Edit: I could provide the logic in it though. Apple has pared down the ATV to one model which likely means either a discontinuation of the line or a significant upgrade is in the works (I feel discontinuation is unlikely). The current ATV and AV dock ship with the old remote, which indicates that they are both in need of an upgrade. Tests have shown the iPhone 3GS to be capable of playing back some 1080p video, and the Zune HD has a 720p dock, so I would guess that the AV dock will be upgraded to match alongside an OS update allowing the iPhone 3GS and iPod touch to play back 720p video of course (a nice mid cycle purchasing incentive). Clearly Apple wouldn't want the AV dock to be as capable as ATV, so ATV naturally goes to 1080p (which of course requires an update to the iTunes store as well).
Now if changes of this magnitude were to happen, a video centric event would be a must. Apple says the holiday lineup is set. AI suggests a tablet announcement in January, so a January video event it is (I say late January because I don't think they will get it all together before then). If Apple does become serious about Apple TV, it will require yearly revisions and a new ATV and Tablet every year would be more than enough for an annual video event.
If I hadn't just purchased a mini this past summer to be my HTPC (and file server, TM backup target, etc), upgraded AppleTV hardware and OS would be tempting. Subscriptions for TV series would be nice as I downgraded my cable and now don't get a couple of series I used to watch. They are on iTunes, but the price to purchase TV episodes is too high considering I'm only going to watch them once. TV rental/subscription could make getting TV from iTunes more affordable. Hopefully they'll bring that to the iTunes application on your computer, too.
A blu-ray drive would probably make me purchase an AppleTV since the only disc player I have now is the DVD player in the mini (and all my DVDs are ripped to video_ts folders on an external drive anyway). But I don't expect blu-ray to make it into the AppleTV, so I'll be sticking with the mini for awhile I guess.
I'm definitely in the market for an Apple TV, I'm excited to see when\\if they roll out an updated model. For my own sake, I hope Gene is right this time.
If they'd do a Netflix like subscription rather than season passes then I'd be buying one. I'm not interested in owning the content as there are very few movies or TV shows I'd watch more than once.
The other thing that would get me to move on buying a AppleTV would be the ability to play iPhone games on the big screen. Allow it to hook-up to the App store and bam sales will shoot through the roof.
-Timemachine backup (so you don't have to sync with a mac)
-1080p
Apple wants to be green, right?
This should be the only apple product required to be powered on if I want to listen to my 1TB of music, itunes movies, and ripped DVDs in appleTV format.
Totally in agreement with you here. Gotta be able to do 1080p and have the use of the USB port for storage expansion. My 160GB unit is almost maxed out as it is. I know I can stream stuff to it, but I like having the ability of being able to use it without any computers running.
I couldn't care less about 1080p as I don't have a twelve foot TV. I would love hardware powerful enough to support 720p in something other than a very strict h.264 however. 1080p may future proof the device, but for now it just means larger files which means I can store less content.
Totally in agreement with you here. Gotta be able to do 1080p and have the use of the USB port for storage expansion. My 160GB unit is almost maxed out as it is. I know I can stream stuff to it, but I like having the ability of being able to use it without any computers running.
The CE4100 which is a customized ATOM SOC would probably do the trick. Notice it does 2 1080p streams. It was announced at IDF 2009.
Hopefully the 3.0 update will include more than iTunes LP and Extras. I am glad that they got rid of that 40GB AppleTV and replaced it with the 160GB. However, additional HDD space wouldn't hurt.
I agree with the previous posts...once you have HD it's terribly hard to go back.
Is BluRay that much superior to HD?
AppleTV is a delight to use with photos, music, viewing recorded TV shows (a la eyeTV), and of course, HD movies.
As far as photos, my girlfriend and her daughters are just amazed at AppleTV. We view the photos so much more than when they were just on a computer or way back when in photo albums. (Did I say photo albums, I meant, shoe boxes!)
With just the Ken Burns effect and a little light music behind it's as mesmerizing as having a salt water fish tank or a fireplace on a cold november night. I really recommend it! AppleTV that is, not a saltwater aquarium!
Blu-Ray is HD. But not all HD is Blu-Ray, HD is generally a range of resolutions, though there can be stricter definitions. Blu-Ray is nice, especially if you get Netflix for the discs.
Quote:
Originally Posted by techno
I still believe that the next incarnation of an AppleTV will be integrated with a LG supplied TV. I don't see a future for an independent box as it is.
Plus, I don't listen to Piper Jaffray, unless I plan to buy or sell some AAPL. Because they are always trying to manipulate the stock price with their "insights."
I can see offering a TV with AppleTV built-in, but I don't see the TV as the only way to get it just yet. I would consider the little pizza box version, I don't need the TV. It would limit you to certain devices and certain technologies unless Apple licenses it to anyone. I doubt I'm going to find a good projector with AppleTV built in any time soon.
Quote:
Originally Posted by djames42
I couldn't care less about 1080p as I don't have a twelve foot TV. I would love hardware powerful enough to support 720p in something other than a very strict h.264 however. 1080p may future proof the device, but for now it just means larger files which means I can store less content.
A 12ft TV isn't required to see the difference. It's not about the absolute size of the display. I think you need to sit within two screen widths of the display. I'm not saying Apple should offer 1080p streams, that's just too much for most internet users right now.
You quoted the entire article that has nothing to do with the Magic Mouse. Why not just find the Magic Mouse article and post a simple comment there. Most people are setup to get instant emails and those are the ones interested in the mouse.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cmf2
Tests have shown the iPhone 3GS to be capable of playing back some 1080p video.
Just to be clear, the 3GS HW can handle 720p without dropping frames?of course this does require more processing and therefore more power, even if the image is only being played on the 3.5? display?but 1080p is not possible without issues. In other words, it?s similar to original iPhone technically be capable of doing video, even if it was 10fps at some very low resolution. It isn?t something worth using.
Quote:
If Apple does become serious about Apple TV, it will require yearly revisions and a new ATV and Tablet every year would be more than enough for an annual video event.
If that is the case, then is 1080p going to be important to Apple come January, or will they want to wait a year or two until they can offer 1080p files before updating, this way they get you to update twice? I think that buying a new AppleTV every year may not Apple?s plan.
Perhaps they will go the MS route of just trying to keep that leg of their business from allowing other companies with digital streaming and downloadable media from flowing over into their other products that they do make a lot of money on. It might just be enough to use the device to push iTunes Store as an even more relevant alternative to optical media and other download and streaming sites.
What kind of new HW code they add every year?
No one has done internet in the living room right yet, but other appliances like the Xbox 360, PS3 and TiVo have main features that make them powerful. I am really hoping for an AppleTV SDK to really make the platform viable for the living room.
Yes my ATV is the heart of entertainment in my house. It is the best media player ever devised no question.
The update does nothing for me, however, as everything we own is pirated and we never buy anything from iTunes.
The Apple Tv was a great Idea but I think Apple let fall to far behind. I have a macmini for a htpc and that is the best media player ever invented. I was thinking of adding a Atv to supplement the mini but have now decided to get a wdtv live as it can play more codecs and do full 1080p. As a side note I do not buy much video off of itunes so this will work for me, and when I do buy video I can always play it on the mini. Yes I do pirate tv shows, such as Top Gear, Dr. Who and other odd british stuff. I don't have cable so I do buy stargate off of itunes, everything else I get over the air.
Right now it?s got a weak custom Intel CPU, it?s the GPU that is doing all the heavy listing. I think Ion (Atom+Nvidia 9400M) has proven to be successful and Apple certainly has experience with the 9400M.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JeffDM
I can see offering a TV with AppleTV built-in, but I don't see the TV as the only way to get it just yet.
Or ever.
It?s nice to consolidate devices, but buying TVs with optical drives in them isn?t widely popular for obvious reasons, despite being handy. The same goes for cable boxes and DVRs. Then there is the elephant in the room regarding the TVs themselves. There are too many options for too many scenarios that make that idea unappealing on many levels.
A 12ft TV isn't required to see the difference. It's not about the absolute size of the display. I think you need to sit within two screen widths of the display. I'm not saying Apple should offer 1080p streams, that's just too much for most internet users right now.
Okay, that was a huge exaggeration on my part. For me it definitely is a matter of a 1080p stream being too much. My slow DSL can't even really handle the 720p content. I'll be migrating to Cable or FIOS at some point, primarily because I want to be able to finally stream HD content (even ordering SD content on my AppleTV requires a half-hour of buffering before I can start watching).
It's also about the storage of 1080p content. I just can't see doubling my hard drive space to store content that (in my opinion) only looks marginally better.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cmf2
If Apple does become serious about Apple TV, it will require yearly revisions and a new ATV and Tablet every year would be more than enough for an annual video event.
Not sure that I agree with a yearly revision. Do you think most people replace their DVD player every year because there's a new one with new features?
The AppleTV is in need of a significant hardware improvement. It absolutely needs to be able to play 1080p movies. Anything short of this is a failure. Additionally, Apple needs to open up the USB port for local storage. I could care less about iTunes LP. Apple will probably not address these issues and wonder why it's still just a "hobby" for them.
Playing 1080p video via hardware isn't the problem. The latest ARM and PowerVR cores hande it with ease. The issue is bandwidth. A 720p movie can take up to 4GB of data. That's about as much as Apple wants to warehouse and stream. A 1080p digital file would be over twice that size. We won't see Apple deliver 1080p until a nextgen codec allows them to deliver a 1080p movie in 4GB of space. I'd hazzard a guess of about 3 years.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NasserAE
Hopefully the 3.0 update will include more than iTunes LP and Extras. I am glad that they got rid of that 40GB AppleTV and replaced it with the 160GB. However, additional HDD space wouldn't hurt.
I'm sure it will. I've read stories about ATV losing sync and other issues that I hope are corrected. I'm still waiting for new hardware and then I'm in.
Just to be clear, the 3GS HW can handle 720p without dropping frames?of course this does require more processing and therefore more power, even if the image is only being played on the 3.5? display?but 1080p is not possible without issues. In other words, it?s similar to original iPhone technically be capable of doing video, even if it was 10fps at some very low resolution. It isn?t something worth using.
That is basically why, in the end I suggested that they would go with a 720p dock. I figured that if it could do some 1080p, 720p should be fine.
Quote:
If that is the case, then is 1080p going to be important to Apple come January, or will they want to wait a year or two until they can offer 1080p files before updating, this way they get you to update twice? I think that buying a new AppleTV every year may not Apple?s plan.
Who's to say that they can't offer some 1080p files now? I do think that they will need some 1080p iTunes store files before Apple TV makes the jump.
Quote:
What kind of new HW code they add every year?
They update macbooks, iPhones, iPods, etc at least once every year. I don't think Apple expects us to get a new one of those every year. If you don't update, your products gets stale. A processor bump and hard drive update would often be sufficient.
Quote:
No one has done internet in the living room right yet, but other appliances like the Xbox 360, PS3 and TiVo have main features that make them powerful. I am really hoping for an AppleTV SDK to really make the platform viable for the living room.
I specifically avoided this area as I have no idea where they will go, I'm hoping that the eventual 1080p update (January or later) wont be the only thing they add, but I could only speculate at what they might do. I think 1080p is a given, the only question is when.
I agree that an SDK would be logical, and much desired. The ATV could get all the services you want added to it and would be able to compete with the gaming consoles without actually going head to head with them.
I'm sure it will. I've read stories about ATV losing sync and other issues that I hope are corrected. I'm still waiting for new hardware and then I'm in.
I've been waiting for the new hardware as well. I've waited long time for bigger HDD (the 40GB just didn't cut it for me and the 160GB seemed a little expensive before the price cut) and I am welling to wait few months for the new hardware. I want AppleTV to be the center of my media files not an extension. I thought about getting a mini but didn't feel like spending $500+ for what I want it to do.
Not sure that I agree with a yearly revision. Do you think most people replace their DVD player every year because there's a new one with new features?
As with my reply to solipsism, a yearly revision wouldn't be for existing customers to repurchase ATV. It would be to provide an attractive package to new customers. Apple doesn't do a 3 year cycle with their macs even though people are not likely to replace their old one quicker than that.
Comments
So a little birdie told you nothing then?
I talk to myself.
Edit: I could provide the logic in it though. Apple has pared down the ATV to one model which likely means either a discontinuation of the line or a significant upgrade is in the works (I feel discontinuation is unlikely). The current ATV and AV dock ship with the old remote, which indicates that they are both in need of an upgrade. Tests have shown the iPhone 3GS to be capable of playing back some 1080p video, and the Zune HD has a 720p dock, so I would guess that the AV dock will be upgraded to match alongside an OS update allowing the iPhone 3GS and iPod touch to play back 720p video of course (a nice mid cycle purchasing incentive). Clearly Apple wouldn't want the AV dock to be as capable as ATV, so ATV naturally goes to 1080p (which of course requires an update to the iTunes store as well).
Now if changes of this magnitude were to happen, a video centric event would be a must. Apple says the holiday lineup is set. AI suggests a tablet announcement in January, so a January video event it is (I say late January because I don't think they will get it all together before then). If Apple does become serious about Apple TV, it will require yearly revisions and a new ATV and Tablet every year would be more than enough for an annual video event.
A blu-ray drive would probably make me purchase an AppleTV since the only disc player I have now is the DVD player in the mini (and all my DVDs are ripped to video_ts folders on an external drive anyway). But I don't expect blu-ray to make it into the AppleTV, so I'll be sticking with the mini for awhile I guess.
I'm definitely in the market for an Apple TV, I'm excited to see when\\if they roll out an updated model. For my own sake, I hope Gene is right this time.
If they'd do a Netflix like subscription rather than season passes then I'd be buying one. I'm not interested in owning the content as there are very few movies or TV shows I'd watch more than once.
The other thing that would get me to move on buying a AppleTV would be the ability to play iPhone games on the big screen. Allow it to hook-up to the App store and bam sales will shoot through the roof.
-Timemachine backup (so you don't have to sync with a mac)
-1080p
Apple wants to be green, right?
This should be the only apple product required to be powered on if I want to listen to my 1TB of music, itunes movies, and ripped DVDs in appleTV format.
Try this site
http://ituneslp.net/
Awesome. Thanks!
Totally in agreement with you here. Gotta be able to do 1080p and have the use of the USB port for storage expansion. My 160GB unit is almost maxed out as it is. I know I can stream stuff to it, but I like having the ability of being able to use it without any computers running.
I couldn't care less about 1080p as I don't have a twelve foot TV. I would love hardware powerful enough to support 720p in something other than a very strict h.264 however. 1080p may future proof the device, but for now it just means larger files which means I can store less content.
Totally in agreement with you here. Gotta be able to do 1080p and have the use of the USB port for storage expansion. My 160GB unit is almost maxed out as it is. I know I can stream stuff to it, but I like having the ability of being able to use it without any computers running.
The CE4100 which is a customized ATOM SOC would probably do the trick. Notice it does 2 1080p streams. It was announced at IDF 2009.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wd1GB...layer_embedded
I agree with the previous posts...once you have HD it's terribly hard to go back.
Is BluRay that much superior to HD?
AppleTV is a delight to use with photos, music, viewing recorded TV shows (a la eyeTV), and of course, HD movies.
As far as photos, my girlfriend and her daughters are just amazed at AppleTV. We view the photos so much more than when they were just on a computer or way back when in photo albums. (Did I say photo albums, I meant, shoe boxes!)
With just the Ken Burns effect and a little light music behind it's as mesmerizing as having a salt water fish tank or a fireplace on a cold november night. I really recommend it! AppleTV that is, not a saltwater aquarium!
Blu-Ray is HD. But not all HD is Blu-Ray, HD is generally a range of resolutions, though there can be stricter definitions. Blu-Ray is nice, especially if you get Netflix for the discs.
I still believe that the next incarnation of an AppleTV will be integrated with a LG supplied TV. I don't see a future for an independent box as it is.
Plus, I don't listen to Piper Jaffray, unless I plan to buy or sell some AAPL. Because they are always trying to manipulate the stock price with their "insights."
I can see offering a TV with AppleTV built-in, but I don't see the TV as the only way to get it just yet. I would consider the little pizza box version, I don't need the TV. It would limit you to certain devices and certain technologies unless Apple licenses it to anyone. I doubt I'm going to find a good projector with AppleTV built in any time soon.
I couldn't care less about 1080p as I don't have a twelve foot TV. I would love hardware powerful enough to support 720p in something other than a very strict h.264 however. 1080p may future proof the device, but for now it just means larger files which means I can store less content.
A 12ft TV isn't required to see the difference. It's not about the absolute size of the display. I think you need to sit within two screen widths of the display. I'm not saying Apple should offer 1080p streams, that's just too much for most internet users right now.
magic mouse just arrived at all apple stores!!!!
You quoted the entire article that has nothing to do with the Magic Mouse. Why not just find the Magic Mouse article and post a simple comment there. Most people are setup to get instant emails and those are the ones interested in the mouse.
Tests have shown the iPhone 3GS to be capable of playing back some 1080p video.
Just to be clear, the 3GS HW can handle 720p without dropping frames?of course this does require more processing and therefore more power, even if the image is only being played on the 3.5? display?but 1080p is not possible without issues. In other words, it?s similar to original iPhone technically be capable of doing video, even if it was 10fps at some very low resolution. It isn?t something worth using.
If Apple does become serious about Apple TV, it will require yearly revisions and a new ATV and Tablet every year would be more than enough for an annual video event.
If that is the case, then is 1080p going to be important to Apple come January, or will they want to wait a year or two until they can offer 1080p files before updating, this way they get you to update twice? I think that buying a new AppleTV every year may not Apple?s plan.
Perhaps they will go the MS route of just trying to keep that leg of their business from allowing other companies with digital streaming and downloadable media from flowing over into their other products that they do make a lot of money on. It might just be enough to use the device to push iTunes Store as an even more relevant alternative to optical media and other download and streaming sites.
What kind of new HW code they add every year?
No one has done internet in the living room right yet, but other appliances like the Xbox 360, PS3 and TiVo have main features that make them powerful. I am really hoping for an AppleTV SDK to really make the platform viable for the living room.
Yes my ATV is the heart of entertainment in my house. It is the best media player ever devised no question.
The update does nothing for me, however, as everything we own is pirated and we never buy anything from iTunes.
The Apple Tv was a great Idea but I think Apple let fall to far behind. I have a macmini for a htpc and that is the best media player ever invented.
The CE4100 which is a customized ATOM SOC would probably do the trick. Notice it does 2 1080p streams. It was announced at IDF 2009.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wd1GB...layer_embedded
Right now it?s got a weak custom Intel CPU, it?s the GPU that is doing all the heavy listing. I think Ion (Atom+Nvidia 9400M) has proven to be successful and Apple certainly has experience with the 9400M.
I can see offering a TV with AppleTV built-in, but I don't see the TV as the only way to get it just yet.
Or ever.
It?s nice to consolidate devices, but buying TVs with optical drives in them isn?t widely popular for obvious reasons, despite being handy. The same goes for cable boxes and DVRs. Then there is the elephant in the room regarding the TVs themselves. There are too many options for too many scenarios that make that idea unappealing on many levels.
A 12ft TV isn't required to see the difference. It's not about the absolute size of the display. I think you need to sit within two screen widths of the display. I'm not saying Apple should offer 1080p streams, that's just too much for most internet users right now.
Okay, that was a huge exaggeration on my part. For me it definitely is a matter of a 1080p stream being too much. My slow DSL can't even really handle the 720p content. I'll be migrating to Cable or FIOS at some point, primarily because I want to be able to finally stream HD content (even ordering SD content on my AppleTV requires a half-hour of buffering before I can start watching).
It's also about the storage of 1080p content. I just can't see doubling my hard drive space to store content that (in my opinion) only looks marginally better.
If Apple does become serious about Apple TV, it will require yearly revisions and a new ATV and Tablet every year would be more than enough for an annual video event.
Not sure that I agree with a yearly revision. Do you think most people replace their DVD player every year because there's a new one with new features?
The AppleTV is in need of a significant hardware improvement. It absolutely needs to be able to play 1080p movies. Anything short of this is a failure. Additionally, Apple needs to open up the USB port for local storage. I could care less about iTunes LP. Apple will probably not address these issues and wonder why it's still just a "hobby" for them.
Playing 1080p video via hardware isn't the problem. The latest ARM and PowerVR cores hande it with ease. The issue is bandwidth. A 720p movie can take up to 4GB of data. That's about as much as Apple wants to warehouse and stream. A 1080p digital file would be over twice that size. We won't see Apple deliver 1080p until a nextgen codec allows them to deliver a 1080p movie in 4GB of space. I'd hazzard a guess of about 3 years.
Hopefully the 3.0 update will include more than iTunes LP and Extras. I am glad that they got rid of that 40GB AppleTV and replaced it with the 160GB. However, additional HDD space wouldn't hurt.
I'm sure it will. I've read stories about ATV losing sync and other issues that I hope are corrected. I'm still waiting for new hardware and then I'm in.
Just to be clear, the 3GS HW can handle 720p without dropping frames?of course this does require more processing and therefore more power, even if the image is only being played on the 3.5? display?but 1080p is not possible without issues. In other words, it?s similar to original iPhone technically be capable of doing video, even if it was 10fps at some very low resolution. It isn?t something worth using.
That is basically why, in the end I suggested that they would go with a 720p dock. I figured that if it could do some 1080p, 720p should be fine.
If that is the case, then is 1080p going to be important to Apple come January, or will they want to wait a year or two until they can offer 1080p files before updating, this way they get you to update twice? I think that buying a new AppleTV every year may not Apple?s plan.
Who's to say that they can't offer some 1080p files now? I do think that they will need some 1080p iTunes store files before Apple TV makes the jump.
What kind of new HW code they add every year?
They update macbooks, iPhones, iPods, etc at least once every year. I don't think Apple expects us to get a new one of those every year. If you don't update, your products gets stale. A processor bump and hard drive update would often be sufficient.
No one has done internet in the living room right yet, but other appliances like the Xbox 360, PS3 and TiVo have main features that make them powerful. I am really hoping for an AppleTV SDK to really make the platform viable for the living room.
I specifically avoided this area as I have no idea where they will go, I'm hoping that the eventual 1080p update (January or later) wont be the only thing they add, but I could only speculate at what they might do. I think 1080p is a given, the only question is when.
I agree that an SDK would be logical, and much desired. The ATV could get all the services you want added to it and would be able to compete with the gaming consoles without actually going head to head with them.
Where's the Apple TV DVR feature already?
Seriously...
Where's the Apple TV DVR feature already?
Seriously?
It?ll come when Blu-ray and VHS come to the AppleTV. NEVER!
I'm sure it will. I've read stories about ATV losing sync and other issues that I hope are corrected. I'm still waiting for new hardware and then I'm in.
I've been waiting for the new hardware as well. I've waited long time for bigger HDD (the 40GB just didn't cut it for me and the 160GB seemed a little expensive before the price cut) and I am welling to wait few months for the new hardware. I want AppleTV to be the center of my media files not an extension. I thought about getting a mini but didn't feel like spending $500+ for what I want it to do.
Not sure that I agree with a yearly revision. Do you think most people replace their DVD player every year because there's a new one with new features?
As with my reply to solipsism, a yearly revision wouldn't be for existing customers to repurchase ATV. It would be to provide an attractive package to new customers. Apple doesn't do a 3 year cycle with their macs even though people are not likely to replace their old one quicker than that.