[MW Forums]

Christopher Breen takes a last look at the Apple TV, digging into whether it can play HD content and 5.1 audio, how to use an old wide-screen monitor in lieu of an HDTV, and why our streaming results varied so widely, among other odds and ends. more

[garo211]

When I asked an Apple rep at Macworld in February, he said you couldn't use a Cinema Display with Apple TV. I guess he just said that because that's what Apple told him to say. So someone has actually tried the Apple TV with an Apple 23" Cinema Display? I guess you just have to have the right end on the DVI cable to connect to the Display's cable.

[Nobody]

Missing the brave new HD: 1080p of Blu-ray and HD-DVD standard at 1920 x 1080 pixels. A Shame!

[tchaten]

You mention that Handbrake can't do more than Left and Right audio, this is somewhat untrue if you rip an avi container with AC3 audio then it will retain the 5.1 audio /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif so once a hacker can get ac3 working out of an avi container I will be on board

[Chris Breen]

Quote:

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When I asked an Apple rep at Macworld in February, he said you couldn't use a Cinema Display with Apple TV.

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Sorry, my brain went to mars on that one. The rep's right, you can't use the Cinema Display because it's hard wired -- it doesn't have a female DVI port as most LCD monitors do. We're going to update the article to correct the mistake. Sorry for the confusion.

[garo211]

What if you use a DVI gender adapter like this one?
http://www.pccables.........com&rcode=


It might work then, unless there is something in the hardware that prevents it.

Or you could use this,

http://www.pccables.........com&rcode=
http://www.pccables.........com&rcode=

[Uncommon]

Recently I stopped in at an Apple Store to check out the Apple TVs on display. My main concern was how 2D animated shows would look, since I love cartoons. Fortunately, they had a segment from The Little Mermaid on the demo unit. Unfortunately, it looked awful, even more pixellated than I expected. I already wasn't leaning towards getting an Apple TV, and that cemented it for me. I just recently got my HDTV, but I'm an HD junkie now.

[wolfneuralnet]

OK, so maybe HandBrake doesn't do it, but MacTheRipper and AnyDVD (in BootCamp Windoze) both allow you to select which audio to send to the VOB files - I get rid of the 2 channel to save space, and always get the 5.1 (yes, it works, and yes, the amplifier recognizes it...)
The biggest failing of the AppleTV is that is has no way to play ripped DVDs without going through something like Handbrake. I don't care whether Apple thinks I should or shouldn't be ripping my own DVDs to my own hard drives. I bought it and I own the rights to play it in my house however I want - the courts ruled on this yesterday for a company that sells $10000 servers to people just for this purpose.
Apple is going to need to find a way to incorporate this, even if it just means letting it play back VOB files. Transcoding media again after ripping it is a time consuming and wasteful process (since you lose your 5.1).
Yes, I realize we are only supposed to be playing stuff from the Apple store, but its dead to me in its current form. Right now I use my MacBook as an AppleTV with FrontRow, but I would love to replace it with a (functional) AppleTV.

[JEB]

Chris Breen, you rock. Thanks for all the info...
GO APPLE!!! GO AppleTV!!! GO CHRIS BREEN!!!

[wolfneuralnet]

Yeah - its hard to go back once you have HD...
Even the HD coming over the cable on STARZ and HBO looks fantastic...
We saw Annie Hall last night, and it was like they had it playing in the theaters for the first time it looked so good!
Never thought I would appreciate cable again...

[Chris Breen]

Quote:

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What if you use a DVI gender adapter like this one?

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Yeah, that's something I want to investigate. But until I do, I don't want people rushing out to pick up old Cinema Displays based on my say so.

[Chris Breen]

Quote:

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Fortunately, they had a segment from The Little Mermaid on the demo unit. Unfortunately, it looked awful, even more pixellated than I expected.

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We've received similar reports from others who've seen the Apple TV at Apple Stores. Our own Peter Cohen said the demo he saw looked terrible too. I have to wonder what they're doing as everyone I've spoken with who has one in their home raves about the quality.
If the demo is turning off customers -- particularly when the Apple TV is performing so well elsewhere -- Apple should do something to fix it in a hurry.

[Dan Moren]

Yeah, I saw the same thing at the Apple Store in Cambridge. We posted on it on MacUser this morning, and have gotten a bunch of readers chiming in with the same experiences. I remembered being much more impressed by the Apple TV display I saw at Macworld Expo. Odd.

[Eideard]

Most important, I love my Apple TV. Feels like the first weeks of podcasts clumping up at iTunes when there was just Leo and 50 other guys. I've already added several video podcasts to my subs - because I can watch them in living room comfort.
Now, must note a small problem which I've sent along to Jobs-land. The Apple TV apparently doesn't link up properly to HT industry UPnP standards. I switch my digital audio with an Audio Authority 1177 4:1 Toslink switch. After adding the Apple TV to the system, I acquired a periodic audio dropout which may reflect polling from the Apple TV even when in "standby".
This morning, I separated the Toslink cable for the Apple TV and moved it over to a separate port on my sound system - and the sources running through the switch went back to normal. And, of course, the Apple TV going straight into the Yamaha YSP is cooking, too.
Everyone in the household loves the addition btw. No more scrunching into my 12x12 study to watch dl.tv on the 20" cinema display via Front Row.