OK, here's an odd thought. With AppleTV getting more and more functionality, and connecting to your TV screen... Add a web browser and bluetooth for a wireless keyboard, and you now have a computer that my Mom could use. now THAT would generate a sale.
I have to say I am a little disappointed with this update. It dosen't make a lot of sense for me to rent from iTunes as Blockbuster and Netflix are far cheaper when you get 10 movies a month. I was hoping for a subscription based rental I suppose. I am glad to see some progress forward but I don't think I will not pull the trigger just yet. Personally I would like to see the external USB superdrive that you can get with the Macbook air usable for the Apple TV for those of us who still have a large DVD library and do not want to rip them. I am well aware that this does not fit into Apple's "Business Model" but if they did that they would get more people using this device which in turn, I think, would get people into the new rental service.
Agreed. Unless Apple plans to offer a $20/month service that lets you rent as many movies as you want, the current $2.99/3.99/4.99 per 24-hour viewing period option would be quite non-competitive against the likes of NetFlix....
720p looks fine provided you're not running 50+ inches. I've only got an LCD that displays 1366x768 and some HD DVD movies look stunning.
Don't get caught up on the specs just yet. We've got rental access now, surround sound and a lower price. I'd take that over the illogical calls for adding Blu-ray or DVD drives to the thing.
I'll be buying my first tv in a month or two.
They took your advice Murch. Almost everything you said in the other thread.
I'm still not sure that it'll be a winner, but it is much more appealing. What download speeds are necessary in order to rent these HD movies?
Agreed. Unless Apple plans to offer a $20/month service that lets you rent as many movies as you want, the current $2.99/3.99/4.99 per 24-hour viewing period option would be quite non-competitive against the likes of NetFlix....
I mean, hell. Even if they added the functionality to be able to use the new Air Disk feature, OS X is OS X right?, they would gain huge market share a lot like the current ipod market. It seems in the video realm that they are using the itunes to drive video sales and rental. On the music side it is the hardware (ipods) that drive music sales on itunes. With Amazon coming up in the world Apple still is selling ipods. Do that with video, huh! Gain that extra market share in terms of hardware sale by opening up the hardware to pull those Netflix, Blockbuster, PS3, xbox, blu-ray consumers over to your product and then tie them into iTunes. They did it with audio! I understand that the Apple TV is ahead of its time and is trying to get people away from physical media but the fact of the matter is that there is still a large group of people with physical media. Get them into this and then transition them to your model. Sorry for the rant.\
Purchasing HD would have made it relevant. As is- it's adequate.
People will spend $3-$5 to rent a digital movie, but they won't spend $10-$20 to buy a digital copy they can't play anywhere else and have to be responsible for archiving. That's the reason we have a rental system today, instead of the purchase-to-own system that wasn't working.
Ignoring Netflix online viewing capability I still believe Netflix dominates the aTV in quality, available catalog and usability. The aTV wins for instant access (vs. a couple days turnaround for Netflix).
I'll wait and see if they show the mini any loving in the next couple months. Otherwise I'll look at other solutions. Obviously the aTV is not what I'm looking for.
For those that want what the aTV offers I'm happy for you. It's an interesting device in a nice form factor.
hmm...
Maybe if that superdrive add-on for the Macbook Air was a viable accessory for the aTV...
Seems Apple is intent on ripping of UK consumers though. £199 when it is now only $229? I think someone at Apple needs to check the currency calculator - they haven't lowered the price at all here.
I can now say the AppleTV is more appealing than it was yesterday. no computer required, movie rentals, and a nice easy user interface for selecting movies. Nice touch. Glad Apple made these changes.
Yes, I agree, I think a subscription model would have been nice to see too but I'll take what I can get.
am I the only one to get that Steve Jobs said there was a software update for existing Apple TV owners and NEW hardware in 2 weeks from the Apple store? Everyone here seems to be saying this update is software only.
Seems Apple is intent on ripping of UK consumers though. £199 when it is now only $229? I think someone at Apple needs to check the currency calculator - they haven't lowered the price at all here.
Nope they haven't. And we still haven't got any movies at all to buy never mind rent them.
If you can buy or rent a regular movie you should be able to do the same for HD.
I guess that's the deal with the devil... er, I mean studios they had to settle on. Of course, if you want to run out and buy a BD players and discs, you can still do that.
I have to say I am a little disappointed with this update. It dosen't make a lot of sense for me to rent from iTunes as Blockbuster and Netflix are far cheaper when you get 10 movies a month. I was hoping for a subscription based rental I suppose. I am glad to see some progress forward but I don't think I will not pull the trigger just yet. Personally I would like to see the external USB superdrive that you can get with the Macbook air usable for the Apple TV for those of us who still have a large DVD library and do not want to rip them. I am well aware that this does not fit into Apple's "Business Model" but if they did that they would get more people using this device which in turn, I think, would get people into the new rental service.
I think they are refining the niche that AppleTV fits into nicely. It's not all things to all people, but it's getting much more attractive.
Comments
I have to say I am a little disappointed with this update. It dosen't make a lot of sense for me to rent from iTunes as Blockbuster and Netflix are far cheaper when you get 10 movies a month. I was hoping for a subscription based rental I suppose. I am glad to see some progress forward but I don't think I will not pull the trigger just yet. Personally I would like to see the external USB superdrive that you can get with the Macbook air usable for the Apple TV for those of us who still have a large DVD library and do not want to rip them. I am well aware that this does not fit into Apple's "Business Model" but if they did that they would get more people using this device which in turn, I think, would get people into the new rental service.
Agreed. Unless Apple plans to offer a $20/month service that lets you rent as many movies as you want, the current $2.99/3.99/4.99 per 24-hour viewing period option would be quite non-competitive against the likes of NetFlix....
I was really hoping to hear about releasing a web browser for AppleTV.
The new AppleTV 2 specs on Apple.com says it is compatible with Plasma/LCD TVs with 1080i/1080p resolution.
Supported video resolution still seem to top out at 720P. Does this mean that:
AFAIK the existing Apple TV has no problems showing photos at 1920x1080.
It's video that's tied to the 720p max resolution.
Folks
720p looks fine provided you're not running 50+ inches. I've only got an LCD that displays 1366x768 and some HD DVD movies look stunning.
Don't get caught up on the specs just yet. We've got rental access now, surround sound and a lower price. I'd take that over the illogical calls for adding Blu-ray or DVD drives to the thing.
I'll be buying my first tv in a month or two.
They took your advice Murch. Almost everything you said in the other thread.
I'm still not sure that it'll be a winner, but it is much more appealing. What download speeds are necessary in order to rent these HD movies?
Agreed. Unless Apple plans to offer a $20/month service that lets you rent as many movies as you want, the current $2.99/3.99/4.99 per 24-hour viewing period option would be quite non-competitive against the likes of NetFlix....
I mean, hell. Even if they added the functionality to be able to use the new Air Disk feature, OS X is OS X right?, they would gain huge market share a lot like the current ipod market. It seems in the video realm that they are using the itunes to drive video sales and rental. On the music side it is the hardware (ipods) that drive music sales on itunes. With Amazon coming up in the world Apple still is selling ipods. Do that with video, huh! Gain that extra market share in terms of hardware sale by opening up the hardware to pull those Netflix, Blockbuster, PS3, xbox, blu-ray consumers over to your product and then tie them into iTunes. They did it with audio! I understand that the Apple TV is ahead of its time and is trying to get people away from physical media but the fact of the matter is that there is still a large group of people with physical media. Get them into this and then transition them to your model. Sorry for the rant.
Well done, Apple. Well done. HD Movie rentals with 5.1 surround, a fair price, and support from all major studios. The Apple TV is suddenly relevant.
Purchasing HD would have made it relevant. As is- it's adequate.
Purchasing HD would have made it relevant. As is- it's adequate.
People will spend $3-$5 to rent a digital movie, but they won't spend $10-$20 to buy a digital copy they can't play anywhere else and have to be responsible for archiving. That's the reason we have a rental system today, instead of the purchase-to-own system that wasn't working.
and than I'll purchase this beauty, immediately.
I'll wait and see if they show the mini any loving in the next couple months. Otherwise I'll look at other solutions. Obviously the aTV is not what I'm looking for.
For those that want what the aTV offers I'm happy for you. It's an interesting device in a nice form factor.
hmm...
Maybe if that superdrive add-on for the Macbook Air was a viable accessory for the aTV...
Seems Apple is intent on ripping of UK consumers though. £199 when it is now only $229? I think someone at Apple needs to check the currency calculator - they haven't lowered the price at all here.
And we don't get movies....
The AppleTV box has component (RGB) outs on the back. Can you only get 480p from these?
On my current ATV, I can get a max of 1080i out of the component cables. My HDTV is capable of 1080i only, so I run at 720p with excellent results.
Well done, Apple. Well done. HD Movie rentals with 5.1 surround, a fair price, and support from all major studios. The Apple TV is suddenly relevant.
Apparently not all HD movies will have 5.1 surround according to Gizmodo.
On my current ATV, I can get a max of 1080i out of the component cables. My HDTV is capable of 1080i only, so I run at 720p with excellent results.
Thanks, This makes it very attractive to me, as I'm an early adopter--I bought a floor model of a 30" Tube Samsung before HDMI came out.
How big is your TV and what is the diff in visual quality to you between 720p and 1080i ?
Yes, I agree, I think a subscription model would have been nice to see too but I'll take what I can get.
I think I just might actually get one now....
Seems Apple is intent on ripping of UK consumers though. £199 when it is now only $229? I think someone at Apple needs to check the currency calculator - they haven't lowered the price at all here.
Nope they haven't. And we still haven't got any movies at all to buy never mind rent them.
HD movie rentals only? No HD for sale? Not good.
If you can buy or rent a regular movie you should be able to do the same for HD.
I guess that's the deal with the devil... er, I mean studios they had to settle on. Of course, if you want to run out and buy a BD players and discs, you can still do that.
I have to say I am a little disappointed with this update. It dosen't make a lot of sense for me to rent from iTunes as Blockbuster and Netflix are far cheaper when you get 10 movies a month. I was hoping for a subscription based rental I suppose. I am glad to see some progress forward but I don't think I will not pull the trigger just yet. Personally I would like to see the external USB superdrive that you can get with the Macbook air usable for the Apple TV for those of us who still have a large DVD library and do not want to rip them. I am well aware that this does not fit into Apple's "Business Model" but if they did that they would get more people using this device which in turn, I think, would get people into the new rental service.
I think they are refining the niche that AppleTV fits into nicely. It's not all things to all people, but it's getting much more attractive.