ATV questions

Hi,
I'm thinking about getting an ATV box (but first when the movie rentals will be possible here in Denmark). It's looks like a very nice toy to have, but I have a couple of questions:
- Is it really true, that Standard quality downloads only have stereo sound? Why???
- How come there is no movies with DTS sound? Too much bandwidth?
- Can you stream movies from your NAS to your TV using ATV? Or do you have to synchonize first?
- If you can stream directly from the NAS, do you have to have your computer turned on?
I think that's it for now
Anders

Well, broadband speed availability varies wildly across the world and even within towns and cities.
I'm on a lowly 1Mbps connection as despite being in a Capital City I'm apparently too far from the exchange to get faster speed. Even if we had HD rentals I guess I'd be downloading all night just to receive the film.
The trouble with digital is that there are too many permutations and to keep things simple I think Apple are just limiting options. Unless they mirrored DVD content streams for video, audio/language, subtitle options you're probably going to get a more limited user experience from a file that has to work across the board from iPods/iPhones to Macs/PCs to AppleTV, than from a DVD or other format.
No point having a huge file with DTS for iPod use, but equally not good having low res and stereo for AppleTV.
If there were a flexible upgrade pathway for purchases then it's be great - I mean if I bought a large high quality DRM'd file suitable for AppleTV it would really be overkill for iPod - either they should charge one purchase fee and allow a variety of format downloads (lo/hi/HD res, mono, stereo, digital surround) for the same purchase, or allow a nominal fee upgrade from say a cheap lo-res version to a HD version with digital surround. I bet they would like to do this but the movie companies are resistant. Any new format = another chance to squeeze the customer dry for something they've bought before on an older or obsolete format.
The digital output allows your receiver to get a digital PCM stereo feed currently but it can also output a DTS bitstream even if it doesn't know it's doing it (DTS encoded as WAV) - DTS for video not just audio is a more tricky propositiuon as AppleTV stands. Might change it might not.
AppleTV is in effect a client to a remote library server i.e. iTunes on a PC or Mac. It cannot currently act as an iTunes client in the sense you suggest to serve media itself - perhaps it could do so but it currently doesn't. I wouldn't want it doing this if I was trying to watch something on it though as the hardware might struggle.
AC

Similar Messages

Beginner ATV questions....

Apologies if this has been done before, I can't find it if it has.
I am currently using an S-video cable to watch video etc on my TV. Works, but includes cables and bringing my elderly non-intel powerbook out of it's cosy retirement.
I believe ATV will allow me to connect my laptop, or my iphone, to the tv via my WiFi connection.
Can I use it instead of a sound dock? Connect some speakers and play from my phone? (any recs would be useful )
Is there anything it won't do? BBC iplayer for example? Is it a mirror the same way as my old s-video connection?
Is the lack of Hard drive in the ATV2 a big issue? Would you prefer a first generation if you could get hold of one? I can get a USB dongle for my Sony Bravia to connect it straight to my wifi network does that do the same job? (/blasphemy)
Thank you

Thank you
So I can only see or hear what's in my itunes library- any other video content on my laptop would need to be imported to itunes.
If I'm watching iplayer or youtube on my phone I can't stream that to the ATV?
I know S-video isn't supported by ATV, it isn't on my new powerbook, hence having to start the old one up. Buying a DVI or HDMI cable for the laptop is another option, I was just hoping I could be lazy and do it directly from my phone on the sofa
ETA: Thank you WC too- I will discount the 1st gen from my options

Recorded HDTV and ATV question.

Hi
I am going through the PVR purchase research and am interested in recording free to air digital tv to then stream to the tv via ATV.
If I were to use an EyeTv type receiver to record to the computer, does it need to be converted to another format before the ATV can use it?
Also, the digital receivers claim to need either dual G5 or intel processors to access 720p (the format of my tv) or 1080i/p. Is this only for watching the broadcast live or will I be able to record this quality and watch the HD content later using my single 1.8GHz 2 GB ram G5?
Are there any tuners for that matter that my set up can use and utilise the 720p format?
Thanks in advance

ATV requires MP4 format. When user records from a set top box the file is .m2t
Example, what I do:
Record a "copt freely" movie to the Comcast set top box. Once done I play it back and use AVCBrowser (taken from Apple SKD and free) to capture that movie. It is in .m2t format. Then I'd use either Handbrake, VisualHub or MPEGStreamClip to convert for ipod or ATV in MP4 format.
I never used Eyetv because I did all the above for zero cost except for time.

Basic ATV Questions

Sorry if this is already answered elsewhere (I looked - slightly). I'm thinking of purchasing an Apple TV but need to know the following...
Can I connect an external HD directly to the USB port on the ATV to store more content? I can't really get a straight yes/no answer on this. I don't want to use airport since I have a verizon fios account. Basically I want to sync all the content I have and that's more than the HD in the ATV can hold.
It states that a computer is needed, I'm assuming that's only for the syncing process. I have a MacBook Pro that I take with me. So can my daughter still watch movies while I have the notebook elsewhere? I'm sure the answer is Yes, but I don't want to buy it and find out otherwise.
Thanks in advance for making my experience easier!!!

David Burwell wrote:
Can I connect an external HD directly to the USB port on the ATV to store more content?
no.. the USB port has no "end user" functionality.
David Burwell wrote:
It states that a computer is needed, I'm assuming that's only for the syncing process. I have a MacBook Pro that I take with me. So can my daughter still watch movies while I have the notebook elsewhere? I'm sure the answer is Yes, but I don't want to buy it and find out otherwise.
a computer (mac or pc) is required to sync the content. it will run "stand alone" once the content is on there though.

Changing iCloud to match new Apple ID?

My apple ID is a very old email address that I no longer use. When I got my new iphone, and ios 5, i put my iCloud account as my apple ID account. Now, however, I would like to change my Apple ID account to a different email address and then use that new email address (my old mobile me address) as the email address associated with iCloud? I have seen things online that you just delete your iCloud account and start all over. That scares me to death, because all of my contacts and calendar and reminders and synced with my iCould, and i really do not want to loose those. So how can I change my Apple ID account email address and then change the iCloud to match that. Bear in mind, however, that the email address I would be changing those to would be a mobile me email address, that is already in existence (which I have heard can cause problems)? All of this, without loosing all of my contacts and such?

Question for Mr Churchill who so kindly helped me a few months agao with my ATV questions.
I have a simular question
Years ago I register on iTunes with a @gmail address. I was a Windows user then. Over the years I have spent many $ on iTunes with my ATV. Still stored on the ATV only
I recently got a Mac (along with all the other iApple goodies) and want to use the full power of the iCloud, but to do that I need a @me address, which I now have. But I don't want to lose all those purchases made with my @gmail.
Is there a way to change my Apple ID to @me and not lose my purchases. Evertyhting else will stay the same. Credit card billing address everything.
As I already own the purchases, this should not be that bigger deal.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks
Marc

HT4906 Photo stream with Apple TV2

Why can't I sign in on ATV2 photo stream set-up. After entering apple ID password I get a message aging unable to sign in and that iCloud terms and conditions have changed?.

As I read this it should work. http://www.apple.com/icloud/setup/
However it has nothing to do with iPhoto for Mac. Try the Apple TV forum fir ATV questions. https://discussions.apple.com/community/appletv/appletv
LN

Ripped DVDs show much darker than source. Any ideas on how to fix it?

Ok, so this is not quite an ATV question (since I see the darker image when playing directly on iTunes on the Mac) but a lot of people are talking about this topic on this forum...
I've tried everything (or almost everything):
I tried Mac The Ripper + VisualHub (with the "go nuts" option)
I tried Handbrake (up to 8000kps)
I tried MediaFork (up to 8000kps)
Regadless of the framerate, options, different combinations possible on each of those applications, the image generated is considerably darker than when viewing the DVD itself. I'm happy with the rest (resolution, "smoothnes", "chopiness", "blurriness", etc.) but it's killing me that I can't "increase brightness when ripping", so to speak, in order to get something much closer to what's displayed through the DVD.
Does anybody know how to compensate for this? I've seen other people complaining of the same thing but havein't seen any suggestions yet.
Thanks and Regards,
Julian
Dual 2.7 GHz PowerPC G5 Mac OS X (10.4.8) 2.5 Gb RAM
Dual 2.7 GHz PowerPC G5 Mac OS X (10.4.8) 2.5 Gb RAM

Would you mind sharing the settings you use (or would use) to rip a movie with the highest quality possible (i.e. quality as close to as what you see in the original DVD) but still playable by Apple TV?
Since many of my commercial DVDs are themselves only encoded in 4 to 5 Mbps range and since H.264 represents a more efficient codec than MPEG-2, I personally do no fee obligated to use video data rates equal to the original nor the maximum the profile will allow simply because it is available. I do, however, like the Context-Adaptive Variable Length Coding (CAVLC) approach of QT Pro and have adopted its "break points" as, at the very least, starting points for manual conversions. Video data rates for some popular 16:9 encode display H.264 "Main" profile formats appear to include:
720p24 (1280 x 720 @ 23.98/24 fps or 25 fps.): 5.0 Mbps
540p30 (960 x 540 @ 23.98/24 fps, 29.97/30 fps): 3.8 Mbps
480p30 (854 x 480 @ 23,98/24 fps, 29.97/30 fps): 3.0 Mbps
405p30 (720 x 405 @ 23.98/24 fps, 29,97/30 fps): 2250 Kbps
360p30 (640 x 360 @ 23.98/24 fps, 29.97/30 fps): 1850 Kbps
Usually recommend testing a 2-4 minute segment that includes a brightly lit scene/a darkly lit scene with rapid vector motion (preferably compound vector motion)/rapid transitions and then adjust the video data rate/quality (quantimizer) settings as needed.

HT4927 How can I enlarge my Iphotos for streaming on my TV with Apple TV?

I'm so frustrated at this point, as I'm sure each of you have been from time to time. I can zoom, but I cannot get the photos to stay put as an enlargement. I cannot get them to enlarge to the size of my television screen. Can someone help me on this? Believe me, if you can, you will have done your good deed for the day, which will be more than appreciated. Bev

No one can help since we only know what you tell us you you told us nothing.
Like what version of iPhoto and of the OS? Which Apple TV? What setting do you have on your Apple TV (and for detailed ATV questions the ATV fourm is a better place to ask)? What do you mean by "zooming" and by "cannot get photos to stay as an enlargement? What is the screen ratio for your TV? What is the ratio for the photos?
In general I expect the resolution to be ATV settings but with zero information beyound you have a problem that you do not know how to solve no one can be sure. And if you have a 16x9 screen and either 3x2 or 4x3 photos (the two most common ratios) then they will not fill a 16x9 screen without distortion
LN

Can I play back movies on a European TV set?

For a vacation in Europe I want to take along my Ipad Air to watch movies on the television. But will I be able to do this, because European tv's have a different screen than North American ones. Thanks.

What did you download it from. If you purchased it though the iTunes Store and use the same Apple ID on both devices then you can watch it on both. It will be under the "Movie" button.
P.S. That is really more of an ATV question and there is a specific fourm for questions on it.

TS1741 I cannot pair myriad to the Apple TV although the PC iPad and Apple TV are all connected to home sharing

I cannot pair iPad

Replys can only be has helpful as the details provided and "I cannot pair iPad" is not even a complete sentence. It does not sound like this is an ATV question though so you may need to be posting in a differnt fourm.

ITunes 7.6.2 upgrade caused problems with AppleTV sync

Just upgraded iTunes to 7.6.2, saw now installation problems. After the reboot noticed that connectivity to my AppleTV (now on v2.0.1) was VERY slow, and even doesnt resync correctly (tried automatic and manual). Here is what is wierd:
- only the first ~20-30 movies are playable on the AppleTV
- after the ~20-30 movies they show up in the directory list, but always get the error that the format is not supported on appleTV, but were playable just fine prior to the upgrade
- tried reboots of both appleTV and iMac
Any hints?
thx

ATV 2.02 is out, has been out for a couple of days. Have you tried upgrading? You also might want to consider posting in the ATV forum for ATV questions. There are some very knowledgeable people there who I never see on this forum.

ATV Connectivity Question

Hi all,
I've been running my ATV over Netgear wireless and it is unreliable. Works for a while then doesn't...so I like the interface so much I want to keep the ATV. I connected via Ethernet...what a difference..Works great! EXCEPT!! It appears to me that all the web based apps are gone. I can't get get online. So here is how my home is set up...I have a Netgear wireless g and I usually have my pc laptop on the network which is still running fine wirelessly. The music server (PC) that was attached wirelessly to ATV and not hardwired is actually wireless on the network...and is still working fine... which leads me to my question, how do I maintain the superior performance of the ethernet connection and still allow the ATV to get online??? Any help would be great.
Thanks
Bob

It could very well be a network issue of some sort. I just want to be sure I'm doing something wrong vs. ATV and then understand how to fix it. I'll do my best to describe my set up.
Internet comes via cable to a cable modem then into a Netgear Wireless g Router.
The PC that is currently connected to the ATV via Ethernet receives internet wirelessly.
When the ATV was attached to the wireless network it worked correctly...but not consistently.
Now it works GREAT via Ethernet and has been running straight all day. But I can't get to the online apps it offers (movies tv shows etc.)

Quick questions from a new ATV user

Hi guys
I've got today my ATV, like it so far...until i updated the software
now seems that when i play a video, the video freeze for few seconds, then it starts again; is kinda annoying especially when you watch a trailer; anyway seems that is random, so nothing that can be done.
My questions:
1)why i can't copy stuff on the ATV like i do with my ipod touch? is annoying that it takes hours to copy a movie, when i could connect it via usb and get the work done, instead of waiting 2 hours to sync few episodes of a show (i have an airport extreme....).
2) how can i pair the remote with the ATV only, instead of causing issues to all my MACs at home every time that i try to use the ATV?
3) is there a manual somewhere, except the 3 pages manual available online and in the box?
4) i saw a lot of hacks to play divx and other video formats....any chance to see an update from Apple instead of void the warranty to install these hacks?
Thanks a lot for the help...so far i like this little device, but i am surprised about the fact that the usb port is there for no reason...while on the airport extreme can be used to attach drives and printer any mod to attach an external storage?

Thanks for the answers
1) by ethernet cable you mean a cross cable between the mac and the ATV, or a simple connection with the router (Airport Extreme)? because in this case i have to unplug the tv and move the ATV in another room...not really practical
2) tried, but even when ATV says "paired", i can still interact with my macbook and mac mini....annoying
3) that was the small manual that i was talking about nothing more complex or in depth? or whatever i see is what i can get unless i hack it ?
4) i understand the point; i just want to know if to get the full potentials of this product i have to hack it, or if there is a "regular " update that would enable some features (since someone compared the ATV to a stripped down Mac mini with Tiger on it); anyway for now i can live with it as is....the only hassle is to convert from DIVX the movies via QT, and takes about 1 hour for a 2 h movie (and 2 hours to sync down to the ATV lol)
Thanks for your answers!

ATV - iTunes Summary Screen Question

This may be a silly question, but is the orange band signifying 'other' (content)on the ATV summary screnn the ATV operating system? Blue is audio, yellow is photos, etc. but just curious. I think it is about 100+- MG. Are they all standard in size?
Also, what happens if you try to sync more content than the ATV holds - will an error messae be displayed at some point either in iTunes or on the TV screen?
I am reaching my limit of sync'd material, but haven't maxed it out yet.
Many thanks, Rob

Thanks for the prompt reply - and very interesting - I have no podcasts, no audio books at all anywhere on my hard drive (to my knowledge. I have only audio files and photos.
Could it be there are some hidden in my actual hard drive, but not loaded into iTunes?
I wouldn't know how to access or load either an audio book or podcast.....do these have particular file extensions I could search for?

Audio Streaming quality on ATV Airplay question

I'm starting to build a "modest" audiophile stereo by ripping my CD's into iTunes via Apple Lossless, wirelessly streaming them to my ATV via Airplay, and then listening to them on my high(er) end DAC and / integrated amplifier. My question is, does the ATV and iTunes stream the music "lossless" over my wireless network (i.e., at ~ 800kbps), or does it "max out" around 256kbps. I ask because I don't really hear a big difference in the sound quality between the two formats and I'm wondering if I should really be running a USB from my Mac to my stereo's DAC / integrated amp.
Any thoughts?

Music is streamed losslessly. Specifically, whatever you are listening to, be it AAC, Apple Lossless, AIFF, etc. is encoded as Apple Lossless and then streamed to the ATV.
At least I think. That's how everything has worked between iTunes and an Airport Express with AirTunes in the past (Stereophile magazine ran a test where they showed they could play an audio file via Airport Express and recover the original file's PCM data exactly from Airport Express's optical port). Things may be different with AirPlay and the new Apple TV, but I suspect it's still lossless.
I do think it maxes out at 44 or 48 kbps, 16 bit, so if you download any high resolution files, you'd want to run USB or optical to your DAC. Otherwise, unless the AirPlay implementation's changed drastically, you're fine.

ATV questions

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for