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Apple TV vs. Blu-Ray
- Thread starter pablol
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If you have that much data, then you might want to consider either buying a NAS device or building an HTPC. I know from experience that although the HTPC route is the most flexible (and least dependent on your home network infrastructure), it's all the biggest pain in the butt to configure and keep working.
I use an HP Mediasmart Server EX470 that has about 9 tb usable storage, but consumes far less power than a normal desktop, so it can run 24/7 without putting wear and tear on my desktop or jacking up the electric bill.
i don't know anything about taking technology apart. I'm happy to pay for service that is warrantied. Besides i don't need that much space...I primarily use it for HD shows...
That's sounds like a good tip. Thanks.
I have a simple set up. My Mac on the office and one HDTV on the den. So I can run on the crawl space of my house an Ethernet cable to connect my Mac to the server at the den. It's about 40 feet distance.
I agree. I'm a ham radio operator and some fellow hams find it ridiculous that I'll pay for someone to install an antenna. I just don't do heights.
If you're not up to the task, and you find value in the service, there's nothing wrong with that.
I agree. I'm a ham radio operator and some fellow hams find it ridiculous that I'll pay for someone to install an antenna. I just don't do heights.
If you're not up to the task, and you find value in the service, there's nothing wrong with that.
safety first
The good thing is that today studios are letting us have some goodness and flavor of both worlds as some Blu-ray movies carry an Digital Copy with them, so you get your Blu-ray disk + a copy in iTunes and hence AppleTV or Xbox...if you must.
AFAIK nobody has done this without an incredible amount of hoop jumping.
There is no way to pop a bluray disk, click a few buttons and have a playable file on any apple computer as of today.
I would be very happy to be proven wrong.
I am running parallels, and am a long time owner of anydvd but I still haven't seen any way to easily rip and then reauthor blu-ray into an apple TV playable format.
I've seen pages of discussion on ways to make it happen, but nothing that even approaches the ease of ripping a standard DVD.
So how do you recommend it be done?
I've seen pages of discussion on ways to make it happen, but nothing that even approaches the ease of ripping a standard DVD.
So how do you recommend it be done?
1. use parallels - rip the disc with ANYDVD-HD
2. use mac - convert with handbrake
3. sit back
not myself, according to CaveMan-Handbrake can convert BluRay movies that HAVE been decoded (whatever the word is). as long as you have ripped the movie to your HD using ANYDVD-HD your set.
(i have seen proof- too poor to do it myself haha)
For some months now.
It does at least 47 Blu-ray titles.
Seriously, search for "Blu-ray to Apple TV" in this forum.
For some months now.
It does at least 47 Blu-ray discs.
Seriously, search for "Blu-ray to Apple TV" in this forum.
knew youd come and save the day
I've done about 15 Blu Ray to AppleTV conversions using Cave-Man's walkthrough. It's pretty damn simple to be honest.
You can't buy HD movies from iTunes which sucks so comparing the 2 isn't really valid. To be fair though - comparing a rented HD movie and blu ray usually leaves the rented HD movie looking worse. However you are comparing a $5 rented movie vs $15+ blu ray movie and you got the satisfaction of clicking and downloading it immediately (when apple's servers aren't hella slow). I've rented plenty of HD movies from AppleTV and have no regrets. Sometimes you really just don't need the blu ray version of some movies.
Converting Blu Ray to AppleTV is a little scary at first, but just do one and you'll figure out the steps that need to be done then it becomes pretty easy after that. Feel free to ask questions as there are a handful of us doing it on a regular basis. Although I suggest asking in Cave-Man's thread after you've perused that for answers.
The only negative, IMHO of course, is having compressed audio. Certain movies it is really hard for me to go back to after experiencing it.
But I'm sure you will be like the rest of us - once you go 720p, it's pretty hard to go back, even with the bigger file sizes.
You can't buy HD movies from iTunes which sucks so comparing the 2 isn't really valid. To be fair though - comparing a rented HD movie and blu ray usually leaves the rented HD movie looking worse. However you are comparing a $5 rented movie vs $15+ blu ray movie and you got the satisfaction of clicking and downloading it immediately (when apple's servers aren't hella slow). I've rented plenty of HD movies from AppleTV and have no regrets. Sometimes you really just don't need the blu ray version of some movies.
Converting Blu Ray to AppleTV is a little scary at first, but just do one and you'll figure out the steps that need to be done then it becomes pretty easy after that. Feel free to ask questions as there are a handful of us doing it on a regular basis. Although I suggest asking in Cave-Man's thread after you've perused that for answers.
The only negative, IMHO of course, is having compressed audio. Certain movies it is really hard for me to go back to after experiencing it.
But I'm sure you will be like the rest of us - once you go 720p, it's pretty hard to go back, even with the bigger file sizes.
Well I did follow that thread for some time, but quite honestly there was a LOT of work involved to get it to work, at least by reading. Maybe it's been simplified since I last checked in. It certainly was not as simple as rip with anydvd and then encode with handbrake last time I checked. I'll take a look again.
BTW, a pet peeve of mine: the definition of peruse is to read with great attention to detail/carefully. It's interesting that in common usage most people use the word to mean the exact opposite - "skim" or "read quickly" which is really the opposite of what it means. In this case, the correct definition applies, as I remember that thread was quite lengthy and mind numbing after awhile, LOL.
BTW, a pet peeve of mine: the definition of peruse is to read with great attention to detail/carefully. It's interesting that in common usage most people use the word to mean the exact opposite - "skim" or "read quickly" which is really the opposite of what it means. In this case, the correct definition applies, as I remember that thread was quite lengthy and mind numbing after awhile, LOL.
Thats the beautiful thing about language - it is malleable and changes based on how people use it. As much as I hate 'alot', I accept the fact that people use it.
I'll break the process down since it's simple:
Insert disc into blu ray player, right click on anydvd to copy to harddrive. run tsmuxer and deselect some graphics, all the other audio that you aren't going to use, push the button and let it do its thing. With the tsmux'ed file - feed it into handbrake and select the HD preset that you created and you are done. Run it through metax then put it into itunes. It's basically the same as DVD with 1 extra step, just takes a little longer for handbrake to do its thing.
I'll break the process down since it's simple:
Insert disc into blu ray player, right click on anydvd to copy to harddrive. run tsmuxer and deselect some graphics, all the other audio that you aren't going to use, push the button and let it do its thing. With the tsmux'ed file - feed it into handbrake and select the HD preset that you created and you are done. Run it through metax then put it into itunes. It's basically the same as DVD with 1 extra step, just takes a little longer for handbrake to do its thing.
ppl have to understand something about all this 1080 v 720 mumbo jumbo. if you were to have a 10" 1080p screen sitting right next to a 10" 720p screen you would not be able to see the difference even from 6" away. now that being said the video processors inside the tv's receivers, blu-ray players, and the apple tv is what makes the difference in image quality color accuracy and the most important in my opinion grey scale.
The reason that Pioneers have ruled the flat screen world is because of their video processors. the pioneers use a chip called the Faroudja video chip. that chip alone coasts about $2000. that is why pioneer's are so expensive. 1/3 of their price is the video chip.
maybe the apple tv will get an upgrade to its video chip but until then a bluray player will always be superior.
though the four fold difference in video bitrate might have something to do with it.
I've done about 15 Blu Ray to AppleTV conversions using Cave-Man's walkthrough. It's pretty damn simple to be honest.
You can't buy HD movies from iTunes which sucks so comparing the 2 isn't really valid. To be fair though - comparing a rented HD movie and blu ray usually leaves the rented HD movie looking worse. However you are comparing a $5 rented movie vs $15+ blu ray movie and you got the satisfaction of clicking and downloading it immediately (when apple's servers aren't hella slow). I've rented plenty of HD movies from AppleTV and have no regrets. Sometimes you really just don't need the blu ray version of some movies.
Converting Blu Ray to AppleTV is a little scary at first, but just do one and you'll figure out the steps that need to be done then it becomes pretty easy after that. Feel free to ask questions as there are a handful of us doing it on a regular basis. Although I suggest asking in Cave-Man's thread after you've perused that for answers.
The only negative, IMHO of course, is having compressed audio. Certain movies it is really hard for me to go back to after experiencing it.
But I'm sure you will be like the rest of us - once you go 720p, it's pretty hard to go back, even with the bigger file sizes.
I'll ask from the Hardware side of things, blu ray player did you buy for the PC? Does it require much muscle or will a Core Duo2 at 266 or so do for ripping converting?
The "Faroudja" is nice, but $2000.00 is a bit pricey. I have one in my upscaling DVD player (OPPO), and the whole unit didn't even come close to that price tag (about $200 +).
However, it may not be the bad boy on the block anymore. My new Yamaha AV receiver has the VRS chip that was developed by Anchor Bay, and it smokes my OPPO for upscaling.
Just a FYI.
The "Faroudja" is nice, but $2000.00 is a bit pricey. I have one in my upscaling DVD player (OPPO), and the whole unit didn't even come close to that price tag (about $200 +).
However, it may not be the bad boy on the block anymore. My new Yamaha AV receiver has the VRS chip that was developed by Anchor Bay, and it smokes my OPPO for upscaling.
Just a FYI.
there are different chips in the Faroudja line up. they dont put the same top of the line chip in an upscale dvd player that they do in the Pioneer Elites