alright, i was SO close to pulling the trigger on ATV just so i could watch my downloaded movies on my tv wirelessly..i discovered the Connect360 software..it basically does the same thing..so tell me, what are the advantages of having ATV over Connect360?
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Connect360 vs Apple TV
- Thread starter ViPa
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iTunes Purchases
It depends if you buy any of your media from iTunes. If all your media is non DRM protected, then Connect 360 works great. I had tried the equivalent program for my PS3. But you can't play anything on iTunes that you purchased from the store, so all my purchased music won't stream, nor will the TV shows/Movies.
It depends if you buy any of your media from iTunes. If all your media is non DRM protected, then Connect 360 works great. I had tried the equivalent program for my PS3. But you can't play anything on iTunes that you purchased from the store, so all my purchased music won't stream, nor will the TV shows/Movies.
I haven't tried it, but to me there would be one huge advantage to Connect360 - the Xbox360 (and Xbox and Ps3 and iPod and...) support 4:3 format tv's, whereas the 
TV is widescreen only. Yes, I have an TV, but for audio use only; if I wanted something for video it would have to be something else. I realize this isn't a problem for many/most people, but for those of us with older technology tv's the TV simply doesn't work.
TV is widescreen only. Yes, I have an TV, but for audio use only; if I wanted something for video it would have to be something else. I realize this isn't a problem for many/most people, but for those of us with older technology tv's the TV simply doesn't work.
so i just bought Connect360 and tried it out..works great! i feel like i saved so much money by choosing this option especially since i spent money purchasing an xbox 360..i basically had the whole system set up for me, i just needed the appropriate software..i dont have DRM'd content so I dont have to worry about it..however, i did sacrifice the interface..i must say the xbox media isnt very aesthetically pleasing..at least not close to anything that apple would make
I picked up Connect 360 and it's made me want an Apple TV, because I'm completely unsatisfied with it.
The interface on the 360 is terrible. It's a huge linear list of titles. Episodes of TV shows are listed with movies, but by episode title, not show title or some combination. So I can't tell what the next episode of a show is unless I happen to know what the title of the episode was.
Connect 360 does no filtering of items it lists on the 360. Specifically, it doesn't filter out items that the 360 can't display at all. So my listing has a ton of stuff the 360 can't view at all, and yet I have to scroll through. Unless I try to play the item, I get no indication it's off-limits.
Seems like it might be nice if you had a small number of movies, but mix TV shows into the mix, and it's worthless.
One other note: there's no support for Connect 360 on their website. It says it's been recently renovated, but web searches indicate it's been down for some time.
The interface on the 360 is terrible. It's a huge linear list of titles. Episodes of TV shows are listed with movies, but by episode title, not show title or some combination. So I can't tell what the next episode of a show is unless I happen to know what the title of the episode was.
Connect 360 does no filtering of items it lists on the 360. Specifically, it doesn't filter out items that the 360 can't display at all. So my listing has a ton of stuff the 360 can't view at all, and yet I have to scroll through. Unless I try to play the item, I get no indication it's off-limits.
Seems like it might be nice if you had a small number of movies, but mix TV shows into the mix, and it's worthless.
One other note: there's no support for Connect 360 on their website. It says it's been recently renovated, but web searches indicate it's been down for some time.
I haven't tried it, but to me there would be one huge advantage to Connect360 - the Xbox360 (and Xbox and Ps3 and iPod and...) support 4:3 format tv's, whereas the
Really?
http://forum.awkwardtv.org/viewtopi...omposite&sid=7d46c8b229e249573d300975088fdaaf
http://www.appletvhacks.net/2007/10/12/get-color-output-from-apple-tvs-composite-video-output/
http://www.tuaw.com/2007/10/08/found-footage-apple-tv-composite-hack-in-full-color/
Yes, it works, that is not the issue. The issue is that the images are "squished" because the
TV is outputting a widescreen 16:9 image that is being displayed on a 4:3 tv,so people look tall and skinny, menus are hard to read, etc. I have component inputs on my tv, so I don't have to resort to the composite trick either. Try setting you widescreen tv to 4:3 mode and see how it looks. It is OK for using menus to navigate audio, but certainly NOT OK for viewing movies.like i said, i sacrificed the interface..but is it worth $330? at this point, i dont think so
my opinion
i was in the same boat, and ended up buying a 360 and rivet
it works brilliantly - rivet has a slight edge (for me anyway) over connect 360 as it preserves folder structures so i can make the list manageable (which is a downside of the 360)
The ability to play iTunes DRM'd stuff would be great but its only some music i have like that - i tend to buy Cd's and DVD's and rip them myself so i can play the media i buy where i want to.
The only downside to this is i am now addicted to videogames again!
i was in the same boat, and ended up buying a 360 and rivet
it works brilliantly - rivet has a slight edge (for me anyway) over connect 360 as it preserves folder structures so i can make the list manageable (which is a downside of the 360)
The ability to play iTunes DRM'd stuff would be great but its only some music i have like that - i tend to buy Cd's and DVD's and rip them myself so i can play the media i buy where i want to.
The only downside to this is i am now addicted to videogames again!
I feel like if you already have a 360, can put up with the bad interface and don't have much DRM content then Connect360 or Rivet is the right choice.
I personally went with Rivet on the 360 because of the file folder structure. It might not be pretty, but at least I can get to my content more easily then if I was using Connect360.
Some day I will set up a real home theater with a (hopefully updated) mac mini and a media server. EVENTUALLY
I personally went with Rivet on the 360 because of the file folder structure. It might not be pretty, but at least I can get to my content more easily then if I was using Connect360.
Some day I will set up a real home theater with a (hopefully updated) mac mini and a media server. EVENTUALLY
I've heard a lot of talk about using a mac mini. What is the i/f if you do this? Frontrow? NeitherI feel like if you already have a 360, can put up with the bad interface and don't have much DRM content then Connect360 or Rivet is the right choice.
I personally went with Rivet on the 360 because of the file folder structure. It might not be pretty, but at least I can get to my content more easily then if I was using Connect360.
Some day I will set up a real home theater with a (hopefully updated) mac mini and a media server. EVENTUALLY
TV nor Frontrow seem to have any kind of search capabilities, so I am just wondering how you organize things well enough so that this is not a hindrance. I know that using my TV for music can be very frustrating because of the lack of a search function.
I too love the
TV interface and detest my Xbox's interface.......but the new xbox interface, soon to be released is pretty much a rip off of
TV so hopefully they will make the videos section of dashboard resemble the TV one too!!!Linky
IMHO any interface needs a search function, (at elast)I too love the
...but the new xbox interface, soon to be released is pretty much a rip off of
Linky
TV does not have this. I don't see how it could be useful if you have more than a handful of movies. It is very hard to find music on my TV.I've heard a lot of talk about using a mac mini. What is the i/f if you do this? Frontrow? Neither
I haven't done too much research on this yet, but some programs like Plex allow you to run media on a computer with a user interface, search, etc. (Again, I don't know a ton about it but there are many other threads on this topic).
Eventually I would rather have a setup like that where I could play many types of video and sound formats rather than just what one device limits me too.
I'm surprised no one mentioned 1080i/p or Blu-ray playback. I have a HD video camera but my only means for playback thus far is through the camera. iMovie's AppleTV setting is only 540p. And just as important, the bitrate is only 4Mbps for streaming. I hate to drop my 1080i videos down to 540p with a heavy compression.
What format and settings are best for PS3/Xbox? Airport-g streams up to 50MBps so there shouldn't be much transfer issue, but ARE they any issues streaming 720p/1080i content? Is it better to store the content locally or stream hardwired?
What format and settings are best for PS3/Xbox? Airport-g streams up to 50MBps so there shouldn't be much transfer issue, but ARE they any issues streaming 720p/1080i content? Is it better to store the content locally or stream hardwired?
I've got both an atv and connect360. The interface/ease of use is the main difference - my family will use the atv but not c360. Also the creature features such as the photo slideshows, youtube, live streaming HD podcasts, watching etc make it well worth it for us. Also streaming works so well there is no need to get a bigger unit IMHO.
The c360 is great for downloading stuff and watching it once without having to convert it - but for the long haul I much prefer the atv.
The c360 is great for downloading stuff and watching it once without having to convert it - but for the long haul I much prefer the atv.
thing that bothers me most about connect360 is that there is no subtitle support. organization gets a little annoying sometimes too, but i can deal with that.
there is another program called Rivet that organizes your files a little better and uses folder support.
there is another program called Rivet that organizes your files a little better and uses folder support.
Whoa, you mean that all the purchased iTunes content isn't playable (TV shows, movies, rentals)? That would be an instant deal killer, because that's the primary purpose of the Apple TV.
I also have to speak up for YouTube, Video Podcast and Flickr integration. Those are some of my most-used features.
the Xbox360 will be offering netflix integration soon though. same thing as itunes basicaly.
the whole RRoD thing doesnt seem to be as big a problem anymore either. at least microsoft admitted to problems, apple would just say theyre working on an update to fix it then announce a new product.
Have you seen the Netflix streming rental selection? It's mostly B-movies, cult classics and documentaries. They don't have new releases like iTunes.
That said, I bet they will one day, though not on an unlimited rental for a low fixed subscription price basis.
I use my xbox360 for media streaming every day, mainly TV Shows and Movies, and this is where I feel it falls down against the tv.
I use a program called Twonky Media and is able to stream to xbox360, ps3, other computers and my iPhone through browsers.
Still, the problem with the xbox360 is the interface and the fact it doesn't use metadata for organizing video.
But still, if you can't afford antv, then using a current gen console would suffice for your needs. It will be annoying at times, but is worth it if you've already got an xbox 360.
If I had the money, I would buy antv, but at the moment the 360 will do.
tv.I use a program called Twonky Media and is able to stream to xbox360, ps3, other computers and my iPhone through browsers.
Still, the problem with the xbox360 is the interface and the fact it doesn't use metadata for organizing video.
But still, if you can't afford an
tv, then using a current gen console would suffice for your needs. It will be annoying at times, but is worth it if you've already got an xbox 360.If I had the money, I would buy an
tv, but at the moment the 360 will do.at the risk of beating a dead horse...
Can I rent movies on iTunes and view them on my TV using Connect360? Or is that simply wishful thinking?
Can I rent movies on iTunes and view them on my TV using Connect360? Or is that simply wishful thinking?