Like many others proud Giants fans in the Bay area, I’ve spent considerable time glued to the games these last few weeks. Just the other day I was at a neighbor’s house watching the game and someone mentioned this hilarious interview with no other than Brian Wilson. After giving us a rundown of the clip we knew had to see it as soon as possible. Not a second after the next commercial break started, my friend grabbed the remote, switched to Apple TV, and within a matter of seconds had the YouTube interview up and running on his TV. Huddling around the computer to watch YouTube clips is already a thing of the past, how awesome is that!
Apple Unveils Streaming-Only Apple TV
Apple’s music event on September 1st brought great news to home theater enthusiasts with the release of a new Apple TV. The new Apple TV boasts a stripped down form factor about ¼ the size of older models. This is in part because there is no longer local storage and Apple has stripped down the A/V ports to just an HDMI and Optical audio jack.In terms of functionality, the new Apple TV works as a streaming only device. Therefore, there’s no longer a need to worry about managing storage or syncing an iTunes library. Movies and shows are streamed directly from iTunes as rentals. In addition, Netflix streaming service is now supported with this new model. The best part, is that there’s still the ability to wirelessly stream music, video and photos from your computer at blazing speeds.
The Apple TV is scheduled to go on sale in September, with a starting pricepoint of $99.
Why Apple TV is Just Too Darn Cool
OK, let’s face it: Apple TV probably isn’t the most popular product to have ever come out of that sometimes mysterious place at 1 Infinite Loop. However, Apple TV’s relative lack of popularity is confusing to us here at SoundVision, especially since it’s such a cool product. Now that our friends at Crestron have updated their line of home automation products with the ability to control Apple TV from an in-wall touchpanel or handheld remote, we’re recommending Apple TV to all our customers as a simple way to access your iTunes library and photos through your SoundVision system. And now that Apple just dropped the price on the 160 GB version by $100, purchasing an Apple TV has never been easier. Here’s just a few of the reasons why we’re so enamored with this product:It “just works.” – I’m sure you’ve heard those two little words in reference to Apple products in the past, but believe us when we tell you that it absolutely applies to this product. Using Apple’s Bonjour technology, Apple TV will automatically find an iTunes library on your local network and instantly make your digital music files available to listen to through your SoundVision media system. Select music by browsing through rich, detailed album art on your TV, or use a touchpanel or handheld remote. And if you’re an iTunes user on a Windows PC, there’s no need to worry–this also “just works” for you as well.Your family photos, in glorious HD. – When was the last time you lugged out a photo album? If you’re like us, it’s been a while. Our photos live digitally these days, whether its in an online photo gallery or on your computer’s hard drive. With Apple TV, we can set it up so it syncs with photo albums on your computer or stored on the Internet in a Flickr or MobileMe gallery.Rent movies or TV shows instantly. – Apple TV makes a trip to your local movie rental store a thing of the past. Renting or purchasing a movie through Apple TV is as easy as a few clicks of the remote, and at just $3.99 per rental, it’s a great deal. Most titles are also available in high definition.Access online content. – Apple TV frees online media like YouTube and podcasts from your computer and puts them front and center in your living room. Whether you want to catch up with your favorite podcast from anywhere in your house via a distributed audio system or watch the Evolution of Dance in your theater room, Apple TV in your SoundVision system can make it happen.Are you using your Apple TV in ways we haven’t mentioned here? If so, leave a comment and let us know about it!