Dammit . I ca n’t sleep . And it ’s because of the Apple TV .
No , as I typecast this at 4:52 a.m. , I ’m not still sit in front of my newly hooked - up machine and my Panasonic plasma . I let the Apple Remote bead from my hands just before midnight after taking in bits and piece ofLost , Pirates of the Caribbean : Dead Man ’s Chest(whew , what a puke ! ) , a DVD - rent ofIt ’s a harebrained , Mad , Mad , Mad World , several moving-picture show trailers , and an variety of podcasts .
What roused me at the 22 - blink crisscross was a vague horse sense that , as much slug as may be contained in the petite Apple TV , it holds at least as much unrealized potential . In shortsighted : I wake with a bad case of The Gimmes .
I realise the purpose of the Apple TV . It ’s a go - between box that makes savour the content of your iTunes Library ( or the iTunes Library of any pass networked computer ) in a adult - filmdom / fully grown - auditory sensation environment as easy as possible .
Got it .
Apple TV
But I also see enough hints of what the Apple TVmightdo that I ca n’t help wanting more . Perhaps all of this is on the horizon , and we ’re waiting for nothing more than the infrastructure to be built ( and the content handle to be made ) . But just in case some of these point have n’t made the whiteboard in Cupertino …
Gimme the StoreBrowse to the Movies , television set Shows , or Music screens , and you see that the Apple television can plan cyclosis content in the phase of motion picture trailers and Top 10 picture show , television installment , and music tracks available at the iTunes Store . Cool . Now that you ’ve tempted me , let me take a Buy command , download said item to my Apple TV , and look on it as it downloads .
Gimme the Store ( temporarily)I’ve notice after buy several “ entire TV season ” DVD box sets that I learn the full political campaign exactly once . I do n’t need to own this poppycock . Ditto for nearly every movie I ’ve buy . Gimme rentals too . Same approximation as with the Buy button . extend a Rent command and start stream video mental object to the Apple TV the minute I choose it . Have the fabric pass within 30 days of first see it and I ’m happy .
Gimme higher rezThe Store ’s H.264 - encode mental object looks good on my big - CRT screen TV , but I recognise it could look better if it was offered in honest HD - quality . I ’ve got the bandwidth , you ’ve got the know - how . have ’s make it happen . ( Oh , and while you ’re construct those new waiter farms , build a few more and offer music in Apple Lossless formatting . )
Gimme conversionMPEG-4 is a very pop video standard and H.264 look great , but there is a lot of digital video fly around that uses neither . I make out I can transcode that video recording with QuickTime Pro and other utilities , but it would be endearing if you made it easy by building a Convert for Apple TV command into iTunes ’ Advanced carte du jour , converted video on the fly as it was spell into my iTunes Library or , dare I say it , let the Apple boob tube to represent extra video format .
Gimme your insightI realize that the Apple TV ’s port is not gear up up to provide a beneficial iTunes computer memory browsing experience . You require to be able to input text to really delve into the depths of The Store . However , it would n’t be too hard to browse sieve sport New Releases , Staff Favorites , and What ’s Hot . But why stop there ? iTunes Just For You and MiniStore lineament are design specifically to labour media at me base on what I already own . I ’m willing to allow Apple a peep into my movie , idiot box , and medicine library if it means a well thought - out Just For You entry on the Apple telly will channelize me to content I ’ll enjoy .
Gimme a two - manner relationshipCurrently the relationship between the Apple TV and iTunes is largely one - sided . iTunes hold the subject and you force it to the Apple TV via a meshwork connexion . For my Buy and Rent fantasies to work I require the Apple TV to give a petty something back . Specifically , I want it to archive material I ’ve downloaded to my computer . For representative , now , when I buy a pic from the iTunes Store , I can burn a DVD datum back up of it . As the Apple TV has no record burner , I ’d like it to synchronize the media I purchase with it back to my Mac ’s iTunes Library . From there I can burn the backup ( for buy content , not hire ) or watch the movie on my computer or synced iPod .
Gimme that USB portThe Apple telecasting bears a single USB 2.0 on the back . Malus pumila keep that — for the prison term being , at least — that “ inspection and repair ” embrasure is for Apple ’s use only . I ’d affectionately love that port for my own intention . Specifically , I ’d like to stop up my fifth - genesis iPod into it so that not only could the Apple TV play content on the iPod but it could automatically sync purchased and charter media to my iPod . Additionally , if I feel cramp by the Apple TV ’s 40 GB drive , why not set aside me to jacklight a 500 GB drive into the USB port for additional storage ?
Gimme shelterI understand that it ’s poor configuration to pronounce a production on what it is n’t and that ’s not my intent . I get the Apple TV and , so far , revalue what it offers . But it ’s exonerated this is just a first stride ( albeit a really attractive one ) in making the gadget the twenty-first century ’s DVD instrumentalist . I care what I ’ve seen . Now please , when you ’re ready , fill in the blank shell .
[ Christopher Breen is a fourth-year editor forMacworld and run theiPod Blogover at Playlist . ]
