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Apple TV
#290353 02/04/10 04:54 AM
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I am wondering if anyone in the forum has an Apple TV, and what they think of it? I was playing around with one at the Apple Store, and it seems pretty neat, I have been eying it for sometime.

Re: Apple TV
Apple Finatic #290354 02/04/10 05:17 AM
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It's nice, mostly use it for the kids' shows.

A little pricey for the things you get. It's a little dated, I'd wait a little bit to see if there's an update to it. If you really like it, check our Craigslist or ebay for a used one.

Re: Apple TV
Apple Finatic #290441 02/04/10 07:47 PM
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 Originally Posted By: Apple Finatic
I am wondering if anyone in the forum has an Apple TV, and what they think of it? I was playing around with one at the Apple Store, and it seems pretty neat, I have been eying it for sometime.


Have one. Love it.

If your "media experience" already revolves around iTunes and you want that experience on your home theater system, an AppleTV is the way to go. If you dislike iTunes and/or Apple, then you won't like it. It's about as simple as that, really.

I've written about it a few times around here, do a search for "AppleTV" and you'll find posts that I've made. And actually, we were just discussing this the other day...

http://www.axiomaudio.com/boards/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=288736#Post288736 \:\)

IMHO, about the only significant market-competitor to the AppleTV is the upcoming Boxee Box by D-Link. It looks interesting. http://www.boxee.tv/box

Though since one can pseudo-hack their AppleTV to run Boxee's software, it's sort of a moot point. Sort of. ;\)

And if you want to save a little money on one, check out the refurb section on store.apple.com. ;\)


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Re: Apple TV
PeterChenoweth #290444 02/04/10 07:54 PM
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I consider myself a fanboy but Peter is at another level. ;\)

He's right though. If you're committed to iTunes, then the AppleTV is great. If you hate iTunes, don't get an AppleTV.

Also, bear in mind that you can connect an iPhone, Touch or video iPod to a TV. If you want an experience beyond that on your TV, then consider an AppleTV or similar box like a Roku, Vudu, or other streaming box. Both PS3 and Xbox 360 can do similar things.

Re: Apple TV
oldskoolboarder #290446 02/04/10 08:05 PM
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 Originally Posted By: oldskoolboarder
I consider myself a fanboy but Peter is at another level. ;\)


Yikes. I didn't know I was that bad...


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Re: Apple TV
PeterChenoweth #290536 02/05/10 05:09 AM
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Cool, all useful info. I am an all things Apple kind of person, not to thrilled with the iPad, but who knows. I know the issues with the Touch, and you can't play video on the TV, as you need a set chip to decode it (i.e. a iPod Dock with the chip). You can probably Jail-break the Touch, but I don't really want to do that. So probably the best solution after recovering financially from buying the speakers and receiver would be to buy the AppleTV. What is the sound quality like on it?

Re: Apple TV
Apple Finatic #290583 02/05/10 03:43 PM
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 Originally Posted By: Apple Finatic
What is the sound quality like on it?


I think it's great.

My Apple TV is hooked up via optical digital, so the SQ has very little to do with the ATV's hardware itself. I've never tried the analog audio RCA outputs, so I can't say.

SQ is dependent on the media. So as with any digital-file playing product, high quality stuff sounds better than lower quality stuff. Everyone's threshold of "ok" on digital music is different. Some say 128k MP3's are fine, others aren't satisfied with anything less than a lossless format. If you have media of bitrate X that you're enjoying on your iPod or iPhone now, it's likely that you will be happy with it on your Axiom system.

However, Axiom speakers are quite revealing, and especially-so when compared to the crummy apple-spec headphones. As you have your Axiom system up and running now, and you have an iPod/iPhone, it's pretty easy to test the quality. Connect your iPod to an input on your receiver with a 3.5mm-to-RCA cord, and play some music. If you're happy with the way that sounds, then you'd be at least as happy with the way an AppleTV would sound.

On the Axiom+AppleTV combo, I can't hear any differences between lossless AAC files and the original CD's. High-quality lossy AAC's and MP3's are fine, though somewhere around 256kbs MP3/AAC, the compression artifacts start to be come distracting. Below that, and my musical enjoyment decreases quickly. I can (barely) tolerate 128kps AAC's, but I'm done with MP3 by about 192kbs.

HD Movie rentals sound great to me, though the SQ is DVD-quality. My gear isn't capable of the new DD-HD or DTS-HD formats, so I don't know what I'm missing. ;\)


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Re: Apple TV
PeterChenoweth #290646 02/05/10 06:02 PM
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I have DD-HD and DTS-HD, but probably wouldn't be renting movies, as I have an online video rental similar to Netflix in the States, called Zip.ca, and it has all the Blu Ray video rentals I could want. I would think that their would be a loss with sound quality in regards to streaming a video source. I just want a good way to play music on my system that is on the computer, and I think I got the answer.

Last edited by Apple Finatic; 02/05/10 06:12 PM.

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