Muchomac --
The thing is building in 1080p capability over 720p capability doesn't leave out the "normies" to satisfy videophiles & audiophiles. Having that option pleases both. the average joe might not be able to tell the difference, so what's it matter to him? you're right, it doesn't, and as such it's not going to affect his purchase decision at all..
BUT the videophile/audiophile IS turned off by the lack of support for the better format, and DOES avoid it. So they lose sales where they didn't have to.
Philbert –
Yes tech always moves forward, I'm aware and so much as said so (may have been a different thread). However, I'm working ON that assumption, not against it. You "Future-proof" something by making it with tech that will be viable as long as possible. You don't go out and buy a carbureted car the day before the world switches to fuel injection if you want to be up with the times. Same thing here.
I'm not trying to say that 1080p will be the standard in 2100, but surely you realize you're making my point. Tech WILL move on, and in that shuffle the lower end of things is always the first to fall off. In this case – HD content – that'll be 720p. Apple could have made this thing viable for longer and more capable if it could handle the top of the stream that is out there
right now, being fairly well assured that it's going to be someday the 720p of now – still around.
Yes again, I know the bandwidth limitations, I understand all that, but don't forget that it wasn't that long ago that h.264 didn't exist. Ways will be had to get that content to us, but if the hardware can't do it, then there's a) going to be a need to repurchase new hardware sooner, and b) little incentive to innovate at a good speed to deliver that content.
ATV is 80% there. It needs better H/W capabilities, a DVR, and more storage. Hell, it needs to be a Mac Mini I guess. Hell, it needs to be a Time Capsule really, with the ATV software being controlled from the computer, and you just controlling the content remotely.
