Comments on: Apple TV vs Mac Mini

By: Luca Filigheddu

Luca Filigheddu — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 08:28:30 +0000

“Works” mean that must be accepted in Itunes and you should correctly view it on iTunes. Anyway, there are a lot of applications which can easily convert your videos into AppleTV / Itunes format.

By: jaybeat

jaybeat — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 08:21:25 +0000

Whatever video “works” with iTunes…can you define “works”?

The hot controversy seems to be, will aTV play any content that *can be made to play* in iTunes (that is, by using a pointer), or will it only play content that it has codecs for?

In other words, if I have DiVX, Xvid, or Windoz Media content that I can “trick” iTunes into playing (through QuickTime, extended with the appropriate third-party codecs), will my aTV also play that content, or not?

If you actually have access to one, you are ahead of all the rest of us speculators!

By: Luca Filigheddu

Luca Filigheddu — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 17:22:00 +0000

Not really. I can play whatever video works with iTunes. Like my MPEG2 or MPEG4 personal videos, for instance.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 17:20:47 +0000

this AppleTV is okay if you only want H.264 and protected H.264 content (i.e. what Apple sells through the ITMS), but if you want to put anything else up you might be better off with Mac Mini (or ideally something even more open which does not restrict the format of your content).

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 20:29:03 +0000

If ALL you are going to do is connect to your TV, laptop & Apple TV sounds great.

But if your objective is to integrate a Mac into a full home theater system, with the necessary external storage devices, EyeTV video recorder, and a midi workstation for Garage Band, a dedicated machine such as the Mini, I think, is best. I certainly would not want to have to plug and unplug a video, audio, USB and Firewire cables everytime.

I think that the Apple TV is best utilized in a household with one media PC/Mac and multiple TV's.

By: Average Betty

Average Betty — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 20:38:47 +0000

Luca!
I will be eagerly awaiting your review of AppleTV next month…Please check out some video podcasts and rate the video and audio quality for us podcasters:) Feel free to use my homegrown video podcast on iTunes as a guinea pig!

By: Ryan

Ryan — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 17:11:57 +0000

I like your argument, and agree that if you already have a laptop with frontrow and can connect via DVI to your TV, the aTV is the right choice. Thanks!

~Ryan H.
myilife.com