Appletell

AppleInsider takes Apple to task for offering highly-compressed (though still High Definition) HD video through the iTunes Store:

A standard 720p file downloaded either through iTunes or an Apple TV consumes about 4Mbps of data, or just a tenth the total bit transfer rate of the optical format and a fifth of the nearly 20Mbps for over-the-air HDTV; even Xbox Video Marketplace video affords more, at 6.8Mbps.

So don’t throw that Blu-Ray player out the window just yet.

But there’s also some good news…

MORE »

When announcing iTunes Movie Rentals, Steve Jobs said to expect 100 High Definition, 5.1 Surround Sound titles available for rent by February.  Although Apple has made this goal, they are really short in their goal of 1,000 standard definition titles.  396 short, to be exact. Although there are 197 HD titles, of which exactly 100 are 5.1 Surround Sound, there are a relatively meager 604 SD titles.  Also of note is the fact that only six (yes, only six) titles have been added to the content library since March.

This may seem very un-Apple to set a seemingly attainable goal and miss by a mile, but they managed to do so.  If Apple ever wants to be a substantial competitor for Amazon’s Unboxed or Netflix’ Instant Watch, both of which have thousands of titles (it is still pretty foggy on whether or not Apple is really actually trying to compete with those two companies). 

Via [iLounge]

Shaw Wu of American Technology Research is one of the many analysts making predictions on Apple’s third generation version of Apple TV. His predictions remain similar to those of many others: Apple will most likely include digital video recorder functionality (as reported) and will transform the Apple TV that we know into a TiVo-like device, or “real business” instead of just a “hobby,” as stated by Wu. He estimates that it will only cost Apple $12-$15 extra to add DVR components to Apple TV, but will benefit the company greatly in sales and popularity of the device.

Apple is also said to adopt the new Blu-ray standard, and build it into its future products, specifically Macintosh computers, which can mean a lot for the future of many of Apple’s products, including Apple TV. Wu believes that Apple is in its “final discussions” with Sony regarding adopting the new high definition standard, despite Apple’s current stance which is heavily pushing the HD capabilities of the iTunes store.

If all of these predictions are to come true, Apple is soon to see a huge boom in sales and adoption of its products among consumers. Mostly to benefit is Apple TV, which is currently seeing the least in sales among Apple’s popular products.

HDCP is a new form of copy protection introduced with the HDMI platform, it stands for High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection. According to Jeff Carlson from TidBITS, movie rentals on the Apple TV require HDCP. This means if the TV/monitor you’re using your Apple TV with isn’t HDCP-compliant, you won’t be able to play rented movies. This is probably not the situation Apple wanted, but the movie studios likely insisted that their movies were protected from anyone copying them.

HDCP is like the DRM of video, it sucks, it’s pointless, but we have to put up with it. Fortunately, almost every HDTV out there has HDCP in it - and if you’re already watching Blu-ray movies through HDMI, then you’ll have no problem watching Apple TV movie rentals. Also, if you’re using your Apple TV through an analog connection that’s not high-definition, then you should have no problem with playback either. If you do find that you can’t play a movie you purchased, please contact Apple support - they should give you a refund.

Via [MacDailyNews]

More and more HDMI-equipped devices are appearing - and you’ll probably find that your brand new HDTV runs out of free HDMI ports quickly. Devices like Apple TVs, games consoles, satellite receivers and more are all becoming HDMI compliant because it provides the best quality in both audio and video; supporting Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound, and 1080p.

XtremeMac, well-known for making iPod and Mac accessories, have introduced an HDMI switcher that is designed to fit with the Apple TV. The device sits nicely underneath or on top of an Apple TV, as it has the same white plastic and aluminium trim that the Apple TV has, as well as exactly the same footprint. It’s also incredibly thin for an HDMI switcher of this type, and looks great wherever it’s placed.

Included in the box is the HDMI switcher itself, and a 5-button remote control - which is used for switching between the four different sources. It’s a shame that you can’t have the box automatically switch between sources when a signal is detected, but systems that have this feature often don’t work too well. The bundled remote control is tiny, and also about the same size as the Apple remote - although this has a different design.

MORE »

In a press release noting the MacBook Air’s shipping, Apple announced that the Apple TV Take 2 Software Update is “not quite finished” and that Apple “now plans to make the free software download available to existing Apple TV customers in another week or two.”

The Apple TV Update, announced at Macworld, will allow the Apple TV to work without a connection to a Mac or PC. Users of the Apple TV will now be able to rent and buy movies, buy music, and watch existing content from their iTunes libraries directly from the Apple TV. The new software was expected to be released right around this time, but Apple says it could take just a little more time.

The Apple TV began shipping in March 2007 but was met with lukewarm praise at best. At Macworld in January 2008, Apple CEO Steve Jobs said that they realized the mistakes they had made with the Apple TV, and would be re-doing the device, dubbing it “Apple TV Take 2”

Read [Apple PR]

A lot of people were really happy to hear Steve Jobs’ announcement at yesterday’s Macworld that you will be able to rent movies directly from iTunes. The movie rentals cost $2.99 for library rentals, and $3.99 for new releases. The piece that sealed the deal during the keynote was the fact that you would be able to get the HD versions of movies for only $1 more per rental.

Well Ars dug up a little more information from an Apple rep yesterday, and it turns out you will not be able to use the rent-to-own feature on HD movies. If you thought that was bad, to add insult to injury, the movies are only available for rental from your AppleTV. I don’t know if this is Apple’s way of making you buy an AppleTV, or just a safety precaution for customers who aren’t smart enough to realize they can’t get HD on their iPods, but it sucks.

I like high quality video, and if I could pay $1 more for HD, even if it was only on my computer, it would be a lot more worth it to me and I’d be more inclined to rent or purchase it. Apple made a few mistakes yesterday, it should be interesting to see how it all pans out.

Read [Ars]