Very Basic Question

[Apple Corps]

So basic I'm a bit embarrassed to ask:

Will the Apple TV Take 2 allow me to PURCHASE HD movies from Apple (and others) and play them on my HD TV and / or HD projector?

If so, in basic terms - how will it work? I've read some things that it will not go through iTunes - and yes, you are correct, I'm not understanding the whole Apple TV Take 2 / HD / Rental vs BUY / iTunes description - just not very clear to me yet.

Thanks much

 

[72930]

Yes, this is possible, and easy

 

[Apple Corps]

Would you expand a bit on how it works - what gets hooked up to what and how (wireless / wired). I have HD content that I've downloaded through a Torrent client and it is impressive.

Will I download HD content from some Apple site other than iTunes and then wirelessly send it to the new Apple TV sitting next to my HD TV? If so, will 802.11g be ok as I will not be streaming it but rather storing it on the Apple TV?

 

[chocolate632]

I don't have an apple tv, but im guessing that you can download the HD content from a torrent site, convert it to apple tv format (use visual hub or other converted) and sync/stream the movie to your apple tv. If you are buying HD content directly from apple, it will be already apple tv format.

 

[Apple Corps]

An observation - Apple is known for its' intuitive and simple operating systems and software - very clear and very little instruction needed.

The Apple TV capability does not - IMHO - have the typical Apple Clarity surrounding it.

Also - it has been some,time since the "Year of HD" - I was confident that Apple was going to take a commanding lead in content availability and seamless delivery - not there yet.

 

[spice weasel]

I admit that there has been a great deal of confusion over just what the Apple TV can and can't do, and how exactly it does what it does. That said, once you hook it up it is incredibly easy and intuitive to use.

Going back to your original post: AFAIK, the HD offerings from the iTMS are for rental only, not purchase. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. I guess I'll find out in a few days (hopefully) when the Take 2 update is released.

If you can get HD content onto your computer, then the Apple TV will of course play it (720p). Other than freely available HD video podcasts, that means resorting to torrents and the like.

 

[paulyras]

Will I download HD content from some Apple site other than iTunes and then wirelessly send it to the new Apple TV sitting next to my HD TV? If so, will 802.11g be ok as I will not be streaming it but rather storing it on the Apple TV?

Yep. You can have it sync either all or part of your itunes library. My recommendation would be to not sync music, or even SD content, and only sync HD, as the other two will probably stream fine without. Even HD will liely be OK, but if you had to choose, it makes sense to sync the things that are most likely to clog the pipe.

Even better, if you have an 802.11n mac, the streaming is disgustingly fast. Like a couple of minutes for a 22 minute TV episode. My advice, to REALLY do it right, would be to splurge on an airport extreme. You could even get the cheaper aTV then, as you wouldnt need to sync...

 

[FreeState]

Going back to your original post: AFAIK, the HD offerings from the iTMS are for rental only, not purchase. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. I guess I'll find out in a few days (hopefully) when the Take 2 update is released.

This is correct - only rentals. You can not buy them.

 

[Apple Corps]

So the near term Apple offering allows purchase or rental of SD movies but ONLY rental of HD - yes???

 

[imlucid]

So the near term Apple offering allows purchase or rental of SD movies but ONLY rental of HD - yes???

You can only rent movies on ATV (SD and HD), you can rent or purchase movies on iTunes in the iPod/iPhone compatible format (slightly lower resolution than the SD rentals on ATV).

Kevin

 

[Apple Corps]

I think (not 100% sure) that I have better clarity - thanks for all the input. I guess it is safe to say that the DRM / studio negotiations have played a major role in requiring this rather "convoluted" / segmented offering.

Perhaps things will streamline more in the future