What You Should Know About Apple TV, Google TV, And Media Center Platforms in General

==== ====Get This Product with Special Price at :http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005CLPP8E?tag=pdf-marketing-20==== ====There is a lot of excitement about Apple TV, but it is not a new product. What is new this timearound is that the device is HD and can interface with Netflix and YouTube. It also allows you toview photos and play your music collection, and in the future it may play well with the iPad andallow you to view movies that are playing on the Apple TV, on the iPad. Media players have beenaround for years and the original Apple TV goes back to 2005. Back then it was standard definitionand lacked support for much of what it offers now.The Apple TV is much cheaper now, at only $99, a far cry from what it used to sell for back in2007 when it was more than $200. This is a good price point, and seeing how it is one of thecheaper devices Apple offers I expect to see a greater adoption of this product than we have seenfrom it in the past. In fact what I expect to see happen is mass adoption of the Apple TV by Macenthusiasts (or now, "i" product enthusiasts as there is a whole different crowd of enthusiasts thatlike the Apple gadgets but do not have an actual Mac computer) and the continued support ofeverything else by those who love PC. The most significant update to the Apple TV is the supportof 720p video, which means that you can finally get high definition content through this device.You also have Ethernet, component video outputs and an HDMI connection and even a USBconnection for firmware updates.One thing that does confuse me is the lack of support for 1080p. Is it because the average persondoes not know the difference between 1080 and 720 or that you need a screen larger than 27inches to realistically see the difference between the two? Seriously Apple seems to beshortchanging their customers and putting out hardware that does some things, but not enough inthat they may have trouble explaining to customers the nuances of the product at the Mac Store orwhatever tech support numbers they have for those few that actually want to speak with them overthe phone. If someone wants to watch 1080 video on a 19 inch screen, as ridiculous as that maybe, they should have the right to do so. Offering one flavor of this device when they could chargeanother $30 for a 1080p device at $129 seems strange. Like most Apple devices it connectsprimarily to its own store and you can watch content approved by Apple on the device. You canbreak the device or hack into it, but in doing so you void your warranty. The pricing of content isinteresting; currently you can watch SD content at $2.99 and HD at $3.99, and shows for 99 cents.Amazon On Demand is now offering movies for the same price; they still offer the ability topurchase a title for $14.99 and still have a lot of free content as well. What will different the optionsApple offers through its iTunes store, and what is available through Amazon On Demand andother services is not price, but whether or not you can watch titles on your MP4 player or through aTiVo or some other media center as well as online.It is not backward compatible with older televisions, so if you do not have a television that supportscomponent or HDMI do not attempt to hook this television up with RCA composite or S-Videocables because they will not work on this device. To be totally honest I cannot see why anyone

would want to watch SD video on a television larger than 25 inches even if it is coming off of acomputer; the novelty of it is cool but you will not be able to experience the video the way it wasintended to be viewed. This is a product for those looking for a simple set up and prefer thecontrolled environment that people used to Apples products are used to working in. It is not aviable alternative to the Mac Mini (which does offer 1080p video), and is meant to be used out ofthe box.There is also some confusion as to the difference between media center platforms and operatingsystems, and media centers themselves. A good example of media center software is WindowsMedia Center, Google TV, or XBMC. Chances are the same software can also be ran on a PC, butone needs to make the distinction between that software, and the actual hardware it runs on. Forexample Google TV will be used on a variety of equipment, but there is no indication that Googlethemselves are actually going to produce the hardware it runs on. Another question one may wantto ask themselves is whether or not they really want to hook another box up to their television, orwhether or not they want to purchase a television with a media center already built into it. A searchon Internet ready televisions will show you products that are already capable of viewing YouTubevideos or Netflix movies. If you are already in the market for a television because your old set isbeing replaced, purchasing a television with an Internet connection built into it may not be a badidea.The Apple TV is a great product for those who want a simplified experience and do not mindpaying for episodes of television shows or movies. Plus at $99, the Apple TV should be flying off ofthe shelves this holiday season and could make a great gift. But what is important is that what wasa device ahead of its time can now interface with Netflix, YouTube, and in the future, the iPad, inorder to centralize your television experience under one roof, the Apple TV should be able to do itall. The Apple TV will offer free content through YouTube and paid content through Netflix andApples iTunes store. On the other hand the Roku Player is still cheaper as they have devices foras little as $59, and even their cheapest HD device is $69. For $99 you can get a player capableof delivering 1080p resolution, a feature they state will be available in the near future, which iscurrently more than you get on Apple TV.Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christopher_Kendalls==== ====Get This Product with Special Price at :

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005CLPP8E?tag=pdf-marketing-20==== ====

What You Should Know About Apple TV, Google TV, And Media Center Platforms in General

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