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: Good, but I must ding it on a couple of important items
Summary: 3 Stars
Disclaimer: I am a huge (but no longer kool-aid-drinking) Apple fan.
It's good enough, and the rest of the reviews here attest to that, but now having my own, I have to touch on a couple of things that nobody has mentioned yet.
1) There is no way to shut it off. It sucks 18-22 watts down at all times. 22 watts when playing a movie, 18 watts in "hibernate" mode (which is obviously not the laptop-style hibernate mode one would think... I think it merely turns off the video output). You literally have to unplug it to get it to stop. There is no "shutdown" option or power switch. This I find a little ridiculous. Especially because they bothered to put in a neat startup movie- Did they expect you to watch it only once?
2) It runs very hot (no fan), even when it is "hibernated", and thus cannot be covered by anything or you will affect heat dissipation.
3) It is laggy sometimes. The worst offense an interface can have is to be laggy. If it's busy syncing, fine... just prioritize the user interface, please. (Edit: Even after syncing, it gets laggy sometimes.) A few times I'd hit a few buttons, wait 20 seconds, and then the audio feedback kicks in and does what I had commanded a half minute ago. This is pretty unforgivable. (Perhaps it's because it only has a half gig of RAM.)
4) No 1080p. Just to let you know. 1080i, yes. 1080p, no.
5) If you intend to hook this up to any sort of computer display via a HDMI>DVI cable, be aware that you will be unable to watch rented movies because your computer display will not support HDCP and you will get an error. Why it is still quite feasible to rent the very same movie on a computer via the iTunes Store and watch it on a non-HDCP computer display is left as an exercise to the armchair IP lawyers out there.
If you can get past those things, it's a nice little device.
Customer Review: Good, but has limitations
Summary: 4 Stars
I have had the AppleTV for about a year now and am pretty happy with it. It does have some limitations which can be frustrating.
I use it basically to watch video. I have converted many DVDs (home movies of course, anything else might be illegal) into a format that AppleTV can use (tip: encoding with a slightly lower bitrate than the AppleTV is capable of will also allow me to watch these videos on my iPhone too, allowing maximum use of the videos).
I also have an Elgato Hybrid which I use to record my favorite HD shows on my Mac. I convert these to keep/watch on my AppleTV. I have also purchased TV shows from iTunes.
I have a 32" 720p TV and I think the video quality is very good.
Pros:
--Good video quality
--Can stream video and music from my Mac when iTunes is open on my Mac (so I probably could have gone with the 40GB model). The streaming works well, no jitters, pauses, etc. The only problem seems to be when I try to 'rewind' a little bit in whatever I am watching. It seems to really struggle sometimes.
--Wired or wireless networking. I can stream music, video, photos from my Mac. (iTunes has to be running).
The limitations can be a bit frustrating. Here are the problems that I see:
--Remote. Minimalist remote is a great idea, in theory, but I end up getting frustrated with it sometimes. It needs a few more buttons, or maybe I am just too used to my TiVo remote commands.
--Supports a limited amount of video formats. Video has to be converted to a specific format(s) or it won't play.
--Needs a web browser/Flash player so I can go to hulu or other video sites (other than YouTube).
--be able to connect external drives for more storage.
--tuner so I can record my HD shows directly to it without having to convert them
Customer Review: Excellent media server
Summary: 5 Stars
I wanted a device that serves up my computer media (for me, that's photos and music files). I don't surf the web, etc. on my TV...I watch the TV while using my laptop. Therefore, a media center PC provides too much functionality at too much cost for my uses. I also have a DVR for recording, so this device doesn't need that capability. I like the simplicity.
1. Set up. This was very simple. The password interface is a bit awkward, as there is no keyboard, but so far that's the only time I'd need a keyboard. The Apple TV linked to my wireless network quickly and the connection is solid. I like that my media is on the device, as I'm not increasing my network traffic when I use it, only when I synch with my computer...which is done via iTunes. It's a very familiar process. 5 stars here.
2. Performance. Music serving is very smooth. The iPod style interface is very familiar. I like it. If you don't like the iPod interface, you will not like the Apple TV. Photo serving is also very smooth. It's a nice touch that the screen saver for my plasma TV during music playing is my own photos. Movie downloading has gone well. Movies look great on my 720p plasma at a 10 foot viewing distance. At that distance, my eyes can't tell 720 from 1080. Maybe fighter pilot eyes could, but my old eyes can't. If you want 1080p, you need Blu ray. With DSL, an HD movie is an overnight download. That's a fact of life for me. I'd like a faster internet connection, but I can't get one....that is not a fault of the device. I give 5 stars here, too.
caveats: If you want higher resolution, look elsewhere. HDMI cables are not included, but I got mine from monoprice for about $6. No DVR capability...it serves up media from your computer or iTunes (okay, or youtube, but that's not as good on an HD TV as it is on a computer in my humble opinion.
Customer Review: Good Device - lousy software
Summary: 3 Stars
At the time it first came out, these appleTV boxes were a fairly cost-effective proposition. They're still not bad, but more powerful, more open devices are available from netgear, mivix, popcorn hour, and others these days. That being said, the AppleTV is still a nice, elegant set-top box, and good for playing basic video, provided you dump the onboard software and load XBMC or Boxee on it.
It was my experience that, especially since I'm on a PC network, the AppleTV-> iTunes connection really doesn't work that well. Syncing takes forever. Videos disappear randomly. Things you don't want on the box you can't get rid of (think birth pictures during the holiday party background slideshow) Stuff you want synced refuses to transfer. Everything is glitchy. Half the x264 videos you try to play (camcorder files or DVD rips) just cause the thing to sad-mac (Crash and reboot). Itunes tries to make multiple copies of a two-terabyte media library on the local PC.
Because of these issues, I basically gave up on $500 worth of AppleTv's and didn't use them for months.
Then i discovered boxee and xbmc. Now the boxes do what i want - they play my movies, browse my videos, and even let me watch Hulu and other video services for free! And best of all - none of Apple's big brother bloated DRM-Ware called iTunes on my PC's anymore. Best of all, once it's set up, it all just works...No more constantly restarting iTunes. No more 10-hour sync operations.
All in all, except for being a bit underpowered and not being able to play and High-Def video wider than 1280 pixels, this is still a pretty nice proposition. Get rid of iTunes and the stock Apple OS on the device, and you've got a nice media extender/set top box for your media library.
Customer Review: Great product - Beware of limitations before you buy!
Summary: 3 Stars
I have had this product for about 2 yrs and I love it. It is a slick interface but can be clunky at times - overall very simple to use. Basically this thing will take your TV and turn it into an Ipod. Downloading Music/Movies/Shows coudn't be easier. The HD movies and Shows look great - Not Blu Ray great but better than cable by a long shot. If you plan on using Apple Tv to put your ripped shows and movies on there be ready for some limitations. I have never had a show or movie I couldn't get on there but...it will take some encoding know how using apps like Handbreak or Visual Hub.
I would say if your strictly using this thing for watching Itunes content it can't be beat.
If you plan on building a media library, Apple Tv's limitations will probably frustrate you - it has not been made easy. I quit using it for this purpose. I got a WD TV for this purpose and it's much more forgiving on playing just about any file I throw at it.
I cancelled my cable and use the Apple TV, Netflix and WDTV to fill my entertainment needs. I think Apple needs to come out with a new version of this item to really remain releveant in this market - way too many limitations.
As I stated earlier if you just want to buy your content through Itunes, this is a great and simple product. Due to Apple's file limitations I just can't recommend this as a Media Library player when there are better and cheaper alternatives out there i.e. WDTV.
I'm certainly on the fence about selling this Apple Tv in hopes they'll come out with a newer improved version in the near future.
Remember that delayed content and DRM'd stuff isn't Apple's fault - you can blame that on the greedy studios.
Too many haters blaming that on Apple!!