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64 Replies Last post: Sep 26, 2006 7:08 PM by Dan Frakes   1 2 3 ... 5 Previous Next
Click to view MW Forums's profile New Member
MW Forums
12,220 posts since
Aug 2, 2004
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Sep 19, 2006 10:50 AM

iTV: What you need to know

Due in early 2007, Apple's new "iTV" set-top box has stirred up a lot of interest -- but what do we really know about it? Macworld's Dan Frakes and Jason Snell sort through what Apple's told us so far -- and what we simply have to guess about. more
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Click to view OM_user's profile Member
OM_user
649 posts since
Oct 13, 2004
1. Sep 19, 2006 2:37 PM in response to: MW Forums
Re: iTV: What you need to know
Forgive my ignorance on this topic, but is the 802.11n specification backward compatible with 802.11g? If so, then I agree it would make sense to use this, or at least, to use whatever the new wireless spec coming along is that's backward compatible with the G spec.

If iTV ends up requiring 802.11n, or whatever it ends up being, it will immediately doom it to failure. Considering no Macs currently ship with anything faster than 802.11g, and, AFAIK, no PCs either, who's going to be able to use it? A pretty limited audience I would guess. I don't think Apple would do something so dumb. They want everyone to be able to use this, Macs and PCs alike, so they have to use a prevalent standard, not some brand new tech that almost no-one has.

Getting past the bandwidth issues using 802.11g is a whole different ball of wax, but I'd guess Apple has a game plan- one that doesn't involve immediately shutting off nearly every computer with wireless capability in existence.
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Click to view d00d's profile Macworld Editorial
d00d
12,136 posts since
Apr 24, 2001
2. Sep 19, 2006 2:42 PM in response to: OM_user
Re: iTV: What you need to know
Forgive my ignorance on this topic, but is the 802.11n specification backward compatible with 802.11g?

Yes. It is.
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Click to view tabasco_hot's profile Member
tabasco_hot
315 posts since
Mar 15, 2001
3. Sep 19, 2006 2:44 PM in response to: MW Forums
Re: iTV: What you need to know
I just hope that is not all it does. I don't think it's that interesting of a product. Current products on the market are better. And cheaper.
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Click to view Jason Snell's profile Macworld Editorial
Jason Snell
2,192 posts since
Dec 11, 2000
4. Sep 19, 2006 2:50 PM in response to: tabasco_hot
Re: iTV: What you need to know
Quote:<hr />
I just hope that is not all it does. I don't think it's that interesting of a product. Current products on the market are better. And cheaper.

<hr />


I'd like to hear what you mean by "better." With examples please!

Jason Snell, Editorial Director, Macworld
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Click to view ObiWandreas's profile New Member
ObiWandreas
31 posts since
May 17, 2006
5. Sep 19, 2006 2:52 PM in response to: MW Forums
Re: iTV: What you need to know
2 things:

1) Why are people only considering 802.11n, when there have been several reports that MacBook Pros have been found to be functioning perfectly well on 802.11a networks? I realize that the compatibility thing is an issue, but why has nobody even considered it as an option?

2) One major oversight in the article - a $19 adapter will get any mac plugged into a tv. I plug my MacBook Pro into my tv all the time to watch iTunes videos, iPhoto shows, etc. Setting up the TV as monitor 2, you can do your web surfing, etc on your MacBook Pro while the movie or show runs on the tv without a hiccup.

"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience." -C.S. Lewis
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Click to view droidworx's profile New Member
droidworx
92 posts since
Oct 26, 2004
6. Sep 19, 2006 2:54 PM in response to: tabasco_hot
Re: iTV: What you need to know
Quote:<hr />
I just hope that is not all it does. I don't think it's that interesting of a product. Current products on the market are better. And cheaper.

<hr />


Such as? I am not meaning to be sarcastic. I am looking for something that can dip into my media cache stored on one server and stream it to my TV. In fact the dream world would be to have a iTV on each TV and then have the DVR store the content I want to record on a server somewhere in my house and have it play back via whichever TV I wanted to watch it on.

One thing that isn't noted, can multiple iTV's operate off the same media source and will the Mac support simultanious iTV connections?

A
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Click to view bdkennedy1's profile New Member
bdkennedy1
111 posts since
Feb 11, 2004
7. Sep 19, 2006 2:59 PM in response to: MW Forums
Re: iTV: What you need to know
I just can't justify spending $299 to stream content to a TV. Why Apple is choosing to jump into this technology without TiVo functionality is beyond me. Apparently TV is taboo at Apple.
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Click to view d00d's profile Macworld Editorial
d00d
12,136 posts since
Apr 24, 2001
8. Sep 19, 2006 3:05 PM in response to: ObiWandreas
Re: iTV: What you need to know
1) Why are people only considering 802.11n, when there have been several reports that MacBook Pros have been found to be functioning perfectly well on 802.11a networks? I realize that the compatibility thing is an issue, but why has nobody even considered it as an option?

Because it has the exact same bandwidth capabilities as 802.11g. Other than in areas with noisy 2.4 GHz radio frequencies, 802.11a has absolutely no advantage.

2) One major oversight in the article - a $19 adapter will get any mac plugged into a tv. I plug my MacBook Pro into my tv all the time to watch iTunes videos, iPhoto shows, etc. Setting up the TV as monitor 2, you can do your web surfing, etc on your MacBook Pro while the movie or show runs on the tv without a hiccup.

Works great if the Mac is in the same room. Is that $19 adapter capable of HD?
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Click to view leroybrown's profile Member
leroybrown
322 posts since
Dec 27, 2004
9. Sep 19, 2006 3:10 PM in response to: ObiWandreas
Re: iTV: What you need to know
Quote:<hr />
1) Why are people only considering 802.11n, when there have been several reports that MacBook Pros have been found to be functioning perfectly well on 802.11a networks? I realize that the compatibility thing is an issue, but why has nobody even considered it as an option?

<hr />


In short: Like they say, "that dog don't hunt."

802.11a is just as fast (or slow) as 802.11g. 802.11n is much faster than both, and some claim speeds of around 200mbit/s. 100mbit/s is definitely fast enough to stream decent video. Neither a nor g is going to get anywhere near that sort of throughput.

Rumors have it that the wavelengths used for a are more easily absorbed by the typical construction materials you'd find in your home, too.
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Click to view lantzn's profile Member
lantzn
333 posts since
Mar 30, 2001
10. Sep 19, 2006 3:51 PM in response to: bdkennedy1
Re: iTV: What you need to know
I'm with you there. I have DirectTV and a Toshiba Tivo 2 hooked up to my TV. I was hoping Apple's solution would have replaced the Tivo box. Right now I can access my music and photos from my Mac over the Tivo and ABS network. I wish Tivo would hurry up and get the movie playing option added to Macs.

I'm really suprised they didn't at least include a combo drive in it so you could at least get rid your CD/DVD player. I'm mean if you're going to hook this thing to your TV it might as well play ALL your media.
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Click to view KDD's profile New Member
KDD
1 posts since
Sep 19, 2006
11. Sep 19, 2006 4:08 PM in response to: MW Forums
Re: iTV: What you need to know
Actually, I think that there is a different aspect to the Apple plan to dominate the living room. Think about the iPod for a minute. If you have a PC you can still use an iPod and iTunes but the experience is better on a Mac. The idea being to tug the PC user into considering a Mac as their next computer.

The iTV will also work with a PC (Steve said so) but from the form-factor, it clearly is MEANT to work with a Mac Mini, by stacking them.

Here's my speculation:
The mini is going to be the new DVR, likely through software. It also will be the DVD/Blu-ray player, seamlessly, when the drives are a little more affordable. This function could of course be incorporated into any Mac on the network.

iTV will allow you to access all of your content on the mini, be it disc or DVR or iTunes content. The content providers will be scrambling to have a way to interface with the iTV and have THEIR content available. If you use a stacked Mac Mini, then you hook it up with a fixed ethernet cable, to prevent network problems. Otherwise, connect the iTV to any mac in the house for a seamless experience.

The iTV could be renamed the iStream (though I don't know if anyone else owns that name) because that's what it really does, providing a seamless streaming environment. The content will simply be better if it is being served from a Mac.

Thoughts anyone?

Kevin
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Click to view jmincey's profile Old Hand
jmincey
3,936 posts since
Aug 27, 2004
12. Sep 19, 2006 4:08 PM in response to: MW Forums
Re: iTV: What you need to know
It appears, if I read this article correctly and if indeed the article itself is correct, that iTunes will be a necessary part of the iTV config -- or at least it can be used with iTV (just as it is used with Airport Express for audio).

I still would like to see these improvements:

1. Lower price.

2. Burn to DVD option.

3. Integration of audio and video into the same unit so that the consumer can use it for music output to stereo just as for video output to the TV, (thereby avoiding having multiple one-note boxes for each task).

4. Wireless streams to multiple TVs with optional iTV "extenders" or repeaters which could plug into other TVs and carry the same signal. The iTV repeater device should be no more than $49.
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Click to view Machound's profile Member
Machound
866 posts since
Jan 4, 2004
13. Sep 19, 2006 4:10 PM in response to: MW Forums
Re: iTV: What you need to know
Quote:<hr />
you could connect a recording device, such as the EyeTV products made by Elgato, to your Mac and have it add the resulting recordings to iTunes, where theyd be available for playback.

<hr />
That seems pretty speculative. Sure, you can export EyeTV recordings to other formats, but anyone who's tried that will tell you the process is far from perfect. Significant video gaps and long transcode times are typical. I'll believe that it's a solution 'for the rest of us' when I see it working smoothly in real time. Until then, it's just "might be possible."
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Click to view Machound's profile Member
Machound
866 posts since
Jan 4, 2004
14. Sep 19, 2006 4:17 PM in response to: KDD
Re: iTV: What you need to know
Quote:<hr />
The iTV will also work with a PC (Steve said so) but from the form-factor, it clearly is MEANT to work with a Mac Mini, by stacking them.

<hr />
How does that make any sense? If you have a Mac Mini sitting next to your TV set, why not just plug it in and save yourself $300? That's what I do and it works great!
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