[3/11/14] Hey got my Apple TV! Bought it from Amazon. I assume it's the current model, so this is the third generation product.
Pretty easy to set up. The remote is small and really thin and took only a little while to get used to with only three buttons on it. It's about the size of a small comb.
First impressions.
Tried Crackle on it first. Noticed a couple things right off. Couldn't figure out to turn on the subtitles. (And I know they work because they work on the Roku.) And I don't even see Seinfeld on the menu. And I see it's there on my computer. Odd.
Subtitles work on Netflix. You have to hold down the center button to access the option to turn it off and on. Not very obvious.
How about AirPlay? I don't see the AirPlay icon when I double tap and scroll right. So far I only see it only when going to Photos.
OK, powered off the iPad and powered it back on. Now I see it!
I like the Netflix subtitles [much] better on the Apple TV than on the Roku. They have a dark background making it easier to see. Whereas on the Roku (I have the HD version), the text is just laid out on the screen without a background. So if the picture background is light, it's hard to read. The subtitles are kind of small though. There's an option to make it larger, but then it looks too large to me. Hey, there's a customization option in Settings/Accessibility. And I just customized it to make it larger than default, but not the largest. So now it looks pretty good. [Actually I turned off the background and the subtitles are still much easier to see than on the Roku HD. That tells me that it's not Netflix providing the subtitle appearance. Apparently they're just supplying the text to be output and it's up to the application to render the text. Thus the Windows 8 subtitles look different on the app vs. using a browser.]
So now I have what I wanted the Apple TV for. Better subtitles on Netflix. And Airplay mirroring.
How about some youtube? Subtitles apparently not supported. Disappointing. I wonder if it works on the Roku 3?
***
There are 35 apps included (besides the implied iTunes). But the majority I won't use.
Here they are:
1. Netflix: yep, this is what I will probably use like 90% of the time.
2. Hulu Plus. Haven't subscribed yet. But I may, if I ever give up cable TV. But really, Netflix has more than enough content to keep me occupied.
3. iTunes Festival. Evidently it broadcasts live concerts (and replays recent ones).
4. HBO Go. I don't subscribe to this.
5. PBS. This doesn't play well on my Roku. Requires more speed than my current 5 mbps. Requires activation for Apple TV.
6. Watch ESPN. They support Time Warner Cable which is what I have. The live action seems a little smoother than on my Roku. Maybe due to the faster processor.
7. Watch ABC. Time Warner Cable not supported. Which is strange since Disney owns both ESPN and ABC.
8. NBA. This is where you would watch if you subscribed to League Pass. But you can still look at the highlights.
9. NHL. Format similar to NBA. No interest.
10. Crackle. See above.
11. Bloomberg. This app stopped working on the Roku, so I access it there on Nowhere TV. Captions work (on the Live feed anyway, but don't see it on the VOD)
12. Smithsonian. Captions work here.
13. WWE. No free content.
14. Red Bull TV. This is one that I don't have on my Roku. [I see it's a private channel on Roku.] Extreme sports. I don't really have an interest in it, but might be cool to play at parties.
15. Trailers. Trailers of upcoming and current movies. Takes quite a while to buffer before playing.
16. The Weather Channel. Pretty cool. Not only does it have the weather, but it also has a bunch of shows. Captions work too. Not available for Roku that I can see.
17. Yahoo! Screen. Sort of Yahoo's answer to youtube. Kind of a cross between youtube and AOL On. Pauses for buffering.
18. Disney Channel. Time Warner Cable not supported.
19. Disney XD. Ditto. No DirecTV or Dish either. It does support Comcast Xfinity however, so if they ever merge..
20. Disney Junior. Ditto.
21. Sky News. Based in Britain, but it does have a channel for U.S. News.
22. KORTV. Korean television.
23. iCloud Photos. I assume you can look at your photos backed up on iCloud. But I erased mine because I ran out of room.
24. iMovie Theater. Apparently you can watch your vidoes back up on iCloud. I don't have any.
25. Podcasts. Free podcasts from iTunes (I think). Includes TedTalks, so that alone makes it worthwhile.
26. Youtube.
27. Flickr. I assume you can view you Flick photos, though I don't see a sign in. It does have an option to add a Flickr contact, whatever that means. Flickr is a Yahoo company, so I guess it uses your yahoo name. Yep. But for some reason, it's only showing one photo.
28. Vevo. Music videos.
29. Vimeo. Videos.
30. MLB.TV. Like NBA and NHL.
31. Qello. Music concerts and documentaries. $4.99 per month.
32. Crunchyroll. Asian anime and drama. Requires subscription to view more than the samples.
33. MLS. Looks sort of like NBA, NHL, MLB.
34. Radio. Radio stations throughout the country. Don't see any from Hawaii (yet).
35. WSJ Live. They have a live feed which I don't see on the Roku version.
Out of the 35, I decided to keep the following on my screen (for now).
1. Netflix
2. Crackle
3. You Tube
4. Yahoo! Screen
5. Vimeo
6. Sky News
7. The Weather Channel
8. Bloomberg
9. WSJ Live
10. Podcasts
11. PBS
12. Smithsonian
13. Watch ESPN
14. NBA
15. MLB
16. Red Bull TV
17. KORTV
18. Crunchyroll
19. iCloud Photos
20. Radio
I wonder what happens when Apple adds new channels? I assume it'll just show up on the screen. [yep]
*** 3/12/14
How about the Remote app? I see it requires IOS 7. OK, maybe later.
*** 3/13/14
already something changed on the main menu. I had previously gotten rid of the Music and iTunes Radio from the top row with Settings moving to the empty space. But now Music and iTunes Radio are back and I don't see the option to remove them. Now in the settings is Main Menu which allows you to toggle off/on the icons on the Main Menu, but not any in the top row any more.
I believe it used to be in the Restrictions section (and before that in Parental Controls), but Main Menu got added in version 6.1.
*** 3/13/14
So after a couple of days, I think I'd recommend the Roku 3 over the Apple TV. But then I've never used the Roku 3. There are two advantages I like the Apple TV over my Roku HD. One is that the subtitles are better on Netflix as they use the general caption settings on the Apple TV, while for some reason they don't on the Roku HD. However I think they use the general caption settings on the Roku 3. The other advantage is that you can mirror your iPad on the Apple TV. But how many times would you want to do that. The Roku does have the capability of playing your pictures and videos if you install the Roku app on your iPad.
I also like the nice screen saver that the Apple TV has. I currently have it on National Geographics, but they also have Animals, Flowers, and iCloud photostream (I have to try that, it's currently empty since I turned it off because I have too much to back up on my iPad).
The Roku HD remote control is infrared so it requires line of sight. I have to raise it up over my pile of magazines on the coffee table for it to work sometimes. The Apple TV remote control is also infrared, but I hid it in back of the TV and is apparently strong enough not to require line of sight. The Roku 3 remote is bluetooth and has a headphone jack. Actually the Roku 2 remote is bluetooth, the Roku 3 is wifi direct.
[Apparently there are currently four Roku controllers. The original IR one supposedly works with all Roku players. There's an older Roku 2 controller which uses Bluetooth and is motion capable and works only with the Roku 2 XS model 3100. There's a newer Roku 2 controller which has a headphone jack, but is not motion capable, which uses Wifi and works with the Roku 2 model 2720. And there's the Roku 3 controller which has a headphone jack and is motion capable which works with the Roku 3 (model 4200).]
The Crackle app is better on my Roku as it support captions and does have Seinfeld episodes (which is inexplicably missing from the Apple TV app). The YouTube app doesn't support captions either, so I don't see much improvement over VideoBuzz which I use on my Roku. Don't know if captions are supported in the Roku 3 app.
The Weather Channel app looks pretty good and is not available on Roku. The Crunchyroll app only allows you to view the first episode of selected shows, whereas the app on Roku allows you to view the entire series. Last I looked anyway. Maybe they changed it.
What's not on Apple TV that's on Roku? Here's a few. CNBC. NBC News. CBS News. AOL On. CNet. Twit. Vudu and Flixster (for Ultraviolet movies). Plex. And lots more (that I don't user or look at too often, including Amazon Instant Video and Redbox Instant Video).
*** [3/17/14] Watched Bewitched today on Crackle and the subtitles appeared. Don't know if the Crackle app got updated or if they just have subtitles on Bewitched? Still no Seinfeld though.
And noticed a new app appeared today on the menu. ACC Sports.
*** [3/17/14] I was wondering why Seinfeld doesn't appear on the Apple TV Crackle app (at least it doesn't appear on mine). I thought maybe because they want you to buy it on iTunes instead. But I see it isn't on iTunes (though they do have it at Amazon.com). So maybe Apple figures if they won't let them sell it on iTunes they're not going to allow it on Crackle. (Since people are going to see it on Crackle, then go to iTunes for more episodes.) What is allowed on Crackle. Let's see. Bewitched. I Dream of Jeannie. Sanford and Son. All In the Family. Well I see Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie on there. But not Sanford and Son and All In the Family. So much for that theory.
*** [3/18/14]
Hah, figured out how to get Seinfeld on the Apple TV. What I did was created a crackle account on the computer. Then add a Seinfeld episode to my watchlist. Then log in to the Crackle app on Apple TV. And there it is in the My Watchlist section! Cool.
*** [3/26/14]
Seinfeld has shown up on Crackle on Apple TV.
*** [4/26/14]
According to this article, Roku leads Apple with 37% of the households with a streaming box, compared to 24% for Apple. So that's only 61% of the market. Where's the other 39%? Google Chromecast is one I suppose. Do they count XBox and Playstation as streaming boxes?
Here's an interesting quote, "“More Roku owners use Netflix, but more Apple TV owners use Amazon Prime Instant Video (40% vs. 28%),” said Brett Sappington, director, research, Parks Associates. “At the Disruptive Media Conference at NAB Show, I will discuss these types of trends and how they are changing the landscape for connected devices and services.”
The reason it's interesting is because Apple TV doesn't support Amazon Instant Video on the Apple TV (unless you're casting via AirPlay from your iphone or ipad).
I see the report was from last year a year old.
*** [4/26/14]
System subtitles have come to Netflix for my Roku HD (so Roku HD has caught up there), but not for Hulu Plus. So Roku has caught up there. Youtube has come to my Roku HD also (see blog post elsewhere). It plays very sluggishly on the HD, but does support captions which aren't supported on the Apple TV app.
Here's a review of the Roku 3 from an Apple TV user. Says the video quality is better on the Apple TV, but I didn't notice much or any difference (didn't do a side-by-side comparison). Here's another post stating that the Apple TV video quality is superior. But I'm OK with the quality of my Roku HD (on composite no less), so I would imagine the Roku 3 on HDMI should be at least as good. Actually I kind of like the composite picture better as it seems less harsh on my eyes.
*** [4/26/14]
And since the last time I checked, I see they've added some channels to the Apple TV lineup. History Channel (great!), Lifetime, A&E.
[6/30/14] ABC News arrives for Apple TV. Not on Roku (they have NBC News and CBS News though). Sort of not.
[7/29/14] CNBC and Fox Now added to Apple TV. The CNBC app is better than the Roku app in that it provides a live stream. Well, haven't tested it yet. Wait 'til tomorrow. Wait, I see that Time Warner is not supported for CNBC. Well, I'll check it tomorrow anyway.
[9/16/14] Roku sells its 10 millionth box. Apple TV has sold 20 million since its launch in 2007. Roku first came out in 2008. Despite fewer units, Roku is used more than Apple TV.
[9/28/14] FX Now channel added. Not currently on Roku. Movies like Kung Fu Panda, Live Free or Die Hard, X-Men First Class, Green Hornet. Time Warner Cable supported. I see more movies on website than on the app (like Super 8, Star Trek, Knight and Day, Rise of the Planet of the Apes). [Actually, the movies are there on the Apple TV, you just gotta know where to look.]
[10/28/14] Apple TV is looking better and better. The feature where you can teach it to accept commands from a generic remote is pretty cool (see my post on remote control codes). And today I see a couple of new channels. Feeln has a bunch of "feel-good" movies. And these are mainstream movies, not the movies you've never heard of. And the FYI, Channel has been added too. I spoke oo soon. Feeln is from Hallmark and is a subscription service ($4.99 a month or $47.99 for one year one year). And FYI requires authentication. FYI used to be the Biography Channel. OK, FYI accepts Time Warner Cable.
[11/7/14] CBS News added to Apple TV
[12/10/14] New apps. The Scene, Fusion, Dailymotion, UFC TV. And they updated their youtube app. Now I can watch Dog Whisperer from NatGeoWild with subtitles. And they came out fine on the one I viewed. Unfortunately, most of the "official" Dog Whisperer full length episodes from NatGeoWild have been taken off.
[12/24/14] Two apps for the Roku. Nat Geo TV. Includes shows from both NatGeo and NatGeo Wild. Just the current shows though. No Dog Whisperer or Cesar 911. Requires authentication. Supports Time Warner Cable, Hawaiiantelcom, DirectTV. Also FXNow finally arrives three months after the AppleTV. Also requires authentication. DirecTV and Time Warner Cable supported. But I don't see Hawaiiantelcom.
[3/2/15] Cesar 911 comes to the Nat Geo TV app. Perhaps due to the debut of season 2. It's last season's episodes but perhaps season 2 will come later.
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