Apple TV - First Thoughts

Michael Gartenberg | March 22, 2007, 10:18 AM

I've been fortunate to spend some time with the new Apple TV over the last few days and my experience matches that of most of the other reviews; it just works. Setting up the device, which looks like a Mac-Mini on a diet was simple. Just plug in HDMI or component cables, optical or analog audio and you're good to go. The initial walk through lets you set network configuration, screen resolution, screen saver settings and other details. Once that's done, you simply point to an iTunes library and decide what you want to sync to the device and what you want to stream. Only caveat is that pictures must be synced directly to the device and won't stream. Once you've done that, you can also stream up to five other iTunes accounts directly to Apple TV for a total of six sources.

Networking here can be a little dicey, especially to the room where the Apple TV was located due to distance and plaster walls. Sync was therefore a little slow and it underscores how important the underlying network is. Moving the unit and bit and tweaking the network fixed the problem and it's not something most folks will likely encounter. Using Apple's Airport Extreme, I was quickly up and running but my old Netgear G router worked just fine as well.

The playback experience was wonderful. Music works through a very familiar UI and sounded wonderful. Pictures looked vibrant and transitions and effects are all adjustable. Predictably, older iTunes video content I had recorded in 320x240 didn't look great on my HiDef screen but newer content encoded at 640x480 looked fine. Somewhere above VHS and not quite DVD but more than watchable.

The attention to details is wonderful. From the stunning screen saver that kicks in (you can display and Apple logo, album art, or my favorite and 3D floating waterfall of your photos). There's a cool zooming effect when you change songs and in general there's a sense of polish that other devices in this genre often lack.

Is there a downside? Not really. If you're an iPod owner or keep your media organized in iTunes and iPhoto (or Photoshop Albums or Elements on a PC) Apple TV will be a great experience. In fact, the iTunes eco system has some advantages. Like starting a podcast or movie in my living room, pausing and then picking up where i left off on the PC in my office or on my iPod in my car. This will also work the same way with the iPhone when released. If on the other hand all your music is in OGG format and you spend a lot of time with DiVX video, this probably isn't the gadget for you and you probably already have a Linux box running Myth TV hooked up to your TV set anyhow. And that's the differnetiator of this product. If you're thinking, who needs this, I can just hook up a PC to my TV set, then you're already not in the target audience (and Apple has a nice product called the mini for you). If on the other hand, you're a consumer looking to get content from your PC to your TV and sound system, then Apple TV is for you.