Picture resolution on Apple TV

[CmdrLaForge]

Hi,

I think about buying an Apple TV mainly to watch my Photos on it and I am wondering in what resolution the Photos will be shown ? Does the Apple TV show them in full HD ?

 

[Doctor Q]

1280 x 720 pixels (720p). That's a 16x9 (HD) aspect ratio.

If you use 1080i, the photos will simply be scaled.

 

[CmdrLaForge]

1280 x 720 pixels (720p). That's a 16x9 (HD) aspect ratio.

If you use 1080i, the photos will simply be scaled.

Thanks - even so not exactly what I hoped for. I would like to have 1080p or i.

Maybe the next revision.

Cheers
LaForge

 

[pjac]

My digital camera seems to take pictures which are about 4:3 ratio (i.e. old school "square" TV shape). I also crop a lot of my photos once on the computer (e.g. removing random cars from the corner of a street).

So: How does the Apple TV display non-widescreen photos? Does it show all of the photo (with black bars either side), or zoom in cropping the top and bottom?

In fact, can you zoom in using the remote control?

 

[Doctor Q]

So: How does the Apple TV display non-widescreen photos? Does it show all of the photo (with black bars either side), or zoom in cropping the top and bottom?

It scales to the largest size that fits both dimensions, so you'll have black bars on the left and right.

In fact, can you zoom in using the remote control?

No, it's one size fits all. However, you can turn on the Ken Burns effects (auto panning and zooming) in the slideshow preferences.

They may add zoom and other features with software updates (I'd like to have a manual-advance-only slideshow setting), but for now, that's how it is.

 

[ftaok]

1280 x 720 pixels (720p). That's a 16x9 (HD) aspect ratio.

If you use 1080i, the photos will simply be scaled.

Are you sure about 1080i? Why would the photos be scaled?

ft

 

[Doctor Q]

Are you sure about 1080i? Why would the photos be scaled?

Not having tested any of this myself, I'm repeating what I read elsewhere, which said that an image from the Apple TV for a height of 720 would be scaled by a TV to fill a height of 1080 (1920x1080).

 

[theBB]

AppleTV has 1080i setting that I hoped would make the pictures have higher resolution, but 720p setting had better image quality on my TV. However, my HDTV is CRT, not LCD, so your case might be different if you have a true 1080P LCD TV.

I can sync my iPhoto slideshows with AppleTV, so I get to use specific static zoom or Ken Burns settings for each photo. This lets me have different amounts of zoom or pan for each one instead of one global setting I would have to use if I sync an iPhoto album. In the end, the image quality is much better compared to burning the same slideshow via iDVD and watching it on the same TV.

 

[CmdrLaForge]

Hi theBB,

I think those pictures are simply scaled to fit 1080 but they don't necessarly have the resolution.

Cheers
LaForge

 

[theBB]

I think those pictures are simply scaled to fit 1080 but they don't necessarly have the resolution.

Probably, but I have not seen an official source.

I usually add some video footage among my slideshows, so I am limited to 720p iMovie projects anyways. In any case, 720p and 540p looks almost the same on my TV even if I get really close to my TV. I can clearly see the difference on the computer screen, so my TV is probably just not good enough.