Wish List for Apple TV v2.0
The much talked about Apple TV has been around for a while and is being carried by major retailers, and has been hacked over and over again. After catching yet another Apple TV review, I put together this list (with explanations) of stuff I hope Apple integrates into its next Apple TV.
- Upconverting Ability
- 1080p Support
- Ability to Browse iTunes Store
- RSS Support, Web Browser and Bluetooth
- Same or Lower price
Upconverting Ability
Right now, Apple does not sell HD television content nor do they sell HD quality movies. Why not make the next Apple TV have the ability to upconvert the current content to HD resolutions? This move would not alienate people who had purchased lower quality iTunes releases while giving Apple time to get some HD content in the store.
1080p Support
The maximum resolution supported by Apple TV is 1080i. Unfortunately, that’s not “True HD.” If you pay attention to DL.TV at all, you would know that the “i” stands for interlaced and “p” stands for progressive and that progressive is much better for high definition.
Ability to Browse iTunes Store
I was surprised this was not included in the Apple TV. Not only could you easily and impulsively purchase music, TV shows, and movies, but you could subscribe to all kinds of podcasts from your Apple TV. The obvious hurdle is navigation of iTunes using a simple Apple Remote. Arguably, Apple could simply use the same navigation that is currently used in the iPod or Apple TV where you drill down via “Artists” or “Genres.”
RSS Support, Web Browser and Bluetooth
I lumped these three things together because they do not make a lot of sense without each other.
You can get news your Nintendo Wii; you should be able to get news on your Apple TV. Apple could even throw in that nifty RSS screensaver that is in OS X. I’m sure Apple would set the default RSS feeds to all kinds of pro-Apple sites. A rudimentary web browser could easily be made out of WebKit or the Mozilla engine.
Bluetooth would be an excellent addition since web browsing and navigation in iTunes could be done using bluetooth keyboard and mouse (or some kind of combo device like a “Keyouse” or a “MouBoard”).
The addition of these three features would not bog down the device, and many people would not bother to use them. However, it would get more tech-savvy users to pick up the device.
Same or Lower Price
I disliked that Apple has raised the price to the entry level Mac mini and also no longer has a sub-$1000 notebook. The price of the Apple TV should not be increased. Since the device is pretty-much a headless iPod, it should follow the iPod trend of lower prices over time.
Notables I Didn’t Wish For:
I didn’t push for Divx or Xvid or other video format support because I don’t believe that Apple is about to enter that kind of openness with their iPod or Apple TV. I tried to stick to things that Apple could and could possibly do. Apple has standardized video formats via its iTunes store. There’s no need to look for the next codec.
I also didn’t push for the Apple TV to become a full-fledged “Mac nano.” The Apple TV is a consumer electronics device; it should not become a computer in the living room. Apple has done a great job of hiding its OS under the shiny Front Row-esque and there’s no reason to destroy that illusion.
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How about video rentals (w/o monthly fees) from iTunes to aTV?
Now this would be cool.
I agree with most of these — but am not sure what you mean about “upconverting.” Doesn’t that generally lead to poor image quality? Buying higher resolutions — great. Upconverting…..no.
It would be great to access the Store directly, too.
Overall, I’m excited to (hopefully) purchase the current one. I got pretty excited after reading Shelly Palmer’s “AppleTV – Just What The Doctor Ordered:
http://advancedmediacommittee.typepad.com/emmyadvancedmedia/2007/04/appletv_just_wh.html
But, any improvements sound cool, too.
Alexandra
I wish for support for an MLB.TV subscription. Imagine the their Mosaic app running on Apple TV.
1080p support? Yes, please!
TV Show and/or movie subscription. Heck, yeah!
I agree with all your points but the first. You never really explain what you mean by “upconverting”. AppleTV currently scales up all input to the maximum resolution of the TV; a 640*480 video, for instance, gets scaled up to 1024 * 768 on my TV.
Are you talking about some sort of additional, “smart” processing? I’ve seen some examples where this kind of sort of improves the picture, but it’s essentially pointless – those who care about these things will never be happy until everything is 1080p. Those who don’t care won’t notice the difference.
By upconverting I meant upscaling video like an upscaling DVD player.
From Answers.com:
upconvert
To convert one set of values to a higher set of values. For example, HDTV sets upconvert broadcast TV (480i) and DVDs (480i or 480p) to the highest format the set supports (720p, 1080i or 1080p). Also called “upscale,” upconverting is an upsampling operation. Contrast with downconvert. See upsampling.
Sorry for the confusion.
I would really like to see support for the USB port added. I would love to be able to plug in an external HD for more storage or a Blu-Ray/HD-DVD drive with playback supported (similar to the current version of Front Row for DVDs). If anything, 720p content added to the iTunes store would be a good start.
I don’t own an AppleTV yet but from what I’ve read it sounds like it already upconverts. I feel its the same as a Sony DVD player that has an HDMI output. It upconverts the DVD (480i, or 640×480, same as iTunes yes?) to 720p or 1080i. The picture improves a bit (or at least looks sharper). Granted, an itunes movie is compressed more than a DVD I believe but that’s not the resolution’s fault.
Also, any AV expert (who’s not trying to sell you a TV that is) will tell you that you can’t tell the difference between 1080i and 1080p unless you have a TV larger than 50 inches. I’m glad Apple’s stayed off the “True HD” bandwagon and hope they will for at least a while longer to kepp the price down.
Also possibly adding HD DVR features later on in the future. That would make it the ultimate living room device.
1. I would like to see a DVD player added. I want to get rid of it and be able to play the DVDs I wish NOT to convert to MP4 on my AppleTV. One less device to have to deal with.
2. I would like to see EyeTV offer a software install for the AppleTV to turn it into a DVR.
I agree with lantzn. I’m one of those odd people who doesn’t own a DVD player (I have them in my computer, but not in the TV) because I don’t really rent movies (I have all the movie channels and Pay-per-view at home). Having a Blu-Ray DVD player (that also plays regular DVDs) would definitely inspire me.