The obvious next step for the Apple TV

Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited January 2014
Hardware:

CPU/GPU and Memory: Same as the iPad

Storage: 250 and 500GB storage

Ports and connectivity: as is

Form factor: as is



Software:

iPhone OS (optimized for larger displays) and runs all current iPhone OS apps, in addition to Apple TV optimized apps.



In addition to the Apple remote, the use of the iPod touch or iPhone as a remote can enable more control and can be necessary for some apps/games.



Apple can market it as it markets the Apple TV and them more. Giving the Apple TV access to the App Store would make it so much more to so many people.





What does everyone else think?

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 10
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,309moderator
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Aizmov View Post


    Hardware:

    CPU/GPU and Memory: Same as the iPad

    Storage: 250 and 500GB storage

    Ports and connectivity: as is

    Form factor: as is



    Software:

    iPhone OS (optimized for larger displays) and runs all current iPhone OS apps, in addition to Apple TV optimized apps.



    In addition to the Apple remote, the use of the iPod touch or iPhone as a remote can enable more control and can be necessary for some apps/games.



    Apple can market it as it markets the Apple TV and them more. Giving the Apple TV access to the App Store would make it so much more to so many people.



    What does everyone else think?



    The form factor of the iPad isn't ideal but they do have more appropriate devices fit for purpose:



  • Reply 2 of 10
    aizmovaizmov Posts: 989member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Marvin View Post


    The form factor of the iPad isn't ideal but they do have more appropriate devices fit for purpose:







    I mean an iPad in an Apple TV shell, and selling for what the Apple TV currently sells for. An iPad is an iPad, I'm here thinking of the best way to relaunch the Apple TV, and cutting into the game console market.
  • Reply 3 of 10
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,309moderator
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Aizmov View Post


    I mean an iPad in an Apple TV shell, and selling for what the Apple TV currently sells for. An iPad is an iPad, I'm here thinking of the best way to relaunch the Apple TV, and cutting into the game console market.



    Yeah but why put an iPad in an ATV shell when the ipod has the same hardware? It reduces inventory costs as Apple simply sells more ipods. The ipod classic is about the same price and spec as an ATV:



    Apple TV



    160GB

    802.11n Wi-Fi wireless

    160GB hard drive for up to 200 hours of video

    Apple Remote

    $229.00



    ipod classic



    160GB

    40,000 songs

    200 hours of video

    $249.00



    Instead of slow wireless sync, unplug the ipod from its dock, plug it into the computer and transfer the movies you want as well as reverse sync TV recordings. If you want to watch a TV show you recorded on the way to work or during a lunch break or even in bed, unplug the ipod and take it with you.



    You can also manage the recordings on the device without the TV as it has a screen. You get games already built for it as well as all your music collection.



    The ATV design isn't that good. People have very flat TVs that fit onto walls. The short, wide form factor doesn't work well and it's massive for what it does. The ipod is much more compact and functional and a dock can be very small. Some TVs have USB ports too so if they are powered ports, it can mean one less power socket used up and very low overall power consumption (which is great for an always-on device).
  • Reply 4 of 10
    One main reason:

    iPod Classic has a petty processor, thus can't run iPhone OS and can't output HD.



    The closest in specs to the Apple TV is the iPad



    Current Apple TV specs:

    Processor\tIntel Pentium M 1.0 GHz "Crofton" Processor

    Graphics\tNVIDIA GeForce Go 7300 (64 MB VRAM)

    Memory\t256 MB of 400 MHz DDR2 SDRAM



    Obvious that the iPod Classic is no where near



    The most sensible way to update the Apple TV is by stuffing it with iPad guts. It'll get access to iPhone OS apps which will expand its usability, and since it wont have a glass multitouch display, battery or 3G, it'll be cheap for Apple to make. It'll also use the cheaper 2.5" HDD as opposed to 1.8" HDD used in iPod Classic.
  • Reply 5 of 10
    herbapouherbapou Posts: 2,228member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Aizmov View Post


    Hardware:

    CPU/GPU and Memory: Same as the iPad

    Storage: 250 and 500GB storage

    Ports and connectivity: as is

    Form factor: as is



    Software:

    iPhone OS (optimized for larger displays) and runs all current iPhone OS apps, in addition to Apple TV optimized apps.



    In addition to the Apple remote, the use of the iPod touch or iPhone as a remote can enable more control and can be necessary for some apps/games.



    Apple can market it as it markets the Apple TV and them more. Giving the Apple TV access to the App Store would make it so much more to so many people.

    What does everyone else think?



    First let me say current AppleTV are one of the best HTPC out there. They are small, completly silent and cheap. You can "upgrade" them with XBMC to turn them into a full HTPC.



    Lock down hardware the Apple way is actually a GREAT thing for a device like this because its solves all the nightmare configuration issues that comes with HTPC software on windows/linux machines. The XBMC port to AppleTV will always work out the box.



    But there are some hardware drawbacks and seriously Apple could make some usefull software upgrades.



    Wish list:



    1. PLAYBACK: Currently capable of playing 720p low profile H264 video encodes, I wish the next version could play full 1080p videos and h264 high profile encodes.



    2. SPACE: More disk space, or NOT. More HD could mean a great "backup" but the real solution relies in software. XBMC allows you to link the AppleTV to your network disk server, which solved the device space problem. Apple should build this up in the device "official" software. Doing sync's of 2+ gigs files in Itune is just plain retarded, they should simply allow us to link the device to a network drive.



    3. THE APPLE WAY: AppleStore prices... They are to high, hopefully AppleTv owners will benefit from the Ipad in the way it will bring down prices.



    4. IMDB information query. Apple could used internet to fecth movie/tv shows information (like XBMC). But I dont think they will because this could be used to put a great interface on pirated movies/TV on the same box that sell those products. They officially wants you to only put up home made videos. Granted this could be used to display your own video collection rips but it just make it to easy to used the features with internet downloads. imo that feature will always come from hacks



    5. Web browser -> + optionnal wireless keyboard



    6. AppleTV app store! Lets us install specially made apps (XBMC, ...)
  • Reply 6 of 10
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
  • Reply 7 of 10
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,309moderator
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Aizmov View Post


    One main reason:

    iPod Classic has a petty processor, thus can't run iPhone OS and can't output HD.



    True but this would be a new model that replaces the Apple TV. A new way to revamp the ipod classic line and keep it alive.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Aizmov View Post


    The most sensible way to update the Apple TV is by stuffing it with iPad guts. It'll get access to iPhone OS apps which will expand its usability, and since it wont have a glass multitouch display, battery or 3G, it'll be cheap for Apple to make. It'll also use the cheaper 2.5" HDD as opposed to 1.8" HDD used in iPod Classic.



    The problem though is that the Apple TV in its current form isn't selling well because people realize that itunes content is pretty limited. If they sold ipods, which already sell in large numbers and just tack this on as an added feature, they don't have to worry about a product failure, just a TV dock accessory failure, which is a lot easier to handle.



    They don't even have to limit it to the classic model. When I had a HDD DVR, I only ever recorded 30 shows at once tops and my family members are the same. Say 10 movies, 20 TV episodes (1500 minutes). 720p video can be stored at 5-10Mbps H264. This requires about 50-100GB of storage so not ideal for the lower devices but they can do lower quality or just store less content e.g 3 movies + 10 TV shows (570 minutes) @ 5 Mbps = 20GB.



    SD resolution isn't all that bad. My DVR recorded content at 2Mbps MPEG-2. At this quality (pretty much DVD quality when H264 is used), you'd get 10 movies, 20 TV shows in about 20GB.



    They could even fit a HDD into the dock the ipod sits in. This way a failed drive is very cheap to replace and a 500GB dock is maybe £99. Then you can use whichever ipod touch you have.



    ipod touch (£152) + 500GB dock (£99) = £251 vs 160GB ATV (£223). But with the first, you also get a really cool ipod touch and certainly those games will translate to the bigger screen and it can do 720p.



    The whole TV idea would never work - Apple won't force people to buy HDTVs all over again just for a hard drive built-in and some itunes content.
  • Reply 8 of 10
    addaboxaddabox Posts: 12,665member
    Is there any technical reason Apple couldn't just enable Safari on Apple TV? To my mind, that would immediately bring two big content streams-- Hulu and Netflix streaming-- onto your TV, and do it in a way that would circumnavigate the barriers that Hulu put in the way of something like Boxee.



    Netflix wants me to buy a $99 box for the convenience of not having to hook my computer to my TV (and Apple doesn't want to make a deal as has been done for Xbox and PS3), Hulu doesn't want me to watch on my TV at all, but no one has anything to say about my "computer" being a super cheap appliance with a browser, AFAIK.



    I have no interest in an Apple TV as is, but iTunes/Hulu/Netflix plus the added bonus of general net access would give me pause. And I'm not worried about special interfaces that integrate things, just a few bookmarks and a browser would be fine.



    Of course, all of that is almost certainly why Apple hasn't put a browser on there, but if they went with the no screen iPad thing, maybe that would (ironically) make it more functional than the Tiger based version.
  • Reply 9 of 10
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,309moderator
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by addabox View Post


    Is there any technical reason Apple couldn't just enable Safari on Apple TV?



    Isn't this where you'd say that Mac OS X wasn't designed for a TV screen and there's no way the UI elements would translate properly? There's no way to navigate the browser window and text would be way too small plus typing URLs would be so slow.



    Technically of course, there is no reason you can't put it on there but Apple TV isn't a geek-compatible product that allows full web access on a TV device. Most people don't even know what a Hulu, a NetFlick or a SlingBox is and they shouldn't be forced to. Just one button into the itunes store is all they need.



    You can actually install the full OS X on the ATV and set it up however you want. There's also Safari HD but the pointer is pretty horrible to use:



    http://www.appletvhacks.net/2008/02/...now-available/

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQ_VM_64q6Y



    Hulu can be done too:



    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSSAxEYaGJQ



    You could use a WiiMote with the full OS X on an ATV but after a while, you'll just be asking why Apple has to limit their products so much when such small additions can go such a long way.



    You could of course hold out for the Hulu app for iPhone/iPad and hook it to the TV but Apple crippled those products too with no support for HD output (even though they can do it - http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/20/i...ideo-playback/ ) but it's probably a feature that nobody would need or understand how to use anyway.



    An option from another vendor would be the WDTV Live box, which streams content from your computer and you can install something called Playon to stream Hulu to it.



    http://www.playon.tv/playon



    That supports the games consoles too. To be honest, the PS3 is probably the best bet and you get a Blu-Ray player and decent games machine on top.



    If Apple don't support the features you want, don't buy their products instead of trying to make them fit what you want to do. They'll learn sooner or later.
  • Reply 10 of 10
    If we look only at the movies and tv shows side, I understand that the ATV is primarily for downloading purpose, trying to get rid of DVDs.

    One thing that would seems weird, but may actually have quite an impact on sales, is to make an Apple TV with a built-in Blu-ray drive!



    For people like me, who just aren't recording what's on TV because it's full of commercial breaks,

    I just need to be able to play B-R discs.

    If it can be combined into one device, instead of having the Apple TV, the B-R player, the Ampli for the home theater ... I buy !



    Look at some merits of putting a B-R player drive :

    - Can use my already existing B-R/dvdtheque -> that would be so great !

    - Lots of people still haven't switched from DVD to B-R. When they do, if the Apple TV can offer that, it could replace lots of dvd players.

    Besides, no need to have too much devices and cables below the TV screen.

    - Can watch movies in real "full" HD, on my 1080p HD big screen,

    not the half-way "HD" that's sold on ITunes (720 p).
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