While Apple executives have continued to call the Apple TV a hobby , over the past couple years , the society has dedicated a sightly amount of resources to it . TheApple TV 2was a major upgrade , and Apple has tot up a good number of features to that media actor through software updates .
The third - generation Apple TV unveiled Wednesday shows Apple is taking its hobby just a little bit more seriously , thanks to ameliorate video support and an overhauled interface . But there are still plenty of question about the latest variation . Here ’s what we know so far .
What ’s new about it ? Does it finally do 1080p ?
On the software side , there ’s a new exploiter interface with large , iOS - like buttons instead of textual menus for the major content categories . There ’s also a young Genius feature article that suggests moving-picture show based on moving-picture show you ’ve already determine , and Photo Stream images are push to your Apple idiot box without any manual intervention .
1080p sounds very cool , but I do n’t have a very fast net connexion . It ’s kick the bucket to take me forever to download a 1080p video !
Fear not , for with the late Apple television set software system update , the Apple TV ’s preferences filmdom lease you choose the resolution of your video downloads : 1080p , 720p , or stock definition . Apple recommends a wideband connection of at least 8 Mbps to comfortably download 1080p subject . If you have a deadening connection , you ’ll want to opt 720p or standard definition .
iTunes 10.6 , eject Wednesday , has a similar Prefered Video Version option that lets you opt from High Definition ( 1080p ) , High Definition ( 720p ) , and Standard Definition .
Given that the Apple TV is running a adaptation of iOS , can I finally run apps on it ?
Unfortunately , no . The fresh Apple TV provide largely the same feature article and content option as its herald , just with a new port .
Has Apple add together any more “ channels ” or media options ? Can I finally stream video from Hulu or Amazon Video , or sound recording from Pandora ?
Another “ unfortunately , no ” here . The Apple TV ’s non - Applecontent providersremain ( in the U.S. ) Netflix , Vimeo , YouTube , Flickr , and the Wall Street Journal Live , along with sports content from MLB , NBA , and NHL . ( One minor modification is that you could now sign up for Netflix directly from the Apple TV . )
However , a new characteristic automatically push new iCloud photos to your Apple tv set for immediate viewing .
Can you corrupt TV show or movies from the Apple TV ?
provide you have an iCloud account , you’re able to purchase TV show and movies directly from the Apple telly — and by and by download and watch them on your other iCloud - enabled devices , as well .
Has anything changed in term of flick renting ? Do you still get only 24 hour to watch a rented video ? How much does it cost to rent TV show and movies ?
Apple has n’t herald any variety to rental terms .
Can you still grease one’s palms moving picture and TV shows in iTunes and then play them on the Apple TV ? What about rip your own movies and playing them from iTunes on your computer ?
As before , you could buy flick and TV show on the Apple TV itself , or you could buy on your Mac or other iOS twist and later view on your Apple tv set . And thanks to iCloud , you could re - download ( or , in the caseful of Apple TV , flow ) buy TV - show episode and picture show onto any twist without having to go through iTunes on your computer . ( You antecedently could n’t re - download movie . )
However , there ’s a catch here : You still ca n’t re - download picture from Fox and Universal , thanks topre - live deals those studios have with Time Warner .
As for ripped movies , the reply is the same as with the 2d - coevals Apple TV : If you may get a moving-picture show into iTunes , and it ’s in a plunk for data format , the unexampled Apple TV can stream it over your local web for playback .
What if I live outside the U.S. ?
As with the previous Apple TV , content handiness and terms alter bet on the state . likewise , depending where you populate , your iCloud and iTunes Match features may differ from those in the U.S.
Will the 2010 Apple boob tube stomach the fresh feature of speech via a software update ?
The 2010 Apple TV ( which Apple calls the second - generation model ) will get the young user user interface via a gratuitous software update . However , the older model wo n’t pull ahead supporting for 1080p video recording , as it does n’t have the necessary hardware .
So what are the sustain video and audio data format ?
The new Apple TV patronise H.264 video at up to 1080p resolution at 30 frames per secondly ; MPEG-4 TV up to 2.5 Mbps , 640 by 480 pel at 30 physique per second ; and Motion JPEG ( M - JPEG ) up to 35 Mbps , 1280 by 720 pixels , at 30 bod per indorsement . ( Apple’stech specs pagehas more details about supported video profile and audio cut . )
In terms of audio support , you could play HE - AAC , AAC , protected AAC , MP3 , MP3 varying piece rate , Audible , Apple Lossless , AIFF , and WAV file ; the Apple TV also supports Dolby Digital 5.1 laissez passer - through .
What kind of connections does the newfangled good example have ?
As with the previous model , the new Apple TV skylark an HDMI production for digital sound recording and picture , a Toslink - optical output for digital audio , a 10/100Base - T ethernet port — sorry , no Gigabit ethernet yet — a Micro - USB port for armed service manipulation , an infrared receiver for the include remote control , and 802.11a / b / g / n for wireless networking .
Can I link up an external hard drive to the Apple goggle box ?
As with the late two Apple idiot box models , the USB port on the back is plan for only “ service and living . ” Products such as ATVFlash have been able to use the Apple TV ’s USB port to allow for things like external hard thrust warehousing and more media characteristic , but these are unsupported additions . Given the similarity between the new Apple TV and the 2nd - generation model , we suspect thecurrent rendering of ATVFlasheither work with the new Apple TV or will quickly be update for it .
Has AirPlay deepen at all ?
AirPlay functionality looks like the same as with the previous Apple TV : you’re able to stream music , picture , and videos to the Apple TV from AirPlay - enable apps on your computers or Io machine . If you have an iPhone 4S or iPad 2 , you may also utilise AirPlay to mirror that gimmick ’s display to the Apple idiot box .
Has the Apple TV ’s remote been better ?
Despite rumors of a new remote design , the unexampled Apple TV comes with the same canonical , infrared Apple Remote as before — a remote that feels more and more limiting as Apple adds functionality to the Apple TV . gratefully , if you ’ve incur an iOS twist , you could use Apple ’s Remote app instead .
When will the new Apple TV be uncommitted , and how much will it be ?
The update Apple TV will keep the same $ 99 Mary Leontyne Price as the old version . Apple says the new model will be usable on March 16 , with pre - orders pop out today .
Updated 3/9/2012 , 9:43am , to decline a reference to the iPad 2 ’s processor .
