Just got an Apple TV...worth using?

D

Dome

2[H]4U
Joined
Mar 16, 2002
Messages
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So i just got this as a gift and i was pretty happy until i thought about how i would use it.

i don't really have any desire to stream media, and i already have a 360 and ps3.

i guess what i'm asking is what else can i do with it besides stream from my ipad/pc to my tv? because i guess i'm just going to return it for credit or regift it if there's not much else i can do
 
Not much more than what you've listed. Can I have it?:D

Is it an AT3? If it's a 2 you can jailbreak it and customize it. But I don't know much about it.
 
how do i tell if its a 2 or 3? its new from the apple store, do they still stock 2's?
 
Its probably a 3. If there is a 1080p option, its def a 3.
 
It's basically iTunes for your television. If you don't use iTunes, you won't find much use for an Apple TV. It has Netflix, Hulu, other pay streaming services, and it can mirror your existing Apple devices. That, Youtube, and Trailers is about all it's got.

My work got me one as a gift and I have no idea what to do with it.
 
The only thing I found myself using it for was Netflix and AirPlay from my iPad/iPhone, which is awesome.

I returned it though because I didn't see the use in a $100 iPad wireless display adapter. If Hulu was out on atv at the time I had it, I might have kept it.

I'm much happier with my $35 raspberry pi with XBMC, which can also do airplay audio/video, but not mirroring. If they ever add an App Store to the atv, I might go back and get another.

Oh, rentals. It had rentals, which was cool, but at $3-5 per rental for HD movies, I couldn't afford to do that. If money were no object though, I would buy all my movies in HD from iTunes just for the convenience.
 
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Yeah i bought white collar for itunes and watch on my ipad, which i enjoy, but i hate not having access to behind the scenes extras that i get from buying the actual DVD/BD

also i only use itunes/ipad for watching media when i'm in rooms without a TV (i.e. bathroom...you know...when i poop) or about to go to sleep for some background noise.

anyhow, great gift, but i'll put it towards something else from the apple store...thanks guys
 
Dome said:
Yeah i bought white collar for itunes and watch on my ipad, which i enjoy, but i hate not having access to behind the scenes extras that i get from buying the actual DVD/BD
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iTunes has a feature called iTunes Extras that includes just that, the same additions that come on the disc with Blu-Rays and DVDs. If you don't have them, it's probably because the company in question doesn't want them available on iTunes.
 
thanks for the tip, i'll start looking for my extras.

my other problem is price. sometimes i don't mind paying full price but i've never seen apple products cheaper than i could find them elsewhere
 
Here is how I use it:

Netflix and Hulu
iTunes Match so I have all my music, alternatively you can just share your library if you leave a computer on...which brings me to my next point.
I have a little Zotac AD10 that I use as an iTunes server. I mounted my NAS as a drive and then pointed my library to that drive. Then I can transcode media from different formats into the Apple TV 3 preset in Handbrake. When it is done transcoding, it throws it into the "Automatically Add to iTunes" folder on my NAS. From there its just browsing to my library on my Apple TV in the Unwatched section and getting some snacks.

It works well enough for me, especially for the silence of the computer doing the serving. I used to use Plex and my Roku to serve media, but in switching to an iTunes server, the fans don't spin up as the Apple TV is doing the decoding and streaming from the NAS. Quick and painless. While a jailbreak and XBMC would be nice, this solution works in the meantime.
 
i think my problem is that i only ever use my ipad or phone to listen to music when i'm traveling or doing chores, never when i'd really need them on my home theater system. i already have an ipod dock through my receiver for my speakers. as for movies and TV, i don't watch enough to make it worth it.

i'm not brushing off the things this is capable of, but bottom line is the work required isn't worth the amount i would use it.

i'm gonna take it to the apple store to trade in for credit; just need to decide on what to get. if someone could explode my current 1st gen iPad i could just go in for a replacement but NooOOOOooo this thing all of a sudden is invincible!

anyhow i'm thinking:
some bluetooth speakers so i can listen to podcasts and music in the bathroom while i'm getting ready in the morning (built in speakers just aren't loud enough with the water running)

using it towards getting some fancy schmancy bose quiet comforts for when i'm flying or just want to relax (kind of a waste, i'm always moving around and only fly a few times a year)

a more practical bluetooth stereo headset for when i'm doing chores or walking around. (what's the best set with a built in microphone for calls?)
 
Love mine. Wish it had HBO / Comcast connectivity though. Otherwise the netflix streaming is great.
 
Dome said:
i think my problem is that i only ever use my ipad or phone to listen to music when i'm traveling or doing chores, never when i'd really need them on my home theater system. i already have an ipod dock through my receiver for my speakers. as for movies and TV, i don't watch enough to make it worth it.
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In this situation, I'd say sell it. I personally have one and love it, BUT how I use it is AirVideo (on desktop) streamed to my ipad, and then airplay from my iPad to my ATV (which is hooked to my projector --- very nice not having to fumble with cables)

Otherwise? Not used. I'd say I use it maybe 10 hours a month --- which for me is 2 nights since I tend to marathon series on nights I have a lot of free time. Was it worth it to me? Yes, because it saves me a huge hassle with my projector and I use it often enough to feel it was worth the $$$.

However, if I already had another box that did this, then I'd have never gotten the ATV --- to me the ONLY use is an airplay box (I dont pay for netflix, I get box-sets of older series/movies on HD-DVD eBay for $10 or less a couple times a year and rip my own files --- WONDERFUL value if you like older movies/series since you can get a HD-DVD drive for $10-$20 and the discs cost almost nothing)

For your situation, I'd say sell it before they release a new one! :)
 
I just picked up an Apple TV last night. AirPlay is pretty sweet, and the overall integration of services now leaves my PS3 for Blu-Ray and games. It takes up very little space and the only configuration I had to do was connecting to WiFi and signing into my iTunes account. Would recommend. :)
 
imho, the Apple TV 3 is kinda useless right now stock (except the radio, that is used daily around my house). I got one for a present as well because I wanted to put XBMC on it once it's jailbroken but there is no jailbreak for it and none on the immediate horizon from what I read, either.
 
we just won one ourselves...

i use it for my NHL Gamecenter which is nice; I also have HBOGO but no cable service ( somebody elses hbogo )

we log in on the ipad and airplay shit to the tv... game of thrones WEWT
 
I would use it to play movies I purchased on Itunes - on my television. Which is what it is basically designed for.

One day Apple TV - will just be a TV.
 
I like my Roku 2 XS much better than my AppleTV 3. I use Plex on the Roku to stream my BD collection.
 
Maximus825 said:
I like my Roku 2 XS much better than my AppleTV 3. I use Plex on the Roku to stream my BD collection.
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This.

I just upgraded from an iPad3 to a Samsung Galaxy note 10.1 and am likewise trading in my AppleTV 3 for a Roku 3 + Plex. Once you leave the apple ecosystem the AppleTV is rather useless unless your into spending lots of $$$ on iTunes content or possibly Netflix
 
leojobslee said:
Yep. My Apple ID actually costs me a lot... I'm considering going a JailBreak for my iDevices.
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I have like $50 of credit on the iTunes store from my hardware purchases last year and I'm still moving on! lol. inability to stream from my home server anymore forced me to android for the expandable storage (with streaming, 16gb is PLENTY, without streaming... not so much...) Both my iDevices are Jailbroken (iPhone5 and iPad3) though to be fair outside of I think 3 features (only 1 vital), I really didnt need jailbreak on my iPhone anymore...
 
Of course Apple 4 days after I sell my 3rd Gen Spare Bedroom Box they FINALLY announce the wireless issues and offering 2 yr warrenties on affected serial numbers if wireless problems arrise....Sorry going to go Roku for my bedroom and keep my main TV on apple tv now.
 
I tried switching to Roku and found they are complete garbage. Interface is horrific, they are terrible at streaming anything local, and they are slow and cumbersome. I had three, I've given them all away. Around the the home my primary streaming device for my TVs are AppleTVs. I have one on each TV. I also have two in my camper for the rainy/snowy days. I also have a plex server that runs off the same library as my AppleTV. I use plex for streaming to my devices for when I'm away from my home. It's especially useful when trying to do some shopping/errands and the boy is not down with that. Turn on one of his movies and everything gets done without any screaming :D

As for what to use it for, streaming is what they were made for. I also have a PS3 but again, the streaming ability is limited. If you've got a good system for PS3, then it will probably suck for AppleTV. The way I'm doing it, it's 100% automated for TV Shows and Movies and I don't use anything from the iTunes store.
 
i mux all my content to m4v transparently via applescript and iflicks or subler. Takes around 3 min for a standard 2 hour movie. In most cases, I don't even know its happening since everything is automated. The one thing I miss though is the shared libraries with Plex. Other then that I have little to no need for XBMC other then the custom non official streaming plugins.
 
Sixthsense said:
i mux all my content to m4v transparently via applescript and iflicks or subler. Takes around 3 min for a standard 2 hour movie. In most cases, I don't even know its happening since everything is automated. The one thing I miss though is the shared libraries with Plex. Other then that I have little to no need for XBMC other then the custom non official streaming plugins.
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If I'm reading your post right, you transparently (in the background with no user input other than selecting the movie you want to watch) trans-code files such as mkv or other files to m4v so you can stream then to your AppleTV?
 
Somewhat correct , It's not transcoding it's muxing. You're basically taking H.264 content and re-muxing it into a m4v container and once setup the process is transparent to the user. ( artwork, meta information, importing into itunes directory)
 
Sixthsense said:
Somewhat correct , It's not transcoding it's muxing. You're basically taking H.264 content and re-muxing it into a m4v container and once setup the process is transparent to the user. ( artwork, meta information, importing into itunes directory)
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Um, multiplexing "aka muxing" is taking multiple parts and joining them in to one. Or taking an audio track and joining to to a video track. Trans-coding would be a more appropriate term even if all you're doing is changing the container. I guess if your file is already tagged, etc then putting all the pieces (metadata, subtitles, audio, and video) together in another container could be considered muxing. :p

More importantly, are you tagging movies automatically? If so, what source are you using for the metadata and what's your accuracy rate? I've written a perl script that will do TV Shows using my Sickbeard database that's 100% accurate and automated (automated 100% from the time I put it in to Sickbeard to the time I sit down to watch it on AppleTV). However, I can also do Movies automatically (with couchpotato), but it's using TheMovieDB.org api and it will just grab the first cover art for a particular show. So it's a crap shoot on if I get a foreign cover art or an english cover art. I've been looking at redoing the movie tagging piece, but haven't found a reliable source with a good api.
 
Interesting, anyhow Iflicks to my knowledge utilizes themoviedb.org and TVDB.com. Since my metadata preferences is set to English via Iflicks I have not seen any issues with non english covers.

My current setup is Couchpotato/Sickbeard > SABNZBD > Iflicks > Itunes.

How are you passing the video to iTunes? unless I missed something in your post.

and yes the metadata is automated including importing of the file to my itunes media directory
 
I pass to iTunes as part of my perl script. After the file is tagged, I move it to the "Automatically Add to iTunes" folder which then automatically picks up and adds it based on the metadata.

I'm going to have to review the api on themoviedb.org and see how to pass the English setting to it.
 
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