You'll understand better when you have a wife
Got one of those 6 years ago and two kids since. Apparently I didn't get the point. What is it?
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Apple TV Update?
- Thread starter aphxtwinin
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Got one of those 6 years ago and two kids since. Apparently I didn't get the point. What is it?
I think the main benefits are:
1 The whole thing is set up for use with a remote control, including purchasing.
2 It is more likely to stay underneath your television than a laptop which presumably you use for other things.
3 Costs less (initially)
If you think you would be better off with your laptop plugged into your tv, chances are you are right.
^^^ not to mention component video for older HD TV's or setups (I wired for component, not VGA or HDMI).
I haven't yet tried it myself, but apparently you can "hack the hack" to get Hulu back onto Boxee.
http://lifehacker.com/5157615/how-to-reinstall-a-working-hulu-in-boxee?skyline=true&s=x
http://lifehacker.com/5157615/how-to-reinstall-a-working-hulu-in-boxee?skyline=true&s=x
*
This hack does not work anymore...worked for 1 day I think, then Hulu changed something which broke the hack...still waiting for someone to come up with something
Does this update erase what's on the hard drive and re-sync to iTunes? I'm asking because I have contents on Apple TV that I've eliminated from the Finder on the computer (so as not to take up disk space).
The old version occasionally told me it was syncing, but I too got frequent severe unresponsiveness from the Apple TV without it telling me it was syncing.
My iTunes library is about 1.2 TB, on a Firewire 800 Raid 0 (hardware) configuration.
I use AppleTV for a home media center. I bought a 500 GB firewire mybook external hard drive from costco for $150 or so at the time. Plugged it into my iMac and moved my iTunes libarary to it. Then I started ripping my DVD's using handbrake which creates an iTunes friendly file(turn on this option in the handbrake preferences). Then just double click the movie file after handbrake is done, iTunes sucks it in and puts it in the movies category. Paste in the movie cover clipart and sync to Apple TV. Now I have about 20-30 of the kids disney movies in apple TV and no more swapping out DVD's all the time out of the 5-disc changer. Not to mention the slide show while listening to music, etc. We also buy some TV shows off of iTunes. It's a good system. Could be better but worth the $200.
You'll understand better when you have a wife
Amen to that one there!!! I totally agree with you on that one.
Don't worry about that: you can update without needing to erase your library... Assuming there are no issues with your tv hardware wise. So far, there haven't been any updates to the tv that required a complete erase and install. None that I remember at least.
Hope this helps.
I will do a factory restore and update later tonight. Over the weekend, I finally did the patchstick and put Boxee on it. I tried Boxee on my Mac and wasn't really happy with it. Boxee made my Apple TV a geeky box, which was pretty sad. It totally killed the easy and elegant of Apple UI.
Who's not impress with Boxee?
Who's not impress with Boxee?
Well, I'm not that impressed with Boxee, per se. But I really enjoyed having Hulu. I know, Hulu streaming quality isn't that great but it was free and on-demand. And that's all I really want to watch TV shows like 24, BSG, 30 Rock, and others. I don't need the best quality for *everything* I watch (just Lost
).Just run the updater, no need to factory restore before you update. The update will effectively perform a factory restore as it installs. Tho, I haven't yet run the updater myself.
Network Test
Apple have now updated their Apple TV software updates (on February 26, 2009) and lists the only new/improved feature in 2.3.1 as "Network Test":
Apple have now updated their Apple TV software updates (on February 26, 2009) and lists the only new/improved feature in 2.3.1 as "Network Test":
Update the Apple TV anytime
Is it just me, or does anyone else love it when the Apple TV reboots? Specifically I like the little start up video.
Is it just me, or does anyone else love it when the Apple TV reboots? Specifically I like the little start up video.
Had to do a double take on that after the first read...this guy has an
TV and two wives!!?? 
Well, I'm not that impressed with Boxee, per se. But I really enjoyed having Hulu. I know, Hulu streaming quality isn't that great but it was free and on-demand. And that's all I really want to watch TV shows like 24, BSG, 30 Rock, and others. I don't need the best quality for *everything* I watch (just Lost
Haha Lost in HD is a must! I highly recommend Lost on Blu-ray.
As far as this update goes, I will probably wait a little before I finally update.
You know, I debated getting a BD player but having spent a fortune on LaserDiscs, DVDs and then buying into HD DVD because it was region free and the player was cheap, I just didn't feel like buying into BD and not being able to buy discs from the US like I have with LD, DVD and HD DVD. I spent my BD player money on the ATV and it does me just fine for HD rentals. Choice is better than the BD rental section at my local video shop too. Oh and my 18 month old can even use it.
I copied the start-up video to my movies in ITunes, and usually put it in my custom TV Show playlist as a "commercial."
I still think the original Apple TV start-up video is the best.
I copied the start-up video to my movies in ITunes, and usually put it in my custom TV Show playlist as a "commercial."
I still think the original Apple TV start-up video is the best.
Score. You mind sharing how you did that? Sorry if it isn't obvious.
Laptop:
Expensive
Long boot time
Keyboard/mouse usage
File system navigation
No HD movie rentals
No Dolby Digital 5.1
HDD shared by apps/OS/content
Larger
Loud fans
Not as easy or quick to use as ATV
Trickery may be required to get it to work right on your TV
AppleTV:
Inexpensive
Short boot time
Remote control
Menu navigation
HD movie rentals
Dolby Digital 5.1
HDD dedicated to nothing but content
Small
Quiet (no fans)
Easy to use
Designed for TV usage, no trickery required, various TV formats supported from 480i up to 1080p
Basically, Apple TV is a small notebook with all the extra crap stripped away streamlined for living-room media center usage. Sure, you can't pack it up and take it with you on the road, but it's a LOT more convenient than hooking up a laptop to a TV.
