Apple TV - Do I need it?

Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited January 2014
Hi Sorry for the newbie Q but I am wondering what the Apple TV might do for me over and above the fact I already have Itunes on a Mac Mini hooked up



We have no terrestrial signal so maybe the tv progs would be nice but do I get anything I can already get thru iTunes?



Thanks for any comments



Newbie

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 10
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,309moderator
    Don't waste your money on it until Apple make it worthwhile to do so. If you are happy with the Mini, the ATV will offer nothing more.



    It's really meant for people who bought one of those very non-versatile machines with a screen stuck to it who can't really hook it up to their TV system and have to pay even more money to buy an extra box to do it.



    The Mini just cuts out the middle-man. Some people say that the Mini doesn't output very good HD signals to TVs but I wonder why they'd get an HDTV anyway when you get 24" LCD displays so cheap. Just sit a little bit closer.



    Elgato tuner + Mini + 24" LCD display is actually a very affordable and versatile combination of components. You'd be hard pressed to find an HD setup capable of 1080p HD for £700 that is also a completely functional computer system.



    If anything, save up for the Nvidia-based Mini for smoother transitions and playback with a bigger hard drive.
  • Reply 2 of 10
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Quote:

    Apple TV - Do I need it?



    Why not ask yourself?
  • Reply 3 of 10
    A. Want to be an archiver <or>



    B. Don't want to be an archiver.



    It's kinda like a lifestyle decision.



    Let's say you have a TiVo and you record tons of HD shows AND you want to save them cause your internal TiVo hard drive gets full. First you have to ask yourself why? Why do I want to collect/keep/or cherish having 5 seasons of 10 different shows and a DVD collection on an AppleTV.



    Honestly there are only a few setups I think of. Either Having a TiVo and an AppleTV <or> just a TiVo. If you ask why the reason for that it is:



    Photos, MP3s, Podcasts, and Your own Videos can be put on your TiVo, which the AppleTV does also.



    But the main highlight of AppleTV, with a TiVo is, the 2 hour 720p MP4 video files around 2 GB.



    The reason I say this is that when I first started thinking about getting an AppleTV the main issue was I would NEVER get one. Why? Because it didn't playback 1080 resolution files. Which I was dead set against. But I finally realized why this almost doesn't matter.



    Here is the case example, you want to archive DVDs or let's say HD video. If you have a 1TB drive to store all of your MP4 do you seriously want to store them at 10-12 GB per 2 hours? and store only 75 movies on that 1TB at 1080p? (Yes, I understand you can make 1080 videos around 2-3 GB an hour but for me you get blocks during high motion)



    Basically, I think that it's pretty nice to store around 200-300 movies on a 1TB drive at 720p.



    These figures are mostly rough but you get the idea. So for archiving purposes the AppleTV is pretty sweet. This is what changed my mind to go ahead and get one. But for only minor archival purposes...



    Side note is that I have also thought about timelines of storage and technologies, and what's funny is that in 5-10 years we might get drive capacities and speeds that destroy todays sizes. Like for instance a drive that is 1000 times today's 1TB, I think off the top of my head that would be a 1 PB, but anyway that could be a thought of a slight depressing note that if you worked hard to be an archiving fiend and had all your stuff at 720p and in the end 1080p was frivolous and easy to throw around even uncompressed (doubt that) but even still it could make you sad.



    One thing about the 720/1080 is that when it comes to drive and sizes this is what I honestly think:



    Drive sizes going up 100x and a 1000x every 5 years or 8 years, is OVER. So 720p and heavy archive time is possible and fun right NOW. The only way I see drive sizes continuing to elevate is a Totally Completely New technology, like gems or something radical, no more platters, disc, magnetic pits etc. Holographic... etc



    So, you have to ask yourself one other question do you want to wait for the 1080 MP4 playable AppleTV that might come around in a year or two and store huge 6-10GB+ files or get the 720 MP4 one NOW... hmm Tough One I know... but 2 GB files are awesome.



    Laters...
  • Reply 4 of 10
    i agree.



    only apple super fan and the media server novice may use appletv.

    and another problem is, i guess appletv is more than tv tuner, but no blu-ray support is a short...
  • Reply 5 of 10
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by WPeterson View Post


    i agree.



    only apple super fan and the media server novice may use appletv.

    and another problem is, i guess appletv is more than tv tuner, but no blu-ray support is a short...



    AppleTV is NOT EVEN a tuner.



    The only thing the Apple TV offers that the Mini doesn't is that the AppleTV can rent HD shows from iTunes, the "standard" iTunes software (on your Mini) can't.
  • Reply 6 of 10
    amoryaamorya Posts: 1,103member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by KingOfSomewhereHot View Post


    AppleTV is NOT EVEN a tuner.



    The only thing the Apple TV offers that the Mini doesn't is that the AppleTV can rent HD shows from iTunes, the "standard" iTunes software (on your Mini) can't.



    Also the Apple TV is half the price of a mini...



    but if you already have the mini then that doesn't matter.



    Amorya
  • Reply 7 of 10
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by KingOfSomewhereHot View Post


    AppleTV is NOT EVEN a tuner.



    The only thing the Apple TV offers that the Mini doesn't is that the AppleTV can rent HD shows from iTunes, the "standard" iTunes software (on your Mini) can't.



    The AppleTV also has 802.11n as standard, which makes streaming HD a bit more reliable.



    C.
  • Reply 8 of 10
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Carniphage View Post


    The AppleTV also has 802.11n as standard, which makes streaming HD a bit more reliable.



    C.



    But with a Mini the HD is stored locally and you will not need to be streaming.



    For those of you using the Mini with your TV how are you managing iTunes? Is your TV close to your chair so that you do not have any problems seeing or reading the iTunes text? Or do you have the Mini display resolution cranked up so that you can read iTunes from across the room?
  • Reply 9 of 10
    brussellbrussell Posts: 9,812member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by aresee View Post


    But with a Mini the HD is stored locally and you will not need to be streaming.



    The AppleTV can store movies locally as well.
  • Reply 10 of 10
    areseearesee Posts: 776member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by BRussell View Post


    The AppleTV can store movies locally as well.



    But you do reach a limit on the number of movies you can store. I have the original 40GB ATV and I only store unplayed content on it. If I want to rewatch something I have to stream it. With the Mini you can just keep adding hard drives to it.
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