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New vs. old?

As I understand it, the new Apple TV, $99, does not have a hard drive but there is another version that has the 160GB hd.

Do they basically function exactly the same, less the hd? If not, how are they different?

I read something indicating that the one with the 160gb hd will pull 160gb worth of content from your Itunes and fill itself. Is that true? Can't I just leave the 160gb free to buy movies and such from Itunes?
Can I control or be selective of what goes into the 160gb hd, kind of like syncing an Ipad or Ipod with Itunes?

I will be getting an Apple TV but want to try and figure out if I should get the one with the hard drive or not.

Thanks for the help!

Ehren

Mac G5, Mac OS X (10.5.8)

Posted on Mar 1, 2011 9:32 AM

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Question marked as Best reply

Posted on Mar 1, 2011 9:36 AM

moonbaza wrote:
As I understand it, the new Apple TV, $99, does not have a hard drive but there is another version that has the 160GB hd.


correct. the original version with the HDD was discontinued when the new one was released.

Do they basically function exactly the same, less the hd? If not, how are they different?


no, they are quite different although they essentially do the same task.
the old appletv allowed to you buy or rent content from the itunes store. the new appletv only allows you to rent content.

I read something indicating that the one with the 160gb hd will pull 160gb worth of content from your Itunes and fill itself. Is that true? Can't I just leave the 160gb free to buy movies and such from Itunes?


the old version allowed you to sync content from itunes (similar to an ipod), as well as stream.
the new version only allows you to stream from itunes.

Can I control or be selective of what goes into the 160gb hd, kind of like syncing an Ipad or Ipod with Itunes?


you can be selective.

I will be getting an Apple TV but want to try and figure out if I should get the one with the hard drive or not.


i doubt you'll be able to buy a new original appletv. and if you did buy one you would be buying an EOL device that is no longer supported by apple in terms of software.
24 replies
Question marked as Best reply

Mar 1, 2011 9:36 AM in response to moonbaza

moonbaza wrote:
As I understand it, the new Apple TV, $99, does not have a hard drive but there is another version that has the 160GB hd.


correct. the original version with the HDD was discontinued when the new one was released.

Do they basically function exactly the same, less the hd? If not, how are they different?


no, they are quite different although they essentially do the same task.
the old appletv allowed to you buy or rent content from the itunes store. the new appletv only allows you to rent content.

I read something indicating that the one with the 160gb hd will pull 160gb worth of content from your Itunes and fill itself. Is that true? Can't I just leave the 160gb free to buy movies and such from Itunes?


the old version allowed you to sync content from itunes (similar to an ipod), as well as stream.
the new version only allows you to stream from itunes.

Can I control or be selective of what goes into the 160gb hd, kind of like syncing an Ipad or Ipod with Itunes?


you can be selective.

I will be getting an Apple TV but want to try and figure out if I should get the one with the hard drive or not.


i doubt you'll be able to buy a new original appletv. and if you did buy one you would be buying an EOL device that is no longer supported by apple in terms of software.

Mar 1, 2011 10:23 AM in response to moonbaza

the old version have been discontinued and will most likely not receiver more updates
so airplay may never be supported nor netflix

think most countries stopped selling the first generation atv altogether

the new one use IOS unlike the old one so in the future the new one may be able to run apps

the new one use much less power where the old one is warm to the touch all the time unless you pull the plug on it

the new one require a computer running all the time to be able to play music or movies

when my old 1g appletv dies I'm more likely to get a mac mini to replace it because I want a stand alone device which don't require any of my laptops or desktops to be running and not going into sleep mode
but of cause thats a lot more expensive option

plus atv2 do 720p in 30fps where the org atv do 720p in 24fps
non of them do true 1080p (fullHD)

Message was edited by: Rudegar

Mar 1, 2011 11:16 AM in response to Rudegar

So if I'm understanding this correctly, other than renting movies from Itunes or Netflix all the new one basically does is create a wireless connection from your TV to your Itunes on your computer. Correct?

Are you saying if you don't have your computer on, it's just a paperweight? Or can you still rent movies from Itunes or Netflix if your computer is off?

Mar 1, 2011 11:21 AM in response to Chenks

Do you know why or has apple stated why they took out the option of being able to buy movies with the Apple TV?

I had a message removed from the "moderators" because it involved "speculation or rumor". That's not my intent here I'm just wondering if they had a reason for doing that?

I've been looking at refurbished or used AppleTV's with the hard drives. I guess the concern now is that if they are going to become obsolete and unsupported, that may not be the way to go.

Thanks,

Ehren

Mar 1, 2011 3:32 PM in response to moonbaza

New vs. Old?

I think the answer is simple. If you want to have your purchased iTunes movies available for immediate watching and don't want to be bothered keeping iTunes running on a networked computer ready to feed it movies, and don't want to mess with something like Airplay, then you want the old Apple TV. They old ones are readily available on the second hand markets.

As far as filling the old one it's up to you: leave it empty for streaming, let it auto-fill, specify the movies to fill it, or build custom filters, for instance you can specify to fill it with 100GB of you most recent purchases or most watched movies, etc.

Mar 7, 2011 9:00 PM in response to moonbaza

I have the original ATV and would also like to get the new ATV. But I am wondering if this would work...purchase a Mac Mini to store purchased movies and watch them on my HDTV. Would I even need an Apple TV in that instance?

It seems that a Mac Mini and an HDTV would be all I need to rent or buy movies (thru iTunes) and watch them on my HDTV.

Is Apple TV just an option if you don't want to purchase a Mac Mini?

Thanks!

Mar 7, 2011 9:04 PM in response to stephen w

Perhaps I'm answering my own question on the need for an Apple TV, but I might need one to utilize the AirPlay feature. I am going to get the iPad 2 and want to be able to view movies on the iPad and HTDV. I haven't heard anything about AirPlay working between the iPad and the Mac Mini. Thoughts/suggestions on a compatible home theatre system? Thanks again.

Mar 7, 2011 9:33 PM in response to stephen w

But I am wondering if this would work...purchase a Mac Mini to store purchased movies and watch them on my HDTV.


Yes. I replaced my ATV1 with a Mac mini and it resolved all of my ATV frustrations.

Would I even need an Apple TV in that instance?


No.

It seems that a Mac Mini and an HDTV would be all I need to rent or buy movies (thru iTunes) and watch them on my HDTV.


Yes, you can rent or buy from iTunes on the Mini as well as store your entire library on it or any external drives connected to it. You can also watch web video, including Hulu and Netflix, directly in Safari.

The only annoyance comes from the irrational selection of video types in the iTunes store. Some titles are only available in HD on an iPad or an ATV, despite the Mac mini's superior hardware and performance relative to those devices.

Is Apple TV just an option if you don't want to purchase a Mac Mini?


I'm not sure how relevant it is to compare them directly. The ATV is a dedicated media player designed primarily for use with iTunes files, although it also has an embedded Netflix player. The Mac mini is an actual computer with an HDMI port that can do 1080p video output with surround sound. The price difference between the two is substantial, so the ATV makes for an economical, albeit limited player. The Mac mini has none of the limitations or performance issues of an ATV, but the extra power and versatility come at a price.

Mar 7, 2011 9:37 PM in response to stephen w

Perhaps I'm answering my own question on the need for an Apple TV, but I might need one to utilize the AirPlay feature.


You can't use AirPlay to stream from an iOS device to a Mac, but the Mac mini has none of the limitations of an ATV, so you wouldn't really have a need for AirPlay if you had a mini connected to your A/V system. All you need is the Remote app or the Mobile Mouse app to control a Mac mini remotely.

Mar 8, 2011 10:26 AM in response to capaho

The only annoyance comes from the irrational selection of video types in the iTunes store. Some titles are only available in HD on an iPad or an ATV, despite the Mac mini's superior hardware and performance relative to those devices.

So I suppose you could overcome this limitation by utilizing the Airplay feature to stream those HD titles from iPad directly to HDTV; thus bypassing the mini altogether. Is that a fair statement?

Mar 8, 2011 3:32 PM in response to moonbaza

I have both and much prefer the user experience of the older versions. I stream all content to my 2 old and 1 new ATV, but the new ATV UI is slanted to rental content only and not to content I own in an entensive library.

It would be very useful if the new ATV listed my movies as My Movies as it does on the orginal ATV. My Movies, etc are only found under Computers where I list my iTunes library.

This breaks the (my) user experience because I naturally want to find My Movies under Movies, not Computers.

New vs. old?

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