Re: It's good but not great in http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r19835140 en Thu, 10 Dec 2009 09:07:41 EDT Thu, 10 Dec 2009 09:07:41 EDT Re: It's good but not great http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19842784 Culo69 : try using Handbrake »www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/12987
HandBrake is a GPL'd multiplatform, multithreaded DVD to MPEG-4 ripper/converter. HandBrake was originally available on the BeOS, but now has been ported over to MacOS X and to GNU/Linux.

* Supported sources:
o Any DVD-like source: VIDEO_TS folder, DVD image or real DVD (even encrypted)
o PAL or NTSC
o AC-3, LPCM or MPEG audio tracks
* Outputs:
o File format: MP4, AVI or OGM
o Video: MPEG-4 or H.264 (1 or 2 passes or constant quantizer encoding)
o Audio: AAC, MP3, Vorbis or AC-3 pass-through (supports encoding of several audio tracks)
You can copy your dvd'S on put them into your itunes and watch on your apple tv]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19842784 Sun, 20 Jan 2008 22:49:03 EDT Re: It's good but not great http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19839922 Dogfather : Some claimed 1080P sets can display static images at full rez but can't do motion at full rez.

»gizmodo.com/gadgets/home-enterta···3558.php]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19839922 Sun, 20 Jan 2008 14:33:17 EDT Re: It's good but not great http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19838495 NOCMan : Surprised people are not suing for false advertising then.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19838495 Sun, 20 Jan 2008 09:26:37 EDT Re: It's good but not great http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19838487 NOCMan : Dont get me started. Some idiot at Best Buy tried selling me gold plated FIBER cables when I grabbed the el-cheapo ones. Said the gold helped the light move.

I install fiber all day long at work. I wanted to beat this guy down. Course I want to do that to most sales people because they usually just bug and lie to customers just to get a sale. Especially when they pull that crap on the elderly.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19838487 Sun, 20 Jan 2008 09:24:46 EDT Re: It's good but not great http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19838475 NOCMan : 720p is just fine.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19838475 Sun, 20 Jan 2008 09:19:01 EDT Re: It's good but not great http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19838447 Count Zero : The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) recommends that its members use 720p50 with the possibility of 1080i50 on a programme-by-programme basis and 1080p50 as a future option.[2][3][4]

From that article.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19838447 Sun, 20 Jan 2008 09:12:38 EDT Re: It's good but not great http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19838435 Count Zero : The point you're missing is that DVR = free and Apple doesn't want you to record someone else's content - they want to become your cable company. Apple's long-term goal I think is to offer people all of their shows for sale ala carte (which doesn't bother me) and instead of channel surfing you'll iTunes Store surf..]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19838435 Sun, 20 Jan 2008 09:07:56 EDT Re: It's good but not great http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19838223 Authority :
said by AVonGauss See Profile :

I think you mean 1080i... A 1080p set has a native resolution of at least 1920x1080, otherwise it's not a 1080p set... :)
1080i and 1080p have the same resolution. That's what "1080" is...the lines of vertical resolution.

»en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1080i
--
"When Apple Care fails, when all hope is lost, there's one last thing to try... take your issue straight to the top: sjobs@apple.com"]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19838223 Sun, 20 Jan 2008 06:57:05 EDT Re: It's good but not great http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19836153 Dogfather :
said by Pictor Guy See Profile :

said by Dogfather See Profile :

But right now it's like an iPod that ONLY plays Apple protected tracks.
You do realize that the iPod and AppleTV will play non-Apple protected tracks right? :uhh:
You mean like DivX, xvid, AC3 and WMV? Bzzzt, WRONG.

It's plays they very, very few codecs that Apple wants it to play. If you want to play what YOU and everyone BUT teh Steve wants to play, as in, the most popular codecs for downloaded video you'll find, you have to start hacking and patching or reencoding.

That's fine by me, but most people looking at this box will be dissuaded from buying it because of lack of real codec support just like they would be dissuaded from an iPod that wouldn't play MP3s.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19836153 Sat, 19 Jan 2008 19:58:20 EDT Re: It's good but not great http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19835992 alchav :
said by rugby See Profile :

Here's what Apple's bringing to the table:

1) your music. Got iTunes on a computer in your house? AppleTV can either sync or stream the music directly. can Tivo do that?

2) Pictures. Got iPhoto? AppleTV can sync iPhoto albums or your entire library.

3) Ease of use. No getting out the mouse to control the AppleTV. I have a windows HTPC using BeyondTV, so when I want to stream something from netflix I have to get out the mouse and hope that MS's DRM doesn't decide to lock me out (for some reason it does that with the streaming feature every now and then).

4) cross platform compatibility. Does Netflix streaming work with Macs? Does Tivo support anything advanced on Macs?
I've had a Buffalo Link Theater DVD Networked Player for years that does all this with a Remote. It streams DVD quality video at 1080i from PC or Server over Ethernet. It does not play DRM protected video well, even though it does try to work with Microsoft Windows Media Connect. This unit came out years ago, and I think it is way better than AppleTV.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19835992 Sat, 19 Jan 2008 19:27:55 EDT Re: It's good but not great http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19835982 mdrift :
said by Pictor Guy See Profile :

said by Dogfather See Profile :

But right now it's like an iPod that ONLY plays Apple protected tracks.
You do realize that the iPod and AppleTV will play non-Apple protected tracks right? :uhh:
Most likely neither do. However, several hundred millions units of iPod makes it clear that most people do.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19835982 Sat, 19 Jan 2008 19:26:26 EDT Re: It's good but not great http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19835921 anon :
said by Mike See Profile :

What's so hard about 1080i?

720p = no thanks.
Because it goes great with your $200 gold-plated Monster HDMI cables, right?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19835921 Sat, 19 Jan 2008 19:15:35 EDT Re: It's good but not great http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19835601 Pictor Guy :
said by Dogfather See Profile :

But right now it's like an iPod that ONLY plays Apple protected tracks.
You do realize that the iPod and AppleTV will play non-Apple protected tracks right? :uhh:]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19835601 Sat, 19 Jan 2008 18:12:25 EDT Re: It's good but not great http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19835140 rugby : Here's what Apple's bringing to the table:

1) your music. Got iTunes on a computer in your house? AppleTV can either sync or stream the music directly. can Tivo do that?

2) Pictures. Got iPhoto? AppleTV can sync iPhoto albums or your entire library.

3) Ease of use. No getting out the mouse to control the AppleTV. I have a windows HTPC using BeyondTV, so when I want to stream something from netflix I have to get out the mouse and hope that MS's DRM doesn't decide to lock me out (for some reason it does that with the streaming feature every now and then).

4) cross platform compatibility. Does Netflix streaming work with Macs? Does Tivo support anything advanced on Macs?

I know the AppleTV isn't fully featured and I would LOVE for Apple to buy ElGato, fix up eyeTV, and integrate the entire thing into a Mini with built-in digital tuners HOWEVER, it's not happening yet.

I use my AppleTV for hours each day for pictures, music, shows, etc. Once rentals are available on it I could even see getting a movie every now and then. I have clients who have gotten rid of their Comcast because all of the shows they want to watch and record are available through iTunes.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19835140 Sat, 19 Jan 2008 16:38:10 EDT Re: It's good but not great http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19835021 Dogfather : Agreed. Even without something good like DVR service, it would be a much more attractive product as a media extender that supported codecs that you currently have to add as hacks (eg DivX).

If it would for example behave as a media center extender as well as do what it currently does, they would certainly sell more. And it wouldn't be strange for them to embrace Microsoft as they bent over backward for Boot Camp.

But right now it's like an iPod that ONLY plays Apple protected tracks.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19835021 Sat, 19 Jan 2008 16:11:38 EDT Re: It's good but not great http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19834710 openbox9 : I'll take good quality 720p over 1080i any day of the week.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19834710 Sat, 19 Jan 2008 15:07:55 EDT Re: It's good but not great http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19834516 alchav : The only thing that AppleTV does is wet people's appetite to play Movies on a Network. Apple products are all about Apple, and this is fine for The Company, but people want more flexibility to watch, store, and play on what ever they want. Just like with Music, remember when the 8 Track or Cassette were invented, you could record what ever song or mix you wanted. This is what people want now with the Movies, the ability to record and play when ever they want on what ever they want.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19834516 Sat, 19 Jan 2008 14:22:11 EDT Re: It's good but not great http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19834425 Pictor Guy : I mean real world (motion) 1080p.

»www.hometheatermag.com/images/ar···Vrez.jpg

Keep in mind I would still rather have a 1080p TV vs a 1080i set. but when it comes to 720p vs 1080p the issue gets a little more complicated. For source material I would still invest in 1080p if I'm owning the material (Blu-Ray for example) but for a rental it's another issue and 720p is okay for me at least until TVs get a little better. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19834425 Sat, 19 Jan 2008 14:00:45 EDT Re: It's good but not great http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19834399 Count Zero : Until this year I don't think 1080p was 'the norm' and I'm not sure that's still the case. The 55" Sony LCD I bought last year only does 720p - I think most LCDs and plasma from the last several years (excepting of course the very high end ones) only do 720p. Looks good enough to me after 20+ years of 480i TV...]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19834399 Sat, 19 Jan 2008 13:55:31 EDT Re: It's good but not great http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19834372 AVonGauss : I think you mean 1080i... A 1080p set has a native resolution of at least 1920x1080, otherwise it's not a 1080p set... :)]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19834372 Sat, 19 Jan 2008 13:48:12 EDT Re: It's good but not great http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19834242 Dogfather : The question wasn't about equipment, it was about why Apple is only doing 720P content (even for non-ATV devices) and so far Amazon doesn't rent HD content. Resources and will are two different things. They certainly have the resources, but with so many SD TiVo boxes in the installed base compared to HD boxes, they likely aren't compelled to expedite HD rentals.

But everything else you mention I agree with. ATV won't be successful without something substantially more than VOD rentals and xfers]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19834242 Sat, 19 Jan 2008 13:26:02 EDT Re: It's good but not great http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19834238 Pictor Guy :
said by Mike See Profile :

What's so hard about 1080i?

720p = no thanks.
You do realize that most TVs today (even 1080p sets) can't really display more than about 800 lines of resolution well? I'm all for 1080p and even have adopted Blu-Ray early because of the higher resolution of the format but for downloadable rentals I think 720p is a good compromise for the next few years. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19834238 Sat, 19 Jan 2008 13:25:01 EDT Re: It's good but not great http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19833805 RadioDoc : The question was about 1080i/p equipment. TiVo can do that right now, and does. The content will come. You think Amazon doesn't have the resources to do that?

The Apple TV and XBOX are not DVRs, either. Apple needs to get on the ball and add that functionality (it's not that hard, but will require additional hardware) if they expect it to grow. Currently it's the bastard stepchild of the product line.
--
Toolmaster of La Grange.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19833805 Sat, 19 Jan 2008 13:13:49 EDT Re: It's good but not great http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19833912 Greg_Z : »support.apple.com/specs/appletv/···_TV.html

•H.264 and protected H.264 (from iTunes Store): Up to 5 Mbps, Progressive Main Profile (CAVLC) with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps (maximum resolution: 1280 by 720 pixels at 24 fps, 960 by 540 pixels at 30 fps) in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats.
•iTunes Store purchased video: 320 by 240 pixels, 640 by 480 pixels, 720 by 480 pixels (anamorphic), or high-definition 720p.
•MPEG-4: Up to 3 Mbps, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps (maximum resolution: 720 by 432 pixels at 30 fps) in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats.

TV compatibility
•Compatible with enhanced-definition or high-definition widescreen TVs capable of 1080p/1080i 60/50Hz, 720p 60/50Hz, 576p 50Hz (PAL format), or 480p 60Hz, including popular models from these manufacturers: HP, Hitachi, JVC, LG, Mitsubishi, NEC, Olevia, Panasonic, Philips, Pioneer, Polaroid, Samsung, Sony, Sharp, Toshiba, Vizio, Westinghouse.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19833912 Sat, 19 Jan 2008 12:25:43 EDT Re: It's good but not great http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19833729 Dogfather : I was unaware that Unbox movies were 1080i. I thought they were all MPEG2 SD "DVD quality" movies and there were no titles available in HD resolutions.

If Amazon doesn't offer HD titles, the only thing Apple TV is bringing that TiVo+Unbox isn't is what Microsoft already does, 720P HD rentals.

Meanwhile it's a WAY smaller step for TiVo+Amazon to offer 720P than it is for Apple to add something like CableCard support and DVR functions that TiVo already has for less than $100 more than ATV.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19833729 Sat, 19 Jan 2008 11:55:02 EDT Re: It's good but not great http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19833718 RadioDoc :
said by Dogfather See Profile :

I'm sure we'll see future ATV type devices doing 1080i or even 1080P.
There already here. It's called TiVo. Apple is way late to this game. My Series 3 HD can rent movies from Amazon. What is Apple bringing to the table?
--
Toolmaster of La Grange.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19833718 Sat, 19 Jan 2008 11:51:43 EDT Re: It's good but not great http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19833683 Dogfather :
said by Mike See Profile :

What's so hard about 1080i?

720p = no thanks.
Bandwidth and video horsepower required to run it.

1280x720P is only 4-5GB for a flick and easier to process than 1440 or 1920x1080i. As compression technology improves so that movie sizes can come down, I'm sure we'll see future ATV type devices doing 1080i or even 1080P.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19833683 Sat, 19 Jan 2008 11:44:40 EDT Re: It's good but not great http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19833673 Mike : What's so hard about 1080i?

720p = no thanks.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19833673 Sat, 19 Jan 2008 11:43:00 EDT It's good but not great http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19833658 Dogfather : I picked up a refurbed Apple TV (which Apple ended up sending a new one I guess because of low refurbed stock) simply because of the limited library available from Microsoft (over the X360).

But for the majority of people I think it's still too expensive just to rent or buy movies. People will continue sticking with Blockbuster. As popular as sites like YouTube are, they aren't "mainstream" the way Blockbuster type rental stores are mainstream. IOW, I doubt anyone is buying ATV to play YouTube on their TV set.

For ATV to take off I think they'll need some DVR functionality which to have any success would mean going to CableLabs for CableCard hardware certification. And even then you're just getting on par with hardware already in existence (HD TiVo, the motorola boxes, etc).

Then there's the issue of providers cracking down on bandwidth.
»bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/1···chnology

The movie rentals addition was a good feature, but I don't think it's enough to make AppleTV a "hit".]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19833658 Sat, 19 Jan 2008 11:40:10 EDT