Ask Engadget HD: Is the Apple TV worth it?
By Darren Murph 
posted Jan 21st 2009 12:00PM
posted Jan 21st 2009 12:00PM
"The Apple TV seems like a pretty good choice for my living room now that HD content is available and boxee can be added on. Still, I'd be buying into a mostly proprietary ecosystem, so I'm curious if it's really the best choice for a movie set-top-box / home media server. Do your readers have any suggestions one way or the other? Is it really the best, or are there better alternatives that do most of the same tasks?"
Give it some thought and chime in below. Don't worry, we won't call you a fanboy -- promise.
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I've looked into it myself, and even being a relatively big fanboy of apple, I just can't justify the purchase. While apple TV certainly looks pretty cool, I don't think I'd use it enough to really enjoy it.
That being said, I also think something like netflix is a waste for me because I'm not an avid movie watcher.
Basically, having my DVR and On-Demand from my cable provider really gives me all the content i could want so personally I don't think apple TV or any set-top box of the same caliber is worth it.
You're right. we get all the HD movies, shows, etc we can watch from cable/HBO and don't even have time to watch all the stuff we've recorded. We're on Netflix, but never seem to get around to watching the movies we get.
For me, it comes down to the model being used for offering content, and I have trouble with one-time rentals, or movie purchases you can only watch from the box, and not take with you a friends house.
I much prefer Netflix' approach of streaming the movies for a flat fee, though their HD library is weak at best. Still though, I support that model for accessing movies instantly and see that Netflix is adding more and more movies each week to their online service. Granted, their HD library hasn't grown much over the past few months, but since it doesn't cost me anything extra beyond my subscription, I can give them a chance to grow it.
I cannot comment on quality since I've never used Apple TV before, but for the HD streaming from Netflix, I say it's "good enough" for a one time viewing of a movie, which most times is the case. Besides, when I want quality, I just get the Blu-Ray version.
I didn't think I would like it but I love my AppleTV. You can transfer your purchases between your Apple TV and PC/Mac and then put it on your iPod. My issue with Apple TV is that it's closed and I think paying $1.99 for a TV episode that aired last night, "outreagously" expensive and then the cost of most of their stuff is pretty high. They charge $55 for a complete season of BSG in HD. Really??? For a digital download with no extra's they have the gall to charge the exact same amount as physical media?
The appleTV is also small enough to take with you to your friend's house.
I've done that before, I'll rent movies, download them, then take the unit to my girlfriend's house (hehe...unit).
1 Power plug, 1 HDMI plug and it's good to go.
Apple TV + atvflash + External HD + TED (BT) = Awesome!
That's all I have to say about that.
Get tvshows from sourceforge instead of TED. It consistently grabs the best version of the shows. ted sometimes fails to choose the right one to grab and I the episode a second time.
Absolutely, I use it all the time for Video podcasts, Boxee, Movie rips from handbrake. It IS my way of getting media on my tv. ill even rent an occasional movie on there if I don't want to wait for Netflix. I use it all the time for music to be streamed of of the internet or itunes.
Its a very important device for an all Mac home and one of the easiest to implement. If I had not received one for my birthday, I would have def bought one.
I highly recommend it for anyone that uses itunes
I received one for my birthday too. I would not have purchased it on my own however. I always felt it was a bit lacking PRIOR to owning...
BUT this probably made it a perfect gift b/c now that I have one, I enjoy it quite a bit. I do not have cable and use terrestrial HD, which probably ups the enjoyment factor for me personally (ie I actually watch the HD podcasts--there is some decent amature content on there...)
My favorite surprise about the box is iPhoto and iTunes integration. I can easily push all of my photos and music onto my TV/home theatre and this is a pretty entertaining way to listen to music while my photos cascade across the screen. Also, during parties and such this gives an interesting way to keep people entertained b/c you can load different photo libraries via itunes.
The GUI is good and all, and the streaming is the way to go. If iTunes is on a computer in your WAP and it is active, you can stream anything in iTunes to the ATV. Eliminates the need for the big HD IMO. Also, the movie function allows you to stream content , here my experience with PS3 HD content is you have to DL it in its entirety before beginning (anyone else?) The iPhone as a remote is an enhancement, but you still need the controller to operate (apple needs to make it able to fully control).
My wife uses it a great deal, which she has and will not do when I have my laptop hooked up to the TV or even my ps3. I think that kind of thing intimidates non-techy types, so the Atv is 100% accessible IMO.
Finally, as I believe mr Murph put it a while back, "getting Boxee on your apple TV improves it by a factor of 10," which I agree with. Again, for a non-cable person its nice to be able to watch TV via hulu or CBS and not have to worry about downloading a torrent. I haven't explored it much, but the streaming media piece seems much more open than itunes (ie no handbrake required to make the file "right")
There are quirks indeed--the system runs very hot, the 24 hr rental is LAME and the new releases are staggered, expensive and unavailible for rental for a couple of weeks after release. A revision is probably due, but I am very certain Apple and the BDA have made nice so a mac mini with Bluray and aTV functionality is likely a revision coming soon. Also, they should mess around with the system and give it an app store. Who knows--somebody could write that killer app everyone is waiting for and make .99 each time we downloaded...
I use mine constantly for music streaming (as I type), movie rentals and TV shows. Granted, music streaming could be done with an Airport Express so the value proposition is really for those who consume media from the iTunes store.
In my mind, the Apple TV is definitely worth it, but it's certainly a decision based on how you intend to use it.
I don't have an Apple TV, but if I was to get one, I think I'd rather spend an extra $300 and have a Mac Mini hooked up to my TV instead. That way, if the TV/Movie side of the iTunes ecosystem ever goes down (not likely, for sure), I think I would have more flexibility in being able to use the unit.
All signs are pointing towards a convergence of Apple TV and the MacMini. You might consider waiting until the new Mini arrives and get it all in one box.
I'd recommend staying away from proprietary systems and look at the extensibility of Windows Media Center. For well under $1000 you can build a HTPC with a BD-ROM drive, HDMI out and enough disk space to keep a good sized content library. With free or low cost software extensions, you can rip and manage your DVD and BD collections, watch Netflix streams, podcasts, and anything else you might want or need. Should a new standard come along, you can count on Windows to support it, without having to wait long for it. Need to add more disk space, or upgrade the video or audio capabilities? Just throw it in, it's a PC. Windows 7 is coming, and it promisies to add even more capabilites, such as satellite tuning and improved compatibility with 3rd party AV solutions.
It may not be as sexy a solution as the AppleTV's shiny silver coaster, but in the end, pretty is as pretty does. And that's the ONE thing nobody can argue about Windows - it does everything.
No it doesn't do everything. It doesnt pass through Dolby HD or DTS HD and it doesn't play a great deal of media file types.
Quicktime is no more proprietary than Windows Media.
And an Xbox 360 can extend that media center to other rooms. It can also do nearly everything an Apple TV can do, and comes in at a lower price.
@junk
um, yes it can, provided you use an Asus Xonar HDAV 1.3 sound card. The Deluxe version even does 7.1 analog outs.
Which media file types that are widely used is there no third party support for in Windows Media Center?
I'm a bigger Media Center fanboy than most people. Heck, I even have 3 Cable Card tuners connected to mine. That said, there's something nice about a box that will never need a keyboard. I use Windows 7 Media Center at the moment, and while I love it, the lack of integration with "real" online service providers does give AppleTV one checkmark than 7MC doesn't
Internet channels in Media Center suck. The content is practically worthless, only having small clips instead of whole shows in HD.
That said, 7MC offers more functionality, easier flexibility, and does it in a world class UI. Honestly, one can't even compare 7MC to AppleTV becuase Media Center does so much more. THe popcorn hour is far more comparable to AppleTV, and while its UI is from 1998, the "It can handle any codec/container mix" outclasses even boxee. And it does it cheaper.
Are you serious? You are talking about spending less than $1000 where we are talking about a $200 AppleTV box. Although AppleTV can stand alone, that is not what it is for. AppleTV is an extension of your computer and the iTunes Store. For people who have video capable iPods and use iTunes for music videos and Podcasts. For people who want to see their photos and home movies on their home TV with near ZERO effort. AppleTV ROCKS!!!
As for the person who questions the ability to share with friends, you are absolutely wrong! TV shows and movies are sold with fairplay protection which means they can be played on 5 different PC's and an unlimited number of iPods/iPhones/AppleTV's. So I can purchase a TV season and legally and easily share it with my brother, father and a couple friends with no additional cost.
Apple could cause a huge departure from Cable and Satellite TV companies if they wanted to make plugins for hulu, NBC, ABC and CBS. The same could happen if they simply add more lower cost content.
That is how I see it.
I used to be you... but the prospect of having to have a full-blown computer that sucks a TON of juice and whirs and clicks (unless you spend big $$ on a nice unit that fits in your AV rack) next to every HDTV in the house (there are 3 in my house with six people) was a daunting prospect, expensive to buy and tedious to maintain...
I tried running Windows Media Center for a while and while I like the interface it was buggy and crashed at least once every 4-5 days... that's too much and if I was not around no one else in the family knew what to do... they found it a pain...
So for $150 I got essentially a brand new ATV off of Craig's list (I've since added two more) and I got a very small, self-contained unit that has two cables (for me at least), 1 HDMI and 1 power. It doesn't get any simpler than that. I invested $79 in a refurbished Linksys WRT-600N dual-band wireless router and loaded DD-WRT up on it. The 5Ghz band is dedicated to the ATV units.
In my basement I loaded up an OLD P4 (need to get something that sucks less juice but it's cheap) with 512MB RAM that runs XP and I put a $29 Hauppage capture card in it and plugged in the cable line. I also added a single 1TB external USB media drive.
The media server runs Orb to serve all my media including live TV to me remotely via my iPhone and it also has 700GB of movies, music and pictures on it. It only runs iTunes besides Orb.
The ATVs are fantastic at home - my 5 year old can figure out how to watch the movies she wants and we have over 300 movies in the libraries. I keep NO media on the ATVs themselves because I can simultaneously stream HD content to all three at once and they start immediately and run flawlessly... and I can control ALL of them remotely via my iPhone...
They turned out to be EXACTLY what I needed - a powerful, elegant and simple way to deliver over 700GB of information to any TV in the house...
I've been ripping my DVD library for a while just looking for a good home for it.
The market still hasn't matured yet. Popcorn Hour A-110 is the most full featured media box out there, but its firmware is full of bugs and the interface sucks. The next generation of networked media boxes will probably be ready for the mass market, and Apple TV wont be leading the way.
The Popcorn Hour is a joke. Skip it altogether. There are so many "gotchas" in the underlying hardware that you have to tiptoe through encoding to get something playable on the damn thing. Get your content from the internet, dark corner or not? Enjoy re-encoding.
Never actually used a PCH have you? I've had mine for about a year and I LOVE it. It plays literally every single file I throw at it. I don't know what you mean by re-encoding, I've never had to do that once. There isn't anything it can't handle. Even stuff it's not necessarily supposed to support (as listed in the documentation) plays just fine. It supports just about every file type you can think of, and they get constant firmware updates to add even more functionality. All for around $200, they're amazing devices.
PCH FTW!
I've never had to re-encode for my PCH either. I had a super high bitrate WMV that wouldn't play once, and trouble with a real video file a listener asked me to try out. But any other file, included Blu-ray rips...works great.
I'm pick the Apple TV for music/pictures, and the PH for video.
Popcorn hour has like 3 times the codec support of the ATV. Rather than spend all day converting with handbrake or ffmpeg, or praying that your perian hack will render the file, Popcorn just works. Popcorn hour has even more codec support than boxee. While boxee has the online content, it's still no replacement for torrents, and that means the best torrent streamer wins.
Therefore popcorn hour... If a full blown computer won't do the job.
I am definitely a huge Apple fan... but the AppleTV (I've owned 3 of them now) has had trouble fitting correctly in to my lifestyle. I have been considering getting one again, because the PS3 is lousy at streaming and it angers me to no end to have to watch 7-9 commercials before I get to the 'movie' part on a Blu Ray disk.
The AppleTV has a fantastic interface, and does everything they claim it does. Streaming is without interruption. Setup is a breeze. etc etc
My gripes are simple. I would LOVE nothing more than to get rid of my Blu Ray player (PS3) and have just an AppleTV, the problem is content. I spent all this money going HD at the whim of companies like Apple, all to have NO way to get NEW HD content that I OWN to my AppleTV. I can't rip Blu Ray on a Mac without using a Windows box. Even if I could rip it, it takes FOREVER to encode it. And once encoded some movies just have errors - audio dropouts, etc, from the encoding process and must be re-encoded.
AppleTV would be a no-brainer if I could BUY and downlaod HD movies. But you can't - which leaves the AppleTV as the only device that is really, really difficult to get HD content on that isn't rented for 24 hours.
I have about 80 movies that I had on DVD that I love, and I got all of those ripped and encoded and those are cool to watch on the AppleTV. But, for me, it all goes back to, "Why the hell did I spend $$$ on all this HD equipment if all I can watch on the AppleTV is SD content, poorly encoded at that?"
So for now, I stick with the PS3 - it's wireless is MISERABLE at streaming. I mean MISERABLE. Stutters, quits, network errors, etc. and that's HARDWIRED too via Cat6, though the source (my MacBook) is wireless over 802.11N. The AppleTV streams fine (even in HD) over wireless.
For music and photos, it's awesome. We have parties every now and then and always have music playing through the ATV with photos from past years and it's always a hit. TV Shows list is growing (in HD!) and it wouldn't take much before I dropped cable and relied on an ATV for TV content. I DESPISE advertising on TV today - it's horrid. So it will be a welcome change when the ATV can take over that roll. Podcasts are lame, IMHO - poorly produced with little info that makes a difference in my life.
Also, for things like news and real-time info, the ATV falls short. Why can't I watch CNN's live stream on it? This is my main reason for NOT canceling cable. Stuff is happening in the world right now - it's important for me to see that stuff. I would need a live stream of BBC and CNN.
In typical Apple style, the remote is simple and pretty, but to a fault. Typing in letters with that remote is painful on long title searches. It needs a better remote, for SURE.
I mentioned I've had 3 - it's a love/hate relationship. I love what the AppleTV COULD be, but hate what it isn't. It could be the center of my media library. It could be the box I used to get ALL of my content, but it's coming along too slowly and I think other manufacturers will pass up the ATV.
For me to purchase a new one, it would need the ability to purchase HD movies. A bigger hard drive to store all my HD content. An improved remote would be nice, but not required. News streaming would be nice, but wouldn't hold-up a purchase.
My Apple TV can purchase HD movies. They're not blu-ray quality but they're 720p, and I believe they had 5.1 sound at a minimum.
I agree with the remote and bigger hard disk though. 160gb isn't a lot.
I agree that adding HD purchases is the major hole in the AppleTV offering. The HD rentals are pretty nice, though.
There are 2 better remotes for the AppleTV: iPod Touch and iPhone. You can use the virtual keyboard to type in text.
"My gripes are simple. I would LOVE nothing more than to get rid of my Blu Ray player (PS3) and have just an AppleTV, the problem is content. I spent all this money going HD at the whim of companies like Apple, all to have NO way to get NEW HD content that I OWN to my AppleTV. I can't rip Blu Ray on a Mac without using a Windows box. Even if I could rip it, it takes FOREVER to encode it. And once encoded some movies just have errors - audio dropouts, etc, from the encoding process and must be re-encoded."
I have no idea on why you are even re-encoding your blu-rays after you rip them. Their container that the codec is stored, (whether it be MPEG2, H264, or VC1) in a blu-ray is .m2ts. The PS3 supports that native. What the PS3 does not support is streaming of DTS-HD and TRUE-AC3. That means that you need to down mix the audio to AC3 and than remux it back with the video. Set it on your server and send the file to the PS3 through HARDWIRE and you will have a steady stream of 40Mbs for the video and 640kbs for the AC3
"So for now, I stick with the PS3 - it's wireless is MISERABLE at streaming. I mean MISERABLE. Stutters, quits, network errors, etc. and that's HARDWIRED too via Cat6, though the source (my MacBook) is wireless over 802.11N. The AppleTV streams fine (even in HD) over wireless."
Well of course the wireless is going to be miserable. It wasn't meant to be used for streaming anyway. The PS3 at the most would get a stream of 32mbs from its 54Mbs b/g wireless. That mean you would be only able to stream SD video streaming at a steady 5.5 mbs for video which is DVD quality and 5.1 audio running at 460Kbs. Don't tell me that it is not possible because I have run a test on it running cat5e cable to a wireless DGL4500 router. Also of course you Macbook is going to do it better because you have a N card the PS3 does not support wireless N. N wireless runs more Mbs than a b/g wireless card.
I'd love an Apple TV but there is a fundamental issue for me. Why spend near on double the money on a ATV when for less i can get an Xbox 360 with the obvious gaming capabilities and then via the app Rivet, full itunes music and film streaming from my Mac?
The ATV needs a killer app and for me streaming with a nice GUI isn't enough. Now if Apple could add a browser or unique gaming experience then it would be a different story but as it stands it's seriously underwhelming.
Others are cottoning on to the concept of ATV and vastly improving it. My fear for Apple is that due to a lack of drive or development they'll end up an incumbent in a market which it should be pioneering. They need a strategic partner and maybe a TV manufacturer? Since things are going so well with LG, why not some LCD integration?
I second getting an xbox 360. Why pay more for less?
While the 360 is nice, especially with Netflix streaming, you run into the codec issue. The 360 is the best game system out there for playing back media (competition is pretty sparse with the PS3) but you're locking yourself into a box again, just like with the AppleTV.
No boxee on the 360.
The problem with an XBOX 360 over the AppleTV for me, is that I don't every play games. And the large footprint and noise of the XBOX over the AppleTV. The AppleTV Form Factora nd user interface is simply my favorite. I just wish it did more. Adding BOXEE to it gives the features I want, but adds a poor interface IMO and sluggishness.
I've got two (both loaded with Boxee) and I love them--everything is loaded on the Mac in my entertainment center and recent items are automagically synched to the ATVs' hard drives in the other rooms, though everything that isn't directly synched can be streamed. Well, everything except purchased HD from the iTunes store--can't get that to play over my G network without synching. Boxee adds another dimension to the experience with access to Hulu and others--just waiting for someone to sort out Netflix access for ATV (please?). For the record, I buy very little from iTunes--I mostly rely on Handbrake and an old G5 tower to grind through my DVD collection as I work. Overall, I'd really recommend an ATV, though like Wallbanger I might counsel waiting just a bit since the rumor mill seems to be indicating an upgrade or convergence with the Mini.
I've had mine for a few weeks now and I really enjoy it. Combine Apple TV and Bittorrent with ffmpeg and you've got pretty much anything you want to watch at your fingertips.
For me, I love the fact that I have access to all my music and videos on my AppleTV (160gb version) without having to have my comptuer on.
I've easily rented and purchased movies and have been satisfied with the experience.
I have installed Boxee but ultimately removed it because the Hulu streaming was a little choppy.
I'd love to see more features introduced by Apple, like web browsing (if they can figure out how to do it nicely with the tiny remote)
Apple TV is a good concept and just ahead of its time. Under capacity and under powered to do the things we want in HD. I agree with the new Mac Mini / Apple TV conversion/ combination. There is a new Product coming from Asus Eee Box B204 B206 which offered HDMI out and XP platform to do just about all you want with a remote in a very friendly form factor. Seems promising to coordinate Video, Music, Photos on and HDTV integration plan.
I have resisted Apple TV on the locked platform side. Boxee looks cool but for the rookies it is a long road to go.
Hulu with B204 and a blue tooth keyboard / track pad seems the better solution for the Music, Video and Photo space.
If you've got extremely low requirements for your media center/server, are going to get ALL of your content via iTunes, then the Apple TV will work for you. Otherwise, save yourself the hassle/frustration/anger and build an HTPC. It's incredibly easy and can be done for under $500 if you're really cutting corners. Read on if you'd like to know how I came to that conclusion over the last six months or so.
I bought an AppleTV knowing that I'd be using the ATV Flash on it, in order to enable a wider variety of codecs. I was going to hook up a Drobo (awful product, different story) to it as a media server. It handed your standard DVD rips just fine but absolutely choked on x264 content of any sort, SD or HD. Content from the iTunes store played back fine but the hardware in the AppleTV is just too limited to play back most of the x264 content you're going to find from dark corners of the internet. Now, this was about six months back but Boxee ran incredibly poorly. I know a few new versions have come out since and some AppleTV forums claim it runs better but not without hiccups. I'm pretty unimpressed with Boxee on my MacBook, but that might be related to the logging in every time thing that seems silly to me.
With my 30-day return coming up soon for Best Buy, I returned it and instead invested another $500 (for a total of $700) in a true HTPC. I haven't looked back. Windows Media Center is a bit much if you're just playing back media recorded/gained from other areas (read: not cable, ATSC capturing) as it has way too many features and a menu system that confuses all users, new and old alike. Roommates couldn't get used to it after a month of use. I switched to XBMC which runs flawlessly, doesn't lean on community codecs, and can play DVD images natively, without having to go through Explorer to mount them.
I couldn't agree more. IF you use iTunes and are satisfied with being locked into Apple, OR if you are semi adventurous and want a semi freeing ability of installing XBMC/Boxee on limited hardware then the AppleTV will fit your needs nicely.
If you use anything else besides all Apple products get a dedicated HTPC.
I got a AOpen MP945-dr (after returning my Mac Mini because of limited hardware specs) and have loved it since. I have Boxee, Windows 7, XBMC all installed and I can also fire it up and play simple games on my TV. I also had Mythbuntu on it with a HDHR for a while to record HD shows etc.
A full HTPC isn't much more and can do infinitely more things. Even the Boxee team has said that Netflix streaming is difficult because the specs are so limited.
NOT WORTH IT (for me.) I understand for others the choice swings the other way. I totally respect that.
Between my Roku Player for Netflix (awesome little $99 box) and my WD HD TV (also $99, I think now it retails for $119), I have everything I need & want at my fingertips.
Completely useless. Just get a computer, hook it up to your tv and torrent until you get blue in the face.
I looked into the ATV for its pretty interface, but I needed a way to stream my movies files (~400 mp4, m4v and wma 5.1) without interruptions or loss of quality to my HDTV. TVersity is just the software to provide the content to my XBOX360 and its free. Setup is easy and it works on my WIN XP , Vista and Windows 7 pc.
My process flow is Backup/DL files-> ConvertXtoDVD (if needed) -> Handbrake -> store files on NAS.
Have TVersity run on startup. View files on 46" Sony LCD via XBox360.
FYI "IF" we ever get 100Mbps internet speeds like Japan and Korea this will kill Blu-ray. Imagine the instant access with the same or better quality of blu-ray in your HT.
We actually love the Apple tv in our house. It is an amazing media center which offers better movie rental / purchase options than Xbox, Vudu or others. We love to do music playlists for parties, dinners, or just hanging out at home. Also to do movie rentals in HD or occasionally in SD if it is not in HD and we have to do it.
But, Apple TV is definitely due for an update. Here are some of the features my family would love:
1- bigger hard drive, add Bluetooth
2- blu-ray/dvd drive option
3- better integration into home theater receivers, ie to allow smart control systems to control it, ie ipods, and allowing crestron and control 4 to control it.
4- opening up apple tv, to allow outside programs to officially be used on it, ie Boxee, Netflix, Slingbox client and more.
5- make apple tv into a family gaming system with online game store. Nintendo Wii has proven that you don't need the most overachieving GPU to satisfy casual gamers. but there are pretty nice GPU's available now for it, Apple has a love affair with NVidia, now its time to put it to use. Besides, with all the casual gaming success the iphone has had, Apple could definitely be poised to take a new gaming offensive.
To all those who don't like Apple TV as-is... there is big potential and I genuinely believe if Apple develops it properly, just like they advanced the Iphone... it could prove a perfect console/media center.
but that means opening it up a little more. :-)
Mac Mini + Plex App
I was looking for a way to rip and stream my my fairly large dvd collection including lots of foreign films.I have a xbox 360 and a ps3 and thought this should be fairly straight forward. Not so fast my friend! I had no idea the problems I would have streaming movies with subtitles.
My solution = Apple tv hacked with Xbmc. So far this is amazing. WIth the media stream skin the interface is the best looking Ive seen. I rip the full dvd iso and they play flawlessly, Full Menus, subtitle support, and 5.1 audio!
This is one of the best purchases ive made for my HT so far.
If I was concerned about HD I would have looked at Popcorn Hour.
I agree. I have an Apple TV with Boxee installed and I have no problems streaming any of my digital content from my Windows Home Server.
Apple TV is an absolute waste of money! To my knowledge, the only people that have bought these are big time Apple Fanboys (who might I add, don't have time to even use them, because they're busy writing "Get Well" cards to Steve). These machines are way too limited in functionality.
Media Center is still the best solution for viewing your media in the living room.
I love my AppleTV because I am at college and have been spoiled by years of HD at home, so this gives me the opportunity to rent or buy HD content, even though its pricey LOST in HD is worth it for me. It may not be the most practical but it made everything easier in my 8x11 cell with standard def. cable connection.
Why would anyone spend money on apple tv when they can get Windows Media Center. Seriously folks I know this is about Apple TV but Windows Media Center is by way to spend way to get media in your living room. I currently have a vist awith Media Center and an xbox 360 that extender built in so i can stream media to any tv it's connected to.