Apple TV, whos got it?

[Seafort]

Yep I signed up for Netflix and was PISSED when I found out my JP IP would not allow me to use it!

And yes, mad monies for officers in the JP. I am so hoping to come back.

 

[PropAddict]

I had an early generation ATV. It was good at what it did, but left me wanting more.

Like Hulu, Boxee, Amazon video downloads. I'm hoping the new update is more open to other media sources than just iTunes store. I have an iPod dock on my TV for that stuff.

The Western Digital MyTv HD is look really attractive, especially since I have all my DVDs on a 1TB hard drive now. . .

 

[SynixMan]

I have the ATV and hacked it to do Boxee and XBMC. I only use boxee for watching MLB.tv really. Hulu doesn't work anymore on there since NBC blocked boxee. I have to say, the hardware is getting a bit tired. I believe it's got an ~800 Mhz Pentium III and some Nvidia graphics, enough to dance around 720p but not super high quality. Aside from MLB.tv, I use it to watch BluRay movie rips, but I have to re-encode those from mkv to m4v usually.

I'd echo the above statements to at least wait until Monday's WWDC announcements. Rumors say Apple is readying a new box that streams movies/tv/etc for a monthly fee, cutting out the cable company altogether. That would be very awesome if true. If you are going to actually use the rental feature and iTunes, I'd say go for it. If you're only going to watch stuff from your collection, XBox360 or PS3 might be a better option.

 

[ea6bflyr]

If you want a media center, it's hard to beat the Xbox360 and the Windows Media Center extender experience. This is how I watch cable in my house. Three tuner cards on my PC, two extenders and an Xbox. I have a DVR, I can watch all of my downloaded movies/TV shows, stream all of my music, watch cable with a TV guide. . .all in one interface. Best part of all, It saves me nearly $35/month with the cable company. That's more than enough savings to buy an Xbox360 and the tuner cards in a year.

Until you get the common Red Ring of Death! (Thanks Microsloth)

-ea6bflyr

 

[eas7888]

Until you get the common Red Ring of Death! (Thanks Microsloth)

-ea6bflyr

The red ring of death (RROD) issue has been solved (with few exceptions) with the latest iteration of consoles. They are producing less heat, and and have solved what caused the original RROD issue. I've had my XBOX 360 running as a media center and gaming console for almost two and a half years, and that includes a year in Iraq, still no problems. Exercising common sense is also something that has helped me. One word: Ventilation.

Anyway, if you don't like the Xbox, you can use the Linksys media center extenders. I have used a few of those over the years as well. They work wonderfully over 802.11n or via Ethernet.

 

[bpr2006]

I'm a huge fan of the apple tv. Cheapest way to get the programing you want, commercial free. Two complaints though:

1) I think the HD died on mine. Apple store assures me they'll replace though (they're usually good for it)
2) it's not much of a news engine

 

[statesman]

I haven't committed just yet, but I am eventually going to buy an ATV. Right now I have my computer plugged into my TV through HDMI so I just dual monitor my system and play my iTunes movies on the plasma.

My big thing right now is deciding what my future movie library will look like format wise. I have an xBox 360 and so stream NetFlix through the included application, and I am pretty set against going to BluRay. So for now if I want an HD option for movies I have to look at DLC options. Apple seems to have the best selection so far, and the best infrastructure for delivery to the TV.

I know BluRay is all the rage right now, but 1.) I dont see hard copy formats sticking around too much longer, or at least they will be (and indeed already are) rivaled by DLC options. 2.) I hate Sony (for stupid reasons, but its still a factor) 3.) I can buy a 1TB external HDD for my computer and carry nearly every movie I will ever own with me, where ever I move to. Sure I cant let people borrow them, and thats certainly a drawback.

I haven't committed yet, still looking at all the options, but I think within the next year or so I'll pull the trigger. Probably after the next ATV refresh.

 

[Tomodachi]

Went ahead and got the ATV. Watched my first rented HD movie "Shutter Island" and was pretty happy with the quality. No lag issues at all. Seems like a great product so far.

 

[bpr2006]

how was the movie? I heard good things about it

 

[incubus852]

I went through apple's website and purchased one of the refurbished apple tvs. I think it was like 40 bucks cheaper. Works great. I debated getting a mac mini but just didn't want to spend the additional cash.

LaCie makes a similar product as well...

http://www.lacie.com/us/products/range.htm?id=10049

As far as shutter island, pretty good movie. Good twist... obvious in hindsight but good.

 

[scoolbubba]

You could always set up a VPN to watch hulu, netflix, etc overseas. There are free ones with ad bars and others that you pay for.

 

[eas7888]

LaCie makes a similar product as well...

http://www.lacie.com/us/products/range.htm?id=10049

Apples and Oranges (pardon the pun).

The LaCie product is more open and allows for a wider range of formats. Perfect for people who may get their movies from more questionable sources, or for those who like to produce backups of their own movies in a digital format of their choice. The Apple product is wonderful for out of the box, having a very simple setup, and being compatible with those gigabytes of music, movies and TV shows you've downloaded through iTunes.

Personally, I prefer the Linksys DMA 2100 (or 2200 if you want a built in DVD player), or an XBox360 working as a Windows Media Center Extender.

I can watch Netflix movies on my XBox, in addition to watching all of the movies and TV shows stored on my computer. The best part of it for me, I have three cable tuners installed on my home PC, allowing Windows Media Center to function as a home DVR. It saves me an extra $40 over going with the cable company's DVR solution.

If you really want to go high tech, you can get a cable card tuner for your computer, and get all of the high definition programming you would get with your cable company's box, at a fraction of the price. Without the cable card, you still get all of your network HD channels through Clear QAM.

That's just my $5

 

[eas7888]

You could always set up a VPN to watch hulu, netflix, etc overseas. There are free ones with ad bars and others that you pay for.

I tried that out while I was in Iraq/Kuwait. I was always pretty nervous about sending private information through VPNs. Some work very well, however. Just be prepared to pay if you want serious speed for watching video on demand.

 

[Tomodachi]

how was the movie? I heard good things about it

I enjoyed the movie. I would recommend it because it had some good twists in it, as well as a lot of different emotions in it: horror, drama, suspense, it was a good film.