A Poor Man's Apple TV (wired)...

[dapetrun]

With what I've learned here and from Apple's own web site, I think the Apple TV is too severely limited in what it offers the consumer to justify the $299 price! I bought a 12' VGA cable for $10 and a $3 adapter and hooked my MBP up to my 52" Sony LCD. I can listen to all my music, videos, pictures with music, EyeTV TV shows recorded with my EyeTV Hybrid, Podcasts from ITMS, and downloaded movies from Limewire via my movie directory... all via Front Row using the little remote control that came with my MBP! Also, I can pull content from my wife's PowerBook and my daughter's iMac via Bonjour and play any of their content on the same wide screen TV. Why would anyone spend that kind of money to do LESS when the $13 I spent can do so much more?
I don't have to convert any of the EyeTV programs into iPod codec before viewing either. My A/V amp is adjacent to my TV so (most) of my cables all go to the amp for switching. The shows I record (like 24 and CSI) all come thru via the ATSC tuner in digital quality in widescreen and I canNOT tell the difference between this quality and true HD via live HD broadcasts from rooftop VHF/UHF antenna feed. Life is good without AppleTV. I might buy a Mini to put in my A/V rack and dedicate it to DVR status.

 

[Allotriophagy]

Why would anyone spend that kind of money to do LESS when the $13 I spent can do so much more?
I

To own an extra shiny white box with an Apple on it?

And don't forget you might be able to play games on it. On your TV. Like an Atari 2600. Which would cost around $600 in "today's" money. So basically Apple are giving you $400. For free.

 

[robPOD]

To own an extra shiny white box with an Apple on it?

And don't forget you might be able to play games on it. On your TV. Like an Atari 2600. Which would cost around $600 in "today's" money. So basically Apple are giving you $400. For free.

Lol i agree the apple tv is a waste of money.

 

[Multimedia]

I Do The Same

My 40" Samsung LN-S4095 is one of 4 monitors on my Quad G5. I run it the same way you do as just another screen that happens to be BIG. I also run 3 other screens simultaneously:

Left 1200 wide x 1600 high 20" Rotated Dell
Center 2560 x 1600 30" Dell
Right 1920 x 1200 24" Dell
Far Right 1920 x 1080 40" Samsung LN-S4095 8ms LCD HDTV

Two EyeTV Tuners:

EyeTV 500 Digital FireWire
EyeTV Hybrid USB2

So I can record two digital streams at once. I don't watch analog TV any more EVER. I am ANTI-Analog TV now. I HATE it.

AppleTV would be redundant in my situation UNLESS I wanted to use it as a 5th video card if I were to add another 30" Screen to my Quaad G5. But it would deliver an INFERIOR set of services to what I can do being hard wired like dapetrun's.

 

[SkyBell]

Lol i agree the apple tv is a waste of money.

Uh...are we reading the same post? As far as I can tell, that was praise.

Or maybe I need to put on my glasses...

 

[aristobrat]

With what I've learned here and from Apple's own web site, I think the Apple TV is too severely limited in what it offers the consumer to justify the $299 price! I bought a 12' VGA cable for $10 and a $3 adapter and hooked my MBP up to my 52" Sony LCD. I can listen to all my music, videos, pictures with music, EyeTV TV shows recorded with my EyeTV Hybrid, Podcasts from ITMS, and downloaded movies from Limewire via my movie directory... all via Front Row using the little remote control that came with my MBP!

So what does everyone in your house do for music, videos, pictures, and EyeTV shows when you take your MBP out with you somewhere?

 

[sycho]

And don't forget you might be able to play games on it. On your TV. Like an Atari 2600. Which would cost around $600 in "today's" money. So basically Apple are giving you $400. For free.

So what about the games that can be played in a MacBook Pro?

 

[synth3tik]

If someone can afford a 52" LCD, they can afford an Apple TV, even though yes it is rather spendy

 

[balamw]

If someone can afford a 52" LCD, they can afford an Apple TV, even though yes it is rather spendy

My latest DirecTV HD-DVR cost me $300 ~ a year ago and the first one was $600 before rebate. A Series 3 TiVo will cost you $700+. Both of those devices also require monthly fees.

So, IMHO $300 for TV is not that out of whack, particularly since it looks like it's basically a low end Mac for your HDTV given what folks have made it run.

B

 

[BoA*]

So what does everyone in your house do for music, videos, pictures, and EyeTV shows when you take your MBP out with you somewhere?

Maybe he has a MB, or two MBPs, or an older laptop? Or maybe his MBP is his desktop?

For me, I like to use my computer to do these things. I have a TV and 360 for TV shows. If I need to catch a show, I set it to record. Need to see a movie and can't make it to Blockbuster? Well, I can just as easily do something illegal and burn it.

Sad, but true. I'd rather be lazy and illegal than spend my hard earned Pesos on an tv.