ATV Hard Disk size recommendation

[Mike in Kansas]

If I understand the Apple Store correctly, the only difference between the two current models of the ATV is the hard disk size, correct? I am considering getting one, and want to be sure I'm not shooting myself in the foot by getting the one with the smaller drive.

Right now I have an iMac that is always on and connected to my wireless G network. Therefore, I can either stream iTunes movies directly from the iMac, or worst case, synch the movies to the ATV temporarily. If I have a large amount of network storage capacity, is there any reason I should consider the ATV with the larger hard drive? AM I missing any obvious issues?

Thanks in advance for all of your help!

 

[Cave Man]

Streaming works fine for all but high-def content. 720p at 6,000 kbps stutters on occasion with 802.11n, so with g it'll even be worse. If you plan to put 720p content to you ATV, the larger drive is the way to go.

Also, if you don't want your serving Mac to be on all the time, the more you can sync the better.

 

[Mike in Kansas]

Thanks for the reply Cave Man. How large are typical HD movie files? If there's 32GB of usable space on the ATV hard drive, how many HD movies could I get on there before I need to move them back to my iMac? I am far from a media junkie, and as a family we maybe watch 2-3 movies a week if that.

 

[Cave Man]

I have nine 720p movies on my ATV hard drive and they average around 6 gb in size (6 mbps, AC3 and AAC audio tracks).

 

[Mike in Kansas]

Thanks for the info Cave Man!