You can put your own personal videos, prOn, whatever on the box.. all you gotta do is get them into mpeg4 or h.264 (formats of the video iPod and iTunes, on both PC and or Mac) and you're set!
Yeah, the streaming over the web deal would be the holy grail.. (think flickr/you tube integraton? )
But this isnt bad.. very nice design and interface.. worked flawlessly for me..
I really like your vision for Phanfare with respect to Apple TV. The idea of "syncing with the cloud" is non-trivial but a very good idea!
My Apple TV should arrive in a few days, so I'll probably have some additional comments.
I will say that I look forward to Apple TV for some of the things I do. For example, I typically sync my iPod-mini daily to update my podcasts of interest. I have it connected into my car sound system and am able to listen to my music and these podcasts during the day. I would not try to watch a video in the car; hence, the reason I don't have a video iPod. But, for me, the idea of having a giant video iPod in my livingroom is a dream come true!
There are 100,000 free podcasts available from iTunes with thousands having a video (h.264) version and many more to come in the future. (For example, check out http://dl.tv) For me, this is the best reason to buy an iPod; lots of niche programming available updated daily on almost any subject imaginable. And, this will only get better in the future.
Also, I believe I can get my home videos on Apple TV by converting to H.264 format. Also, I use vdownloader to download YouTube videos; with one more conversion step, I believe I can put them in my iTunes library for display on Apple TV. (I already know I can insert them in my Phanfare albums without the second conversion step.)
I'll see if much of what I say above is true when I receive my Apple TV. I did test it at the local Apple Store, and it looks like a terrific first generation product that will only get better over time with future software updates and new product releases.
Andrew: Thanks for your feedback on Apple TV and related vision for Phanfare. Looking forward to additional comments from Andrew and everyone else!
Thanks, Alan
Andrew Erlichson
· 2 years ago
Alan, For commercial content the Apple TV has great potential mostly because it is more likely to bridge the gap between internet and TV than Tivo. But for your own content, I still believe the model is flawed in the long run.
As far as showing your video, the process you describe for conversion is far too cumbersome to most people to embark on I believe. But I think the product will improve there.
One question is whether they will force people to buy new versions of the product or push feature upgrades over the internet in the form of updates. I believe they will do the latter since it really is just a little computer running a stripped down OS.
Alan
· 2 years ago
Good point about it being too cumbersome for the average non-geek user to do the conversion. A simple 3rd party app. might help, but this is doubtful unless it is very easy to use.
Yes, I think Apple will push feature upgrades over the Internet. Also, new hardware versions will be deployed.
The potential ease of dealing with video podcasts is a plus for the Apple TV. What do you all think about this potential?
Also, could the Apple TV become a feasible vehicle for online Movie Rentals? I understand that this would require agreements with the movie studios, but it does seems to be a fairly straightforward technical leap from their current position. Although, from a business point of view, they would need many more content providers to participate than they currently have for online sales of movies.
Any comments appreciated!
Andrew Erlichson
· 2 years ago
Alan, I think that accessing both commercial content and prosumer content (podcasts) is one of the most interesting potential enhancements that could be designed in.
The current Apple model asssumes you decide what you want when sitting in front of the computer and consume it in front of the TV. This is a bit tortured. If I want to rent a movie, I don't want to rent it from my desktop. I want to go to the TV, choose the movie and rent it.
Apple may need a more sophisticated remote control to offer direct access to the ITMS from Apple TV and have it be useful.
Andrew
Alan
· 2 years ago
Andrew,
The current Apple model is the same for the iPod and Apple TV. Selections are made from the PC not the iPod or Apple TV. After all, the Apple TV is simply a giant iPod in your living room. This will hopefully evolve over time.
I will say that any non-technical user who has an iPod will have not problem setting up Apple TV. Results so far are quite superb, including access to some HD (720p/24fps) video podcasts.
aniso
· 2 years ago
iPOD is everything...
=========================== TubeHunter downloads YouTube/PornoTube/xTube/yuvutu/LubeYourTube videos to MPEG/iPOD/PSP http://www.neoretix.com
All Comments
Yeah, the streaming over the web deal would be the holy grail.. (think flickr/you tube integraton? )
But this isnt bad.. very nice design and interface.. worked flawlessly for me..
My thoughts here:
http://www.timschneider.org/2007/03/i-got-aroun...
I really like your vision for Phanfare with respect to Apple TV. The idea of "syncing with the cloud" is non-trivial but a very good idea!
My Apple TV should arrive in a few days, so I'll probably have some additional comments.
I will say that I look forward to Apple TV for some of the things I do. For example, I typically sync my iPod-mini daily to update my podcasts of interest. I have it connected into my car sound system and am able to listen to my music and these podcasts during the day. I would not try to watch a video in the car; hence, the reason I don't have a video iPod. But, for me, the idea of having a giant video iPod in my livingroom is a dream come true!
There are 100,000 free podcasts available from iTunes with thousands having a video (h.264) version and many more to come in the future. (For example, check out http://dl.tv) For me, this is the best reason to buy an iPod; lots of niche programming available updated daily on almost any subject imaginable. And, this will only get better in the future.
Also, I believe I can get my home videos on Apple TV by converting to H.264 format. Also, I use vdownloader to download YouTube videos; with one more conversion step, I believe I can put them in my iTunes library for display on Apple TV. (I already know I can insert them in my Phanfare albums without the second conversion step.)
I'll see if much of what I say above is true when I receive my Apple TV. I did test it at the local Apple Store, and it looks like a terrific first generation product that will only get better over time with future software updates and new product releases.
Andrew: Thanks for your feedback on Apple TV and related vision for Phanfare. Looking forward to additional comments from Andrew and everyone else!
Thanks,
Alan
For commercial content the Apple TV has great potential mostly because it is more likely to bridge the gap between internet and TV than Tivo. But for your own content, I still believe the model is flawed in the long run.
As far as showing your video, the process you describe for conversion is far too cumbersome to most people to embark on I believe. But I think the product will improve there.
One question is whether they will force people to buy new versions of the product or push feature upgrades over the internet in the form of updates. I believe they will do the latter since it really is just a little computer running a stripped down OS.
Yes, I think Apple will push feature upgrades over the Internet. Also, new hardware versions will be deployed.
The potential ease of dealing with video podcasts is a plus for the Apple TV. What do you all think about this potential?
Also, could the Apple TV become a feasible vehicle for online Movie Rentals? I understand that this would require agreements with the movie studios, but it does seems to be a fairly straightforward technical leap from their current position. Although, from a business point of view, they would need many more content providers to participate than they currently have for online sales of movies.
Any comments appreciated!
I think that accessing both commercial content and prosumer content (podcasts) is one of the most interesting potential enhancements that could be designed in.
The current Apple model asssumes you decide what you want when sitting in front of the computer and consume it in front of the TV. This is a bit tortured. If I want to rent a movie, I don't want to rent it from my desktop. I want to go to the TV, choose the movie and rent it.
Apple may need a more sophisticated remote control to offer direct access to the ITMS from Apple TV and have it be useful.
Andrew
The current Apple model is the same for the iPod and Apple TV. Selections are made from the PC not the iPod or Apple TV. After all, the Apple TV is simply a giant iPod in your living room. This will hopefully evolve over time.
I will say that any non-technical user who has an iPod will have not problem setting up Apple TV. Results so far are quite superb, including access to some HD (720p/24fps) video podcasts.
===========================
TubeHunter downloads YouTube/PornoTube/xTube/yuvutu/LubeYourTube videos to MPEG/iPOD/PSP
http://www.neoretix.com