View Full Version : Thinking about buying Apple TV
WishfulThinking
2009-04-21, 20:08
Hello!
I'm seriously thinking about buying an Apple TV and run XBMC on it. But I have a couple of questions before I make the final decision.
1) Can Apple TV run XBMC automatically on bootup?
2) Is it possible to integrate XBMC fully with Apple TV, as if it were the operating system of the unit? (So that I won't even notice the Apple TV UI?)
3) Is it practical/comfortable to use the Apple remote with XBMC? Do I have other options, e.g. can I use the Xbox DVD remote instead?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Hello!
I'm seriously thinking about buying an Apple TV and run XBMC on it. But I have a couple of questions before I make the final decision.
1) Can Apple TV run XBMC automatically on bootup?
2) Is it possible to integrate XBMC fully with Apple TV, as if it were the operating system of the unit? (So that I won't even notice the Apple TV UI?)
3) Is it practical/comfortable to use the Apple remote with XBMC? Do I have other options, e.g. can I use the Xbox DVD remote instead?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
question 1) and 2) are the same and the answer is yes.
I'm fine with 3), others hate it. You can only use IR remotes that the ATV TR receiver understand, ie. Apple IR remote or Harmony (which can look like an Apple IR remote). If you setup the AppleTV to boot into XBMC, you will lose the ability of learning other IR remotes.
Keep in mind that you will not be able to throw any old three letter extension file at this and expect it to play. You will need to understand the decoding limitation that exist with this platform. In other works, if you try a blue-ray rip at 1080p it's not going to work.
WishfulThinking
2009-04-21, 20:39
Thanks alot for the answers.
I happen to like the apple remote for xmbc (especially with the Horizonz skin controls). It simplifies the use down to the basics and makes it easy for people to navigate. You loose some flexibility but for most of that I find I like using my PC anyway instead of a remote or handheld keyboard.
its a good start if you aren't 100% sure about going the xbmc route for your living room, but like davilla said, you can't throw everything at it and expect it to run smooth.
most hd stuff won't work unless you are encoding it yourself, the next generation of skins like stark are too much for that little appletv processor. so if you can settle for divx/xvid rips of your dvds and skins rebuilt for the xbox, go for it.
i, myself, am in the market for a mac mini and move the appletv to the smaller bedroom tv.
tuckbodi
2009-04-22, 06:02
its a good start if you aren't 100% sure about going the xbmc route for your living room, but like davilla said, you can't throw everything at it and expect it to run smooth.
most hd stuff won't work unless you are encoding it yourself, the next generation of skins like stark are too much for that little appletv processor. so if you can settle for divx/xvid rips of your dvds and skins rebuilt for the xbox, go for it.
i, myself, am in the market for a mac mini and move the appletv to the smaller bedroom tv.
That's what I just did. And as a bonus, running Plex on the Mac mini, AC3 is now working (DD surround sound never worked on either the mini or the AppleTV for me). Now if they can just get the kinks worked out to get Stark/Auriga working better on Plex, I'll be jazzed!
That's what I just did. And as a bonus, running Plex on the Mac mini, AC3 is now working (DD surround sound never worked on either the mini or the AppleTV for me). Now if they can just get the kinks worked out to get Stark/Auriga working better on Plex, I'll be jazzed!
Hmmm...I could have SWORN this was the XBMC forum, not the Plex forum...I must have taken a wrong turn somewhere...:oo:
tuckbodi
2009-04-22, 19:17
Sorry, I was just agreeing with criti about a Mac mini versus an AppleTV. I recently had to switch my Mac mini from my bedroom, where it was my media server (and fed my OTA to my TV) to my family room and am in the process of setting up the ATV back in the bedroom (need to get the composite hack working).
I love XBMC, been patiently waiting for DD5.1 so I could hear surround sound in all it's glory, which somehow Plex works with my old Yamaha receiver. And as a sidenote, what really broke the camels back was when I hooked the mini up and ran Stark/Auriga on it and it was so much smoother than even the Lite versions on the ATV (and I'm running XBMC there as well) I had a hard time putting it back in the bedroom.
This is not XBMC versus Plex thing for me, just stating the facts. When 5.1 comes along from yah 9and the other dev's) I'll be the first one jumping ship back! :grin:
All my DVDs (iso or .avi) have always played 5.1 audio on the atv.
tuckbodi
2009-04-22, 22:26
Yeah, the same movies worked fine on a buddies ATV & Denon receiver. What's also weird is my ATV plays DD5.1 through Sapphire just fine, so it's not my ATV, setup, or receiver. I did notice in one of the Atlantis builds there was now static noise on the digital output versus nothing before...so it seems something is being worked on. BTW, there's a trac ticket submitted (5188 (http://trac.xbmc.org/ticket/5188)) which was shooting for 9.04, Atlantis Beta 2 (now past?). Hopefully it won't get pushed out..
jmarshall
2009-04-23, 04:35
It's a problem with the OSX version of portaudio and only affects some receivers (some older Yamaha receivers, and some newer Sony ones are effected.)
phi2039 has already solved it (see the osx-coreaudio branch) with some really nice coreaudio code.
Unfortunately it won't make it for 9.04, but will be in shortly afterwards, and obviously a new release will be out as soon as it's ready to be tested :)
Cheers,
Jonathan
tuckbodi
2009-04-23, 06:01
Excellent, thanks for the update! Looking forward to playing with it. Thx JM and phi2039!
Hello!
I'm seriously thinking about buying an Apple TV and run XBMC on it. But I have a couple of questions before I make the final decision.
1) Can Apple TV run XBMC automatically on bootup?
2) Is it possible to integrate XBMC fully with Apple TV, as if it were the operating system of the unit? (So that I won't even notice the Apple TV UI?)
3) Is it practical/comfortable to use the Apple remote with XBMC? Do I have other options, e.g. can I use the Xbox DVD remote instead?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Others have given you the answers (yes to all). Here is one from the perspective of someone with several Mac Mini's (including the new one) and a new AppleTV. I have both the AppleTV and the new Mini hooked up to a Samsung 52" HDTV. The Apple TV is via HDMI and the Mini by dvi->hdmi and audio cables. Both work great.
On the Mini I have a remote keyboard with a trackball and the Apple remote. I have XBMC and Plex on it. I also have a program called VideoDrive which very quickly integrates any xvid file into a .mov which iTunes thinks contains H.264 data and so can syn/stream to the ATV. Takes no time at all. On the ATV I have Perian (trivial install from nitoTV) and XBMC.
I keep thinking of moving the ATV to another TV as it's a bit unnecessary given the Mini, but the problem is I actually enjoy it every bit as much as the Mini. The video and audio are just great from both. The ATV is entertainment. The Mini is entertainment+work which gives it an odd vibe.
I use the Apple remote on the ATV but you can train the Apple TV to work with just about any remote out there. The ATV learns the remote as opposed to the remote learning the ATV. My Samsung remote works great with it, and it works in XBMC which is interesting. This is for basically emulating the Apple TV remote but the ATC can learn a few more functions.
Streaming of xvid works great even over wireless G. I've got it going over wireless G, wireless N and wired. Not much difference, except for syncing. Wired seems to be best there.
The bottom line is that it is not obvious to me that the Mini is that much better than the ATV for what I need in terms of playing xvid/mkv files. It's a great little system (both are) and XBMC works well on both. Sure the Mini has more horsepower, but unless you are a videophile I think you'd be more than happy with the ATV (get a refurb if you can).
philip
tuckbodi
2009-04-23, 18:56
The bottom line is that it is not obvious to me that the Mini is that much better than the ATV for what I need in terms of playing xvid/mkv files. It's a great little system (both are) and XBMC works well on both. Sure the Mini has more horsepower, but unless you are a videophile I think you'd be more than happy with the ATV (get a refurb if you can).
philip
Which skin are you using and how many files are in your video library? The combination of these two, using one of the "snazzier" skins and a huge library, really seem to bog my ATV down. It's just not smooth in transitions.
And then of course there's the limit on playing some of the big higher def movies (i.e. 1080p), of which I don't have too much right now, but I can see that being a future limiting thing. I just wish the ATV just had a little more ooomph..
I do agree with you on the having to mess around a little more on the mini (entertainment+work). You switch to the ATV and it's ready to go while with the mini I have to get the keyboard, etc. Good analogy!
Wraith88
2009-04-23, 19:11
its a good start if you aren't 100% sure about going the xbmc route for your living room, but like davilla said, you can't throw everything at it and expect it to run smooth.
most hd stuff won't work unless you are encoding it yourself, the next generation of skins like stark are too much for that little appletv processor. so if you can settle for divx/xvid rips of your dvds and skins rebuilt for the xbox, go for it.
i, myself, am in the market for a mac mini and move the appletv to the smaller bedroom tv.
h.264 plays up to 480p, unless you reduce the bitrate.
xvid plays up to 720p
A good idea to buy for SD content but good luck W/ HD
Which skin are you using and how many files are in your video library? The combination of these two, using one of the "snazzier" skins and a huge library, really seem to bog my ATV down. It's just not smooth in transitions.
And then of course there's the limit on playing some of the big higher def movies (i.e. 1080p), of which I don't have too much right now, but I can see that being a future limiting thing. I just wish the ATV just had a little more ooomph..
I do agree with you on the having to mess around a little more on the mini (entertainment+work). You switch to the ATV and it's ready to go while with the mini I have to get the keyboard, etc. Good analogy!
To be fair, the Apple remote will start XBMC or Plex or Front Row so you don't really need the wireless keyboard.The reality is that you do or at least have VNC or some remote app on an iPod or whatever.
I have a very large collection of files and use the standard skin. There is also a Basic skin which is very responsive. I do find streaming from my Mini over iTunes to be a bit more responsive. That's probably a remote issue.
I can't be objective about 1080p. For 99% of people it is a non-issue.
At some point the ATV will have more powerful hardware. For now it is more than enough. I'd rather silence and lower power consumption than overkill. I do understand your point though. The ATV is on the border, but don't forget we are getting a lot of enjoyment from it now. I've had mine a few months and don't regret it for a minute, and I am an avid Mini fan!
Philip