Apple MA711LL/A TV with 40GB Hard Drive [OLD VERSION] by Apple Computer
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Digital camera reviews of Apple MA711LL/A TV with 40GB Hard Drive [OLD VERSION]
Digital camera Review: Apple TV 2.0, User Experience: 10/10
Summary: 5 Stars
I waited for a year for the 2.0 upgrade. It's just amazing! My overall user experience is 10 of 10. I had a high expectation based on my experience from other Apple products I have used. But it still exceeds my expectation. I'm not going to give a complete overview, which you can find from lots of other places.
Apple TV can take everything from your iTune library to your big screen. Here I would like to focus on one feature outside of iTune: Connection to the Flickr Photo site. I would like to share how Apple TV 2.0 closed the loop of my digital photo solution, a beautiful and convenient way from processing to organization to sharing.
When you switch to digital photograph from film, you will notice that the number of photos you collected increased very fast, especially if photograph happens to be your hobby like me. Over the years I have tried different ways of organizing and sharing those photos with your family and friend in your living room. I am happy to report here that I finally found the solution with the arrival of Apple TV 2.0
Here are the tools and site I use to closed this loop: Picasa from Google to processing the photos, Flickr site to load up photos, Apple TV to connect to the Flickr site and display the photos on TV screen.
The new version of Apple TV added the feature to allow you to connect to Flickr site with one click. You will not only be able to see your own photos on the site, you can also see your friends or other public group's photos on the site. It even automatically plays music from yout itune library while photos are displayed in slide show mode. Another feature I liked is that when you play music from Apple TV, it starts display your multiple photos in a random fashion in size and number on the TV screen.
There are some other tools you might be able to find to do the similar, but again, Apple's solution is just 1 or 2 notches up when comparing to others in terms of functionality and convenience.
There are quite a few other nice features from Apple TV 2.0 like YouTube and direct movie download /streaming.
Digital camera Review: Apple TV Amazes
Summary: 5 Stars
This product is quintessential Apple quality from it's sleek stylish design to it's incredible ease of set up and use right out of the box. This device offers a complete and seamless link from your computer to your TV to stream movies, music, TV shows, photos and more over your wireless network. The device delivers max 720p video quality and Dolby 5.1 digital surround sound and is compatible with both 1080p and 1080i HD TV sets. Connections can also be by a single HDMI cable which provides both the video and the audio feed to the TV set.
While it is true that you can only connect to the iTunes store for content (or any computer on your wireless network) it is important to note that the iTunes library is adding new content on a weekly basis. It is also very nice to be able to watch movie trailers for films currently in the theaters. The delivery system is an excellent example of video on demand from the comfort of your living room without any trips to the local block buster or waiting on DVDs in the mail. The user interface is very intuitive and easy to navigate as well.
The ability to stream music and movies from your iTunes library from any computer on your wireless network, and to view your family photos on an HD TV is a feature that is somewhat understated. Originally, Apple TV could only be linked to one iTunes account, but now you can have multiple accounts connected to the device for even more content. You won't believe just how good your photos look on Apple TV. The ability to connect to Mobile Me and view internet photo albums from family and friends also really adds to the fun and magic of sharing your favorite images with everyone. You Tube videos and audio and video Podcasts can viewed and enjoyed as well. Apple TV is self-maintaining clearing the contents of the hard drive automatically of any rented movies that have exceeded their time limit. You have 30 days to watch rented movies and then you have 24 hours to watch it as many times as you like once you hit the play button. You can also purchase movies, TV programs and music right on the Apple TV or on your computer and the contents will be synced to the Apple TV. One word of advice, if you want to be able to watch movies or TV programs on both the Apple TV and your computer be sure and purchase them on iTunes from the computer and then sync the contents to the Apple TV. Movies and TV programs purchased from the Apple TV will not sync back to your iTunes library on your computer, but music content will. I'm not sure why this is the case, but it is important to know that up front in any case.
Overall, this is an amazing product that is fun and easy to use and really represents the future of TV entertainment and functionality. So far, Apple has added amazing new features and abilities through software updates which can be downloaded over the wireless network and installed without the use of any computer connection. The ability to do this makes this a truly dynamic product which means that new and improved features can be added to the device in the future thus increasing the value and enjoyment even more. I purchased one of these for my parents and they really seem to enjoy it a lot. I purchased the 160GB model for myself and I absolutely love it and use it all the time.
Digital camera Review: Apple TV Converter
Summary: 4 Stars
Apple TV was designed to work with wide screen, enhanced-definition or high-definition TVs capable of 1080i, 720p, 576p, or 480p resolutions. I have a big screen tv about 9 years old and it does not have all the new inputs like HDMI or even the 3 wire component video. I have the simple Red & White audio and a yellow video input and an S-Video input. None of what I have is compatible with the Apple TV. I also have a DVD player that has the same input/outputs as my TV. I received this ATV as a gift and was determined to make this work. I finally found a product that will convert the video component cables to S-Video. Problem solved. So if you have an older TV or a DVD player you want to use with ATV, order this converter for $99 from www.svideo.com/appletv2tv.html You must have an S-Video input on your tv or dvd player to make this work. I also run my Apple TV to all the tv's in my house via my DVD player and the Coaxial cable in my house. What plays on my big screen plays in the kitchen and so on..... both Satellite TV & Apple TV. I love my new toy and can't wait for Apple to integrate the internet more into our TV. Youtube is just the first step.Digital camera Review: Apple TV brings home entertainment to a whole new level...
Summary: 5 Stars
Apple TV:
Apple TV has been a great addition to my entertainment arsenal. The issue is that the HD space is limited. I had more music and movies than Apple TV HD space. What did I do? I discovered that streaming (not copying to Apple TV HD) my Itunes library has enabled me to stream endless amounts of data. I ended up purchasing an external HD of 1TB and am able to stream countless movies and music data over my wireless network. I use my computer memory instead of my Apple TV space. I would highly recommend going this route and getting the smaller Apple TV version if you are trying to save some cash. The only thing I have stored on my Apple TV is my pictures. I would only recommend doing this if you have high-speed internet and an adequate computer to handle the extra load. I have thoroughly enjoyed my Apple TV and have found several still old time photos and use them in my slideshows when people are over. High-Def Still photos are great conversation starters and create a unique visual appeal to all those gazing upon a HDTV.
Digital camera Review: Apple TV for Music and Photos
Summary: 4 Stars
I purchased the Apple TV for use primarily with music and photos. An iMac previously handled these duties but its hard drive started making too much noise, it had no HD video output for viewing photos on a large screen, and it was far too difficult to operate from any distance even with a remote because the screen was too small.
The Apple TV is proving to be a pretty good solution:
- It's mostly very quiet because it streams music from an iBook that sits outside the listening room. (Photos reside on the Apple TV hard drive but noise is not an issue. I have, however, become aware of a buzz from the DLP TV. Solve one issue, only to encounter another...)
- It has HDMI and component video outputs that allow for high resolution displays of photos. The color profile is also well suited to TV viewing, displaying more vivid colors than when the same photo is viewed via a laptop connected to the same TV.
- Apple TV can be navigated from anywhere in the room with the remote.
- iTunes allows the viewing of cover art on a large screen.
- The sound quality IMHO is very good. I'm not an audio guru but I've listened to many a system. Mine is connected to a pretty good sound system and pumps out what to me is very satisfying sound across the entire sound specturm.
The unit, however, does have its faults;
- Streaming from another computer requires that computer to be on. If the computer is restarted, Apple TV requires some time to re-establish a connection (and seriously slows down the host computer - even an iBook G4 - until this process is completed.)
- Wireless streaming comes with its own issues. For example, I have a cordless phone in the listening room. When it rings, it disrupts the Apple TV link to the computer and the Apple TV can't stream music for about 5 minutes while it re-links.
- The software for browsing iTunes is less robust than the computer version. The Apple TV experience is comparable to navigating an iPod, and since Apple TV has no way of searching one's own music, navigating a large library - scrolling from top to bottom of albums or artists - can takes minutes, not seconds. And if you scroll any distance you end up over-shooting, backing up, over-shooting again...
- When a song is playing, the album art flips from side to side every 30 seconds. This, no doubt, is to prevent image burn-in on the screen, but burn-in is no longer an issue for most newer TV's, so it would be nice to have other options for how album art is displayed.
- Regarding album art, it can take days, if not weeks, to fill in all the missing art that can't be retrieved by iTunes (especially if your musical tastes stray too far from Top 40 fare.) This may not be a big deal for many, but since one of the real benefits of Apple TV, as it applies to music, is its ability to display cover art, many music lovers will want to fill in those missing items. If so, be prepared to spend countless hours searching Google Images. (It's a hobby, you'll probably enjoy every minute of it, but you've been warned.)
- The photo software is also rather limited. You can browse square thumbnails and play sequential slide shows. That's it. There's no random sequence for slide shows, nor any way to retrieve photo info.
- Screen saver setting, etc., are also very limited.
Other features I don't really use (and why):
- Movies: 40BG Apple TV is too limited in capacity to store (sync) many movies and wireless streaming is too slow. Besides, that's what DVD players are for (though it would be nice if the Apple TV included a disc player.)
- Move rental: My internet connection (satellite broadband) is too slow to download movies.
- YouTube: They sometimes load as fast as on my computer but sometimes take far longer. And most YouTube videos have very poor image quality to begin with. Viewing them on a large screen only makes them look worse.
In the end, the Apple TV's primary focus isn't really music or photos - the applicable software is too under-powered to be the headliner act. Wireless streaming also has its issues. (You could sync all your AV data on the Apple TV, but even the 160GB version is too small for any mid-sized AV library.) Some audiophiles also seem to claim that the audio quality could be better. But I like being able to navigate my music with a remote, and it brings back the joy of browsing album covers while listening to the music in relaxed comfort (i.e., on a sofa, not at my desk.) So overall, it's a fun toy. I hope Apple continues to refine it. As it stands, however, it tries too hard to be the be-all for everyone, and seems to end up being only mediocre in everything. I wouldn't mind if Apple let it do a few things very well - maybe even carve out a separate audiophile edition as opposed to a more video/movie/YouTube-centric one? Just a suggestion...