AppleTV (iTV) Details (Yeah, It Sucks)
Via
Engadget
AppleTV (iTV)
- 720p HD (H.264 Playback)
- USB 2.0, Ethernet, HDMI, etc.
- 40GB
hard drive
- 802.11b/g/n
- Works
with video, music, and photos
- Auto-sync
content from your PC
- Stream
content (wirelessly) from up to 5 computers
- Take’s
10 most recent unwatched movies and automatically stream in the background
to Apple TV and be stored on the hard drive.
- Theatrical
trailers streaming from Apple.com
- Hmm…That’s
it.
This thing sucks, and I'm not just saying that because I'm a Media Center user. It just doesn't do much of anything that can't already be done with other products that have been out for years! Why cache on the HDD? Is your network not fast enough with 802.11n to get that done? No PVR functionality. Tops out at 720p.
Other than Mac support, I don't think this offers anything new. Sure, it's really the first device to play video purchased from iTunes, but that's about it. The file format question still wasn't answer, but I'm hoping when The Apple Store gets back online it will have more information. $299. Ships in Feb 2007.
You buying this? Why or why not? Anyone feel like dropping Media Center to go to AppleTV? Or is your $299 going to an Xbox 360 or like DMR?
Update: My
Thoughts on Apple TV
Update: They posted the file formats it supports. Sadly, it's even more limited then v1 Extenders. It only support H.264 and MPEG-4. It only supports Simple Profile for MPEG-4, which means it does not support DivX or XviD (they are both ASP).
Video formats:
- H.264:
- 640x480, 30 fps (LC version of Baseline Profile)
- 320x240, 30 fps (Baseline profile up to Level 1.3)
- 1280x720, 24 fps, (Progressive Main Profile)
- MPEG-4:
- 640x480, 30 fps, (Simple Profile)
Audio formats:
- AAC (Protected)
- MP3
- Apple Lossless
- AIFF
- WAV
Photo formats:
