First Video: Setting Up Apple TV - Gizmodo Comments

First Video: Setting Up Apple TV

stuepfnick — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 07:44:14 EDT

@@ brandon208402:

There is an easy way to convert standard DivX 5 Videos to MPEG4, without reencoding the video: Simply open up the Video in VLC, check with the Info-Menuitem (Apple-I), if it is the correct type, that shows as "DX50" - if that is ok, simply start the export wizard, do not transcode the video, simply pass it through, only convert Audio to AAC/MPEG4-Audio with 128 kbit/sec and put it in a MPEG4-Container. That will take some minutes to convert the Audio and store the file in a .mp4 file and you are done. No it plays fine, as normal MPEG4-Video, for example on the iPod Video (if the resolution of the video is below 307.200 Pixels in total, i.e. 640x480 or 720x404, etc.) it plays fine on the iPod - the AppleTV will not have this limit.
But it also needs to be simple DivX5, with no extra features used, like QPel, etc. That's it! Just try it, and see, if it plays correct. I think most DivX 5 Videos should do fine.

stuepfnick

First Video: Setting Up Apple TV

smokeonit — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 06:09:19 EDT

why 720p 50hz???

i thought US is 60hz 720p!!!!!!

smokeonit

First Video: Setting Up Apple TV

midge — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 21:14:00 EDT

50Hz refresh rate? If I'm not mistaken, this can't be taking place in N. America...

midge

First Video: Setting Up Apple TV

jamesfabin — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 17:52:36 EDT

I'm not sure why so many people are making such a deal out of a $300 box not having cables. I only use quality cables, and the cost to include a quality component cable would just be money down the drain since I would require a quality HDMI cable. Including both would raise the price even more and be waisting $90 or so on every purchase. Those flipping burgers can always opt for the $20 cable set available at the Apple store - they'll get you connected and I'm certain on most TVs you wont noice a difference (I on the other hand, working in the video production industry, can see the issues with cheap cables).

I thank you for the video - but would like to get some additional information (since I am unable to get my hands on the Apple TV until most likely tomorrow): Where did those photos come from of the flowers (your own photos or defaults in the box). What type of photo viewing capabilities are there in the unit - slideshow only, or anything more entertaining? How large are the photos once they are transfered to the Apple TV (I've heard it uses a lower resolution optimized for the limited resolution of the TVs - which is nice, otherwise the small 40 GB HD would get full so quickly). What visualizations does it have during playback of audio tracks?

jamesfabin

First Video: Setting Up Apple TV

themacthinker — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 11:32:36 EDT

Great stuff. I am going to wait until the first revision to see how it performs. More importantly I am going to wait to hear from the reviews.
------------
www.mostofmymac.com

themacthinker

First Video: Setting Up Apple TV

strider_mt2k — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 09:43:19 EDT

I guess I've just never been with the whole Apple thing.
Sorry.

strider_mt2k

First Video: Setting Up Apple TV

iPhoneGroupie — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 09:28:11 EDT

CarrotTop is doing video for the Giz????

iPhoneGroupie

First Video: Setting Up Apple TV

spaceboy001 — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 08:06:57 EDT

now do the right thing: crack that sucker open and show us its insides

spaceboy001

First Video: Setting Up Apple TV

PhyrePhox — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 05:19:32 EDT

Uh, in the setup screen, I saw a choice for 480i resolution. Is that correct? Because, according to the published specs on Apple's website, the minimum resolution supported is 480p. if so, that would change me from "fanboy-without-a-need-for-Apple-TV" to "honey, get in the car, we gotta go to the Apple Store quick!".

PhyrePhox

First Video: Setting Up Apple TV

nuclearlove — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 03:43:35 EDT

Seriously, c'mon. Narration aside, this thing is useless.

I love my MacBook Pro, I take it everywhere. But I'd have to be a crazy Apple fanboy with blinders on to spend $300 on a closed system when my $10 VGA&Minijack cable setup does the same thing for any media I want, from any source. Even HD media like movie trailers looks great over it.

Hard as I try I can't make any sense out of this product and its price. And no cables?? Nutty!

I want the iPhone craze back -- those were heady times man. Will be first in line in June.

nuclearlove

First Video: Setting Up Apple TV

crescentdave — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 03:06:03 EDT

I think y'all are being rather harsh, negatively commenting on the vocal tones of our intrepid reviewer. All in all, I'm really unamazed by how little $299 gets you ... yawn.

Not even a stinkin' cable.

crescentdave

First Video: Setting Up Apple TV

wasteofbandwidth — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 01:33:47 EDT

Would it play Vista advertisment?

wasteofbandwidth

First Video: Setting Up Apple TV

brandon208402 — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 01:03:43 EDT

All it needs is a subscription model and I'm there. Being able to buy and rent movies right from the device would be nice too (Tivo and amazon, are you listening?!). But 299 for a device that will only play movies that cost 10 buck a pop when I will probably only watch them once just doesn't cut it. Thats the primary reason I almost never use my iPod video for actual video.

BTW, transcoding Divx or what ever other format is a pain in the ass, so don't suggest it. Now if it had Divx support out of the box that would be a different story, but apple will never hobble their precious Fairplay, Mpeg-4 and H.264 by offering, dare I say it, a more popular format alongside.

brandon208402

First Video: Setting Up Apple TV

Kaiser-Machead's LEGO WALL-E — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 00:29:43 EDT

Nice useless video, all narrated by the voice of a pubescent Ben Stein. Wicked!

Kaiser-Machead's LEGO WALL-E

First Video: Setting Up Apple TV

ryceone — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 23:32:49 EDT

Wow that looks amazing, I still cant justify buying one even with a discount.

ryceone

First Video: Setting Up Apple TV

jupiterfish — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 23:15:23 EDT

menus look slick...but i have no desire to buy movies....but i still want it

jupiterfish

First Video: Setting Up Apple TV

aestheticity — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 22:49:00 EDT

and also whats it like having a larynx in your sinuses?

aestheticity

First Video: Setting Up Apple TV

girraffesack — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 21:14:27 EDT

hey, dude in the video thats possibly associated with gizmodo, what was it like dating Meadow Soprano?

girraffesack

First Video: Setting Up Apple TV

karmaghost — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 20:57:24 EDT

Someone's excited. -_-

BTW, Pretty sure that was someone associated with Gizmodo, so tread lightly with those comments!

karmaghost

First Video: Setting Up Apple TV

Synthaxx — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 20:51:21 EDT

Voice...hurt ears...must shut monotone wordhole. For the good of the internets.

Seriousely though, he has a voice for muted radio.

On a side note, the menus look good, wonder how it'll play.

Synthaxx

First Video: Setting Up Apple TV

weatherman — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 20:26:28 EDT

Please stop.

weatherman