The AppleTV, released in March '07, was Apple's way of extending the iPod/iTunes experience into our living rooms. It was a device that you plug into your television and stream content to, from the various Mac or PC's that you may own. It was also met with much criticism, as it was a device that required a high definition output, yet did not offer any high definition content. That fact, coupled with some considerable annoyances (being dependent on a separate computer, no DVR capabilities, etc.), kept the AppleTV from reaching mainstream success.
As one of the AppleTV's earliest adopters, my heart was saddened to see Apple all but abandon the product. Aside from the addition of a Youtube video player, little was mentioned of the gadget. When asked about the product, Steve Jobs went far enough to call the product a hobby. However, if you asked just about anyone who owned an AppleTV, they would surely testify that it has become an essential part of their home entertainment systems. It has definitely earned a permanent place under my Plasma TV. Thus, enthusiasts expressed a sigh of relief at MacWorld '08, when Uncle Steve unveiled that Apple was going take two with the AppleTV, and offer a downloadable software update. An update that would breathe a much needed new life into the media hub. The following, is my review on the AppleTV Take 2.
I must say, upon firing up the new updated AppleTV for the first time, I was a little disappointed with the new graphical interface. The original software iteration greeted you with three-dimensional rotating icons, that scrolled vertically across your screen as you navigated through the different content options that were available to you. Instead of those icons, you are now exposed to a pretty bland and basic two column menu. One side of the menu lists the same content options as that were originally available, sans pretty icons; the other side contains the sub-options for those categories. To me, this new interface feels a little colder and impersonal. It also loses the artistic appeal that was originally associated with the AppleTV. Furthermore, navigating through the menu options now requires many more button clicks. These added button clicks are sure to cause much frustration, as there were many times during menu navigation that my clicks were not accepted, as the AppleTV must have been playing catchup with the directories. In an interface that requires you to click numerous buttons on the remote to get to your content, I think it is imperative that Apple work on improving the button-click recognition in a future software update.
There is no doubt that the focus of the AppleTV is now geared completely towards the iTunes store that can be accessed from the device. For every category of content, options to access the iTunes store are given first priority, while leaving your own content as a second thought. I think it is great that we can now navigate through the online store, and preview and purchase digital content from the comfort of our couches, however, I don't feel this option should be the main focus of the device. I think it is apparent that Apple is trying to milk this device for what it's worth, and that means shoving the store in your face at every opportunity.
The process of accessing your own content from within the AppleTV, also sees somewhat of an overhaul. As with the first software iteration, you could either sync content to your AppleTV, or stream the data from a stand alone computer. However, before the update, it was very easy to distinguish which content was actually sitting on the hard drive in the AppleTV, and differentiate that from what was sitting on your computer in the other room. With this update, the content synced to your AppleTV is displayed amongst the content files on your primary computer that you have associated with the device. There is no clear way to tell what is local and what is not. There is an option in iTunes on the primary computer that allows you to show only the data that is on the AppleTV, but then you wouldn't be able to access any data from your iTunes library on your computer.
The defining feature of the new AppleTV update is the ability to purchase content from the iTunes store, without needing a separate computer. As expected, Apple did get it right in terms of making the store accessible with the AppleTV remote. Much of the navigating can be performed (albeit frustratingly) using the navigational buttons. The movies and TV shows are grouped together by various categorization methods to help you easily find what you are looking for. There is a search option that works quite well at predicting what you are looking for as you input characters, though it can be a nightmare as the device has a hard time keeping up with your commands.
After purchasing video content, the downloads occur fairly quickly. You can usually begin watching standard definition content within ten seconds of beginning the download. Of course, the speed of the downloads will also depend on the speed of your internet connection. But, even with my 3 mbps down connection, rarely did I notice any hiccups or buffering. I don't know if it is a confirmed fact, but in my opinion, the standard definition content seems to look noticeably better than past iTunes offerings. I downloaded recent episodes of Lost and Jericho, and they seem to be very near DVD quality.
As expected, High Definition movies do not download nearly as fast as the standard def equivalents. It took over two hours of downloading before I was able to begin watching a movie. If you are planning on spending your Friday night with a couple of HD movies from the iTunes store, make sure to plan and download your movies beforehand, or you will spend your Friday playing the waiting game. One thing I did notice, the AppleTV cannot perform background downloading of HD movies. In other words, if you start downloading an HD movie, then begin watching a TV show, the download will pause until you are finished. As far as quality goes, the general consensus is that the iTunes HD offerings look pretty good, but not quite as good as say, a Blu Ray movie.
As for the music portion of the store, I really don't see myself purchasing any audio music tracks from my AppleTV, so it is somewhat useless to me. Where the music store can shine, however, is in the music videos department. Now that you can purchase and watch music videos on your television with ease, this option suddenly becomes more appealing. Even if you aren't interested in purchasing music videos, you can still find yourself getting trapped in the store for hours, while you preview and reminisce over the old school videos that you grew up with. Silk and Jodeci, anyone?
To me, the biggest benefit of having the iTunes store on the AppleTV, is the podcasts section. As with audio music tracks, I couldn't see using the AppleTV to listen to audio podcasts. However, it now acts as my ultimate video podcast aggregator. Prior to this update, if you wanted video podcasts on your AppleTV, you would have to subscribe to them on your computer, download them, then sync (or stream) them to your AppleTV. That sounds like a lot of work to do to watch an episode of GeekBrief. Now, downloading video podcasts are no longer necessary, as they can be watched straight from the iTunes store. An essential feature is the ability to add podcasts to a list of favorites, so that your favorite shows are all in one place for you. The Amazon store-like recommendations ensure that you will discover new podcasts that you hadn't previously heard of. One caveat, is that you are stuck with the podcasts that iTunes offers, as there is no way to insert an rss feed.
The AppleTV update also adds some functionality to the photo aspect. You can now view public pictures from a flickr or .mac account. Unfortunately, the inability to log in to these accounts, means that you will not be able to see your private photos. You can also now sync photos from more than one computer. This may be appealing to you if have your photos scattered throughout different computers in your house.
One virtually unmentioned added feature, is the ability to use your AppleTV as an AirTunes device. This feature has been more commonly associated with the Airport Extreme, and allows you to stream music from your computer to these capable devices. You may ask what's the point, if you can already stream music to your AppleTV. Well, this feature works a little differently. Let's say you have one AppleTV in your living room, one in the basement, and an Airport Extreme in your upstairs bedroom, you can stream your music to all of these devices at once, and have the same song playing throughout your house.Unfortunately, in order to get this to work with the AppleTV (correct me if I'm wrong), you have to be utilizing the digital audio port on the device. I have my AppleTV connected to my plasma via HDMI, and have been unable to get this feature to work. Just make sure you have this setting enabled in your iTunes preferences.
Other unadvertised features come in the form of bug fixes. Prior to the update, my AppleTV froze up quite often. Pretty much every time I awoke it, the device would require a forced reboot. Thankfully, I have not had to restart my AppleTV since applying the update. Reports also indicate that the update may have also fixed connectivity issues when it comes to communicating with multiple computers. Now if they could only fix that flaky response problem...
This is one device that should appeal to the masses, even if they don't realize it. I would honestly consider purchasing an AppleTV for my computer illiterate mother, just so she can rent movies without making the trip to Blockbuster, as well as be able to browse her family's photos on Flickr. As mentioned, I have always been a major supporter of the AppleTV. I think it is great to be able to take the content from my computer and access it on the big screen in the living room. Though I may have my criticisms when it comes to the refined graphical interface, the AppleTV does still accomplish everything it was set out to do. With the added bonuses of the new features, the AppleTV just becomes more of a must have.
As one of the AppleTV's earliest adopters, my heart was saddened to see Apple all but abandon the product. Aside from the addition of a Youtube video player, little was mentioned of the gadget. When asked about the product, Steve Jobs went far enough to call the product a hobby. However, if you asked just about anyone who owned an AppleTV, they would surely testify that it has become an essential part of their home entertainment systems. It has definitely earned a permanent place under my Plasma TV. Thus, enthusiasts expressed a sigh of relief at MacWorld '08, when Uncle Steve unveiled that Apple was going take two with the AppleTV, and offer a downloadable software update. An update that would breathe a much needed new life into the media hub. The following, is my review on the AppleTV Take 2.
The First Impression
I must say, upon firing up the new updated AppleTV for the first time, I was a little disappointed with the new graphical interface. The original software iteration greeted you with three-dimensional rotating icons, that scrolled vertically across your screen as you navigated through the different content options that were available to you. Instead of those icons, you are now exposed to a pretty bland and basic two column menu. One side of the menu lists the same content options as that were originally available, sans pretty icons; the other side contains the sub-options for those categories. To me, this new interface feels a little colder and impersonal. It also loses the artistic appeal that was originally associated with the AppleTV. Furthermore, navigating through the menu options now requires many more button clicks. These added button clicks are sure to cause much frustration, as there were many times during menu navigation that my clicks were not accepted, as the AppleTV must have been playing catchup with the directories. In an interface that requires you to click numerous buttons on the remote to get to your content, I think it is imperative that Apple work on improving the button-click recognition in a future software update.
There is no doubt that the focus of the AppleTV is now geared completely towards the iTunes store that can be accessed from the device. For every category of content, options to access the iTunes store are given first priority, while leaving your own content as a second thought. I think it is great that we can now navigate through the online store, and preview and purchase digital content from the comfort of our couches, however, I don't feel this option should be the main focus of the device. I think it is apparent that Apple is trying to milk this device for what it's worth, and that means shoving the store in your face at every opportunity.
The process of accessing your own content from within the AppleTV, also sees somewhat of an overhaul. As with the first software iteration, you could either sync content to your AppleTV, or stream the data from a stand alone computer. However, before the update, it was very easy to distinguish which content was actually sitting on the hard drive in the AppleTV, and differentiate that from what was sitting on your computer in the other room. With this update, the content synced to your AppleTV is displayed amongst the content files on your primary computer that you have associated with the device. There is no clear way to tell what is local and what is not. There is an option in iTunes on the primary computer that allows you to show only the data that is on the AppleTV, but then you wouldn't be able to access any data from your iTunes library on your computer.
The Store
The defining feature of the new AppleTV update is the ability to purchase content from the iTunes store, without needing a separate computer. As expected, Apple did get it right in terms of making the store accessible with the AppleTV remote. Much of the navigating can be performed (albeit frustratingly) using the navigational buttons. The movies and TV shows are grouped together by various categorization methods to help you easily find what you are looking for. There is a search option that works quite well at predicting what you are looking for as you input characters, though it can be a nightmare as the device has a hard time keeping up with your commands.
After purchasing video content, the downloads occur fairly quickly. You can usually begin watching standard definition content within ten seconds of beginning the download. Of course, the speed of the downloads will also depend on the speed of your internet connection. But, even with my 3 mbps down connection, rarely did I notice any hiccups or buffering. I don't know if it is a confirmed fact, but in my opinion, the standard definition content seems to look noticeably better than past iTunes offerings. I downloaded recent episodes of Lost and Jericho, and they seem to be very near DVD quality.
As expected, High Definition movies do not download nearly as fast as the standard def equivalents. It took over two hours of downloading before I was able to begin watching a movie. If you are planning on spending your Friday night with a couple of HD movies from the iTunes store, make sure to plan and download your movies beforehand, or you will spend your Friday playing the waiting game. One thing I did notice, the AppleTV cannot perform background downloading of HD movies. In other words, if you start downloading an HD movie, then begin watching a TV show, the download will pause until you are finished. As far as quality goes, the general consensus is that the iTunes HD offerings look pretty good, but not quite as good as say, a Blu Ray movie.
As for the music portion of the store, I really don't see myself purchasing any audio music tracks from my AppleTV, so it is somewhat useless to me. Where the music store can shine, however, is in the music videos department. Now that you can purchase and watch music videos on your television with ease, this option suddenly becomes more appealing. Even if you aren't interested in purchasing music videos, you can still find yourself getting trapped in the store for hours, while you preview and reminisce over the old school videos that you grew up with. Silk and Jodeci, anyone?
To me, the biggest benefit of having the iTunes store on the AppleTV, is the podcasts section. As with audio music tracks, I couldn't see using the AppleTV to listen to audio podcasts. However, it now acts as my ultimate video podcast aggregator. Prior to this update, if you wanted video podcasts on your AppleTV, you would have to subscribe to them on your computer, download them, then sync (or stream) them to your AppleTV. That sounds like a lot of work to do to watch an episode of GeekBrief. Now, downloading video podcasts are no longer necessary, as they can be watched straight from the iTunes store. An essential feature is the ability to add podcasts to a list of favorites, so that your favorite shows are all in one place for you. The Amazon store-like recommendations ensure that you will discover new podcasts that you hadn't previously heard of. One caveat, is that you are stuck with the podcasts that iTunes offers, as there is no way to insert an rss feed.
The Rest
The AppleTV update also adds some functionality to the photo aspect. You can now view public pictures from a flickr or .mac account. Unfortunately, the inability to log in to these accounts, means that you will not be able to see your private photos. You can also now sync photos from more than one computer. This may be appealing to you if have your photos scattered throughout different computers in your house.
One virtually unmentioned added feature, is the ability to use your AppleTV as an AirTunes device. This feature has been more commonly associated with the Airport Extreme, and allows you to stream music from your computer to these capable devices. You may ask what's the point, if you can already stream music to your AppleTV. Well, this feature works a little differently. Let's say you have one AppleTV in your living room, one in the basement, and an Airport Extreme in your upstairs bedroom, you can stream your music to all of these devices at once, and have the same song playing throughout your house.
Other unadvertised features come in the form of bug fixes. Prior to the update, my AppleTV froze up quite often. Pretty much every time I awoke it, the device would require a forced reboot. Thankfully, I have not had to restart my AppleTV since applying the update. Reports also indicate that the update may have also fixed connectivity issues when it comes to communicating with multiple computers. Now if they could only fix that flaky response problem...
The Conclusion
This is one device that should appeal to the masses, even if they don't realize it. I would honestly consider purchasing an AppleTV for my computer illiterate mother, just so she can rent movies without making the trip to Blockbuster, as well as be able to browse her family's photos on Flickr. As mentioned, I have always been a major supporter of the AppleTV. I think it is great to be able to take the content from my computer and access it on the big screen in the living room. Though I may have my criticisms when it comes to the refined graphical interface, the AppleTV does still accomplish everything it was set out to do. With the added bonuses of the new features, the AppleTV just becomes more of a must have.
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