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- Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 173 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
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7 out of 9 people found this review helpful
2.5 stars
"Why can't any one get it right?"
Pros: Small and looks pretty
Cons: codec support? device support? all crap
Summary: First let me state, I am not a republican, I am not a democrat. I vote for who has the best ideas to fit the situation. I do not like Microsoft, I do not like Apple, I buy from whoever makes the best product (and who doesn't try to rip the consumer off in the process.)
Now then. The Apple Tv. Well, its another solution from another company to sell THEIR line of products. When it comes to hardware, the world needs a standard. That is, we need a standard video format, we need a standard streaming solution, we need a standard ability to choose our source of content. WE DONT need a new microsoft trying to sell us their wma over mp3, WE DONT need another non removable internet explorer, and we certainly DONT need someone forcing us to stick to their one solution for video.
In order for the home to truly become a digital media fortress, we are going to need vast amounts of storage. We are going to need a central server that can be accessed from the TV, from the Desktop, from the laptop, heck, even from the phone (one day maybe). The solution you ask? NAS - network area storage. A little box that holds a few terrabytes of data, and is fully redundant- so you dont have to worry about losing your collection. Maybe I wanna rip my DVDs to a NAS and watch them on my tv. Maybe my CDs. Who knows, maybe even pay apple or Micro$oft for a season of 24.
But IN ANY EVENT, hardware manufacturers need to stay in their lane. When I buy a mouse, I expect that mouse to work on my PC as is, to work on Windows, OSX, and Red Hat. I DONT expect logitec to sell me a special card to install into my box because they decided to change the mouse plug. Someone needs to come up with a product that just accepts the video. They need to come up with a product that accepts the STANDARD video formats. And they need, DAG NABBIT, to make it work on ALL SYSTEMS. Can it really be that hard?Updated
If you're looking for a REAL media player for the house try out the helios x5000:
http://www.cdfreaks.com/reviews/Helios-X5000-HD-Network-Media-Player-Review/Content-browser.html
- 1 reply to this review
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Everyone deserves their own opinion and I actually value other opinions. But this is not a review of Apple TV. It's a rant about open source and anti-commercialism views. Look, Apple, like any other company, has to protect its multi-million dollar investments and intellectual property. Open source standards (in many instances) are not profit making for companies. They're not in business to give you the ability to share all sorts of formats and peer-to-peer capabilities. They have to make money. As a result, the Apple TV and any other similar product should be reviewed on their merits, not on whether they will play well with other vendor's proprietary products. The reason Apple has been so successful in this area is because they produce products that perform as intended, not solve world hunger. Socialism with respect to technology has no place in the commercial sector. Do you even tried an Apple TV?
Apple TV (40GB):
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