More Random Thoughts on iTV
on 09.14.06, 06:20am in gadgets, home theater, mac • share on facebook • comments (3)
I’ve been thinking a bit more about Apple’s iTV announcement the other day. While there’s a lot about Tuesday’s new products that I like (heck, I’ve already ordered the new 80gb iPod), I’m still not sure if iTV will actually find a place in my gadget-fest house.
The form factor rocks. Having an integrated power supply is just awesome, and the device oozes sexiness, but I really wish Apple had supported at least 480p (and ideally resolutions of 720p and up). Sure, I know people are going to say those bandwidth requirements are too high, but if Apple wants to earn a place in my home theater and unseat the 360, they really need to support hidef. There’s simply no way I’m going to watch 640×480 on a 106" screen when I have 1280×720 today. My only gripe with my current setup is that you’re required to have a MCE box for video streaming. In my ‘perfect’ world, you’d be able to host video on a NAS device and stream it directly.
On the other hand, I could see getting an iTV for the living room or upstairs as a simple extender device, but why not just throw another 360 into the mix? The fan noise is the only reason I can think of.
Hmm. Here’s an idea: Perhaps we need to build a "XBox 360 Live Extender" box – a small, dvd-less embedded box that only has XBox 360 Live Arcade and the marketplace (for downloads) and the media extending capabilities. The box could be small, have an integrated power supply and could be fan-less.
Another question I have to ask is: "Am I really Apple’s target customer for iTV?" Answer: probably not. My dad called me a few hours after the announcement completely sold on getting an iTV the moment they’re released. I also remember that people thought it was crazy for Apple to release an MP3 with a hard drive. Time will tell with iTV.
I also thought it was funny that some folks think that iTV copied the MCE interface. If you’ve ever actually used Front Row, you know that it’s actually the same interface as the iPod. It’s a smart move by Apple.
The thing that I keep reminding myself is that Apple has a huge head start on the most important aspect of conquering the living room: content. Apple is way closer to a true "opt-in television" than anyone else. People are going to buy the device that enables them to get access to the most content.
Charlie Owen has done a good job rounding out various people’s thoughts. Check it out.
I think next year is going to be interesting, to say the least.
Grover Saunders (September 14, 2006 @ 10:37 am)
Wait, did I miss the “I don’t do HD” part of the announcement? Since it has component and HDMI, I’d be pretty shocked if it didn’t. The iTV and iTunes movies are not tied irrevocably. I don’t buy music from the music store, but I still make grand use of iTunes.
JeffMc (September 14, 2006 @ 12:43 pm)
It does do HD. What Steve is refering to is that the iTunes Movies are 640×480. The iTv will display those in 480P mode on a capable set, just like DVD players that display 480P with normal DVDs. However, if you have HD content, the iTV will display it. I would suggest using the Gigabit ethernet connection though
54MPS over 802.11g probably won’t support the higher bitrates 
Steve (September 14, 2006 @ 2:55 pm)
Jeff is correct, I was referring to the iTunes downloads, but was still unsure of iTV’s output resolution. Do you know of any sites that mention what that will be (obviously, this may change before it ships).