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What do you use your Apple TV for?

P

PorridgeFactory

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Aug 3, 2012
6
0
I am considering buying an apple TV but am not sure how much I'd actually make use of it.

I am curious to hear what your favorite uses for your apple tv are ... hopefully that will help me decide if it's something that I'd actually use.
 
I mainly use it for Netflix
But now with the Mountain Lion AirPlay Mirroring, I may use it more
Also, I may look into the addition of Hulu now
 
80% Netflix, 20% AirPlay music streaming

I dont have cable TV, so I just watch what I want on Netflix. I'm not into sports really so I know what works for me won't work for others.
 
1. Netflix
2. Airplay from my iPhone or iPad
3. Podcasts
4. TV and Movie Rentals/ Purchase from iTunes

In that order.

I love my Apple TV - I have two of them, one in the living room, another in the bedroom. Best $100 gadget out there.
 
thanks for the thoughts.

Yeah, the price is pretty reasonable which is one of the reasons I think it might be worth trying. Netflix isn't available in my country so I'd have to do a IP redirect (which isn't ideal) but renting from itunes and airplay would be used lots.

There is also talk that netflix will come to Norway soon, which would take some of the headache out of potentially trying to make it work.
 
Actually not use it lots; sometime to AirPlay from an iPad. Looking forward to get Hulu also to Japan (we have Hulu Plus, but just not on ATV).
 
PorridgeFactory said:
I am considering buying an apple TV but am not sure how much I'd actually make use of it.

I am curious to hear what your favorite uses for your apple tv are ... hopefully that will help me decide if it's something that I'd actually use.
Click to expand...

Primarily I use it for Netflix and iTunes. I also use it for the NBA and iTunes Match. I don't have cable, satellite or OTA and the ATV provides me all the entertainment I could ask for.
 
We have 4 of them in our house and they get used a ton. Kids use Netflix and also constantly stream their movies from our own media library (over and over and over...those of you with small kids will understand this ;)). My wife and I do much of the same (Netflix and streaming our library) but I also use them to play music and now with AirPlay from our MBA, have been watching some Hulu (much better selection than Hulu+, ironically) and Amazon Instant video. They also are regularly used to share video taken with our iPhones at our kids events via AirPlay. My kids even use AirPlay mirroring sometimes when playing games--much easier than trying to crowd around an iPad.
 
In the classroom in conjunction with AirPlay on iPad. I now have a mobile IWB and can circulate around the classroom more often to monitor my pupils more closely. :D
 
We have 3 Apple TVs, one in the living room and 1 each in the kids rooms. I convert all movies and shows for playback on the iPhones, iPads and Apple TVs. These are all held on my main mac and streamed through iTunes.

I also subscribe to iTunes match and have ~6,500 tracks which we stream on all devices.

We also subscribe to Netflix.

AirPlay is used fairly often in the living room, especially when friends are round and want to show photos/video clips.
 
I also don't have cable, and my family almost never watches TV, so we use ours quite a bit for Netflix, AirPlay streaming, iTunes movie rentals, and YouTube mainły. It's a great little device for $99. :)

----------
MacDawg said:
I mainly use it for Netflix
But now with the Mountain Lion AirPlay Mirroring, I may use it more
Also, I may look into the addition of Hulu now
Click to expand...
Same.
 
HuluPlus (yay!!!!)
Netflix
iTunes Match
Home Sharing
Photo Stream
Movie rentals on iTunes
TV subscriptions on iTunes
AirPlay for games and for all the content that's not available from all of the above

It's a terrific little device--I've only had it for a month but my whole family is in love with it.
 
Mine is used all the time, as a movie and tv show streamer.

I have all my movies/tv shows encoded with metadata added into my itunes library (initially took me a couple of months to do, but now it's easy since I only have to do the new content I acquire).

My iMac is mostly on all the time anyways, so all I do is sit down on my couch, fire up the tv and have all my content at my fingertips.
I have tried the plex/xmbc setup and prefer the apple tv's clean interface. Ya it takes a little more time, but overall I like the look and feel of it better.
 
My reason for Apple TV

I stream my extensive porn collection to my ATV to my living room TV to watch it in all it's glory. Also with it hooked up to my sound system I can listen to it in Dolby 7.1 surround.
 
PorridgeFactory said:
I am considering buying an apple TV but am not sure how much I'd actually make use of it.

I am curious to hear what your favorite uses for your apple tv are ... hopefully that will help me decide if it's something that I'd actually use.
Click to expand...

I just lent/installed my AppleTV at a friend's house for a few week trial just bc I can't use it right now and thought they might like to try it.

Before I had a chance to show them all the features, I show them iPad AirPlay to AppleTV/home theater. They were sold for $99 on just that feature.

Then I show they AirPlay of their PC and Mac via iTunes.
Then Netflix with a better GUI than their Blu-ray player.
Then remote app...

Then they bought one to be delivered next week.

But of course the AppleTV does so much more...
 
I used to mainly use my ATV2 as a Plex extension box but I've since converted 85% of my movie/tv collection to mp4.
So now I add all of my media through iTunes on my Mac Mini server and I am able to host to every iOS device in the house at any time.
It was time consuming but seems to be worth it now. Easier to add to iPads and take with us on vacation.

Other uses are like most have mentioned,
NetFlix
Hulu
and my nephew has been staying with us all summer so he uses Airplay mirroring to push BigBrother live feeds to the TV. ( which I sometimes watch since he's been here, the feeds are more interesting than the TV show )

Oh, I also use AirFoil on my main iMac and I can play my music over every AppleTV+home theater system, iMac speakers and the old Airport express on the back patio stereo system simultaneously. Can even broadcast through and iPhone + iPads on the network and use the Remote app to control the music from anywhere around the house.
 
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Netflix is the main one and Just started air play with ML but I love having access to my iTunes to play music thru a TV that's connect to my sound system, also I watch Season Pass shows on there cause AMC Isn't on Dish anymore so now it feels the same.
 
I have a feeling I'm among the dwindling few hanging onto an ATV1. Mine has been upgraded with 450gb hard drive, which I've loaded up with over 100gb of music alone.

It's an integral part of my whole home audio, using Airtunes from ATV1 to send audio to 4 different Airport Expresses thruout the house. I use the analog out on ATV1 so I can send audio to Zone 2 of my AV Receiver to pump music thruout my backyard.

ATV2/3's don't appeal to me because I can get other features outside of Apple ecosystem from my other components.... xBox 360, TV & Blu Ray player. However, I get the attraction of ATV2/3...just wish future versions would add ability to add an external hard drive for those of us who don't want to have to stream.

Cheers!
 
Last edited:
keviha said:
I have a feeling I'm among the dwindling few hanging onto an ATV1. Mine has been upgraded with 450gb hard drive, which I've loaded up with over 100gb of music alone.

It's an integral part of my whole home audio, using Airtunes from ATV1 to send audio to 4 different Airport Expresses thruout the house. I use the analog out on ATV1 so I can send audio to Zone 2 of my AV Receiver to pump music thruout my backyard.

ATV2/3's don't appeal to me because I can get other features outside of Apple ecosystem from my other components.... xBox 360, TV & Blu Ray player. However, I get the attraction of ATV2/3...just wish future versions would add ability to add an external hard drive (with analog out) for those of us who don't want to have to stream AND want to use our AV receiver zone 2's which almost always accept an analog signal only.

Cheers!
Click to expand...

??

Mine has a mini USB port on the back. I have not tried using it yet, but wouldn't that read an external drive?
 
spiderman0616 said:
??

Mine has a mini USB port on the back. I have not tried using it yet, but wouldn't that read an external drive?
Click to expand...

yeah, its for service and support only. can't use it for external HD.

I've just bought my Apple tv, using it to stream itunes content that I've convert. and also airplay with ML. happy with the quality so far.
 
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