'Apple TV' (visually rendered as
Apple
'tv') is a
digital media receiver designed, marketed and sold by
Apple. It is a
network device designed to play digital content originating from any
Mac OS X or
Windows computer running
iTunes onto an
enhanced-definition or
high-definition widescreen television. Apple TV can store content on an internal hard drive or stream it across a network, depending on the needs of the user.
It was first announced at a special press event in
San Francisco,
California on
September 12 2006, where Apple CEO
Steve Jobs also announced enhanced Fifth Generation video-capable
iPods, the addition of films to the
iTunes Store and the release of version 7 of iTunes. The final product name was not announced at the event, instead referred to by its codename 'iTV'.
[1] Jobs did another preview during his
January 9 keynote speech at the 2007
Macworld Expo, where he announced that they were going to start taking pre-orders. The devices started shipping on
March 21 2007.
[2] A second version with a larger 160
GB hard disk started shipping on
May 31 2007.
Features
Apple TV connects to a television or other
video equipment through either
High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) or
component video connections. The product does not come with any connecting cables in the box (other than an AC power cable), so the user must supply either an HDMI cable or component video/stereo audio cables.
Although Apple's website states that an enhanced-definition or high-definition widescreen television is required, Apple confirmed to ''
MacLife'' that the unit does work with standard definition TVs with component video connectors,
[3] but the picture may be vertically stretched if the TV does not support
anamorphic widescreen, a video encoding technique used to optimize the vertical picture by aspect ratio.
[ Apple TV kinda sorta works with certain 4:3 SD TVs Paul Miller ] Audio is supported via
digital optical and analog (
RCA connector) audio ports. The device connects to other computers either through an
Ethernet connection, or wirelessly through the standard
IEEE 802.11b, g, and n wireless protocols. A
USB port is also included on the device, but is reserved for service and diagnostics.
Apple TV comes with the standard
Apple Remote, although compatible
universal remotes are known to work.
[ My multimedia Mac mini Christopher Breen ] Apple TV can optionally be paired with one particular remote to prevent conflicts from other IR-capable devices.[ Pairing and Unpairing the Apple Remote with Apple TV ] Out of the box, the default setting is unpaired, so any Apple Remote works with it.
Apple will continue to offer new features through automatic software upgrades, leaving the door open to further utilization of its hardware capabilities and new software developments.[4]
Synchronization and streaming
In sync mode, Apple TV works in a similar way to the iPod. It is paired with an iTunes library on a single computer and can then synchronize with that library, copying content to its own hard drive. After synching, Apple TV is not required to remain connected to the network for the device to continue functioning.[5] Sync modes include "automatic" for synchronizing all iTunes content to the hard drive (in a specific priority), or "selected content" to only synchronize specified content.[ iTunes for Windows 7.1 Help: Syncing your Apple TV with iTunes ]
However, synching iTunes content to Apple TVs hard drive is not required, and Apple TV can also function as a peer-to-peer digital media receiver, streaming content from iTunes libraries and playing the content over the network.[ Apple TV: an in-depth review Jacqui Cheng ] Streaming performance of movies and TV shows purchased from the iTunes Store over an 802.11g wireless network was described by CNET's John P. Falcone as "impressive".[ Review: Apple TV best for iTunes addicts John P. Falcone ] Apple TV also includes the unapproved wireless-n standard[ Inside 802.11n Glenn Fleishman ] for streaming 720p High-definition video (HD) content.[ Apple Inc. Apple TV Jeremy Horwitz ]
Practical Technology comments that using the built-in streaming capabilities of Apple TV negates the need for more storage[6] and Macworld's Christopher Breen says the "cramped" space and slow synchronization on the 40 GB model would be an issue if not for Apple TVs good streaming capabilities.[ Apple TV Christopher Breen ] Third party functionality extends streaming beyond the home network to enable streaming of Apple TV content across the Internet.[ SlingPlayer for Mac finally available ]
Apple TV can stream content from up to five computers/iTunes libraries and five Apple TVs can be linked to the same iTunes library. On a single network, iLounge's Jeremy Horwitz tested "two Apple TVs with one computer, multiple computers with one Apple TV, and multiple computers with multiple Apple TVs" and all tests passed successfully. However Jeremy did note that synching multiple Apple TVs simultaneously in the same environment might cause network slowdowns.
Look and feel
Apple TV presents a simple interface based on the Front Row software for Macintosh computers. Content is organized into six groups (Movies, TV Shows, Music, YouTube, Podcasts, and Photos), and is presented in the initial menu along with options that allow the user to change "Settings" and "Sources". These initial menu options then lead to other submenus. The included Apple Remote is used to navigate through the menus by using the up or down buttons and selecting options with the play button. The left/right buttons are used to perform rewind and fast-forward functions while viewing video content, but also perform previous song/next song functionality when selecting audio-only content. The remote does not control audio volume on Apple TV.
Aside from "Movies" and "TV Shows" content, the "TV Shows" options allows the user to sort contents by show or date and the "Movies" option also allows the user to view movie trailers for new releases, just as the Front Row software does on a Mac. All video content, including movies, TV shows, music videos and video podcasts, includes bookmark functionality. Apple TV automatically bookmarks video content midstream to continue playback at a later time.[ Apple TV Diary: Out of the box Christopher Breen ] The "Music" submenu offers similar options to those found on an iPod, presenting the available music sorted by Artist, Album, Songs, Genres and Composers, as well as offering a shuffle option and listing available audiobooks. As categories are selected with the remote, animated album art is displayed on the side of the display for the contents of the selected category. While playing "audio-only" content such as music and audio podcasts, Apple TV periodically moves album art and content info on the TV display to prevent burn-in on video displays.
"YouTube" support was added with the ability of receiving direct streams from YouTube in the version 1.1 update on June 20 2007.[7] The 1.1 update also added parental controls to control access to YouTube content.[8] Under the "Podcasts" section, both video and audio-only podcasts are supported. TWiT's Leo Laporte notes that the podcast support in the Apple TV puts podcasts on the same level as other media[9] and media companies have already begun producing Apple TV-compatible video podcasts.[ washingtonpost.com launches high-definition video podcasts via Apple iTunes for Apple TV ] The "Settings" option lets the user pair the device with a remote,[ update the system software, and configure various video and audio settings. The "Sources" option is for pairing the device with other computers, whether for synching or streaming. Both options require the user to enter a code in iTunes to authorize access.]
Content support
Content has to be in certain formats to play on the Apple TV.[ It supports video encoded with either the H.264 video codec for a maximum resolution of 720p (up to 1280x720 pixels) at 24 fps or the MPEG-4 video codec for a maximum resolution of 720x432 (432p) or 640x480 pixels at 30 fps. Audio can be encoded with AAC (16-320 kbit/s), MP3 (16-320 kbit/s, with VBR), Apple Lossless, AIFF, or WAV audio codecs. It also has support for files encrypted with the FairPlay Digital Rights Management technology. For photos it supports the JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, and PNG image file formats.][ Attempts to sync unsupported content to Apple TV will result in iTunes error message(s) because iTunes supports more formats than Apple TV.][ AppleTV Surprises And Impressions Paul Kafasis ]
Apple TV supports content purchased from the iTunes store. A user cannot purchase iTunes Store content from Apple TV itself, but Apple TV will connect directly to the iTunes store and let the user play short previews of store content through the "Movie" and "TV Shows" options.[ Macworld Video: Apple TV interface Christopher Breen ] Also, free iTunes store content is also supported (e.g. podcasts), but games are not. Also, although AirPort Express (a similar audio-only product from Apple) supported iTunes radio functionality, Apple TV does not.
Apple TVs audio chip supports 7.1 surround sound,[10] but Apple TV only officially supports Dolby Pro Logic simulated 5.1[ since QuickTime and Apple TV do not ship with an AC-3 codec.[11] Unofficially, full 5.1 Surround Sound digital discrete is supported by Apple TV if a 5.1-capable receiver is connected via the optical cable to Apple TV and the audio content is encoded as lossless.[12][13] Note that iTunes store content only supports 4.0 surround sound.[14]]
Aside from content obtained from the iTunes Store, Apple included an "Export to Apple TV" option in an update to their QuickTime software that was released days before Apple TV started shipping. This allows content in some formats that the device doesn't support to be re-encoded into accepted formats for playback on the device.[15] Applications which make use of QuickTime to export media also have access to the "Export to Apple TV" option, for example iMovie.[16] Some third-party content conversion tools also provide "Export to Apple TV" options and Macworld has created a guide for using the tools to convert media to Apple TV-compatible formats.[ Convert video for Apple TV Jonathan Seff ]
Specifications
Modifications
As soon as the Apple TV was released, users began examining it to see if it could be modified. Hacks were available for Apple TV within days of the release. Apple is currently allowing users to install Apple TV hacks, but users are warned that applying hacks will void the product's warranty.[20]
News sites were reporting that some users had worked out how to upgrade the hard drive on their Apple TVs,[21] add AC-3 (Dolby Digital) 5.1 channel support,[22] add support for other codecs,[23] and create Front Row plugins.[24] AppleTVHacks.net and FatWallet.com offered a US$1000 reward for an external USB drive hack to utilize the USB "service port".[25] On July 28 2007, the USB hack was released for version 1.0 of the Apple TV firmware; it does not work on the "YouTube" version 1.1 firmware.[26]
Particular attention was paid to the device's operating system, which had been described by Walt Mossberg before the release as "a modified version of the Mac operating system."[ Users worked out how to access the device remotely through SSH,[27] how to get Back Row running on other Apple computers,[28] and how to install regular versions of Mac OS X[29] or Linux[30] on the device.]
The Apple TV 1.1 update removes any hacks that are installed. The device can easily be re-hacked, but support for remote file system mounting is removed along with RemoteManagement, AppleFileServer and many other components.[31] By late June, hackers restored most capabilities that were lost after the update. A "safe update" process was created to retain Apple TV network capabilities by manually installing the Apple TV 1.1 update.[32]
Limitations
Functionality
Concerns have been raised regarding the dependency on connectivity to a home computer via iTunes. Although users can view YouTube as well as movie and TV previews directly through the Internet, most functionality depends on content originating from an iTunes-connected home computer. Some of Apple TV's competitors can download movie content directly from the Internet, but an Apple TV user cannot purchase or download iTunes content directly from Apple TV.
Other concerns have been expressed for needing personal video recorder capabilities on Apple TV,[ Apple TV does not contain a TV tuner, but a tuner and PVR capability can be applied on the connected home computer through a third party. The PVR software will connect to iTunes, enabling scheduled HDTV recordings to automatically appear on Apple TV for playback.[33] ]
Some people feel that the BackRow interface is lacking standard iTunes functionality, including rating items, on-the-go playlists, synchronizing from more than one computer, shuffling, interrupting a shuffle, displaying a video timeline,[34] Internet radio support[ and games.[35]]
Content
Apple TV is seen by some to have limited out of the box support for video and audio codecs,[ although Apple TV supports the same MP4 and H.264 codecs the video iPod and iPhone do.[36] Media conversion tools are available, but conversion "almost always" involves a loss of quality as well as the time and effort costs to perform the conversions.][ Neither iTunes or Apple TV ships with the AC-3 codec, therefore Apple TV does not officially support 5.1 channel Dolby Digital audio.]
Quality of Apple TV content has also been noted as a concern. 1080i or 1080p HD content (e.g. content originating from HD cameras) must be downgraded in quality for use on Apple TV. Users without the technical knowledge to convert HD content to lower quality may have to resort to downloading low-quality iTunes store movie content.[ Apple TV's shortcomings make the Xbox 360 a better choice Peter Svensson ][37][ Apple TV: Is it a “must-see” show Paul Reynolds ] Note that iTunes store 720p HD-quality content is available via video podcasts.
Hardware
Apple TV content cannot be used with older televisions, although 480i is unofficially supported as long as the TV supports component video connectivity. RCA/composite video and F/RF connectors are not included on the Apple TV device. Reviewers have noted that Apple is "future-proofing", and "if you do not have HDTV now, you will in the future".[ Review: Apple TV best for iTunes addicts John P. Falcone ][ From PC to TV -- via Apple Walter Mossberg ][ Apple TV Jason Tomczak ][ Top Ten Reasons You Don’t Need Apple TV (Yet) Jeremy Horwitz ]
Some users feel that Apple TV needs a volume control on the Apple Remote. An Apple Remote can be used on a Macintosh computer for both Front Row navigation as well as volume control, but cannot be used the same way on Apple TV.[ Mainstream universal remotes have been updated for use with Apple TV and can be used to control volume.]
Apple TV comes with only a power cable and some users feel that Apple TV should include audio/video cables.[ Other users feel that Apple TV has too many connectivity options to support bundled cables][[38] and Apple has teamed up with a third party to provide affordable cables for its customers.[39]]
A USB port is included on the device, but has intentionally been crippled and is reserved for service use only. Some people feel that the port should be available to use with a secondary external drive.[ Another option for additional storage is streaming content from a computer that has an iTunes-connected external drive.[40] ]
The Apple TV device runs "very hot",[ sometimes reaching 44 degrees Celsius (111 degrees Fahrenheit).][ Apple TV Heat Test Jason Tomczak ] According to Apple, this is normal,[41] but some users recommend to place the device in a well-ventilated area,[ and others recommend putting the device in standby mode when not in use to conserve power.]
iTunes and Quicktime support
Excluding YouTube and TV/movie previews, Apple TV content must originate in iTunes. Purchased iTunes Store video content includes informational tags such as Description, Content Advisory and Rating that are viewable from Apple TV, but are not editable in iTunes. For non-purchased content, the user must depend on a third-party tool for editing the tags.[42] iTunes includes CD ripping functionality, but does not include DVD ripping functionality, also requiring the user to depend on a third-party tool.
According to some users, the "Export to Apple TV" option in QuickTime, is no "speed demon"[43] Performance improvements may be found with a QuickTime-compatible hardware acceleration device for H.264 encoding.[44]
Past limitations
In March 2007, reviewers mentioned the lack of expansion options once the hard drive on the 40 GB model fills up.[ Apple TV: an in-depth review Jacqui Cheng ][ Nonetheless, in late May 2007 Apple introduced a version of the Apple TV with 160 GB of storage space.[45] Another past limitation required photos to be synced to the device,][ but this was fixed in a June 2007 iTunes update.][ iTunes 7.3 supports iPhone, adds Apple TV photo streaming AppleInsider Staff ]
Sales
Within the first week of presales in January, 2007, Apple TV was the top selling item at the Apple Store.[46] Orders exceeded 100,000 units by the end of January and Apple began ramping-up to sell over a million units prior to the 2007 holiday season.[47] Analysts began to see the device as a "DVD killer"[48] that has the ability to enable multiple services. Analysts also predicted that Apple could sell up to 1.5 million units in the first year.[49] Besides the Apple Store, Best Buy was one of the first retailers to carry the device;[50] Target[51] and Costco[52] followed shortly thereafter.
Two months into sales, Forrester predicted that Apple will only sell a million Apple TV units, since advertisement-supported content will win the war against paid content. Forrester predicted that cable companies will be the clear winners over content providers such as the iTunes Store.[53] Shortly thereafter, Apple released YouTube functionality and Jobs stated that Apple TV is a "DVD player for the Internet". Market analysts immediately saw that YouTube on Apple TV "provides a glimpse of this product's potential and its future evolution",[54] but overall, analysts have mixed reactions regarding the future of Apple TV. Some negative reactions followed after Jobs referred to the device as a "hobby".[55]
See also
★ Macintosh TV, Apple's first attempt at computer-television integration in the early 1990s.
★ Apple Interactive Television Box, a set-top box developed by Apple in the mid 1990s.
★ AirPort Express, the non-video father of Apple TV (by use of AirTunes).
★ Media center
★ Media PC
★ Home theater PC
References
1. Apple 'It's Showtime!' event Peter Cohen
2. Apple TV Now Shipping
3. News Roundup: iPod Sales Mega-Milestone, Microsoft Goes DRM-Free, and More
4. Apple to build new features into iPhone, Apple TV free of charge
5. Apple TV bridges gap - sort of
6. Do you really need to upgrade your Apple TV’s hard drive? sjvn
7. Photos of AppleTV update: YouTube, security
8. The Complete Guide to Apple TV 1.1 Software and YouTube Jeremy Horwitz
9. TWiT 92: The Tiki Gods Leo Laporte, Mann, Syverson, Gamble, Macpherson of Tiki Bar TV
10. Hacking Apple TV Dan Frakes
11. 5.1 surround sound playback on Mac (and maybe Apple TV) Dave
12. Ten Myths of the Apple TV: 5.1 Audio Daniel Eran
13. Get Dolby Digital output from Apple TV without hacking
14. Apple TV: iTunes Store Movie Quality vs DVD, HD, Cable Daniel Eran
15. QuickTime gains 720P Apple TV high-definition export mode Jeremy Horwitz
16. Export your iMovie projects to use on Apple TV Apple Inc.
17. What's inside an Apple TV: Tear-down reveals (almost) all
18. We just got xvid working on Apple TV
19. ARS at Macworld: Questions about the Apple TV Jacqui Cheng
20. Apple denies meddling with Apple TV hacks Jacqui Cheng
21. DIY: Apple TV Hard Drive Upgraded to 120GB
22. AC3 Passthrough success?
23. Apple TV Hacked to Run XviD, DiVX to Follow?
24. Plugins for the Apple TV: RSS and Perl scripts Jacqui Cheng
25. 00 Bounty for External USB Drive Hack
26. USB patch released. HALLELUJAH!
27. Applications running on the Apple TV
28. Apple TV running on a Macbook
29. Apple TV running full version of OS X Ben Drawbaugh
30. Linux on Apple TV Erica Sadun
31. AppleTV Software Updated staff
32. June 20 2007 Patch (aka the YouTube Patch) staff
33. Elgato releases EyeTV 2.4 update Erica Sadun
34. Apple TV: What you can't do David Chartier
35. Apple TV might have games, eventually Justin Berka
36. The Complete Guide to iPod, Apple TV and iPhone Video Formats Jesse David Hollington
37. AP disses Apple TV Erica Sadun
38. Ten Myths of the Apple TV: Xbox and Hardware Daniel Eran
39. XtremeMac HDMI switch and cables for Apple TV Ben Drawbaugh
40. How To: keep your iTunes library on an external hard drive David Chartier
41. Apple TV may feel warm to touch
42. The Complete Guide to Managing iTunes Videos Jesse David Hollington
43. QuickTime and Apple TV Christopher Breen
44. Elgato Intros H.264 USB Encoder, for Mac!
45. YouTube Coming to Apple TV
46. Apple TV tops best seller list at Apple Store AppleInsider Staff
47. Apple TV Blowing Away Expectations staff
48. Apple TV: DVD Killer? Scott Martin
49. Analyst sees Apple TV sales at up to 1.5 million in first year
50. Best Buy finagles Apple TV exclusive Erica Ogg
51. Target to Carry Apple TV; Early Sales Sluggish Philip Elmer-DeWitt
52. Apple TV On Sale at Costco for 9 Philip Elmer-DeWitt
53. Apple TV Sales Will Stall at 1 Million Andy Plesser
54. Apple boosts analysts' hopes for Apple TV Rex Crum
55. Bad Signals on Apple TV Troy Wolverton
External links
★ Apple TV – official product site
★ Apple TV Support – official product support
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