Apple TV, is it worth it for Ireland?

Mynners

I've been thinking about investing in an apple tv for the sitting room. I mean theres a 40-something inch HD tv in there and it would be great for watching movies.
I've got two reservations about it however. One, there's already a Sky + box hooked up, which sort-of takes from the apple tv experience maybe? Two, I'm in Ireland, no movies to download from the iTunes store, which to be honest I wouldn't, but I'm sure parents would rent.
I've got a 3Mg line which would be okay for downloading movies.

What do ye think?

leahcim

One thing you could do with an Apple TV box is install boxee

Demo of Boxee
http://vimeo.com/7606492

How to install boxee on Apple TV
http://support.boxee.tv/forums/49598/entries/42684

soSolid

I've got one, and it's great for movies and TV episodes. I set up a new free e-mail account, and when you set up the ATV, it asks for an e-mail address and country.

Rather than use a credit card (which tells them what country you're really in), I get credit on e-bay (pm me if you want the seller details - he charges $60 for annual membership, and then you get iTunes credit at face value).

One of the better things is you can buy songs at 99 US cents, which is currently a lot les than 99 Euro cents...

HD movies are excellent, and you can also get episodes of all the big US TV series, usually before they're aired over here.

The other cool thing is you can put the movies/TV on your iPhone or iPod Touch if you have one.

andy1249

Because the added services are not available here in Ireland , the apple TV is just a media player , and a very expensive one at that.

The WDTV will do all the apple TV can do and do it better for a fraction of the cost , likewise the Popcorn hour , or any of a dozen more media players.

It simply is not worth the money in Ireland. As with all apple products , your shelling out for a Case design and some limited software , your money is better spent somewhere else.

soSolid

andy1249 wrote: »

Because the added services are not available here in Ireland...

Not true, the CREDIT CARD-based services are not available to holders of credit cards issued by Irish banks, but all the Apple TV services are available to anyone, anywhere in the world, so long as you use either US-issued iTunes gift cards, or the method I mentioned in my previous post above.

Yes, they are expensive, but they're small, neat, quiet, have HDMI (and optical audio) output, and don't require any DIY.

andy1249

but all the Apple TV services are available to anyone, anywhere in the world, so long as you use either US-issued iTunes gift cards, or the method I mentioned in my previous post above.

In other words only available through misrepresentation and a great deal of effort on behalf of the owner .....

Also limited to 720p maximum output ... and for a premium price as well ,

they're small, neat, quiet, have HDMI (and optical audio) output, and don't require any DIY.

So is the WDTV, costs way less than a 100 now , can do 1080p and a whole list of file types and compatibility that the Apple TV cannot do just like many other players .... the list goes on and on and on and on ....

There are more reasons not to buy the Apple TV than there are to buy it. Specifications and compatibility wise it has to be at the back of a very large field.

soSolid

Andy, it works perfectly for me, and that's the only experience I can talk about.

The OP said "What do ye think?", so I gave my views. You were incorrect in one of your statements, so I pointed that out.

You obviously hate the ATV with a vengance, so I'll quit this thread and save the two of us the bother.

Sorry Mynners.

leahcim

If you want an alternative to Apple TV here is a good article with some alternatives.

http://gizmodo.com/5420853/why-its-finally-time-to-get-a-home-theater-pc

You would have to install some HTPC software on these of course.

woop

http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/01/appletv-vs-the-competition-how-does-it-stack-up/

roku xr is an ok alternative with amazon due to have a larger store soon but this is about the apple tv, there will be a lot more devices like this in the next 6 months including google tv which will in google style take a while to be fully up to the job. I do like apple form factor though. What will hold these back is the stores and negotiating the rights involved, I will buy whichever gets here first, why I would buy an xbox as opposed to a ps3

I asked this in the other thread but will this support home daap or upnp?

woop

woop wrote: »

http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/01/appletv-vs-the-competition-how-does-it-stack-up/

roku xr is an ok alternative with amazon due to have a larger store soon but this is about the apple tv, there will be a lot more devices like this in the next 6 months including google tv which will in google style take a while to be fully up to the job. I do like apple form factor though. What will hold these back is the stores and negotiating the rights involved, I will buy whichever gets here first, why I would buy an xbox as opposed to a ps3

I asked this in the other thread but will this support home daap or upnp?

just an update

http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/22/roku-launches-revamped-hd-xd-and-xds-players-starting-at-just/

Berty44

One quetion I have on the Apple TV. I have an iPhone with an app called NFL Gamecentre. This app allows me to view NFL highlights on my iPhone and is a superb little app. I would love to be able to view this on my big tv.

Hence my question, using the Apple tv device would I be able to view this content on my tv from my iPhone?

Berty44

Think I found the answer....currently no but there is an update coming which will allow me to do that.

robjones1981

anyone any further thoughts about apple tv in ireland?

Does anyone know can you watch content from your laptop hard drive on your tv with it also?

Are there issues with file types etc?

Bluefoam

robjones1981 wrote: »

anyone any further thoughts about apple tv in ireland?

Yes

robjones1981 wrote: »

Does anyone know can you watch content from your laptop hard drive on your tv with it also?

Yes

robjones1981 wrote: »

Are there issues with file types etc?

Yes. But you can jailbreak it & add a program to the menu bar that will allow it to work like a regular media centre & even stream stuff from a stand alone networked hard drive + will recognise lots more file types...

BobPresto

Apple TV 2 + XBMC + IceFilms = Cheapest HTPC you can get....

RogerThis

BobPresto wrote: »

Apple TV 2 + XBMC + IceFilms = Cheapest HTPC you can get....

XBMC on the Apple TV2 is the way to go. It's €120 will never regret spending.
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056246667

soundsham

I have a dells xps 1330
Just installed xbmc played around a little looks cool
Anyway I think the next part of the plan is to put all my movies onto a media drive tucked away under the tv in the kitchen unit
There is Ethernet connection here so I'm wondering can I stream movies to my tv through atv or do I need something else as I would like to control this in another room for my main tv
Without computer on

Any sense in what I just said !
What would you advise??
Sound,

RogerThis

soundsham wrote: »

I have a dells xps 1330
Just installed xbmc played around a little looks cool
Anyway I think the next part of the plan is to put all my movies onto a media drive tucked away under the tv in the kitchen unit
There is Ethernet connection here so I'm wondering can I stream movies to my tv through atv or do I need something else as I would like to control this in another room for my main tv
Without computer on

Any sense in what I just said !
What would you advise??
Sound,

Yeah, that would all work and the Apple TV 2 only uses 8 watts of power. The media drive will have to be a NAS, so you can connect to it over the network.

soundsham

So for a bit of a noob to all this ,am I right in saying
All my movies (currently on hard drive)would be in a library in the nas box & this is connected to the Internet
These can then be viewed through apple tv with my computer turned off by streaming
And also I could watch movies from icefilms streamed directly to my apple tv also

I did download icefilms last night but only checked one movie and it had no sound

Thanks

RogerThis

soundsham wrote: »

So for a bit of a noob to all this ,am I right in saying
All my movies (currently on hard drive)would be in a library in the nas box & this is connected to the Internet
These can then be viewed through apple tv with my computer turned off by streaming
And also I could watch movies from icefilms streamed directly to my apple tv also

I did download icefilms last night but only checked one movie and it had no sound

Thanks

Yes, with your pc off, you will be able to play movies on your nas with the apple tv using xbmc. You will need to setup a network share to your nas, on xbmc. It's all fairly easy.

The problem with icefilms sound like there is a codec missing. Try installing this codec.
http://www.free-codecs.com/download/ac3_filter.htm

soundsham

Serious thanks for the replies
Will try that download in the next day or so and check it out

I feel some purchases coming soon

soundsham

Checked out ice films yesterday on my pc and worked fine got sound working

Later planned to watch movie on tv through my computer but no sound is coming through my hdmi cable:( .....tried going back and restoring to an earlier time , didn't work


I plan to buy atv 2 and a http://www.buffalotech.com/products/network-storage/home-and-small-office/

To store and stream movies

will there be a problem streaming 1080p as I was reading something about this being difficult
or the atv converting this to 720

The sound going on hdmi is a balls too
My problem is trying these things is great in theory but with no real technical ability faults like this generally cost money to fix as I'm unable to do so

This is confusing all I want to know is if the movies can be stored I 1 room and viewed elsewhere easily

RogerThis

soundsham wrote: »

Later planned to watch movie on tv through my computer but no sound is coming through my hdmi cable:( .....tried going back and restoring to an earlier time , didn't work

The sound going on hdmi is a balls too
My problem is trying these things is great in theory but with no real technical ability faults like this generally cost money to fix as I'm unable to do so


Sound doesn't work over a dvi to htmi cable, only video works. You need a separate audio cable. Usually a RCA to 3.5mm cable

soundsham wrote: »

will there be a problem streaming 1080p as I was reading something about this being difficult or the atv converting this to 720

There isn't a lot of content in 1080p, unless you rip it yourself. The highest TV broadcast is 720p. The ATV2 only does 1080i/720p. Also, you would need a very fast broadband connection to stream in 720p. I only use dvdrip, and it's fine on my 42" TV.

soundsham wrote: »

This is confusing all I want to know is if the movies can be stored I 1 room and viewed elsewhere easily

The ATV2 will work perfectly for what you want.

soundsham

Hdmi cable used to work fine previously when watching movie through vlc

RogerThis

soundsham wrote: »

Hdmi cable used to work fine previously when watching movie through vlc

Does vlc work anymore?

Does any windows sounds come through to the tv?

It could be a setting on your computer or your tv.

Try this http://forum.notebookreview.com/dell-xps-studio-xps/204246-xps-1330-hdmi-audio-problem-w-hdtv.html

soundsham

Vlc is ok But no sound through tv
Everything plays fine through computers speakers
Then when I personalise the computer as i always do to get it to play through hdmi it doesn't
Picture no sound

RogerThis

soundsham wrote: »

Vlc is ok But no sound through tv
Everything plays fine through computers speakers
Then when I personalise the computer as i always do to get it to play through hdmi it doesn't
Picture no sound

Did you try the link I provided before?

If it's not working in VLC either then it's not a XBMC problem. It could be a driver issue, could be a setting on the laptop, or could be a setting on your TV.

I don't have a Dell XPS M1330 laptop, so I don't know how much help I can be. You could try posting your audio problem in the laptop section and somebody might be able to help you out.

Voodu Child

soundsham wrote: »

Vlc is ok But no sound through tv
Everything plays fine through computers speakers
Then when I personalise the computer as i always do to get it to play through hdmi it doesn't
Picture no sound

Right-click the volume icon on your taskbar and go to 'playback devices'. Then find the device that serves your HDMI and make sure it is enabled. Sometimes it helps to set it to default. Also go to 'properties' and make sure the supported formats ticked correspond to whatever you are plugging into. ie if your TV doesnt support DTS then don't tick it.

soundsham

RogerThis wrote: »

Did you try the link I provided before?

If it's not working in VLC either then it's not a XBMC problem. It could be a driver issue, could be a setting on the laptop, or could be a setting on your TV.

I don't have a Dell XPS M1330 laptop, so I don't know how much help I can be. You could try posting your audio problem in the laptop section and somebody might be able to help you out.

Yes and it was successful for sound with I ecilms on the computer
But I then turned off the computer and next time I tried it I hooked it to the tv with my hdmi as usual and then there was no sound

soundsham

Voodu Child wrote: »

Right-click the volume icon on your taskbar and go to 'playback devices'. Then find the device that serves your HDMI and make sure it is enabled. Sometimes it helps to set it to default. Also go to 'properties' and make sure the supported formats ticked correspond to whatever you are plugging into. ie if your TV doesnt support DTS then don't tick it.

Ok will try this later
Sounds similar to the usual way I enable hdmi
Thanks

kucyk

anyone got it recently? any chance to get it under 119 somewhere in Dublin area?