Convince Me

[c5sparkchaser]

I've already searched the forums and couldn't nail down a good answer, so now I'm tossing the question out into the open:

Why should I buy an Apple TV?

Don't get me wrong, I WANT to get one, but I can't think of enough reasons to justify it to myself and my financial coordinator (wife) . What I need from you guys are solid reasons. Thanks in advance.

 

[iEd]

It's only 69 dollars.

 

[anon(39328)]

AirPlay media from any iOS device. Not just music, videos, photos, etc... Some apps also use AirPlay with great effect. Exercise apps, for instance. Fitstar works great with AirPlay.

 

[zerog46]

Honestly if your a grown man you really don't need convincing to buy a Apple TV, you may need permission from your wife though.

 

[phreddyl]

I won't convince you. If you want it and have the money to buy it then buy it. Personally if you need convincing then you don't want it. If you are curious you can get a refurb from apple for $59 https://www.apple.com/shop/refurbished/appletv#mn_p


Sent from my Gold iPad Air using Tapatalk

 

[gordol]

I'm going to do the opposite: AppleTV (at least for now) has the worst selection of "channels" or apps of all of the set top boxes (or sticks). Unless there is that ONE feature on the AppleTV you must have, then you do not currently want one.

It's one killer feature is if you are already an Apple household, it integrates. Airplay from an iOS device (iOS 7 or higher iPhones/Pods/Pads) and streaming from iTunes. If you use a Mac, I believe you can throw your entire desktop onto the TV through it for web based streaming.

 

[iEd]

It's only 69 dollars.

 

[Beyond Fire]

Despite having an Xbox one ps4 and a smart tv which all have the same features I still don't regret buying my Apple TV. AirPlay alone was more then worth the $90 I paid for it.


Sent from my Golden Apple Six

 

[gordol]

It's only 69 dollars.

And if it's not something you really want, it'd be a waste of money even at $1.

The only reason to get an AppleTV, at least at this time, is if you are already using other Apple products and you want to stream from those to your TV. Otherwise, you can get more features for the same or less money from other devices.

 

[iEd]

And if it's not something you really want, it'd be a waste of money even at $1.

The only reason to get an AppleTV, at least at this time, is if you are already using other Apple products and you want to stream from those to your TV. Otherwise, you can get more features for the same or less money from other devices.

And the OP said " Don't get me wrong I want to get one". He said this. So if he wants to get one he should get it. It's only 69 bucks. We ain't talking Apple Watch Edition.

 

[Dextermutt]

Number one reason I have them (yes them, have 4) is streaming your iTunes media anywhere in the house. If you've invested in movies and music it makes sense. AirPlay has been very disappointing for me lately. Hit or miss with my iPad Air and iPhone 6 plus

 

[Not Quite Right]

Be an adult, and make a decision for yourself. I do it everyday ...

 

[Illustrator Joe]

Has anyone mentioned... it's only $69? Because... it's only $69...

 

[BreakingKayfabe]

AirPlay from your iOS devices when watching movies and TV shows from torrent sites.

 

[zerog46]

Number one reason I have them (yes them, have 4) is streaming your iTunes media anywhere in the house. If you've invested in movies and music it makes sense. AirPlay has been very disappointing for me lately. Hit or miss with my iPad Air and iPhone 6 plus

What where you watching? I air played 3 shows over the weekend via amazon prime and it worked flawlessly.

 

[anon(6038817)]

As it currently stands, I cannot recommend an Apple TV. It has poor channel selection and I've even noticed inferior video quality compared compared to my Roku.

But my trusty Roku II is a little long in the tooth, and if the hype/rumors are true about a new, updated Apple TV coming out this year with an actual channel store, I might be getting one.

AirPlay is definitely a selling point, too.

 

[PompiPompi]

Amazon Fire TV is also nice I was told.
Well I have one but I only use it for games(it has an NVIDIA Tegra K1 SoC which is pretty nice).
Not sure about the channel selection for the US, dunno, you could check it on Amazon.com. They have a nice page about it.
There is also the Fire TV Stick which is really cheap and also have a good selection of channels(I was told).
As I mentioned I use it for games, it supports blue tooth gamepads and has it's own unique Amazon gamepad.

I know that Apple is about to release a new Apple TV to better compete with Amazon Fire TV. I am curious if it will have it's own App store and you will be able to play games/use a gamepad but I was told Apple doesn't really push games that much.

 

[relic74]

I'm going to do the opposite: AppleTV (at least for now) has the worst selection of "channels" or apps of all of the set top boxes (or sticks). Unless there is that ONE feature on the AppleTV you must have, then you do not currently want one.

It's one killer feature is if you are already an Apple household, it integrates. Airplay from an iOS device (iOS 7 or higher iPhones/Pods/Pads) and streaming from iTunes. If you use a Mac, I believe you can throw your entire desktop onto the TV through it for web based streaming.

I completely agree, I received one for free after purchasing a computer and found it almost completely useless. The Airplay functionality can be found on many devices so the Apple TV isn't special in this regard. My MINIX A8-H Plus, which is a fantastic device by the way, can stream an iPads desktop onto a TV just fine, as well as Android and Windows 8.1 devices, so it's actually more advanced in this regard. Though it looks pretty ridiculous, the iPads icons and text look huge and there are these really annoying black bars on either side. I prefer using my Nexus 9 with my TV as I can use an app called Second Screen, instead of simply cloning the desktop it creates an additional expanded screen, you can also change the DPI to make the UI look more like a normal desktop, plus no black bars, native aspect ratio and resolution, very cool.

Anyway, I would stay away from the Apple TV, your at the mercy of Apple when it comes to apps, no web browser which I would have thought would be a normal feature for such a device, I mean my TV has a web browser for goodness sakes. I would grab a MINIX Z64 or if you can afford it, the new Nvidia Shield TV as this device is probably the best thing you can install on your TV right now. Whatever you decide on though, just make sure the device is able to install whatever apps you want, has at least 2GB of RAM, 16GB SSD, SD Card, USB ports, supports 4K for future proofing, etc. Also definitely install Kodi (XBMC) as it's an absolutely must have app, I can't stress enough to you on this point, it's worth buying one of these devices just for that.