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Those who call for commercial free DVRs like the columnist are, to be blunt, morons. Who do they think are paying for the shows they are watching? Do they realize how much it costs to make a show like Lost or 24? It is the companies who advertise during the shows who pay for it. I don't like watching commercials as much as the next guy but this is how American television works.

The one thing that everyone who calls the Apple TV (and other set top boxes) "TiVO Killer" is that there is no recording function, no season pass functions no scheduling information (local AND web based) and no automatic recordings of TiVO recommendations.
Even the Cable Company provided DVRs are crap compared to a TiVO.
I have had a series 2 TiVO for 3+ years and would not trade it for anything currently on the market.
Yeah it is not perfect but until Apple comes up with a features list comparable/equal to TiVO calling the Apple TV a TiVO Killer is laughable and makes this article a good candidate for being called link-bait

I might not be the "target market" for Apple when it comes to the Apple TV, but I have 2 Apple TVs and no cable or satellite service. I watch what I want, when I want without commercials - ever. When I want something from broadcast TV, I have DVR from Sony that has no monthly fees but is updated every night over the air, hence it is no longer on the market since that business model did not work out well.
If the Apple TV 3.0 would include an HD tuner and DVR, I would be one of the first to buy one. But then again, I doubt I am the typical consumer since a vast majority of Americans have cable or satellite. While I might hope for this feature, I am not expecting Apple to offer access to HD content over the air while trying to sell some of the same TV shows through iTunes for a fee. The two services (iTunes and over the air HD) are not completely compatible from a profit-oriented perspective. Just like my Sony DVR, it is great for consumers but bad for business.

TiVo has a great user interface. I had a Series 1 TiVo for about 7 years. I only stopped using it when I went to HDTV. DirectTV makes it easy to use their inferior DVR through bundling deals, but it's no TiVo.
I have an AppleTV. I find it to be very useful to me, but a lot of that is because I have all my DVDs ripped so that I can watch them whenever I want. Everyone that sees it is impressed, but the software that makes it possible (Handbrake) isn't even included with it.
Renting from the iTunes store via the TV interface is very cool, but I never rented before I had the AppleTV, and I have a hard time with the idea of buying movies from the Apple store when one crashed hard drive means I lose the movie forever (Apple doesn't let you re-download purchased content).
I'd love to see DVR capability, but unfortunately it's a pain in the current market. You have to support DirectTV, Dish Network, analog cable, and digital cable. Yuck.

{quote} Yeah it is not perfect but until Apple comes up with a features list comparable/equal to TiVO calling the Apple TV a TiVO Killer is laughable and makes this article a good candidate for being called link-bait {quote}
I couldn't agree more.

Yes, it takes money to make TV shows. However, with cable bills being over $60 per month for just standard channels, I can understand the frustrations of not wanting to watch the ridiclous amount of ads.



Also, I think it is absolutely asinine of TiVO to force its users to view ads when it charges $12/month for its DVR service in addition to the cost of equipment.

The iPhone Remote app has put me one step closer to getting an Apple TV. It would just be too cool. The thing that still holds me back is I hate duplication. I would much rather pay to have iTunes and Front Row on my PS3 instead of piling yet another box into my entertainment center. But I know that, sadly, that will never happen.
I've tried messing with UPnP solutions like MediaLink, but they're still slow and error prone, even aside from the fact that they don't work with iTunes Store content.

To me the weakest link on the Apple TV was the remote, now with the iPhone 2.0 software & the iTunes Remote free software I no longer have a qualm about it. I am even buying a second one with the bigger HD and moving my 40 GB one to my bedroom.

Apple will probably never allow the Apple TV to become a digital video recorder for one simple reason: Apple relies on the major studios for the movies and TV shows it sells and rents via iTunes. If people can record directly from TV, they can record the same shows and a lot of the movies they would otherwise buy or rent from iTunes. The studios would pull out of iTunes and Apple would be left in the lurch. So, it's simple economics. Apple will never produce the ideal consumer set-top box because it would alienate its content providers.
It will be up to some enterprising third party company to come up with a software/hardware "fix" to bring this functionality to the Apple TV--if it can be done.

I have an Intel iMac with an Elgato EyeTV Hybrid. I record, edit and watch HD TV from over the air. No monthly fees, and I have an iMac to do all my other stuff on without an extra box sitting there doing nothing.

1080 resolution and divx
Hi,
for me, I'm quite happy to schedule, record, and edit shows on my Mac using EyeTV. I love the idea of AppleTV even in its current form, but will only buy when and if it supports 1080p (or even 1080i) and divx playback.
Until then, I use a 1080i capable UPnP player, or hook up my Macbook to my HD TV when I need it. I am considering buying a dedicated Mac Mini (which would let me schedule and record with EyeTV right on the TV) but I am holding off until Apple updates the Mini, as it is long overdue.
Cheers,
Graham.

redheadtempe33 writes:
>I don't like watching commercials as much as the next guy but this is how American television works.
Actually that's how it works in many other places, too. US Americans seem to think, for example, that all programming in the United Kingdom is commercial-free (possibly because our "public tv" stations often purchase BBC programming. But the BBC isn't the only thing they watch over there, folks. They've got commercial programming just like the rest of us.
Now I don't mind a few commercials, but some networks (here in the USA now) really do butcher up their programming to increase the advertising. 115 minute movies taking 3 hour blocks of airtime!!! And the ad-skipping technology is but one of several reasons so many networks have begun placing the ads DURING the programs. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has been annoyed by bouncing, swirling, animated adverts in the lower corner of the picture.
And so, because of the extensive interruptions and during-program advertising on US TV, I finally just gave up. Yes, I got rid of my television all together, a couple years ago. (I occasionally rent a movie and watch it on my computer, and sometimes rent or buy serial TV programming--but thus avoid that advertising.) So I'm now one of those who doesn't give a rats whisker whethere a TiVO can skip ads or not. Or whether Apple has an iTV or not. I do not watch TV at all. And you know what? I get a full night's sleep now, and my groggy coworkers can't understand why I'm so alert and cheerful. :)

I guess I disagree...
In order for a DVR to really work right for everyone, it has to play nice with the user's cable, DirectTV, Dish, whatever... Does TiVo offer a single device that works well with all of the options? Limiting as it may be, a DVR just works better when it is also your cable/satellite box. I have a USB tuner with DVR software and it works OK with my basic cable, but can't tune the digital channels, including all of the HD stuff. It can work with an HD antenna, but who wants to put an antenna on the roof and still not have the cable channels in HD?
But, all of this is besides the point. AppleTV is not a DVR. It has no inputs, so without becoming a totally different product, it won't happen. AppleTV isn't supposed to enhance your current TV viewing... it is supposed to add to it or (for some) replace it. It is meant to be a vehicle for iTunes TV show and movie sales. Apple knew that as cool as it is to take video with you, no one really wants to watch everything on a 3.5" or smaller screen. AppleTV gets iTunes into the living room and has some other bells and whistles to boot like photo viewing from .Mac/MobileMe and Flickr and YouTube videos. People just need to stop expecting a product to do something it wasn't meant to. My pliers doesn't make a very good hammer, so I should go complain to Craftsman?