Anyone purchased an Apple TV at all.. and found that they are worth the money & value?

In my view, if you can get a US account for iTunes, it is worth it because you can rent and buy movies online. You can use US iTune cards purchased off ebay (at a premium) or get someone you know in the US to buy iTune gift cards and send them to you (at cost).

If you use an Australian account its a waste of money as you can't really use any of the movie features or TV show features at all (as Apple don't have any licencing arranges in Aussie to distribute the content). So effectively you are buying a glorified music box if you limit it to an Aussie account.

Please note that the Apple TV box itself does not differ. You can buy a Aussie Apple TV and use a US account on it. That's the only way I'd consider buying one (I haven't bothered at this point as I have a Mac Mini connected to my TV).

Hope this helps.

As with any box of tech, it depends if you want the features

If you had a vote on the Pacemaker, it is a yes for those that need it, and worthless for those with strong hearts

We use Apple TV a lot, even the iPhoto-driven screensaver with iTunes

And for uTube, and even for movie trailers

Others wouldn't

I've been seriously thinking about getting one for streaming movies from one end of the house to the other.

As was said above, people will have opinions based on their own needs/uses.

Until we get pricing parity with the US & a local movie store they are overpriced.
Anyway... you can achieve pretty much the same by running a line-out from your machine & using the Apple remote & Frontrow.

Rex writes...

they are overpriced.

Overpriced in your eyes for your needs

Appropriately priced for the many (like me) who bought them

Again, Depends on what you want to use it for. I have Quicktime Pro, which doesn't cost much and that will convert any movie from any format into Apple TV format. Also, Handbrake which is a free program, will convert any DVD into Apple TV format, so having the purchase facility, although handy, isn't really needed. Only takes 30 minutes to RIP a complete Movie from DVD to Apple TV format, then I drag the movie into iTunes and it will automatically sync it with Apple TV.
Everything is stored on my main Mac Computer in the study, so my lounge room is nice and tidy. Everything is stored on a 1TB external Hard drive on iTunes in Apple TV format, so I can stream anything I like from the study to my wide screen Plasma. It is fantastic.
Plus I love looking at Movie Previews, directly from the net and YouTube. Also, there are millions of PODCASTs available to view for free, many of them in HD. I think it is fantastic.
I also have all my iPhoto's synced to my Apple TV and I think it is great that after an outing where I have taken heaps of photos, I just plug my digital camera into the USB socket on my Mac, it automatically exports them into iPhoto, and then I open iTunes, which automatically syncs the new photos to my Apple TV. Within 10 minutes, I am sitting on my lounge looking at the photos I just took, on my wide screen TV as a slide show with music from my iTunes playlists....fantastic!

that will convert any movie from any format into Apple TV format. Also, Handbrake which is a free program, will convert any DVD into Apple TV format, so having the purchase facility, although handy, isn't really needed. Only takes 30 minutes to RIP a complete Movie from DVD to Apple TV format, ....Hard drive on iTunes in Apple TV format, so I can stream anything I like from the study to my wide screen Plasma. It is fantastic

That's what I don't get. There are many devices out there that are cheaper, and will handle most or all different file formats. So to say that it's easy to:

1. Convert movie.
2. Add into iTunes.
3. Watch movie

and then say the device is fantastic; begs the question:

How much more fantastic is a device that allows you to:

1. Watch movie.

If you were to say that interface was what made the AppleTV worth the closed formats and extra price, I would take your word for it.

I can also see how the syncing of everything through itunes may be of benefit to some people, but the fact that you have to sync is a big no-no for me.

slmtelstra writes...

fantastic!

Exactly : it works well and has unique features

But you need to need those facilities and actually use them

(no need to have a lawnmower if you live on 12th floor of apartments)

I brought ATV 160GB version in march 08, after using 2 months I think is not really worth the $ you are putting in and I decided to sell that thing.

ATV is a Big Hit in US because they can D/L movies or HD movies and watch it online and it was the main purpose of the ATV>

but in Australia, due to internet D/L limits, slow speeds ATV wont be a big hit.

With the divx hack yes

slmtelstra writes...

Only takes 30 minutes to RIP a complete Movie from DVD to Apple TV format, then I drag the movie into iTunes and it will automatically sync it with Apple TV.

Okay, one question about this... when you view a movie in this way is it screwed the same way when its viewed in iTunes?
I no longer use iTunes to watch TV & movies after Apples most recent software updates left any programmes converted squashed and stretched.

For simplicity, its worth it..

For features for the dollar than no its not worth it.

Other devices can do the same thing such as the 360, but they are a whoooole lot messier.
PLus hopefully we should have dvd rentals soonish.

If you dont want to put up with ugly interfaces, endless connection issues, remotes with thousands of buttons..then ATV is for you.

This product is massively crippled through it's lack of DVR/PVR functionality. If Apple added it to a future version, this would be a killer product.
If they wanted to go one better, it would be to support some kind of video output via FireWire, so you could use an iMac for viewing with the aTV used as a DVB decoder.

But alas, it has none of this, so it's just a fancy Mac Mini.

I bought one on a recent trip to the US. The hacking process was much easier that I had imagined (following the guides at iClarified), and now I'm happily watching downloaded movies and TV shows and using the Apple TV interface to play music streaming from iTunes (a feature I hadn't anticipated to be so useful). So thumbs up from me . . . for now.

Rex writes...

Okay, one question about this... when you view a movie in this way is it screwed the same way when its viewed in iTunes?
I no longer use iTunes to watch TV & movies after Apples most recent software updates left any programmes converted squashed and stretched.

It is always perfect when viewing on Apple TV. I have all my DVD's backup up on my External Hard drive in Apple TV format. In my lounge room I do not have the clutter of DVD's everywhere...just a nice wide screen TV, my surround sound system and nice furniture. If I want to watch something, everything is sitting nicely on my Apple TV, all with Menu's, easy to find. My DVDs are then stored and put away(only used once to make the backup) and I know they are in perfect order if I ever need them again).
Apple TV is the future of distribution of digital medium. You won't have DVD's or Optical disks in the furture, Blu Ray will be dead in 10 years....you will store these things on Hard drives..... Medium will be delivered through the internet...there are many ISP plans now (my TPG 25GB plan for $49.95) is great (1 movie is 700MB) and I am on ADSL2+ - Very fast. This will only get faster and cheaper in time.
Apple TV makes things easy. It connects easy, its setup is easy. There are other products on the market, but none make it as easy as Apple TV. None Sync with your PC, which should be the primary storage device for all your digital medium. In 2-3 years we will all be talking terrabytes, rather then Gigabytes, etc...and to Sync your content to Apple TV....to buy from iTunes directly from your TV (without the need of a computer if you wish) is great...and the iTunes Rentals and Movies will come in time, which will just further enchance it.

ebenhero writes...

now I'm happily watching downloaded movies and TV shows and using the Apple TV interface to play music streaming from iTunes (a feature I hadn't anticipated

I agree...it is great to have my iTunes library, over 16,000 songs sitting on Apple TV and I can play in my lounge room..or if I have a party, I can broadcast my iTunes from surround sound system my Mac is hook up to out to my court yard and also to my Apple TV at the same time, so everyone is hearing the same song no matter where they are...so many uses..

slmtelstra writes...

Apple TV is the future of distribution of digital medium. You won't have DVD's or Optical disks in the furture, Blu Ray will be dead in 10 years

No. Devices LIKE AppleTV will be the future. Until the AppleTV is opened up to more formats it will remain as a favourite among apple lovers, but that's it.

Apple TV makes things easy. It connects easy, its setup is easy. There are other products on the market, but none make it as easy as Apple TV. None Sync with your PC, which should be the primary storage device for all your digital medium. In 2-3 years we will all be talking terrabytes, rather then Gigabytes, etc

I am using a 6 year old games console, with free open source software. It makes things easy. It's easy to setup. It doesn't need to 'sync' with my pc. All it needs to do is point to my shared folders. There's no need to use proprietary programs, therefore other applications and devices can access the same files in the same way, without having to rely on 3rd party interoperability. Oh, and 2-3 years is here. I have terabytes of media, all cataloged nicely via xbmc.

SmokyJoe writes...

I am using a 6 year old games console, with free open source software. It makes things easy. It's easy to setup. It doesn't need to 'sync' with my pc. All it needs to do is point to my shared folders. There's no need to use proprietary programs, therefore other applications and devices can access the same files in the same way, without having to rely on 3rd party interoperability. Oh, and 2-3 years is here. I have terabytes of media, all cataloged nicely via xbmc

Ask your Grandma to set it up...

The Apple TV file format is just that, a format. There will always been a number of formats, but what actually makes this easier is there is just one...you don't need to keep updating CODEC's...I have two programs One that converts any other file to Apple TV and one that converts DVD's to Apple TV format.

As typical with Windows based solutions, when one of the CODEC's are updated, suddenly sound doesn't work, or the sound works and no picture, then you have to search for which one it is...then you need to download them all, but there is a new one out...and you spend hours trying to find out to play the file...Stuff that!!! One File Format for Apple TV....always works, everytime, nice and easy, anyone can use it (including my 3 year old.)

It doesn't need to 'sync' with my pc. All it needs to do is point to my shared folders

Yes, but you have to connect it to your network some how? And what happens if someelse uses that shared file with another PC, while you want to use it on your 6 year old console?? You recieve a sharing voilation..and to get around that you will need a lot of technical know how...Apple TV is easy...anyone can buy it, plug it into the power, connect it to the TV and thats it. When people say SYNC, all it is doing is checking to see if any additional media has been added to the central PC...and if so, it moves it using your WiFi to the Apple TV hard drive....I can watch content on my Apple TV, while others in the house use the main PC....(anyone using shared drives would struggle with)

slmtelstra writes...

As typical with Windows based solutions, when one of the CODEC's are updated, suddenly sound doesn't work, or the sound works and no picture, ...
Stuff that!!! One File Format for Apple TV....always works, everytime, nice and easy, anyone can use it

So, you're argument is to only use one file format? Well, if you have a windows based solution, what's stopping someone from deciding to use the ONE format for converting all their media too, one that works with their current system. Notice how it's the user deciding, not being forced? By the way, in the 3 years I have been using xbmc, I have not come across one file that would not play, and this is using a plethora of different versions of different codecs. That's what updates are for.

And what happens if someelse uses that shared file with another PC, while you want to use it on your 6 year old console?? You recieve a sharing voilation..and to get around that you will need a lot of technical know how..

Actually, totally incorrect. There have been many times where the same movie has been watched on 2 xbox's at the same time, with no issue whatsoever. I don't know what sort of file sharing Apple uses, but windows has no problem with multiple devices reading from a share.

+1 to thread searches.

SmokyJoe writes...

So, you're argument is to only use one file format? Well, if you have a windows based solution, what's stopping someone from deciding to use the ONE format for converting all their media too, one that works with their current system. Notice how it's the user deciding, not being forced? By the way, in the 3 years I have been using xbmc, I have not come across one file that would not play, and this is using a plethora of different versions of different codecs. That's what updates are for.

You miss the point completely. As said before, techno saavy people can choose, but techno savvy people count for less the 5% of people who purchase.....Apple TV provides one standard for everyone to use...people do not need to know what "CODEC" is. They transfer there media into iTunes and it ports over to Apple TV...nothing technical about it...no setting up complex shared networks as you need to do.

You would probably not buy an Eee PC either, but it is one of the biggest selling Portable laptops ever. Why? Because it has a simple front end...it is not comlpex.

Like Apple TV, IT JUST WORKS. No Tech required.

slmtelstra writes...

No Tech required.

I agree with that. I can see how it would appeal to the less tech savvy.

As for the OP's question, IMO they are not worth the money unless:
1. You are not tech savvy.
2. You live in the US (or want to spend a premium to access US iTunes content).

SmokyJoe writes...

As for the OP's question, IMO they are not worth the money unless:
1. You are not tech savvy.
2. You live in the US (or want to spend a premium to access US iTunes content).
slmtelstra writes... No Tech required.

I agree with that. I can see how it would appeal to the less tech savvy.

As for the OP's question, IMO they are not worth the money unless:
1. You are not tech savvy.
2. You live in the US (or want to spend a premium to access US iTunes content).

I agree. It would be nice if Apple Released an "EXPERTS KIT" where they give you the ability to open up the Apple TV so you can make the most out of it. That would be nice.

Zero  writes...

This product is massively crippled through it's lack of DVR/PVR functionality

I feel PVR functionality is not required. Part of the joy of Apple TV is the ability to source your own video and play that on your TV.

To be honest the quality of TV in Australia is low (including Foxtel - which I have) and combine that with half-baked EPGs (series link missing on FTA channels), PVR functionality would not be without it's own issues.

adderz writes...

Other devices can do the same thing such as the 360, but they are a whoooole lot messier.

Really. Not for me though. I purchased Connect360 on the weekend and it works flawlessly. I have my movies ripped in a shared directory on my NAS. All I do is point Connect360 to it and away I go. No need for syncing/copying to iTunes. Very simple.

And on the Xbox360 side, I just selected my iMac under movies as a device and away I go. Better still, the Xbox360 supports most formats, so there is no need to worry about converting. However, I do rip all mine to MP4.

All up, it took me no more than 5 minutes to setup. And most of that was taken up by walking from up stairs to down stairs and waiting for the Xbox360 to boot.

/me uses the newer Apple Mac Mini (comes with the remote), running on Tiger, with an eyeTV plugged into it, and ATV4mac working successfully. There's also some addons (cannot find URL) to integrate eyeTV (I think PyeTV?) into the AppleTV menu.

Gives the advantages of the AppleTV with the flexibility to add-on FLV/WMV players, *ahem* backup DVDs, DVD playing, etc.

ATV4mac: www.macgeekblog.com/blog...2-available.html

Depends.. i saw the 40gb Apple TV today in Good Guys Alexandria (Syd) for 270.00 save 179.00.

Didnt ask if it was a once off but if these are on special for a while i would consider buying one for 270.00

slmtelstra writes...

Apple TV is the future of distribution of digital medium. You won't have DVD's or Optical disks in the furture, Blu Ray will be dead in 10 years....you will store these things on Hard drives

I agree with everything except "you will store these things on Hard drives". I fully expect movie sales to go down.

Reasons: people will realise that they have huge collections of movies they haven't actually watched, or watched once. Renting would have been cheaper. Except it's a PITA to go out and rent a movie ... if only there was a way to rent a movie online ... hmmm.

Steve Jobs said it time and again: music is different to movies. You will listen to dozens, hundreds, of albums over and over again. You'll listen to music as background, at the gym, on the bus, etc. But you'll watch a movie once, maybe twice. And you must give it your full attention when you do. If you want background sound and vision, turn on the TV. (He made the statement in relation to a request to put video on the iPod. Although he 'dismissed' the idea at the time, he was clearly waiting for other things to come into play).

I have a few movie and TV series collections, but can't even muster up the effort to watch them. And if downloading a HD movie from Apple costs $5 and a click of the remote and happens in a few minutes, who is going to futz around with BitTorrent? Collectors, that's who. Bowerbirds. The same people who download gigabytes of music they never actually listen to.

Back OT: Love my Apple TV. Can't wait for movie DLs.

I wonder if we might see 24p movies on ATV and finally be rid of PAL speedup?

got an apple tv for my folks so that they could watch the crap i download. but now that they've install one of those taiwanese satellite dishes, they're going to give my apple tv the cold shoulder. =( going to get rid of it and get a PS3 with blu ray remote and medialink for my iMac to stream to the PS3. Not as apple centric...but more bang for buck. And oh..PS3's hdd is upgradable.

Seriously an XBox 360 is a much better option.

as a media centre or?

I love instantly renting movies in HD on my Apple TV :) That's what I bought it for, and it does the job admirably.

I was deciding for a long time.
but $630 for 160GB is just silly.
only 1080i (not 1080p) and only mp4.
Thats about it.

Yes, and youtube...

bought new HTPC with 4GB RAM and 500GB HDD and for less than $600 Running Media Center.
Full 1080p output, music, one click DVD watch/backup, youtube, inet radio, Divx and BluRay/HD DVD rips 1080p playback.
Could not be happier.

Apple TV is just overpriced fat ipod. Thats all.

Presidente writes...

bought new HTPC with 4GB RAM and 500GB HDD and for less than $600 Running Media Center.
Full 1080p output, music, one click DVD watch/backup, youtube, inet radio, Divx and BluRay/HD DVD rips 1080p playback.
Could not be happier.

But this is the same argument relating to the price of Macs....its almost trolling/religious debate lol

Your paying for the interface, your paying for the simplicity, your paying for the design. These things im happy to pay extra for...

I went through your old posts, and ive seen youve had TWO posts regarding problems with your HTPC.

That tells us something right there lol.

Although i WILL agree with you that the feature/price ratio isnt fair....even for Apple hardware...give it another revision and im sure it will even out though. It is there first endeavor into the field.

adderz writes...

That tells us something right there lol.

Mate you are a shocker!
You've just edited your post 4 times in 2 minutes...
You are impossible to reply to.

Anyway. Please go back and read about my 'problems' with HTPC and you will see that one is actually a question about the remote and second one was a settings change on graphics card drivers.

Presidente writes...

Mate you are a shocker!
You've just edited your post 4 times in 2 minutes...
You are impossible to reply to.

lol i know, i didnt want to come off too hostile, plus i thought of things just after id edited lol. I try to to it within ten minutes of my post though...

Still, issues are issues, and im sure less issues are to be had with an Apple TV.

One interesting thing though is the lack of codecs ATV, and thus ITunes supports. Why Apple would only support only 2 is beyond me....perhaps someone could shed some light on this?

OMG i even edited THAT post...perhaps im addicted to editing directly after ive posted...*seeks counseling*

i dont even realise im doing it sometimes...

Giancarlo writes...

I love instantly renting movies in HD on my Apple TV

And pray tell how one legally/simply does that in Australia?

If you hack it, yes.

Just get a US iTunes account and u can start renting.

saintalvin writes...

Just get a US iTunes account and u can start renting.

Needing a US credit card and/or a US billing address.
Yeah, simple.

Rex writes...

Needing a US credit card and/or a US billing address.
Yeah, simple.

You don't need either of those, and it really is a very simple process (ebay is your friend...)

antitone writes...

You don't need either of those, and it really is a very simple process

Huh? so if i buy an american ATV ill be able to download movies? please explain i thought u need a payment option with an american billing address?!

ausiphone writes...

Huh? so if i buy an american ATV ill be able to download movies? please explain i thought u need a payment option with an american billing address?!

You can purchase a US itunes gift card with an Aus credit card or paypal account through certain avenues and set up a US account. With the current exchange rate, it works out pretty well, although you do pay a slight premium through some sellers.

Movie rentals work well & with certain broadband providers the downloads are not counted as part of your quota. I've only been watching them on a mbp, but am seriously thinking about getting a mate in the US to pick up an ATV as they're only about $250AUS now.

so if I have access to a US iTunes account with credit, I will have immediate access to the US Apple iTunes store ... no hacking required? Because I heard otherwise

DiscoGuy writes...

o if I have access to a US iTunes account with credit, I will have immediate access to the US Apple iTunes store

You sure do - very easy and great to use

dang... that is pretty sweet

antitone writes...

but am seriously thinking about getting a mate in the US to pick up an ATV as they're only about $250AUS now.

Or try here...
www.priceusa.com.au

antitone writes...

not counted as part of your quota.

.... i know the AU store is covered under iinet freeZone...but is the US one as well?

Yep, everything free and not quoted in your quota.

antitone writes...

everything free and not quoted in your quota.

and i am just learning this NOW....

with the ATV, can i sync movies onto my laptop, wihtout restrictions?

Rex writes...

And pray tell how one legally/simply does that in Australia?

Purchase a prepaid US card off eBay... takes about 2 minutes and you're up and running.

Sorry to hijack...

can anyone tell me if you can use the usb port for flash key divx/avi playing?

I'm assuming you'd need to hack or otherwise modify.

Edit:

ausiphone writes...

i saw the 40gb Apple TV today in Good Guys Alexandria (Syd) for 270.00 save 179.00.

Is this for real?

A US itunes account makes it 10 times more usuful, at least until we get content like it here.

Even without you get video podcasts on demand, remote speakers for itunes, photo sharing via Flickr or .Mac, streaming or synced music from your iTunes libary, streaming or synced movies and more. It works really well and makes my life better without much fuss at all. The only thing I really have to think about is viedo formats. Now when I add a video to my collection I ensure its in MP4 format by using VisualHub.

I'm not that tech savvy. I use a MacBook myself so I'm not anti Apple, but I personally don't see the value in the ATV. I use a 360 to watch stuff I've downloaded shared straight from the media folder on a PC which is acting as a file server.

As far as the ability to play stuff from iTunes etc, don't use iTunes as I like to get whatever media I want rather than media from only a single source and I like to sort it the way I want rather than have to learn how someone else wants me to sort things and look at things.

It just happens to be that the 360 file system is the way I like to look at things. Personally can't stand the Mac "Album covers" approach and our local Apple rep agrees with me on that one.

Also I like to play the odd game in the lounge and AFAIK there is no version of Guitar Hero III for Mac yet?

regarding the good guys alexandria store - yep this is correct i just bought one they have them sealed in the box. $279 it is. the reason they are giving for them being so cheap is they want to get rid of them....
they have 2 left 3 including the display model.

I've had my Apple TV from day one.
I love the Apple TV, it's an extension of my MAC.

It's only going to get better over time and I'll have a i-Tunes compatible library established.

It's like the early days of Album Cover Art... It was alot of work scaning the Artwork but in the long run it's been worth it.

It's all about integration, MAC / .MAC / Apple TV / i-Phone

Sorry my friend but until you can download 50gb in under an hour, you will still need a storage medium. The HD offered by apple and Amazon etc is not FUll HD (the picture is only 720p and the sound is 5.1DD). So until Australia gets internet to support it and the world gets Hard drives to support Hd files you need blu-ray. But if you get an American itunes account then its worth it, i have mine set up to watch all the tv shows i get from the Us itunes. There is no point buying from the Aussie store. a song is $1.69 here and $.99c in the Us which is $1.06 plus the ocnversion fee from your bank and your looking at $1.12. Apple needs to fix there pricing not just for digital media but for their hardware aswell.

All you do is set it up on itunes to make Us your default store. My ATv and ipod touch all go to the US store when i want to buy something

ausiphone writes...

Huh? so if i buy an american ATV ill be able to download movies? please explain i thought u need a payment option with an american billing address?!

Just to clarify - you don't need to buy an American Apple TV to get access to the USA iTunes store.

If you have an USA iTunes account (very easy to get via prepaid cards on ebay) - you can use it on an Apple TV you buy here in Australia.

IMO I think people should stop whinging about the lack of Movies and TV shows locally and just get the USA iTunes account. The cost for songs and movie videos is 30-40% cheaper than the Australian one. Movies and TV shows unlikely to be any different.

Why pay more for the same content just because of where you live?

btb0y writes...

IMO I think people should stop whinging about the lack of Movies and TV shows locally and just get the USA iTunes account. The cost for songs and movie videos is 30-40% cheaper than the Australian one. Movies and TV shows unlikely to be any different.

Why pay more for the same content just because of where you live?

+1, well said

Playa writes...

It's all about integration, MAC / .MAC / Apple TV / i-Phone

Yes, This is why I am a steadfast Apple fan. Everything works together so well and so easily, but you need to make the jump to see it.

Looking back I wasted untold hours tinkering with windows and related hardware and software to not get what I have now from Apple with no tinkering or tweaking. I thought that I enjoyed the tinkering but I have better things to do.