Text 18810, 181 rader
Skriven 2007-06-16 10:40:02 av mike (1:379/45)
  Kommentar till text 18809 av Rich Gauszka (1:379/45)
Ärende: Re: Bad Signals on Apple TV
===================================
From: mike <mike@barkto.com>


Here's a way around the codec issues:
http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/10/how-to-play-divx-and-xvid-on-your-apple-tv/

Currently I think the biggest flaw is that it only has outputs for HD-level
TVs, yet through Apple you can only obtain fuzzy YouTube and iTunes videos for
it.

I'm wondering what the next iteration might be.  The rumblings about AT&T using
it as a set-top box of sorts are certainly intriguing.

 /m



On Sat, 16 Jun 2007 09:35:49 -0400, "Rich Gauszka"
<gauszka@dontspamhotmail.com> wrote:

>always on - no power off switch, runs really hot, ignores popular codecs =
>recipe for disaster?
>
>"mike" <mike@barkto.com> wrote in message
>news:6en773lh4ep63hmh1f1uns8nmvumhcgd6c@4ax.com...
>>
>> http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/9we6R6DUxPTUsi/Bad-Signals-on-Apple-TV.x
html
>>
>> ===
>> Apple TV is part of a new category of products called "digital media
>> adapters." These connect consumers' computer networks with their living
>> room entertainment systems. Although many analysts believe that's the
>> wave of the future, there's been little demand for the adapters. That's
>> because the gadgets are often difficult to set up, have limited features
>> and appeal to only a small number of consumers.
>>
>> Apple TV has been in stores for just two months, but there are already
>> signs it may join the Lisa and the G4 Cube on the computer maker's list
>> of flops.
>>
>> There are no sales  figures yet, but demand seems tepid based on
>> anecdotal reports. Reviews of the once widely anticipated product have
>> been mixed at best.
>>
>> Perhaps most telling, at the D: All Things Digital conference last week,
>> CEO Steve Jobs seemed to be trying to lower expectations for the device,
>> calling the company's Apple TV effort a "hobby." That's in stark
>> contrast to his appearance at Macworld in January, when he indicated the
>> Apple TV would be one of four key businesses for Apple, joining the Mac,
>> the iPod and the iPhone.
>>
>> "The reason I call it a hobby is because a lot of people have tried and
>> failed to, you know, make that a business," Jobs said last week.
>>
>> 'A Lot of Hype'
>>
>> A big problem for the Apple TV is that it hasn't completely overcome the
>> problems of similar gadgets, unlike the way the iPod revolutionized the
>> MP3 player market, analysts say.
>>
>> Because it requires a network, a broadband connection and a digital
>> television, it has a limited audience right now, they say. Even for
>> consumers who meet those requirements, there's arguably no compelling
>> reason to buy an Apple TV or one of its rivals yet, they say.
>>
>> "There was a lot of hype about Apple TV, that it was finally going to
>> solve the problem of connecting the PC to the TV," said Kurt Scherf,
>> principal analyst with Parks Associates , a market research and
>> consulting firm based in Dallas. "Maybe it's not the savior we all
>> thought it would be."
>>
>> Apple representatives were unavailable for comment.
>>
>> However, Jobs' comments last week are a good indication that he was
>> trying to temper sales expectations for the device, said Jonathan Gaw,
>> an analyst for market research firm IDC.
>>
>> "I don't know about your hobbies, but my hobbies don't pay the rent," he
>> said.
>>
>>
>> Solidifying the Category
>>
>> Apple TV is part of a new category of products called "digital media
>> adapters." These connect consumers' computer networks with their living
>> room entertainment systems, allowing them to use their big-screen TVs to
>> watch digital videos stored on their computer or listen to digital songs
>> through their stereo speakers.
>>
>> Although many analysts believe that linking consumers' computer and
>> entertainment systems is the wave of the future, there's been little
>> demand for the adapters. That's because the gadgets are often difficult
>> to set up, have limited features and appeal to only a small number of
>> consumers.
>>
>> Since retailers first started offering them about four years ago,
>> they've only sold hundreds of thousands of digital media adapters,
>> analysts say, hardly a mass market success.
>>
>> Those shortcomings led many analysts and some consumers to eagerly
>> anticipate Apple's entry into the market. Many expected that the company
>> would do for digital media adapters what its iPod did for MP3 players:
>> take the market mainstream with an easy-to-use, elegant product.
>>
>> When Apple TV hit store shelves in March, some critics thought Apple had
>> a potential hit on its hands. Compared with other media adapters, Apple
>> TV was indeed simple to set up and use, they noted.
>>
>>
>> Rough Landing
>>
>> The device's flaws soon became apparent as well. Apple TV can only plug
>> into the latest digital televisions, which are generally high-definition
>> sets. However, Apple isn't selling any high-definition video through its
>> iTunes store.
>>
>> Although the device allows consumers to play Internet-downloaded video
>> on their TV screens, users can't use it to buy movies or TV shows
>> directly from iTunes. Instead, they have to load them on to their
>> computer first and then transfer them.
>>
>> It's hard to know how the device is selling, but few analysts think it's
>> a blockbuster thus far.
>>
>> Sales of digital media adapters are up double digits, in percentage
>> terms, so far this year compared with the same period in 2006, said Ross
>> Rubin, an analyst with market research firm NPD Group. However, given
>> the small number of units sold thus far, that suggests that overall
>> sales for the category are still modest.
>>
>> "Apple's obviously very tight about the (sales) numbers, but I haven't
>> seen anything that leads me to believe this is iPod territory," Gaw
>> said.
>>
>> A local San Jose, Calif., Best Buy (NYSE: BBY)  has sold only a handful
>> of Apple TVs since it started stocking the device in March, said a store
>> manager there who asked that neither he nor his store's location be
>> named.
>>
>> "It's not selling," the manager said. "And some that we've sold have
>> been returned."
>>
>>
>> Future Potential
>>
>> In addition to its feature flaws, the device has other obstacles to
>> overcome, analysts say.
>>
>> Apple TV has a lot of competition, they note. Cable and satellite TV
>> customers can already download the latest movies directly to their
>> set-top boxes. The local video store typically has a much wider
>> selection of movies than Apple offers.
>>
>> Should the market for media adapters such as Apple TV ever take off,
>> cable companies might add that feature to their set-top boxes,
>> eliminating the need for a separate Apple TV just as the cable companies
>> have limited the market for TiVo's (Nasdaq: TIVO)  services by offering
>> digital video recording features on their set-top boxes.
>>
>> Many other analysts think that Apple TV has long-term potential. Apple
>> is already upgrading the device and adding new features, including the
>> ability to watch YouTube  videos through it, they note.
>>
>> The company is steadily ramping up the number of movies and television
>> shows offered on iTunes.
>>
>> Chris Crotty, an analyst with market research firm iSuppli, predicts
>> that Apple will ship 1 million Apple TVs this year and 1.4 million next
>> year.
>>
>> "I think it's a little early to assess how it's doing," Crotty said.
>> "Sure it's not perfect," but "it has the potential to be the first
>> commercially successful product of this type."
>> ===
>>
>>  /m
>

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