Server built in the code...still trying to get it to work with my ATV1 consistently...it's pretty buggy.

So will the ATV3 look better in all aspects? Menus, photos, etc.? Or is it only for 1080p video sources?

Apologies, "Still requires a computer on and iTunes open to actually view any of the stuff you might have on your computer, meaning most of the stuff anyone might have" is more accurate; you're right.

I suppose if you want to pay Apple $25 a year to access stuff you already legally own and is sitting in your house not 40 feet away, that's your choice.


Where was I inconsistent? If anything, I was simply too vague.


What? Our Apple TV Take 2 works perfectly well with a TV that only does 1080i. I'd imagine this one would work, too.

I don't think we'll know for certain how the ATV3 will handle this until March 16th, when they go on sale.

Most TVs that support 1080p and/or 1080i will also do 720p, which is what I've done with the Sony Bravia I have connected to my ATV2. Like most newer TVs, the inputs are manually configurable for 1080p/1080i/720p/480p/480i, depending on maximum capabilities of the input sources.

Maybe when my ATV3 arrives, I'll set one of the HDMI inputs to 1080i and see what happens.

I was actually waiting for live programming to be available. If not the paid content, atleast those free news channels like BBC or AJE. They also took down the iTunes Live option before launching the ATV2 software update.
Dont take me for bad, but the previous home screen was much more simpler and neat. I actually boasted about this screen with several people for its simplicity. Now, for me the new look is kind of hard to digest and seems cluttered. Quality of the icons is very nice though.
I'm a bit skeptical about buying an ATV3 on the first day of the launch. Will wait to see the hardware specs and the reviews on top of 1080p specs, before opting for an upgrade.

Who said it was terrible? This is normal procedure.

What would be interesting is if this single core A5 is actually a different chip than the A5 in the iPhone and iPad 2, one that only has one core. That implies Apple is loosening up on some of their logistics planning for components. Since the Apple TV is only about 1 million units per quarter, they are probably taking lower quality A5 parts. I think that's a great use of a chip that otherwise would go in the trash.

It would be interesting how much Apple is getting them for. Mind that, they could simply be taking normal, perfectly functional A5 SoCs and fusing off one of the cores.

Kind of presumptuous to assume that 'most people' fit into your view of things, ins't it? I download the shows from itunes when I watch them. Netflix is on there as well, and Youtube. Those three things comprise the majority of my apple TV needs. Also pretty presumptuous to imply that anyone who doesn't fit your mold must be paying $25 to access stuff they already own. I don't subscribe to itunes match, nor do I plan to.

why is it so hard for you to admit that you misspoke, instead of trying to create a tortured definition where you are right & everyone else is wrong? The simple fact is that the Apple TV does not require a computer running with itunes loaded for it to operate. It might not work for your specific situation, but that was not your original comment. You were simply wrong. To extract the things YOU want from it, that is the case, but that does not make it a requirement. There is no data showing that 'most of the stuff anyone might have' is stored locally on their computer. That is your own scenario, and you're projecting that to everyone else. You've already mentioned that you don't watch any new shows, so perhaps your viewing habits are not 'normal' & the Apple TV actually works quite well for those with less eccentric viewing habits.

Indeed. That's one requirement for a shared folder. If that said folder in on a computer, that computer need to be on. For iTunes to be on, it is due to I suspect acting as a bridge.






New software also available for 2nd gen. aTV.

Internal HDD is not req. if there's no Time Machine functionality as most are streams either from your iDevices or the internet i.e iCloud or YouTube.

NAS drive is beginning to be a mainstream nowadays. Please hop on. Prices from under if you don't want your comp. to be running at all time.






Correct. I use them as well though only for musics.

The beauty of a NAS server is that it can also used for almost anything else like scheduled downloading, remote access and obviously, file server.






Yeah.. I'm selling mine too, 160GB (second update of 1st gen aTV). Contact me







Almost all NAS drive nowadays have that functionality even on the cheap-as-peanut diskless D-Link DNS-320 that I have. It shows on iTunes a s shared device/folder though it is for music only as far as I can say as I haven't try it with movies etc. (there's no movies on that NAS's iTunes shared folder.







As above. Try QNAP or Synology NAS drives. The best in business.






I do the same too. With FileBrowser, CineXPlayer, Air Video apps for example, I can pull content from my NAS drive and stream it to my iPad. Don't have black aTV otherwise, I could stream it to my HDTV as well using iPad and AirPlay/mirroring.






For the same money, go for the latest HW. If OS is at your concern, maybe you want to check the aTV flash team for alternative OS

Ah, forget it. Anyone want to buy a Take 2 Apple TV (I'll probably just sell it locally; this is rhetorical)? Apple doesn't want to support people who own their own content, so I just won't bother doing it at all. I'm not wasting my time learning how to use some sub-par third party solution. I'll sell my NAS and my Apple TV and continue to watch content on my computer.

Permanently lost yourself a market here, Apple. I would have bought three of them today if you had enabled something that the jailbreakers can apparently do effortlessly.

Confirmed that old models get the new interface. Just downloaded it.

[Indulge me this final cross-post...]
So far I've got this list... Please add more at
http://forums.appleinsider.com/showthread.php?t=145672

iTunes Store USA 1080p

HD Buy Only
Fifth Element
Iron Man
Justin Bieber: Never Say Never (if you want to smash your TV)
King's Speech
Monsters, Inc (best Pixar movie ever!)
Red State (2011)
Star Trek II : Wrath Of Khan (Director's Cut)
Wall.E

HD Buy & Rent
Cars 2
Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, The
There Will Be Blood
Shutter Island
Star Trek (2009 with all those lens flares)
Ultraviolet
Up

HD Rent Only
Black Cauldron, The
Kite Runner, The

I've been using an ATV2 as my *sole* means of watching TV shows and movies for the last 9 months. And my comments about needing to have a computer on and iTunes running for certain purposes have been made by many people on here. So the only ignorance on here is your attempted slam.

Seriously dude I shouldn't have to spell out every detail every time. Clearly one can stream from Netflix or the iTunes server. And clearly, I was talking about accessing local content, mirroring a complaint made by many on here.

Ars has a nice write up detailing and comparing 720p to 1080p on the iTS.

• http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/20...red+Content%29

the Apple TV is an interesting premise. once, and if, Apple TV supports HD audio (DTS Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD) or, at the very least, 7.1 linear PCM, i may consider purchasing the product.

That was a good writeup. I mistakenly assumed the ATV2 would downres their 1080p content to 720p, but according to that article the ATV2 (for whatever reason) can't digest the newer high profile compression. I think I'll stick to downloading 720p content by default, knowing how easy it is to go back for the 1080p where needed.

Hyperbole seems to be your forte.

Apple does want you to use your own content, and it's ridiculously easy to do. Most of the use I get out of my aTV2 is from accessing my iTunes library from my computer. Sure, that computer has to be powered on, but so would any form of server to access any kind of content.

The part you're right about, is it's ridiculous that I can't access that library if the iTunes application is not running on my Mac. Why can't it just see and use the library that I've already authorized it to use? It's not like it uses the iTunes' interface, it just accesses the library, and presents it to me in a totally different UI.

Which would use less than a tenth the power and would actually stay in one place as opposed to following me around.


Which is why I'm confused that you think the solution that I want is 'hyperbole'. I basically just want to copy ~/Music/iTunes to an NAS and access that folder tree from an Apple TV in the same way that iTunes does on any computer. I shouldn't have to have a computer on at all.

How many of the Apple fanboys who originally dismissed 1080p support are now changing their story?

"New Apple TV software has a glaring bug. TV shows listing in Home Sharing view don't get sorted by name or date correctly." ~Asymco



Are you trolling or can you really not tell the difference between being OK with a current product means you don't think it can't be better. Show us one person that dismissed the eventual release of a 1080p capable unit.

Stream music from Mac to Speakers ~without~ AppleTV, and ~without~ Airport Express

OK, quick tip. I was going a bit mad with Airport Express constantly dropping out of my main Netcomm WirelessN router. Long story.

So, here's what I did. Got Airfoil/Airfoil Speakers on Mac. Got Airfoil/Airfoil Speakers on iPhone. Hooked up iPhone to speakers via minijack cable where TV is. Open Airfoil/Airfoil Speakers on Mac, stream ~any~ audio eg. Youtube, GarageBand, etc. Only thing is there is delay so works best for audio, not video with audio.

For anyone who wants to stream from Mac to Speakers in another location without Airport Express or AppleTV. Works with iPhone and iPad.

You can also use it to send ~any~ audio from Mac to Airport Express too.

Website here:
http://rogueamoeba.com/airfoil/speakers.php

Find even ONE person that did that and then we can indulge your fantasy, sure.