Apple TV MB189LL/A with 160GB Hard Drive [OLD VERSION]
by Apple Computer
![Apple TV MB189LL/A with 160GB Hard Drive [OLD VERSION]](/images/Apple-TV-MB189LL-A-with-160GB-Hard-Drive-OLD-VERSION-B000RQHAUA-L.jpg)
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Our Price: $399.95 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $110.00 (click here) Category: Home Theater See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Apple TV MB189LL/A with 160GB Hard Drive [OLD VERSION]
Customer Review: Little Machine, Big Impact!
Summary: 5 Stars
The main purpose of this device is to bring iTunes to your Entertainment Center. Therefore, the Apple TV can use audio and video formats that are playable in iTunes or Quicktime. This isn't the multi-format machine I would like it to be, but I knew this before I bought it. Converting content to playable formats ultimately isn't worth the time and effort so I have decided not to use the device for all content. Like all Mac products, this is very easy to use and if you have an iPod or iPhone, you probably depend on iTunes to organize your media. Therefore, it's a natural and simple way to bring your content to your high definition entertainment system wirelessly.
I had been dependent on an A/V doc to connect my iPhone/iPod to my entertainment system, but the audio quality was poor due to the analog connection, not to mention it's impossible to control remotely since there is no onscreen display. Ultimately, I never used it and my music stayed on my computer. The Apple TV cures this problem entirely, bringing full digital quality audio to your audio system. And since the onscreen menu and controls work just like coverflow on your iPhone/iPod, navigating and exploring your content is a breeze.
For me, the biggest discovery with the Apple TV has been Podcasting. I have found myself relying heavily on Podcasts for my daily information and entertainment, something I never expected.
The iTunes movie rentals are probably the main reason this devices exists. I enjoy HD movies, but they are expensive and I usually only watch them once so I rarely buy BD or HD-DVD discs. With iTunes and the Apple TV, I can rent them for a fraction of the cost ($3.99 to $4.99). Admittedly, Apple TV is only 720P/1080i with Dolby Digital 5.1 (not DTS, True HD, etc.), but the quality is excellent considering the cost savings over purchasing a BD disc. You can also rent standard definition movies for a few dollars less. The only drawback is availability of new releases, particularly in HD. Itunes will often restrict new releases to full purchases ($14.99) in Standard Defintion, and later release HD and Starndard Def. Unfortunately, you can only rent HD movies. If you buy, the movie is downloaded to your Apple TV (if rented, the movie is deleted 24 hours after you start watching).
There are other features which I generally use less, such as Youtube. One of the drawbacks to using the Apple TV is lack of a keyboard. In order to search or log on to youtube, you have to navigate a letter menu to enter the terms. While this is not difficult to use, it makes navigating youtube cumbersome and ultimately inefficient.
I did have some trouble with the Apple TV losing it's connection over my wireless network while using security encryption. I haven't resolved this problem yet beyond disabling encryption at my router and then implementing MAC filters to prevent access by unauthorized equipment. It also runs very warm so I have to be careful not to damage the finish on my cabinet so it sits on a mouse pad right now. The other minor disappointment for me is the fact that the audio is scaled down to PCM, using Bitstream only when playing a movie in Dolby Digital. If you have a capable receiver or TV, the HDMI connector streams full digital audio, no need to connect a TOS cable.
All in all, this has become a critical part of my entertainment system that I can't imagine living without.
Customer Review: Great if you know what you're getting & looking for.
Summary: 5 Stars
Let me start this off by saying I understand there are a lot of different ways to achieve the same outcome as Apple TV. I get the argument some people have of "what's the point?" I'm also not an Apple blowhard who worships everything they do. And I was able to pay a sizeable chunk of this with some Amazon credit from trade-ins.
That said, I was looking for a way to get some of my (2-year old) daughter's favorite shows available in the most convenient way. And no we don't just sit her in front of a screen 24/7. I noticed we had started gathering DVDs of kids shows at $10-$15 a pop with only a few episodes on each disc. Not only that, but she is wanting to start up the DVD player & PS3/Blu-Ray player by herself. Discs were getting dirty, scratched, and being put in the players upside down, etc...
I wanted to eliminate the discs and go digital. I considered just using my PS3, but currently their online store collection is sparse and it isn't compatible with Amazon downloads (at least the one I tried). And obtaining certain shows via other methods wasn't looking good. I looked into the Roku player but read mixed reviews on the quality since the picture is based on your internet connection. Our DSL isn't the greatest and from what I read it wouldn't have cut the mustard. A HTPC wasn't really in the cards either.
After some research I jumped on the Apple TV. Getting everything set up is a breeze. One cord for power, one cord for HDMI that's it. Simple, no buttons on the unit itself for little fingers to mess with. Getting it hooked up with my iTunes was easy as well, although I had to stop it from immediately syncing EVERYTHING in my library. It's very eager to get all of your media onto it. Once everything was set-up it grabbed all of the shows I wanted on it and it was ready to go. Navigating the iTunes store from it is also easy. It's basically everything I was looking for.
Pros:
Easy & quick start up, no hassles, large selection of content from iTunes.
Easily streams everything from my PC that I don't want copied over to the ATV unit itself.
Allows me to use my pc speakers & my home theatre speakers at the same time to play music from my library. (Really cool since our stereo equipment is in another room).
Eliminates discs, also able to lower my cable costs since we don't need certain channels now.
Able to take the shows with us anywhere with an iPod and some tv cables.
Works with my Logitech Harmony remote.
YouTube compatibility
Cons:
Lack of HD content, I understand the large file size, but come on...
No "stretch" option. Yes I know this is a a/v no-no. But when you're dealing with children's television I don't really care if it's not in it's original aspect ratio.
The short and sweet of it, know what you're getting into with it before making the jump. It's not going to be for everyone. I can't say I would've paid full price for it out of pocket, but it is a very nice product. If you're a big do-it-yourselfer a HTPC or even hooking up a laptop & HDD to your tv may be a better option. I personally didn't feel like doing all that when I could add this to my set-up. If you don't like paying for digital media, stay away (though you can still put outside media on this with a little basic knowledge). But for ease of use and convenience this is your typical Apple product and a really good option.
Customer Review: Streams From Your Computer -- This is the Cat's Meow!
Summary: 5 Stars
Boy oh boy, I've taken quite a few 'why would you want this' looks since ordering my Apple TV. I guess that means it's not for everyone but it will be the cat's meow for plenty I'm sure. I love it myself.
Fist off, I was concerened about the 160GB hard drive. I'd already figured that's about 100 movies. What was I to do after buying my 101'st. I found out it really does not matter a whole lot because it streams from your computer if you have a home network. I bought a TV series after getting my device & chose not to put them on the Apple TV hard drive. Therefore, if my computer is on at the same time my apple TV is on the apple TV shows the TV series as being on the hard drive. This might be one thing some wont like; the fact you cannot see what is on the hard drive & what is streaming when looking at the content on your television. Once you turn off your computer however only the content that is on your apple TV hard drive is available. When streaming there is no lag time at all except it takes about 15 seconds to start playing when streaming but once it starts it does not lag.
The video quality is amazing. I have not watched HD content yet but all the standard definition movies look great. I have a 37" widescreen & the movies are at least DVD quality. The TV shows are very good quality but I'd guess that probably 10% of the screen on the left & right are black. The picture does not take up the entire screen. I do not even notice it after about 10 minutes.
So many movies & TV shows are not available on iTunes but probably 80% of what I want personally are there. Also, on most movies you are going to missout on the extra content. Most iTunes movies as far as I can tell do not have special features. If that is a big deal for you then the apple TV may not be for you.
A friend of mine argues his point that digital movies are too risky. "You could someday lose all your content" he says. His argument is iTunes may someday quit supporting iTunes (which I cannot believe would happen) or I may through some technicality lose the right to play the stuff I buy such as the license becoming corrupt or something. I tell him I think he has a better chance than I of losing his content. I told him if someone breaks in your home & steals your entire music & DVD collection they are gone forever. Or the same thing if you have a total loss caused by fire or other disaster. If that happens to me I'll simply buy another apple TV & re-download all my content & still have my movies & music. I think my movie collection is actually safer than his.
The bottom line is the Apple TV for me is an incredible product well under priced at $229 but almost everyone I know would not even pay $50 for it. However, if you are here, looking at this page you probably are not in the later group.
UPDATED FEB 25, 2010....I said above TV shows do not take up the entire screen of my TV. That series was Star Trek Voyager: which was filmed more than 15 years ago. I have since downloaded the HBO Series Tudors & it does take up the entire screen so apparantly some TV shows take up the entire screen while others do not. Perhaps some are filmed in widescreen mode or perhaps it has something to do with older TV shows.
Customer Review: Much better than cable tv!
Summary: 5 Stars
First I need to mention that I got a 2010 Apple TV with the latest software update. The photos above show the older version, and some of the reviews here will be describing the older version. There have been significant improvements to the interface and capability.
You've got to know what the Apple TV can and cannot do before you commit to one, because it's not for everyone. It is not a receiver for TV stations, or a DVR, or a box that will stream anything from the web (although it can be legally hacked for more internet streaming functionality). What it does do is play all of your iTunes movies, tv shows, podcasts, music videos, and music as well as give you access to YouTube and many radio stations on your television screen. You can also display your photos on your big screen. It also gives you access to the iTunes Store from your television where you can buy and rent movies, view previews, and download free content right from the comfort of your couch. If you have music in the form of iTunes LP it looks fantastic on the big screen of your TV - definitely superior than just listening to an ordinary album. And I can think of NO other box for your TV that will allow you to watch your music videos. The video quality is very high. Much of the content on iTunes is available in HD, and the things that are not still are DVD quality and look good. YouTube doesn't look so great since the videos were not intended for the big screen, but that isn't Apple's fault, and I still enjoy the feature. You can access your own YouTube account and favorites through the Apple TV.
The unit is small and will fit easily on most people's entertainment center. The unit does get hot, and there is no off button - only standby - but this has not posed any problems for me and I could always unplug it. The unit connects to your television through your wireless connection or ethernet cable. You do not hook the Apple TV up to your computer with a USB cable as you do your iPod. You can choose to synch whatever content from your iTunes library you wish, or stream the content if your computer is on. You will need to buy an HDMI cable to hook up your Apple TV - it is not included (or your composite cables, also not included). Installation is so easy "a cave man could do it".
I crunched the numbers and found it would be CHEAPER to buy an Apple TV and ALL of my favorite shows on iTunes to watch commercial free and at my own convenience than it is to pay my cable TV bill (year of cable service vs. Apple TV and all my shows in a year purchased). I no longer have a reason to pay to watch commercials on 200+ channels I don't even want and be tied down to the network's schedule, and at the end of the month I have something to show for my hard earned money (iTunes shows I own and can watch again and again) instead of just a new cable bill.
I very, very highly recommend Apple TV for people who are looking for an alternative to cable and satellite TV as long as you are willing to pay for some content. You watch what you want, when you want, with no commercials. It is an excellent value and a great entertainment center.
Customer Review: Unpredictable, undependable, and sometimes unusable.
Summary: 2 Stars
The Apple TV is a great concept, but its really only a concept. I have owned several of these, for a while now, and it has never worked right - even with the latest release a few days ago. This is a concept that has never been fully Q&A tested, and they rushed it out into the market because the idea was so great.
Cons:
LAG - The menus constantly lag, and I mean constantly. Don't bother showing this off to friends, you'll be embarrassed at what you put up with just to make this thing work. When I say lag, sometimes it lags 30 seconds and there is no promise of when it will snap back.
DISCONNECTS - The ATV mysteriously disconnects from iTunes on my computer, nearly once a day. All my software is up-to-date - and a restart of iTunes or the ATV will fix the problem, but its extremely annoying. I need to restart one of them about every time I want to watch a movie or listen to music.
LARGE LIBRARIES - If you're like me and you have a large music library, be prepared to face the lag. It takes minutes for me to navigate to a good genre and start a playlist, lots of lag along the way.
SPACE - 160gb isn't enough space to hold much in the way of music or movies. You'll want to digitize all of your DVDs to mp4 once you have an ATV, which means you'll be streaming because your 160gb will be gone in a week. Streaming works surprisingly well, but again, be prepared for the menu lag and network lag.
OVER SIMPLIFIED - As with everything Apple, the ATV is over simplified, including the chassis and remote. The remote is like an ipod remote - which is annoying, because instead of having a button for a often used feature, you need to dig through menus to use it. The chassis has no power button, no reset or restart button. If you thing freezes up, which it will, you'll need to unplug and plug back in, like an antiquated Apple IIc computer. The remote is so small, its easy to lose - do what I did and program your universal remote and map the keys to the most common functions.
POWER - No power control - this will constantly draw power. Apple does this so it can constantly speak with iTunes for updates - which is understandable, but still a little annoying.
Pros:
A great idea, you can rip all of your DVDs to mp4 and have your whole library on demand. They have internet radio stations now too on demand. Movie rentals is huge, for $4-5... so the ATV has many great features, you just need to be prepared to experience some pain along the way. Instead of buying this 160gb, I would wait a few months - my guess is that apple will release a new hardware revision with the proper CPU power to run the ATV OS, and more disk space, and disks that use Serial ATA.
Don't give apple your money yet, wait for them to fix the many problems in a new revision. The same problems have persisted for several years now, and the software updates only seem to make some of them worse, if you can believe that.