Apple TV pricedrop

[Creamy]

MacRumors reports that Apple has discontinued the 40GB version of Apple TV, leaving the 160GB at 229$.

Apple has quietly discontinued the 40GB Apple TV overnight and reduced the price of the 160GB model down to $229. Previously, the 40GB and 160GB models were priced at $229 and $329, respectively.

Now Apple is offering only a single 160GB model at $229. The changes fulfill an analyst prediction based on slipping ship dates for the 40GB model.

The Apple TV hardware has remained essentially unchanged since its introduction with the exception of hard drive size. Apple has always referred to the AppleTV as a "hobby" project and is still exploring ways to expand the market. Meanwhile, a new report claims to have found evidence that Apple's new iTunes LP bundles were likely formatted specifically for the Apple TV. This would suggest we should see a major Apple TV software update in the near future.

Nothing over here in the german Store yet....:(

[NienorGT]

Cool price drop, new Apple TV coming up?

I wish tho they would had keept the 40GB but at a lower price. (It's so easy to swap drives anyway...)

[bob_c_b]

I love my AppleTV and I've only had it a few months, but I'd be all over an upgrade if it was even remotely interesting.

[Rudy]

Makes sense....40GB was tiny

[Dance.]

still not gonna buy it.

[ccuk]

still not gonna buy it.

Amen. Needs vastly greater storage, Blu-Ray playback and a better remote for starters.

[bob_c_b]

Amen. Needs vastly greater storage, Blu-Ray playback and a better remote for starters.

lol, why would it need blu ray playback when Apple is trying to grow their own HD downloads? And it works with a ton of programmable remotes, so while I agree the stock remote blows, my Logitech Harmony One controls it nicely.

[ccuk]

lol, why would it need blu ray playback when Apple is trying to grow their own HD downloads? And it works with a ton of programmable remotes, so while I agree the stock remote blows, my Logitech Harmony One controls it nicely.

Because in the real world downloaded films make up a small portion of consumed video content. Not everywhere has a decent infrastructure capable of delivering the bandwidth needed to supply HD films... And some of us prefer the quality Blu-Ray has to offer vs the further compressed garbage Apple spew out?

Also what has a third party premium universal remote got to do with me wanting Apple to improve their existing one?

[PyX]

Because in the real world downloaded films make up a small portion of consumed video content. Not everywhere has a decent infrastructure capable of delivering the bandwidth needed to supply HD films... And some of us prefer the quality Blu-Ray has to offer vs the further compressed garbage Apple spew out?

Also what has a third party premium universal remote got to do with me wanting Apple to improve their existing one?

I don't think Apple's movies are compressed dude... well not more than a DVD or Blu-Ray... :p

That being said, I agree that there should be a free software update to bring new features, + Blu-Ray playback.

Also, I'm not sure if the ventilation is as bad as my Time Capsule here, then it needs to be reengineered a little.

I mean, AppleTV seems like a good product, but nothing more. It's not shockingly great, like an iPhone or iPod Touch for example. The base is there, but it needs more guts. :p

[Elliott]

I don't think Apple's movies are compressed dude... well not more than a DVD or Blu-Ray... :p

They are (a lot more than Blu-Ray disc), and they only offer a max resolution of 720p on their downloads. In comparison, most Blu-Ray discs have 1080p and extra depth to their sound (extra channels and support additional features). However, on a typical setup, you'd probably be a little hard-pressed to notice the difference. I sure as hell don't when I watch a Blu-Ray disc and then go watch an HD movie on my Apple TV.

I think optical discs at this point are ridiculous. With the way storage is growing and with improvements to the typical bandwidth a person has access to, you can easily just download all the movies you want, and rent the ones you don't want to keep. Downloads are the future, and Apple was definitely one of the first to notice this.

[1759]

It's still useless.

At this point, even for strictly multimedia, a PS3 makes more sense. Bluray, supports more file formats, not tied to Apple's ass, or an extension of iTunes. The ATV has also looked like a product looking for a market.

Maybe if the ATV was opened up to more formats, supported 1080p, other movie streaming services like Netflix, it might be decent, but it's so limited in it's purpose; it's an iPod for your TV.

[Steeley]

This brings it down to my price bracket. Here in Australia you can still only get HD movies via the AppleTV :crazy:

I'm with an internet provider that makes downloads from the Australian iTunes store quota free, so I could get movies to my heart's content without having to worry about using up all my internet. As it stands a non-HD movie from the store takes about 20 minutes to download on my ADSL2+ connection.

Who has one here? Was it worth the purchase? Could you get by without it?

[Creamy]

Its 269? over here now...

[bob_c_b]

Because in the real world downloaded films make up a small portion of consumed video content. Not everywhere has a decent infrastructure capable of delivering the bandwidth needed to supply HD films... And some of us prefer the quality Blu-Ray has to offer vs the further compressed garbage Apple spew out?

Also what has a third party premium universal remote got to do with me wanting Apple to improve their existing one?

Well in this real world you speak of, there is room for more than one device on most peoples TV stands. My LG-BD390 is pretty nice, but that doesn't preclude me from enjoying my Apple TV, the quality of stuff on iTunes video is hardly "garbage" (started out poor but the quality has steadily improved and I'd say most releases are better than DVD quality now) and I don't care if every place has the infrastructure to support this, the place I live does. No one is saying the Apple TV is the only box you need plugged in to your TV, so why act like it would be? When a new Blu Ray player ships do you lambast it for not having DVR functions built in?

And while right now downloaded movies are a small portion of consumed video content, that is pretty clearly changing and the marketplace obviously agrees or you would not have every Blu Ray player, set top device and even newer TVs adding streaming NetFlix, Cinemanow, Vudu, etc... Blu Ray will have a short and fun reign, but the days of hard media and racks of DVDs are coming to an end and Blu Ray (or more likely it's successor) will become the Laser Disc of it's time, a niche product for serious home theater enthusiast.

[ccuk]

Well in this real world you speak of, there is room for more than one device on most peoples TV stands. My LG-BD390 is pretty nice, but that doesn't preclude me from enjoying my Apple TV, the quality of stuff on iTunes video is hardly "garbage" (started out poor but the quality has steadily improved and I'd say most releases are better than DVD quality now) and I don't care if every place has the infrastructure to support this, the place I live does. No one is saying the Apple TV is the only box you need plugged in to your TV, so why act like it would be? When a new Blu Ray player ships do you lambast it for not having DVR functions built in?

And while right now downloaded movies are a small portion of consumed video content, that is pretty clearly changing and the marketplace obviously agrees or you would not have every Blu Ray player, set top device and even newer TVs adding streaming NetFlix, Cinemanow, Vudu, etc... Blu Ray will have a short and fun reign, but the days of hard media and racks of DVDs are coming to an end and Blu Ray (or more likely it's successor) will become the Laser Disc of it's time, a niche product for serious home theater enthusiast.

I think claiming Blu-Ray will be the Laser Disc of its time is somewhat far fetched. Explain to me without altering the codecs for compression (and moving over to wavelet compression), how people are all going to consume 1080P downloads in the same volumes as physical sales in the immediate future of 2-5 years. Please also explain how those without super fast broadband speeds are going to obtain UHD films which are four times the resolution of current 1080P HD films.

What interests me is how people will pay the same money for something which offers half the resolution, a lower quality sound track and requires you to make some sort of physical backup. Financially it makes no sense... Apples' 720P vs Blu-Ray 1080P with a higher bitrate stream, uncompressed audio and a wealth of extras... no brainer

And in this real world that I do speak of, many people want LESS devices chewing up power and space in their houses.

[Vice]

Apple TV is so under-powered it wont even do 1080P. Also no Bluray? No Capture Card? - I can build a Media Centre for only a little more than an Apple TV with both of those features and it'd look a lot nicer in my living room too.

I know Apple keep saying the Apple TV is just a hobby but I don't want to own someone else's casual infatuation.

[bob_c_b]

I think claiming Blu-Ray will be the Laser Disc of its time is somewhat far fetched. Explain to me without altering the codecs for compression (and moving over to wavelet compression), how people are all going to consume 1080P downloads in the same volumes as physical sales in the immediate future of 2-5 years. Please also explain how those without super fast broadband speeds are going to obtain UHD films which are four times the resolution of current 1080P HD films.

What interests me is how people will pay the same money for something which offers half the resolution, a lower quality sound track and requires you to make some sort of physical backup. Financially it makes no sense... Apples' 720P vs Blu-Ray 1080P with a higher bitrate stream, uncompressed audio and a wealth of extras... no brainer

And in this real world that I do speak of, many people want LESS devices chewing up power and space in their houses.

Simple, most people don't care. There is a reason Vizio is one of the highest selling LCD TV brands and 37-42" 720p sets still make up the majority of sales, people want a balance between cheap and big. The vast majority of HD cable is 720p as well (or marginal looking 1080i), and most people are okay with upscaled DVD. I don't disagree that Blu Ray is far superior, and I used to believe the same thing you do, but your whole premise is based on the idea people care about quality and the market shows over and over they don't. The other leg of your argument is that everything on iTunes video is very sub par, huge file sizes and greatly over price, and in most cases none of that is true. The SD stuff has vastly improved since laucnh (it was poor at that time) and the HD stuff is generally as good as HD cable, which most people are (sadly) very happy with.

I never insinuated Apple TV was going to set the world on fire, it's a niche device that will likely never go mass market (although I've seen sales estimates at 6.6 million so it's not a total bust as some i this thread would insinuate). But your whole premise that everyone is clamoring for 1080p doesn't hold up to scrutiny, and when you look at what most people are after Apple TV fills the bill and could become a moderate success.

[ccuk]

Simple, most people don't care. There is a reason Vizio is one of the highest selling LCD TV brands and 37-42" 720p sets still make up the majority of sales, people want a balance between cheap and big. The vast majority of HD cable is 720p as well (or marginal looking 1080i), and most people are okay with upscaled DVD. I don't disagree that Blu Ray is far superior, and I used to believe the same thing you do, but your whole premise is based on the idea people care about quality and the market shows over and over they don't. The other leg of your argument is that everything on iTunes video is very sub par, huge file sizes and greatly over price, and in most cases none of that is true. The SD stuff has vastly improved since laucnh (it was poor at that time) and the HD stuff is generally as good as HD cable, which most people are (sadly) very happy with.

I never insinuated Apple TV was going to set the world on fire, it's a niche device that will likely never go mass market (although I've seen sales estimates at 6.6 million so it's not a total bust as some i this thread would insinuate). But your whole premise that everyone is clamoring for 1080p doesn't hold up to scrutiny, and when you look at what most people are after Apple TV fills the bill and could become a moderate success.

I think that people don't fully understand HD and the varying levels of HD. Sadly the 720p resolution content is flagged under the same misleading HD monika as 1080P. I come across people daily who don't even realise there is more to be had for your money. The point I am making is if you buy 1080P content now... you have higher resolution material to transition through the oncoming resolution upgrades in the future. Why limit yourself now, and why not say to Apple... Hey we want Blu-Ray and we want a better Media Center experience and we want higher resolution content? I don't believe in saying let's be happy with the watered down Apple TV we are being fobbed off with, ask for better, it is my right as a consumer.

I'm afraid it does hold up. People just don't get it yet.

[bob_c_b]

I think that people don't fully understand HD and the varying levels of HD. Sadly the 720p resolution content is flagged under the same misleading HD monika as 1080P. I come across people daily who don't even realise there is more to be had for your money. The point I am making is if you buy 1080P content now... you have higher resolution material to transition through the oncoming resolution upgrades in the future. Why limit yourself now, and why not say to Apple... Hey we want Blu-Ray and we want a better Media Center experience and we want higher resolution content? I don't believe in saying let's be happy with the watered down Apple TV we are being fobbed off with, ask for better, it is my right as a consumer.

I'm afraid it does hold up. People just don't get it yet.

I'd disagree, I think they just don't care. Hollywood cranks out so much sub par content and so many people steal sub par rips from the Internet, I think quality is further from their mind than quality. I don't disagree the quality could be better, but I do disagree that people are as ignorant as you think, they just don't care. People see bigger and hear louder and they think that is the point of home theater, I don't see this changing any time soon.

[PyX]

They are (a lot more than Blu-Ray disc), and they only offer a max resolution of 720p on their downloads. In comparison, most Blu-Ray discs have 1080p and extra depth to their sound (extra channels and support additional features). However, on a typical setup, you'd probably be a little hard-pressed to notice the difference. I sure as hell don't when I watch a Blu-Ray disc and then go watch an HD movie on my Apple TV.

You know what, since nobody told you the opposite, I will assume that you are right. So this is a really bad move from Apple, and yes it should be fixed. Blu-ray quality, nothing more, nothing less.

--

On another note, I realized something. It could be the solution for Apple to make the AppleTV real popular.

Right now, I am subscribed to illico, a TV service from Vid?otron, a cable company that offers Internet, TV, Phone capabilities. I bought a ENP8000-something from Scientific Atlanta them, so I can have a grid of what's playing at each channel, I can easily record in the hard drive, etc. If Apple released a product that could replace this one, I would buy it, period. AppleTV right now offers complementary services to this device, but the problem is, I don't need these services. What I need though is my ENP8000-something to watch my TV, or else I'm paying my illico service for nothing. The interface on this device is well engineered, but it's become pretty old and that 16-colour scheme can't hold for so long anymore. There is place for something better, I can smell it. As in, if Apple worked on something like that carefully, they would do better without a problem.

Think about it. The AppleTV is not a necessity. Apple could make it more of a necessity by adding these basic features for a TV device. Then, if they add CD, DVD, Blu-Ray, SD cards, and all those little cards possible, for a price of like CAD 400-500 with a decent hard drive (maybe a little more than 160GB) and that does 1080p, I'm all sold. My END8000-something has cost me like CAD 500 two years ago and it won't do 1080p and it won't connect to the Internet and it has a smaller HD than 160GB (pretty sure of this), and doesn't have a CD, DVD, Blu-Ray player. Well, in fact, it does connect to the Internet somehow. But the library containing all the shows I can watch does not even represent 10% of 10% of half of 1% of what iTunes is... just to give you a picture.

[danhooper]

I still think 160gb is pretty small. Although they've dropped the price I'm thinking about going for it but these days 160gb isn't that much. I'd like to pay a bit extra for a 240gb plus. Is there anyway you can add on more memory?

Dan

[bob21]

All the disadvantages of an ARM based streamer (poor codec / container support) in a Media Center PC (N)

Missed opportunity there.

[LittleNeutrino Veteran]

i honestly cannot see any reason to purchase this device i have many devices that do the exact same things already with other functionality as well.

[Creamy]

i honestly cannot see any reason to purchase this device i have many devices that do the exact same things already with other functionality as well.

Well i guess the perfect integration into iTunes does make a very good point...

[ahhell]

Well i guess the perfect integration into iTunes does make a very good point...

Umm...since when is "perfect" integration with iTunes a good thing.

iTunes is a horrible abomination of an app.