Let's not deceive ourselves. Apple TV isn't the first device to do what Apple TV does, not by a long shot. It suffers many shortcomings. But for reasons that become self-evident the moment the familiar Apple logo appears on your HDTV after plugging it in, you know why this product will be a raging success when other similar products have flopped. What Apple has done with Apple TV is to corral an ornery collection of technologies and concepts and somehow made them all not merely palatable to nonpropeller-head consumers, but with its usual élan and panache, has actually made the damn thing fun.
THE ESSENTIALS: APPLE TV
WHO WANTS THIS
Anyone who wants to listen and watch their iTunes collection through their home stereo and TV. And we mean anyone, from geeks to gramps.
WHY
It streams music, TV shows and movies downloaded from iTunes to their entertainment gear and puts digital pictures on a big screen.
WHAT'S COOL
Insanely easy to set up, and it uses your pictures in its animated screensaver without you telling it to. If fact, it does a lot of sweet things without drilling through menus to instruct it.
WHAT'S LAME
No way to stream pictures, no way to find specific pictures and no HD content (yet) on iTunes. What a waste of an HDMI connection.
FINAL MARK: A–
Even without HD content and picture thumbnails, Apple TV's ease-of-setup and eerie way of anticipating your needs ensure it won't become a doorstop.
PRICE: $300
Check out Apple's website for details.
But wait, there's more. Apple TV also streams. It streams whatever music or video doesn't fit on the Apple TV hard drive. It streams dozens of movie trailers and 30-second music video clips. If you add content to iTunes, and there's room on the Apple TV hard drive, it automatically updates it.
And, like all Apple products, the thing just works. No, it more than works. It's cool. It looks cool. It performs cool. You just want to sit and play with it. You want to scroll through your digital pictures because they look so real on a big-screen HDTV backed by an automatic soundtrack with songs frighteningly appropriate. Your pictures become a 3D sliding tile screen saver. The 640 x 480-pixel iTunes movies are upconverted to match the native resolution of your HDTV. Apple calls it "near" DVD, and they're right; only the platinum-eyed set will be able to tell the difference. Streamed videos start up faster than a DVD.
And yet, it could be better. Apple TV works only with an HDTV, yet there's no HD content on iTunes (although you can make your own HD movies and import them to iTunes). It doesn't include an HDMI cable. It streams only with your PC with iTunes running. It works best with an 802.11n router, but the N specification isn't finished and your N modem may need a firmware upgrade before it'll work. It works only with iTunes. It doesn't stream photos. It has no thumbnail gallery for pictures; you have to scroll through your albums to find a specific shot.
Oh, one last quibble: It runs hot. But it's still cool.
editor@dvice.com
By alanpgh at 9:03 PM ON 04/10/07
This is the best, most balanced, review of Apple TV I have seen to date. I've had an Apple TV for a few weeks, and it is superb and so intuitive to use.
One additional comment:
There are some great HD podcasts becoming available, with more every week. There's some great content that is not available on conventional TV. Apple TV and the available content will only get better!
Thanks for the excellent review!
Alan
By kevinoliver99 at 1:36 AM ON 04/11/07
That is very interesting.I like it very much.
Flv to avi
http://www.avi-converter.net
By pixelmonk at 3:21 PM ON 04/11/07
The SCI-FI review was good, but appleTV is overly-hyped, just as is the ipod. There is better technology out there. Apple is just the flavor of the month thanks to the ipod. Most hardware reviewers have bliders on because of the ipod-love. (regarding ipods.. I'd rather have an archos.. more flexible). (regarding appletv, i'd rather have an sff media center computer (whether you use mc2k4, linux or osx). Even the slingbox has better capabilities than the appletv. To summarize.. don't get all Apple-giggly just because an apple product comes out. Realize that apple isn't as innovative as they lead you to believe. Touch screen phones are already on the market. Touch screen mp3/video players with wireless internet are already on the market (ie Archos 604/704 wifi). Apple is NOT your friend, just as Google is NOT your friend. They're there to hype their products and make money.. nothing more.
By jchamber at 10:38 AM ON 04/12/07
I have a Sony 36" TV that I purchased in 1999. It is not HD and it is not widescreen. It does, however, have component video.
I purchased the Apple TV knowing that it had supported component video. I set the Apple TV resolution to 480p and it works great with my non-HDTV, non-widescreen TV.
The statements that you have to buy a HDTV or widescreen TV is simply not true. As long as your TV supports component video at 480p, Apple TV will work great.
By kohyuta at 11:24 AM ON 04/12/07
pixelmonk...
You may rather have more technically capable mp3 players or media centers, but the majority of us aren't techies and just want something that works intuitively. The iPod isn't the most capable player, it's just the easiest player to use. Just like the review said, the AppleTV isn't the most capable, just the easiest to use.
And sure touch-screens are currently in use, but it's not JUST touch-screen, Apple is going to intro MULTI-touch. Current touch-screens can't handle multi-touch... it's the interface that's innovative. And Archos is just in it for the $$ too, you know :)
By kohyuta at 11:26 AM ON 04/12/07
Yup, AppleTV actually can handle 480i output, so even my non-HD 4:3 aspect ratio Toshiba TV with component inputs will work. The question is does AppleTV automatically letterbox widescreen content?
By stuartde at 11:51 AM ON 04/13/07
AppleTV brings order to chaos. Sure, there may be products out there with more dials, knobs, switches, and levers. Here's the thing: I don't want to deal with that crap to watch the latest episode of Battlestar Galactica! Television is for escapist entertainment, not ramping up for space shuttle flight deck certification.
What many techies and manufacturers fail to grasp is that consumers want end-to-end solutions. Folks don't want to stitch eighteen different pieces together to fulfill a simple need. AppleTV is an extension of the iTunes ecosystem. I see something I want, I buy it, and it works. No fuss over incompatible content, funky server settings, or endless patches and reboots. Keep your media centers; I hope you like them. Me, I'll stick with my caveman AppleTV, because at the end of the day (literally and figuratively) that's about all the brainpower I have left.
By galacticaftw at 9:59 AM ON 05/30/07
i agree that this TV is looks cool, but i did not see much of programes. dose it work with a cable box or is it its own cable box.
what i want to see from apple is a wireless box that will.
-wireless/wired link to your comp with DVI/VGA screen link to TV (and convert rez if needed).
-100gb HD DVR for all chans
-Built in cable box that works with Cable and Dish
-Uplink to Ipod and data trans
-Works on HD and non HD TVs
-Built in DVD player
-At least 2 I/O RCA/component video to play Video games through the system.
that would be the best apple thing ever, an AOI tv box with cable and all that fun stuff. that i would pay for.
By kentrace at 8:10 PM ON 12/18/07
I love this idea. It's about time.
By t0paint at 1:13 PM ON 12/19/07
What is there to say it is an apple and its a TV now if I had the money I would get two. easy to use easy to understand.
By sdelaney at 10:18 PM ON 12/21/07
What a fabulous picture!
By zombiedavid at 3:04 AM ON 12/23/07
why ,when there are so many sci fi horror and suspense movies available over the last 20 years must you keep showing the same damn movies
thank youdavid skelley
By henry at 2:02 PM ON 12/29/07
no comment
By myyrddin at 10:13 AM ON 12/30/07
Very Cool!