About a month ago, Apple released the AppleTV Take 2 software update. This update took a handy, yet all but ignored, media center set-top box, and breathed some new life into it. I wrote my early review, summarizing my initial thoughts. After a month of road testing, I am ready to revisit my review and see if my opinions still stand.
In my early review, I mentioned my first impressions when it comes to using the graphical interface. I still prefer the classic AppleTV interface to the new one. It sometimes takes too many button clicks to get to the menu that you want to get to, and navigating with the Apple remote is never a fun task. Another gripe I had was that the focus was geared too heavily towards the apple store. Would it have killed Apple to place access to our own content at the top of each menu, as opposed to the bottom, underneath all of the store options? I should mention that it does get frustrating at times, to have to wait for the movie box art to load in the background before I can begin navigating. Why should my menu navigation have to be hindered by Apple trying to make a quick buck? However, none of this is a true show stopper, and you eventually get used to it. Consider it mere nitpicking, as I have seen much worse interfaces in my time.
The obvious selling point for the AppleTV is the ability to rent high definition movies. Though I was excited about this feature initially, I must say that I now have mixed feelings about the concept. Renting an HD movie does not work as a spur of the moment decision. It takes quite a while to download enough of the movie to begin watching it, so one must plan out the rentals before hand. That fact, coupled with the 'keep for 30 days, watch for 1 day' rental rule, makes for a more complicated equation. I shouldn't have to think that much when it comes to kicking back and watching a movie. It is because of this, I find myself going for the standard movies instead. One more note; in my initial review, I stated that the standard content was 'very near dvd quality'. Now that I have had more time to compare, the non-HD content looks decent, but is not quite good enough to be considered near dvd. Not with the upscaling capabilities that we have become accustomed to.
I originally stated that where the AppleTV really shines, is the Podcasts section of the iTunes store. This opinion still stands, but I did have to reevaluate my usage of it. Whereas, I originally saw this as a means of no longer having to download video Podcasts on my main computer before syncing it over to the AppleTV, I would now say this concept only works under certain conditions. For those video podcasts that are offered in High Definition, it may not be suitable to stream straight from the iTunes store on the AppleTV. Also keep in mind, that when watching podcasts streamed from the iTunes store, there is no easy way to tell when there is a new episode available, or to indicate which episodes you have already watched. There is also no way to bookmark where you have left off on a podcast, so I tend to shy away from streaming lengthy podcasts. The podcasts section does still hold a valuable place in the overall scheme though, and is ideal for those 1-5 minute, medium quality podcasts, that are good for killing some time. For those HD podcasts that I must watch every episode of, I will continue to follow the traditional download-then-sync method.
Apple has a unique ability to train you to think the way they want you to think. They decide when something should be done a certain way, and then force you to abide by their methods until you realize that they were right all along. When first becoming acquainted with the new AppleTV software iteration, I was discouraged by the fact that it was not easy to distinguish what is stored locally on the device, and what is available to stream from your main computer. All content is listed amongst each other, with no indication of where any file is stored. Though it was initially a nuisance to me, I quickly adapted and realized that I don't really care where the files are. The streaming works so well with an AppleTV, that there is no noticeable difference between media that is synced or streamed. It actually becomes rather convenient to have all your data in one menu location, as it limits the amount of navigating you have to do. Damn you Apple for being right once again.
After a month of testing, the AppleTV Take 2 has it's quirks, but it still remains an invaluable component in my home entertainment center.
In my early review, I mentioned my first impressions when it comes to using the graphical interface. I still prefer the classic AppleTV interface to the new one. It sometimes takes too many button clicks to get to the menu that you want to get to, and navigating with the Apple remote is never a fun task. Another gripe I had was that the focus was geared too heavily towards the apple store. Would it have killed Apple to place access to our own content at the top of each menu, as opposed to the bottom, underneath all of the store options? I should mention that it does get frustrating at times, to have to wait for the movie box art to load in the background before I can begin navigating. Why should my menu navigation have to be hindered by Apple trying to make a quick buck? However, none of this is a true show stopper, and you eventually get used to it. Consider it mere nitpicking, as I have seen much worse interfaces in my time.
The obvious selling point for the AppleTV is the ability to rent high definition movies. Though I was excited about this feature initially, I must say that I now have mixed feelings about the concept. Renting an HD movie does not work as a spur of the moment decision. It takes quite a while to download enough of the movie to begin watching it, so one must plan out the rentals before hand. That fact, coupled with the 'keep for 30 days, watch for 1 day' rental rule, makes for a more complicated equation. I shouldn't have to think that much when it comes to kicking back and watching a movie. It is because of this, I find myself going for the standard movies instead. One more note; in my initial review, I stated that the standard content was 'very near dvd quality'. Now that I have had more time to compare, the non-HD content looks decent, but is not quite good enough to be considered near dvd. Not with the upscaling capabilities that we have become accustomed to.
I originally stated that where the AppleTV really shines, is the Podcasts section of the iTunes store. This opinion still stands, but I did have to reevaluate my usage of it. Whereas, I originally saw this as a means of no longer having to download video Podcasts on my main computer before syncing it over to the AppleTV, I would now say this concept only works under certain conditions. For those video podcasts that are offered in High Definition, it may not be suitable to stream straight from the iTunes store on the AppleTV. Also keep in mind, that when watching podcasts streamed from the iTunes store, there is no easy way to tell when there is a new episode available, or to indicate which episodes you have already watched. There is also no way to bookmark where you have left off on a podcast, so I tend to shy away from streaming lengthy podcasts. The podcasts section does still hold a valuable place in the overall scheme though, and is ideal for those 1-5 minute, medium quality podcasts, that are good for killing some time. For those HD podcasts that I must watch every episode of, I will continue to follow the traditional download-then-sync method.
Apple has a unique ability to train you to think the way they want you to think. They decide when something should be done a certain way, and then force you to abide by their methods until you realize that they were right all along. When first becoming acquainted with the new AppleTV software iteration, I was discouraged by the fact that it was not easy to distinguish what is stored locally on the device, and what is available to stream from your main computer. All content is listed amongst each other, with no indication of where any file is stored. Though it was initially a nuisance to me, I quickly adapted and realized that I don't really care where the files are. The streaming works so well with an AppleTV, that there is no noticeable difference between media that is synced or streamed. It actually becomes rather convenient to have all your data in one menu location, as it limits the amount of navigating you have to do. Damn you Apple for being right once again.
After a month of testing, the AppleTV Take 2 has it's quirks, but it still remains an invaluable component in my home entertainment center.
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