Anyone using AppleTV?

[Dottore]

Originally Posted by JavaBrewer

If you buy a movie or TV show on Apple TV does it stay bought or expire in 24 (or less) hours? Oh and besides movies how does one access live sports - MLB playoffs for example.

Bear in mind that Apple TV is not a TV. It is just a small box that provides a different interface for your existing TV.

So to get your live sports, you switch your TV from "Apple" to "Cable" and Bob's your uncle.

[JavaBrewer]

Yes I get that Apple TV is basically a special tuner that gets internet content and interfaces Apple i-Applications running on a local Mac. I have not researched enough to know if local/world news and live sports (MLB/NFL/Speed/etc...) are available feed over internet w/Apple TV. And the movies and TV shows you pay for - how long do you have access after releasing your $?

With newer TV's having built-in WiFi and applications what exactly does Apple TV bring to the game?

[PorscheGAL]

If you buy a movie or tv show it is stored on a hard drive for as long as you want it. If you rent a movie or tv show you have 30 days to start watching. Once you start watching you have 24 hours to finish it or it automatically erases. You can start, stop, pause, rewind and fast forward at any time. With Apple's home share you can share stuff on the AppleTV with your PC. We can stream slideshows wirelessly from the laptop to our projector through the AppleTV and it will add music from our Itunes library.

What I like about the AppleTV: I have Directv Basic. I can download whole seasons of shows from HBO, Showtime, and other Premium channels. I can download movies and shows from the 60's and 70's. Recently rented Old Yeller and Lost in Space episodes for my 10 year old.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

I wouldn't bother with cable. I don't want the monthly bill from them (or Direct TV, or dish, or any of those clowns). I just want to cut the cord and be done with paying too much for their crappy programming altogether.

I think you can stream NFL Gameday, or I can just go to the local sports bar if it matters that much I guess. I can think of few if any reasons to be beholden to live broadcasting these days (maybe playoffs/superbowl) I don't mind waiting a few hours if there's a time delay but in the case of NFL Gameday I'm not even sure there is.

Unfortunately in my area the antenna doesn't pick up anything (one channel in Spanish - I actually watched about 5 minutes of "Predator" in Espanol the other night - kinda' funny).

I'll do some more research online but it sounds like this is the way to go. No more crap and no more stupid bills for things I'm not getting any mileage out of.

To answer the above question, if it's like iTunes (which I suspect) you typically can either buy or rent the programs. A buy is just that - you watch whenever you want. A rent gives you I think 30 days to view and once you start watching, 48 hours to finish. I don't particularly care for the latter part of that but I don't make those rules. Some programs ONLY give you the option to rent.

I suppose if you were really hung up on it, you could record the output to a .mp4 or a VHS tape or something if it really mattered so you could watch later.

[PorscheGAL]

I should also point out HULU. We have friends that cut the cord and watch all their tv of of HULU for free. Hulu.com

[slakjaw]

so what does it cost to rent a show?

[widgeon13]

$3.99 for movie and $.99 per show I believe.

[slakjaw]

.99 per show. If I wanted to watch an entire season of some show that could get expensive.

[cairns]

Can you get F1 on Apple? Live??

[widgeon13]

Originally Posted by slakjaw

.99 per show. If I wanted to watch an entire season of some show that could get expensive.

From the Apple website and movies START at $3.99, it could get very pricey.

[myamoto1]

Any one here using Roku? Every review I've read puts Roku ahead of Apple TV in choice of content and cost to aquire content comparisons. I know there are other options out there like Boxee, Google TV and Sling Box - anyone a techie that can break down the pros and cons of these?

[Dottore]

Originally Posted by widgeon13

$3.99 for movie and $.99 per show I believe.

That's about right, though these can vary.

There are discounts for renting and buying whole seasons of a show.

Some shows are even free.

As a rule of thumb you pay less than half of what it would cost to rent the equivalent content at Blockbusters.

[Deschodt]

Originally Posted by cairns

Can you get F1 on Apple? Live??

Not that I know, no... If that were the case I'd have cut the cord years ago ! That and WRC ;-)

[s_wilwerding]

I currently have a Tivo with a Netflix subscription, and am getting killed on the cable bill because I want a) digital television and b) the Speed Channel for F1. To get digital is an expense, and to get the "tier" that Speed is in, I have to buy two other tiers, which mostly contain stations I never watch.

Netflix is streaming more and more TV content - not new content, but they are pretty good about putting previous seasons up. If I could get a DVR (not a Tivo, because of the monthly subscription) that did Netflix streaming (and maybe Hulu), with the option to buy individual episodes of Mad Men/F1/History or Discovery channel shows, I'd ditch the cable tomorrow. Heck, I'd be willing to pay a buck an episode for shows like Mad Men.

Unfortunately, the Tivo/AppleTV/GoogleTV only do a few of these things - for example, if the AppleTV had a DVR, I'd pick one up tomorrow. If Tivo could stream stuff from iTunes, same. I'm hoping that in the next few years, they'll have a "do everything" box, and more and more programs will be available for individual or season purchase.

[s_wilwerding]

Originally Posted by cairns

Can you get F1 on Apple? Live??

F1 should license a season of streaming races/qualifying/practice for some set rate - $100, or something. Plenty of people would pay it, and I doubt they would lose any money from current TV revenue. Why more content providers are not getting in the game themselves baffles me, as in a lot of cases, they are letting folks like Apple and Tivo get a cut of pie that could belong completely to them.

[porsche4life]

Originally Posted by myamoto1

Any one here using Roku? Every review I've read puts Roku ahead of Apple TV in choice of content and cost to aquire content comparisons. I know there are other options out there like Boxee, Google TV and Sling Box - anyone a techie that can break down the pros and cons of these?

I'm curious too... We just got a ROKU XD at work. We dont even have a Radioshack SKU so we can't sell it yet. It looks like a nice option.

[Crowbob]

I wonder if I should feel bad because I have not even a shadow of a wisper of a clue as to what you guys are even talking about let alone what you are saying.

[Vonzipper]

I'm a huge fan of Apple TV, had mine for about a year. Think of it as a hard drive with a menu

[Paul_Heery]

I'm going to dig up this thread to restart this conversation on another level.

There are two things that have reignited my interest in the AppleTV2. One was our recent conversation regarding ALMS only being available online on ESPN3.com, Real Sports Car racing on TV---bye bye. The other was the successful port of XMBC to the AppleTV2, XBMC . XBMC happens to have a plugin for ESPN3. I am really interested in possibly using this combo for ALMS races, as well as streaming other online content to my TV.

I'm going to try some experiments by building a Linux-based XMBC setup with some stuff I have lying around. That way I'll know if the basic functionality of what I want is there before I lay out $100.

But, my question is, "Anyone here running XBMC on their AppleTV2?"

[slakjaw]

I got one. Played with it today and as soon as I figured out you can watch podcasts on it I was sold.