Excellent. I've always said with the money I spent on it I should have spent it on a MacMini instead and have it all- DVD drive, plus a browser ,etc,etc.
The last thing I wanted was yet another add-on. A rental iTunes JukeBox.
Sure, a Mac mini could work except you wouldn't have the ability to rent any of the HD content.. Plus it would be nearly 3x the price..
Mini: $599 - $799 + keyboard and mouse
vs.
Apple TV $229
Not to mention watching movies on your mini connected to your tv wouldn't look nearly as good as an Apple TV because the mini's output resolution and aspect ratio are not designed for TV's.
Duh- it does if you connect either to your TV! Both my computer and iPod have iTunes content on them. Hello?? Anybody home??
Yeah, I am, but I don't think you are.. So tell me how you're gonna buy or rent a movie when you connect your iPod to your tv? Or stream a 1TB media collection from your den desktop to the iPod connected to your television?
Computer? Sure you could drag it into the living room, but there are caveats, see my above post about your mini idea..
Neither of the solutions you suggest are "better" at bringing iTunes media to your living room than an Apple tv is..
Again, I will reiterate my point. Apple tv is designed to bring iTunes content to the living room... That it does very well.
- Don't limit the ambition of the device. It need not just be a device to get iTunes into the living room. It should be a device that changes the way the world relates to the TV. In fact, Apple should adopt the slogan -
"AppleTV - make your idiot box smart".
Apple has been able to dramatically change the way the music and mobile phone markets worked. So why can't they attempt something as dramatic with the way TV works? Once this aspect is clear, all the other things that need to be done become obvious. Pretty much all the user complaints at the moment can be connected to the fact that the AppleTV is seen just as a way to get iTunes into your living room. In fact, the suggestions below relate as much to changing the way iTunes works as to changes in the AppleTV itself.
- Increase hardware capability to support 1080p (or at least 1080i). Just because this is not practical for streaming media at the moment should not be reason to limit the device. There might be other sources that are 1080p, or some customers could have options like Verizon's FiOS. In a related way, increase the processor capability to make the system responsive enough for active gaming.
- Make the USB port usable - for multiple USB devices like Webcam, external HDD, external CableTV boxes, whatever. Ensure that the power supply from the USB port is high enough to support 3-4 devices connected to an unpowered hub.
- A reasonable "TV Pass". Let's face it, if we are going to go with the Apple TV/iTunes model, it makes no sense to pay for Cable/Satellite TV. Why not just get a TV Pass from iTunes for $29.99/$39.99/$49.99 per month? Depending on the pack you pick, you can stream any show from any of the included channels in the pack. Buying a device like the Apple TV, just to see the odd episide you missed PLUS maintain a Cable TV subscription is way too overkill. Also, using a $1.99 per episode model to replace Cable TV is ridiculous.
- The recent noises about Apple adding DVR capability to the AppleTV is just plain idiotic. Why should each customer have a DVR and schedule recordings, etc? Isnt it much better for Apple to run one giant DVR and have everything in iTunes available via the TV Pass?
- Get realistic pricing for Movies, close to what is offered on NetFlix and other competitors. $4 for renting could be lowered to make it more attractive, but $15 for buying is just robbery. There is no way digital distribution should cost that much!
- Extend the AppStore concept to the AppleTV. This is a no-brainer. Dont know what is there to even think about.
- Ignore all the noises to add every possible codec to the Apple TV. Apple should stick to its guns here - it is the 800lb gorrilla in the field, and needs to be focussed on getting the entire web into standards. Adding codecs to AppleTV dilutes that effort. At most, 1-2 open source formats that are already popular can be added. They should not add DIVX, etc. For those who really need it, they can always hack the system to get the stuff they want. That being said, Apple should come up with a mechanism so that the sites that have embedded videos encoded with Open Standards can be enjoyed seamlessly on the AppleTV.
- Increase the interconnection between iPod Touch and Apple TV. Sell low memory iPod Touches for $149, with just 2GB RAM -- only real purpose is to act as Remote Controllers for AppleTV. Allow multiple iPod Touch units to be used at same time, as Game Controllers. Allow games and apps to show custom interfaces on the iPod Touch.
- Ignore all the noises to add a DVD Player or BluRay player to the AppleTV. Apple is basically trying to change the way the world relates to TV - there is no sense pandering to the current way of doing things.
- Don't limit the ambition of the device. It need not just be a device to get iTunes into the living room. It should be a device that changes the way the world relates to the TV. In fact, Apple should adopt the slogan -
"AppleTV - make your idiot box smart".
Apple has been able to dramatically change the way the music and mobile phone markets worked. So why can't they attempt something as dramatic with the way TV works? Once this aspect is clear, all the other things that need to be done become obvious. Pretty much all the user complaints at the moment can be connected to the fact that the AppleTV is seen just as a way to get iTunes into your living room. In fact, the suggestions below relate as much to changing the way iTunes works as to changes in the AppleTV itself.
- Increase hardware capability to support 1080p (or at least 1080i). Just because this is not practical for streaming media at the moment should not be reason to limit the device. There might be other sources that are 1080p, or some customers could have options like Verizon's FiOS. In a related way, increase the processor capability to make the system responsive enough for active gaming.
- Make the USB port usable - for multiple USB devices like Webcam, external HDD, external CableTV boxes, whatever. Ensure that the power supply from the USB port is high enough to support 3-4 devices connected to an unpowered hub.
- A reasonable "TV Pass". Let's face it, if we are going to go with the Apple TV/iTunes model, it makes no sense to pay for Cable/Satellite TV. Why not just get a TV Pass from iTunes for $29.99/$39.99/$49.99 per month? Depending on the pack you pick, you can stream any show from any of the included channels in the pack. Buying a device like the Apple TV, just to see the odd episide you missed PLUS maintain a Cable TV subscription is way too overkill. Also, using a $1.99 per episode model to replace Cable TV is ridiculous.
- The recent noises about Apple adding DVR capability to the AppleTV is just plain idiotic. Why should each customer have a DVR and schedule recordings, etc? Isnt it much better for Apple to run one giant DVR and have everything in iTunes available via the TV Pass?
- Get realistic pricing for Movies, close to what is offered on NetFlix and other competitors. $4 for renting could be lowered to make it more attractive, but $15 for buying is just robbery. There is no way digital distribution should cost that much!
- Extend the AppStore concept to the AppleTV. This is a no-brainer. Dont know what is there to even think about.
- Ignore all the noises to add every possible codec to the Apple TV. Apple should stick to its guns here - it is the 800lb gorrilla in the field, and needs to be focussed on getting the entire web into standards. Adding codecs to AppleTV dilutes that effort. At most, 1-2 open source formats that are already popular can be added. They should not add DIVX, etc. For those who really need it, they can always hack the system to get the stuff they want. That being said, Apple should come up with a mechanism so that the sites that have embedded videos encoded with Open Standards can be enjoyed seamlessly on the AppleTV.
- Increase the interconnection between iPod Touch and Apple TV. Sell low memory iPod Touches for $149, with just 2GB RAM -- only real purpose is to act as Remote Controllers for AppleTV. Allow multiple iPod Touch units to be used at same time, as Game Controllers. Allow games and apps to show custom interfaces on the iPod Touch.
- Ignore all the noises to add a DVD Player or BluRay player to the AppleTV. Apple is basically trying to change the way the world relates to TV - there is no sense pandering to the current way of doing things.
Yes Macarena, I do agree with most of your points.. Particularly, the subscription methods for movie rentals... It really needs to be comparable to Netflix and Blockbuster online monthly fee models.
So far I think Apple have done an excellent job with creating a delivery method and UI for Apple TV.. But content is king, and Apple's biggest challenge seems to be getting the studios to agree to making more content accessible and reasonably priced.
PC GAMING. XBOX GAMING. SOMETHING SIMILAR. I AM NOT KIDDING.
That's what I would want. Something that can go up against PC Gaming and XBOX Gaming and Wii. In otherwords, an upgradeable xMac / Mac Mini that also has AppleTV functionality !!!!
Ability to play Crysis, Left4Dead, at Medium, Normal settings, on an affordable Mac !!! Is that too bloody much to ask???
Not to mention watching movies on your mini connected to your tv wouldn't look nearly as good as an Apple TV because the mini's output resolution and aspect ratio are not designed for TV's.
Sounds like FUD. Mac Mini can output 1920x1080p easy. It detects and adjusts the resolution and aspect ratio of the TV quite well. AFAIK Macs can output 16:10 5:4 4:3 16:9 resolution quite well.
Either there was overwhelming demand or the Great One (Jobs) got pissed and said, WTF, we don't run surveys to design our products, *I AM THE ONE* that designs our products...
"Sorry!
Thank you for being willing to participate in this survey. This survey is now inactive. We appreciate your consideration. Pray for our a**holes because Steve Jobs tore all of us a new one "
TURBULENCE AT APPLE. (Last sentence made up by me, of course)
As per your ideas, the survey has been pulled. Seems quite short-lived, this survey.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SpamSandwich
...Take a survey? Jobs always said (I'm paraphrasing) 'people don't know what they want until you give it to them'....
Apple should kill it if they can't turn it into a performer that competes on it's own merits, otherwise it will very quickly turn into a committee-designed Microsoft-like monstrosity.
Me I have a home video problem, I don't know where to store it. Since I don't want anymore of a physics support like a DVd or Blue RAy, I would like to store my iDVD project in the Apple TV.
Then I can have the beautiful menu and the chapter like a DVD but inside the Apple TV. That's mean, Apple just need to provide VOB support.
It will be fun having a stack of virtual DVD. No one can match that in the competition, Apple got all the puzzle to do that.
LaCie and some other support the DVD format but they do not offer any solution to create a DVD style project like iMovie and iDVD can provide.
At this time the Apple TV downgrade the size of my Home video taken with my HD camcorder, hope they will support a bigger resolution for all my home video and also get more storage or maybe open up the USB port to expand the storage.
The studios won't legally allow it but it's a genie that they cannot put back in the bottle. Why they continue to buck the trend (moving from physical to digital) is beyond me.
You're 100% wrong about Hollywood, they absolutely WANT digital downloads as their distribution medium.
1. Costs are a fraction of Blu-ray and DVD distribution.
2. No extras necessary (some of the extras on a special edition DVD can cost well into six figures)
3. As long as they partner with companies like Apple, that control their distribution, DRM, and set-top boxes, they can insure that every time you watch a movie, it is either a paid rental or a movie purchased from them. (That's not Apple's intention right now, but that's definitely what Hollywood wants).
The genie that Hollywood wants back in the bottle is the DVD. They chose a consumer format that can be stuck in a computer and ripped because it was cheap to produce. Hollywood desperately wants set-top boxes and digital distribution to succeed. They would absolutely drop Blu-ray if they could (it was a divisive format to begin with). Their wet dream is a world of digital downloads where the consumer never has any direct access to their media. They want to know exactly what you're watching and they want to know that you've paid for it.
For me, storage has never been an issue.. Apple TV streams flawlessly... The solution is to add a dedicated drive for ATV media to your computer. I have a 1TB drive attached to my Mac and stream everything to ATV. The onboard storage is only used for rental downloads and 40gb is plenty sufficient for that..
That is all well and good if you are into video streaming but if you want a video server it is a different story. Honestly Apple needs to buy Data Robotics and offer up an Apple TV with that sort of storage array. That would make a nice high end ATV. The low end needs a lot more storage than it currently has though.
I guess the depends on the point of view that you take with regards to exactly what is ATV. For many it is a streaming device others like me are more concerned about media serving. It is a market that HP has recognized and so has the Linux community.
The way I see it ATV needs to take it's place in the rack right next to the stereo amp and the various CD players. Expanding the ATV in dimensions to the common size of stereo equipment would open up room for all sorts of drives.
Another thing I'd like to see Apple do is to implement a very large flash drive in one of these guys. They won't need the expense of wear leveling for the storage of large media files as they are often write once read many times.
I live in Europe, so I have a whole different perspective on AppleTV (and I own one..).
My opinion?
- Sell content in more countries. Strike deals, DO SOMETHING, because that is the key to success.
- Strike deals with providers so that IPTV can be delievered to AppleTV with live tv. IPTV is growing in Europe. This, combined with the iTunes Store, could be of great benefit to sell AppleTV.
- Provide widgets to AppleTV so that I can have, besides the pictures slide show when playing music, also info about wheather, stocks, whatever.
- Widgets, along with other content, has to be sold on an AppleTV store of some sort.
- LET ME USE THE USB PORT ON THE BACK OF THE DEVICE TO ATTACH MORE STORAGE, without having to void warranty by ripping the device apart.
- Sell content. Blu-Ray here are still utterly expensive and AppleTV could drive a major shift in adoption of HD TV here. Many already have an HD TV set (720p or 1080i/p) but almost no broadcast, except some expensive satellite channels (which, btw are in english anyways)..
- one more wish, which is closer to a dream than a wish. If you don't want to allow me to use the USB port on the back...
CREATE A HOME SERVER based on the MacMini. My collection of pictures, music, videos, tv shows and movies grows larger day by day. And connecting my Mac like an "intensive station patient" with lots of cables and wires to several external HDD is NOT THE SOLUTION.
I would so much love to have a central storage that is recognized by the AppleTV, my MacBook Pro, my iPhone and MobileMe. So that I can have access to my content on the go and sync my MacBook Pro as if it was an iPod, keeping the majority of my content safe at home and freeing up a lot of space on my HD drive.
I really wish Apple did realize that safely storing hundreds of GB of content is becoming a major concern for the average user...
AppleTV doesn't need a hardware update to deliever many of the things I mentioned before. If it gets an update fine...
But Apple, please stop increasing the amount of memory of the single device which needs to be synced anyways... SOLVE THE STORAGE PROBLEM in an elegant, easy way... You know you can.
And also, provide more content to more countries. Sales will skyrocket. I promise ;-)
For me, storage has never been an issue.. Apple TV streams flawlessly... The solution is to add a dedicated drive for ATV media to your computer. I have a 1TB drive attached to my Mac and stream everything to ATV. The onboard storage is only used for rental downloads and 40gb is plenty sufficient for that..
You guys really need to think about the environment more. If you have your ATV connecting to your Mac, which is connected to a drive, that is three devices running 24/7 - constantly drawing power. You really need to work out a more efficient way of using your equipment.
Which brings me onto my number one request - an OFF button!!!!
I know that my machine isn't syncing all through the night but it is warm to touch all the time. Surely there is a better way for it to sync and I'm pretty sure it wouldn't break if Apple let it sleep occasionally
The could have a census, instead of a survey, and fit all the participants in a room together.
But seriously, they could tell people what Apple TV actually does. I bought an iPod, but I know what they are. I bought a MacBook, because I know what a laptop is. I'd love to spend a heap of money on a shiny white brick to plug into my TV (next to my Wii), but I just can't find any excuse to. Does the Apple TV do anything?
-Increase hardware capability to support 1080p (or at least 1080i).
-Make the USB port usable - for multiple USB devices like Webcam, external HDD, external CableTV boxes, whatever.
- A reasonable "TV Pass".
- Extend the AppStore concept to the AppleTV.
Yep
Quote:
- The recent noises about Apple adding DVR capability to the AppleTV is just plain idiotic. Why should each customer have a DVR and schedule recordings, etc? Isnt it much better for Apple to run one giant DVR and have everything in iTunes available via the TV Pass?
Hmm. Yes. But no
It IS much better for Apple run a giant on-demand system. But the TV networks haven't worked that out yet. Until they agree to this at a reasonable cost we're in limbo. Oh... and the internet might not be quite up to it.
So add DVR capability but do it as invisibly as possible... hide the fact that there are TV networks showing things at certain times, make the AppleTV run as if it's all on demand. It'll also not use Internet bandwidth.
eg: Do NOT schedule recordings - make wish lists for series you like. Present viewers with a list of "upcoming shows" each week to select from, they don't need to know what time/day/channel it's on. Use TiVo's thumbs up or thumbs down concept (and never list the thumbs down shows again in following weeks). Would you really care if you selected Lost as a season pass (recorded from FTA) vs Lost (downloaded from Apple) - in fact iTunes could still give a favourites list for us to browse and choose shows from.
Of course, if ABC decides to offer realistic cheaper pricing for its shows, then turn off the recording of those ABC shows and switch to the genuine Apple on-demand model for those. The idea is to create an AppleTV which immediately does all this great stuff (with considerable extra work!), while in the background encouraging the networks to step into the future.
Sell a regular non-PVR AppleTV as before. Each time a network comes aboard more content will appear on the regular AppleTV.
Quote:
- Get realistic pricing for Movies, close to what is offered on NetFlix and other competitors.
Or rent directly from NetFlix? Perhaps they can force the use of iTunes for any movie they BOTH offer.
Quote:
- Increase the interconnection between iPod Touch and Apple TV. Sell low memory iPod Touches for $149, with just 2GB RAM -- only real purpose is to act as Remote Controllers for AppleTV. Allow multiple iPod Touch units to be used at same time, as Game Controllers. Allow games and apps to show custom interfaces on the iPod Touch.
Take it a step further. Add infrared to the iPod touch (or get the AppleTV to send IR via a USB add-on) and make it the ultimate remote control for your whole entertainment system.
Quote:
- Ignore all the noises to add a DVD Player or BluRay player to the AppleTV. Apple is basically trying to change the way the world relates to TV - there is no sense pandering to the current way of doing things.
I agree with this. Unless Apple can convert an existing DVD library onto a media server, thus breaking with the past... then it reminds people of the old way things 'were' done.
Hopefully Apple are finally going to take the hint!
This slot could be used to play users existing DVD collections, which is very important. It also gives people the opportunity to ditch their bulky DVD player and have a neater setup than they had prior to buying Apple TV. The last thing people want it *another* box under their TV. Apple then can add a subscription TV Show service so users can even ditch their cable/digital TV box from under their TV also. Apple then make a TV with this box and DVD drive built-in, and user could have *zero* boxes under their TV. If necessasary people can then plug in their super sound system, but that would be it!
One more thing; widgets for weather, TV guide etc., and live sports and news as an optional extra.
Yes please don't put any stock into my Blu-ray opinion because i'm still bitter (hey at least I honest about it).
Why would I put stock in when you have an obvious bias. If it makes you feel any better, I don't trust anything Steve Jobs says about Blu-Ray either since he also has an obvious bias against with iTunes/AppleTV trying to compete against it.
Quote:
Blu-Ray is great for those classic movies with fantastic audio and video but we're on the precipice of 2010 and we still cannot deliver movies safely without a plastic disc/dongle?
It's not just about "safely" delivering movies. It's also about delivering them in a practical manner. I think the last statistic I saw showed a U.S. broadband adoption rate of about 60%. Do you really think the studios want to drop disc formats and in the process lose at least 40% of their potential customers. And the term broadband covers all sorts of speeds so even the 768kbps/1.5Mbps DSL speeds still qualify as broadband and at those speeds a downloaded movie could take days to download.
Quote:
I'm at the point where I realize that HDD space is becoming the least limiting factor to my media experience. With 2TB drives available soon it'll be only a scant few years before the typical enthusiast has an 8TB media collection.
Last time I checked, 1TB drives were averaging $100, so your 8TB system would currently cost around $800. And for all that money, what have you ended up with? Basically a bunch of empty shelves. For that much money, you could bury the axe and buy a Blu-Ray player and around 25 movies. Which seems like a better investment? But feel free to sit around and wait for those 2TB drives to come out and then wait even longer for them to be sold at affordable prices.
Quote:
Yes Blu-ray holds a lot of data but it's been shown (on HD DVD) that a movie can be delivered with fantastic sound and video at under 15GB of data. Once you strip out the unecessary soundtracks and other junk you have a movie that's pretty svelte.
And it's also been shown that trying to compress a movie into that small a space has required downgrading video and/or audio quality (for example, the inability to fit a lossless audio track on the Transformers HD DVD even using a 30GB disc). And it seems like most HD DVD's came on 30GB discs so I'm not really sure how much stock I put in your 15GB comment.
Comments
NO- you said: and I said simply that it doesn't. Your iPod or computer does it better. That's all.
Better?
Your iPod or computer doesn't even bring iTunes content into the living room, so your point is bogus.
Better?
Your iPod or computer doesn't even bring iTunes content into the living room, so your point is bogus.
Duh- it does if you connect either to your TV!
Excellent. I've always said with the money I spent on it I should have spent it on a MacMini instead and have it all- DVD drive, plus a browser ,etc,etc.
The last thing I wanted was yet another add-on. A rental iTunes JukeBox.
Sure, a Mac mini could work except you wouldn't have the ability to rent any of the HD content.. Plus it would be nearly 3x the price..
Mini: $599 - $799 + keyboard and mouse
vs.
Apple TV $229
Not to mention watching movies on your mini connected to your tv wouldn't look nearly as good as an Apple TV because the mini's output resolution and aspect ratio are not designed for TV's.
Duh- it does if you connect either to your TV!
Yeah, I am, but I don't think you are.. So tell me how you're gonna buy or rent a movie when you connect your iPod to your tv? Or stream a 1TB media collection from your den desktop to the iPod connected to your television?
Computer? Sure you could drag it into the living room, but there are caveats, see my above post about your mini idea..
Neither of the solutions you suggest are "better" at bringing iTunes media to your living room than an Apple tv is..
Again, I will reiterate my point. Apple tv is designed to bring iTunes content to the living room... That it does very well.
"AppleTV - make your idiot box smart".
Apple has been able to dramatically change the way the music and mobile phone markets worked. So why can't they attempt something as dramatic with the way TV works? Once this aspect is clear, all the other things that need to be done become obvious. Pretty much all the user complaints at the moment can be connected to the fact that the AppleTV is seen just as a way to get iTunes into your living room. In fact, the suggestions below relate as much to changing the way iTunes works as to changes in the AppleTV itself.
- Increase hardware capability to support 1080p (or at least 1080i). Just because this is not practical for streaming media at the moment should not be reason to limit the device. There might be other sources that are 1080p, or some customers could have options like Verizon's FiOS. In a related way, increase the processor capability to make the system responsive enough for active gaming.
- Make the USB port usable - for multiple USB devices like Webcam, external HDD, external CableTV boxes, whatever. Ensure that the power supply from the USB port is high enough to support 3-4 devices connected to an unpowered hub.
- A reasonable "TV Pass". Let's face it, if we are going to go with the Apple TV/iTunes model, it makes no sense to pay for Cable/Satellite TV. Why not just get a TV Pass from iTunes for $29.99/$39.99/$49.99 per month? Depending on the pack you pick, you can stream any show from any of the included channels in the pack. Buying a device like the Apple TV, just to see the odd episide you missed PLUS maintain a Cable TV subscription is way too overkill. Also, using a $1.99 per episode model to replace Cable TV is ridiculous.
- The recent noises about Apple adding DVR capability to the AppleTV is just plain idiotic. Why should each customer have a DVR and schedule recordings, etc? Isnt it much better for Apple to run one giant DVR and have everything in iTunes available via the TV Pass?
- Get realistic pricing for Movies, close to what is offered on NetFlix and other competitors. $4 for renting could be lowered to make it more attractive, but $15 for buying is just robbery. There is no way digital distribution should cost that much!
- Extend the AppStore concept to the AppleTV. This is a no-brainer. Dont know what is there to even think about.
- Ignore all the noises to add every possible codec to the Apple TV. Apple should stick to its guns here - it is the 800lb gorrilla in the field, and needs to be focussed on getting the entire web into standards. Adding codecs to AppleTV dilutes that effort. At most, 1-2 open source formats that are already popular can be added. They should not add DIVX, etc. For those who really need it, they can always hack the system to get the stuff they want. That being said, Apple should come up with a mechanism so that the sites that have embedded videos encoded with Open Standards can be enjoyed seamlessly on the AppleTV.
- Increase the interconnection between iPod Touch and Apple TV. Sell low memory iPod Touches for $149, with just 2GB RAM -- only real purpose is to act as Remote Controllers for AppleTV. Allow multiple iPod Touch units to be used at same time, as Game Controllers. Allow games and apps to show custom interfaces on the iPod Touch.
- Ignore all the noises to add a DVD Player or BluRay player to the AppleTV. Apple is basically trying to change the way the world relates to TV - there is no sense pandering to the current way of doing things.
- Don't limit the ambition of the device. It need not just be a device to get iTunes into the living room. It should be a device that changes the way the world relates to the TV. In fact, Apple should adopt the slogan -
"AppleTV - make your idiot box smart".
Apple has been able to dramatically change the way the music and mobile phone markets worked. So why can't they attempt something as dramatic with the way TV works? Once this aspect is clear, all the other things that need to be done become obvious. Pretty much all the user complaints at the moment can be connected to the fact that the AppleTV is seen just as a way to get iTunes into your living room. In fact, the suggestions below relate as much to changing the way iTunes works as to changes in the AppleTV itself.
- Increase hardware capability to support 1080p (or at least 1080i). Just because this is not practical for streaming media at the moment should not be reason to limit the device. There might be other sources that are 1080p, or some customers could have options like Verizon's FiOS. In a related way, increase the processor capability to make the system responsive enough for active gaming.
- Make the USB port usable - for multiple USB devices like Webcam, external HDD, external CableTV boxes, whatever. Ensure that the power supply from the USB port is high enough to support 3-4 devices connected to an unpowered hub.
- A reasonable "TV Pass". Let's face it, if we are going to go with the Apple TV/iTunes model, it makes no sense to pay for Cable/Satellite TV. Why not just get a TV Pass from iTunes for $29.99/$39.99/$49.99 per month? Depending on the pack you pick, you can stream any show from any of the included channels in the pack. Buying a device like the Apple TV, just to see the odd episide you missed PLUS maintain a Cable TV subscription is way too overkill. Also, using a $1.99 per episode model to replace Cable TV is ridiculous.
- The recent noises about Apple adding DVR capability to the AppleTV is just plain idiotic. Why should each customer have a DVR and schedule recordings, etc? Isnt it much better for Apple to run one giant DVR and have everything in iTunes available via the TV Pass?
- Get realistic pricing for Movies, close to what is offered on NetFlix and other competitors. $4 for renting could be lowered to make it more attractive, but $15 for buying is just robbery. There is no way digital distribution should cost that much!
- Extend the AppStore concept to the AppleTV. This is a no-brainer. Dont know what is there to even think about.
- Ignore all the noises to add every possible codec to the Apple TV. Apple should stick to its guns here - it is the 800lb gorrilla in the field, and needs to be focussed on getting the entire web into standards. Adding codecs to AppleTV dilutes that effort. At most, 1-2 open source formats that are already popular can be added. They should not add DIVX, etc. For those who really need it, they can always hack the system to get the stuff they want. That being said, Apple should come up with a mechanism so that the sites that have embedded videos encoded with Open Standards can be enjoyed seamlessly on the AppleTV.
- Increase the interconnection between iPod Touch and Apple TV. Sell low memory iPod Touches for $149, with just 2GB RAM -- only real purpose is to act as Remote Controllers for AppleTV. Allow multiple iPod Touch units to be used at same time, as Game Controllers. Allow games and apps to show custom interfaces on the iPod Touch.
- Ignore all the noises to add a DVD Player or BluRay player to the AppleTV. Apple is basically trying to change the way the world relates to TV - there is no sense pandering to the current way of doing things.
Yes Macarena, I do agree with most of your points.. Particularly, the subscription methods for movie rentals... It really needs to be comparable to Netflix and Blockbuster online monthly fee models.
So far I think Apple have done an excellent job with creating a delivery method and UI for Apple TV.. But content is king, and Apple's biggest challenge seems to be getting the studios to agree to making more content accessible and reasonably priced.
That's what I would want. Something that can go up against PC Gaming and XBOX Gaming and Wii. In otherwords, an upgradeable xMac / Mac Mini that also has AppleTV functionality !!!!
Ability to play Crysis, Left4Dead, at Medium, Normal settings, on an affordable Mac !!! Is that too bloody much to ask???
Not to mention watching movies on your mini connected to your tv wouldn't look nearly as good as an Apple TV because the mini's output resolution and aspect ratio are not designed for TV's.
Sounds like FUD.
https://surveys.apple.com/survey/155432/181f/
Either there was overwhelming demand or the Great One (Jobs) got pissed and said, WTF, we don't run surveys to design our products, *I AM THE ONE* that designs our products...
"Sorry!
Thank you for being willing to participate in this survey. This survey is now inactive. We appreciate your consideration. Pray for our a**holes because Steve Jobs tore all of us a new one
TURBULENCE AT APPLE. (Last sentence made up by me, of course)
...Take a survey? Jobs always said (I'm paraphrasing) 'people don't know what they want until you give it to them'....
Apple should kill it if they can't turn it into a performer that competes on it's own merits, otherwise it will very quickly turn into a committee-designed Microsoft-like monstrosity.
Then I can have the beautiful menu and the chapter like a DVD but inside the Apple TV. That's mean, Apple just need to provide VOB support.
It will be fun having a stack of virtual DVD. No one can match that in the competition, Apple got all the puzzle to do that.
LaCie and some other support the DVD format but they do not offer any solution to create a DVD style project like iMovie and iDVD can provide.
http://www.pocket-lint.co.uk/news/ne...ia-drive.phtml
At this time the Apple TV downgrade the size of my Home video taken with my HD camcorder, hope they will support a bigger resolution for all my home video and also get more storage or maybe open up the USB port to expand the storage.
The studios won't legally allow it but it's a genie that they cannot put back in the bottle. Why they continue to buck the trend (moving from physical to digital) is beyond me.
You're 100% wrong about Hollywood, they absolutely WANT digital downloads as their distribution medium.
1. Costs are a fraction of Blu-ray and DVD distribution.
2. No extras necessary (some of the extras on a special edition DVD can cost well into six figures)
3. As long as they partner with companies like Apple, that control their distribution, DRM, and set-top boxes, they can insure that every time you watch a movie, it is either a paid rental or a movie purchased from them. (That's not Apple's intention right now, but that's definitely what Hollywood wants).
The genie that Hollywood wants back in the bottle is the DVD. They chose a consumer format that can be stuck in a computer and ripped because it was cheap to produce. Hollywood desperately wants set-top boxes and digital distribution to succeed. They would absolutely drop Blu-ray if they could (it was a divisive format to begin with). Their wet dream is a world of digital downloads where the consumer never has any direct access to their media. They want to know exactly what you're watching and they want to know that you've paid for it.
I mainly use it for streaming ripped DVD's and some h.264 movies and shows, music is also very good.
Things they could improve or add
1. More media formats...
2. Remote DVD access or built in DVD player.
3. Safari and Mail
4. Easy photo management with a card reader built in.
5. Multiple views for managing your own movie library
6. System wide volume control!!! please please
7. Cheaper pricing on rentals, with more variety
8. Digital TV tuner...(will never happen!!!)
I will be purchasing another unit this year for the bedroom because feels so old fashioned to put a disc in a player to watch a movie...lol
For me, storage has never been an issue.. Apple TV streams flawlessly... The solution is to add a dedicated drive for ATV media to your computer. I have a 1TB drive attached to my Mac and stream everything to ATV. The onboard storage is only used for rental downloads and 40gb is plenty sufficient for that..
That is all well and good if you are into video streaming but if you want a video server it is a different story. Honestly Apple needs to buy Data Robotics and offer up an Apple TV with that sort of storage array. That would make a nice high end ATV. The low end needs a lot more storage than it currently has though.
I guess the depends on the point of view that you take with regards to exactly what is ATV. For many it is a streaming device others like me are more concerned about media serving. It is a market that HP has recognized and so has the Linux community.
The way I see it ATV needs to take it's place in the rack right next to the stereo amp and the various CD players. Expanding the ATV in dimensions to the common size of stereo equipment would open up room for all sorts of drives.
Another thing I'd like to see Apple do is to implement a very large flash drive in one of these guys. They won't need the expense of wear leveling for the storage of large media files as they are often write once read many times.
Dave
I live in Europe, so I have a whole different perspective on AppleTV (and I own one..).
My opinion?
- Sell content in more countries. Strike deals, DO SOMETHING, because that is the key to success.
- Strike deals with providers so that IPTV can be delievered to AppleTV with live tv. IPTV is growing in Europe. This, combined with the iTunes Store, could be of great benefit to sell AppleTV.
- Provide widgets to AppleTV so that I can have, besides the pictures slide show when playing music, also info about wheather, stocks, whatever.
- Widgets, along with other content, has to be sold on an AppleTV store of some sort.
- LET ME USE THE USB PORT ON THE BACK OF THE DEVICE TO ATTACH MORE STORAGE, without having to void warranty by ripping the device apart.
- Sell content. Blu-Ray here are still utterly expensive and AppleTV could drive a major shift in adoption of HD TV here. Many already have an HD TV set (720p or 1080i/p) but almost no broadcast, except some expensive satellite channels (which, btw are in english anyways)..
- one more wish, which is closer to a dream than a wish. If you don't want to allow me to use the USB port on the back...
CREATE A HOME SERVER based on the MacMini. My collection of pictures, music, videos, tv shows and movies grows larger day by day. And connecting my Mac like an "intensive station patient" with lots of cables and wires to several external HDD is NOT THE SOLUTION.
I would so much love to have a central storage that is recognized by the AppleTV, my MacBook Pro, my iPhone and MobileMe. So that I can have access to my content on the go and sync my MacBook Pro as if it was an iPod, keeping the majority of my content safe at home and freeing up a lot of space on my HD drive.
I really wish Apple did realize that safely storing hundreds of GB of content is becoming a major concern for the average user...
AppleTV doesn't need a hardware update to deliever many of the things I mentioned before. If it gets an update fine...
But Apple, please stop increasing the amount of memory of the single device which needs to be synced anyways... SOLVE THE STORAGE PROBLEM in an elegant, easy way... You know you can.
And also, provide more content to more countries. Sales will skyrocket. I promise ;-)
For me, storage has never been an issue.. Apple TV streams flawlessly... The solution is to add a dedicated drive for ATV media to your computer. I have a 1TB drive attached to my Mac and stream everything to ATV. The onboard storage is only used for rental downloads and 40gb is plenty sufficient for that..
You guys really need to think about the environment more. If you have your ATV connecting to your Mac, which is connected to a drive, that is three devices running 24/7 - constantly drawing power. You really need to work out a more efficient way of using your equipment.
Which brings me onto my number one request - an OFF button!!!!
I know that my machine isn't syncing all through the night but it is warm to touch all the time. Surely there is a better way for it to sync and I'm pretty sure it wouldn't break if Apple let it sleep occasionally
This is one of the dumbest surveys i've ever seen.
How about a survey for the 99.9999% who didn't buy an Apple TV for one reason or another. Wouldn't that make more sense?
This Survey does nothing for Apple. It's completely ridiculous.
I'd also like to see the question on there:
Have you hacked your Apple TV so it actually functions like a useful devise?
The Apple TV reminds me of this...
http://www.theonion.com/content/vide...tupid_piece_of
The could have a census, instead of a survey, and fit all the participants in a room together.
But seriously, they could tell people what Apple TV actually does. I bought an iPod, but I know what they are. I bought a MacBook, because I know what a laptop is. I'd love to spend a heap of money on a shiny white brick to plug into my TV (next to my Wii), but I just can't find any excuse to. Does the Apple TV do anything?
"AppleTV - make your idiot box smart".
Lots of great ideas macarena.
-Increase hardware capability to support 1080p (or at least 1080i).
-Make the USB port usable - for multiple USB devices like Webcam, external HDD, external CableTV boxes, whatever.
- A reasonable "TV Pass".
- Extend the AppStore concept to the AppleTV.
Yep
- The recent noises about Apple adding DVR capability to the AppleTV is just plain idiotic. Why should each customer have a DVR and schedule recordings, etc? Isnt it much better for Apple to run one giant DVR and have everything in iTunes available via the TV Pass?
Hmm. Yes. But no
It IS much better for Apple run a giant on-demand system. But the TV networks haven't worked that out yet. Until they agree to this at a reasonable cost we're in limbo. Oh... and the internet might not be quite up to it.
So add DVR capability but do it as invisibly as possible... hide the fact that there are TV networks showing things at certain times, make the AppleTV run as if it's all on demand. It'll also not use Internet bandwidth.
eg: Do NOT schedule recordings - make wish lists for series you like. Present viewers with a list of "upcoming shows" each week to select from, they don't need to know what time/day/channel it's on. Use TiVo's thumbs up or thumbs down concept (and never list the thumbs down shows again in following weeks). Would you really care if you selected Lost as a season pass (recorded from FTA) vs Lost (downloaded from Apple) - in fact iTunes could still give a favourites list for us to browse and choose shows from.
Of course, if ABC decides to offer realistic cheaper pricing for its shows, then turn off the recording of those ABC shows and switch to the genuine Apple on-demand model for those. The idea is to create an AppleTV which immediately does all this great stuff (with considerable extra work!), while in the background encouraging the networks to step into the future.
Sell a regular non-PVR AppleTV as before. Each time a network comes aboard more content will appear on the regular AppleTV.
- Get realistic pricing for Movies, close to what is offered on NetFlix and other competitors.
Or rent directly from NetFlix? Perhaps they can force the use of iTunes for any movie they BOTH offer.
- Increase the interconnection between iPod Touch and Apple TV. Sell low memory iPod Touches for $149, with just 2GB RAM -- only real purpose is to act as Remote Controllers for AppleTV. Allow multiple iPod Touch units to be used at same time, as Game Controllers. Allow games and apps to show custom interfaces on the iPod Touch.
Take it a step further. Add infrared to the iPod touch (or get the AppleTV to send IR via a USB add-on) and make it the ultimate remote control for your whole entertainment system.
- Ignore all the noises to add a DVD Player or BluRay player to the AppleTV. Apple is basically trying to change the way the world relates to TV - there is no sense pandering to the current way of doing things.
I agree with this. Unless Apple can convert an existing DVD library onto a media server, thus breaking with the past... then it reminds people of the old way things 'were' done.
Hopefully Apple are finally going to take the hint!
This slot could be used to play users existing DVD collections, which is very important. It also gives people the opportunity to ditch their bulky DVD player and have a neater setup than they had prior to buying Apple TV. The last thing people want it *another* box under their TV. Apple then can add a subscription TV Show service so users can even ditch their cable/digital TV box from under their TV also. Apple then make a TV with this box and DVD drive built-in, and user could have *zero* boxes under their TV. If necessasary people can then plug in their super sound system, but that would be it!
One more thing; widgets for weather, TV guide etc., and live sports and news as an optional extra.
My job is done here
Yes please don't put any stock into my Blu-ray opinion because i'm still bitter (hey at least I honest about it).
Why would I put stock in when you have an obvious bias. If it makes you feel any better, I don't trust anything Steve Jobs says about Blu-Ray either since he also has an obvious bias against with iTunes/AppleTV trying to compete against it.
Blu-Ray is great for those classic movies with fantastic audio and video but we're on the precipice of 2010 and we still cannot deliver movies safely without a plastic disc/dongle?
It's not just about "safely" delivering movies. It's also about delivering them in a practical manner. I think the last statistic I saw showed a U.S. broadband adoption rate of about 60%. Do you really think the studios want to drop disc formats and in the process lose at least 40% of their potential customers. And the term broadband covers all sorts of speeds so even the 768kbps/1.5Mbps DSL speeds still qualify as broadband and at those speeds a downloaded movie could take days to download.
I'm at the point where I realize that HDD space is becoming the least limiting factor to my media experience. With 2TB drives available soon it'll be only a scant few years before the typical enthusiast has an 8TB media collection.
Last time I checked, 1TB drives were averaging $100, so your 8TB system would currently cost around $800. And for all that money, what have you ended up with? Basically a bunch of empty shelves. For that much money, you could bury the axe and buy a Blu-Ray player and around 25 movies. Which seems like a better investment? But feel free to sit around and wait for those 2TB drives to come out and then wait even longer for them to be sold at affordable prices.
Yes Blu-ray holds a lot of data but it's been shown (on HD DVD) that a movie can be delivered with fantastic sound and video at under 15GB of data. Once you strip out the unecessary soundtracks and other junk you have a movie that's pretty svelte.
And it's also been shown that trying to compress a movie into that small a space has required downgrading video and/or audio quality (for example, the inability to fit a lossless audio track on the Transformers HD DVD even using a 30GB disc). And it seems like most HD DVD's came on 30GB discs so I'm not really sure how much stock I put in your 15GB comment.