To Apple TV or not to Apple TV

My DVD player started going on the fritz and it was time for me to determine what the next level of video/audio I was going to invest in. My three considerations: a Blu-Ray player such as a PS3, media center such as Apple TV, or a Mac/PC as a media center and full fledged computer connected to my HDTV. My dilemma was do I go with aging tangible data storage or something that can handle IPTV and my photo/video/audio library if possible. I have an extensive itunes library and would love to stream it to the living room, or any other room that is available. With my Mac, there are great options for streaming music through the Airport Express.

[a simple note about me - I am cheap. I buy open box and previous year items when possible. Most of my Mac products were purchased from the Apple refurbished store; my tv, subwoofer, and A/V receiver were open box items]

Option 1: Blu-Ray player/PS3
Now that HD-DVD has fallen aside, the obvious choice for new media is Blu-Ray. I have a new DLP HDTV that I love (Samsung 61") and need HD content. I will admit that my new Denon audio/video receiver upsamples DVDs quite nice but I have seen actions movies in HD and am hooked. I don't play games much but figure if I am going to drop $299 on a Blu-Ray player then I might as well get a PS3 at $399. I am sure I could find a few games to keep me busy.


One problem is that none of my friends have a PS3. They all have XBox 360's. Live play would not be an option.

Also, I would have to buy or rent Blu-Ray disks at a premium from here on out and I am not totally sure BR is here for the long term. My current internet connection is 20 Mbps down and 5 Mbps up....and that is not at an unreasonable cost. I can stream HD content like a champ.

One other advantage is it has an HDMI out. The HDMI out is a bit plus for me as I can run it through my receiver and only have one HDMI cable into my TV for all my video feeds.

Option 2: Apple TV
The Apple TV is a very small, chopped computer with limited functionality. It looks like a boiled down Front Row for Mac users with a handful of basic options. You can connect to Flickr and Youtube but this is the extent of non-iTunes content you can access.


iTunes through Apple TV does offer access to a cadre of TV shows, movies, music videos, and music but that is it. It seemlessly connects to any shared iTunes libraries and can act as a second set of speakers for other local Macs. It comes in two hard drive sizes...40 and 160 Gigs for $229 and $329 respectively. The only value of the local HD is that the content can be synced and played locally rather than streaming over the network. I would have to rip all of my DVDs to make them useable on the Apple TV which means some time will be involved to make this truly useable. I also would forgo any DVD player going forward. If I (or my wife) were to buy or rent a DVD, we would have to rip it, sync it, and then play it. At least a 1.5 hour endeavor for any movie. I have a ton of HD space on my iMac available and don't mind loading it up with copies of my DVDs.

The Apple TV also has an HDMI out that carries audio and video. Just as stated above, this is a big plus.

Option 3: Mac Mini
The current Mac Mini is a full fledged Mac with a bit less video and processing power. Everything else is fully Apple powered. My friend just bought one and I am very impressed with the functionality and size. For 75% of Americans nowadays, this is all a person really needs. Problem is, it does not come with a keyboard, mouse, and monitor. I figure this is why it would work well in my living room.


My major issue with the Mac Mini is cost. It is almost twice as expensive at $599 for the base model. I have found nearly new ones on eBay for $400 but that is still as expensive as a PS3. It will do so much more, but do I need something that requires a keyboard and mouse as an interface? Do I want to deal with a keyboard and mouse in my living room, along with my current TV remote? Not really...at least not as the main navigation tool.

I love the idea of a fully functional computer in my living room on my big screen. But then again, what does my work laptop do in my lap that I need my TV to do?

The Mini does have a DVD drive built in which would save my problems with playing my old DVDs and new rentals. This would also be much more friendly for my wife playing DVDs as she is not as willing to work through ripping and transferring a DVD as I am.

Also, there is no HDMI connection. I would have to buy a display port or DVI port to HDMI adapter to run it into my receiver. Even then I would have to run the 1/8" audio out to RCA and then into my receiver. I have read on multiple posts that it takes some messsing around with the settings to get the picture just right on an 1080p screen.

Conclusion
After a lot of soul searching and research, I decided on the low cost solution. The 40 Gig Apple TV can be purchased on Apple's refurbished site for $200. What a deal. I decided to 2-day ship it out of giddiness. The HDMI port and cost were the two biggest deciding factors. I want simplicity of wires...that is where the HDMI port helps. I currently have a power plug and HMDI cable coming out of the Apple TV. The size is fantastic. It is less than half the width of my FiOS receiver and barely an 1.5" tall. I figure the $200 price point was right for me as I don't need to buy any new games, Blu-Ray disks, keyboards, etc to make this work.

It easily synced with my iMac iTunes libraries, iPhoto, and acts as a groovy hi-fi set of external speakers for my iMac or MacBook Air. It is a bit boring of an interface but fairly easy to master. The remote is a bit weak when it comes to entering text, but if you have an iPhone or iPod Touch you can download a free app to turn them into remotes. I wish I had an iPhone or iPod Touch, but alas do not need one currently. My iPod 5G works just fine.

My Mac afficionado friend in Austin has an Apple TV and another friend in College Station has multiple Apple TVs. They use them to stream their iTunes libraries to big TVs and better sounding audio systems with ease. They love the functionality and ease of integration. For me, I love the fact that it can integrate with my iMac, my wife's MacBook Air, and my Airport Extreme....which recently were upgraded to 802.11 draft N with a simple firmware upgrade!!!! I also like the idea of using the ATV flash hack to add funtionality.

This isn't an exhaustive review of the Apple TV but I figured someone out there is going through this thought process and I figured I would give my 2 cents. Hope it helps and I will post updates as I delve deeper into the Apple TV.