Unpacking
If you ’ve glance at our Apple television set photo veranda ( the slideshow act , but a technical bug prevents you from seeing thumbnail ) , you ’ve got a good notion of what ’s inside the Apple TV boxwood . There you ’ll find the Apple TV , a power corduroy ( which hints that the big businessman supply is work up into the gadget rather than part of an international index brick ) , a 47 - pageboy User ’s Guide , some hunky-dory - printish software documentation you belike wo n’t read , the customary white Apple stickers , and the Apple Remote . This is the exact same remote Apple packet with some Mac minis and all iMacs . ( For a ocular take of what it ’s like to take an Apple TV out of the box , check off outthis videofrom our colleagues atPC World . )
Not included with the Apple TV are any cable for connect the machine to your television receiver . Fortunately , the Apple Store sells bothHDMIand digital audioToslink cablesmade byXtremeMac . I clean up a brace of the cables at theSan Jose , Calif. , Apple Storewhere I purchased the Apple TV . I was very proud of to discover that these things are price at just $ 20 a piece . chink your local electronics mart and you ’ll discover that HDMI cables are often priced at well over $ 50 .
The table of contents of the Apple TV publicity ( sans the included remote ) .
The Apple TV ’s footmark is a bit big than a Mac miniskirt at about 7.75 - inches straight and just over an inch tall . Arrayed across the back are the Power , USB , Ethernet , HDMI , Component Video , Analog Audio , and Optical Digital Audio port . The front of the machine bear a exclusive light that can dart livid or amber .
The role of all these ports save the one labeled USB are clear . In a Apple television briefing with Apple Thursday cockcrow , I learned that the USB larboard is not for users . Rather , Apple will use the embrasure should you necessitate to return your Apple telecasting for repair . And I expect that ’s true — for now . But I wo n’t be surprised when one update or another land other capabilities to that port .
Jacking in
I ’m as enthusiastic about Apple ’s technology as the next guy rope and because I am , I need to get my Apple TV up and running as presently as possible . Apple draw it pretty well-situated to do just that .
I plug the Apple TV ’s index cord into the back of the twist as well as into a nearby power receptacle . I unpackaged the XtremeMac HDMI cable I ’d bought and strung it between the appropriate porthole on the Apple TV and one of the HDMI jackstones on my Panasonic TH-42PX60U 42 - inch plasma TV . I shift over to HDMI 1 with the TV ’s remote control and , in brusk order , there come along the white Apple logotype on a black background .
The ports on the back of the Apple tv set
Much like when installing OS X , the first matter you see beyond the Apple logotype is a lyric screen where you pick from among 15 languages using the Apple Remote . When you make selections and press Play / Pause you hear the same cute little “ thumping ” auditory sensation used by Apple ’s Front Row .
If you ’ve jacked a cable into the gimmick ’s Ethernet port , it will check this connection first for a viable meshwork connection . If it find one , it will attach itself to the connection using DHCP . If no Ethernet larboard is present , it then seek for wireless web using its built - in 802.11b / g / n capabilities . In my case I have a wireless N mesh setup downstairs using the former AirPort Extreme Base Station . It found it in just seconds . The Apple TV expose its name as well as the name of my older G - flavored AirPort Extreme Base Station . I choose the N connection and I was in concern .
Talking to iTunes
After that , the Apple TV wanted to speak with its married person , iTunes . It initiated this appendage by producing a CRT screen that display a 5 - finger PIN computer code . My task was to move to the Mac that would sync with the Apple TV , take the Apple idiot box entree in iTunes ’ seed list , and participate the Apple TV ’s PIN in the place alotted . This , too , I did . Within the Apple TV taste , I was prompted to register and name the machine . Once I ’d done that , it was time to move to tab much like you find in iTunes ’ iPod preferences .
The process of link up Apple TV and iTunes reason out with you entering a 5 - digit PIN code into the space provide in iTunes ’ Apple TV fare .
You ’re allowed to synchronise an Apple TV ’s home 40 GB hard parkway with one computer — Mac or Windows PC — running iTunes 7.1.1 or later . When you ’ve established that relationship you could separate iTunes what mental object you ’d like moved to the Apple TV ’s hard drive . This operose drive contains 33 GB of usable storage outer space . This it will do up to the tip where the hard drive is full — something that ’s not hard to do if you have a lot of idiot box shows and movie . The Apple video make priority to your media , first syncing movies , then video shows , euphony , podcasts , and , finally photo . When a computer is synchronize with an Apple TV , you see a tabbed interface where you determine how movie , TV shows , euphony , podcasts , and photos are synced to the Apple TV .
If the hard drive fills up with movies , that ’s it , it ’s full . subject matter will disappear from the gimmick as you sync it . For illustration , if you ’ve configured Apple TV to grab the three most late unwatched movies and you watch one of the movie , iTunes will tell the Apple TV to strike the watched movie from its hard drive and load up the next unwatched motion-picture show . iTunes and the Apple TV constantly talk to one another . As long as iTunes is running on the sync calculator and your web is up and take to the woods , the two will update substance as necessary ; there ’s no need for you to initiate sync .
you could prefer how many movies get synchronize to Apple TV with this drop - down card .
As I hinted , you could manage which media nose up on the Apple television simply by being selective about which subject matter ( and how much of it ) is synced to the equipment . For example , you’re able to tell iTunes to sync only the three most recent unwatched motion-picture show . Or disable motion picture syncing altogether so you could sync the five most recent episodes of a TV serial .
The Apple television set can also stream mental object from up to five estimator . To do so , voyage to the Sources menu on the Apple TV , select Connect to New iTunes , and a new PIN turn appear . Enter this PIN turn into the Apple TV preferences on the novel computer ’s copy of iTunes , and iTunes will evidence you you ’re in sync . you could now pour content from that computer ’s library to the Apple TV . you could also stream capacity from the synced calculator . How speedily it streams calculate on the speed of your net and the kind of mental object you ’re streaming . If you have an 802.11 g or n internet , video should stream fair quickly . Although video can be pour over 802.11b networks , it ’s likely to take a while for that message to be buffered by the Apple TV ( imply there will be a foresighted time lag before playback begins ) . Audio is theorize to swarm nicely regardless of the variety of net you have . A pumped electronic web should swarm just about anything you throw at the Apple TV .
The look
If you ’ve used a screen - hold iPod or Apple ’s Front Row , you ’re going to experience right at home with the Apple idiot box . Its carte du jour construction is very similar to Front Row . Once you ’ve configured the equipment , you ’ll see the Apple TV ’s main screen . In that cover , you ’ll see entries for Movies , TV show , Music , Podcasts , preferences , and Source . These computer menu entry do pretty much what they suggest with a few added bonuses .
Apple TV ’s main screen
Among them you ’ll notice an iTunes Top Movies and Theatrical Trailers introduction in the Movies screen . Just as with Front Row , you could watch over moving picture poke stream from the net . And yes , just as with Front Row , they reckon wonderful and load up promptly over a typical DSL or cable connection . Choose iTunes Top Movies and you ’ll see a leaning of 10 title . Select one and you regard a forgetful verbal description of the movie and a motion picture of its poster . you could not buy these movies at once from the Apple telecasting . They ’re there just to offer up you the preview — one that go a couple of minutes . They too look great .
Within TV show , you ’ll find an entry for iTunes Top idiot box Episodes . Again , there are 10 titles listed and the trailer are just that — a 30 - second snippet of the program .
The Music entry contains iTunes Top Songs and iTunes Top Music Videos ingress and displays record album cover when you pick out one . Again , a 30 - secondment preview is propose and the record album cover displays when you select a racecourse .
Podcasts offers no preview or testimonial , just the podcasts you have in the attached computer ’s iTunes library or the podcasts stored on the Apple TV ’s hard driving force .
setting is where you ensure how the Apple television behaves . It includes these entries and selection : About , television Resolution ( 720p HD , 1080i HD , 480p , 720p HD – 50Hz , 1080i HD – 50Hz , 576p – 50Hz ) , connection ( Configure Wireless , Configure TCP / IP ) , Screen Saver ( Timeout , Use For Music [ On / Off ] , Preview , Logo , Albums , Photos ) , Repeat Music ( On / Off ) , Sound Check ( On / Off ) , Sound Effects ( On / Off ) , HDMI Brightness ( High / Low ) , Pair Remote , Update Software , Language , Legal , and Reset configurations .
And Sources let in four entries — Apple goggle box , presently Synced Computer ’s Name(the name of your synced information processing system ) , Connect to iTunes , and Syncing .
Select Apple TV and press Play / Pause and you ’re taken to the main concealment where you may view what ’s on the Apple TV ’s hard cause . Apple ’s spinning wheel ikon appears next to any medium type that ’s currently being sync ( TV appearance , for model ) .
Select the name of your synced computer and Apple TV will establish a connection with it and exhibit the contents of its iTunes subroutine library , using the same principal filmdom carte scheme that put up Movies , TV Shows , Music , Podcast , preferences , and Sources entries . Select something within these first four entries to pelt that content to the Apple TV .
The Connect to New iTunes entry is where you ’re presented with the PIN number for a computer you like to add to your Apple TV .
And selecting the Syncing command lets you turn synchronize off ( doing so removes any synced content from the Apple TV ) and change the iTunes Library your Apple telecasting is synchronize to . Within this concealment you also see a impression of the Apple TV and a progress bar that tells you what it ’s up to ( the name of what it ’s copying to the Apple TV ’s difficult driving force for instance ) .
This and that
I ’m quite literally typecast with one handwriting and operating the Apple Remote with the other so I have n’t had a mess of calibre meter with the Apple TV and judgement will come later . But I can point out a mates of coolheaded thing that have spring out .
The first is that the Apple TV is measured with your exhibit . Wonderful as the equipment may be , no one require to see its images burned into a blood plasma presentation because it ’s project the same carte du jour or album cover for hours on end . To prevent such wrong , it kicks in a screensaver after two minute ( you could change this length ) . By default it use some floral images stash away on the Apple TV and they ’re beautiful . They move graciously up your screen and , every so often , the range of a function spin around . It does n’t impart static images of album art on the blind either . When you ’re spiel music or a podcast , the record album / program art appear on screen . After a poor while , it rotates so that it does n’t burn into your display . courteous .
And the Apple TV is ingenious about picking up where you left off . If you halt a movie mid - stream and afterward return to it after play some other medium , you ’ll be asked if you ’d like to play from the beginning or take up where you last stopped . If only my DVD participant kept cartroad so well .
There ’s slews more to arrive as I take my hand off the keyboard , settle into the couch shock absorber , and spend more time syncing , cyclosis , and play the substance of my iTunes Library . persist tune up .
[ Christopher Breen is a senior editor forMacworld and run theiPod Blogover at Playlist . ]
