Need some help deciding which Apple TV to buy

[Gino34]

What's up fellas?


I'm looking to buy a media streaming device and ever since I've heard about what a jailbroken apple tv device can do, I'm definitely interested in getting one soon.

I'm only looking to stream nothing higher than 720p video (and lower) and was wondering which is good enough for me....the apple 1 or 2 model?

I want a model that has less bugs, quiet and won't fry eggs on it after 2 hours of use.

I'd be primarily using it for streaming video from live tv channels and netflix.

Can someone point me in the right direction and explain why it's better than the other model? Newer doesn't always mean better right?

Thanks for the help!

[proggy]

Both Apple Tv 2&3 generation are unable to fry eggs you`ll have to buy the first generation to do that.If you can get your hands on a 1st generation it comes with a hard drive for recording and the ability to cook breakfast.
Apple TV 1&2 can be jailbroken but no.3 can`t quite yet as far as I know.

[Mexicanuck]

I suggest that a good starting point is to look at the firecore.com website. They provide information about jail breaking the ATV1 and ATV2. They also sell software, aTVFlash (silver) for the ATV1 and aTV (black) for the ATV2.

There is no jailbreak for the ATV3. The prime jailbreak developer does not comment on whether there will be one. The price of used ATV2s has skyrocketed. I bought my first ATV2 in May. The price went from $90 to $160 in 24 hours and I was happy to get it at that price. If the ATV3 is ever jailbroken, expect the price for the ATV2 to plummet.

Yes, people will tell you that you can do everything the software does for free without the aTVFlash software. That is no doubt true. I could also probably fall a tree on my property with the tools I already own. Sometimes it makes more sense to pay to make sure something is done right the first time, without having to learn new skills. For me, that is the case for falling trees and setting up an ATV2.

BTW, I have two jailbroken ATV2s, an ATV3, a PS3, a Roku2 XS and a Sony smart TV. I use all of them for streaming. While the jailbroken ATV is powerful, I find it is also the most demanding on the user.

My wife loves the Roku 2 XS and the ATV3 as they are easy to use for Netflix, Hulu Plus and Crackle. I like them as well for their ease if use and the fact that they are both 1080P. I like the jailbroken ATV2s for their increased abilities, despite their being 720P and the complexity of use.

[colinpeddle]

You want a Boxee Box.

http://ncix /products/?sku=56871&vpn...k&promoid=1448

They've had it on sale for 149.

Not that boxee box is the be all and end all, it's better then Appletv's at the two things you mentioned: netflix and streaming tv shows.

The jailbreak on appletv's will just cause you headaches.

The first generation of the appletv requires a crystalHD card to play 720p once it's jailbroken. This means you must open the unit, remove the wifi card and replace it with the broadcom crystalHD card... THIS means if you want internet you must have your network to the ATV hardwired -- which would be suggested anyhow, but not all people are in a situation to do this.

With the boxee box, out of the box, you can do all of this already.

The only real benefit of the ATV over boxee box at this point in time is AirPlay Mirroring (where it displays what's on your iphone, ipad or desktop mac, through the atv and onto the tv screen). The boxee box can still do airplay for video or music, so playing a youtube video on your iphone and asking it to play on your boxee box, through your tv, works... but airplay mirroring isn't opened up yet by apple to to third party.

Boxee Box is probably better at supporting unblock-us then ATV is too.

http://support.unblock-us.com/custom...rticles/291549

Last line in bold:
We've got reports that on some firmware verions of Apple TV there is a problem connecting to Netflix. Please make sure you have firmware v4.4.2 or later.

/// I had atv's for years, jailbreaking them since the initial atv came along. It was fine but too many hoops to jump through as time went on. They'd release a new update to the ATV, with features I'd want but the JB wasn't available yet so I'd be stuck waiting months (for the JB of the newest update), to be able to use MLB TV on my atv... or because the last jailbreak didn't automatically block updates, my ATV would update auto and now I'd lose my JB and be stuck at 4.0.2 or something... then waiting months for JB of that release because Apple stopped signing old OS releases.

Boxee Box, there is none of this hassle. You plug it in, turn it on and you can begin watching your downloaded content from your own NAS or share on your computer right away... avi, xvid, mkv, whatever... doesn't matter. It has netflix, mlb, nhl, nba, bbc iplayer, vimeo, vudu, etc. etc.

Plus the keyboard is RF and not IR -- not to mention it has a keyboard! -- so you can place the boxee box out line of sight and still use it properly.

Further, on the boxee itself, it scrapes online sources, like comedy channel, discovery, ctv, cbc, etc. for shows those providers stream on their website... It pulls the episode info and displays it in boxee's own front end so you don't need to use a browser to painstakingly find this stuff.

Finally, you can link your facebook, twitter, etc. and it will parse videos to your boxee front end from people you follow or facebook friends so you can easily watch that stuff too.

BUT, my favorite feature of boxee is probably the front end where they just push through popular content from youtube and vimeo mostly. I've discovered so many cool videos through the main screen's choices -- which is funny because once upon a time I just passed right by that to netflix or my own network files.

[Gino34]

Thanks for the info folks.


I went on youtube and saw some videos of the boxee box and although it's more powerful in terms of apps and what it can do over apple tv, I'm just looking mostly for a media streamer that will be able to play movies for free.

I'm not looking for a pay per view streamer (I already own an Xbox 360 and have a huge library to choose from Zune). The point I'm trying to make is I don't want to keep paying for stuff to watch. I already subscribe to Netflix and don't really wanna pay for more channels or anything else that's fee based.

Boxee box is definitely nice but I noticed that you have to pay for alot of the content. That's not what I'm looking for.

I just want to be able to stream Netflix without buffering issues (nothing sucks more than trying to watch something and it keeps freezing up) and be able to access live tv channels like Global or CityTV (local channels).

I was even considering a Roku 2 but after seeing what a jailbroken apple tv device is capable of, that's what really interests me at the moment. I just can't believe how much people are selling them for! I'm really hoping to go into my local Apple store and find a refurbished apple tv for $79.00.

There's no way I'm forking out $300+ bucks on one of those. I definitely would like one but not at that price. Worse case scenario, I'll just stick with my Xbox 360 for now. The only reason I'm looking for newer hardware is because I don't wanna keep my Xbox on for hours because I'm afraid it'll overheat. Plus, I don't want to keep spending $50 bucks a year on a Gold membership which is required to view Netflix on it.

What about Western Digital? I hear that's a good streamer. Can it do what I'm looking for?

[Cap]

I have an ATV2. I do the samething as you. I bought it refurb for 100. jailbroke it myself. great device IMO

[Mexicanuck]

Gino34 wrote,

"I was even considering a Roku 2 but after seeing what a jailbroken apple tv device is capable of, that's what really interests me at the moment. I just can't believe how much people are selling them for! I'm really hoping to go into my local Apple store and find a refurbished apple tv for $79.00."

I think your hopes are too high on a price for the ATV2. At least in the Vancouver area, Craigslist sales under $300 go pretty quickly. Apple isn't selling refurbished ATV2s on their website, so I doubt they will be selling them at Apple stores.

You may find that "free" costs a fair bit of money.

[Gino34]

Alright....seems like I'll have to give up owning an ATV2 unit as long as people are asking those ridiculous prices!

I came across this site which has a bunch of media streamers:


http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...asp?CatId=4679


I'm trying to stay under $100 bucks and was wondering if anyone has heard good things about the Netgear model or the LG. It seems that D-Link has another model out now too.

I was really hoping to buy one that has a built in web browser (I'm not always keen on firing up my pc late at night to surf) so I was seeing if any of these models have that.

I also stumbled upon the Sony SMP N200 and everything looked good until I heard that the web browser is terrible and clunky.

I'm really confused and don't know which model/brand to go with. Hell, I'm still thinking about just buying a Roku XS and leave it at that.

In your opinion, which media streamer is decent for under $100 bucks?

I'd be mostly using it for Netflix and possibly Hulu Plus down the road if they ever get rid of those annoying ads. Web surfing would definitely be a plus. I've looked at all those "free" channels from most players and I doubt I'd ever use them as I'm really only into movies and tv shows. Being able to play Jeopardy or Wheel of Fortune on Roku is nice but not necessary imo.

Can someone point me in the right direction? I guess it's so hard choosing because there's so many damn models!!

[audacity]

Gino34,

If you're trying to save money and you've already got a Xbox 360, I'd just ride that platform out until the end of its life, that would be more cost effective than buying something new, even if you do have to pay for Xbox Live (which, btw, you can often get for $35/year - just look for the sales). The Xbox can get all sorts of OTA and video content via your PC (using Windows Media Center) and it has Netflix and Hulu and a number of other video providers.

Oh, and soon the Xbox 360 will have a built-in web browser that actually looks pretty sweet when compared to the browsers on other consoles or media streaming devices.

[Gino34]

Originally Posted by audacity

Gino34,

If you're trying to save money and you've already got a Xbox 360, I'd just ride that platform out until the end of its life, that would be more cost effective than buying something new, even if you do have to pay for Xbox Live (which, btw, you can often get for $35/year - just look for the sales). The Xbox can get all sorts of OTA and video content via your PC (using Windows Media Center) and it has Netflix and Hulu and a number of other video providers.

Oh, and soon the Xbox 360 will have a built-in web browser that actually looks pretty sweet when compared to the browsers on other consoles or media streaming devices.

It's not just forking out for a Gold Membership that bothers me (I still do use it to play online here and there) but more for the fact that I don't want the unit to overheat. I do have a brand new slim model which is much better with hot temps, but I'm one of those guys who just doesn't wanna get burned twice (I lost my 1st gen machine due to this).

Plus, I seem to be having trouble connecting to Netflix with it. On my Wii it works no problem....but I'm getting booted off sometimes outta nowhere (I could literally be watching something and 10 minutes into it, I'm back at the Xbox dashboard) or it'll say I need a Gold membership to use this service. I have multiple accounts and for some reason, it's been giving me problems.

My wife sometimes arrives at home before I do and she's CONSTANTLY complaining that she can't watch something. The Xbox even tells me it can't connect to Live sometimes. I just wanna be able to buy something that'll work and won't run hot. That's why I'm considering a Netgear, LG or Roku.

I still have time to decide (got 5 months left of Gold) but I'm doing this more for her than for me. It's starting to get really annoying having to keep unplugging my router or resetting my modem everytime this happens!

I'd prefer keeping my 360 for gaming only. I don't wanna be using Netflix for 3 hours and then wanna play Rainbow Six Vegas 2 for another 2 hours. I'm really worried about it overheating. Plus, down the road when we do eventually move, I'd want my 360 to play games...now it's being used up at night because my wife always uses it to watch tv shows. Oh, and my friend tells me I should just use my Wii for Netflix...only problem is I love watching movies in HD and the Wii just can't do it. If the entire Netflix library was in standard def, I wouldn't be looking to buying anything.

You see where I'm going with this now and why I wanna buy another device?

[audacity]

Well, if you have a new Xbox 360 "S" then I think your concern about overheating is misplaced.

Regarding your connectivity issues, are you using wired networking or wireless networking? If it is wireless, that may be the root cause of the symptoms you're describing.

The only times I've had network connective with my Xbox, I did find some other network issue that was at the root of the problem (e.g. ISP dropping connectivity). And we use the Xbox for Netflix and Hulu quite a bit.

So, I'd double check the network issues because you might end up buying a new streaming media player and have network issues with that new device too.

[North_of_Calgary]

Originally Posted by Gino34

Alright....seems like I'll have to give up owning an ATV2 unit as long as people are asking those ridiculous prices!

I came across this site which has a bunch of media streamers:


http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...asp?CatId=4679


I'm trying to stay under $100 bucks and was wondering if anyone has heard good things about the Netgear model or the LG. It seems that D-Link has another model out now too.

Personally I'd stay clear of all of that. Add $10 to your budget and make the decision between the ATV3 and the Roku XS.

If iTunes integration and iTunes rentals are important to you then go with the ATV3.

If you'd like to hide it out of site and use an RF remote then go with the Roku XS.

I wouldn't recommend putting any more effort into it and in the end getting an inferior product that will probably just frustrate you just to save $10.

[Mexicanuck]

I have two JB ATV2s, an ATV3, a PS3, a Roku 2 XS, and a Sony 60NX720 (Smart TV that has Netflix and Hulu Plus built in).

I am currently helping a friend get set up for streaming. I have recommended the Roku 2 XS for easy of use and diversity of channels. I have a couple of hundred DVDs, hundreds of CDs and thousands of tracks bought through iTunes. I think the diversity of video and audio available through streaming provides incredible value compared to the cost of entertainment just a few years ago.

If you really want the JB ATV, and either you are willing to deal with the hobby aspect of accessing some services, I recommend you don't even think about the cost of a JB ATV. Even if you were to pay $300, that is a minor cost for the thousands of hours of diverse entertainment it can provide.

If your mind is confusing you because you could have bought an ATV2 six months ago for $100, forget that. Think instead that three years ago you would have paid $300 for a basic ATV1. A JB ATV2 is a bargain in comparison.

[Gino34]

Originally Posted by audacity

Well, if you have a new Xbox 360 "S" then I think your concern about overheating is misplaced.

Regarding your connectivity issues, are you using wired networking or wireless networking? If it is wireless, that may be the root cause of the symptoms you're describing.

The only times I've had network connective with my Xbox, I did find some other network issue that was at the root of the problem (e.g. ISP dropping connectivity). And we use the Xbox for Netflix and Hulu quite a bit.

So, I'd double check the network issues because you might end up buying a new streaming media player and have network issues with that new device too.

Yeah....I was thinking that too. It might not be my 360 but a networking issue. I'm thinking it's my router for some reason. I've had it almost a year now (D-Link 615) and for some reason I need to keep unplugging it and re-plug it in for things to work. Very frustrating!!

Even though I have new Xbox model I still don't wanna risk keeping it on for extended periods of time.

I guess what it boils down to is the channels. All of these devices stream Netflix so I guess I should be asking which streamer has the better channels or apps? My wife and I are mostly movie and tv watchers so I'd say 80% of those channels I've seen don't really interest us. I don't see myself firing up my Roku or WD TV device just to check out the weather forecast or play Jeopardy. It's all about movie and tv shows for us. If I have to pay for a subscription for something really good I will. But as far as all that free stuff goes, it's nothing great. I know this because my 360 has lots of those channels and the content in there is pretty crappy. Like who wants to watch an independent flick when you can watch a blockbuster from Netflix??

You see where I'm getting at. At one point I was even considering going on craigslist and just buying a used bluray player with Netflix built in for $40 bucks. I'm just extremely weary about buying used electronics.

I really like what the wd tv can do and it plays way more files than the Roku. Also, not having Youtube on a Roku really sucks. I think I'm heading towards getting a wd tv device just for those extra things.

Anyone care to tell me the good and bad about Western Digital's device?

[Danno100]

I love my 2 ATV2 jailbroken devices. Netflix is perfect, and you can use unblock-us to view american netflix with your canadian account. I record TV shows with my Win 7 media centre, and watch them using PLEX on the ATV2. Plex also allows all my movie library to be played. The ATV2 uses very little power, so it is on 24/7.

I have 2 XBOX 360 slims gathering dust, and am going to be selling them because they suck (too much power). Plus the gold subscription is a waste of money just for Netflix.