Just bought Apple TV just recently. Been tooling around....more like stumbling around to get the hang of it. So far, no problems. Anyone here want to share their experience, likes or dislikes etc. re: ATV.......

had mine since feb. i wouldn't consider myself a fan, but i really like it. no regrets, whatsoever.

my most common uses are:
1) renting high def movies on itunes; 5.1 rules! (my most recent hd rental: batman begins)
2) syncing most of my itunes music library; i have tested dts on apple tv, which is sweet!
3) storing videos that i want to have ready for on-demand viewing; in my case, videos of my son, instructional videos, and a few classics;
4) photo slideshows from iphoto, .mac and flickr
5) high def video podcasts;
6) occasional big screen viewing of youtube

come to think of it now, i haven't used my dvd player since i bought my apple tv!

the only downside to apple tv is that philmug search rejects "apple" for being generic, and "tv" for being too short and generic. so searching for "apple tv" here, may not yield much, if any.

enjoy yours!

ya.....agree with that. Just to add.....the synching from computer downloaded itunes movies to ATV is a bit complicated and a pain. I had difficulty setting up the software side. The technical writing of the manual is on the poor side and it could use a lot of improvement. To tell you the truth, it took me 3 hours of researching and lots of button pushing on the remote before I could access my itunes U.S. account directly from ATV. The manual DID NOT specify that the firmware/software must be updated first. Trial by error may not be the most efficient method of learning but it still works.

On the hardware side, the remote could use some upgrade. Its soooooo tiny and inefficient specially when using youtube. I don't like game consoles and I hate game console typing even more. For ATV version 2.0, I'd really like a bigger remote with a mini keyboard. Once I got past it, youtube just become much more enjoyable to watch. Been accessing "Mac vs. PC" youtubes and having fun at it. Setting up the cables was a breeze (hdmi and toslink).

As for music, ATV, digital receiver and LCD TV are a match made in tech heaven. Its excellent.

I'm downloading HD version of The Spiderwick Chronicles for my niece and nephew. Have to do something about upgrading my dsl connection. Smartbro is just way too slow in my area.

I have a question: does your ATV heat up on the high side? Been checking my 3 day old unit and it seems a bit hot.

Oh yeah, I did check the forums first if a thread devoted to ATV had been started. None that I could locate. Nearest match is Apple TV alternative: Popcorn.

On the hardware side, the remote could use some upgrade. Its soooooo tiny and inefficient specially when using youtube.

I have a question: does your ATV heat up on the high side? Been checking my 3 day old unit and it seems a bit hot.

Yes, ATV gets a bit hot. But mine has never shut down from overheating. Unless you unplug it, ATV is never really off. Energy consumption is presumably lower because no signal is being fed to the A/V lines, but you can still download or sync when ATV is "off". I just don't stack anything on top of it to let the heat dissipate.

I'm fine with the remote. Its limitations only becomes evident during wordy searches, which I only use occasionally. Besides, Apple already has a media center with a full-sized keyboard: the Mac Mini. ;)

YA. I'll turn it off just in case. Thanks for the tip.

I've just transferred "No country for old men" from my computer to ATV. No problem except it does take time to accomplish the task. In addition to better dsl, I need N router to make the wireless experience even more seamless. I did notice that the quality of the video and audio output is even better even for standard def itunes movie. It is just a shy away from true dvd quality and that is no mean feat considering that a standard def itune movie is only 1 to 1.5 gb in size! In this respect, Apple did a fine job in balancing the need to stream content at a reasonable speed without sacrificing much in terms of quality. Can't wait to watch my first high def itunes movie!

I wouldn't dare STACK anything on top of my newest baby.....he he....its a beauty to watch. Well, except perhaps a passive cooling device.....have to find something to redirect the heat.

yup. i configured my n-router (TC) for 5ghz wide band, which streams at 150-250mbps. it isn't faster than gigabit ethernet, of course, but my syncs are now noticably faster than when i had an 802.11b/g router (linksys wrt54g).

yup, on demand hd content is my primary reason for getting the apple tv. there are cheaper alternatives, for sure, but i don't mind paying the premium for the convenience.

for your reference, it takes me about 8 hours to download a 2-hour high-def movie on my pldt dsl line, which speedtests at about 1600+kbps during the wee hours of the morning.

and for similar threads, try searching this forum with "HD ATV"; it'll yield pretty much the half dozen apple tv threads on this forum. enjoy!

mine says 17 hours but it is worth the wait. Like you said in a previous thread, its better than dealing with the hassle of going out.

am luvin' it.

whoa! I also want an Apple TV, it's just so convenient! I really want it! It's just in time because we bought a high def television a week ago! Definitely on top of my list!

I also have an apple tv, and i'm liking it so far.

I have been using it to watch hd trailers for hours.

I only wish they change the way you navigate your own movies, the list gets pretty slow and hard to browse when you have around 200+ movies. :( A wall of posters would be nice (just like the new trailers view).

And about the heat, from what i've read, the top part is the heatsink, so it is really supposed to heat up like that, that is what they compromised to get the small sleek look for the apple tv.

The new iphone 2.0 software plus apple tv combination is awesome!!! I was planning to get a music streamer (squeezebox, soundbridge, etc.) but appletv+iphone is so much better.

@rbenson.....just curious if prices have really come down. How much did your atv cost last Feb? mine is 12k for the 160 model. I've been scanning ebay and the 250 model is now out.

@rdy0329......join the club!

Although most major Hollywood studios have signed up with ATV, the collection is still not in the level of netflicks. Hope Apple continues to improve content so we can enjoy ATV for years to come.

@rbenson.....just curious if prices have really come down. How much did your atv cost last Feb? mine is 12k for the 160 model. I've been scanning ebay and the 250 model is now out.

i bought mine in new york. 160gb atv @$329+tax.

yeah, itunes has quite some ways to go to build their hd catalog--which is fine by me. i only have time for about two hd movies a month, anyway. but i can see why videophiles would clamor for more.

it was only a matter of time till atv storage increased. but even if could fill it up, i won't be able to find the time to consume even a quarter of it. now, if they can make that storage bidirectionally accessible/syncable, then all that storage could be useful as media backup! it'll probably only be a matter of time till someone develops such a utility app, kinda like tuneranger or anapod between ipods and desktops.

question to atv owners--when downloading content, does it slow down your dsl connection the way downloading torrents does?

question to atv owners--when downloading content, does it slow down your dsl connection the way downloading torrents does?
@kiyobi: i have no empirical data to show you. of course, atv consumes bandwidth, so it'll affect other network-consuming processes. but my guess is that atv is faster and consumes less than torrent, well, because atv does not seed, which typically competes for resources--computing, memory, bandwidth, etc.

question to atv owners--when downloading content, does it slow down your dsl connection the way downloading torrents does?

have to agree with rbenzon. No significant penalties in terms of bandwidth resources although it pays if you have really fast dsl connection.

question to atv owners--when downloading content, does it slow down your dsl connection the way downloading torrents does?
i already answered your question in an earlier post, but to add to it: how long will it take to download HD content off torrent given the average pinoy internet connection, two weeks? i'd rather pay itunes $4.99 any time, any day. as penmanila pointed out: time is money; pay the money to save time. besides, with gas prices these days, it costs more to go a video store than to rent a movie from itunes! ;)

@raypin, where did you get yours?

I have been wanting to upgrade to 160GB but content myself with my almost 1 year 40GB. I would rather rent nowadays and only purchase good movies.

Perfect companion for my Apple Tv is my Elgato Turbo.264

@kiyobi: i have no empirical data to show you. of course, atv consumes bandwidth, so it'll affect other network-consuming processes. but my guess is that atv is faster and consumes less than torrent, well, because atv does not seed, which typically competes for resources--computing, memory, bandwidth, etc.

thanks for the info. i'm seriously considering getting one as well and maximize my 1mb dsl subscription.

It does get really really hot.

Perfect companion for my Apple Tv is my Elgato Turbo.264
Thanks for that tip, antz88c. Even if I may not need it because I have several Macs for load balancing, I learned something new today, a refreshing reprieve from all the rants flailing around. ;)

@raypin, where did you get yours?

From a friend of a relative who was vacationing here. I unsealed the unit and tested it before purchasing.

I have been wanting to upgrade to 160GB but content myself with my almost 1 year 40GB. I would rather rent nowadays and only purchase good movies.

Perfect companion for my Apple Tv is my Elgato Turbo.264

mmmm........another gadget to find and buy....he he he.....that would be ideal to transfer some of my dvds to ATV. thanks for the tip.

There is a hack solution to ATV that allows users to use an external hard drive as additional storage (up to 2 terrabyte in size). Mind you that these are 3rd party solutions. They are also working on
installing os X on ATV. They've been able to modify the ATV so you can use the usb port (which is normally used for diagnostics and servicing) to accomodate keyboards and mice. I'm not
too hot on those hacks. May screw up my unit.

I also switched off airtunes from my ATV and it feels synchronizing is faster.

Awww I thought.... how great the price is.

The new iphone 2.0 software plus apple tv combination is awesome!!! I was planning to get a music streamer (squeezebox, soundbridge, etc.) but appletv+iphone is so much better.

Combination with iPhone? How? Interesting discovery... :)

There is a hack solution to ATV that allows users to use an external hard drive as additional storage (up to 2 terrabyte in size). Mind you that these are 3rd party solutions.
I have a cheaper way. ;) My Apple TV is synchronized to one Mac, but can stream from my other, which is connected to 1TB storage, where most of my media content are stored. It's not native storage, of course, and it requires streaming. But it does extend my ATV's playback capabilities beyond what's on the local drive. What would be really cool though is if ATV can directly read from Time Capsule storage!

Combination with iPhone? How? Interesting discovery... :)

just update the apple tv to the latest firmware, and then install the remote.app in iPhone, and then you can control your apple tv/itunes through the iphone. It's very cool.

I recommend it to everyone.

Combination with iPhone? How? Interesting discovery... :)
There's plenty of coverage on this topic, like http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/07/update-turns-ip.html The rest you can google. :D

Have they ironed out the initial kinks? I haven't really looked into this further, since, like you Phil, I have yet to hear from Globe about my reservation. :slanted:

I have been wanting to upgrade to 160GB but content myself with my almost 1 year 40GB. I would rather rent nowadays and only purchase good movies.

Perfect companion for my Apple Tv is my Elgato Turbo.264

I've been thinking of getting this, but it still cannot encode 720p movies right?, because of the pixel count restriction, or has that been fixed in a software update?

I have a cheaper way. ;) My Apple TV is synchronized to one Mac, but can stream from my other, which is connected to 1TB storage, where most of my media content are stored. It's not native storage, of course, and it requires streaming. But it does extend my ATV's playback capabilities beyond what's on the local drive. What would be really cool though is if ATV can directly read from Time Capsule storage!

great idea there. it is just one more thing I can do with my ATV. Yes, I hope that they can find a way to link TC and ATV. Everything wireless, everything digital.

just update the apple tv to the latest firmware, and then install the remote.app in iPhone, and then you can control your apple tv/itunes through the iphone. It's very cool.

I recommend it to everyone.

just another GREAT GREAT reason to push me into upgrading my FW to 2.0! Thanks for the tip.

I have a mac mini and i'm thinking of using this as a media center. Do you recommend buying TV or should i just use my mac mini? What are the pros and cons.

The biggest advantage of ATV is the high definition movies. It is simply awesome. Of course, blu rays or HD DVD are better but the content is much too expensive for the typical consumer. You can't download high def content from any other device except ATV. I also like the convenience of it. Everything is right there on the screen. Just point and click the remote. No torrent nonsense. No piracy. No virus. It is also a great time saver.

Here's a simple checklist of questions you have to ask yourself:
1. Do you have a decent TV and home theatre set up?
2. Are you after high def content?
3. Do you have a fast wifi connection?
4. Do you value your time or would you rather go through the video store hassle?
5. Are you willing to rent and view content within 24 hours?

If all the above is yes, then ATV is for you.

I have a mac mini and i'm thinking of using this as a media center. Do you recommend buying TV or should i just use my mac mini? What are the pros and cons.
Technically speaking, you can still watch HD movies using your Mac Mini, since it can output up to or a little more than 1080. But, no, you cannot rent HD movies from iTunes using your Mac Mini, or any other Mac for that matter. As raypin correctly pointed out, you can only do so with ATV.

The answer to your question really depends on the kind of experience you want. I also have a Mac Mini, which I considered using as a media center. But even if I have a bluetooth keyboard, I didn't want a computing experience in my home theater. Sure, you can use FrontRow on Mac Mini for a simplified interface, but sometimes, a device that's limited is better because it also forces us to simplify our life. Too many options leave us tinkering more than enjoying.

Perhaps, I can suggest what I did, which is to relegate my Mac Mini as the household desktop for everyone to use--my son, the nanny, or as a Boot Camp host. Then I got the Apple TV for my home theater, which was a no brainer because ever since I first saw HD in the US around the turn of the millenium, I wanted it. Now, I have it. ATV is my gateway to the HD world. And I am loving it!

Hope this helps. Enjoy!

if we have netflicks or equivalent, then ATV would be a poor choice. Netflicks has a much larger library (being in the business longer than ATV), convenience of home delivery, a much cheaper price for HD and standard def content and no additional investment in hardware.

But we don't. The way I see it, there is no good alternative to ATV in the Philippines. Digital cable is on the pipeline but the quality of the content is unknown. Non-ATV devices can play HD content in a variety of formats but the problem is, again, quality content. So, you're left with original DVDs or you can buy into the more expensive blu-rays or the obsolete HD DVD.

That's why it makes sense to make the move to ATV.

Come to think of it now, I've been a Mac user for a couple of years, but I didn't join this forum until I contemplated buying the Apple TV. To my surprise, there were no reviews here, so I posted the first one. So in a sense, I have ATV to credit for my joining PhilMUG; and ATV for mods to blame. ;) For nostalgia's sake, here is that thread (http://www.philmug.ph/forum/showthread.php?t=32327), which includes a link to my blog/review and echoes many of raypin's points.

Thanks, guys. At least answered most of my questions.

I'll probably not get an TV just yet. But quick question: I have an iTunes acct that was setup using prepaid cards so I'm not using a US bank/credit acct. Would I be having problems with purchasing HD content?

Thanks, guys. At least answered most of my questions.

I'll probably not get an TV just yet. But quick question: I have an iTunes acct that was setup using prepaid cards so I'm not using a US bank/credit acct. Would I be having problems with purchasing HD content?

No problem when you rent HD from iTunes.

Cool! Won't be having problems then when I decide to get an TV.

@p.pipster

Maybe you should hold off ATV purchase until the 250 GB model becomes locally available. I think Apple has a good reason for selling the higher capacity model. It could be content-related. I wanted that model but my 160 was priced really low compared to local units.

I think Apple has a good reason for selling the higher capacity model. It could be content-related.
I hope you're right, raypin. I hope Apple either: 1) improves its HD to something closer to Blu-ray quality (iTunes HD flicks look better than DVD movies, but I'm insatiable! ;)), which means more storage consumption; or 2) iTunes finally lets us buy HD movies! (I wouldn't buy much, but there are a couple of titles that are HD keepers.)

While streaming my mba's music library to Apple TV, something weird happens when I use the ATV's remote. It controls both my MBA and ATV. Have you encountered the same problem? It seems that the frequency coding, for lack of a better term that I can think of now, are the same for both the Macbook Air and Apple TV unit.

Am still trying to research this......maybe its something I missed from the owner's manual of both.

Yeah, I think it makes sense if Apple has more in store for ATV owners than just rent/purchase/synch media content. And I feel the same about purchasing HD content. I want full leopard install on the ATV and, as you previously posted, link between ATV and TC.

------------------

oh well.....just turned off pala the infrared on the security pane and pairing. Thought my ATV remote was THE REMOTE. One remote to rule them all, one remote to find them, one remote to bring them all, and in the darkness, bind them.....sorry, couldn't resist.

While streaming my mba's music library to Apple TV, something weird happens when I use the ATV's remote. It controls both my MBA and ATV. Have you encountered the same problem? It seems that the frequency coding, for lack of a better term that I can think of now, are the same for both the Macbook Air and Apple TV unit.
Well, as you have already discovered, the remote is infrared, not RF (technically, they're all RF, but infrared is in the fringe of the visible spectrum). Infrared requires "line of sight", whereas most RF or RC devices don't. But since light, like sound, is made up of waves, they can bounce off surfaces.

I remember having fun with infrared remotes as a kid, trying to carom the invisible light off surfaces just to see how powerful the transmitter is and/or how sensitive the receiver is. I bounce the signal off back walls, ceilings, mirrors--the works. The best part, of course, is to spook someone by controlling a device without their knowledge! ;)

But, yes, that's happened to me a few times, even when my iMac and Apple TV are diametrically opposed; reflection still gets my iMac. I'm actually glad "one remote rules them all", because between my Macs and iPods, I'll never run out of replacements and back-ups! :rolleyes:

You can try to pair ATV and your remote so that it won't control mba. Search to find the answer.

You can try to pair ATV and your remote so that it won't control mba. Search to find the answer.

already did, thanks.

Here's an Apple TV gem: High Def podcasts. Its free, downloadable and video quality is excellent.

Have finally addressed the hotter than a toaster and hot enough to fry an egg issue of the ATV. I just elevated my ATV using coolfeet (which I bought for my MBA), put some aluminum heat spreaders on top to draw off some heat and a dedicated electric fan (the smallest one I could find) to faciliate air flow. I've searched the net for a solution but it seems the ATV chassis itself is the cooling device.. It would have helped had Apple engineers made the ATV chassis all-aluminum (instead of plastic/metal material) since aluminum is a great conductor of heat. And the rubber base doesn't help any since it is a poor conductor of heat.

You can try to pair ATV and your remote so that it won't control mba.
Definitely useful if your Apple TV is in an area where other devices, like the MBA, might respond to the remote. In my case, I prefer the option of using any Apple remote to control my Apple TV, as the remote is small and easy to misplace. I don't want to pair/unpair/pair everytime someone in the house misplaces the remote.

Useful tip, but ultimately preferences depend on usage context and constraints. Just the same, thanks for sharing!

Have finally addressed the hotter than a toaster and hot enough to fry an egg issue of the ATV. I just elevated my ATV using coolfeet (which I bought for my MBA), put some aluminum heat spreaders on top to draw off some heat and a dedicated electric fan (the smallest one I could find) to faciliate air flow.
Nice fix, raypin. With your aluminum heat sink and the fan, you've turned your ATV into a microprocessor! :p

is this 'hotplate' issue true for many of you ATV owners? I was planning to get one- but am now re-considering. hmmm...

raypin loves his ATV so much, he is going the extra mile to keep his ATV cool. ;)

i've had my 160gigger since february and it has not failed me yet. hot, yes, but i've seen worse on a 1st gen MBP. my ATV has had no shutdowns or heat-related side effects, in spite of constant use during the summer months.

cool? ;)

HE he he he he.......its a jury rigged solution. But hey, it works. I figure I've saved some more years in my atv by removing some of the hot spots. The back end where the intel chip is located is specially vulnerable and in my opinion inadequately cooled.

is this 'hotplate' issue true for many of you ATV owners? I was planning to get one- but am now re-considering. hmmm...

no hot issue......at least not hot enough to make the device fail. I'm just a bit OC when it comes to heat and electronic components. Hey, I'm the type of guy who replaces the OEM coolers of video cards EVEN if its not an issue. Just want it cool....that's all.

ok thanks for that, r-p!

will re- reconsider!

another Apple TV gem: the SD version of "The Blade Runner: The final directror's cut". one of my all time favorite movie ever. purchased it for 9.99 since its no longer available in store shelves.

^^ you purchased the standard definition right? or is apple now selling hd movies?

^^ you purchased the standard definition right? or is apple now selling hd movies?

standard def only. HD still for 24 hour rent only. Its a restriction imposed by the IPR owners. I'll probably get HD for this special film once I join the blu ray bandwagon in a year or two.

corrected the typo.

It's really hot... although the thing still works and never fails.

Read this: http://www.tuaw.com/2007/03/28/apple-tv-is-hot/

yeah its hot if you leave it as is. But with a rotary electro-magnetic cooling device directed on the device, its not.
okay.....its an electric fan. No more hot issue ever. Mine now is as warm as an iphone after 10 minutes of talk time.
Do wish it had an on/off switch.

Apple TV HD Gem: Hidden Universe Spitzer Infrared Telescope podcast. For amateur astronomers, the HD podcasts are spectacular. Subscribe and be amazed by these images of the greater beyond.
Caltechsite:http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/features/hd/index.shtml

haha. i was just like you during my first two weeks with my apple tv, downloading and everything hd. :)

if you want mind-blowing whoas, though, subscribe to ted. it's not visually hd, but it's mentally hd. ;)

he he.....thanks for the tip....turning into an ATV junkie myself: here's a good site for those who want a quick and easy way of finding all the HD movies that can be rented or purchased on ATV - saves a little wear and tear on the ATV remote. The list is sortable:

http://www.appletvjunkie.com/hd-movies

great tip, thanks!

iron man hd is coming on september 30.

vudu upped the ante by offering adult hd rentals! :cool:

great tip, thanks!

iron man hd is coming on september 30.

vudu upped the ante by offering adult hd rentals! :cool:

Looking forward to the HD of Iron Man.

BTW, if any of you guys get a 9006 error code on your movie rentals, try to download it in a different computer. Two weeks ago, i tried downloading (for rent) "The Longest Day" on my itunes-equipped PC and repeatedly got that error code. I tried the check for purchase button but still the same. I deleted the partially downloaded file but still the same error code. Today, I used my MBA to download it and VIOLA! the movie is now being downloaded.

vudu adult - he he he.......

ATV owners: Movie of the Week is "Groundhog Day." It is USD0.99 to rent. 411 is http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107048/

ATV owners: Movie of the Week is "El Mariachi." It is USD0.99 to rent. 411 is http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104815/

what's the matter, raypin? don't you like this week's featured movie? ghostbusters! ;)

anyway, i just wanted to chime in to say that the iphone app, remote, for the apple tv is cool!

yeah, it works with itunes on other macs too. but my apple tv is connected to the home theater, with 5.1 dts capability. and because the remote is paired via wifi, not infrared or bluetooth, i can control my apple tv practically anywhere in the house. nice to be able to fill the house with music, remote controlled from any room. cool! :cool:

and it's free too, from the appstore.

naahhh.........who'd you gonna call.......Ghostbusters! he he.....I'll try it when I have time to tinker with my iphone. afaik, you need 2.0? or the 3g iphone to get the remote working. I'd love to do that since I'm afraid my ATV remote will not last long and I'm not sure if a replacement is locally available.

My latest rental was the HD version of The Other Boleyn Girl. Where's the damn Iron Man?

Thanks for the tip/

Apparently, only 2.0 is needed to run the Remote. Take a break from you Mac Freakness, and tinker. :)

When your ATV remote dies, I'll give you one. I have half a dozen of those.

30 more days till Iron Man HD. I have 16 days left on my Blade Runner rental!

he he he....THANKS! Will take you up on your offer when my ATV remote dies on me. Blade Runner is still a damn good movie. It was way ahead of its time, if you ask me. Very artsy in a weird sort of way and combining L.A. film noir with sci tech was a formula that worked well for the film. Plan to get the blu ray version of BR once I jump the blu ray bandwagon. Warner Bros. released the high def versions late last year as part of the 25th anniversary celebration of the movie.

@rbenzon.....tried Tedtalks on HD podcasts from ATV that you posted a few weeks ago. damn good program! I specially enjoyed the one with former VP and nobel laureate Al Gore! his opening spiel was damn funny. Only problem is lack of resumable downloading when there's a download error message on ATV.
as ted videomasters themselves acknowledged, their videos and servers weren't optimized for apple tv. but, given time, they should be able to sort that out. glad you liked TED. i could use a refresh myself!

yup....of all the titles in the HD podcast milieu, Tedtalks are definitely keepers. BTW, the latest on the HD version of "Ironman" is the rental is Oct. 12 although the movie will be available on Sept. 30th. This is according to Apple Tv Junkie. Also, i learned a trick with the remote (also from ATVJ): if you press the ATV remote (forward and back buttons) for at least 2 seconds, you can view the movie in fast forward (or rewind) speed. He he he....didn't know that. I made the extra effort yesterday to copy and paste the ATVJ HD list to an excel worksheet so I can sort and filter much more quickly.

Apple is actively working on a new remote for the ATV (3D daw).

finally, ATV owners: Movie of the Week is "Donnie Brasco." It is USD0.99 to rent. 411 is
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donnie_Brasco_(film)

i know. bummer. i can imagine your disappointment; you turning blu-raypin. ;)

yeah, i think you can even vary the fast forward and rewind speeds (oops, i just caught myself using the word rewind which is so betamax! hahaha), depending on how many successive presses of the forward and back buttons--which comes in very handy for, you know, those plotless videos now showing in vudu. :)

he he he he he.......naughty naughty.......always fast forward to the money shot :) .....I keep my secret cache of plotless videos from being sync to my ATV. My niece and nephew might accidentally be exposed to those......

OT: with a name like yours, i knew you had a stash hidden somewhere. ;)

Wow. Raypin and RBenzon dominated this thread and i thoroughly enjoyed the tips, ideas and overall fun here. ;)

I'm now very interested to get one too. I, for one, joined the Blu-Ray bandwagon just this year. I buy my discs in the U.S. and it has saved me A LOT! Now the Apple TV. Just when I thought i've ran out of gadgets to buy!

I love HD and i'll definitely have use for this. This is why i love forums like these. ;))

Thanks guys! ;)

I have a question though. Is ATV's hard disk user-replaceable? I just might get the 160GB version and replace it with 320GB.

@Ironman.......don't hesitate. Join the ATV Club.

Apple TV is the orphan of the Apple Family. So what does that make us (well me and rbenzon's wife at the very least).......orphan lovers! ;)

-----------------------

Men....if you have the dough to buy blu-ray and blu-ray discs, I'd strongly suggest that you get the bigger capacity model. Forget the 40 GB and at the very least get the 160 gb model. Re: user replaceable parts: none that I know of at the moment. Its possible I guess since its a run of the mill portable (laptop) hard drive. You may want to check this: http://www.engadget.com/2007/03/23/how-to-upgrade-the-drive-in-your-apple-tv/ I know there are some vendors in the U.S. now who can install the 250 gb hard drive with 6 months warranty but if you don't want to go the route: just get the 250 model which out right now for a little over than usd400.00.

he he.....thanks for the tip....turning into an ATV junkie myself: here's a good site for those who want a quick and easy way of finding all the HD movies that can be rented or purchased on ATV - saves a little wear and tear on the ATV remote. The list is sortable:

http://www.appletvjunkie.com/hd-movies
HI Ray, this link doesn't work, unfortunately. Do you have another one? Thanks!

UPDATE: Ohhh. Are you referring to the links on the right side bar? I got it. Thanks!

@Ironman.......don't hesitate. Join the ATV Club.

Thanks Ray. Soon i will be. ;)

Btw, can you only view the available HD movies in ATV? I just went to iTunes now. I can see movies but i'm not sure if they're HD or not. Sorry, i'm a total n00b here.

Thanks!

Uh, oh, raypin. We got Iron Man sooner than expected!

Nice of you to join us, IronMan!

But then, isn't it *ironic* that Tony Sparks ask us about hardware? ;)

But seriously, glad you took interest in Apple TV. Just so you know, there are other solutions out there, like the 3-minute Popcorn, or something like that. ;)

And just so you don't send the entire Sparks Industries chasing after raypin and me, Apple TV HD quality is not quite Blu-ray. Yes, it's HD; it's noticeably better than DVD, but Blu-ray is still tops in the HD domain. Still, raypin and I are quite happy with our ATVs. We both aspire to go blu-ray someday, but ATV keeps us from rushing.

I'll let raypin answer your hardware question. Keep 'em coming!

@ironman......the HD movies are available for viewing and rental from ATV only. But if you go to http://www.appletvjunkie.com/ you can view the entire and updated list of HD and SD rentals for the ATV. The rental difference between SD and HD movies is just a buck but the quality is much better. This week, the total HD titles for rent is 591 movies vs. 1,629 for Standard def movies. Apple adds and removes movies on a weekly basis.

You may want to check this: http://www.engadget.com/2007/03/23/how-to-upgrade-the-drive-in-your-apple-tv/
Thanks for the link. ;)

So it uses an IDE drive. Hmmmm...

Just visited the Apple site. The sizes available are 40GB and 160GB. Do you have idea when the 250GB will be released?

Thanks!

Hahaha. =)) =)) =)) You guys are cool! Yeah, the IronMan is here to stay! =))

Oh man! This is another reason for me to watch and stay home all day long [on weekends of course].

@ironman here's a link: http://www.atvflash.com/product_info.php?products_id=2
for an upgraded 250 gb ATV that sells for usd429.00. Its not an official apple upgrade since they still sell the 40 and 160 models. As to when a bigger capacity model will be out, there's no news about that yet.

I just hope that Apple will focus some attention on ATV (now that iPhone 3g and mobileme are already in the market). I'll keep an eye on any good deal that comes to my attention. I read somewhere here that Digital Hub is selling at a low price but I'm not sure.

Just got a 40gig unit yesterday. Hacked it with atvflash and added a USB external 120GB HD. aTV is a lot better when you can watch divx and other file formats!

hindi naman ako santo, so i won't pass judgment on balikpinoy's hack. ;)

i mostly watch HD on ATV. watching a compressed SD movie on a 42" hi def plasma is kind of pointless for me. for divx content, i just use my archos 704 wifi--plays divx, mov, vob movies; plug and play to any SD TV, and i can pick up and go; watch it on the go; not to mention that it can stream video via wifi too. oh, yeah, i have sandisk's taketv 8gb too--plays divx too, usb, and ultraportable. several years ago, i would've taken the hack route. now, i buy gadgets that are complementary. because no matter how well you hack your ATV: 1) it's not portable; and 2) where would you conveniently get HD content?

my approach is not better; just different. different strokes for different folks. :)

oy......naka 42 ka pala rbenzon. Dapat magupgrade din ako to 42.25".......horizontal........ para maka angat ng konti.......I only have a 37 kasi poor lang kami.

@balikpinoy......mmmmm.....no comment except I'd like to hack the usb port of my ATV to make it really useful.....like attaching a usb powered fan to add more cooling on my unit ;) Out of curiosity, where do you get your divx movies? Educate me why that would be better than HD from iTunes......

oy......naka 42 ka pala rbenzon. Dapat magupgrade din ako to 42.25".......horizontal........ para maka angat ng konti.......I only have a 37 kasi poor lang kami.

@balikpinoy......mmmmm.....no comment except I'd like to hack the usb port of my ATV to make it really useful.....like attaching a usb powered fan to add more cooling on my unit ;) Out of curiosity, where do you get your divx movies? Educate me why that would be better than HD from iTunes......

I have an extensive collection of DIVX formatted movies. Some I owned, some came from torrents. I just found it frustrating to individually convert the DIVX to mp4's. With the hack, I just transfer my divx files to the usb drive, plug it in to aTV and have my collection available.

I tried streaming the divx but found the performance lacking.

I also rent and buy movies from Itunes but having the hack, extends the capabilities of the aTV.

I am trying to go satellite-less this year but my SO needs her TFC and GMA Pinoy tv fix.

I actually don't watch that much TV, maybe 10-15 hours a month. I think the future of TV is exactly what Apple TV is...just on-demand, need to see it now, rather than sticking to a schedule and watching shows on a specific time slot.

Also helps, that Time Warner cable offers 15mbps speeds to the house! :cool:

Now, the goal is to try to stream content to 4 other HDTV's in the house and also to my 100 inch projection screen.

mmm.....sounds like you're a freak........my kind of people :)

Seriously, Apple Tv, the "hobby", just might be the future for Apple. Think of the disc-less MacBook Air. Its the first MacBook without an optical drive. Add Apple's thrust towards wifi everything. And iTunes everything. Put Apple TV, the disc-less MacBooks, Wifi and iTunes together and what do you have? Digital everything content to be downloaded through Apple Tv and into MacBooks, iPhones etc. or so I wish? he he he......

You're a lucky dawg with that 15 MBPS!!! Madre de dios!.......what I wouldn't give to get that kind of juice connected to my ATV!........

Rbenzon watches just 2 HD per month because of his hectic work schedule, leaving the wifey to be the Apple TV junkie of the family. I watch much more. I average 1 HD title every 3 days. I know there are a lot of competing formats and delivery methods but ATV and iTunes are just a perfect match. I wish I had your patience for DiVX but sadly my limited, personal experience with that and with torrents made me an ATV convert. As rbenzon said, to each his own......

On demand as a key selling point - I couldn't agree more. There's been some loose talk of adding DVR feature into ATV but nothing concrete yet.

oy......naka 42 ka pala rbenzon. Dapat magupgrade din ako to 42.25".......horizontal........ para maka angat ng konti.......I only have a 37 kasi poor lang kami.

you don't need to be rich. you just need presyong kapatid. ;)

but we're cialis compared to balikpinoy's viagra. :D

good thing balikpinoy joined us, because he certainly has a lot more options in the u.s.--netflix, vudu, lg hd, etc.

wishlist-wise, i am vacillating between the 30" apple cinema display and a dual monitor + hd projector.

wished i had more time to enjoy hd on my atv. but between family, work, learning to play these (http://web.mac.com/botbenz/Music/Playpen.html), and building this (http://web.mac.com/botbenz/Music/Blog/Blog.html), i am so toast. then again, half my time's on philmug. hahaha. so something's gotta give.

where does the time go?

@rbenzon , go for quality instead of quantity. I have dual viewsonics and i hardly use the other one. Bought 2 x 28" last year in anticipation of dual screen pc games (for my peecee gaming rig) but, Supreme commander aside, nothing exciting in the horizon yet. What's an HD projector?

visited your playpen......is my eyes playing tricks but isn't that monitor already a 30" apple cinema display?

my eyes playing tricks but isn't that monitor already a 30" apple cinema display?
that's a 24" imac taken with an iphone on a corrugated board stand. ;)

yeah, i noticed your sig and was gonna ask you about your dual lcd. but i agree with you. am savin' up for the 30" acd! now if only the 13th month came sooner. ;)

guys sorry if that has been posted na, couldn't find it in a search:

can i sync my apple tv to more than 1 itunes library? or at least switch from one to another easily when i want to? i just got a mini which is what i leave on 247 to download whatever while i'm out and lugging around my mbpro,..

but since i got my apple tv, its only synced with my mbpro' itunes... any way i can get it to sync with the mini's itunes too?

welcome, fellow ATV owner! AFAIK, you can only sync one device to your ATV but you can connect and stream content of up to 5 more devices to the ATV (using the passcode handshake). I'd suggest that you consolidate the contents of your mbpro itunes library to your mini and sync that with ATV. But if its just movies or songs that you want to download, just do everything on the ATV and sync the downloaded contents to your mini when time permits. If not, do the reverse (mini to ATV).

well in essence that is what i settle for *consolidating* my downloads on mini and sending them over to mbpro via ext HD, then i still convert for apple tv viewing via visual hub... just too many steps when all i wanna do is flop on my bed and navigate with the apple remote on the apple tv and not need to do physical stuff like move files here and there...

can you elaborate tho a bit on the 5 more devices via passcode handshake thing?

thanks

@kili-kili power

just open itunes on the computer you want to stream from, on ATV, choose sources, choose connect to new itunes and a passcode appears on your ATV, select the ATV icon on your computer and click the click to set up, input the passcode on your computer to complete the ATV passcode handshake. Play your itunes movies or music and it will be digitally streamed to your ATV/digital home theater set-up.

You are allowed to authorize up to 5 itunes library that can be streamed to the ATV (one at a time, of course). Again, there's no way to sync more than one itunes library with the ATV's library but you can change the itunes library at any time but the old contents will be replaced on the ATV. So, its five itunes library that can be streamed to ATV and one synched itunes library (5 + 1 = 6 devices that can interface with ATV).

When you stream, the contents of the streaming source will be displayed on your ATV monitor (lcd/plasma or, sacrilege!, CRT TV) via your home wifi network. Only disadvantage really is you have two sources that's powered (streaming computer and ATV).

ah ok now i get you =) one lang is synched and the others can stream...

but here's the thing, the mini is downstairs on the 1st floor and the ATV is up in my room, question, after the initial set up and passcode thingie... as long as the mini is on, can i access its itunes contents na by just controlling it on the ATV? that would be fine by me... in fact better coz my ATV is only 40gb and its starting to get full :)

since i' m here, i have been thinking of getting an atv, but i don't know if it'll be my cup of tea (or coffee)...

from what i have read, i will surely look into getting one...

@kili-kili power

yes, its possible for that set up but to work, the mini on the ground floor must be within streaming range of the ATV upstairs.

Suggest that: 1. Set your mini downstairs and activate your mini 2. go through the passcode handshake 3. Your mini should be able to detect the ATV, if it s within range, input the passcode. Or you can do this from the 2nd floor and bring your unit downstairs and reposition it as needed.

Once done, you can now stream your mini's itune library of music and movies to your ATV/home theater setup upstairs. And no, you don't have to go through the passcode handshake everytime you turn off or reset your mini downstairs. ATV automatically detects any "live" itunes library that has been preauthorized (through the passcode handshake). Just access the streamable music and movies from your ATV under shared movies or music.

As for quality of the streaming video/music vs. sync content: no noticeable difference in quality (I'm assuming that you have at least a G router).

since i' m here, i have been thinking of getting an atv, but i don't know if it'll be my cup of tea (or coffee)...

from what i have read, i will surely look into getting one...

Get one now and join the ATV club :)

Wow. I am soooo tempted now!!!

Got a 37" Samsung Bordeaux that i bought exactly a year ago. Never regretted it. Only my PS3 takes advantage of the HD features. Now ATV's next. Really contemplating hard on this... hmmmm...

Got a dozen Blu ray discs coming in next week. Got a lot to watch!!!

@rbenzon: loved your studio, esp the drums. ;)

@raypin: my friend introduced me into PC gaming and now i'm hooked. is the 8800GT in SLI-mode the "ideal" setup? OOPS! Sorry, super OT ung question ko... just saw your sig kase. ;)

If rumors are to be believed (http://www.electronista.com/articles/08/09/03/itunes.8.further.leaks/), the upcoming iTunes 8 will allow HD downloads of TV shows to Macs/PCs. So if that's the case, can we just get a DVI to HDMI cable to hook to our LCD TVs? No need for Apple TV?

its possible, but what would be the point? Prior to my ATV purchase, I hooked up my itunes-equipped peecee to my lcd/home theater setup and downloaded standard def movies from itunes. Output results were unsatisfactory. ATV cuts the pc/mac/macbook/laptop from the chain and simplifies the digital content delivery with an elegantly designed user interface and it deliver, not only in terms of output but also in terms of increased flexibility by being able to stream different iTunes library directly to the lcd/home theater setup thru ATV/wifi home network.

And even from the cost effectiveness point of view, it doesn't make sense unless you are willing to upgrade your macbook/mac pro/peecee/laptop hardware (video card with hdmi output and, say, a toslink capable audio card). The added cost in hardware upgrade may be more than the cost of just buying an ATV unit.

Imo, this is a complementary move of Apple, if ever this comes to fruition, to increase revenues of itunes content and not meant to replace the ATV.

@aragorn: yeah, that will work. for all intents and purposes, all our macs can be used as an HD player if we have the source material, and a 720p+ output display. my plasma has a DVI-HDMI on standby for this purpose. but, you know what, i used it once. at the end of the day, i didn't want plug-and-play. i just wanted play.

apple tv is not just about functionality, which alternatives can match or surpass. it's about "the experience". but since we're talking about functionality, let me ask: can your mac play DTS, or a suitable digital surround sound format without resorting to an external firewire or usb audio device? if it can't, then you went through all that plug-and-play for half the experience: high-def video, but with stereo audio.

a pc can match or outperform a mac, but which gives you "the experience"? as a mac user yourself, you already know the answer to that one--which is also what most people fail to understand about the apple tv: the experience. ;)

Wow. Nicely defended. :)

Btw, I have a problem. I just realized my receiver can only take 2 digital audio INs and they're both taken. I don't like to take the RCA stereo route. My receiver doesn't have HDMI inputs also, that's why my upscaling DVD player and PS3 HDMI ports go directly to the TV. And the TV can take one more HDMI in. I'd like to have 5.1 sound for the ATV if ever i get one [i'd like to get one na sana tomorrow. :(]. What do you suggest?

A guy from another forum claims to be using a simple Mac Mini to play HD content (both audio and video). All you need is a toslink cable and DVI-HDMI cable. http://pinoydvd.com/board/index.php?topic=77974.0

According to Wikipedia, mini Toslink jacks are built-in on Apple computers. So you just need the right cable to output digital audio. So it seems there is no need for upgrading the video and audio cards. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TOSLINK

Anyway, rbenzon is right. I haven't experienced Apple TV yet to say much about it. But I feel that this "rumored" move of Apple to allow HD downloads might have repercussions on the sales of Apple TV and the practicality of getting one. Unless of course price slashes on the Apple TV will follow the release of iTunes 8.

@ironman....mmm.......might as well upgrade your digital receiver. The ATV interface ports are: 1 HDMI, 1 toslink or digital audio cable, 2 rca (red and white) analog ports, component (red,blue green). To get the best results, use the hdmi and toslink or digital audio cable port. My ATV is connected with an hdmi and toslink.

If not, you can try and connect the ATV to your Samsung's spare hdmi port and from the atv connect a toslink to your digital receiver (it should have one).

thanks for the quick reply ray. ;)

I'm actually thinking of replacing it but i wanna get the ATV first. :D

Yeah, as i've said, the 2 toslink INs on my receiver are taken already. I may have to sacrifice one for the ATV.

Btw, HDMI contains both video and sound. Is it better to still use toslink for the audio?

thanks for the quick reply ray. ;)

I'm actually thinking of replacing it but i wanna get the ATV first. :D

Yeah, as i've said, the 2 toslink INs on my receiver are taken already. I may have to sacrifice one for the ATV.

Btw, HDMI contains both video and sound. Is it better to still use toslink for the audio?

the manual recommends hdmi to the tv and a toslink to the digital receiver. I tried with an hdmi only connection but only video output no audio. I'm not sure but I think ATV splits the audio and video signals.

Hmmm. I thought you mentioned that you are connected to your digital receiver both by HDMI and TOSLINK. Anyway, Wikipedia says that HDMI far exceeds S/PDIF's capability because it can handle the new Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio. Whew. Now, it's hard to find what digital receiver to get!

If i can only find a receiver that has at least 3 HDMI INs and can process all these audio technologies, it'll be perfect.

@ironman, yes my atv is toslink and hdmi connected to my receiver but you can also split the connection to: atv to lcd via hdmi (for video) and atv to receiver via toslink (for audio). Mmmmm...what devices are using your two toslink ports?

judging by what you're cookin' up, you could be iron chef. ;)

but seriously, can your receiver output 5.1? if so, then i suggest keeping it, then downgrading either your dvd player to rca. since i got my apple tv in feb, i have not played a single thing on my dvd player. apple tv has rendered my dvd player obsolete. who woulda thought?

my atv hdmi is plugged directly to my plasma, and the audio is tos-linked to my receiver. when i watch HD, i mute my monitor so that its stereo sound does not interfere or unnecessarily supplements my 5.1 speakers. ditto when i listen to DTS audio, well, because the monitor is incapable of interpreting DTS signal on the hdmi feed, which just comes out as noise.

speaking of noise, i like the signal-to-noise ratio on this thread. not self-congratulatory by any means, but atv is a much more limited device, so the discussions are naturally more focused. thanks to those who've tolerated the reycards duet. ;)

A guy from another forum claims to be using a simple Mac Mini to play HD content (both audio and video). All you need is a toslink cable and DVI-HDMI cable. http://pinoydvd.com/board/index.php?topic=77974.0

According to Wikipedia, mini Toslink jacks are built-in on Apple computers. So you just need the right cable to output digital audio. So it seems there is no need for upgrading the video and audio cards. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TOSLINK

@aragorn: thanks for reminding me that my mac mini has digital audio outs! which still makes it suitable as a media center. the only downside: itunes hd movies are only currently viewable on the apple tv! so unless you can find a convenient source of hd content for the mac mini--or other macs with digital audio line outs--the range is fairly constrained.

@kili-kili power
yes, its possible for that set up but to work, the mini on the ground floor must be within streaming range of the ATV upstairs.

is that how it works? i thought that streaming was not point-to-point, but rather via the wireless access point (wap)--in which case the concern should be the signal strengths between the atv and the wap, and between the mini and the wap. no?

@rbenzon. I conducted a little experiment with my mba. I brought the mba outside my bedroom and into the next and within range of the wireless access point that the ATV also uses and tried to stream "Dune" (purchased through ATV and lodged in my MBA's itune library). I thought it would work but it did not. The ATV tried to load the mba's itunes librar and stream it but no go. I'll try and tinker some more maybe there's a setting somewhere. At this point, I cannot make any definite conclusions yet.

judging by what you're cookin' up, you could be iron chef. ;)

but seriously, can your receiver output 5.1? if so, then i suggest keeping it, then downgrading either your dvd player to rca. since i got my apple tv in feb, i have not played a single thing on my dvd player. apple tv has rendered my dvd player obsolete. who woulda thought?

my atv hdmi is plugged directly to my plasma, and the audio is tos-linked to my receiver. when i watch HD, i mute my monitor so that its stereo sound does not interfere or unnecessarily supplements my 5.1 speakers. ditto when i listen to DTS audio, well, because the monitor is incapable of interpreting DTS signal on the hdmi feed, which just comes out as noise.

speaking of noise, i like the signal-to-noise ratio on this thread. not self-congratulatory by any means, but atv is a much more limited device, so the discussions are naturally more focused. thanks to those who've tolerated the reycards duet. ;)

@Ironman and @rbenzon.......I was mistaken. The ATV is connected to my LCD's hdmi and the toslink to the receiver, just as rbenzon did with his. I forgot that I only have one hdmi cable which I have to share with my ATV and digital receiver/DVD PLAYER depending on what I want to use. Apologies to Ironman for my confusing answers to his problem.

Hey Ray it's okay. I appreciate all the help, in fact any help at all, that i can get.

If i'd get a new receiver, i want to be at least future-proof for a longer period of time, that's why i'm thinking of a multi HDMI in receiver with the audio technologies i mentioned above.

@rbenzon. Yes, i have a 5.1 setup and my receiver can output either Dolby Digital or DTS.

@raypin: Here's my current setup:

Upsampling DVD-Video/Audio/SACD player
- Video: HDMI to TV; Audio: TOSLINKed to digital receiver

Sony Playstation 3
- Video: HDMI to TV; Audio: TOSLINKed to digital receiver

The TV has one more spare HDMI but i don't have any more spare S/PDIF input on my receiver. I guess that i have to do what Roland advised, sacrifice the DVD player's sound.

ReyCards duet. Hahaha. Got me there. ;)

Hey Ray it's okay. I appreciate all the help, in fact any help at all, that i can get.

If i'd get a new receiver, i want to be at least future-proof for a longer period of time, that's why i'm thinking of a multi HDMI in receiver with the audio technologies i mentioned above.

@rbenzon. Yes, i have a 5.1 setup and my receiver can output either Dolby Digital or DTS.

@raypin: Here's my current setup:

Upsampling DVD-Video/Audio/SACD player
- Video: HDMI to TV; Audio: TOSLINKed to digital receiver

Sony Playstation 3
- Video: HDMI to TV; Audio: TOSLINKed to digital receiver

The TV has one more spare HDMI but i don't have any more spare S/PDIF input on my receiver. I guess that i have to do what Roland advised, sacrifice the DVD player's sound.

ReyCards duet. Hahaha. Got me there. ;)

Does your TV have a Toslink out? if so, connect that to the Receiver and no need to have toslink connections to each separate player. HDMI should carry the digital audio into the tv and tv passes it through to the receiver. That's how I have my 46inch REGZA set up.

Hmmm. I didn't think of that.

I just checked now. I have S/PDIF on my TV. Two in fact. One labeled 'AUDIO' and another one 'SERVICES'. But the AUDIO port is grouped under the PC IN label [together with a VGA port]. Can i use that as output? Hmmm... I will check the manual. But first, i have to find it. heheheh.

Thanks balikpinoy! ;)

OT: Btw, i'm worried about the RCA ports on the back of my TV. They're unused and dust is all over the place. Is there a way to cover them? I'm sorry, this is out of topic. I just thought of it.

I forgot that I only have one hdmi cable which I have to share with my ATV and digital receiver/DVD PLAYER depending on what I want to use.
maybe it's time consider a hdmi switcher. i have been eyeing this xtrememac switcher (http://www.xtrememac.com/xtremehd/switcher/index.php), in fact, which should fit nicely under the atv. we may not need it now, but when we make the ironman leap into blu-ray! ;) and, oh yeah, there's skycable's upcoming hd set-top box, which also has an hdmi out.

ot: @ironman......I just use an electrical tape to cover unused ports. follow balikpinoy's expert advise.

maybe it's time consider a hdmi switcher. i have been eyeing this xtrememac switcher (http://www.xtrememac.com/xtremehd/switcher/index.php), in fact, which should fit nicely under the atv. we may not need it now, but when we make the ironman leap into blu-ray! ;) and, oh yeah, there's skycable's upcoming hd set-top box, which also has an hdmi out.

oh wow....nice find there. Another DAMN gadget to clutter our digital environment! he he he......even if you don't need one, it would make a handsome companion to the ATV. ot: will the set-top box allow for multiple TV connections? Or do you have to buy individual set top box for each TV in the house (I wanted dream but you need to buy each tv its own box).

well in essence that is what i settle for *consolidating* my downloads on mini and sending them over to mbpro via ext HD, then i still convert for apple tv viewing via visual hub... just too many steps when all i wanna do is flop on my bed and navigate with the apple remote on the apple tv and not need to do physical stuff like move files here and there...

kkp! if all you want to do is flop and flick, then do what ray and i do--rent HD on itunes! :) or browse through itune's trailers.

but if you must, isquinting or visual hubbing is really not the fault of apple tv per se. because i still have to rip the dvd's i buy--not just for apple tv, but also for my iphone and nano video. good thing you have a mini running 24/7, because that can certainly convert in batches (even while your downloading others), upload on itunes, which can be automatically sync'd.

you may also just want to network share your macs so you don't have to use your external hd.

and since you and ironman are iphone owners too, try the remote app. it's great to be able to control youratv jukebox without turning on the tv and/or from any part of your house. enjoy!

OT: @raypin, since you are a reformed man--stopped torrent downloads, and either only rent hd from itunes or rip purchased dvd's/cd's--then maybe we should rechristen you and rename you...

from raypin to payrin or payrip, no? ;)

Hahaha. I always look forward to this thread for some amusement and as usual, Roland's the man. ;)

ot: @ironman......I just use an electrical tape to cover unused ports. follow balikpinoy's expert advise.
Yeah, electrical tape. That should do it. Thanks!

OT: @raypin, since you are a reformed man--stopped torrent downloads, and either only rent hd from itunes or rip purchased dvd's/cd's--then maybe we should rechristen you and rename you...

from raypin to payrin or payrip, no? ;)

ot: bwa ha ha ha ha.........yeah, actually, I don't even understand anything about the torrent nonsense (seeding or whatever the heck they call it). It's just downright frustrating. I guess the time I spent trying to make heads and tails of that thing made me realize how stupid I am, proving the old saying that there's no such thing as a free lunch. For me, there's only iTunes, original DVDs, and, in a year or so, blu-rays and DVD audio/XRCDs. BTW, I've joined Wired State per your advise. No post yet, just lurking around in that forum.

finally, i might be getting an ATV sooner than expected...

but i just figured out i can't access itunes usa because my account is with philippine itunes...now i need to create an account for that also...

if only itunes pinas has content other than iphone apps...:(

@hitme64......just in case, just buy an itunes gift card and redeem it when you create your iTunes U.S. account. From time to time, some enterprising Philmuggers sell discounted IGCs here or you can try ebay or try Powermac or Ynzal or use a U.S. credit card or, if you have paypal, there are a number of U.S.-based vendors who sell and email the codes to you in a matter of hours. There's no point in buying an ATV if you don't have an iTunes U.S. account.

Make sure that the IGC that you are buying is for iTunes U.S. only and not for some other country. IMO, iTunes PH is a big joke - set up only to support the iPhone 3g and not the ATV.

To rehash:

Trust us, you won't regret getting the ATV and hooking it up with iTunes U.S.A. Besides the 1,600 standard def movies and 591 high definition movies, there's tons of free TV (courtesy of Podcasts - some in eye-popping HD formats). Also, you can use your ATV as your media entertainment hub and stream your different iTunes library to your home theater set up. And if you have iPhone 2.0 or iphone 3g, you can use the free remote app to control your ATV from the comfort of your iphone.

and also stream internet radio, like last.fm, right?

mm........yes, internet radio but with limited support. you can also watch youtube, access your mobileme (photo gallery), flickr and your own photos (myphotos) . A good dsl connection (1mbps or higher) is recommended but I've been able to get mine going at 384kbps Smartbro.

okay you sold me there...

by the way, what do you use, wide-screen tv or just an lcd monitor to pair the ATV with?

if there is one feature that sold me to the apple tv, it is the ability to conveniently watch high definition content (mainly movies, but lots of hd video podcasts too). no week-long downloads, no file conversions, no harrassment by dvd vendors, no parking hassles, no traffic nightmares.

so if you really want to appreciate your apple tv, invest in a hd monitor. no need to go crazy since the atv only outputs 720p. then maybe save up for a home theater sound--5.1 capable receiver and speakers.

and just to make your experience more apple-like, i can buy a $50 itunes gift card for you later this week when i fly out. you don't have to pay me now. but if you don't pay me later, i guess i'll just use it myself. :) (offer extended to fellow apple tv owners only ;))

@hitme64.

1. My peecee to my 28" viewsonic lcd monitor (dvi to dvi) - output quality of itunes movies NOT GOOD.
2. My peecee to my samsung lcd Tv (dvi to HDMI) - output quality of itunes moves NOT GOOD ENOUGH.
3. ATV to LCD TV (hdmi to hdmi) - output quality of itunes movies VERY GOOD.
4. ATV to LCD monitor (hdmi to dvi) - haven't tried this yet but I suspect the quality will not be good enough for me.

So, the best is still no. 3. If your LCD monitor has good specs, you might opt for this "bastard" combination (viewing movies from ATV to lcd monitor) but the ideal companion for the ATV is either plasma or lcd TV (from 32" and up) . And let's not forget the cost. LCD monitors of the same size as LCD TVs are more expensive. My viewsonic 28" lcd monitor cost 29,500 a few months ago. A 32" lcd TV (bnew) now cost less than 30K. Now, I use a 37" samsung lcd tv with home theater and cost me less than 54,000 something (can't remember the exact figure) 2 or 3 months ago. Its good enough for me but the upgrade bug in me wants a 46" or bigger but I'm vacillating between that or finance my hi-fi audio equipment system (Soloworx and rbenzon have been kind enough to help me on this initial foray to the world of audiophile music).

@rbenzon.....hoy, rbenzon that's very generous of you to go through all that trouble. he he he.........I still have usd99 something left on my account and I'll probably repurchase once its down to less than 20 bucks. I've run through 200 dollars or so since I got my ATV but its worth every penny.

it's no trouble at all, bro. i never go the u.s. and not stop by the neighborhood apple store. so i'll be there, regardless. i may even buy one for myself, but only because i don't like seeing petty purchases (hd rentals and appstore apps) in my online statement of account.

hahaha on the upgrade bug. i was also considering a supplementary upgrade with a hd projector, but am likely to heed your 30" acd advice. i prayed for santa, but i realized i was dyslexic when satan arrived. ;)

it's no trouble at all, bro. i never go the u.s. and not stop by the neighborhood apple store. so i'll be there, regardless. i may even buy one for myself, but only because i don't like seeing petty purchases (hd rentals and appstore apps) in my online statement of account.

hahaha on the upgrade bug. i was also considering a supplementary upgrade with a hd projector, but am likely to heed your 30" acd advice. i prayed for santa, but i realized i was dyslexic when satan arrived. ;)

He he he..........difficult to scratch the upgrade bug. When you finally get your HD projector, do review it in this thread and how stunning the images are when paired with your ATV. Anyhways, here's a toast to your upcoming trip to the states:

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f132/raypin/atv006.jpg

(iphone shot of hd podcast "City by City" from ATV).

if there is one feature that sold me to the apple tv, it is the ability to conveniently watch high definition content (mainly movies, but lots of hd video podcasts too). no week-long downloads, no file conversions, no harrassment by dvd vendors, no parking hassles, no traffic nightmares.

so if you really want to appreciate your apple tv, invest in a hd monitor. no need to go crazy since the atv only outputs 720p. then maybe save up for a home theater sound--5.1 capable receiver and speakers.

and just to make your experience more apple-like, i can buy a $50 itunes gift card for you later this week when i fly out. you don't have to pay me now. but if you don't pay me later, i guess i'll just use it myself. :) (offer extended to fellow apple tv owners only ;))

if this is for me, rbenzon, then i'll gladly get one...but i still have to open a u.s. account by the way...

@ray: decided to forego the projector; that's the trade-off of taking the 30" acd plunge! then again, that could just be pushed to next year's budget! ;)

yes, it's for you, hitme. it's our way of evangelizing. ;)

wow thanks a lot benzon...really appreciate that...*two thumbs up*

in the meantime, i might get a tunecard from joe to open a u.s.a. itunes account...

gotta get that atv ready for some good downloads during the week (and i haven't yet gotten hold of it hahaha!)

no problem, hitme. i met joe at the 3g launch. hope his service works out for you, which is certainly more convenient than my outstretched hands. :)

looking forward to your joining the cult. ;)

yes as soon as the seller of the atv finds a way to swim across edsa tonight and deposit that shrink-wrapped unit in my hands...then i can focus on your "freebie" rbenz, hehehe

yes as soon as the seller of the atv finds a way to swim across edsa tonight and deposit that shrink-wrapped unit in my hands...then i can focus on your "freebie" rbenz, hehehe
don't worry it'll get to you. didn't you read the fine print? ATV stands for all-terrain vehicle. ;)

and just like your ATV, my itunes prepaid card is shrink-wrapped... from "freebie". ;) enjoy!

anybody selling an atv? the damn seller reneged on me last night and sold it to another this morning without telling me...i feel like leonidas ready to kick the persian messenger down the abyss, "this IS sparta!"

@hitme64 sorry for your misfortune. ATV na, naging bato pa. I'll keep an eye out for a good deal for you and pm/post some leads.

and someone even had the gall to tell me not to dupe any fellow philmuggers...well, lookee here, that philmugger did dupe me this morning...

why can't they keep the talk to themselves?

anyway, thanks raypin (when i say that, there's a kind of ring to it i can't figure out)...it sucks when it's there and then it's gone, and then someone out there says something stoopid...

@hitme64......ahhhh.....I'd blow a gasket or two if a vendor reneges on a deal. I think I know where you tried to source your ATV. Anyway, don't worry. Good deals are always around the corner.

Could be a blessing in disguise...there might be a new aTV out today according to rumors.

yup......Apple TV 3.0???!!!! he he he......for ATV lovers, here's the link to the Fortune article: http://apple20.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2008/09/08/tuning-in-to-apple-tv-30/

Thanks Uncle Sam for giving yet another opportunity to Uncle Steve to makes oooodles of megabucks that ATV 3.0 will bring. I just might sell my 160 gig sooner after all........or maybe not. Could be just a firmware/software update for ATV 2.0........

Apple TV 3.0???!!!! he he he......for ATV lovers, here's the link to the Fortune article: http://apple20.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2008/09/08/tuning-in-to-apple-tv-30/

in software development parlance, that is called feature creep!

there will certainly be a ton of digital set-top box opportunities when the u.s. turns off analog tv, but apple tv without the simplicity just wouldn't be an apple tv, would it?

what the author wanted was a blu-rayed mac mini, with turnkey software, ala front row plus plus.

was that fortune magazine? because it read more like fortune teller magazine. or maybe even high times. ;)

fortune teller, hahaha! hilarious, rbenzon, eylavit!

if its a new box, then blessing in disguise it is for me...

if its a software update, then i still have to find a gigger...

in software development parlance, that is called feature creep!

there will certainly be a ton of digital set-top box opportunities when the u.s. turns off analog tv, but apple tv without the simplicity just wouldn't be an apple tv, would it?

what the author wanted was a blu-rayed mac mini, with turnkey software, ala front row plus plus.

was that fortune magazine? because it read more like fortune teller magazine. or maybe even high times. ;)

HE HE HE...........well, it was THE BUZZ for ATV but it looks like we still have to wait a little bit more before ATV 2.0 sires ATV 3.0. I'm kinda disappointed with Tuesday:

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f132/raypin/Picture2-1.png

and so were Apple investors: stock price lost 4%!.

the keynote was funny...but i also expected that update on the apple tv...nada!

@raypin: my friend introduced me into PC gaming and now i'm hooked. is the 8800GT in SLI-mode the "ideal" setup? OOPS! Sorry, super OT ung question ko... just saw your sig kase. ;)
mmm.....didn't see this.....

the nvidia 8 series is good enough for most mainstream gaming title out there. My SLI experience has been mixed. On hindsight, the returns have not been comnmensurate with the price premium I had to pay to get dual video cards and the overhead (added expense of upgrading stock cooling to third party ones and the wattage drain - prompted me to upgrade my PS to 1kva) seems to be a bit too excessive. It also depends on the gaming titles you're into. My personal benchmark is a 3rd party shooter called "Crysis." The hardware requirement is pretty steep but if you break the barrier, it is a totally immersive experience. I suggest you go for a mid-model 8 series first before plunging into the upgrade abyss. Most games anyway are scalable. Once you are comfortable, go for the upgrade. Don't rush into it. You have the luxury of time (and time is your great ally because shorter product cycles for video cards and other components usually means great prices for the gaming enthusiast). A great site that I could recommend is http://pc.ign.com and for hardware, try tom's hardware.

P.S. I've been an nvidia client for many years and they are very reliable.

A bit OT here. I've pre-ordered Iron Man, available (http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewMovie?id=289156796&s=143441) now.

still on the lookout for one, 40g would be fine...found a hack to convert that usb port to an external hdd and a 500gb wd home edition would probably do the trick...

by the way, what brand, size and specs are your lcd tvs that you use with the atv? i'd like very much to see your setups, how about it? :)

@antz88c yup. Its one of the titles that we here in the ATV fan's club been waiting for. ATVJ (apple TV junkie) says the rental release is Oct 12, if my memory serves me right.

For ATV owners, forget the movie of the week....its unmentionable ;) . Recently added and worthy title in HD available right now is "The Devil Wears Prada."

And have any of you guys tried the Free HD TV episodes on your ATV? I've been too busy downloading two titles "Donnie Basco" and "The Bank Job." EEkkkk.....gotta do something radical about my smartbro connection.

mmm.....didn't see this.....

the nvidia 8 series is good enough for most mainstream gaming title out there. My SLI experience has been mixed. On hindsight, the returns have not been comnmensurate with the price premium I had to pay to get dual video cards and the overhead (added expense of upgrading stock cooling to third party ones and the wattage drain - prompted me to upgrade my PS to 1kva) seems to be a bit too excessive. It also depends on the gaming titles you're into. My personal benchmark is a 3rd party shooter called "Crysis." The hardware requirement is pretty steep but if you break the barrier, it is a totally immersive experience. I suggest you go for a mid-model 8 series first before plunging into the upgrade abyss. Most games anyway are scalable. Once you are comfortable, go for the upgrade. Don't rush into it. You have the luxury of time (and time is your great ally because shorter product cycles for video cards and other components usually means great prices for the gaming enthusiast). A great site that I could recommend is http://pc.ign.com and for hardware, try tom's hardware.

P.S. I've been an nvidia client for many years and they are very reliable.
OT: Thanks Ray ;) Yes, i'm been using NVIDIA for years too. The latest one that i have though is just the 7600GT series. Good enough for me at the moment. I downloaded demos of Halo 2, Crysis ;) and Call of Duty 4. I've only tried Halo 2 though. I have played Quake 3 and 4 at my present setup and it's quite good.

I have dual monitors too, Samsung 22" and 19", unlike yours which are both 28". Whoa! :D

@hitme64.........be patient, my friend. I've also been wondering about upgrading the ATV hard drive but I'm putting it off until ATV 3.0 arrives.

I'm using a Samsung 37" with 5.1 home theater in a box (it was part of the deal, although I regret it now - sonics not good enough). Rbenzon (who is probably mid-Pacific right now) is using a 46" plasma with 5.1 HT (and his iphone 3g as remote control for ATV).

And have any of you guys tried the Free HD TV episodes on your ATV?
I already downloaded all the free HD TV eps. But i don't have an ATV yet! :( Soon!!!! :D

I'm using a Samsung 37" with 5.1 home theater in a box.
Wow! Same setup. :)

When is ATV 3.0 arriving?! I want my ATV asap!!! :D

@hitmen, im just using a Samsung 32" wide lcd tv with 5.1 home theater.

PM sent.

Wow! Same setup. :)

When is ATV 3.0 arriving?! I want my ATV asap!!! :D

No one except the guys from Cupertino knows when ATV 3.0 will arrive. In the meantime, pampagana lang:

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f132/raypin/atv047-1.jpg

Hmmmp! I can't wait no more!!!!

i have a samsung 32" series 3 lcd tv, no ht (coz am not an audiophile but a videophile anyway), but no apple tv yet...

but i'll soon find out from ynzal...thanks anthony!

question: can i download itunes movies and shows and songs to the atv even if its not connected to an lcd tv but instead to my mbp, or is it download first to mbp or an external hdd then upload to atv?

I haven't tried that setup (ATV to MBP) but I'm guessing it will work.

When you download a movie, music from your MBP it automatically syncs to your ATV and vice versa. Depending how you setup your iTunes.

I have mentioned this first few pages of this thread, got an ATV? You might as well get the Elgato Turbo.264 (http://www.elgato.com/elgato/na/mainmenu/products/Accessories/Turbo264/product1.en.html)

@hitme64....... You don't have to turn on your ATV or lcd to sync for as long as the ATV is powered. So, if you download content to your mbp, just press the atv on the device source of your mbp's itunes and press sync (assuming you've choose your MBP as the sync partner of your atv via the passcode handshake which you only have to do once).

so as long as there is wifi connection and sync is configured for the mbp and atv, then there is no need to power on the atv? great...i got it, well sort of, since i still don't have an atv...

then, i can just tug along the atv and watch and listen to its synced contents anywhere after that, right? even without the wifi anymore...?

@hitme64 If you mean take your ATV along with you and watch the contents through another LCD TV, yes. no problem with that. You only need the wifi connection to: stream content from youir mbp (up to five more devices) to your ATV and not the other way around, download from itunes U.S., or sync with you mbp. Just connect the requisite cables to another LCD and you're good to go.

The downloaded songs (purchased), movies (rent or purchased), podcasts (free) and TV shows (purchased) resides in your ATV and can be accessed/viewed from the "my music", "my movies","rented movies" , "my podcasts" and "my tv" menu in the display interface of the ATV, with or without wifi.

how much does apple charger to rent a hidef movie?

could atv play fullHD 1080p resolution?

thanks

@doughn........the iTunes high definition movies rent cost from 3.99 to 4.99 (24 hour viewing period, after which it is automatically deleted from your ATV's hard drive but you have 30 days to start viewing it) depending on the title. ATV works with 480, 720 or 1080 capable displays. iTunes high def movies are at 720. I haven't tried the new HD Tv shows on offer from itunes so I'm not sure what the resolution is for that.

P.S. I haven't tried outputting 1080 content from ATV to LCD. I guess its technically possible to rip and convert, say a blu ray, from your mac, then sync it to the ATV and output 1080 through your 1080 capable display. Not sure about this but:

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f132/raypin/apple-tv-take-2-take-two-07.jpg
(engadget shot)

The HD TV eps are at 720p.

@raypin: My Samsung 37"'s max output resolution is 1080i. :( Only realized it after i bought it. Still happy with it. Not sure though if there's iTunes material beyond the 720p resolution. File size would be so big.

There's no way to rip blu-ray content at the moment [at least that's what i know].

;)

@ironman 720 is good enough for me and itunes high def movie offerings does not go beyond 720 at present and if it goes beyond 720, there's always the bandwidth issue to contend with.

Of course, if I have @balikpinoy's smokin' fast 15 mbps, heck, all I can say is: bring it on! baby! he he.....

this is great overload...makes me want to get that atv now and fast!

update: the 40-gig atv at ynzal just got snagged for 12k; only the 14-60-gigger is left at 19k

question: can i download itunes movies and shows and songs to the atv even if its not connected to an lcd tv but instead to my mbp, or is it download first to mbp or an external hdd then upload to atv?
@hitme: you can download everything onto your mbp then play it on the atv--except for hd movies, which can only be downloaded from and onto the atv.

actually, i do the opposite. i do not download anything anymore on my macs. i let my atv handle most of my media needs. this way, my macs are freed up from storage and download cpu consumption.

ps: iron man was on my flight menu, but i refuse to watch SD on a "personal entertainment monitor". the bose noise canceling headphones were nice though.

this is great overload...makes me want to get that atv now and fast!

update: the 40-gig atv at ynzal just got snagged for 12k; only the 14-60-gigger is left at 19k
ATV 160GB costs around 17K kay Charlie. ;)

ps: iron man was on my flight menu, but i refuse to watch SD on a "personal entertainment monitor". the bose noise canceling headphones were nice though.
OT: Hey Roland, how's your flight? ;)

Is that the Bose QuietComfort 3? I like that. Still contemplating between getting that or the Ultimate Ears Super.fi 5 pro.

Sorry OT ulit: I'm looking for a new HDMI cable. The prices range from P750.00 to P11K+ for the Monster Cable. When i got my LCD TV, the guy from Abenson tried to sell me that Monster Cable. I just smiled at him. Siraulo. Gagastos ako ng 11K for a cable. Di pa ko ganun kayaman. ;)) I bought one that costs around 2K.

My question is, why the big range in the prices of these cables?

ot: @ironman........forget the overpricjed, multi bucks hdmi. The improvement in quality, if any, is not worth the highway robbery. I use the one supplied with my Samsung but the toslink I use is only P595.00 apiece. In fact, I suspect that some "enterprising" wise guys sell these overpriced hdmi cables on the side to unwary consumers. I would not be surprised if some of these cables were actually part of the package and these wise guys are just selling it as "extra" income for them.

IMO, its not worth the extra bucks to pay for the ultra premium hdmi cables on the market......unless you have money to burn. To answer your question: the difference is the profit margin. If it were for a hifi, analog equipment, then its a different story. For as long as you have good connection between your digital equipment, the ones and zeros will still get from source to processor with nary a difference in output quality. What counts is how those bits are processed for output.

ATV 160GB costs around 17K kay Charlie. ;)

which i think is quite reasonable!

because atv would cost about $160 here, with taxes. @p49/$1, which is what credit card companies will probably use, charlie's price is cheaper!

@ironman: i just checked bose's website. yes, it was the quietcomfort 3. tempting indeed (to buy, not to pocket the airline's ;)) but i still prefer professional studio headphones for their fidelity. i do most of my listening in generally quiet environments, anyway. so noise cancellation is a premium i do not need, except on flights.

@ironman......you should visit rbenzon's soon to be built music studio/playroom. Anything less than gold-plated will not pass his standard. ;)

@rbenzon......sayang, someone here is selling a 30" adc for 85K.

If it were for a hifi, analog equipment, then its a different story. For as long as you have good connection between your digital equipment, the ones and zeros will still get from source to processor with nary a difference in output quality. What counts is how those bits are processed for output.
agree with you there, raypinoco. ;) i was amazed at how much difference cables made in critical audiophile listening--but that's analog. with digital, cable doesn't matter unless we're talking long distances.

@ironman......you should visit rbenzon's soon to be built music studio/playroom. Anything less than gold-plated will not pass his standard. ;)

@rbenzon......sayang, someone here is selling a 30" adc for 85K.

haha. doube OT na to, so huling hirit.

my studio-in-progress doesn't go overboard with pricey cables. but i spend more attention--and money--on noise isolation: effective grounding, shielding, no fluorescents, nothing with ballasts, isolation of noise sources from the audio chain, load balancing, noise filters, harmonic distortion traps, etc.

yeah, i already PM'd the ACD seller. papahuli ba tayo? ;) asked him a few questions. but am in no rush. thanks for the heads up, just the same.

end of my OT. :)

ot: @rbenzon....yup.....I forgot that you need a premium cable for extra long distances between digital equipments. I'm still in the learning stage at WS and, boy, do I know so little......saw a pair of cables at WS (being sold by AA) for 32,000......on sale.....my jaw promptly dropped to the floor. Aray! Mas magastos ito kaysa sa Apple.......

@ironman......you should visit rbenzon's soon to be built music studio/playroom. Anything less than gold-plated will not pass his standard. ;)

Yeah saw it nga eh. I told him that i like his drum set. :)

For as long as you have good connection between your digital equipment, the ones and zeros will still get from source to processor with nary a difference in output quality. What counts is how those bits are processed for output.
That's what i thought too. The guy there says that the cheaper ones only have stereo sound. I didn't argue his ignorance anymore.

What's the 30" adc for 85K? If that's an LCD TV, that's pricey for that size. So i think i'm wrong. =))

good thing we're atv freaks, because OT na tayo. hehehe.

30" @85k is for an Apple Cinema Display. beautiful.

32,000 for cables, yeah, i've seen those. i've heard the difference too. but if you have $25,000 speakers, like my friend does, what's $600 for cables? ;)

thank goodness i am much older now, and i can resist that route. besides, my studio is already killing me. :)

speaking of apple tv, any fans here? :)

mmm......still thinking about doughn's question earlier about outputting 1080p content via ATV. Anyone here tried that yet? I was thinking of ripping a blu ray, syncing it to ATV and then output to a 1080 display. Will it look near bluray quality? I've been looking at my downloaded hd podcasts and although the output is still 720p, the bit rate is much higher (nearly 4kbps) compared to less than 3kbps for standard def itunes movies, thus accounting for the superior video output of the former over the latter or even over "high def" itunes movies.

Oh so it's ACD. Heheheh. And yeah, all Apple displays are expensive yet so gorgeous. :)

speaking of apple tv, any fans here?
Hahaha. Last na OT na to. Sorry po. =))

I was thinking of ripping a blu ray, syncing it to ATV and then output to a 1080 display.
Hmmm.. I just googled. And there's a way to rip HD discs na pala.

http://all-streaming-media.com/faq/dvd-ripping/faq-How-to-rip-HD-DVD-Blu-Ray-movie-to-harddisk.htm

mmm......still thinking about doughn's question earlier about outputting 1080p content via ATV. Anyone here tried that yet? I was thinking of ripping a blu ray, syncing it to ATV and then output to a 1080 display. Will it look near bluray quality? I've been looking at my downloaded hd podcasts and although the output is still 720p, the bit rate is much higher (nearly 4kbps) compared to less than 3kbps for standard def itunes movies, thus accounting for the superior video output of the former over the latter or even over "high def" itunes movies.
methinks atv allows users to specify their display resolution so atv can map the display accordingly, in case the atv or the monitor's auto-sensing algos fail. but i don't think atv converts the signal from 720p to 1080p just because the display is higher res.

i'd be curious to see though what atv does with 1080p content, if it can even play it.

if you can't ray bluerip--ah er, rip bluray ;) maybe you can try finding a short 1080p h.264 hd video, like those you can find here (http://www.apple.com/quicktime/guide/hd/)?

let me know how it goes as i am curious. will atv say something like, "video format not supported" if you force-feed it with 1080p content?

there are 1080 quicktime trailers that you can download right? why don't you try those...

:)

hi if i connect the macbook to an lcd tv can i play HD films/clips downloaded from itunes?? (since im planning to get a macbook)

hi, carla. since you are fairly new to philmug, we won't drive you away for crashing this apple tv party. :) besides, we could use a bit more estrogen in this thread. ;)

to answer your OT question with an OT answer ;): yes, you can connect your macbook to an lcd tv provided that your tv has the "right" inputs. for you to enjoy hd tv shows (you can only rent HD movies using the apple tv right now), your tv needs to have an hdmi input. short of this, you'll have to stick with analog inputs--vga, s-video, components, composite.

you'll need a couple of things:
1) dvi-to-hdmi cable, or for analog, dvi-composite video adapter;
2) mini plug to rca (from your macbook line out/headphones jack to your tv's audio in rca jacks)

it's not quite the immersive apple tv experience we here rave about, but it works. hope this helps! :)

ooops sorry! got carried away with the HD thing sorry! im sorry!

ooops sorry! got carried away with the HD thing sorry! im sorry!

so i'll need an apple tv to rent HD films.. how does renting work?? -- (i'll browse the website) :p

@carla: i've offered raypin a remote, hitme with a prepaid card, what would you like? ;)

sorry, guys. we have rare femme visits here, so we gotta be hospitable. anybody care to share their apple tv? ;)

to rent: you need 3 months deposit, 1 month advance. ;) i'm kidding! just my feeble (and futile?) attempts at trying to get you cozy in this thread--which is beginning to read like a diary. :) but seriously, you'll need an itunes store account to rent. help me out here, guys: is renting exclusive to apple tv, or can mac/pc itunes also download and playback rented SD movies?

please stay, carla. we're desperate. ;)

ot: @carla0001......When you get your ATV (or when rbenzon sales talk you into getting one :) ) do drop by and fire away with anything you want wish to know about the ATV. We welcome old ATV owners, new ATV owners, or even non-ATV owners!

@rbenzon......will check out and download some 1080Ps as soon as I finish some long overdue downloads and see what our babies could do.

It has to be 1080P material from the start or something close to it. One thing I've noticed about the itunes encoded "high def" is the variation in the video quality. Some movies are better encoded than others or it could be the shortcoming of my Samsung. Some scenes (specially close up/indoor scenes) tend to be bland-looking while outdoor scenes are spectacular (vivid images, hardly no artifacts). I've tried to tweak some of the settings on my LCD (like turning off the auto color mode) but no go.

@ironman.....yup, will do it and report back here.

you guys are funny!

im actually curious about this atv, i actually ignored it before but it seems very interesting!

One thing I've noticed about the itunes encoded "high def" is the variation in the video quality. Some movies are better encoded than others or it could be the shortcoming of my Samsung. Some scenes (specially close up/indoor scenes) tend to be bland-looking while outdoor scenes are spectacular (vivid images, hardly no artifacts). I've tried to tweak some of the settings on my LCD (like turning off the auto color mode) but no go.

i seriously doubt that your lcd's at fault.

the more likely culprits:
1) i do not know who encodes itunes hd movies because, as raypin correctly pointed out, the quality is not consistent. it is possible that apple specifies the standards and their preference, but lets the studios encode accordingly--which could explain the inconsistencies. or apple has a bunch of encoders who "think different." ;) or they have one encoder who's a schizo. :)

2) when it comes to hd podcasts, the culprit is often the hd camera used. some cameras auto-ISO, so the graininess varies with the available light. the grainier, the higher the "film speed", the noisier, hence, the more artifacts. besides, contrast is higher outdoors, so the perceived quality is better. also, every hd podcaster uses a different encoding setting, which explains the gamut of inconsistencies. it doesn't bother me as much, well, because i am a schizo. ;)

@carla0001........just to add to what rbenzon said, yes, you can download (rent or purchase)from your macbook/pc/macpro any standard def movies from itunes but HD movies from itunes is exclusive to ATV with the exception of the new HD TV series. Before my cheaply priced ATV fell into my loins..errr....lap, I used my peecee to rent standard def movies and, using my dvi to hdmi cable, viewed the movie on my LCD tv. But the video quality was crappy (I've posted about this already but to save you some time....) to say the least.

@rbenzon....have you tried on the new HD TV episodes yet? I know a lot of Phlmuggers have already downloaded some (hey, they're free).

i seriously doubt that you're lcd's at fault.

the more likely culprits:
1) i do not know who encodes itunes hd movies because, as raypin correctly pointed out, the quality is not consistent. it is possible that apple specifies the standards and their preference, but lets the studios encode accordingly--which could explain the inconsistencies. or apple has a bunch of encoders who "think different." ;) or they have one encoder who's a schizo. :)

2) when it comes to hd podcasts, the culprit is often the hd camera used. some cameras auto-ISO, so the graininess varies with the available light. the grainier, the higher the "film speed", the noisier, hence, the more artifacts. besides, contrast is higher outdoors, so the perceived quality is better. also, every hd podcaster uses a different encoding setting, which explains the gamut of inconsistencies. it doesn't bother me as much, well, because i am a schizo. ;)

Wow....thanks for that input. I was beginning to wonder if I'm the only one who has noticed that and almost kicked myself in the head for buying the cheaper Samsung instead of that beautiful Bravia! he he he......

To continue the thought, the ATV graphics card is really a crappy, little nvidia GPU. It is not even at par with mainstream PC or Macs. And if it is not the LCD, then its the material and how it was encoded by the studios. Me thinks you're spot on.

Add that to our wish list for ATV 3.0 : a better encoding/decoding iTunes "high-def" movies.

@rbenzon....have you tried on the new HD TV episodes yet? I know a lot of Phlmuggers have already downloaded some (hey, they're free).
i have--downloaded a free hd movie, from narita airport (at the very least, that tells me that japan is not ip filtered). but as it turns out i can't play it on my macbook air because i already have four macs and one apple tv registered on my itunes account. i'll have to wait to get back to manila to deactivate a couple of macs, so my mba can play the downloads.

funny you should ask, because i was going to ask you to do the same. i tried doing so on my atv on the day it was announced, but the HD options weren't visible, which echoed others' experience then. since then, apparently, others have been able to download hd tv shows. but, of course, i'm far removed from my atv.

like i said before, i'm not really a tv junkie. but hd can change that, or at least get me to watch something. i might give "life" season 1 a try, depending on how HD the pilot is. am also curious if tv shows are encoded for 5.1; i doubt it, but wouldn't mind being surprised.

@rbenzon I wanted to download the Battlestar Galactica freebie but my damn smartbro connection is in the way. There's no ip filter yet (@rafael mentioned this in another thread) so there should be no issue re: content being blocked from reaching overseas IPs. It is a potentially big problem for some. How fast are Narita's wifi connection anyway? Must be really blazingly fast. Nag Northwest ka pala.

Heck, I haven't even upgraded my itunes yet to 8.0......just waiting for the early Philmug adopters here for some quality feedbacks......they've been raving about the genius this and the visualizer that. But no feedback yet on the quality of the HD TV content they've downloaded.

oh......re: 5.1......the output of iTunes HD movies are excellent. Can't really complain about anything. So they did something right with that. I'll post some comments on the quality of the HD TV episodes as downloaded and played through ATV here once i clear up my download mess.

@raypin: As for the quality of the HD TV eps on my Mac, they're great. Obviously, i don't know how they look on my LCD TV as i don't have an ATV yet. :p As per your advise, i should wait for ATV 3.0 ;)

@rbenzon: The HD TV eps have a surround option on audio settings. So i guess they have 5.1 support. I'm just not sure if it applies to all the HD TV eps.

wifi at narita was fast. i should've speedtested it though. no, i didn't fly northwest. i love CX, but the AA flight to dallas was three hours shorter. good service, but i wonder whose stewardesses are older, NW or AA. ;)

i have no doubts about 5.1 quality on HD movies. i love that. what i was more curious about are HD TV shows, if they are encoded in 5.1.

@rbenzon: That's what i said. The HD TV eps have a surround option. That's 5.1, right? :)

if it's "real 5.1" your receiver should say "DTS", "Dolby Digital", etc. but if your receiver defaults to "pro logic" or similar simulated surround formats, then it ain't real 5.1. ;)

Ah no, i get the surround option in my Mac only. I haven't interfaced my notebook with my receiver yet. Sorry if i wasn't clear. :)

New Cable Modem, new Time Capsule, New Gigabit Router EQUALS

Now I'm set for Apple TV! :cool:

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ot: @balikpinoy waahhhhh!!!!............ang bilis nyan. Puwede ba ako magpakabit ng submarine cable papunta sa bahay mo sa L.A.? That's fat!

Dang. Verizon's only now wiring up my neighborhood in NY with Fiber Optic Service (FiOS). Hopefully by the time I get back there it'll be setup na.

For now, I'll have to make do with this:

http://www.speedtest.net/result/322553233.png

answers: downloaded a 2 minute trailer in high definition format (.mov) , converted to h.264 HD format, transferred to my mba's itunes 8.0 movie folder AND tried to sync to my ATV movies folder. Here's a screen shot:

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f132/raypin/atv-1.jpg

If you notice, the ATV icon on the device source has an exclamation point beside it, which means NO, YOU CAN'T output anything beyond 720 on the ATV (software version 2.1). although ATV supports up to 1080i displays. I tried all sorts of HD formats using h.264 but ATV refuses to accept it.

For now, the maximum and acceptable format is 1280 x 720 in h.264 or mp4 material. So, what's the point of being able to support 1080 HD displays while limiting material for output at 720? My guess is Apple is working on higher than 720p material for the next generation ATV.

I am still downloading some HD TV (free episode) on my mba's itunes 8.0. Will post comments after I'm done.

the HD tv shows are great!

@rdy0329 . should be but how would they output in ATV? That's the question we're trying to test here. Also, we are also seeking answers to whether it is DTS encoded - similar to HD movies that ATV owners now enjoy.

BTW, atv-owners, there's no access yet to itunes 8.0 HD TV episodes or series from the ATV interface. This made me scratch my head. I mean, why did apple leave ATV owners out by not simultaenously releasing an upgrade to 2.1? So, we're left to downloading the HD TV episodes from our macs, sync it to ATV and view it. This is utter STUPIDITY on the part of Apple, imo.

For now, the maximum and acceptable format is 1280 x 720 in h.264 or mp4 material. So, what's the point of being able to support 1080 HD displays while limiting material for output at 720? My guess is Apple is working on higher than 720p material for the next generation ATV.

thanks for the lab, raypin. ;)

i hope you're right about the ability to support 1080p output in the future, although i am not sure that i would rave about such improvement. i mean, i am quite satisfied with 720p; i am not sure roughly twice the wait (not to mention twice the storage) will translate to twice my enjoyment.

personally, i would probably rather go from our atv's 720p to complimenting it with a blu-ray player for uncompressed 1080p. because no matter how you slice it, an atv upgrade to 1080p will still be compressed 1080p.

besides, i don't know what apple would gain from such an upgrade. they'll need more storage, more bandwidth, but may not be able to charge extra for 1080p content.

just the same, here's to more features, more content, but same simplicity. :)

i went to an apple store today to buy two things: air jacket for my iphone, and itunes prepaid cards. but i also stumbled upon the xtrememac hdmi switcher i previously posted on this thread. and just like that, my tab went over $200. :(

has anyone tried the hdtv shows? which ones are high-def enough to be worthwhile? suffice to say, i do not want to pay a premium for shows that are only marginally better than SD. apple tv junkie blog says heroes hd looked comparable to broadcast hd, which is acceptable to me. anybody see 30 rock hd yet? others?

am particularly interested in what apple tv owners think, well, because no matter what mac owners say, hd on a mbp just isn't the same as hd on a large hd display.

also, it may be time for me to get that next terabyte. because purchasing hdtv, vis-a-vis renting is a storage guzzler. one season of hdtv shows can be 30gb big--which i don't want sitting in my atv after i've seen the shows.

dang, while you enjoy your atvs, i have yet to find out...and stores these side of the city are not carrying it anymore, i dunno why...

I've only downloaded 2 TV series, The Office and Battlestar Galactica. As we all know both HD and SD gets downloaded but i can't sync the SD to my ATV (or maybe I am doing something wrong) so I can compare the quality.

So far I am very impressed with the HD quality of The Office. I am considering to get some TV series on HD. I think i really need to upgrade my ATV. Saw those DIY upgrade to 1TB.. :)

@hitme: have you PM'd charlie yet?

@antz: do you want to sell your atv to hitme instead, so you can upgrade? ;)

with regards to storage, i'm fine with my 160gb. i don't plan on keeping viewed hdtv shows on my atv. if needed, i can always stream them from the tera plugged to my mac. i wonder though if 802.11n is fast enough to stream hd video--something i will test.

charlie hasn't even replied to my texts or calls, and today is his birthday...

anyway, antz is keeping his so am still looking for one, tough luck!

i went to an apple store today to buy two things: air jacket for my iphone, and itunes prepaid cards. but i also stumbled upon the xtrememac hdmi switcher i previously posted on this thread. and just like that, my tab went over $200. :(

has anyone tried the hdtv shows? which ones are high-def enough to be worthwhile? suffice to say, i do not want to pay a premium for shows that are only marginally better than SD. apple tv junkie blog says heroes hd looked comparable to broadcast hd, which is acceptable to me. anybody see 30 rock hd yet? others?

am particularly interested in what apple tv owners think, well, because no matter what mac owners say, hd on a mbp just isn't the same as hd on a large hd display.

also, it may be time for me to get that next terabyte. because purchasing hdtv, vis-a-vis renting is a storage guzzler. one season of hdtv shows can be 30gb big--which i don't want sitting in my atv after i've seen the shows.

@RB, he he.... Dagdagan mo pa yan so at least you have something to show for it. I agree that viewing HD, or even HD lite, anything on an MBP or Macbook is darn silly!

I've downloaded the SD version of 30 Rock (the freebie episode - file size 256 megabytes) - through the ATV. I must say that the quality is much better than I anticipated. The video images are very clear and the colors vivid even though it is 820 x 480p h.264 encoded.

Still downloading the HD version (1.86 gigabyte file size) of the freebie Battlestar Galactica episode. Is it just me but it seems Apple's servers must be deluged because the HD TV freebies kept on restarting on me.

Speaking of itunes TV shows, I've spotted a couple of bargains. For fans of 1980s sitcom, "Benson" sells at 1.99 per episode but for the entire series, it is deeply discounted at 16.99 only (25 episodes). I grew up with this sitcom and plan to download. Also Monk Season 1 (love Adrian) at 0.99 per.

@antz....sell, sell, sell.....upgrade, upgrade, upgrade!

I have a question about HD TV shows: does it really require you to download the SD version? I've already downloaded the HD versions and deleted/removed the SD versions in my Downloads queue but it keeps popping back up after a while.

Yep, it does require you, sadly, I, too have this annoying problem. Apple might thought that it must be worth the 3$ price tag because 3$ is pricey for something you can't watch on the go. I hope there is a way to turn it off.

I've only downloaded 2 TV series, The Office and Battlestar Galactica. As we all know both HD and SD gets downloaded but i can't sync the SD to my ATV (or maybe I am doing something wrong) so I can compare the quality.

So far I am very impressed with the HD quality of The Office. I am considering to get some TV series on HD. I think i really need to upgrade my ATV. Saw those DIY upgrade to 1TB.. :)

When you try to sync, does an exclamation point appear on the Apple TV under devices of itunes??

hope springs eternal..... From http://macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/18430/

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f132/raypin/atvnews.jpg

i wonder how much more ATV apple would sell if it opened the ATV's USB port for external storage devices.

anybody try streaming HDTV shows yet? is 802.11b/g fast enough to handle it?

@rbenzon.......they better do something fast with the ATV because the big boys are finally banding together to battle Apple's dominance over the digital music and movie distribution business.

From reuters:
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f132/raypin/atvnews1-1.jpg

the short of it is: its AC (apple consortium) vs. DECE (consortium). I take this as welcome development to spur Apple to move its ass fast before the DECE boys catch up and end its dominance.

and i should indeed hurry getting an atv because i am being let behind here...almost now, almost...

i welcome competition. in the end, it benefits us all.

AC the betamax, DECE the VHS. but, of course, it isn't quite that simple.

while DECE will surely impact the hegemony, openness does not always translate to seamless integration. windows too has many vendors, which is great for diversity of options, but inevitably leads to incompatibility hell. openness does not guarantee simplicity.

and as long as apple has a stronghold on the music business--a different set of publishers--apple will keep an edge. because let's face it: people buy ipods for music first, video a distant second. music keeps itunes pervasive amongst desktops. and where itunes is, video distributors will tag along. studios will create an alternative to open up the game, but they'd be suicidal to ignore apple's base. at the end of the day, studios want reach--and apple will remain their biggest market for the next couple of years.

just the same, competition will be good for our beloved apple tv. so bring 'em on! :)

@RB. I read somewhere that iTunes has served more than 3 billion songs and 95 million videos and it has long overtaken Walmart as the leading vendor of music in the United States. Apple has also claimed that more than 600 million copies of iTunes have been downloaded. With that kind of numbers, it will be very difficult to dislodge Apple from its position as the dominant player.

don't laugh now but i just got my atv 160gb...AT LAST!

CONGRATULATIONS ! You have just become a certified member of the ATV club of Philmug! For the initiation rites, you need to genuflect on the ATV at least three times a day for the next three days, sleep only 3 hours a day, etc. . ;)

dang, i still don't have an itunes (usa) account...hmmm :p

What the..? How could you not?? ;P

hehe, got to have those tunecards...

or wait for rbenzon's generous offer for a $50 tunecard...

whichever comes first!

@hitme64......try ynzal, powermac etc. They might still have the IGCs on stock so you can use your ATV right away.

@hitme: gift cards are only useful if you already have an itunes store account. otherwise, you cannot redeem the gift cards. and just so we're clear, my offer is to be a "courier", not a donor. i am not matutina. ;)

in the meantime, set up your atv. lots of free video podcasts you can try in the interim. have fun! we're here to help get you hooked! ;)

I highly recommend the HD video podcasts of National Geographic for the first timer.

just came back from my mail...hehe

and just unboxed the atv

and then plugged it

and then...wait, where's my tv? dang, my tv is at home...

well, i'll just have to stream my itunes library to it first and then some video podcasts and then it's good to go for some rad home viewing...

congrats, hitme64!!!

You might as well get an Elgato Turbo.264 (http://www.elgato.com/elgato/na/mainmenu/products/Accessories/Turbo264/product1.en.html) if you have plans to encode your videos to H.264. You can order online and ship it to rbenzon's US address. :)

WTH? The NatGeo HD Podcasts aren't available anymore. Oh well, plenty of others available.

congrats, hitme64!!!

You might as well get an Elgato Turbo.264 (http://www.elgato.com/elgato/na/mainmenu/products/Accessories/Turbo264/product1.en.html) if you have plans to encode your videos to H.264. You can order online and ship it to rbenzon's US address. :)

uuu, yeah, why not? :D

am still in the midst of reading the manual, sorry but even if i know what to do, i just think it would be better to read it also...for the sake of reading it...

HEY, ATV lovers! here's something new I learned today. Last night, a PHilmugger PMed me if it is possible to view mp4 movies from an external drive to the ATV without transferring or syncing the macbook. I said yes. But I wasn't satisfied and did a little experiement to confirm my answers to him.

Some of us here only have the 40 gig ATV model and space can be a big problem specially if one is planning to store hundreds of movies. I have the 160 gb model and a 40 gb MBA. But I also have a lacie external hard drive with a much larger capacity.

Here's what I did:

1. The test material is a 1280 x 720P h.264 movie trailer (10000BC trailer encoded in ATV format) that is residing in my external lacie.
2. I fired up my MBA and my ATV/LCD set up.
3. i connected my lacie external to my MBA.
4. Fired up my MBA itunes and under preferences ->advanced ->"uncheck" copy files to itunes folder when adding to file.
5. From my MBA itunes, add file - > added the test material from the external lacie.
6. The MBA itunes library catalogued the test material but does not copy the material to the mba's itunes librry.

As you can see in the screengrab of my mba's itunes library, the "where" points to the location of the test mat. in the external lacie (NO NAME). And the mba's itunes catalogues it for viewing. Also, the ATV does not sync it so no transfer of the test material occured.

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f132/raypin/trailer4.jpg

To verify the test material remained in the lacie and not in the ATV, here's a screen grab below:

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f132/raypin/trailer3.jpg

From the ATV menu, I clicked on shared movies and the ATV correctly loaded the contents of my MBA and the external lacie for streaming, as follows:

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f132/raypin/trailer2.jpg

Then, from the ATV menu, played it and VIOLA!, my darn ATV started to stream the test material from the lacie external direct to the ATV/LCD setup as you can see below:

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f132/raypin/trailer.jpg

Whew! sugod!!!!! kill the bastards!!!

we learn something new everyday...

as for me, i haven't even downloaded a movie or tv show pending my usa itunes account from tunecards...

so i just synced my itunes music library to the atv and had been listening to it (boring, actually) since yesterday on an lcd monitor (my tv is still at home and i haven't gone home in 3 days na)

does it seem that the cover flow of my music library looks more vibrant and brighter on a 24" lcd monitor than on an lcd tv?

what do you think guys?

@raypin That's exactly how my MBP TV setup is, I have all my movies on my external 1TB disk, and i just connect the HD to my MBP every time I wan't to sync or stream a movie. Works well for me :)

I can't wait for a software update for the TV, hopefully they include a grid view ( itune8 ) in browsing my movies/music. the current list browsing is not working for me anymore, maybe because my movie collection has gotten too big.

does it seem that the cover flow of my music library looks more vibrant and brighter on a 24" lcd monitor than on an lcd tv?

what do you think guys?

@OT.......maybe you should calibrate your lcd tv to get the best color/setting combination for you. How's the ATV going along?

looks like am going to use my samsung 24" lcd full-time in the office to complement the atv now that the lcd tv at home has been sequestered by the other "side", i.e. kids...

so far, am waiting for my account to be activated plus the itunes credits i just bought from tunecards...

and yeah, i've synced nearly 3gb of music to the atv already...probably will be deleting them from my mbp or save them on the 1tb external...

so far, no movies, no tv shows, getting bored just looking at the atv beside me...:p

i have started downloading since yesterday...

two fringe paid episodes
five podcasts
two free tv shows

only one paid episode downloaded, one gone missing...
five podcasts downloaded in mbp
two free tv shows won't download

and when i synced my itunes to my atv, its been six hours "authorizing XXXX apple tv to iTunes store"...

can't imagine what's wrong...

@hitme64.............how did you sync your mac's itunes to the ATV? Try to post some screengrabs so we can help diagnose your ATV teething problems.

currently downloading the free hd pilot of knight rider. i love that there are tons of free hd episodes in itunes. :)