First impressions

[APPLENEWBIE]

I just got an Apple TV unit. Setup was flawless, simple and straightforward. It easily set the right specs for the TV, linked up to the mac. It easily found and allowed use of other macs/itunes.

I have handbraked several movies, and while not quite dvd quality, they are pretty darn close. Yes the sound is stereo, not surround, but so far, it does not bother me. It would be nice if Apple finds a way to allow surround sound, though.

One of the most surprising things to me is how smoothly it transmits video on a "g" network. Not one hiccup or stutter so far. I also find that the ability to both stream and sync music makes that experience much nicer. No longer is the music locked into the mac. The "frontrow" interface is simple, flawless. I do think that I will have to learn to do a better job setting up playlists, since the easiest access is by using playlists. Another thing that is sort of spell binding is the iphoto-associated screen saver. Several familly members have been mesmerized by the photos as they stream by in moving collage.

I've got to say, this little box is a marvel. No, it doesn't do everything. But what it does, it does very well. Kudos, Apple. I like it!

 

[banjomamo]

i was also impressed with the streaming over a g network. no hiccups for me either. i just wish it didnt take so long to do a 2-pass encode.

 

[JellyFish]

Nice to hear you like it. I'm interested in ATV but I need it to do DVR functionality too. At that point I'll buy one and ditch my cable company's ****** box.

 

[APPLENEWBIE]

Nice to hear you like it. I'm interested in ATV but I need it to do DVR functionality too. At that point I'll buy one and ditch my cable company's ****** box.

I am also interested in the DVR functionality. I hope before long to get an eyeTV unit which has most of the DVR stuff I need. I am encouraged by some of the reading I've done in that regard.

 

[JellyFish]

I am also interested in the DVR functionality. I hope before long to get an eyeTV unit which has most of the DVR stuff I need. I am encouraged by some of the reading I've done in that regard.

How does the eye tv thing work? How do you record shows off cable with it? I don't get that part. You record them on your computer??

 

[APPLENEWBIE]

How does the eye tv thing work? How do you record shows off cable with it? I don't get that part. You record them on your computer??

Yes, it records to the mac, and it will automatically download to itunes, in the proper format, for use with the Apple TV. I understand that encoding can take a while and you can't record and view programing at the same time. If recording, you have to wait for the encoding. EyeTV also has a"new" gizmo, H.264 Turbo which apparently sigificantly increased encoding speed.

 

[JellyFish]

Yes, it records to the mac, and it will automatically download to itunes, in the proper format, for use with the Apple TV. I understand that encoding can take a while and you can't record and view programing at the same time. If recording, you have to wait for the encoding. EyeTV also has a"new" gizmo, H.264 Turbo which apparently sigificantly increased encoding speed.

Oh cool. Does it work with digital cable? Also, I have some quicktime and .mpg movies that I took myself. Will Apple TV let me watch them on my TV? They aren't in iTunes or iPhoto, they are just separate files. So how do I get them onto Apple TV?

I really wish Apple would buff Apple TV and give us some more features. It seems way too dependent on itunes right now. I want more flexibility than that though I do want it to connect with itunes too.

 

[imlucid]

Oh cool. Does it work with digital cable? Also, I have some quicktime and .mpg movies that I took myself. Will Apple TV let me watch them on my TV? They aren't in iTunes or iPhoto, they are just separate files. So how do I get them onto Apple TV?

Yes, EyeTV works with digital cable as long as you have clear QAM enabled from your cable provider.

As for the movies you've taken yourself, it depends on the format. You can convert them to MPEG4 or H.264 using a converter (I use iSquint which works really well for my home video).

Once you have them in the correct format you can drag them into iTunes (or iSquint will add them to your library for you if you wish).

Kevin

 

[APPLENEWBIE]

Oh cool. Does it work with digital cable? Also, I have some quicktime and .mpg movies that I took myself. Will Apple TV let me watch them on my TV? They aren't in iTunes or iPhoto, they are just separate files. So how do I get them onto Apple TV?

I really wish Apple would buff Apple TV and give us some more features. It seems way too dependent on itunes right now. I want more flexibility than that though I do want it to connect with itunes too.

Don't know about the cable issue. I have been using quicktime pro to convert .mov and Mpg files to itunes/apple TV formats. Cost's $30 but it works well and you can edit the movies before you convert them. Apple TV seems to use mpeg-4 as it's standard.