AppleTV -> composite output

[janstett]

For those of you moaning about the lack of composite output, there is a little trick I learned about component signals that I just confirmed works on Apple TV.

Take the "Y" component cable (green) and connect it to the composite input on your TV. You will get a black and white image, but an image nonetheless. I'm considering using this on a 7" LCD in my bedroom as a glorified iPod. And it beats spending $100+ on a component->svid/composite converter if the display isn't that important to your application.

 

[mkrishnan]

Just to be contrarian...

If you're getting / have a 7" LCD for your bedroom, and you want a "glorified" iPod, why not just purchase a new current generation iPod (or better yet, a refurb) and the iPod video breakout cable, and use the iPod? No wireless transfers of movies, but you can dedicate that iPod to this purpose, and sync it periodically. You can probably end up with the bigger iPod, which has substantially more space than the TV, for basically the same price.

 

[janstett]

Just to be contrarian...

I'm glad you said that...

Well, first, I'm not the average guy. I work in the field that Apple entered with the Apple TV and I've worked on several similar devices. So in my case the Apple TV is a solution looking for a problem, with my primary goal being to evaluate it and hack it. But it is a nice piece of kit.

I've come to the conclusion that embedded/set top devices like the Apple TV are inadequate for my needs and therefore I use Media Center PCs on both of my DLP TVs. The problems are (1) inability to handle massive amounts of media (I have about 40,000 MP3s, 15,000 photos, 1000 videos), and (2) codec penatly boxes (the only thing that will play everything I download is a PC; also compound the inability to do Dolby Digital 5.1 on the optical which affects all devices in this field including Apple TV). Apple TV won't do Divx, and even if Apple supports it, what about emerging video formats like Matroska Video (.MKV). Set top devices are fighting a losing battle.

f you're getting / have a 7" LCD for your bedroom,

I'm planning on using the Apple TV in my bedroom as a music player (for myself, but I also have parrots whom I leave music on all day for). There are stand-alone audio-only players that do the same thing (i.e. the Netgear MP101). The Airport Express is close to this idea but requires the Mac for a user interface and has no local control or display).

I have a couple of portable DVD players that I don't really use anymore. They make great, unobtrusive, small displays. At one point I had a 15" VGA flatscreen in there to use with the Apple TV, not very elegant and it's an eyesore and overkill. Recycling one of my old portable DVDs is a good compromise.

why not just purchase a new current generation iPod (or better yet, a refurb) and the iPod video breakout cable, and use the iPod?

I already have two fifth gen iPods, that's sort of why I don't use the portable DVD players any more. Once the next-gen iPhone style iPod comes out, that's the final nail in their coffin.

o wireless transfers of movies,

That's exactly the reason I need a remote client; no iPod will store my 200 gigabyte lossless collection that sits on my Mac Mini. Plus the other goodies like internet radio.

In my case I don't really care for or need the video and picture capabilities, so a crippled display is OK.