X360 + Apple TV owners: is it worth it?

[Exen]

I've looked at previous threads and there doesn't seem to be anything that is too new, so I have a question for Apple TV owners and especially for ones who own or have owned a Xbox 360: is it worth it to get an Apple TV if you already own one?

I ask this because, obviously, I already do. I don't play the games on it and haven't gotten into Netflix at all with it--I'm just ready to sell it, but I don't want to be a fool about it. I really want to get an Apple TV, and have been doing as much research as possible, but ultimately I think this question would be best addressed by the users:

is it worth it for a person who already owns an Xbox 360 to sell it and get an Apple TV?

This is proving to be a really tough decision. All help is greatly appreciated. Plus, if I get an answer within 3 hours, I can order it through Amazon with one day shipping and get it tomorrow (the day when my TV will be delivered). Thanks!

 

[Mr Kram]

i have both plus a ps3. i'm a gamer so the atv could not replace the other consoles. however, the atv is a dedicated media "server" and the gui is much better than either of the gaming machines. for me the atv is relatively cheap and has been well worth it.

 

[stlredbird]

If you're not using the 360 to play games then I would definitely say yes.
I am a 360,PS3,ATV owner.
ATV + iTunes is just better organized and as with all things mac, just simpler.

 

[d21mike]

It depends. Is your desktop a Mac or Windows (I use Windows)? Are you tied to iTunes (is a lot of your content in iTunes). If iTunes then yes you should get a AppleTV. If not, then maybe using the Xbox would be fine.

 

[jpfisher]

My 360 redringed the other week, so I was left without a media streamer. I picked up an ATV, installed boxee, and have been very happy with it so far...

If you're not playing games and not using Netflix, I would say it's worth it for reliability alone. Nothing like having the Xbox stop working and Microsoft letting you know it'll be three weeks before they fix it.

If all of your video media is already in iTunes, you can go it with just the default ATV software... but if you have a bunch of stuff that's not in a compatible format, installing Boxee via the patchstick program is really simple. Although I'm lamenting no longer having Hulu access via the program, it takes eliminates the need to transcode video to an iTunes-compatibile format.

 

[Exen]

Thanks everyone for getting back to me.

I use a Windows (Vista) PC and, yes, all of my media is connected through iTunes, though it's all music.

I suppose the precise, main reason I'm asking also is that since I already have the 360 would it be worth it to purchase Apple TV and rent movies there even though I could just keep the 360 and pay for Netflix?

...but I do really want Apple TV... Ugh! This is tough.

 

[denm316]

I have both the 360 and AppleTV. While AppleTV is cool and its nice how the pictures show when music is playing. I dont think it is really worth it.

I started using my 360 with Connect360(for Mac) and it works great. The interface is faster then AppleTV and places almost every format. Meaning anything I download from websites/bit-torrent or wherever else will play. Also you dont need to have all your videos in iTunes.

With Connect360 my XBOX sees all my playlists in iTunes and albums in iPhoto.

Also now since the music store is DRM free the XBOX can play all those tracks.

I think the 360 is a much better buy, plus you can rent movies off of the 360. As for Netflix, it works well on the 360 but the amount of content is very limited.

 

[Exen]

Thanks for all the help, everyone. I do appreciate it. I think I'm going to just wait a few months and see if there are any major updates which will cause me to purchase one. Unless anyone has anything else that might tilt the decision...

 

[graememiller]

AppleTV > xbox 360

I have to disagree with the previous poster. I think the AppleTV is worth it if you're not playing games on the 360. First I'd like to point out I own both and use both considerably.

Yes the interface is better on AppleTV - all that black shine with smooth sliding cover art with reflections and all but it really is more than that. The 360 just feels lazy, and while it technically is capable of streaming videos and music to a TV screen, it does it in the lowest common way. For example instead of having the title of the movie, with the actors, the description, the rating, the release date, the cover art etc, you get 'just' the file name which might be imaginatively displayed as '1Die_hard2.mpg' - its sloppy. Further more, the 360 can't differenciate between TV shows, Movies and Music Videos sooooo you'll have a very large list of multiple files called 'Episode 1', with no idea what show it is for or whether or not you've already viewed it. To add salt into the gash, it caps out at 2000 entries, so your very large list of movies and TV shows (which will build up) suddenly stops at 2000 - for me, that's around about the 'S' section when put in alphabetical order. So no Star Wars for me or beyond on the 360!

Oh I'm sure the 360 is wonderful at playing all sorts of files illegally downloaded from bitorrent and the like, but not being able to navigate to them easily is just bad, horrendously bad. The 'visualizer' looks like something from 1997 and rarely changes beyond what you first see, and there is no album artwork.

Ultimately on paper the 360 looks like it should be able to deliver media, but unfortunately it doesn't do it well at all and falls short of an enjoyable experience, even after the revamped looked. AppleTV however exists solely to address these needs. Trust your instincts, get the AppleTV.

 

[nando2323]

Let me put it to you plain and simple. If you use Windows or OS X with iTunes and purchase stuff from iTunes or plan on purchasing stuff from iTunes then get an ATV. If you only use Windows and Windows Media Player then I would sugggest going Vista Home Premium or Home Server and use the xbox as a media center extender. The menus are pretty and there is cover art and there is organization. But using the 360 with iTunes is horrid unless you're like me and actually organize all your media in separate folders i.e. Media/TV Shows/Seinfeld/episode 1.2.m4v or Media/Movies/RushHour3.m4v then you'll live with it. Definitely not going to be better then owning an ATV but will suffice. I have both and use them a lot but again I organize my files in the manner above and don't have many issues except for when I want to play something bought off of iTunes then its a straight kick in the nuts.

 

[Exen]

Thank you everyone for the input. I ordered it today and it should be here tomorrow. I'll see about using them together, otherwise I plan on just selling all my 360 stuff. Now, hopefully they don't come out with a hardware update in the next couple of months...

I'm excited for my TV

 

[Chris Rogers]

Thank you everyone for the input. I ordered it today and it should be here tomorrow. I'll see about using them together, otherwise I plan on just selling all my 360 stuff. Now, hopefully they don't come out with a hardware update in the next couple of months...

I'm excited for my TV

enjoy

 

[eleven59]

i have both, and have mostly itunes content or .mp4 stuff, so i use them for separate reasons.... though i suppose the 360 can play dvd's should i ever use one again.

on a side note, i'd also sell the 360 before the ATV and have considered doing so recently.

 

[Winni]

I'm not grasping the concept here: Why did you buy a game console in the first place when you never intended to play with it? I mean, this is what the thing was made for. Everything else on the console is basically an afterthought and nice to have, but not its main purpose.

That being said, the Xbox 360 is not for you and you're probably happier with the Apple TV whose sole purpose is to be a (rather over-priced) front-end to iTunes, and nothing else.

Since you're on Vista, configure Windows Media Player to also access and index your iTunes music folder. That way your Xbox should be able to find and playback your music files as well. (On OS X, you'd simply have to purchase a Connect 360 license and your Xbox would easily find your iTunes music.) I'm afraid you won't be able to persuade your Xbox into talking directly to iTunes on Windows. It was designed to work directly with Windows Media Player and/or the Windows Media Center.

 

[Exen]

I purchased the Xbox 360 well over a year ago and have gotten much use out of it since then--hours on hours, actually. My interest in it, however, has diminished severely and I don't care to play the games it has to offer any longer as I don't have time to play (every teacher at my college must be convinced I am only taking their class specific class and no other). Because of this situation I wanted to know what people thought was better. I hope this clears up any confusion.

By the way, I purchased my Apple TV and am really enjoying it. The interface is great and everything about it is smooth and easy.

Anyone looking to buy a 360?

 

[Eminemdrdre00]

How do Xbox Marketplace 720p rentals compare to AppleTV 720p movie rentals, in terms of picture quality? Are they pretty much the same?

 

[jaw04005]

How do Xbox Marketplace 720p rentals compare to AppleTV 720p movie rentals, in terms of picture quality? Are they pretty much the same?

I can't tell a difference. The compression and file size seem to be about the same. I think the 360 rentals use VC-1 though. It's a pretty good codec.

Personally, I think if you own an XBOX 360 and Windows PC you should just use your XBOX as a Windows Media Center Extender instead of buying an Apple TV. It has a spiffy interface too, and you get the benefit of watching TV. The newest version (Windows 7) includes a new Movies category, that automatically looks up tag information for your ripped movies.

Also, rumor has it a Zune-like application/store is coming to the 360 later this year. We don't know the details yet, but it sounds like it will replace the current directory/folder structure UI for media.

 

[mohanman]

I have 360, ps3 and atv. The 360 is by far the best gaming machine.. ps3 has a horrible online system, and the games aren't nearly as good, plus you have to do stupid firmware updates all the time. However, the 360s one weakness is the noise.. too loud for me to enjoy the movies/music etc. Plus no coverart..

ATV is good for all that

Mo