AppleTV

[WH1T3H4T]

I'm pulling the trigger on AppleTV. But first, what are the pros and cons?

 

[Speedygi]

Pros are that it's an extremely good video streamer and it comes with iTunes.

Cons are maybe you will not like being tied down to the Apple ecosystem and the lack of 4K

 

[BreakingKayfabe]

Biggest pro is that whatever video content you're streaming from Safari can easily just be AirPlayed to your Apple TV. So if you're streaming a movie from a site on Safari *wink wink*, you can just put that movie on your TV without a problem.

 

[WH1T3H4T]

Biggest pro is that whatever video content you're streaming from Safari can easily just be AirPlayed to your Apple TV. So if you're streaming a movie from a site on Safari *wink wink*, you can just put that movie on your TV without a problem.

Uh oh? LOL

 

[iEd]

Apple TV is a great device. I stream my iTunes movie library and music library to my TV. Netflix, HBO Go, Showtime Anytime, Amazon Instant via AirPlay. I don't have any cons.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[anon(4698833)]

Apple TV was the only Apple device I've ever purchased that I was unimpressed with...so much so that I returned it. It's fantastic for certain things (especially streaming media from places like Netflix or iTunes), but I found it severely lacking in the mirroring department. I bought it to mirror from my Macbook onto my TV, and while it did some things decently while mirroring, playing media was a major let down (with constant lag on playback, sync issues at times and an overall degradation of the source). It seemed to struggle the most when trying to mirror 1080p files, regardless of type.

Truthfully, the Apple TV unit would be perfect if it allowed you to connect a hard drive to it, or if it could access network drives for film playback. Unfortunately, it has neither of those options.

At the end of the day, it really depends on what you plan to use it for...it has many strengths, including the specific apps available ON the unit itself...but in some ways, I feel it just doesn't quite function like I would expect. I have 2 Western Digital TV Live units in my house that mirror each other and stream files from a network drive as well as have access to Netflix and Hulu, etc. These were around $50/piece, and work MUCH better than Apple TV for what I needed.

 

[LockOnTech]

Apple TV was the only Apple device I've ever purchased that I was unimpressed with...so much so that I returned it. It's fantastic for certain things (especially streaming media from places like Netflix or iTunes), but I found it severely lacking in the mirroring department. I bought it to mirror from my Macbook onto my TV, and while it did some things decently while mirroring, playing media was a major let down (with constant lag on playback, sync issues at times and an overall degradation of the source). It seemed to struggle the most when trying to mirror 1080p files, regardless of type.

Truthfully, the Apple TV unit would be perfect if it allowed you to connect a hard drive to it, or if it could access network drives for film playback. Unfortunately, it has neither of those options.

At the end of the day, it really depends on what you plan to use it for...it has many strengths, including the specific apps available ON the unit itself...but in some ways, I feel it just doesn't quite function like I would expect. I have 2 Western Digital TV Live units in my house that mirror each other and stream files from a network drive as well as have access to Netflix and Hulu, etc. These were around $50/piece, and work MUCH better than Apple TV for what I needed.

I have to agree on this, while it was certainly not perfect in mirroring video streams to my apple tv; my iPhone and iPad streams great. I may be safe to say if I were to stream audio only to the apple tv using my mac mini or my macbook air then it would be just fine.

On a side note if you got the equipment, I recommend setting up using a home theater system 5.1 or 7.1; though a regular sound bar is good enough using digital optical.

 

[joemd60]

My Apple TV behaves in a similar fashion.
My iPhone mirrors without a hitch, my Mac doesn't mirror well at all.
It has a lot of lag, and sync issues, and it will buffer quite a bit.

 

[Coachbulldog]

Pros: HD quality streaming for Netflix, MLB.tv, NHL GameCenter. These are all subscription services I have purchased. Mirroring from iPhone and iPad.

Cons: Not as many available channel apps as competitors.

 

[joemd60]

I bought my Apple TV to stream my movies I purchased from iTunes.
And since I don't have cable TV, being able to mirror live news from my iPhone to the TV is appealing.
Although, what I don't understand.
Some of the apps on Apple TV do not allow you to stream, unless you have a cable subscription.
If I had a cable subscription, I would watch from the cable provider, not my Apple TV.
It would be nice, if you could pay a small fee to stream live TV for certain channels.

 

[kch50428]

It would be nice, if you could pay a small fee to stream live TV for certain channels.

Things are moving that way... very, very slowly...

 

[joemd60]

Things are moving that way... very, very slowly...

I agree, CBS channel 4 in Boston has a 5.99 a month subscription fee for live TV.
I tried it out, and quickly cancelled. Apple TV's CBS app is not the same.
It is CBSN news which is fine, and works great from the Apple TV.
But mirroring CBS 4 to the big screen, from my Mac or iPhone was dismal at best.
I don't watch enough TV (mainly news),to constitute cables ridiculous rates.

 

[kch50428]

In Boston you should be able to get your network affiliate local stations on 'rabbit ears' for free...

 

[joemd60]

In Boston you should be able to get your network affiliate local stations on 'rabbit ears' for free...

I am actually West of Boston. Where I am, those rabbit ears and such don't work.
For now streaming free and Netflix works for me.

 

[BreakingKayfabe]

I agree, CBS channel 4 in Boston has a 5.99 a month subscription fee for live TV.

The fee isn't only limited to live local CBS affiliates. It offers all the other on-demand programming. It's a model that I am hopeful others will start with so we can pick and choose what we'd like and pay a lot less for our entertainment than we would with a cable subscription.

 

[joemd60]

The fee isn't only limited to live local CBS affiliates. It offers all the other on-demand programming. It's a model that I am hopeful others will start with so we can pick and choose what we'd like and pay a lot less for our entertainment than we would with a cable subscription.

The problem is trying to watch it on the Mac or mirroring to the big screen.
It lags and buffers, and has trouble finding my location.

 

[BreakingKayfabe]

The problem is trying to watch it on the Mac or mirroring to the big screen.
It lags and buffers, and has trouble finding my location.

Just growing pains for the apps. Just like FOX Sports GO. They'll be better sooner than later.

I AirPlay CBS All-Access to my Apple TV without a problem because I have jailbroken iDevices. I don't really mirror anything from my Mac to Apple TV because like AirDrop, it sucks.

 

[joemd60]

Just growing pains for the apps. Just like FOX Sports GO. They'll be better sooner than later.

I AirPlay CBS All-Access to my Apple TV without a problem because I have jailbroken iDevices.

Yes that's true, I can AirPlay CBS from my iPhone with minimal problems
It's trying to do it from my Mac that becomes a problem.
I guess as they say, patience is a virtue.

 

[MikeX74]

I'm waiting for a new version myself. Rene has said on many podcasts he's been on(especially MacBreak Weekly) that he believes that a new model will be coming this spring, along with the Watch. I hope he's right.

 

[joemd60]

I am not familiar with the updates. But maybe future updates will bring more apps.
In the meantime, it is still a great device which I am enjoying.