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PS3 and Apple TV

S

stuff99

macrumors 6502
Original poster
May 11, 2007
394
0
I have a PS3 and I notice that my PS3 does the exact same thing as an Apple TV.

I have to convert files to a mp4 format and I can stream pictures, videos and mp3s from my computer to my ps3 to watch on tv.

Apple TV costs about $350 whereas a PS3 is now $550. For two hundred dollars more you can get a gaming system and a blue ray machine and a machine that can surf the web...

so why would anyone still buy an apple tv?

Just wondering...
 
I'm just trying to understand the rationale behind purchasing such a device
 
I don't know about PS3, but I don't have to stream from AppleTV, so my computer can be turned off.

I don't need a gaming machine, so I can save money.

iPhoto integration: I prepare albums or slideshows for other reasons anyways, burning a DVD for my parents or making iMovie projects. AppleTV can display my slideshow with each slide having the exact duration and Ken Burns effect as it is set in iPhoto.

iTunes integration: I buy music and occasionally a few TV shows from iTS. AppleTV can play them without a hitch. Even for unprotected content it is quite useful, as I don't have to create another set of playlists on another jukebox software and I don't have to use another tool to keep track of my podcasts.

It is not the feature set, but the convenience. What good is raw hardware capability if you end up not using it due to inconvenience?
 
I think the Apple TV is simpler for most people because it can play what you buy on iTunes without much hassle.

I don't think either one is as good as a dedicted HTPC though, just on price.
 
I have both and like both a lot.

I will say in general that the PS3 is the most underrated device on the market. Sony has been updating the firmware and adding features like crazy. It does so much more than the ApplyTV, especially considering Blu-ray. It can also play raw hdv files from my hd camcorder without wasting rediculous time encoding to another format.

I look at my appletv as a glorified ipod dedicated to the living room. It has an optical out to my receiver, never has to be plugged into the computer to sync, and plays a slideshow of my family photos that it get from my pc. I use it for my music since my files are not all drm free (yet). This may change at some point.
 
Can vs. Do

The Sony PS3 is able to do these things, but it's useless if people don't want to go through the trouble of figuring it all out.

For example, I was recently in a group picture for a website. The person taking the picture was using a camcorder to take the still picture. Leaving aside the obvious quality issues, it took more than 12 minutes to snap the simple picture. There were 10 people in our group, which means that 2 hours of people time was spent on taking a picture. At $45/hour, that picture cost $90 in time. Of course, for leisure, most people would have just given up after about 5 to 10 minutes of trying.

Another example: I know Blackberry users who have told me they can watch videos on their phones, they can load applications to customize, they can listen to music, etc. However, with the exception of one very geeky guy, no one actually does these things because they require too much time and preparation.

Technology is about labor-saving and increasing productivity on the business side and about fun and convenience on the consumer side, yet Apple seems to be one of the few companies that actively makes use of this seemingly obvious truth.
 
It's great that companies such as Sony, MS, and Nintendo are working to get their gaming consoles into the living room with features that don't involve games. The PS3, for instance, might make a decent standalone BD player.

The thing is, not everyone is into gaming. If products like aTV and the various Media Center extenders didn't exist then pretty much the only solution would be a game platform. That actually neglects a huge portion of home theater owners who have no interest in gaming whatsoever.

Also, it's not the number of features that make a product appealing but rather the implementation of features. It's true, the PS3 has a lot more features than aTV does and perhaps for a few hundred dollars more it might seem worth it. However, the appeal of aTV isn't that it has myriad features but rather that the features it does have are easily accessed. Consumers are buying aTV's for at least two reasons- Integration with iTunes and convenience. They might get more feature laden products at a slightly higher price but those products are missing those two key attributes.
 
I hear your points. I am a huge Apple fan. I have four ipods, AppleTV and an iMac for out daughter. The PS3 blows AppleTV out of the water, no questions asked. If it weren't for DRM, I would disconnect my AppleTV. Sony has its own set of issues. The PS3 is a great product that is not marketed correctly, and may in fact have benefited from being packaged under a new non-gaming console name.

I would love to see Apple succeed in this area, but I think it's too late and this market is already too competitive.
 
stream from apple tv to a ps3

I'd like to be able to stream files from my (hacked) appletv to my ps3, as the ps3 can handle the bitrates/resolutions the atv cant. yes i could stream them from my mac, but i want to use the atv as its always "ON" and is my dedicated hard drive space for movies.
 
Not only do I have both a PS3 and an Apple TV, but I also have a MacMini media PC, too! The PS3 and the MacMini are in the home theater in the basement, the Apple TV is in the family room connected to the rear projection TV. I make good use of all three. The PS3 is a gaming console and Blu-ray player, the MacMini is a media server and for watching Netflix, Hulu, etc, and the ATV streams my iTunes media and music to the high end audio system.

By the way, nothing is better for browsing Movie Trailers than the Apple TV. The PS3 and the MacMini can also do this, but not as seamlessly.:)
 
I have both. Not to brag, but because they are both necessary for me.

My digital library is on a 4TB Drobo. And I am running out of space. It is connected to my Mac Mini as a server.

The apple TV accesses all of my content and truly is just a question of pushing the right button. It also gives me movie rentals that are excellent.

I have tried streaming to the PS3 and it is not easy at all. But the PS3 is excellent for Blu ray, gaming and storing my home videos.

It may be a luxury, but it is an excellent system.
 
I have both as well.

The PS3 is not ideal to stream for me. The Apple TV does what I need it to do better than the PS3, and it does it in a way that forces me to better organize/tag my material, and that is a plus for me. I am now in the train of thought that my media isn't worth much if it isn't in iTunes. So I encode my DVD's and any other spare digital videos on my drive to h.264. The PS3 also would treat my videos strange. It'd play an mp4 with no problem, then the next I'd try to play would say "File Is Corrupt" and I'd have to reboot.

Apple TV is more seamless. The PS3 does plenty of other good things, but for media streaming, I prefer the ATV.
 
I did have both at one point, but couldn't justify having both in the end. Like the original poster says, they do the same thing. Apple TV is a much nicer interface and tagging but I preferred the £150 I sold it for than having tags.
 
Close call

I own both an ATV and a PS3. I love the ATV because it preserves my media ecosystem. I love the PS3 because it does blu ray, Netflix, gaming and streams everything.

I actually just discovered a great little software called Nullriver (http://www.nullriver.com/). It's free to try and only $20 to buy. The advantage of buying it is that it will enable your PS3 to stream all your iTunes library regardless of file format. It will also display your media by genre or however you have it organized. It basically adds ATV functionality to your PS3 which is pretty sweet.

Another tip guys: get RealPlayer downloader and download any online videos for free (http://www.real.com/realplayer). The program sits in your dock and will snatch the url of any video that's on any page. I use it to download music videos from Vevo.com. Then my PS3/Nullriver finds them in my video folder and plays them perfect. And it's free : ) Another reason to forgo the ATV imo.
 
anthonyviot said:
I own both an ATV and a PS3. I love the ATV because it preserves my media ecosystem. I love the PS3 because it does blu ray, Netflix, gaming and streams everything.

I actually just discovered a great little software called Nullriver (http://www.nullriver.com/). It's free to try and only $20 to buy. The advantage of buying it is that it will enable your PS3 to stream all your iTunes library regardless of file format. It will also display your media by genre or however you have it organized. It basically adds ATV functionality to your PS3 which is pretty sweet.

Another tip guys: get RealPlayer downloader and download any online videos for free (http://www.real.com/realplayer). The program sits in your dock and will snatch the url of any video that's on any page. I use it to download music videos from Vevo.com. Then my PS3/Nullriver finds them in my video folder and plays them perfect. And it's free : ) Another reason to forgo the ATV imo.
Click to expand...

Hmmm, you wouldn't happen to be affiliated with Nullriver would you? Bring up an ancient thread just to suggest a product that's been discussed all over the forums? Not only that, but register just to post this?:rolleyes:

That being said, I didn't realize that Nullriver sorted everything by genre. I did the free trial, but didn't feel it was worth the price. Instead, I found PS3 Media Server for free instead:D
 
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