Anyone here use Apple TV?

[maroonandwhite]

As the title states I am looking to get some opinions on the Apple TV service. I am getting ready to cancel my DirecTV service as I just can't stand paying $100 a month for three or four shows that I watch. It looks like with this box not only can I watch netflix streaming but I can buy season passes for my shows and reasonable prices. I am wondering if anyone who uses these knows if the shows are available to watch the same time as they are available on DirecTV/Dish. I don't mind waiting an extra day for them to be available but don't want to wait months for them to release them. Any opinions would be appreciated. Thanks!

[Krull]

I would get a Roku player -- if you have PS3 you can get stuff through that as well.  Hulu Plus, Amazon prime etc have current TV shows such as Justified, The Following, Revolution etc but you have to wait a day to watch them.  THe apple TV is nothing special and most of that stuff you can get through ROKU and get two players for theprice of one apple tv....Unless things have changed the only thing apple TV offers you cant get through a Roku is access to ITUNES.

 

I dont have cable -- i have internet - and roku players and stream through the xbox, my mac connected to my tv's and ps3.  A lot of shows you can watch on the the website of NBC ABC etc.  If you know someone in your family that has comcast you can piggy off their Xfinity under a different user name and password and watch espn espn 2 espn 3 espn u CNN etc live.  Several options there.  I pay a total of 65 bucks a month + the yearly fee of 70 bucks for Amazon prime and have a HD antenna for local channels and i do not miss cable one bit.  My bill was 195 bucks a month before i swapped.

 

Check ROKU and compare channel lineups before   you drop a bill on apple TV

 

There are several free channels on the Roku that has classic military and regular movies for free like Crackle which is a good one. 

 

There are many thousands of movies you can get when a member of Amazon Prime as well as hulu...

 

My pricing

Amazon Prime yearly fee of 70 bucks

Hulu Plus 8 bucks a month

Netflix 9 bucks a month

Fastest cable internet offered 50 bucks a month.

I have 3 Roku players -- a PS3 and Xbox streaming to various TV's

 

I can run 4 tv's at once streaming with my setup and no hiccups.

 

PM me if you need some advice

Edited April 9, 2013 by Krull

[maroonandwhite]

Yeah the main thing I like about the Apple TV is the ability to use airplay and stream the ipad or mac to the tv. If it wasn't for that I'd be looking at the roku. I only need one box so I don't mind springing the extra $50 for the Apple TV. I think you answered this but you DO have to wait usually around one day for the shows to show up? From what I looked at the season pass or individual shows are offered from itunes.

[Krull]

WE have a macbook pro i hook directly to the tv but i forgot my wife told me about apple tv being able to stream from the ipad... im going to have to get one now.....

[Krull]

If you watch Justified for example exclusive to amazon prime -- you can watch it one day after the original air date.  Also i watch revolution and the following on hulu plus -- same thing i cant watch it on monday but i can watch it on tuesday.  If you have a good buddy that gives you his login info for HBO GO you can watch say game of thrones the same night it comes out....

Edited April 9, 2013 by Krull

[2.ooohhh]

Yeah the main thing I like about the Apple TV is the ability to use airplay and stream the ipad or mac to the tv. If it wasn't for that I'd be looking at the roku. I only need one box so I don't mind springing the extra $50 for the Apple TV. I think you answered this but you DO have to wait usually around one day for the shows to show up? From what I looked at the season pass or individual shows are offered from itunes.

 

It depends on the provider of the programming, for example I get Leverage the day after it airs, but on HBO content I didn't get access to game of thrones until well after it aired on cable. The majority are same day or next day though.

 

I have PS3s, Roku, and appleTVs and did pretty extensive testing, the roku's are good but they are no apple TV. Every TV in the house got an apple TV and the more often watched TVs in the den and the theater got one of each.

 

The deciding factor for the appleTV was that my wife liked it much better in actual use. (less timeouts, errors, and broken content) The airplay streaming is just icing on the cake.

[Krull]

It depends on the provider of the programming, for example I get Leverage the day after it airs, but on HBO content I didn't get access to game of thrones until well after it aired on cable. The majority are same day or next day though.

 

I have PS3s, Roku, and appleTVs and did pretty extensive testing, the roku's are good but they are no apple TV. Every TV in the house got an apple TV and the more often watched TVs in the den and the theater got one of each.

 

The deciding factor for the appleTV was that my wife liked it much better in actual use. (less timeouts, errors, and broken content) The airplay streaming is just icing on the cake.

 

 

 

the streamplay looks awesome -- i have never had an issue with a roku inturrupting or timing out. An occasional reset is required though.  My wife has apple tv at work and she loves it as well.  There are just some awesome free stuff  especially if you like military shows you can get with a Roku you cant get anywhere else.  Well worth the investment.   If you can afford them both then you cant go wrong.

 

Im going to get a Apple TV now! thanks for costing me money

Edited April 9, 2013 by Krull

[Guest Lester Weevils]

I'm out of touch and perhaps don't grasp the advantages of big video displays. I suppose they would be useful if a family routinely shares watching TV ala the old 1950's-1960's nightly custom, or for such as a superbowl party.

 

OTOH, last time a 24" computer monitor went down I replaced it with a 27" 1080p monitor for a couple hundred bucks. Been trying to talk myself into getting 27" or 30" high-res monitors for some years but they are still too expensive. Additionally, my eyes are not getting any better in old age, and "standard size text" on a 27" 2570X1440 monitor would be smaller than the same "standard size text" on a 24" 1920 X 1280 monitor, harder on the eyes for actual computer work. "Standard size text" would be a little bigger on a 30" 2560X1600 monitor, but still not as big as the same font size on a 24" 1920 X 1280 monitor. So if one has weakening eyes and would need to boost the standard font size after paying the big bucks for a high-res monitor, one wouldn't be getting a very good return on one's money.

 

Just sayin, a cheap 1080p monitor, 1920 X 1080-- If viewing a netflix movie on a 27" monitor, from a distance of 2 feet away sitting on the computer desk-- In order to see as big an image from a 1080p television 12 feet away on the other side of a small living room-- One would need a 162" diagonal big-screen TV to show as big as picture as the 27" monitor sitting on the desk. To see as big an image from 24 feet away in a basement rec-room, one would need a 324" monitor. On the other hand, the biggest TV that best buy lists today is a 90" monitor selling for $9000.

 

So it seems that the best and most cost-effective video experience would be from a good-sized decent computer monitor, viewed from a distance of one or two feet?

 

Taking the analogy in the opposite direction, the same viewing experience as a 162" TV 12 feet away, would come from viewing a 13.5" laptop monitor from a distance of one foot, or viewing a 6.75" pad display from a distance of 6 inches? 

[2.ooohhh]

If you watch Justified for example exclusive to amazon prime -- you can watch it one day after the original air date.  Also i watch revolution and the following -- same thing i cant watch it on monday but i can watch it on tuesday.  If you have a good buddy that gives you his login info for HBO GO you can watch say game of thrones the same night it comes out....

 

 

Justified is neither exclusive to Amazon nor cheaper there.  ;)

It's currently $22.99 for season 4 in SD on ATV and $24.57 for the season in SD on Amazon.

HD version of season 4 is $34.99 (aTV) vs. $36.92 (amazon)

 

As for the broken channels, b/c roku allows anyone to submit channels there were(and still are in some areas) a lot of badly scripted channels out there that are less than reliable at getting content to the roku with out breaking when they hit injected ads and intercept pages put up by providers. Most are getting resolved as time goes on but I assure you the roku you know today is not what it was several years back before the content producers got directly involved in alternative means of distribution.

[Krull]

Justified is neither exclusive to Amazon nor cheaper there.   ;)

It's currently $22.99 for season 4 in SD on ATV and $24.57 for the season in SD on Amazon.

HD version of season 4 is $34.99 (aTV) vs. $36.92 (amazon)

 

As for the broken channels, b/c roku allows anyone to submit channels there were(and still are in some areas) a lot of badly scripted channels out there that are less than reliable at getting content to the roku with out breaking when they hit injected ads and intercept pages put up by providers. Most are getting resolved as time goes on but I assure you the roku you know today is not what it was several years back before the content producers got directly involved in alternative means of distribution.

It is streamed free with Prime or at no additional cost.....And yes that is exclusive...

I would say its quite a bit cheaper there because the whole series including all seasons is included with prime and the HD feature at no additional cost.

 

35x4 = 140

that is two years of prime.... a pretty good deal i would think

 

 

 

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57571296-93/amazon-nabs-exclusive-rights-to-stream-justified/

 

 

 

And talking about the ROKU of today is the point correct? not based on a few years ago.

 

Computers arent what they were 20 years ago .... not going to stop me from owning one.

Edited April 9, 2013 by Krull

[2.ooohhh]

So it seems that the best and most cost-effective video experience would be from a good-sized decent computer monitor, viewed from a distance of one or two feet?

 

Taking the analogy in the opposite direction, the same viewing experience as a 162" TV 12 feet away, would come from viewing a 13.5" laptop monitor from a distance of one foot, or viewing a 6.75" pad display from a distance of 6 inches? 

 

 

That's sort of how it works but putting a modern cell phone 3" from your nose does not equal watching a movie at a theater.  

 

As the screen gets larger and the distance to the screen increases viewer eye fatigue is greatly reduced.

 

It is streamed free with Prime or at no additional cost.....And yes that is exclusive

 

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57571296-93/amazon-nabs-exclusive-rights-to-stream-justified/

 

 

Streamed with prime is great for the upcoming season and it does beat out netflix and hulu+ but it won't keep Atv users from being able to purchase it if they don't have prime or a roku. Rights to "stream" and rights to "digital sale" are the loophole Apple's been using to offer content others haven't had for a few years now. If you care enough to purchase the content to be able to see it the aTV is doing quite well. If you want as much access to cheap streamed content that you don't own then the roku/PS3 is for you teamed with Netflix, Hulu+, and Prime subscriptions and the free ad supported channes on roku.

Edited April 9, 2013 by 2.ooohhh

[Defender]

I have Apple TV2 on one tv and A Sony Smart Blueray on another, both used in conjunction with Cable, at present.  My research shows that the Roku 3 may be the best though.  I really wanted the ability to stream to my Ipad2, but after the fun wore off, i found I rarely do that, and I dont even use itunes on the AppleTV2., just netflix.  On the Sony, I use netflix and a few others, like Crackle, on occasion.  I rarely have any problems out of either rdevice, though the Sony seems to be slower than the AppleTV2.  The Sony does offer a whole more "channels" than the AppleTV2. I should add that on both these devices, Im only using free stuff, except for the netflix.

[Krull]

That's sort of how it works but putting a modern cell phone 3" from your nose does not equal watching a movie at a theater.  

 

As the screen gets larger and the distance to the screen increases viewer eye fatigue is greatly reduced.

 

 

 

Streamed with prime is great for the upcoming season and it does beat out netflix and hulu+ but it won't keep Atv users from being able to purchase it if they don't have prime or a roku. Rights to "stream" and rights to "digital sale" are the loophole Apple's been using to offer content others haven't had for a few years now. If you care enough to purchase the content to be able to see it the aTV is doing quite well. If you want as much access to cheap streamed content that you don't own then the roku/PS3 is for you teamed with Netflix, Hulu+, and Prime subscriptions and the free ad supported channes on roku.

 

 

not looking to get in whats better than what fight here but there is nothing cheap about the stream on a ROKU -- the HD channels amongst others look great and they do not look "CHEAP".  Bottom line is each to their own -- im not paying for 4 season of digital justified to say I own them.  I will buy the disc set and really own them if that were the case.

 

The OP stated he wanted a specific feature that the ATV offers -- that feature is exclusive to that player.  He wont go wrong with it.  As for adding a ROKU he wont go wrong with that as well. 

 

I also have a program on my mac i can stream video from my mac to my PS3 and it works very well....It would be easier just to use the ATV for that though.

Edited April 9, 2013 by Krull

[2.ooohhh]

not going to get in whats better than what fight here but there is nothing cheap about the stream on a ROKU -- the HD channels amongst others look great and they do not look "CHEAP".  Bottom line is each to their own -- im not paying for 4 season of digital justified to say I own them.  I will buy the disc set and really own them if that were the case.

 

The OP stated he wanted a specific feature that the ATV offers -- that feature is exclusive to that player.  He wont go wrong with it.  As for adding a ROKU he wont go wrong with that as well. 

 

 

No, there is no clear winner as the feature sets and available content vary greatly, most often due to the provider. That is why several sets in my house have both. The roku streams CAN be as good as the aTV streams but they aren't always, and the PS3 often beats out both.

 

Most people probably won't notice the small differences in image quality on a smaller screen, but they show up as glaring issues when projected in a much larger format.  :stunned:

[Jesse]

Im waiting for the new xbox, ms is reportedly going to put a lot of focus into the tv part of it. Should be the most advanced set top box come November.

[Krull]

No, there is no clear winner as the feature sets and available content vary greatly, most often due to the provider. That is why several sets in my house have both. The roku streams CAN be as good as the aTV streams but they aren't always, and the PS3 often beats out both.

 

Most people probably won't notice the small differences in image quality on a smaller screen, but they show up as glaring issues when projected in a much larger format.  :stunned:

 

 

I stream on a 55" and im telling you it looks great.... however the PS3 does look better slightly......All and all it depends on what you are looking for in a player -- my suggestion with the money you are going to save by ditching cable....get Roku and ATV..... you can afford them both after one month with what you will save by not paying for cable :)

Edited April 9, 2013 by Krull

[2.ooohhh]

Im waiting for the new xbox, ms is reportedly going to put a lot of focus into the tv part of it. Should be the most advanced set top box come November.

 

Somewhere after my 3rd RROD I dropped the MS consoles from my acceptable electronics list, sold them all off, and bought another PS3.

 

It'll have to be all that,a bag of chips, and make breakfast in the morning before I hand MS any cash for another console.

[Krull]

Somewhere after my 3rd RROD I dropped the MS consoles from my acceptable electronics list, sold them all off, and bought another PS3.

 

It'll have to be all that,a bag of chips, and make breakfast in the morning before I hand MS any cash for another console.

 

 

Plus i hear there is spy conspiracy with the new xbox heh

 

Alex Jones never gets things wrong muuhahahahahah

http://www.infowars.com/new-xbox-wont-let-you-play-unless-its-spying-on-you/

[maroonandwhite]

On the phone with DTV now cancelling! They are only taking me for $160 on the cancellation fee........ I did "sign" on the dotted line though.

[maroonandwhite]

Wow just got some good news. Apparently I have about $100 worth of prorated charges on my DTV account that will be credited back so I only have to pay around $50 to cancel the service. I was scared it was going to be astronomical since my past dealings with cell service providers have been that way. Will probably go to best buy and see if I can play around with the Roku's and the Atv.

[Krull]

Wow just got some good news. Apparently I have about $100 worth of prorated charges on my DTV account that will be credited back so I only have to pay around $50 to cancel the service. I was scared it was going to be astronomical since my past dealings with cell service providers have been that way. Will probably go to best buy and see if I can play around with the Roku's and the Atv.

 

 

You must have just paid your bill recently  --

[maroonandwhite]

Oh yeah SOME of it is that. I just paid it today actually but it was only $75. Not sure where the extra $30 or so dollars came from but glad to have it. I know I'm not actually SAVING $100 but it sure feels better than having to pay $160 on top of this months bill. haha

[Sam1]

I would get a Roku player -- if you have PS3 you can get stuff through that as well. Hulu Plus, Amazon prime etc have current TV shows such as Justified, The Following, Revolution etc but you have to wait a day to watch them. THe apple TV is nothing special and most of that stuff you can get through ROKU and get two players for theprice of one apple tv....Unless things have changed the only thing apple TV offers you cant get through a Roku is access to ITUNES.

I dont have cable -- i have internet - and roku players and stream through the xbox, my mac connected to my tv's and ps3. A lot of shows you can watch on the the website of NBC ABC etc. If you know someone in your family that has comcast you can piggy off their Xfinity under a different user name and password and watch espn espn 2 espn 3 espn u CNN etc live. Several options there. I pay a total of 65 bucks a month + the yearly fee of 70 bucks for Amazon prime and have a HD antenna for local channels and i do not miss cable one bit. My bill was 195 bucks a month before i swapped.

Check ROKU and compare channel lineups before you drop a bill on apple TV

There are several free channels on the Roku that has classic military and regular movies for free like Crackle which is a good one.

There are many thousands of movies you can get when a member of Amazon Prime as well as hulu...

My pricing
Amazon Prime yearly fee of 70 bucks
Hulu Plus 8 bucks a month
Netflix 9 bucks a month
Fastest cable internet offered 50 bucks a month.
I have 3 Roku players -- a PS3 and Xbox streaming to various TV's

I can run 4 tv's at once streaming with my setup and no hiccups.

PM me if you need some advice

Your yearly bill runs out to about $900 +$1000 worth of gear to purchase, that's not much savings lol

[maroonandwhite]

Yeah Krull has a more elaborate setup than what I want. I will have over-the-air antenna wired up to the living room and bedroom TV's and will only have netlfix ($7) and probably one or two shows I will buy the season pass for. I will come out WAYYYY cheaper than $1000 a year for DTV.

[Troutburger]

We ditched direct TV and bought a Apple tv and a Roku.

 

For me the Roku seems faster and has better picture quality.

We already subscribed to Netflix and Amazon prime, so it was a pretty easy decision. 

 

Since I have a 2yr old no point in paying $140 per month to watch the same cartoons over and over again anyway...