[Closed] Apple TV

Mine doesn't have a HDD, I think it can be cracked to work with more feeds though.

But it doesn't do 1080p only 720 so I would get the new one, it will be hacked sooner or later anyway.

Only the recent (launched this year) Apple TV supports 1080p if that's important to you. I'd question why anyone would buy an Apple TV and then go to the trouble of hacking it. The very reason they're so great is that they work effortlessly well. There's plenty of other options out there if you want to fiddle and hack.

I'm also not sure if the first gen Apple TVs support Airplay, which is the single greatest feature of Apple TV if you have a suitable device to Airplay to it. Suddenly all sorts on the internet can be viewed through Apple TV, no hacking required. For instance I downloaded a Red Bull TV app onto my iPhone, then used Airplay to watch the UCI World Cup downhill on the big telly. Ditto for Spotify, iPlayer etc

I'd question why anyone would buy an Apple TV and then go to the trouble of hacking it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_TV

1st gen had a HDD but the above suggests it may not have enough processor grunt for Netflix ?

I have a version 1 AppleTV at home somewhere; the type that had a hard drive. Yes, you can make it do a lot more than is standard but it is not compatible with AirPlay.

You can, however, make it even turn into a poor man's Mac Mini I understand, by installing OSX...

Hey, I don't use it any more - you want it? £25 and whatever postage costs to wherever you are (I'm in Cambridge right now) and it's yours to do with as you will.

Rachel

tricky one... the original ATV had a hard drive, but that is 6 years old now which is a lifetime in tech terms! As MSP says, the ATV2 can be jailbroken which makes it much more versatile but it will never do 1080p (although this might not bother you depending on your telly & media sources). The latest version (ATV3) will be awesome [i]when[/i] a jailbreak is available - but there is no ETA on this at all so do not hold your breath.

Of course there are a number of linux-based non-apple alternatives which will do the same job. Or get an Xbox 360? My mate pretty much only uses his to watch Netflix. They can be had cheap 2nd hand these days.

I'd question why anyone wouldn't hack one. The difference it makes to the usefulness of the thing is night and day.

This.

I have a Mac and an iPhone. My missus has an iPad. All 3 support Airplay, so media from apps and internet can be wirelessly played through Apple TV to my connected TV and hi-fi. The World is my proverbial oyster. What extra would a hacked Apple TV give me?

Plex

I'd question why anyone wouldn't hack one. The difference it makes to the usefulness of the thing is night and day.

For instance I downloaded a Red Bull TV app onto my iPhone, then used Airplay to watch the UCI World Cup downhill on the big telly.

Does that not give you a pretty crap quality stream as it'll be using the mobile stream?

Does that not give you a pretty crap quality stream as it'll be using the mobile stream?

Good question. It isn't a great stream but it didn't occur to me that this could be the reason. Airplay from the Mac is OK, but then you lose the advantage of having remote control if your Mac isn't in the same room.

but then you lose the advantage of having remote control if your Mac isn't in the same room.

Does that not give you a pretty crap quality stream as it'll be using the mobile stream?

Use an iPad instead.

...if I can wrench it away from the missus! 😆

PLEX!

Wow, Can. Of. Worms.

Looks like I will just buy a new one, at the moment I use my PS3 to watch netflix, but my wife can't get on with the interface; more through bloody mindedness that ability if I am honest. Also, the 1080p thing is important.

Thanks for the input.

Sorry,but what is apple tv?

I have AppleTV - fantastic. I don't use it for NetFlix I just play streamed content like bike videos from Vimeo and YouTube via AirPlay from my iPhone/home WiFi, BBC iPlayer same way or downloaded movies from iTunes or mates. I have to say I think it's pretty cool to drive content onto the big TV from your phone so easily. The new box is tiny and in black very discrete.

[b]chvck[/b] - Member
Does that not give you a pretty crap quality stream as it'll be using the mobile stream?

Also, the 1080p thing is important.

Is it?

If you are playing hugely compressed netflix files or, at best, making your own super-dooper 1080p .mp4 files direct from bluray rips, you wont tell a difference between 720p and 1080p on even a high end system as the ATVs just aren't that wonderful as players.

If your library content is all 1080p, you can't play it anyway unless you convert to .mp4 files as their is no jailbreak available for the ATV3.
However, I really hope I'm missing something here.

For £100, you cannot go wrong and they are awesome whether jailbroken or not. Just get the newest one.

Just a note that not all apps are AirPlay compatible, support has to be built into the app. For example, the lovefilm app is annoyingly not compatible.

Does it have to apple tv why not go for a different media streamer which does mostly what the atv does but with added extras like playing any file type you throw at it. Not sure about netflix as I have never used this but have just bought [url= http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/video-streamers/asus-oplay-hd2-review-50001464/ ]this[/url] ok its not pretty but is excellent and you can add an internal hard drive to make it in to a NAS. Or you could look at [url= http://www.ebuyer.com/289780-wd-tv-live-air-hd-media-streamer-wdbgxt0000nbk-uesn ]this[/url] which does do netflix or any other streamer.

I don't really see the apple tv as a media streamer, more a device to allow you to display content from your ipad/iphone to a telly.

Just a note that not all apps are AirPlay compatible, support has to be built into the app. For example, the lovefilm app is annoyingly not compatible.

I don't really see the apple tv as a media streamer

As a media streamer it is limited to a small handful of built-in apps. However if you use iTunes as your media server, it's a very slick media client. I've tried 3 or 4 DLNA media servers (e.g. Twonky) feeding a DLNA client (a Sony BD player) and the iTunes/Apple TV combo beats them all in terms of ease of setup, ease of use and "just works-ness'"

+1 for Apple TV 2 Jailbroken. All the functionality as Apple intended but with the additional free XBMC features 😀

I use an original Apple TV for iTunes content and streaming from my Mac, then Western Digital WDTV for everything else. Does BBC iPlayer, Netflix etc and plays almost every file out there - so streams all my ripped movies directly from my NAS. WDTV is about £80 and has a pretty nice UI.

but a couple of minutes searching turned up the fact that Lovefilm refuse to implement streaming due to 'security issues' and 'copyright concerns', both of which are ridiculous, as iOS 5 sorted that,

Lovefilm Owned by Amazon.

No reason they should make it work with Apple TV really. Bit like apple refusing to use micro USB etc. Protecting their own.

I just got a simple Shuttle PC under £300 cheaper if you shop around. HDMI 1080 out, 7.1 Sound plays any format runs windows/linux streams anything in any format. Plays/records TV. Runs silently.

plays almost every file out there - so streams all my ripped movies directly from my NAS

Plenty of apps that can do this by the way. Try AcePlayer.

Looks like I will just buy a new one, at the moment I use my PS3 to watch netflix, but my wife can't get on with the interface; more through bloody mindedness that ability if I am honest. Also, the 1080p thing is important.

Have you got the PS3 remote control? I recently got one & it made it much more compatible with my missus....

Found last night that sky go also doesn't work with AirPlay. Bit annoying but not unexpected. Shame that apple decided to give apps a choice of whether to support mirroring. Do get frustrated by Apples deliberate shackling of technologies. Why prevent this when I could just plug a PC into my telly and have it all work?

PrinceJohn,

I don't have the remote, thats a good tip, may be worth thinking about that.

However another side to it is that iplayer performance on the PS3 has been garbage recently, its not my connection as it works fine on the ipad and macbook.

Shame that apple decided to give apps a choice of whether to support mirroring. Do get frustrated by Apples deliberate shackling of technologies.

Do get frustrated by Apples deliberate shackling of technologies

I think it's more likely that Sky are deliberately disabling Airplay support in their apps. All the "Big Boys" will be doing their own proprietary stuff eventually, and us punters will need to decide from the start whether we are Apple, or Sky, or Google etc. Innovate, then copy, then try and pinch each other's customers. It's been happening in my industry for years.

Why prevent this when I could just plug a PC into my telly and have it all work?

But Apple TV isn't a computer so you aren't comparing like with like - plug a Mac Mini into the back of your TV and you could watch anything you wanted.

pple TV isn't a computer so you aren't comparing like with like - plug a Mac Mini into the back of your TV and you could watch anything you wanted.

It's just a shame that this gets restricted on AirPlay when you can do this many other different ways, which makes me wonder why this restriction gets put in place.

As for the whinge at apple and not sky, well it is apple that produces the API that gives app developers the option to restrict this. Could argue that app developers may pull their apps if this was not an option, but I don't see this being a problem with android devices. Also don't get me started on a sky whinge!