The successes of iPod, iMac, MacBook and iPhone are well known. Yet quietly in the corner is Apple TV — not many talk about it. After just a few days use, I am surprised this device doesn’t get more love. Maybe it still needs to rebuild its reputation after the first expensive/not interesting version came out.
We bought one this weekend and let me tell you — this is an unbelievable value IMHO. We got the entry model (40GB) with a lower amount of storage space since we determined a lower need for persistent storage capacity.
In one device, I might possibly realize a la carte viewing.
Television
In many ways, a DVR such as Tivo helps the cable/satellite subscriber achieve more value by recording shows they wouldn’t otherwise watch. But it hurts in much the same way that eating that Super Size Meal does — you feel obligated to consume more than you wanted because you paid for it.
With Apple TV, I can purchase the overwhelming majority of shows I want to watch only when/if I want to watch them. This fills in the gaps of shows I am not getting for free in HD over the air. I can definitely see this as easing the cutting of the cable/satellite cord. If the device added DVR capability it would be game,set, match.
Video Podcasts/YouTube
The other really cool thing is that all of those video podcasts I subscribe to really make more sense now on a television. Viewing YouTube videos on demand is wonderful entertainment. Video quality varies(obviously), but this is probably good for me or I’d be back to gorging at the video trough.
Movies
iTunes movie rentals are straightforward. I think the rental price is fair. Supposedly the HD quality isn’t technically HD or as good as Blu-Ray, but I thought it looked really good.
Music
Yeah, it will play my music library too. That isn’t a small thing when pumped through your home stereo.
Photos
Being able to view my photos on the TV without needing to bring down a camera and plug it in is nice. And the interface is really slick. It adds Flickr support which doesn’t help me much as I am a SmugMug guy, but for a lot of folks this would be great.
I love my AppleTV. I bought it right away, and although version two is better then the first, it still wasn’t that bad to begin with. I figured Apple would work with it and they did! I have transferred most of my favorite music playlists from iTunes to it, plus I watch or listen to daily podcasts, my favorite YouTube videos, my iPhoto albums, and purchased TV shows from iTunes.
Plus, WOW! Do iTunes rented HD movies look and sound great! I’ll never rent another DVD again.
I can see buying another AppleTV later with a larger hard drive, as I have iTunes setup to transfer new TV shows to the AppleTV until I watch them. I tend to buy a lot of shows and I like to keep them there so that I don’t have to have my MacBook on all the time for streaming the shows to the AppleTV.
I would like to see more HD content from iTunes, such as music videos! I would be wiling to pay an extra dollar for some videos to be able to buy them in HD. I also have a 1TB TimeCapsule on a real 802.11n (5 GHz) network, and I actually store my iTunes videos there, which works out great!
With Blu-Ray players still pricey, this is a great way to get HD for a low price and with the convenience of home downloads as well. The fiber-optic sound connection provides the best surround sound I’ve heard yet out of my system.
Only complaints are wishing rentals would last 48 hours (instead of 24) and more movies available for HD rental.
With these exceptions, I’ve been amazed by what this little box can do. Typical Apple product, it just works!
Yep, throw me in the pool of very satisfied Apple TV owners!
I agree with everyone’s assessment before. Only minor things need tweaking. But I have to say my biggest surprise in having an Apple TV (which is not even required) is the discovery of all the cool video Podcasts. Having them subscribed to update automatically as well as perusing via the Apple TV has made it a daily experience. The breadth and quality of episodes is amazing.
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@Aaron: You can have Apple TV access files on your Time Capsule? How does that work? I don’t have a Time Capsule, but this intrigues me — makes me think I can use this as an always on centralized location that plays well with iTunes?
Hi Ryan,
I couldn’t agree more. The AppleTV is misunderstood and underrated. We’re long time Mac heads and have multiple Macs & iPods. However, we never considered the AppleTV. On paper it just didn’t seem too compelling.
Several months ago I bought one for my parents so they could easily watch home video of their grandkids on their TV. Since they are in their 70’s I wasn’t sure if they would take to it and was prepared to return it.
The minute the first photo appeared on the screen my Mom clutched her chest, gasped and got a tear in her eye. I knew right then it was a keeper. The photos just look so good on the HDTV. They love watching the screensaver of their photos as they get to see photos they haven’t seen in a long time. They’ll sit there for several minutes just oohing and aahing.
Your other comment about feeling obligated to a DVR is spot on. We had Satellite TV for 5 months and finally killed it. We were watching a bunch of marginal crap that we wouldn’t normally watch if we had to go get it. Now, we watch only the shows we really want and feel more in control of our experience.
The bottom line is the AppleTV just feels good.
best,
Michael
http://www.familyhack.com