Comments on: Should Apple TV Copy Tivo and Media Center? http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2007/12/12/should-apple-tv-copy-tivo-and-media-center/ Daniel Eran Dilger in San Francisco Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:17:27 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8 hourly 1 By: How Apple TV can score at the big 3.0 — RoughlyDrafted Magazine http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2007/12/12/should-apple-tv-copy-tivo-and-media-center/comment-page-1/#comment-17095 How Apple TV can score at the big 3.0 — RoughlyDrafted Magazine Thu, 05 Feb 2009 06:35:37 +0000 http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2007/12/12/should-apple-tv-copy-tivo-and-media-center/#comment-17095 [...] Apple’s iTV & The Case of the Missing DVR Should Apple TV Copy Tivo and Media Center? [...] [...] Apple’s iTV & The Case of the Missing DVR Should Apple TV Copy Tivo and Media Center? [...]

]]> By: Practical Technology » Why Apple TV will win, and win big http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2007/12/12/should-apple-tv-copy-tivo-and-media-center/comment-page-1/#comment-3286 Practical Technology » Why Apple TV will win, and win big Wed, 26 Dec 2007 17:32:06 +0000 http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2007/12/12/should-apple-tv-copy-tivo-and-media-center/#comment-3286 [...] of Roughly Drafted pointed it out in his stories, Apple TV Digital Disruption at Work and Should Apple TV Copy TiVo and Media Center? that Apple iTunes owns the TV episode market with over 99% of the legal downloads and has the [...] [...] of Roughly Drafted pointed it out in his stories, Apple TV Digital Disruption at Work and Should Apple TV Copy TiVo and Media Center? that Apple iTunes owns the TV episode market with over 99% of the legal downloads and has the [...]

]]> By: GUS http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2007/12/12/should-apple-tv-copy-tivo-and-media-center/comment-page-1/#comment-3079 GUS Mon, 24 Dec 2007 15:16:59 +0000 http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2007/12/12/should-apple-tv-copy-tivo-and-media-center/#comment-3079 I agree with the focus of the article, but I think Apple is missing a market opportunity. Your average WalMart piece of crap DVD player is good for a couple of years, so there is a lot of turn over (and multiple units in many households). Including a DVD drive (or superdrive) would have very little impact on cost per unit but could/would make many consumers (Apple owners and none-Apple product owners alike) give the AppleTV a serious look when DVD player replacement time comes around. I agree with the focus of the article, but I think Apple is missing a market opportunity. Your average WalMart piece of crap DVD player is good for a couple of years, so there is a lot of turn over (and multiple units in many households). Including a DVD drive (or superdrive) would have very little impact on cost per unit but could/would make many consumers (Apple owners and none-Apple product owners alike) give the AppleTV a serious look when DVD player replacement time comes around.

]]> By: sebastianlewis http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2007/12/12/should-apple-tv-copy-tivo-and-media-center/comment-page-1/#comment-2551 sebastianlewis Mon, 17 Dec 2007 10:56:31 +0000 http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2007/12/12/should-apple-tv-copy-tivo-and-media-center/#comment-2551 Hmmm, you know something unrelated to the Apple TV crossed my mind today, broadcasting. Local news is well, local news and it comes in handy sometimes in the morning and having a nice little window up in the top left, about 320x240 is probably what I'd have it set to, essentially turning any computer into a digital TV. Yes I'm thinking specifically of laptops here, but it'd be trivial in Quicktime and over IP, although when I think of something like this it sounds more like something that Real would do which would be fine I guess since I have that blasted thing installed for only the occasion that I run into a Real file and don't want to go through the hassle of having to get an email to download it. Oh well, maybe the Apple TV should add a CableCARD, it could be a purely optional feature that wouldn't just be restricted to DVR use, or at least some sort of digital tuner (2009 is approaching after all) to tune into local broadcasts. I guess there is podcasting but I'd rather stream instead of downloading. Sebastian Hmmm, you know something unrelated to the Apple TV crossed my mind today, broadcasting. Local news is well, local news and it comes in handy sometimes in the morning and having a nice little window up in the top left, about 320×240 is probably what I’d have it set to, essentially turning any computer into a digital TV. Yes I’m thinking specifically of laptops here, but it’d be trivial in Quicktime and over IP, although when I think of something like this it sounds more like something that Real would do which would be fine I guess since I have that blasted thing installed for only the occasion that I run into a Real file and don’t want to go through the hassle of having to get an email to download it.

Oh well, maybe the Apple TV should add a CableCARD, it could be a purely optional feature that wouldn’t just be restricted to DVR use, or at least some sort of digital tuner (2009 is approaching after all) to tune into local broadcasts. I guess there is podcasting but I’d rather stream instead of downloading.

Sebastian

]]> By: zek http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2007/12/12/should-apple-tv-copy-tivo-and-media-center/comment-page-1/#comment-2323 zek Fri, 14 Dec 2007 14:46:53 +0000 http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2007/12/12/should-apple-tv-copy-tivo-and-media-center/#comment-2323 The program MPEG Streamclip is useful. You can convert just about anything (DIVX, XVID etc) to .mov without re-encoding and thus losing quality. Good for FrontRow/iTunes. The program MPEG Streamclip is useful. You can convert just about anything (DIVX, XVID etc) to .mov without re-encoding and thus losing quality. Good for FrontRow/iTunes.

]]> By: pbreit http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2007/12/12/should-apple-tv-copy-tivo-and-media-center/comment-page-1/#comment-2302 pbreit Fri, 14 Dec 2007 01:40:55 +0000 http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2007/12/12/should-apple-tv-copy-tivo-and-media-center/#comment-2302 I disagree with almost all of Frommer's suggestions. Hardware-wise, Apple TV is fine as-is. The primary deficiency is what content it can play. What is needed are one or more of the following: 1) Netflix-style subscription-based video availability, 2) pay-per-view, 3) free, ad-supported (like cbs.com, Hulu and AOL Video). HD is unnecessary for the reasons many have noted above. There is massive demand for video on demand. Witness NBC's 300 million views in just its first ten months. And Netflix and pay-per-view have semi-proven demand. The one thing that really has not worked is high-priced downloadable video. I disagree with almost all of Frommer’s suggestions.

Hardware-wise, Apple TV is fine as-is. The primary deficiency is what content it can play. What is needed are one or more of the following: 1) Netflix-style subscription-based video availability, 2) pay-per-view, 3) free, ad-supported (like cbs.com, Hulu and AOL Video).

HD is unnecessary for the reasons many have noted above. There is massive demand for video on demand. Witness NBC’s 300 million views in just its first ten months. And Netflix and pay-per-view have semi-proven demand. The one thing that really has not worked is high-priced downloadable video.

]]> By: serpicolugnut http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2007/12/12/should-apple-tv-copy-tivo-and-media-center/comment-page-1/#comment-2301 serpicolugnut Fri, 14 Dec 2007 00:54:23 +0000 http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2007/12/12/should-apple-tv-copy-tivo-and-media-center/#comment-2301 I ditched the cable this fall, and connected a spare PC to our Plasma HDT. The plan was to get our viewing content from iTunes (the office, heroes, bag), and from Netflix. Well Nbc ruined getting the content from iTunes, but Netfli. Has been great. We get the shows, rip them via Handbrake, and ship them back. Their Watch It Now service has been great, allowing us to watch Heroes this season at pretty decent quality just two days after it airs. But the best way to get content has been Bittorrent. The files are up less than a day after they air, are in HD quality, weigh in at about 375mb for a 1 hr. show, and have no commercials. In short, as easy as iTunes, higher quality, better selection, and a better price. If I could get something like Netflix's Watch it now via AppleTV, I'd so be there I ditched the cable this fall, and connected a spare PC to our Plasma HDT. The plan was to get our viewing content from iTunes (the office, heroes, bag), and from Netflix.

Well Nbc ruined getting the content from iTunes, but Netfli. Has been great. We get the shows, rip them via Handbrake, and ship them back. Their Watch It Now service has been great, allowing us to watch Heroes this season at pretty decent quality just two days after it airs. But the best way to get content has been Bittorrent. The files are up less than a day after they air, are in HD quality, weigh in at about 375mb for a 1 hr. show, and have no commercials. In short, as easy as iTunes, higher quality, better selection, and a better price.
If I could get something like Netflix’s Watch it now via AppleTV, I’d so be there

]]> By: ncollingridge http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2007/12/12/should-apple-tv-copy-tivo-and-media-center/comment-page-1/#comment-2294 ncollingridge Thu, 13 Dec 2007 22:03:48 +0000 http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2007/12/12/should-apple-tv-copy-tivo-and-media-center/#comment-2294 "also works with home movies, video captured with a DVR such as EyeTV". Maybe, but only after a conversion process that takes forever. At least this is the case with most material captured from DVB-T source, most of which is essentially MPEG-2. If AppleTV were to support this format then it would be a quite wonderful device and I would use it all the time. As it is I hardly ever use it and it sits gathering dust, except for the rare occasions when I dust it down and hook it up to play some music or watch YouTube on my TV. Otherwise it has proved pretty much a total waste of money and a waste of space. the other functionality they could add to enhance its attractiveness is internet radio playback. This is available through iTunes and it could use the same radio tuning service - I would use it a lot alongside the other internet radio devices I have. I love the idea of AppleTV, and its execution is superb as far as it goes. But without more functionality it is dead in the water. I'm sure that the reason Apple don't want to add this additional functionality (a trivial exercise) is because they are only interested in selling the material that people play through the device. This is simple greed and putting the company coffers before their customers. As it stands, AppleTV is definitely their least finest hour, and it saddens me. It could be so great but it just falls so far short of greatness. Daniel, your unquestioning defence of the product doesn't do you any favors. This is a below-par exercise for Apple and you should call them on it, not blindly defend it. It undermines your other excellent work. You've called this one wrong, I'm afraid, as far as I am concerned. “also works with home movies, video captured with a DVR such as EyeTV”.

Maybe, but only after a conversion process that takes forever. At least this is the case with most material captured from DVB-T source, most of which is essentially MPEG-2. If AppleTV were to support this format then it would be a quite wonderful device and I would use it all the time.

As it is I hardly ever use it and it sits gathering dust, except for the rare occasions when I dust it down and hook it up to play some music or watch YouTube on my TV. Otherwise it has proved pretty much a total waste of money and a waste of space.

the other functionality they could add to enhance its attractiveness is internet radio playback. This is available through iTunes and it could use the same radio tuning service – I would use it a lot alongside the other internet radio devices I have.

I love the idea of AppleTV, and its execution is superb as far as it goes. But without more functionality it is dead in the water. I’m sure that the reason Apple don’t want to add this additional functionality (a trivial exercise) is because they are only interested in selling the material that people play through the device. This is simple greed and putting the company coffers before their customers.

As it stands, AppleTV is definitely their least finest hour, and it saddens me. It could be so great but it just falls so far short of greatness.

Daniel, your unquestioning defence of the product doesn’t do you any favors. This is a below-par exercise for Apple and you should call them on it, not blindly defend it. It undermines your other excellent work. You’ve called this one wrong, I’m afraid, as far as I am concerned.

]]> By: luckk http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2007/12/12/should-apple-tv-copy-tivo-and-media-center/comment-page-1/#comment-2287 luckk Thu, 13 Dec 2007 18:42:58 +0000 http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2007/12/12/should-apple-tv-copy-tivo-and-media-center/#comment-2287 One more thing. With all the complaints about not being able to find HD content, my site has a compilation of over 100 podcasts that are published in HD. It can be found here: http://hd.appletvsource.com One more thing. With all the complaints about not being able to find HD content, my site has a compilation of over 100 podcasts that are published in HD. It can be found here:

http://hd.appletvsource.com

]]> By: luckk http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2007/12/12/should-apple-tv-copy-tivo-and-media-center/comment-page-1/#comment-2286 luckk Thu, 13 Dec 2007 18:40:01 +0000 http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2007/12/12/should-apple-tv-copy-tivo-and-media-center/#comment-2286 To that, I would like to offer my take on how to fix the Apple TV. I have written an article titled "Repurposing the Apple TV" on my site. It is located here: http://appletvsource.com/content/view/464/1/ The premise is of the article is that Apple TV should not be dependent on iTunes Store content (rental, HD, etc.) , which is exactly why Apple TV is not so successful. To that, I would like to offer my take on how to fix the Apple TV.

I have written an article titled “Repurposing the Apple TV” on my site. It is located here:

http://appletvsource.com/content/view/464/1/

The premise is of the article is that Apple TV should not be dependent on iTunes Store content (rental, HD, etc.) , which is exactly why Apple TV is not so successful.

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