Apple TV do you have it?

[Blue.Fairy2]

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_ipod/family/apple_tv?mco=Nzk2MDUzMA

Looks awesome trying to find an alternative to high satellite services.

Is this worth the $225 price tag


I like the fact that it is wireless. Wish it was black though.

how does it work do? Do you need to use one of your hdmi ports?

how easy is it to set up?

TIA

Blue

 

[AmberHeartsDisney]

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_ipod/family/apple_tv?mco=Nzk2MDUzMA

Looks awesome trying to find an alternative to high satellite services.

Is this worth the $225 price tag


I like the fact that it is wireless. Wish it was black though.

how does it work do? Do you need to use one of your hdmi ports?

how easy is it to set up?

TIA

Blue

My fiance has this and he really enjoys it. Its pretty much just plug and play but he downloaded a program called "Boxie" i believe that lets you play things that you didnt "buy" from apple.

 

[rmbean]

I (and several of my friends) have ATV and LOVE it! It has a high level of geeky tech potential, but it is also extremely user friendly without any tech knowledge at all.

Out of the box you can buy anything from iTunes (including full seasons of TV shows at discounted prices), and search and watch iTunes videos. If you have another PC with iTunes loaded, you can stream all of your music and videos from your PC so in theory, you are only limited by the disk space on your computer (and money to purchase the content). I have over 1 TB of content available on demand on my TV at any time. I have loaded up tons of kids videos and music so the little ones are never bored.

On the slightly more technical side, there are free programs out there that let you convert your DVD collection to iTunes format so you can view them on the ATV.

Finally, one the super geeky side, you can "hack" the software on the ATV to do a ton of fun stuff... you can load up a full featured web browser, stream and duplicate full DVD functionality (including menus), and run the aforementioned Boxee software to stream content from Hulu and other video sites. Ths is not entirely difficult, but it's certainly not for the technically challenged.

It hooks up either through HDMI or component video and allows for either WiFi or wired ethernet to connect to the internet/other iTunes computers on your network.

There are other products other there that promise to do similar things, but the ATV is VERY user friendly and comes in at a fairly affordable price point. One other great thing is all the content will play on your iPod/iPhone if you have one!

I will keep an eye on this thread in case you have any other questions. I'm happy to answer.

 

[Blue.Fairy2]

I am not technically challenged (new to apple though) sounds great I think I am sold!

thanks for the responses!

So the program is boxee?

 

[rmbean]

Yes, Boxee is the program.

I can't post links since I'm too new, but you can find them at www dot boxee dot tv

I believe you also get it "painlessly" by getting the ATV Flash software (plain text link: www dot atvflash dot com). They also include a ton of other stuff like web browsers, etc. FYI... All the things they include are availabe free elsewhere, but the build an installer and keep updating the software for you so you're really paying for a service. I've used them in the past and have been very pleased. I went back to factory standard recenly so I could get the software updates from Apple. Hacks for the ATV only work with specific versions of ATV software. You usually have to get an updated version of the hack if you update the software from Apple. I got too lazy to keep doing that I may start doing it again in the future.

Good luck to you and enjoy your new toy!

 

[DisneyDreamer04]

Just a quick question, but do you have to have one for every room you want to see a program? (ex: bedrooms)

 

[rmbean]

Short answer - yes.

Think of it like a DVD Player. There are items that will let you watch movies from a single DVD player all over the house, but it requires some extra money and wiring. The ATV would work the same way... it outputs audio/video to a single device.

So the longer answer is: you could make a single unit work all over your house, but it would take some work (and you'd only be able to watch a single show at a time on all TVs).

One upside it the unit is very small and boots quickly. We move ours around the house and even bring it on vacation with us.

 

[DisneyDreamer04]

Gotcha Thank you very much! I have always wondered about how that would work.

 

[hsmamato2]

does apple tv stream regular tv?

 

[PinballFamily]

Thanks, rmbean - we appreciate you taking the time to help us all understand this!

I've also been considering Apple TV, as we've recently cut our cable back to the basic, basic, basic level (about ten stations) and are saving $80 a month! Can you use Apple TV to watch hulu? That's the way I catch several of the shows I miss from cable...

 

[rmbean]

does apple tv stream regular tv?

and

Can you use Apple TV to watch hulu?

Out of the box, no it doesn't. It plays everything iTunes can and not much more. A hacked unit can stream shows through Boxee. You used to be able to play Hulu through Boxee although I can't guarantee that still works. We used to catch up on missed episodes of network shows and it really did work great. The problem with the hacked units is they are only as good as the independent programmers make them. Sometimes they are on top of the updates, sometimes they let things slide a bit. That's why I can't guarantee it still works. It DEFINITELY used to though.

Forgot to mention earlier... out of the box it can stream tons of video and audio podcasts (many in HD). I watch several hour long shows each week for free and enjoy them very much. I even stream some Disney parades for the little ones to watch. Good stuff!

One more thing... hacking the unit DOES NOT void the warranty (as far as I know - don't hold me to that). Every hack I've ever applied has been easily removed by hard resetting the device (back to factory standard). It's easy to try it and revert if it's not what you want.