Apple TVs £84 today

**Dave2002** · 29-11-13, 11:17

Originally posted by Dave2002 View Post

The title says it. You may not want one, but if you do, or want to give one away as a present, they are cheaper today - Friday 29th November. Some people have said they are good, and more or less do what they are supposed to do.

Actually Amazon have it even cheaper today (£76.50) - not sure if their price will continue in the days which follow - http://www.amazon.co.uk/New-Apple-TV...words=Apple+TV

**Flosshilde** · 29-11-13, 11:44

Originally posted by Dave2002 View Post

more or less do what they are supposed to do.

Shouldn't they do everything they're supposed to do? Even at £84?

**Dave2002** · 29-11-13, 13:02

Originally posted by Flosshilde View Post

Shouldn't they do everything they're supposed to do? Even at £84?

In my experience hardly any things do, and many people don't either! There again, one doesn't normally buy people, and I suppose paying for a marriage license doesn't count!

**Bryn** · 29-11-13, 13:13

Hmm, what's the betting there's an updated version about to be launched? Cynical re. Apple, moi?

**Dave2002** · 29-11-13, 17:43

Originally posted by Bryn View Post

Hmm, what's the betting there's an updated version about to be launched? Cynical re. Apple, moi?

1. You're probably not going to buy one anyway.
2. I doubt that they'll produce a new model before Christmas.
3. If you want to play with this kind of gadget, figure out a way to use the NowTV - https://shop.nowtv.com/ - without paying any subscription to Sky.
I hear it might be doable, but could take hours off your life trying to get it all to work - and do all you want it to. Under a tenner.
4. Many people who have bought and/or used the Apple TVs seem pleased with them. I have not used one, so I can't comment.

**Dave2002** · 29-11-13, 18:06

In response to a query on the Bargains thread, I put some more technical details back on that thread. Probably should be here really, but anyone who wants to see it can find it here - http://www.for3.org/forums/showthrea...600#post355600
This slightly off-topic diversion should only last a short while anyway, because of the limited time window.

**richardfinegold** · 01-12-13, 12:53

I use 2 of them, 1 for home and one in my office waiting room. For the price, they are fun gadgets, and I have also given them to my children as presents for their homes. We use them primarily for Internet radio and renting movies or TV shows. One of my kids listens to many podcasts. I also will listen to my itunes collection as background music in the office.
It's most useful application isthe ability to wirelessly transmit photos from your computer to a TV monitor. Unfortunately this is an unreliable feature, and twice I've had this not work at the precise moment that we had company gathered around for the prcise purpose of sharing pictures.
They have many other problems:
1) They frequently have to be re booted, which involves pulling out the power cords and the ethernet cable. The real estate to do this is so small that one pulls out the HDMI cable as well. You have to ensure that the ATV is in a space where all of this can be easily accessed since you will be required to do this often.
2) The remote is difficult, one of those Apple wheels that looks cute but is difficult to use for the many sequential tasks that are required.
3) The movie selection is strange--many are only available for purchase
4) It can only be used for CD Quality or lower quality sound;High Resolution recordings can't be transmitted, greatly reducing it's potential use as a media server.

Still, for the price, and when it works, it does have a lot of functionality.

**Dave2002** · 01-12-13, 22:38

rfg

Thanks for the info. I have one on order, which I was thinking of giving away as a Christmas present. Sounds as though I need to take it out and test it, and if necessary send it back under the returns conditions. Most people seem to think it's good, but one concern I've noted is that it may not solve a particular problem - how to get ITV Player and C4OD on our TV. I even saw a site which claimed that even if one can receive these on Apple devices (MBPs, iOS? I'm not sure) that they would actually block transmission to the ATV, allegedly because of restrictions imposed by other parties.

If that is actually true, then Apple will go down enormously in my estimation.

The other major purpose for us would be to do fast slide shows without having to plug our computers directly into the TV. You have suggested that this is not always very reliable.

Regarding films, it seems to me that there isn't that great a choice in the UK, unless one is prepared to pay over the top. We can get several DVDs or Blu Rays per month from Lovefilm - I think for about £5. The service works well enough. I don't want to pay more than £4 for doing the same online, and I'm not bothered about keeping up with the latest films - most of which I suspect are not worth watching. I am prepared to go and see some of the better films (either new releases, or good older ones) in cinemas or film clubs.

One kind of service which hasn't been picked up yet, though might come along, is the domestic equivalent of Glyndebourne/ROH/National Theatre Live - which is currently quite a success in the UK, with live shows (or sometimes "replays" of live shows) being shown in cinemas. However, even there I'm not sure that I'd bother if these get distributed for home watching. In general I'd rather either see the "real" live show, or put in the effort to go to the cinema if the live show is not possible. I did enjoy the recent showing of Frankenstein (NT - an amazing performance by Jonny Lee Miller), though I might have enjoyed it more in the theatre. I don't think any of these "live" shows are yet available in the UK - though of course the BBC still broadcasts a few cultural events more or less as they happen - and we don't have to pay any more as long as we pay our licenses.

Even if there are a few problems, the device could still redeem itself if it could usefully function as an extra screen, either for a newish iPad or a recent Mac. There are software systems which appear to offer useful functionality, rather than simply echoing the screen. These include:

AirParrot - http://www.airsquirrels.com/airparrot/
Reflector - http://www.airsquirrels.com/reflector/
AirServer - http://www.airserver.com/

So, sadly, I shall now probably open the box when it arrives, hoping that I won't find the issues mentioned present a problem, but prepared to claim a refund if, as I'm now fearing, the worst case happens.

**Stunsworth** · 01-12-13, 23:30

The iOS iPlayer app works without any problems with an Apple TV using Airplay.

**Dave2002** · 02-12-13, 05:23

Originally posted by Stunsworth View Post

The iOS iPlayer app works without any problems with an Apple TV using Airplay.

Does that include 4OD and ITV Player? I hope so, and that what I read were only false rumours.

Have you experienced any of the problems noted by rfg? Maybe the models on sale in the US are slightly different, though I wouldn't expect that.

**Stunsworth** · 02-12-13, 10:57

ITV player mirrors fine, 4OD doesn't. This is a restriction imposed by the app developer not Apple.

I've had no problems with the device, though I haven't used it for a slide show. I very occasionally had to reboot an earlier Apple TV 2, but I've had no problems with the ATV 3 that I now use.

I also subscribe to Netflix for £6 a month. There's a free month's trial available. The US version of Netflix has a larger choice of films and TV series, and it's very easy to switch between the two using a service that costs around £3 a month.

**Dave2002** · 02-12-13, 13:45

Originally posted by Stunsworth View Post

ITV player mirrors fine, 4OD doesn't. This is a restriction imposed by the app developer not Apple.

Is that 4OD restriction via iOS (iPhone, iPad) or mirroring the screen of (say) a MBP laptop? Both, maybe! If we could do it via one or other there wouldn't be a problem. We can currently do 4OD by connecting an MBP laptop up to the TV with an HDMI cable, and mirroring the display in full screen mode. Not having to connect a cable would be good.

Is there a Channel 5 option which works with ATV? I don't normally watch C5, but I fixed our Roku unit to do that, and one or two programmes have been interesting.

**Stunsworth** · 02-12-13, 17:51

Originally posted by Dave2002 View Post

Is that 4OD restriction via iOS (iPhone, iPad) or mirroring the screen of (say) a MBP laptop?

It was a restriction of the iOS app on my iPad.

It's been a while since I tried mirroring the screen of my Mac, but I can't see why it wouldn't work.

**richardfinegold** · 03-12-13, 21:05

Despite my reservations about it's reliability, for the price, it really gets you a lot of functionality. I would be willing to pay several times the price for a version that worked better and perhaps offered the ability to play back high resolution recordings

Apple TVs £84 today

Apple TVs £84 today

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