Personally I still want to keep my Mac OUT of the living room
Me, too.
Quote:
but want a Eyehome-type device or an airport AV that will let me see all the video and photo stuff on my Mac whilst loafing in front of the TV. Eyehome is all well and good, but it wont do h264 or play anthing protected (ie stuff from ITMS).
And EyeHome's UI is, uhh, lacking.
Quote:
Didnt apple take on someone senior from Elgato recently. I think/hope this means that there is still something in the pipeline...
Yep; I recently mentioned that again over here, along with other comments relating to your post.
For awhile Elgato was selling EyeHome refurbs for $99; new ones are currently $149 after $50 rebate. If you've already got a Mac that's much cheaper (even after optionally adding a wireless router) than buying a mini for a limited streaming media solution (no HD, H.264, or DRM support). That's good enough for me until Apple releases an AirPort AV or similar EyeHome-like product without its limitations.
I'd prefer to use certain components capable of handling specific media-related tasks than dedicating pricier general purpose computers (e.g. Mac mini) to them. For example, my wife can use her eMac while the EyeTV connected to it is recording. The idea of moving the eMac/EyeTV (and external FW storage!) into the living room and attaching it to the TV/receiver seems silly to me. I'd feel the same if we replaced the eMac with a mini.
One question I always keep in mind in "media center" discussions is, what's the minimal hardware that really needs to be in the living room to achieve my desired results? A new mini in the living room may be one component of a media center solution for some people (like hmurchison) but for me it would be a premature purchase to be used that way. Seems I'm waiting for something more than an EyeHome but less than a mini, at an affordable sweet spot between the two.
I think a DVR is still viable. Even if Apple is focusing on the iTunes end of viewing/downloading, there would still be a market for a DVR without detracting from the iPod-viewing model. TiVo struggles because other cable/satellite companies have overtaken the market by offering DRV with a subscription, and they are doing well with it.
My dream mac would include:
-a STB, flat, stylish, and apple-stlye
-Blu-ray super drive w/ DVD/CD backwards compatibility
-HDMI or UDI w/ optical audio connection
-a huge hard drive 500Gb?
-a better remote
-a non-dedicated chipset so I can browse the internet or do anything else I wanted to on a large plasma HD
Apple is fooling themselves if they think downloads replace a DVR.
What we need is a specialized box. It should have a HE Codec encoder that of course works in real time.
It should have CableCard slots (multistream) so that I can get rid of my infernal cable STB.
It should have 802.11n and Gigabit with Bonjour support.
It should be able to playback all iLife files.
The service should be part of .mac as in like a premium .mac plus service.
It should support external hard drives over the network(SMB) or via FW/eSATA
It should have HDMI/UDI outputs and Card Reader slots for the popular flash memory.
It should have the option of an optical drive. Thin profile DVDRW, HD DVD or Blu Ray.
It should have IR or Blue Tooth for wireless peripheral support.
This stuff isn't rocket science this is what the tech lover of 2006 is looking for and more. Apple's cool but come'on the guys writing about how cool Apple is are dockers wearing Old Skool Geeks. Don't read your press clipping Steve. Make the next cool thing that we didn't know could be made.
Apple is fooling themselves if they think downloads replace a DVR.
What we need is a specialized box. It should have a HE Codec encoder that of course works in real time.
It should have CableCard slots (multistream) so that I can get rid of my infernal cable STB.
It should have 802.11n and Gigabit with Bonjour support.
It should be able to playback all iLife files.
The service should be part of .mac as in like a premium .mac plus service.
It should support external hard drives over the network(SMB) or via FW/eSATA
It should have HDMI/UDI outputs and Card Reader slots for the popular flash memory.
It should have the option of an optical drive. Thin profile DVDRW, HD DVD or Blu Ray.
It should have IR or Blue Tooth for wireless peripheral support.
This stuff isn't rocket science this is what the tech lover of 2006 is looking for and more. Apple's cool but come'on the guys writing about how cool Apple is are dockers wearing Old Skool Geeks. Don't read your press clipping Steve. Make the next cool thing that we didn't know could be made.
I don't know if you remember, but just a short while ago, Scientific Atlanta was for sale. Apple was one of those asking for information, but they didn't bid. Cisco bought it.
It was felt that this would have been of great advantage to Apple. But, you know Apple, they don't spend money on acquisitions.
I too thought that was a bit odd that Apple was listed as a potential buyer. Apple's a cheap company and SA eventually sold for $6.9 Billion dollars.
Give it a couple of years the hardware will be a commodity and all that really matters is the infrastructure behind it and what tie-ins Apple could profit from.
Give it a couple of years the hardware will be a commodity and all that really matters is the infrastructure behind it and what tie-ins Apple could profit from.
.Mac will be the structure behind the future Mac and Beige Box Thin Clients.
Your home folder will be right below the Video/Music store in iTunes.
I too thought that was a bit odd that Apple was listed as a potential buyer. Apple's a cheap company and SA eventually sold for $6.9 Billion dollars.
Give it a couple of years the hardware will be a commodity and all that really matters is the infrastructure behind it and what tie-ins Apple could profit from.
hmurchison
Ah! That's the point. The infrastructure that SA has. Also the relationship with the cable and satellite companies. The portal into tens of millions of customers homes.
I do believe that a DVR function is something that we might see eventually on the Mac.
I think the Macmini will have it as well as the whole desktop line up. Or Apple will create a stand alone box just like Elgato.
Actually, I would prefer some sort of equipment that we could store everything from music, photos, movies and videos. I rather have that than a computer on my entertainment set up. Have all the above being transferred wirelessly by some sort of Airport AV from my Mac. That would be sweet and the way to go IMHO.
What if Apple were going to skip the DVR model and go right to the pay-to-play model? It would be a good pitch to the content providers. "Don't wait until the trading of movies on P2P networks gets as bad as it did with Music. Get people used to paying now."
Eventually TV will go to this model. Why not now while Apple's on top of it's game?
As for the DVR. What we need is for MythTV (http://www.mythtv.org/) to be fully ported to be an easy install on the new Mini. Large chunks of it are ported already. And if our DVR software is OpenSource, we can still have commercial advance. If Apple does it we will be lucky to get 30-second skip.
Does the New Mini have the power to encode one show while playing another? Or would an outside box be needed?
Just got tired of waiting. I purchase an EyeTV500 refurbish from Elgato. That would give me DVR and HDTV right on my 30" display.
Now whenever Apple announces a great solution for the entertainment room I'll be ready. No more anxious waiting.
I was thinking abut that earlier today myself, but I'm just going to upgrade my cable box to a HD-DVR model. I'd much rather have an Apple built setup though.
I was thinking abut that earlier today myself, but I'm just going to upgrade my cable box to a HD-DVR model. I'd much rather have an Apple built setup though.
I agreed. An Apple solution would be better. But you can get a EyeTV500 for $199 refurbish direct from Elgato website. I figure out is not that much money. So Even if Apple announce something in the near future, would not be such a terrible expense to have the EyeTV.
With the Soccer World Cup coming soon I can't wait to to watch and record games in HDTV.
Comments
Originally posted by the3rdParty
Personally I still want to keep my Mac OUT of the living room
Me, too.
but want a Eyehome-type device or an airport AV that will let me see all the video and photo stuff on my Mac whilst loafing in front of the TV. Eyehome is all well and good, but it wont do h264 or play anthing protected (ie stuff from ITMS).
And EyeHome's UI is, uhh, lacking.
Didnt apple take on someone senior from Elgato recently. I think/hope this means that there is still something in the pipeline...
Yep; I recently mentioned that again over here, along with other comments relating to your post.
For awhile Elgato was selling EyeHome refurbs for $99; new ones are currently $149 after $50 rebate. If you've already got a Mac that's much cheaper (even after optionally adding a wireless router) than buying a mini for a limited streaming media solution (no HD, H.264, or DRM support). That's good enough for me until Apple releases an AirPort AV or similar EyeHome-like product without its limitations.
I'd prefer to use certain components capable of handling specific media-related tasks than dedicating pricier general purpose computers (e.g. Mac mini) to them. For example, my wife can use her eMac while the EyeTV connected to it is recording. The idea of moving the eMac/EyeTV (and external FW storage!) into the living room and attaching it to the TV/receiver seems silly to me. I'd feel the same if we replaced the eMac with a mini.
One question I always keep in mind in "media center" discussions is, what's the minimal hardware that really needs to be in the living room to achieve my desired results? A new mini in the living room may be one component of a media center solution for some people (like hmurchison) but for me it would be a premature purchase to be used that way. Seems I'm waiting for something more than an EyeHome but less than a mini, at an affordable sweet spot between the two.
Originally posted by TenoBell
You are right in that sense. But I think the iTMS strategy is pointed more at putting the video on your iPod than your television.
Switch the end point from watching television to watching your iPod and the Tivo solution becomes much more work than iTMS.
Go read about Tivo to Go. I think you'll change your mind on the last part.
My dream mac would include:
-a STB, flat, stylish, and apple-stlye
-Blu-ray super drive w/ DVD/CD backwards compatibility
-HDMI or UDI w/ optical audio connection
-a huge hard drive 500Gb?
-a better remote
-a non-dedicated chipset so I can browse the internet or do anything else I wanted to on a large plasma HD
Someone please tell me I'm not dreaming!
Apple is fooling themselves if they think downloads replace a DVR.
What we need is a specialized box. It should have a HE Codec encoder that of course works in real time.
It should have CableCard slots (multistream) so that I can get rid of my infernal cable STB.
It should have 802.11n and Gigabit with Bonjour support.
It should be able to playback all iLife files.
The service should be part of .mac as in like a premium .mac plus service.
It should support external hard drives over the network(SMB) or via FW/eSATA
It should have HDMI/UDI outputs and Card Reader slots for the popular flash memory.
It should have the option of an optical drive. Thin profile DVDRW, HD DVD or Blu Ray.
It should have IR or Blue Tooth for wireless peripheral support.
This stuff isn't rocket science this is what the tech lover of 2006 is looking for and more. Apple's cool but come'on the guys writing about how cool Apple is are dockers wearing Old Skool Geeks. Don't read your press clipping Steve. Make the next cool thing that we didn't know could be made.
Originally posted by hmurchison
You're not dreaming.
Apple is fooling themselves if they think downloads replace a DVR.
What we need is a specialized box. It should have a HE Codec encoder that of course works in real time.
It should have CableCard slots (multistream) so that I can get rid of my infernal cable STB.
It should have 802.11n and Gigabit with Bonjour support.
It should be able to playback all iLife files.
The service should be part of .mac as in like a premium .mac plus service.
It should support external hard drives over the network(SMB) or via FW/eSATA
It should have HDMI/UDI outputs and Card Reader slots for the popular flash memory.
It should have the option of an optical drive. Thin profile DVDRW, HD DVD or Blu Ray.
It should have IR or Blue Tooth for wireless peripheral support.
This stuff isn't rocket science this is what the tech lover of 2006 is looking for and more. Apple's cool but come'on the guys writing about how cool Apple is are dockers wearing Old Skool Geeks. Don't read your press clipping Steve. Make the next cool thing that we didn't know could be made.
I don't know if you remember, but just a short while ago, Scientific Atlanta was for sale. Apple was one of those asking for information, but they didn't bid. Cisco bought it.
It was felt that this would have been of great advantage to Apple. But, you know Apple, they don't spend money on acquisitions.
Give it a couple of years the hardware will be a commodity and all that really matters is the infrastructure behind it and what tie-ins Apple could profit from.
Originally posted by hmurchison
Give it a couple of years the hardware will be a commodity and all that really matters is the infrastructure behind it and what tie-ins Apple could profit from.
.Mac will be the structure behind the future Mac and Beige Box Thin Clients.
Your home folder will be right below the Video/Music store in iTunes.
--B
Originally posted by hmurchison
I too thought that was a bit odd that Apple was listed as a potential buyer. Apple's a cheap company and SA eventually sold for $6.9 Billion dollars.
Give it a couple of years the hardware will be a commodity and all that really matters is the infrastructure behind it and what tie-ins Apple could profit from.
hmurchison
Ah! That's the point. The infrastructure that SA has. Also the relationship with the cable and satellite companies. The portal into tens of millions of customers homes.
Originally posted by onlooker
With an acquisition like that there would have way too much speculation than Apple would have been comfortable with.
Apple not comfortable with speculation?
Originally posted by onlooker
With an acquisition like that there would have way too much speculation than Apple would have been comfortable with.
But they did acquire that huge Tier 3 data center...
That place should pump some major amounts of data thru some fat-bandwidth pipes...
Originally posted by melgross
Apple not comfortable with speculation?
Probably not speculation so much as false prediction, and the fallout of consumer let down because they were stupid enough to believe it.
Originally posted by MacRonin
But they did acquire that huge Tier 3 data center...
That place should pump some major amounts of data thru some fat-bandwidth pipes...
That is nothing that isn't easily needed because of iTMS growth. Any crazy speculation, or prediction can easily be wiped away with logic.
I think the Macmini will have it as well as the whole desktop line up. Or Apple will create a stand alone box just like Elgato.
Actually, I would prefer some sort of equipment that we could store everything from music, photos, movies and videos. I rather have that than a computer on my entertainment set up. Have all the above being transferred wirelessly by some sort of Airport AV from my Mac. That would be sweet and the way to go IMHO.
Go read about Tivo to Go. I think you'll change your mind on the last part.
What I mean is that there are more steps in Tivo to Go.
While iTMS: download video - drag and drop on iPod icon.
Eventually TV will go to this model. Why not now while Apple's on top of it's game?
As for the DVR. What we need is for MythTV (http://www.mythtv.org/) to be fully ported to be an easy install on the new Mini. Large chunks of it are ported already. And if our DVR software is OpenSource, we can still have commercial advance. If Apple does it we will be lucky to get 30-second skip.
Does the New Mini have the power to encode one show while playing another? Or would an outside box be needed?
Corey
Now whenever Apple announces a great solution for the entertainment room I'll be ready. No more anxious waiting.
Originally posted by gugy
Just got tired of waiting. I purchase an EyeTV500 refurbish from Elgato. That would give me DVR and HDTV right on my 30" display.
Now whenever Apple announces a great solution for the entertainment room I'll be ready. No more anxious waiting.
I was thinking abut that earlier today myself, but I'm just going to upgrade my cable box to a HD-DVR model. I'd much rather have an Apple built setup though.
Originally posted by onlooker
I was thinking abut that earlier today myself, but I'm just going to upgrade my cable box to a HD-DVR model. I'd much rather have an Apple built setup though.
I agreed. An Apple solution would be better. But you can get a EyeTV500 for $199 refurbish direct from Elgato website. I figure out is not that much money. So Even if Apple announce something in the near future, would not be such a terrible expense to have the EyeTV.
With the Soccer World Cup coming soon I can't wait to to watch and record games in HDTV.