Comments on: Apple TV Strike 3.0

By: NatTheGooner

NatTheGooner — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:49:00 +0000

The problem here is that Apple are making something that the whole family can use, but us “blokes” always seem to want try and get it to do other stuff just because we know it could – like playing .mkv or .avi files or link to NetFlix or 1080p (its gotta be P not i!!!) or web browsing. I’ve been looking at a WD Live box to play some *ahem* ripped Blu-ray files but then you look at the ugly remote and the fact that it won’t link to the iTunes store and its game over.
I like all the cool integration with iLife, “Export for Apple TV” in iMovie and stuff like that, its all so slick and useful – I wouldn’t get all that with media box made by another brand.

By: NatTheGooner

NatTheGooner — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:49:15 +0000

The problem here is that Apple are making something that the whole family can use, but us “blokes” always seem to want try and get it to do other stuff just because we know it could – like playing .mkv or .avi files or link to NetFlix or 1080p (its gotta be P not i!!!) or web browsing. I've been looking at a WD Live box to play some *ahem* ripped Blu-ray files but then you look at the ugly remote and the fact that it won't link to the iTunes store and its game over.
I like all the cool integration with iLife, “Export for Apple TV” in iMovie and stuff like that, its all so slick and useful – I wouldn't get all that with media box made by another brand.

By: Jay

Jay — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:37:00 +0000

Typo… I should have said “and for god sakes get iTunes out of the circuit so we can use APPLETV with a server when we want to. “

Mia culpa.

By: Jay

Jay — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:35:37 +0000

They would make a lot of money from selling these devices, especially with larger drives (a no brainer) a faster processors (to play HD), and for god sakes get iTunes out of the circuit so we can use iTunes with a server when we want to.

Right now Apple seems to be holding back progress in a number of areas. Just make the stuff great, give us options to help grow it, and don't get in the way. The iPhone app store, though flawed, is an excellent example of improving the platform by getting out of the way.

By: Jay

Jay — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:30:05 +0000

The main comparison was Apple TV 3.0 to it's own earlier versions. If they could simply improve what they did, and build on it rather than take a massive step not only backwards but also toward less flexibility and ability.

But if you are looking for other options, there are many, just google it. Western Digital and others. The difference is they aren't doing much for Macs. So we are stuck for the moment.

By: BrianE

BrianE — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 14:44:10 +0000

Thank you everyone for your comments.

This post is meant to be part Boxee public service announcement, part praise for Boxee and part rant about the lack of fundamental media player functionality.

As Jay indicated, streaming from a NAS with the Apple TV is an after thought. Technically what some are describing is Apple TV streaming from iTunes as it was intended. It just so happens, iTunes can store it's media library on the NAS. This relies on your Mac or PC brokering that communication which effectively doubles network traffic. This is hardly a standalone feature as it requires a PC or Mac running iTunes. Yes, transcoding movies is a big deal.

I still consider myself an Apple TV junkie, I use Boxee running on my Apple TV everyday. I stand by my comments that without fundamental network media player functionality after 2.5 years the Apple TV is missing the point. For this I think many Apple TV junkies are becoming frustrated (I expect the upgrade process "just works" in traditional Apple fashion). The Apple TV can be so much more as Boxee has demonstrated. These updates seem to only tease Apple TV junkies about that potential and leave them wanting more (and possibly a bit delusional that Apple will provide more).

When I return from vacation I hope the issues with Launcher and Apple TV 3.0 will be resolved so I can evaluate the additional functionality in more detail. At that time, I expect I may even be able to provide a review of the upcoming Boxee updates as well.

By: Allan

Allan — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 11:44:05 +0000

AppleTV is an iTunes extender. It does a great job of it, except for not accessing home movies imported into iPhoto.

What people are saying they want is a streaming device that can tap into Pandora, Hulu, Netflix, and all the network sites. Like Boxee.

Tell me, how does Apple make money from enabling this streaming from third party sites?

I'm sure Apple would love to give us these features. But not at the cost of destroying iTunes.

By: NatTheGooner

NatTheGooner — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 07:12:26 +0000

There are lots of media players but I want to know which one is better than the ATV and why.
I hear all the negative comments and wonder what these people are comparing it too?

By: ryan

ryan — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 02:44:58 +0000

I agree with the article, I use Boxee almost exclusively. Although this purely due to the codec limitations. Honestly, I just don't want to wait the thirty minutes to recode my downloaded content and then move it to iTunes.

By: Jay

Jay — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:11:06 +0000

Several media players are out there, and are increasingly made for macs. If Apple doesn't get on the ball and make this actually work other parties will come in. The competition may help them get their asses in gear and put the A team on it.

By: lostbear

lostbear — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 22:20:07 +0000

I disagree that Apple TV without Boxee is pointless. Sure, I look forward to new features in the future. I don't believe that Apple TV is anywhere near its full potential. In the meantime, I'm enjoying Apple TV for access to my music, TV shows, podcasts, and movies. If I feel like renting a movie, there's nothing more convenient than Apple TV. Hopefully ATV Flash will be updated in the very near future (I have to agree that it's a nice add-on option).

My suspicion is that Apple has big plans for Apple TV. I'm not sure what those plans are. We may get a sense of where they're headed with a hardware update next year. The company that creates a user friendly and feature rich solution to video delivery to the living room will reap great financial rewards. Apple will not be left out of the game; however, the time has to be right. Disappointment is greatest when we're unrealistic. DVR would be fantastic, but expecting DVR seems to be unrealistic, because of Apple's apparent business model. 1080p streaming content will probably come to Apple TV. Apple TV was probably introduced without that capability partly because Apple is concerned about the user experience given the current bandwidth limitations. Blu-ray capability may come some day, but I suspect not in the near future.

By: NatTheGooner

NatTheGooner — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 15:36:57 +0000

OK – so don't use your Apple TV
What piece of hardware would you get if you could swap it for your ATV right now?

name names!

By: Jay

Jay — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:10:16 +0000

Sadly I an finding streaming was a real afterthought for them. If you keep your media on a separate drive, you need to suffer an long (even on Ethernet) loading screen.

Also the pushing of stuff to buy rent across the screen is really tacky. You need to hack parental controls to get rid of that, if not your 5 year old gets to see horror DVD covers or other inapproprate stuff randomly appear.

Basically a total failure. I'm going back to the lackluster but more reliable older version . Really disappointed! Apple is missing a real opportunity. Very unlike them.

By: yodamac

yodamac — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:56:59 +0000

Wow! Unpleasantly surprised to see such a negatively focused article on APPLE TV JUNKIE website!

I am an real AppleTV Junkie, and don't consider the AppleTV to be “pointless” at all! It does what it was intended to do, and beautifully.

All my iTunes and iPhoto content is streamed wirelessly from my Mac Mini upstairs to my HDTV in the living room downstairs. My media all resides on external RAID drives with no problem. The Computer has to be on, but it's a no-brainer to set daily wake-up/sleep times. My AppleTV is ready and waiting for me when I get home every day.

I installed Boxee a while ago, but was sorely disappointed in the internet quality video on my HDTV. I prefer Apple's SD and HD content over Boxee any day – and so I uninstalled it and don't miss it one bit.

The 3.0 update was not a “frustration” for me at all. I appreciate the new menu appearance, and the added functionality. I guess I'm just not the type of person who only sees “what they didn't get”.

Ah, well. I'll continue to enjoy using my AppleTV for what it was meant to do, and hopefully continue reading articles on what was my favorite AppleTV website.

By: hfisher999

hfisher999 — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:58:35 +0000

I like it…be happy! I lost my Boxee….but they're working on it! Too much stress…love AppleTV or stop using it and stop complaining….

By: Jeff

Jeff — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:42:28 +0000

This is akin to people who jailbreak their iPhones complaining everytime Apple updates the software. The price you pay for hacking is you may have to wait to upgrade until your hacks are updated, pointless to complain. I installed Boxee for the first time the day before 3.0 came out but had already found it unusable for Hulu (stutters unbearble) which was my main quest.

By: andrew

andrew — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:28:36 +0000

seriously? i don't get why everyone like you pretends boxee is so great.

i installed it on my appletv and couldn't remove it fast enough, the user interface is terrible and its in incredibly slow.

the appletv can stream from a nas, quiet easily.. you put the nas on your mac/pc serving as your itunes server and stream the content to your appletv. problem solved.

additional codecs would be nice, but is it really that hard to run a file through handbrake?