iTunes in the living room? Really this time?

[Paul Daniel Ash]

The talk of "convergence" - the unification of computers, set-top boxes, and mobile devices - has been around for a while. And for the most part it's been pure vapor. However, there's reason to believe that if anyone can do it, it's Apple.

There's an increasing crescendo of rumormongering - most of it emanating from Piper Jaffray research analyst Gene "Herman" Munster - of a new Apple TV release on September 9. You remember Apple TV, right? Everybody's favorite WTF? device has been sort of hanging around waiting for its killer app. iTunes downloads and Flickr galleries, obviously, were not it.

Munster thinks the announcement will involve a DVR, which Dan Dilger from AppleInsider thinks would be a terrible idea. More interestingly, Munster has suggested a subscription on-demand service, like Hulu or Netflix.

A tantalizing hint comes in Snow Leopard's support for HTTP Live Streaming, which does an end-run around closed formats like Real and Microsoft's ActiveX streaming. Like Shoutcast, it uses a simple HTTP stream, unlike RTSP streams which are often blocked by firewalls. It allows multiple versions of a clip, so both the high-speed home broadband users as well as the strap-hanger on a train with an iPhone who has only EDGE signal can watch the same video. And the open standard creates an opportunity for home-brew broadcasters to create and stream their own content.

It's almost a sure thing that any Apple TV upgrade will include HTTP Live Streaming. If the engineers and marketing Jedi play this right, there could be a significant addition to the Mac/iPhone/iPod/Apple TV ecosystem that could make things very interesting.

And I might even buy a TV set.

[2per]

let the games begin!!!

[rwin84]

I might actually get this product if it materializes.

[solarus]

I'm not sure why they would bother with a subscription service - most flat screen manufacturer's already have agreements with one service or another, so you already get a subscription of one kind or another with the TV. If Apple have services from everyone in the streaming space (which the TV guys don't) that would make it worthwhile I guess.

But then again, I'm not convinced that the mainstream viewer is ready to have a media extender of any kind. Its not just Apple TV either...PS3 and Xbox have extender capabilities yet for the most part neither are used as such. The mainstream viewer already has a satellite or cable box that comes with a DVR (in most cases) and will likely have some sort of media extension capability in the future.

[jaygatsby27]

Am I the only person using my AppleTV? I find it to be very handy and I prefer it to watching movies on my Roku device.

[seamonkey420]

a little off-topic but related rant of mine:

i wish they would atleast update Front Row with more options on sorting my videos on my shared itunes library.


i have over 250 mp4 movies on my main desktop that i share to my macbook air but hate how frontrow has NO sorting options at all. i love using Frontrow for my night/before bed movie watching but sure wish i could sort my shared movies by genre or date added or anything else besides title.

[zinjen]

Am I the only person using my AppleTV? I find it to be very handy and I prefer it to watching movies on my Roku device.

Agreed. I don't know what the negative rep about apple tv is? I've been using it for quite a while now and love the idea of a digital storage versus having to keep all my dvd's handy. Seriousely, that by itself is well enough worth the cost.

AppleTV + 1TB Harddrive + 500 DVD's laying around = Awesomness.

[Melech518]

I said screw it to the Apple Tv an bought the new Mac Mini when it came out this past year. I think it serves a much better purpose then the Apple Tv as I can surf the web, download movies FOR FREE, and watch any show I want FOR FREE

[darkcloud28]

and i say , screw AppleTV , try Divco 7000 : play blu-ray files with the menus , hd Dolby , Hd DTS and and the rest of the files -like its a soft butter , but the best off all they have new update last week : it has media streamer receiver - just use LaCie 5BIG 7.5 TB network hard drive , like me . LaCie have media streamer build in

[Frostbite]

The Apple TV was not a Bad piece of hardware. It was simple and did what it should and did it well, the price point just wasn't there. For the features list the price was WAY too high when there was a dozen other devices that did double the features at half the price, and with Hard Drive prices dropping like flies it just did n't make sense. For example I have and Xbox 360 that I love w/ a 120 GB HD. Now it is my ultimate source for gaming, AND does exactly what Apple TV does plus netflix.

Its just Like the tablet, I'm sure it will be amazing and wok amazing, but if it doesn't have a 500$ price tag (which it won't) its not worth it, Apple doesn't realize that the reason they can "Apple tax" as much as they do on their computers is because they are reliable while, the alternative, PC's aren't. The alternatives to the Tablet and the Apple TV are reliable.

[keatonec]

i always thought you could stream music and movies to an apple tv. i thought thats what they were for. guess not then.

[brandonmarback]

Newest gen Mac Mini + Windows 7 + Boxee = Something that Apple will never have

+++ Since it runs Windows 7 and has a decent video chip, I get to play Half Life 2 on a 40 inch Flat Screen.

Apple is so dumb that they don't even realize that they already have the best set-top box on the market. I have an idea, Apple should just try and re-invent the wheel again. It worked out pretty well the first time with Apple TV.

[dibxna]

I couldn't wait for this to be a reality so I was proactive. I went to the apple store and bought a mac mini along with the wireless keyboard and mouse... I hooked it up to my 55" samsung led 7100 series tv and I now have the sickest set up ever.

I even took it a step dorkier... I have a laser light show and a fog machine set up...

now when I throw parties, we have itunes visualizer on the tv... my music library on shuffle playing on 5.1 surround sound... and the danceclub becomes alive. ha!

[StealthBravo]

I couldn't wait for this to be a reality so I was proactive. I went to the apple store and bought a mac mini along with the wireless keyboard and mouse... I hooked it up to my 55" samsung led 7100 series tv and I now have the sickest set up ever.

I even took it a step dorkier... I have a laser light show and a fog machine set up...

now when I throw parties, we have itunes visualizer on the tv... my music library on shuffle playing on 5.1 surround sound... and the danceclub becomes alive. ha!

[treble26]

I couldn't wait for this to be a reality so I was proactive. I went to the apple store and bought a mac mini along with the wireless keyboard and mouse... I hooked it up to my 55" samsung led 7100 series tv and I now have the sickest set up ever.

I even took it a step dorkier... I have a laser light show and a fog machine set up...

now when I throw parties, we have itunes visualizer on the tv... my music library on shuffle playing on 5.1 surround sound... and the danceclub becomes alive. ha!

that is awesome! i wana make my game room like that but i cant make it into a dance floor like you did because my game room isnt big enough to pass as a dance floor.

[dibxna]

ill post pics up as soon as I finish the house. just recently moved in and started renovating. I just put a new kitchen in and when all is said and done there will be a 42" plasma mounted in the kitchen area... I also have a friend who works with low voltage stuff and will be wiring the whole house for 'party mode' which will involve having a multi channel receiver powering everything.

I will have 5.1 flush mounted in the walls surround sound in the living room, I will have flush mounted speakers in the hallway, kitchen, bathrooms, both up and downstairs... and speakers in my atrium and speakers out back of my house... when party mode is on all speakers will be playing the same stuff through the whole house.

The only thing I can't seem to figure out is a way to have my itunes visualizer play on all tv's through the house. Anyone have any ideas how to accomplish this???

[mikerlx]

It would be cool to hook my Air to the plasma just afraid guest would want to try the Air out since most have only seen the commercial.

[Frostbite]

I couldn't wait for this to be a reality so I was proactive. I went to the apple store and bought a mac mini along with the wireless keyboard and mouse... I hooked it up to my 55" samsung led 7100 series tv and I now have the sickest set up ever.

I even took it a step dorkier... I have a laser light show and a fog machine set up...

now when I throw parties, we have itunes visualizer on the tv... my music library on shuffle playing on 5.1 surround sound... and the danceclub becomes alive. ha!

Thats.......That's just awesome

[capttanhowdy]

Apple TV + Rip it + Handbrake = the best combo ever!

[Cer0]

Am I the only person using my AppleTV? I find it to be very handy and I prefer it to watching movies on my Roku device.

I use my AppleTv all the time still. Mine is hacked with Boxee installed. I have it streaming my stuff from my PC. I don't have it in the living room but it is in my bedroom and great way to put on some shows or a movie before going to bed.