# Apple TV



## FXB

Does anyone know when the next Apple TV will be released?

I know it took several years for them to upgrade the original apple tv.  I'm just debating wether to get an xbox to stream content to my tv or an Apple TV.


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## DMGrier

I would go with the apple TV, it does everything that the 360 can do with the exception of gaming and it cost less for both the unit itself and it says HD movies as low 3.99 which  know for a fact the 360 there are no HD movies that are only $3.99. Plus even in the latest design of the xbox 360 model they are still known to have a 10% failure rate in the first year.


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## FXB

I would only use the device for stream movies from my computer I wouldn't rent or buy any from the iTunes store.  As far as HD output the Apple TV goes up to 720p and the xbox 360 does 1080p Also you have the possibility to play games on the 360.  Not to say that you won't be able to play :gun:Angry Birds on your TV soon with Apple TV.


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## DMGrier

The xbox 360 does not do 1080p, the movies from netflix are 720p and the movies on the zune pass are 1080i. If you want true 1080p I would get ps3, lets face it the new xbox360 that came out with kinect was just a disappointment.
Not  to mention Bluray and this last deployent we tested it, PS3 vs Xbox 360 on two of the same tv's, ps3 had far better graphics.


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## FXB

> The xbox 360 does not do 1080p,


it does do 1080p



> the movies from netflix are 720p and the movies on the zune pass are 1080i.


I probably won't use netflix or zune pass.



> lets face it the new xbox360 that came out with kinect was just a disappointment.


And the playstation move is better?



> Not  to mention Bluray and this last deployent we tested it, PS3 vs Xbox 360 on two of the same tv's, ps3 had far better graphics.



Who is we?  I am simply looking to stream *the movies and tv shows I currently have on my desktop to my tv.*  The question know is whether or not I get an xbox 360 or apple TV.

I'm not much of a gamer and still have my original xbox.


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## boo-boo

If your not really a gamer I would just go with the apple tv it will be easier to use for what you want it for and wont have all that extra clutter and you wont have to pay for xbox live if you want to use netflix or the zune.

As for when the next apple tv to be coming out I have no idea I would try google though.


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## tlarkin

If you aren't going to play games the 360, PS3, or a PC may be a waste of money.  Though I use a HTPC on my TV to stream everything.   My main problem is it runs Linux and some services use Silverlight, which has zero support for Linux systems.

When will developers learn to use open standards?   Well, not to derail the thread back to the topic at hand.   I would say get the Apple TV, or perhaps a similar device like a DVR box or maybe wait for google TV?   You can build a cheap PC, but by the time you get the parts, pay for an OS, and get all the right video cards that can act as Cable TV tuners you are gonna spend at least $500 bucks probably.


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## voyagerfan99

I don't quite know the price, but if you want something a bit cheaper, Western Digital has something fairly similar to Apple TV.


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## FXB

Well I play original xbox everynow an them.  So could just get the 360s and play that and stream my media on the same device.

my big concern is that both itunes and media center are limited for format compatibilities.  
I don't want to spend $ on a HTPC.


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## FXB

voyagerfan99 said:


> I don't quite know the price, but if you want something a bit cheaper, Western Digital has something fairly similar to Apple TV.



good call they are about the same price I'll look into it thanks

*Edit:* the WD TV Lve Plus seems like a good choice however it doesn't have wifi.


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## tlarkin

FXB said:


> Well I play original xbox everynow an them.  So could just get the 360s and play that and stream my media on the same device.
> 
> my big concern is that both itunes and media center are limited for format compatibilities.
> I don't want to spend $ on a HTPC.



Well, I only spent about $250 on mine but I recycled down old system parts from my old PC into my HTPC.   I can also play every format I want, with the exception of sites that have wonky or crappy Flash support and anything that uses Silverlight, since it doesn't support Linux.

I personally use my PS3 to stream Netflix and play bluray though.   Are you looking at getting into Bluray?   Also, what sort of TV do you have?  I have an LED HDTV 1080P @120hz and to be honest, my PS3 does look the best out of everything.   Though my HTPC comes in a very close second.   I bought a cheap low profile HTPC video card for it though, so I don't do too much of the heavy eye candy in the Linux GUI.

I also use my HTPC as a file server and a back up.  I have music on my main PC and Mac which sync to my HTPC which as 6TB of HD space, and on occasion I will back up the HTPC to an external device.   Though I have never had multiple drives fail on me yet, *knocks on wood.*

If you are a casual gamer and want Bluray to be honest the PS3 is actually the better deal if you ask me.   I find the PS3 to be of higher quality and things like my TV remote automatically works with my PS3 out of the box, that was pretty sweet.    I also have a Wii and a 360, and overall I think the PS3 is the higher quality system.  Though not sure if you want bluray or only like specific Xbox games.


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## FXB

> Well, I only spent about $250 on mine but I recycled down old system parts from my old PC into my HTPC.



I don't have any old PC's I can work with at the moment.



> Also, what sort of TV do you have?


I don't know much about my TV Sharp Aquos 40 some inch LCD.


> I personally use my PS3 to stream Netflix and play bluray though. Are you looking at getting into Bluray?


I'm not thinking of getting into bluray.  Personally  I believe that digital will be the future of everything.



> I have music on my main PC and Mac which sync to my HTPC which as 6TB of HD space, and on occasion I will back up the HTPC to an external device.



6tb!! 

I've never been a big fan of the PS3 controller and never really tried getting into gaming on a PS3.  I already have some xbox games and would prefer to stick to that even though the PS3 has better graphics.


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## speedyink

You can buy a 1080p capable netbook for $290.  I prefer just sticking with computers personally.  Way easier to setup a network than consoles in my opinion.  

Oh, and that netbook

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230011




tlarkin said:


> I have an LED HDTV 1080P @120hz and to be honest, my PS3 does look the best out of everything.   Though my HTPC comes in a very close second.



Is it much of a noticeable difference?  Right now I couldn't tell on my older 720p 32", but I'll be buying a new 40 some-odd inch LED tv once my tax return arrives.  I haven't used my PS3 for any sort of video watching, but it might be worth setting up if it looks better.  Also how so?  Better color reproduction or something?


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## FXB

Please vote in the poll


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## speedyink

?

My vote is neither option though


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## FXB

speedyink said:


> ?
> 
> My vote is neither option though



I was just saying it as a general statement.  If you had to choose, Apple TV or 360s which would it be? (Answer in poll)


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## speedyink

gah, fine, went with the 360, since it supports 1080p.  No point in going back in time 5 years resolution wise.


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## Ethan3.14159

speedyink said:


> gah, fine, went with the 360, since it supports 1080p.  No point in going back in time 5 years resolution wise.


I guess I'm late to the party. I use my Xbox 360 as a media extender, and I was going to advise against it. It hardly supports any formats, and it really struggles with true 1080p content. I really hate it as a media center, but I'm stuck with it at the moment.


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## FXB

Ethan3.14159 said:


> It hardly supports any formats, and it really struggles with true 1080p content.



I imagine format support is based on what media center supports. There range isn't too bad. link


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## tlarkin

> Is it much of a noticeable difference? Right now I couldn't tell on my older 720p 32", but I'll be buying a new 40 some-odd inch LED tv once my tax return arrives. I haven't used my PS3 for any sort of video watching, but it might be worth setting up if it looks better. Also how so? Better color reproduction or something?



Very much so.  When I played God of War III on my 46" 1080P LED TV I almost crapped my pants it looked so damn good.   Well, not really, but I definitely sat there and just stared at the screen for like a full minute not even playing the game.

When I watch blurays on my PS3 over my HTPC, I feel the PS3 does look better in some regards.  I used to be a PS3 hater because I thought it was ridiculous sony was going to fit a cell processor in that little box, and well, they did it.  Now I really like my PS3.


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## DMGrier

If your hoping to get streaming through your xbox360 especially 1080p using your laptop. The media center on my xbox 360 will only stream dvd quality from my laptop and even then it would freeze and drop signal here and there. Sorry but the xbox 360 does not have 1080p support. Maybe with streaming your personal videos if you can get it to work properly but MS does not provide any 1080p services through there software cause max 720p or 1080i. Not to mention very few xbox games are 1080p.

I agree with the others, if you just want to use the videos on your laptop get a netbook, way better.


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## PohTayToez

DMGrier said:


> I would go with the apple TV, it does everything that the 360 can do with the exception of gaming and it cost less for both the unit itself and it says HD movies as low 3.99 which  know for a fact the 360 there are no HD movies that are only $3.99. Plus even in the latest design of the xbox 360 model they are still known to have a 10% failure rate in the first year.



Actually, HD movie rentals on the 360 are 320 Microsoft points, which is $4.  Also, how do you have the "first year" failure rate of a console that hasn't even been out for a year?

Back to the OP:
I'm a huge XBox fan, but if you're looking exclusively for streaming media the Apple TV is probably the better choice, or better yet, a custom HTPC.  The Xbox does have a couple things the Apple TV doesn't: ESPN Streaming, and Zune Marketplace (which does have some free content).  Of course, the iTunes Marketplace is much more robust and Apple TV does have MLB/NBA TV, so you do get some sports.  

Basically, if you don't think you're going to want it for games, Apple TV is the better choice.

* EDIT:*



DMGrier said:


> If your hoping to get streaming through your  xbox360 especially 1080p using your laptop. The media center on my xbox  360 will only stream dvd quality from my laptop and even then it would  freeze and drop signal here and there. Sorry but the xbox 360 does not  have 1080p support. Maybe with streaming your personal videos if you can  get it to work properly but MS does not provide any 1080p services  through there software cause max 720p or 1080i. Not to mention very few  xbox games are 1080p.
> 
> I agree with the others, if you just want to use the videos on your laptop get a netbook, way better.



A few things here.  I just grabbed about a dozen 360 games at random to check, and all except for one of them supported 1080p.  Also, the streaming problems you're talking about have more to do with the quality of the video than the actual video mode it's meant to be displayed at.  Video encoded at a higher bit rate is going to have issues streaming wirelessly.  I've encountered this myself, but found that there is no issue when working off of a wired network.  Also, you can move your videos to some form of external storage and then hook them up to the 360.   

I'm not saying it's perfect, but it's not half as flawed as you make it sound.  PS3 has the same issue if you're trying to stream high quality video and both devices are connected wirelessly.


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## FXB

DMGrier said:


> If your hoping to get streaming through your xbox360 especially 1080p using your laptop.



Just a clarification I will be streaming from my *Windows desktop*




> Basically, if you don't think you're going to want it for games, Apple TV is the better choice.



That's my issue either I add the small ATV box to my living room setup or I replace my orginal xbox with the new one to reduce clutter and have the possibility to play newer games.


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## speedyink

tlarkin said:


> Very much so.  When I played God of War III on my 46" 1080P LED TV I almost crapped my pants it looked so damn good.   Well, not really, but I definitely sat there and just stared at the screen for like a full minute not even playing the game.
> 
> When I watch blurays on my PS3 over my HTPC, I feel the PS3 does look better in some regards.  I used to be a PS3 hater because I thought it was ridiculous sony was going to fit a cell processor in that little box, and well, they did it.  Now I really like my PS3.



Ah, I thought you meant for watching movies.  I agree though, God of War 3 is one insane pretty game.


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## DMGrier

FXB said:


> Just a clarification I will be streaming from my *Windows desktop*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> That's my issue either I add the small ATV box to my living room setup or I replace my orginal xbox with the new one to reduce clutter and have the possibility to play newer games.



Yes I know what you are going to stream from I get it, I did the same thing when I owned my xbox 360, I streamed to the 360 from my windows desktop and constant lost connection, and from what I had read online it was a major issue.


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## FXB

DMGrier said:


> Yes I know what you are going to stream from I get it, I did the same thing when I owned my xbox 360, I streamed to the 360 from my windows desktop and constant lost connection, and from what I had read online it was a major issue.



Which Xbox were you using? Is the issue with the wireless card?


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## DMGrier

This last generation of xbox 360, this what I am going to say. Why would you buy a product that has a major failure rate. You can go into any gamestop and they will tell the failure percentage. Why would you buy a product with so many bugs and is famous for the red light of death? I hate to say this but the apple Tv is just quality.


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## FXB

Do you have info to support it? I haven't heard of any issues with the new xbox 360 slim.


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## lemoon

I would go to the Apple TV, regardless of how soon the next Apple TV will be released, but now the Apple TV is used one of my home movies centre with the help of iFunia DVD tools, and get many apps to stream videos to it, and I also can watch hulu on it!
Well, know more about the Apple TV: http://wiki.awkwardtv.org/wiki/AppleTV_2


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## DMGrier

FXB said:


> Do you have info to support it? I haven't heard of any issues with the new xbox 360 slim.



Well I told you where you can get your red light of death numbers. I just don't understand, apple tv won the pole and a majority has either pushed for the apple tv or a alternative to the 360 and you are still wanting the 360 which means you have already made up your mind which means to keep this thread going is pointless.

We are just trying to help you push in  the correct direction for your needs.


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## mep916

FXB said:


> Please vote in the poll



voted and added a few additional poll options.


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## speedyink

mep916 said:


> voted and added a few additional poll options.



Aw- awww, can I change my vote then?  

My vote would be -1 for the X360 and +1 for HTPC

If that's completely a non option I personally would run and ethernet and get the western digital thing.


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## DMGrier

I would -1 from apple tv and +1 to PS3.


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## tlarkin

I would also choose a PS3 over an xbox.  For one the PS3 auto detected my torrent client on my network and offered to hook up and stream media from it, which sort of freaked me out.


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## FXB

tlarkin said:


> I would also choose a PS3 over an xbox.  For one the PS3 auto detected my torrent client on my network and offered to hook up and stream media from it, which sort of freaked me out.



Then how is that good?


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## tlarkin

FXB said:


> Then how is that good?



It is good because the PS3 just works.  Like I said my TV remote works on my PS3, with zero configuration.  I found out by accident once by hitting my remote with my foot and it pausing the movie I was watching.  I noticed my TV remote did it and that it fully worked.

I think the overall quality of the PS3 is better than the 360, but it is just my opinion.


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## DMGrier

In my opinion the PS3 is far better then the Xbox 360. It goes up to a 320 GB HDD, Bluray, huge movie/game online store, better ability to stream videos from laptop and remote controller's have built in batteries. From what I have read online you can also just format a external HDD to one the PS3 reads and load all your movies on there and just plug it in and it will play all your AVI or MPEG4 movies.

I have also owned both products.


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## speedyink

DMGrier said:


> In my opinion the PS3 is far better then the Xbox 360. It goes up to a 320 GB HDD, Bluray, huge movie/game online store, better ability to stream videos from laptop and remote controller's have built in batteries. From what I have read online you can also just format a external HDD to one the PS3 reads and load all your movies on there and just plug it in and it will play all your AVI or MPEG4 movies.
> 
> I have also owned both products.



This is true.  For my friend without cable/internet, he just gives me an sd card and tells me what tv show he wants and I just load it up for him.  The PS3 is a very good media player.


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## FXB

Sorry for the inconvenience,  I will not get a PS3. mep916 was going to change the poll options.  Seems they haven't taken affect.


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## mep916

FXB said:


> Sorry for the inconvenience,  I will not get a PS3. mep916 was going to change the poll options.  Seems they haven't taken affect.



I've changed DMG and speedyink's votes. What other changes did you want? You didn't mention anything about the poll options afaik.


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## FXB

mep916 said:


> I've changed DMG and speedyink's votes. What other changes did you want? You didn't mention anything about the poll options afaik.



please remove the option to vote for a PS3.  Thanks.


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