Introduction
At the exact same time as revealing the new (now not so brand-new) iPad in March 2012, Apple also released an upgrade to its Apple TELEVISION.
It was not the complete on Apple iTV, the reported Apple tv that lots of had jumped for, rather it was a small modification to the existing media streamer of in 2012, preserving the very same form aspect however with an upgraded menu system and faster processor.
The greatest change though is its new capability to stream and play full 1080p HD films – in 2013’s design might just handle 720p, which was all the iTunes Shop offered for movie rentals and purchasing anyway.
Of course, this means that Apple is going to need to update a great deal of its iTunes Shop brochure to 1080p for you to get the most out of it, but many new motion pictures were being provided in 1080p when we examined.
As well as allowing you to buy and lease movies Apple TELEVISION does two other things of note – it serves as a browser for chosen Net content (YouTube, Vimeo, Netflix, iCloud, Podcasts, etc) and thanks to Apple’s AirPlay system it can receive content streamed from a Mac, PC or iOS gadget and play it on your tv.
And, simply to be clear, here’s exactly what it can’t do – most importantly you still cannot utilize it to watch free-to-air TV channels, so it’s not a proper Set-top Box option, and you cannot use it to browse the full web or do e-mail, like you can with an iPad.
The full implications of this become clearer when you understand that some popular web sites, which would make overall sense to be access by means of an Apple TELEVISION, are unavailable, like the BBC’s iPlayer (though you can watch iPlayer on your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad then make use of AirPlay to send it to your your Apple TELEVISION).
And due to the fact that you are in Apple’s locked-down world there are no third-party apps offered for the Apple TV which can add these features in – you’ve to wait for Apple to formally support them via a software update.
In truth, the Apple TELEVISION is not really made to be personalized at all – you’ve the function set that Apple supplies, which’s it.
In the box
In the box you get the Apple TELEVISION, which is a little black box measuring only 23mm x 98mm x 98mm that weighs simply 0.27 kg, a nice-looking aluminum remote with really few buttons, some setup guidelines and a power lead.
The Apple TELEVISION has specifically the exact same ports and ports on the back as previously. There’s an ethernet port, an Optical Audio port and a HDMI port for connection to your TELEVISION. You’ll likewise see a Micro-USB port, however this has no use for the house user – it’s simply for Apple’s Geniuses to utilize when diagnosing problems.
The Apple TV processor has actually been updated to the A5 chip to handle 1080p HD film playback. iFixit’s done a teardown on the Apple TELEVISION and found that the Broadcom 4330 Wi-Fi chip inside also supports Bluetooth 4.0+HS, although it currently makes no use of this technology – it’s possible that the performance can be added in a future upgrade.
The present Apple Remote utilizes Infrared, this requires line of website to your Apple TELEVISION, which can be a discomfort – a Bluetooth remote would be far exceptional.
Setup process
Connection to your TELEVISION is through a HDMI cable, however understand that there is not really one in the box, so you’ve to acquire that separately.
The first surprise with the brand-new Apple TELEVISION compared to the previous generation is that when you link it as much as your TELEVISION is that it talks to you! A voice asks you if you ‘d like to allow the Voice Over feature by clicking a button on the remote 3 times.
Voice Over reads out what the menu choice cannot0 presently got selected is, so it’ll certainly be a very beneficial feature for visually harmed users who require additional aid browsing the menu systems.
Proceeding on, you set up the typical things like language then choose a WiFi network – if cannot0 never done this before then it’ll be your very first encounter with the Apple TV’s laborious method of entering text and numbers – you’ve actually an alphabetically ordered block of letters that you’ve to need to slowly steer around making use of the remote’s click wheel.
It’s irritating to use due to the fact that the design is so unfamiliar – having the letters organized like a computer keyboard would’ve been more instinctive.
Going through the procedure of painfully entering your WiFi password one character at a time using this input method just to recognize you got among the characters wrong and have to do it all over once more is heartbreaking, especially when at this stage you just wish to get on with enjoying all the fantastic content your Apple TELEVISION promises.
It’s a shame Apple still utilize this input approach since everything else about the Apple TELEVISION is so simple to use it stands in sharp contrast to other media streamers.
Interface
Once the setup is done you enjoy the major Apple TELEVISION user interface, which has had a full refresh for this outing.
In an effort to simplify, and at the same time allow for growth, Apple has actually taken a more iOS-style strategy to the Apple TELEVISION’s user interface. While it’s gotten criticism from particular quarters, we like it.
Instead of text-based menus everything is now represented by an icon, just like on iOS. The icons are flatter and wider than their iOS counterparts, however you can clearly see where Apple has actually drawn its motivation. As you walk around the menus selecting each icon, text appears beneath it to inform you what it’s for, which means you never feel confused or lost.
At the top of the user interface you’ve a sideways scrolling carousel of the most recent motion picture releases. Typical rent rate of a new HD movie is ₤ 4.49 ($4.99) – this is pricey compared to, state, Sky Box Office, which was offering Twighlight Breaking Dawn and Moneyball for simply ₤ 2 in the UK store when we checked, however obviously you require a paid-for Sky account to gain access to this service.
iTunes was still over twice the cost for the same films though. Undoubtedly you’ll require a decent broadband connection to lease motion pictures utilizing Apple TELEVISION however there are some benefit to Apple’s system. As an example, it’s more practical.
You don’t have to wait for a specific film start time. Rather simply select your motion picture and it begins downloading whenever you desire. Apple TELEVISION appeared to need about 5 minutes of buffering before you can start viewing your streaming download, which is not really an unreasonable time to wait.
You likewise get a page of information about each motion picture, including a cast list, customer reviews, and links to comparable movies in an Amazon-style ‘Audiences likewise brought’ prior to you choose to purchase. It’s likewise possible to see motion picture’s trailer by clicking the Preview button, which is convenient.
Once you’ve actually bought an iTunes film you’ve 30 days to start watching, and 48 hours to finish watching after you’ve actually started. The very best feature is that you can see throughout several devices, so you can begin viewing on your Apple TELEVISION and surface viewing on your computer system. However, this is just readily available on Standard Meaning movies, which rules out all new movie releases and seriously hobbles exactly what’d be an otherwise dazzling feature.
On the entire, the array of new titles is good, and easily similar to Sky Ticket office, and there’s likewise an impressive back catalogue of films.
But Apple TV is not really just about film – moving down the interface our next stop after Movies is TELEVISION Reveals. Here you’ll find an outstanding collection of shows purchase. The promoted shows right here have a UK-bias, which is excellent, however there are a great deal of American programs also. Wish to capture up on series 4 of Madmen? Not a trouble. It’s ₤ 2.49 ($2.99) an episode to purchase (there are no rentals offered for TV programs.)
Next is an alternative called Music – this is only for subscribers to Apple’s iTunes Match service (₤ 24.99 /$29.99 a year). If you are a Match customer then you’ll be able to access your whole iTunes music collection away, although you are likely to have your computer system in the house also and it’s simple to link to it from the Apple TELEVISION anyway, which brings us onto the next icon: Computers.
By tapping on Computer systems your Apple TELEVISION will immediately find any computer on your Wi-Fi network that’s the same Apple ID login on iTunes. The fact that your computer just appears right here without you needing to interact with a single dialog box or window is to Apple’s credit.
Here you can access your music, films, TV programs, podcasts, iTunes U and photos from your local machine. The streaming over Wi-Fi is perfect, as you ‘d expect.
The next icon is Settings, which has all the technical alternatives you’ll require, however likewise your screen saver settings. It deserves mentioning these since some stunning brand-new National Geographic photos have actually been included as a screen saver option.
Our favorite setting though is Image Stream, however more of that later on. Whichever screen saver you choose you’ll find a large choice of different themes– all of which make the pictures look stunning.
Netflix, which has been a feature of the US Apple TELEVISION for a while now, was introduced in the UK just recently and is now readily available in the user interface. A subscription expenses ₤ 5.99 a month in the UK, for which you get to watch a limitless quantity of its material. The amount and selection of new films on Netflix is disappointing, however parents will appreciate the limitless amount of children’ cartoon programs at their fingers.
Also on the Apple TV user interface are options for browsing YouTube, Vimeo, Commercial Journal and MLB (that’s Big league Baseball– subscription required)– none of these have changed in this update, so they are not worth pointing out in detail.
Photo Stream is brand-new however– it’s an iCloud-related feature that owners of iPhones will like. Once cannot0 turned Image Stream on any picture that cannot0 handled your iPhone (or iPad and iPod touch) will automatically get contributed to your Photo Stream when you’re connected to a Wi-Fi connection.
So, you take a few pictures with your iPhone while out and about, then as soon as you stroll through the door of your residence you can count on your Apple TV and see them by means of the Picture Stream icon. The speed and benefit of Photo Stream cannot be refuted.
Another new alternative in the interface is Trailers– this is not really anything new, simply a quicker way of getting to movie trailers, that include trailers for theatrical releases, which are excellent to have.
Performance
We checked leasing a 1080p HD film using a basic Sky broadband connection in your home and found it took about 5 minutes prior to it was ready to play, which is acceptable.
Apple TV tells you how many minutes are left before your motion picture can play, but its means of computing time seemed highly flawed with price quotes jumping from 1 minute left, to 2 hours 40 minutes, then back to two minutes!
It seemed better to disregard the messages and look at the download bar at the bottom of the screen rather. As soon as playing there was no buffering and the connection did not ever drop. As you ‘d expect for 1080p, the photo quality was excellent.
Netflix was equally smooth in playback, and many programs began playing practically quickly. Undoubtedly the efficiency will be effected by the quality of your Internet connection, but if there are issues we don’t think it’ll certainly be Apple TV’s fault.
AirPlay over our Wi-Fi network to the Apple TV was rock strong – you simply tap the AirPlay icon on your iOS gadget, or click the button in iTunes, as a video is playing, choose Apple TELEVISION and it begins using your TELEVISION a few seconds later.
The big dissatisfaction for many people right here will be how limiting Apple’s AirPlay is – it only officially works with content that you’ve inside your iTunes library on a Mac or COMPUTER, or material you’ve on among your iOS devices. Nevertheless that’s not the end of the story – there are work arounds.
For example, if you wish to play unsupported video formats like WMV, XVID or MKV on an iPad then you can thanks to 3rd party apps, like AVPlayerHD. Trying to send these videos from the app to Apple TELEVISION using your iPad however lead to just the audio being played.
However, if you switch on AirPlay Mirroring on your iPad (which mirrors its whole screen on your Apple TV) then you can see these videos on your Apple TV. It adds an extra step to the process, but it works well although you’re limited to a pillar box sized screen with mirroring
For full 16:9 resolution you require the assistance of an app called Air Video which installs a server program on your Mac or PC that encodes the video, while an iOS app beams it to your Apple TV.
When it pertains to watching paid-for content everything simply works flawlessly, as you ‘d anticipate it to. Purchasing content is handled effortlessly with your Apple ID, which the Apple TELEVISION remembers, so you just have to enter your password whenever you want to purchase something and it’s yours.
Perhaps the most outstanding feature of Apple TV though is just how easy it’s to make use of. It’s still better than all the other media streamers we’ve actually attempted.
You are in Apple’s world right here and in Apple world everything just works. Even the potentially troublesome problems of software application updates resemble water off a duck’s back to Apple TELEVISION – you simply get a message saying there’s a software application upgrade offered and would you like to install it now.
Navigating the menu system is youngster’s play – and the reality that the remote has so couple of buttons suggests that kids can utilize it too, without accidentally resetting the time zone or something similarly terrible. The number of clicks required to get to your material is likewise refreshingly small, and the method the entire menu system responds rapidly and intuitively to your clicks means you genuinely take pleasure in utilizing it, as opposed to it seeming like the thing that stands in between you and your content, which is so typically the case in media streaming user interfaces. Apple has actually put a great deal of believed into the Apple TELEVISION interface, and it shows.
Verdict
It’s actually when you own an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad that owning an Apple TV makes the most sense. All Apple’s devices understand how to play perfectly with each other, so you can utilize an Apple TELEVISION to mirror the screen of your iOS gadget and have everything it displays appear on your HD television.
The most evident use for this is for showing off images you’ve actually handled your iPhone, or a Keynote presentation you’ve actually produced on your iPad, but some iOS video games, like Counter Strike, take advantage of this feature in new and amazing means, allowing you to use your iPhone as a video game controller while enjoying the gameplay on your TV.
What’s more with the new variation of OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion due out this summer, Apple are bringing this capability to the Mac, so you’ll have the ability to mirror your computer on your TV screen too.
We liked:
If you currently have all your video material in iTunes, then all the other features Apple TELEVISION provides begin to make it stand apart from the crowd. Leasing and purchasing movies works perfectly and there’s a wonderful choice of the most recent releases and a large, growing back brochure.
The YouTube, Vimeo, Podcast and Film Trailers are all functions you’ll discover genuinely useful, but it’s Photos that we actually liked the most. It makes your snaps appearance gorgeous, with great slideshow results, and the iCloud integration through Photostream indicates that any pictures cannot0 taken using an iOS device automatically get beamed to your Apple TELEVISION a few seconds after you stroll with the door at home. That’s impressive. AirPlay is a rock strong streaming system and merely can’t be beaten for reliability.
We disliked:
If you are just looking for a way to stream media from your computer system to your television then perhaps Apple TV should not be your first option. You’ll discover Apple’s AirPlay system exceptionally simple to use, however it’s presently too limiting, making you dance through hoops to obtain your content into iTunes.
In addition to the iOS app workarounds we discussed there are lots of free video encoder programs on the market that’ll convert video to the. m4a file format that iTunes demands, it’s an actual pain needing to invest an hour encoding a video into a brand-new format prior to iTunes will recognize it, so you’ll be able to stream it from your computer to your Apple TELEVISION.
The Apple Remote requiring line of sight is a bit restrictive too, let us wish a Bluetooth alternatives becomes available in the future.
With Netflix now readily available in the UK the option of apps that Apple TELEVISION sports is starting to look a little less US-centric, but it still needs even more UK-specific content, like iPlayer, 4OD and ITV Player.
Verdict:
If you’ve actually already got some Apple devices in your home then Apple TELEVISION is a natural fit and at this price you ought to truly consider getting one due to the fact that it integrates wonderfully with your present setup.
But for everyone else, even with the addition of 1080p HD, there’s no compelling need to purchase an Apple TV over other media streamers right now.
If only Apple could sort out integrating iPlayer, 4OD and ITV Player into the menu system and make AirPlay a bit less limiting, because then Apple TV would be a must-have item for everybody.