If you’re considering an Apple TV, here’s the good the bad and the ugly of what you can expect from a current generation apple TV.
The Good
Price
I purchased the Apple TV so that I could stream content from my iPad onto my TV. I decided to go with the Apple TV after owning the iPad>HDMI cable for roughly 6 months. The downside of the iPad to HDMI adapter was that it was a $40 cable. Expensive for a 6″ cable and brought along all the negatives that apple cables are famous for. In the end my son was able to destroy it in a matter of moments.
So after wasting $40 the $99 for a device that sits safely at the top of my TV was a no brainier, which brings me to the next plus: Size
Size
The new Apple TVs are often referred to has hockey puck devices. The description fits well as they are small, black solid devices. They can easily fit at the top of your HD tv. They could fit even more easily behind your TV if it wasn’t for them being controlled by an IR remote, but nothing that a small mirror can’t fix.
Efficiency
Apple TV uses only 1.8 watts while working hard (when the light is on) and .8 watts while it sleeps. While this is theoretically nice for the electric bill it’s what brings out the Bad and the ugly in the Apple tv – speed is pathetic.
The Bad
Speed
Air play is the biggest highlight of the apple TV and it works great for low resolution video. As I write this review I’m looking to watch the last 30 minutes of a move I purchase yesterday. Many would assume that one of the benefits of purchasing videos online is that you have instant access to them. Not the case with the Apple TV. We purchased a movie in the hopes of watching it the same night, only to find that the movie wouldn’t be loaded enough to watch for at least 3 hours on a 7 mb/s connection.
Rewinding and fast forwarding from your device is a pain as the apple TV doesn’t respond immediately but takes several seconds to get it’s bearings.
Interface
The Apple TV comes with a super slim remote. If you’re just looking to play pause search within the movie then it’s a great. Spelling out movie titles is not as much fun. Luckily there is an auto complete feature to get you to the titles you want to see faster, but such a nice new age device with the input workflow of a 1990’s video game console ruins the magic. Infrared seems like something we should be doing away with as well. Steve Jobs had said regarding the TV that he had finally cracked it, the Apple TV 3 is clearly is not the device he was referring too.
The Ugly
Speed – Streaming HD Video
It almost seems as though apple has intentionally underpowered this device so that in the future they can make claims of it working 100 times faster.
If you’re considering an Apple TV, here’s the good the bad and the ugly of what you can expect from a current generation apple TV.
The Good
Price
I purchased the Apple TV so that I could stream content from my iPad onto my TV. I decided to go with the Apple TV after owning the iPad>HDMI cable for roughly 6 months. The downside of the iPad to HDMI adapter was that it was a $40 cable. Expensive for a 6″ cable and brought along all the negatives that apple cables are famous for. In the end my son was able to destroy it in a matter of moments.
So after wasting $40 the $99 for a device that sits safely at the top of my TV was a no brainier, which brings me to the next plus: Size
Size
The new Apple TVs are often referred to has hockey puck devices. The description fits well as they are small, black solid devices. They can easily fit at the top of your HD tv. They could fit even more easily behind your TV if it wasn’t for them being controlled by an IR remote, but nothing that a small mirror can’t fix.
Efficiency
Apple TV uses only 1.8 watts while working hard (when the light is on) and .8 watts while it sleeps. While this is theoretically nice for the electric bill it’s what brings out the Bad and the ugly in the Apple tv – speed is pathetic.
The Bad
Speed
Air play is the biggest highlight of the apple TV and it works great for low resolution video. As I write this review I’m looking to watch the last 30 minutes of a move I purchase yesterday. Many would assume that one of the benefits of purchasing videos online is that you have instant access to them. Not the case with the Apple TV. We purchased a movie in the hopes of watching it the same night, only to find that the movie wouldn’t be loaded enough to watch for at least 3 hours on a 7 mb/s connection.
Rewinding and fast forwarding from your device is a pain as the apple TV doesn’t respond immediately but takes several seconds to get it’s bearings.
Interface
The Apple TV comes with a super slim remote. If you’re just looking to play pause search within the movie then it’s a great. Spelling out movie titles is not as much fun. Luckily there is an auto complete feature to get you to the titles you want to see faster, but such a nice new age device with the input workflow of a 1990’s video game console ruins the magic. Infrared seems like something we should be doing away with as well. Steve Jobs had said regarding the TV that he had finally cracked it, the Apple TV 3 is clearly is not the device he was referring too.
The Ugly
Speed – Streaming HD Video
It almost seems as though apple has intentionally underpowered this device so that in the future they can make claims of it working 100 times faster.