Apple TV 2012 vs Blu Ray
What’s Next? It just might be a big screen Apple TV
Apple’s avowed “hobby,” the Appletv (www.apple.com/ca/appletv/) has turned into a formidable set top box that now streams Blu-ray quality videos to any connected HDTV for $109.
This little black coaster is so unassumingly puckish that it is easy to dismiss it as another cool toy, a fad gadget, a mere peripheral for streaming content from iphones and ipads.
The new Appletv is really the Trojan horse that Apple is using conquer your living room one streamed show at a time.
With the ability to play BluRay quality video, rented on demand for $5.99 ($4.99 if you prefer standard definition), Appletv is aiming to do to DVDS and Blu-rays what the ipod did to CDS — make them far less compelling.
itunes subscribers still have the option of buying movies, which are now stored in Apple’s icloud and accessible anytime from any Apple device,
The movies cost $25 to purchase in HD format or $20 in standard definition.
Users also need to factor in the substantial Internet bandwidth required to stream gigabytes of HD video. The rest is easy.
Simplicity is key
Installing the Apple TV is straightforward. Connect the power, connect an HDMI cable to your HDTV and sign in on your Wifi network and itunes account and you’re good to go.
The device can be controlled with the included remote or through the swipe happy iphone or ipad via Wifi.
The same devices can also stream content and slideshows via the Airplay feature to any HDTV with an Appletv.
Aside from itunes movies and TV shows, the Appletv is a great conduit for Netflix (www. netflix.ca) subscribers and also features access to Youtube, Vimeo, MLB baseball and NHL Hockey content.
The best part of the Appletv experience for me was the convenience of being able to scan and find films recently released on video like Martin Scorsese’s visually engrossing Hugo and the introspective and poignant The Iron Lady starring Meryl Streep.
Appletv also satisfied my hunger for watching such TV shows as Fringe, Mad Men, Community and the UK version of Top Gear. TV episodes are bought and not streamed and these cost anywhere from $3 each to $3.49 for the more popular shows such as Glee.
One of the great features of Appletv that not too many people take advantage of is the staggering collection of movie trailers that Apple has amassed through the years and many of these have been upscaled to 1080p HD.
A placeholder for the future?
The most interesting aspect of the Appletv is what is to follow it. It has long been rumoured that Apple’s next revolution will be in the TV space with a super smart and connected large-panel HDTV.
The technology and the content are already here and Appletv users are familiar with the interface and the features.
The day might come where the tiny black box disappears altogether because it is already integrated into a real Apple made TV that can be controlled by an ipad. Or better yet, by your voice.