I realise it may be the wrong place for this post but can someone tell me the benefits appletv has over the 360 using it with media centre? I have an xbox and quite fancy the appletv, it looks a lot more user friendly but just wondered opinions of anyone who has tried both?
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Apple TV compared to xbox360
- Thread starter Dingo Dave 69
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its a good question dude. I have an xbox 360 and my dad has both. They both do the same thing but the 
tv it easier plus it plays more file types. I'm still comparing the advantages over putting all my DVDs onto my pc at the moment. If its just for music then I wouldn't bother but if your putting all you films and shows on then it would worth it for convenience. One thing I will say is that you will need to find a good piece of software. I'm trying to use Handbrake at this moment in time. Apple need to put a DVD rip feature into iTunes, like the cd rip???
tv it easier plus it plays more file types. I'm still comparing the advantages over putting all my DVDs onto my pc at the moment. If its just for music then I wouldn't bother but if your putting all you films and shows on then it would worth it for convenience. One thing I will say is that you will need to find a good piece of software. I'm trying to use Handbrake at this moment in time. Apple need to put a DVD rip feature into iTunes, like the cd rip???I have both an Xbox 360 and an Apple TV. The only real advantages I see over the 360 are the larger hard drive and access to more TV shows. I especially like being able to buy the Showtime shows off iTunes. I think that the iTunes rental market will be bigger than Microsoft's but not sure about that.
I would say that if you were only going to stream ripped movies and music, the 360 would be enough. If you want to buy TV shows, get the Apple TV.
I would say that if you were only going to stream ripped movies and music, the 360 would be enough. If you want to buy TV shows, get the Apple TV.
Xbox 360 is harder to setup, less reliable, noisier, and harder to use (user interface is not useful for technophobes).
On the other hand the xbox360 does play games very well if that's something that you do. In which case you will be used to the UI.
I would worry about the reliability of the xbox360 for constant use though, it has a worrying maintenance record. My brother is on his third one in two years.
Also, I've found the xbox360 just too noisy for quiet films, those fans can get quite intrusive.
I think of the ATV as more of an always on appliance.
I have two ATVs and one xbox360 in the household.
Cheers, Ed.
On the other hand the xbox360 does play games very well if that's something that you do. In which case you will be used to the UI.
I would worry about the reliability of the xbox360 for constant use though, it has a worrying maintenance record. My brother is on his third one in two years.
Also, I've found the xbox360 just too noisy for quiet films, those fans can get quite intrusive.
I think of the ATV as more of an always on appliance.
I have two ATVs and one xbox360 in the household.
Cheers, Ed.
well I have both xbox360 and PS3.....and uhmm tv...
when I have company..
and if we decide to watch a movie, I dont want to flip through game console menus...its way too...uhmmm....unprofessional?
and dorky thing to do....
on the other handtv looks great and one click on the remote BAM 1,5TB HD movie library...
sexy.....
oh also, my gaming consoles are not in my living room...I keep them in my gaming room....lol....
I dont play games, I dont post on macrumors, I dont follow gadget news...
I aint no geek....
tv...when I have company..
and if we decide to watch a movie, I dont want to flip through game console menus...its way too...uhmmm....unprofessional?and dorky thing to do....
on the other hand
tv looks great and one click on the remote BAM 1,5TB HD movie library... sexy.....oh also, my gaming consoles are not in my living room...I keep them in my gaming room....lol....
I dont play games, I dont post on macrumors, I dont follow gadget news...
I aint no geek....
That would be illegal in the U.S., thanks to the DMCA (which is why any ripping software is technically illegal in the U.S.).
I have been debating to sell my AppleTV for a 360 for a couple of months now and still haven't decided if I should keep the AppleTV. My roommates and I have the holy trinity (wii, ps3, 360) and an appletv, so I have been able to experience the best of all worlds even though I'm not completely sold on any one product for video watching purposes. I want my parents' home to be nice whenever I move back.
The advantage with theTV is that it is very classy, as someone has stated above. The interface is sexy in comparison to the 360 and PS3 because it's clean and simple. The remote is very elegant and simple click away. My library on the AppleTV's organization parallels my iTunes library, which plays a pretty big role in the classiness. Definitely a winner if you have a female companion over .
As for the 360, you definitely need Connect360 (like 20bux?). There are a lot of advantages with the 360 but a couple of drawbacks. A lot of my ripped TV shows are in DivX, so converting is a bitch on the AppleTV. With the 360, I don't have to bother converting and just leave it there. Being open to DivX and XviD, as well as mp4 and such, this thing is open to my entire library of music, videos, as well as photos (although AppleTV is so much nicer when it comes to photos). My biggest complaint is that the 360's organization is pretty fugly. When you choose to share/stream a lot of videos, say TV shows for example, from one main folder (like I do), you better name the file name appropriately, like TV Show-Episode Number-Episode Name, because it is alphabetically organized by file name. Not all my TV shows are labeled that way (a Folder separates the different shows). And using the 360 controller to select your video file/music is pretty unappealing. That said, 360's Visualizer is awesome.. Apple better put it in a later version(!). Obviously, if you don't have a DVD player, 360 fxns as one pretty well (although UI is ugly, again). And video games are a huge huge plus.
So to sum it up, I'd have to say if you're a person who's after the elegance of a media player, trying to impress someone (hell that could be you too!) and understands that you have to sacrifice time to achieve beauty, the AppleTV is the way to go.
If you're a person who thinks video games and a DVD player is a first and streaming all your content is an awesome add-on, then the 360 is the way to go.
The advantage with the
TV is that it is very classy, as someone has stated above. The interface is sexy in comparison to the 360 and PS3 because it's clean and simple. The remote is very elegant and simple click away. My library on the AppleTV's organization parallels my iTunes library, which plays a pretty big role in the classiness. Definitely a winner if you have a female companion over .As for the 360, you definitely need Connect360 (like 20bux?). There are a lot of advantages with the 360 but a couple of drawbacks. A lot of my ripped TV shows are in DivX, so converting is a bitch on the AppleTV. With the 360, I don't have to bother converting and just leave it there. Being open to DivX and XviD, as well as mp4 and such, this thing is open to my entire library of music, videos, as well as photos (although AppleTV is so much nicer when it comes to photos). My biggest complaint is that the 360's organization is pretty fugly. When you choose to share/stream a lot of videos, say TV shows for example, from one main folder (like I do), you better name the file name appropriately, like TV Show-Episode Number-Episode Name, because it is alphabetically organized by file name. Not all my TV shows are labeled that way (a Folder separates the different shows). And using the 360 controller to select your video file/music is pretty unappealing. That said, 360's Visualizer is awesome.. Apple better put it in a later version(!). Obviously, if you don't have a DVD player, 360 fxns as one pretty well (although UI is ugly, again). And video games are a huge huge plus.
So to sum it up, I'd have to say if you're a person who's after the elegance of a media player, trying to impress someone (hell that could be you too!) and understands that you have to sacrifice time to achieve beauty, the AppleTV is the way to go.
If you're a person who thinks video games and a DVD player is a first and streaming all your content is an awesome add-on, then the 360 is the way to go.
with connect360, streaming non-DRM'ed files is great....if only they could stream the itunes protected files?!?!?!
apple tv for non-gamers
APPLE TV is cheaper, has a bigger library (wider selection of HD movie rental content), bigger included hard drive and is easier to use.
360 has gaming, supports more file types, but the network is a drag. It went down for a few days over the holidays and runs slow fairly regularly (even when connected by T1).
This is typical apple vs microsoft. windows is better for gaming, os x is better for everything else. same goes for 360 vs appletv.
APPLE TV is cheaper, has a bigger library (wider selection of HD movie rental content), bigger included hard drive and is easier to use.
360 has gaming, supports more file types, but the network is a drag. It went down for a few days over the holidays and runs slow fairly regularly (even when connected by T1).
This is typical apple vs microsoft. windows is better for gaming, os x is better for everything else. same goes for 360 vs appletv.
