Updated: Review: AppleTV

The AppleTV has been out for over a year now, but with the Febrauary “Take Two” update, it is enjoying a renaissance of sorts. While the original AppleTV looked appealing to me, I passed on it. The original 40GB size was just too small (since rectified with a 160GB version), and apart from a few iTunes TV shows, content was hard to come by. That problem seems to resolved with the new movie rentals options. What follows is a look at the hardware, software, and real world usage of AppleTV.

The AppleTV comes in a nice compact box that unfolds much like the iPod boxes. Inside, you’ll fill just three items. The AppleTV itself, the power cord, and the remote control. Documentation is typical Apple minimalism as well, with a small manual and a couple of Apple decals.

Setup of the AppleTV is about as simple as it can be. You plug the power cord in to the unit, and then plug it in to the outlet. You connect the AppleTV to your television, either through component cables or an HDMI. If you have a TV that supports HDMI, that is the higher quality option. A note about HDMI cables – if you look for HDMI cables at your local Best Buy, Circuit City, or even Wal-Mart, you are going to get raped on price. Save yourself some money and get them online (NewEgg has some great prices on them).

AppleTV can connect to your network via ethernet or 802.11b/g/n wireless networks. If you are connecting wirelessly, you will really want to go with a 802.11n network, as the b/g protocol will not push data fast enough to your AppleTV for an enjoyable experience.

Once powered on, the AppleTV will run through its startup movie, and ask you to choose a network (if you are connecting wirelessly).

If you don’t own a computer that you want to sync AppleTV with, that is literally about all you need to do for setup. Of course, you’ll need to get material on to your AppleTV, so we’ll assume you want to sync it with a Mac or PC in your home containing your music, movies and photos.

With iTunes open on the “host” computer, you should see AppleTV in the sidebar. Configuration is as simple as an iPod or an iPhone. Your biggest concern is whether to stream your content from iTunes to the AppleTV, or let AppleTV sync with iTunes and copy over the content to the AppleTV. By default, AppleTV will start copying your music and movies automatically upon syncing with iTunes. If you would rather have AppleTV stream iTunes content, you will need to check the “Manually manage content” option in the iTunes AppleTV setup screen. Additionally, AppleTV doesn’t have access to your photos unless you specify which iPhoto or Aperture albums to share.

Interface
With AppleTV Take Two, Apple has reworked the interface from the Front Row inspired interface of old, to the new, simple menu interface. While I have no problem with the new interface, there are a couple of issues with the sub section interfaces.

For example, once you click in to your Movies, the movies listed in your iTunes library are displayed with no way to arrange them. I have over 100 movie files, and it would be convenient to be able to group them by name, genre, etc.

Another annoyance is that the AppleTV does not have any control over volume. This requires you to have the original TV remote on hand if you want to be able to control the volume. I don’t understand the logic behind this, as there are volume up/down buttons on the minimal AppleTV remote.

Rentals
The big addition to the AppleTV ecosystem is iTunes rentals. Mirroring the same deal the cable companies have with the movie studios, iTunes rentals allow you 30 days to watch the movie after download, but only 24 hours after you start viewing the movie. So, once you start playing the movie, you only have 24 hours in which to complete viewing the movie, after which the movie is removed from your AppleTV hard drive.

In my test, I downloaded two movies from the iTunes store through the AppleTV. Both were high definition. AppleTV doesn’t tell you how data it is downloading, but can estimate that a 90 minute movie is about 1.5GB. I rented Danny Deckchair and The Assasination of Jesse James. Based upon the length of the movies, the total file size was probably around 3.5GB. On my AT&T DSL Line, which usually provides at least 1.5mbs down, downloading both movies took over 12 hours. I’m not sure if the iTunes Store throttles traffic down, of if it was the connection on my end, but obviously this means (at least for me) that if I want to rent a high definition movie, I better purchase it in the morning if I want to watch it that evening. Of course, your mileage may vary.

Quality
The picture quality on the high definition rentals looked beter than the picture quality on the high definition rentals from Comcast. I don’t have a HD DVD or Blu-Ray player, so I can’t compare the quality to the those mediums. But, against the other “on-demand” services, iTunes high definition quality is noticeably better.

Quantity
Apple still has a long way to go in getting the iTunes Store stocked up on movies for renting and purchase. Apple had promised 1000 movies by the end of the Februrary, a goal they clearly missed. Apple hasn’t offered figures on how many titles are in the store, but perusing the store reveals that there are probably around 500 or less movies available for purchase, and a smaller number than that avaialble for renting. If the AppleTV is successful, the iTunes Store must be a worthy destination for purchasing and renting content.

One other disappointment with the iTunes Store content is with TV shows. None of the TV shows offered now are available in HD. I’m sure this might have something to do with the price of a TV show being fixed at $1.99, and bandwidth costs being what they are, Apple not being able to make any profits on HD TV programming. That’s a shame, because Apple has a real opportunity here to set the AppleTV up as a quality HD programming hub. Most cable and satellite operators only have a couple dozen or so HD channels, and HD programming is pretty sparse. The more HD programming Apple can offer now while the comeptition is ramping up, the more attractive the AppleTV will be.

Podcasts
One of the nice things about the AppleTV and the iTunes Store are podcasts. The thousands of free podcasts are available for download straight to the AppleTV through the AppleTV iTunes Store interface.

Of these Podcasts, most are in audio only format. Many more are video, but only offered in iPod format, which is 320×240. However, there are a dozen or so high quality, high definition podcasts offered that look great on the AppleTV. Among these are Tekzilla (and TechTV type of show with former TechTV host Patrick Norton), HubbleCast, Geekbrief, Diggnation, and Hidden Universe. If you like science and technology, you’ll be happy with the selection. If you don’t, there probably won’t be much HD Podcast content that will interest you. Of course, new Podcasts get introduced weekly, so this could change over the course of the next couple of months.

Conclusion
If you want an drop dead easy way to get material from iTunes on to your TV, AppleTV is a no-brainer. It is easy to setup, easy to maintain, and allows you to experience your music & movies on a large screen TV. With the new AppleTV iTunes Store, you now can fill an ApplTV with content even without a computer. Of course, to do so would require spending lots of money at the iTunes Store, but if you are so inclined, this is now an option.

AppleTV’s biggest deficiency right now is quality content in the iTunes Store. As this deficiency is addressed, the AppleTV will appeal to a wider audience. As it is now, if you are looking for a way to share your iTunes music, movies, or photos from iPhoto or Aperture, AppleTV is an excellent way to do it. 4 out of 5 stars.

Category: Reviews