Nobody in their right mind wants 3D on their television. It is bad enough in the theaters, I can't see a small screen helping it much.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PeterAlt
With the A5X, it might be able to do 3D 1080p. Not a big deal since all newer Blu-Ray players already do this, but a necessary function that Apple TV needs to catch up on. Of course, you would need a 3D TV in order to view and a catalog of 3D movies available.
I would like to see them also catch up and offer the latest HDMI functionality with uncompressed 7.1 audio, Dolby HD, DTS MA-HD, DTS Neo-X, etc.
Now this I can agree with. 7.1 audio would be huge.
Very surprised by the lack of 802.11ac-I thought this would be a big year for Apple to roll that out across its Wifi-enabled product lines. Hmmm, wonder what that means for Airport, new Macs and their living room strategy?
I wouldn't have expected any Apple device to have 802.11ac until their routers were updated. Perhaps it's a different chip for 802.11ac and it's still being kept secret by the FCC. I doubt it but trying to give something to hope for.
The real question is has anyone jail broken this device? I haven't been following the jailbreak scene but this is possibly the only iOS device I would bother jail breaking.
I know the 2nd gen Apple TV and 3rd gen iPad are jailbroken as well as iOS 6.x on the iPhone 5 so I think it's highly likely. I haven't needed to jailbreak for a couple years now but as you say the Apple TV would be that exception.
I'm actually hoping for more flash and the possibility of Apple TV apps. This really seems like a no brainer so I wonder what Apple is afraid of. Obviously the apps would be different than your run of the mill iOS app and they would need I/O support but that ought to be doable in an Apple TV.
I hope so, too. Getting Apps on the Apple TV would be a great start to lock down the rest of the living room. I would rather have Apple partner with cable providers in creating a digibox but I will hedge my bets until something more solid starts cropping up on the rumour sites.
Actually, wouldn't this "leak" of a new Apple TV be a simple misdirect against an Apple made digibox, HDTV, or more elaborate AppleTV device.
Yes it is official and since Apple can design their own chips perhaps it is included but I am no expert on hardware video encoding so perhaps someone more knowledgeable in the new codec can weigh in.
That would be great if they made the decoder but I haven't heard of anyone else adopting it. Apple's usually not the first to adopt, just the first to adopt across the board. With USB 3.0 they waited for Intel to include it which was expected but with their own ASIC it would make sense if they made their own but would they add the HW before they have any content that can utilize it? How large would these chips be? How much power is needed for H.265 to handle that processing. Not a big deal in a plugged in device but for handhelds it will be.
Nobody in their right mind wants 3D on their television. It is bad enough in the theaters, I can't see a small screen helping it much.
How prevalent are 3D HDTV's? I've read what a failure they are but I also read everyday what a failure Apple is, too.
Blu-ray adoption is clearly higher than 3D HDTV's but 3D might be an easier add for Apple as it is just having good enough HW, not special HW, and the right SW. Is that correct?
If you add to the equation the movie studios pushing Apple to add the feature to their iTunes Store then I can see that as being an option that we shouldn't discount. The 32nm A5X should be able to handle that, right?
I would rather have Apple partner with cable providers in creating a digibox but I will hedge my bets until something more solid starts cropping up on the rumour sites.
They're falling behind fast. The Xbox 360 and the Roku can be used as a STB for VZ FiOS and TWC respectively.
I'd say definitely on the first part and no on the second. It doesn't really need a better CPU as much as it needs a better GPU.
/shrug
While the aTV is bit rate limited for higher quality the probability is that most households are limited by internet streaming speeds than anything else on their aTVs. The only reason that I can think of to use A5Xs is either Apple is sitting on a huge pile of A5X rejects or they intend to add GPU intensive apps to the aTV.
I could see game apps developed to do some computation on the ipad/iphone and send the results to render on the aTV to get the lag down.
They're falling behind fast. The Xbox 360 and the Roku can be used as a STB for VZ FiOS and TWC respectively.
Those are bolted on features and for the XBOX 360 makes for a complex experience. Roku seems like a much closer concept to what I'd expect Apple to release. Could this new Apple TV also be a set top box? Wouldn't it need HW to handle MPEG-2 streams?
The Roku devices don't have a coax port so this would all be handled via the cable modem. I haven't seen any performance reviews but I wonder if there is any lag with changing channels or the limits for streaming in HD with multiple devices connected to your router. I'd personally like to see Apple create a larger, more full featured box that is an evolutionary step of the current digiboxes, not an evolution of the current media streaming boxes. Well, that's how I've pictured it but I'm open to going over the cable modem as a better overall option.
...which then means it gets announced on or after the day the new AirPort routers get announced, which I assume will come with the new Mac Pro (or whatever it's called)...
Supposedly the WiFi on Mac Pro's don't get used much. But that might be because it gets used more in 'professional environments' as opposed to home use. Also, wouldn't the new iPad have .ac? Well, perhaps it has, no one knows (yet). This is going to be a great thread with a lot of resources!
Supposedly the WiFi on Mac Pro's don't get used much. But that might be because it gets used more in 'professional environments' as opposed to home use. Also, wouldn't the new iPad have .ac? Well, perhaps it has, no one knows (yet). This is going to be a great thread with a lot of resources!
Based on the HW teardown nothing as of yet has 802.11ac components.
Those are bolted on features and for the XBOX 360 makes for a complex experience. Roku seems like a much closer concept to what I'd expect Apple to release. Could this new Apple TV also be a set top box? Wouldn't it need HW to handle MPEG-2 streams.
That's a good question. It will most likely need a stronger processor, I know that the Xbox 360 has a tri core processor (gaming consoles are usually years ahead in processing power) but I have never heard what powers a Roku.
That's a good question. It will most likely need a stronger processor, I know that the Xbox 360 has a tri core processor (gaming consoles are usually years ahead in processing power) but I have never heard what powers a Roku.
You can decode on the processor but a dedicated chip for decoding is always best.
Here are the main components for the Roku 2 XS:
256MB Hynix HY27UF082G2B NAND Flash chip
256MB Samsung K4P2G324EC-AGC1 LPDDR2 RAM chip
NXP Semiconductors TDA9981A HDMI transmitter
NXP PNX8935 multi-format decoder
Broadcom BCM4336
The last two are said to be system's primary processing units:
I hope this ushers in an App Store that is at least compatible with the previous generation - why else would they bump up the graphics processing power?
I hope this ushers in an App Store that is at least compatible with the previous generation - why else would they bump up the graphics processing power?
One reason is that they have a lot of single-core operation A5XR2 chips laying around compared to A5R2 chips. Another would be the need for higher graphics to support better profiles in H.264. Another might be support for 3D TV.
Hey, it's new internals. I'll bet it's an A6. But… the A5 already handles 1080p just fine. So why an A6?
It's not done. And why are people calling it that? The official name is HEVC, last I checked.
Just your luck, huh?
1) It's an A5X not A6. The current Apple TV can handle 1080p but not all the profiles and not as efficiently as possible. A new ASIC will help improve things all around.
2) It's HEVC as well as ISO/IEC 23008-2 MPEG-H Part 2 and ITU-T H.HEVC. It had tentative names of H.265 and H.NGVC. H.265 stands out better to me than HEVC.
3) He can return the Apple TV within 14 days of purchase so if comes out next week he may be still in luck.
Comments
Nobody in their right mind wants 3D on their television. It is bad enough in the theaters, I can't see a small screen helping it much.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PeterAlt
With the A5X, it might be able to do 3D 1080p. Not a big deal since all newer Blu-Ray players already do this, but a necessary function that Apple TV needs to catch up on. Of course, you would need a 3D TV in order to view and a catalog of 3D movies available.
I would like to see them also catch up and offer the latest HDMI functionality with uncompressed 7.1 audio, Dolby HD, DTS MA-HD, DTS Neo-X, etc.
Now this I can agree with. 7.1 audio would be huge.
I wouldn't have expected any Apple device to have 802.11ac until their routers were updated. Perhaps it's a different chip for 802.11ac and it's still being kept secret by the FCC. I doubt it but trying to give something to hope for.
I know the 2nd gen Apple TV and 3rd gen iPad are jailbroken as well as iOS 6.x on the iPhone 5 so I think it's highly likely. I haven't needed to jailbreak for a couple years now but as you say the Apple TV would be that exception.
I hope so, too. Getting Apps on the Apple TV would be a great start to lock down the rest of the living room. I would rather have Apple partner with cable providers in creating a digibox but I will hedge my bets until something more solid starts cropping up on the rumour sites.
Actually, wouldn't this "leak" of a new Apple TV be a simple misdirect against an Apple made digibox, HDTV, or more elaborate AppleTV device.
That would be great if they made the decoder but I haven't heard of anyone else adopting it. Apple's usually not the first to adopt, just the first to adopt across the board. With USB 3.0 they waited for Intel to include it which was expected but with their own ASIC it would make sense if they made their own but would they add the HW before they have any content that can utilize it? How large would these chips be? How much power is needed for H.265 to handle that processing. Not a big deal in a plugged in device but for handhelds it will be.
How prevalent are 3D HDTV's? I've read what a failure they are but I also read everyday what a failure Apple is, too.
Blu-ray adoption is clearly higher than 3D HDTV's but 3D might be an easier add for Apple as it is just having good enough HW, not special HW, and the right SW. Is that correct?
If you add to the equation the movie studios pushing Apple to add the feature to their iTunes Store then I can see that as being an option that we shouldn't discount. The 32nm A5X should be able to handle that, right?
They're falling behind fast. The Xbox 360 and the Roku can be used as a STB for VZ FiOS and TWC respectively.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SolipsismX
I'd say definitely on the first part and no on the second. It doesn't really need a better CPU as much as it needs a better GPU.
/shrug
While the aTV is bit rate limited for higher quality the probability is that most households are limited by internet streaming speeds than anything else on their aTVs. The only reason that I can think of to use A5Xs is either Apple is sitting on a huge pile of A5X rejects or they intend to add GPU intensive apps to the aTV.
I could see game apps developed to do some computation on the ipad/iphone and send the results to render on the aTV to get the lag down.
Those are bolted on features and for the XBOX 360 makes for a complex experience. Roku seems like a much closer concept to what I'd expect Apple to release. Could this new Apple TV also be a set top box? Wouldn't it need HW to handle MPEG-2 streams?
The Roku devices don't have a coax port so this would all be handled via the cable modem. I haven't seen any performance reviews but I wonder if there is any lag with changing channels or the limits for streaming in HD with multiple devices connected to your router. I'd personally like to see Apple create a larger, more full featured box that is an evolutionary step of the current digiboxes, not an evolution of the current media streaming boxes. Well, that's how I've pictured it but I'm open to going over the cable modem as a better overall option.
Supposedly the WiFi on Mac Pro's don't get used much. But that might be because it gets used more in 'professional environments' as opposed to home use. Also, wouldn't the new iPad have .ac? Well, perhaps it has, no one knows (yet). This is
going to bea great thread with a lot of resources!Massive ticket receipts would disagree with you. There are times when it's really quite the sine qua non -- e.g., 'The Avengers.'
I feel the same way about 7.1 as you do about 3D.
Based on the HW teardown nothing as of yet has 802.11ac components.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mstone
H.265 perhaps
If that's the only update, I protest.
That's a good question. It will most likely need a stronger processor, I know that the Xbox 360 has a tri core processor (gaming consoles are usually years ahead in processing power) but I have never heard what powers a Roku.
You can decode on the processor but a dedicated chip for decoding is always best.
Here are the main components for the Roku 2 XS:
The last two are said to be system's primary processing units:
• http://www.techrepublic.com/photos/roku-xds-teardown/499449?seq=24
• http://www.nxp.com/news/press-releases/2009/03/nxp-and-roku-enable-instant-enjoyment-of-new-release-movies.html
Even if the Roku does a below average job of handling TWC live TV a new Apple TV with an A5X and other appropriate HW should be able to handle it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PeterAlt
3D comes in many flavors. There's 3D without glasses too, including a technology I'm involved in developing.
oh, THAT. You mean the lenticular stuff? Can you please make it work better than 'awful'?
One reason is that they have a lot of single-core operation A5XR2 chips laying around compared to A5R2 chips. Another would be the need for higher graphics to support better profiles in H.264. Another might be support for 3D TV.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wizard69
I was just about to say that! Velcro is perhaps the greatest thing since the microprocessor.
I believe you meant, the microprocessor is perhaps the greatest thing since velcro.
Originally Posted by charlituna
Exactly. It's 5 mm smaller. Nothing about the internals or any additional apps etc.
So file it under BFD.
Hey, it's new internals. I'll bet it's an A6. But… the A5 already handles 1080p just fine. So why an A6?
…
I think this could be more interesting than anyone is letting on.
Originally Posted by mstone
H.265 perhaps
It's not done. And why are people calling it that? The official name is HEVC, last I checked.
Originally Posted by SolipsismX
I don't think there are any chips for that yet. Has it even been finalized?
The draft is finalized. One company has committed to making a hardware encoder, but nothing will be able to play those files back.
Originally Posted by PeterAlt
3D comes in many flavors. There's 3D without glasses too, including a technology I'm involved in developing.
Yeah, but… autostereoscopic 3D can't be done in software alone.
Originally Posted by Buzzz
Got an Apple TV last weekend and it is fantastic!
Just your luck, huh?
1) It's an A5X not A6. The current Apple TV can handle 1080p but not all the profiles and not as efficiently as possible. A new ASIC will help improve things all around.
2) It's HEVC as well as ISO/IEC 23008-2 MPEG-H Part 2 and ITU-T H.HEVC. It had tentative names of H.265 and H.NGVC. H.265 stands out better to me than HEVC.
3) He can return the Apple TV within 14 days of purchase so if comes out next week he may be still in luck.