Set-top boxes match up: Apple TV vs. Google TV

Topic

New Reply

	TOP STORY[/size][/font] Set-top boxes match up: Apple TV vs. Google TV[/size]
	By Becky Waring The secret to choosing the right set-top box for your TV is managing your expectations. Although these devices give TVs access to more of your audio, video, and Web media, none of them provides the one thing we really want — lower cable bills.[/size]

---

The full text of this column is posted at WindowsSecrets.com/2010/12/09/02 (opens in a new window/tab).

Columnists typically cannot reply to comments here, but do incorporate the best tips into future columns.[/td]

[/tr][/tbl]

Reply | Quote

Replies

“It’s always on — and that’s probably a good thing, because it takes a minute or two to boot from a cold start”

If we’d all wait a minute or two, we’d save a few hundred megawatts of power each year…

Reply | Quote

Fascinating article. Thanks Becky. I suspect that mainly teens and young adults would be interested in gadgets that stream internet type content to their TVs. The intriguing part of the article for me was the tease about eliminating the cable company. Right now it costs me over $200 a month for a high speed internet and cable TV package. I don’t (have|want|need) a mobile phone with its additional monthly bills. The land line phone (minimal $22 a month service) in combination with various discount long distance services works fine for me at a reasonable cost. What this particular consumer is waiting for is the promise of an LTE (4th generation) mobile network that will deliver high speed internet, mobile telephone and cable television–all in one reasonable cost package. Tell me, Becky, is that in the cards?

Reply | Quote

Very interesting perhaps something similar will be launched outside the USA. The products are not applicable in the UK. I wonder what percentage of WS readers are not in the USA.

Reply | Quote

You forgot two: Boxee Box and Roku. I looked hard at all four choices and just last week settled on the 1080p Roku box because of the content, the way they add new features via the firmware and the price. Apple was quickly discarded because it’s 720p and the usual Apple way of them deciding what you need. Google would be cool, but not $300 cool. Boxee also looks good but it’s $200. And a big and final point for me is that like tens of millions of Americans, my house isn’t wired for ethernet so I’m dependant on wifi and to the best of my knowledge, Roku is the only one out there that supports dual-band N. On top of that, the Roku owners appear to be raving fans.

Reply | Quote

Not to bash the Apple fans, but I just bought the Roku XD for $67.99 from Amazon. It runs at 1080p (which Apple doesn’t), has lots more content than Apple or Google, setup was instantaneous and it too is always on.

It connects by HDMI or component cables, has DLNA for streaming audio, video and pictures from your PC and Roku keeps adding content as it becomes available (Roku, of course, comes with Netflix,Youtube, Amazon VOD, Hulu Plus, etc.).

If you want to spend $99.99, the same cost as the Apple, the Roku XDS adds a USB port for streaming video, audio or pictures, an optical audio port (if you aren’t already running it through your receiver by HDMI) and WIFI. Also, all the cables were included. No need to buy anything extra! Personally, I didn’t need the extras that the XDS version offers because I already have other components that provide everything it offers.

HD on it is spectacular, everything is crystal clear. SD can be a little fuzzy at times, but I put that down to the original content quality. All-in-all I haven’t found anything yet that I don’t like about it.

If you don’t like Roku, because you heard something strange about it, whatever, there is no less than a half dozen other boxes out there that provide more than Apple or Google. Just google “internet TV boxes” (ironic, isn’t it?), read through the choices and take your pick!

Mark

Reply | Quote

The article says “none of them provides the one thing we really want — lower cable bills” I never found the follow-up to this comment. If you can stream content for free, why would one NOT be able to eliminate cable?

Of course, the cheapest and easiest way to do all of this is to just use your TV as your computer display. I’ve been doing that for years and years.

Reply | Quote

Am I missing something? I just have a computer connected to my TV screen through a DVI cable. The audio is connected into my home entertainment system. I can play everything. No restrictions.

Reply | Quote

The promise of Google TV is federated search… forget the old model of scanning channels by time slot… just say what you want and it finds it. Once the content is not blocked (media companies are always the last to figure out what’s best for the consumer and for them) this model of accessing media is huge. I do agree with you that subjugating your DVR/STB to Google TV is a poor operational model.

The thing I don’t get about Apple TV is why anyone would buy it. Really… if you want to keep your PC turned on you already have streaming capability built in. OK, if you don’t care about money (99 cents for a season of a TV show is fair… 99 cents for one episode is absurd) or electrical consumption fair enough… Airplay is really cool. Two things I’d like to know about Apple TV:

1) Can Apple TV stream video from a NAS box, without a PC being turned on?
2) Does Airplay work on any TV?

Reply | Quote

Exactly what has set-top TVs got to do with WINDOWS SECRETS? This is the reason I no long am a paid-subscriber! Wish Fred would bring back his own e-news, it was far more useful!

Reply | Quote

Why was ROKU not mentioned? The price is $40 less than Apple TV and it does a LOT more. I don’t see Revue selling more than a couple of hundred units to people who have way too much money and way too few brains. It sells for the same price as a PS3 which does 100X as much.

Reply | Quote

Yes, this article has nothing whatsoever to do with WINDOWS, and for those outside of the USA is of no interest whatsoever. In fact this particular issue had nothing that really intested me at all. If this is the sort of stuff that WS is going to publish I will not be renewing my paid content subs next year.

Reply | Quote

I liked the article, however it was a bit long especially if one was not in the market for set-top box. Others have mentioned there are other set-top boxes Boxee Box and Roku and what about WD TV Live Hub? That would be an even longer article.

Reply | Quote

Article was an opinion not a vs. with the Author giving an ad for Itunes. If you have a ipad, iphone at $99 this is the way to go. For the majority look elsewhere.

The below is the only options I look for, I want comparisons when your doing a vs. and as far as I can tell Apple TV doesn’t support a tenth of my content nor will it ever, seems the Google TV setup out of the gate has more support for the file formats most people use, and their working on supporting more going forward.

I personally will wait for Google TV second Gen and stick with my XBMC over lan and maybe either get a Roku or this Western Digital WD TV Live Plus (Made PCWorlds top 100) edging out the Roku for its online streaming services and its ability to stream your content via a network or a USB drive.

Revue / Google TV supported file formats

Videos: WMV (VC-1) (.asf .wma .wmv), WMV (VC-1) + WMA (.asf .wma .wmv), WMV + WMA (.avi), Xvid (H-264) + AAC (.avi),
Xvid (H-264) + AAC (.mp4), Xvid (H-264) + AAC (.mt2s .mt2), Xvid (MPEG4part2) + AAC (.avi), Xvid (MPEG4part2) + MP3 (.avi)

Video (Currently in Beta) <<– means their working on it
MKV – H.264/AVC, FLV – H.264/AVC, H.263, MTS/MT2S/TS – H.264/AVC, AVI – H.264/AVC, DivX MPEG4, XVid MPEG4

Audio:
MP3 – MPEG-1 Layer 3, MP4 – AAC, M4A – AAC, OGG – Vorbis (Only when a USB device is connected to Revue)

Images:
JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP

As far as I can find out Apple isn't looking to support any other file format (no betas)
Apple TV supported file formats <<— it should be called Itunes TV as its all you can play.

Video:
H.264 – 720p max (.m4v .mp4 .mov),MPEG-4 640×480 max (.m4v .mp4 .mov), Motion JPEG – 1280×720 (.avi)

Audio:
HE-AAC (V1), AAC (16 to 320 Kbps), protected AAC (from iTunes Store), MP3 (16 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, and 4), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV; Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound pass-through

Images:
JPEG, GIF, TIFF

Reply | Quote

What? Why not use the inputs on your HD television? With a Windows 7 machine, or even a Windows XP machine with graphics card and and HDMI output you can directly connect an HDMI cable to that set and use it as a huge monitor for the computer and get audio too! There would be no restrictions, you bring up what you want to watch on your computer and it displays, frequently at the highest resolution right on your big screen TV! Yes you have to go over to your computer but no big deal there! I see no benefits to running the Apple or Google TV boxes at all. In fact, I find the product somewhat laughable myself! My system is modularized, the computer has direct audio connection to a 100-watt per channel Sony AX301 amplifier and if I had the HD TV it would be connected to that computer through HDMI connector too. These products are basically designed to censor what you watch based upon whether a company has paid an exorbitant fee to either one of these guys! It’s one of the stupidest ideas to come out in recent years! This kind of product makes me laugh it is such obvious censorship for profit! My advise: Drop the thing in the trash and directly connect your TV to the computer, you’ll be so happy you did! May I ask, what does this article have anything to do with Windows? She’s shown as an administrator and I think she needs to be cued in that this newsletter is about Windows and not Apple! I do not own a Mac, IPod, Ipad or Iphone, nor will I ever use ITunes because of their totally proprietary-for-profit nature. My sytem runs Winamp and it’s got so much it does compared to that ITunes thingy, especially when connected to a serious stereo system! I burn my music to my drive, I don’t buy it, especially from ITunes! Personally if you’re going write about an Apple product, do it elsewhere, us Windows users could care less actually!

Reply | Quote

Thanks for all the good comments on my story. I just wanted to clarify a couple things. First, there are MANY streaming boxes out there, and I couldn’t review everything, the Apple TV & Google TV were simply the two newest/hottest candidates.

Personally, as I mentioned in the article, I’m happy with the capabilities of my HD TiVo, which does Netflix, Amazon, and more, and lets me copy shows to and from it–so that I can burn DVR recordings to DVD for archiving if I want. Many others will find all the streaming they need in the game console or Blu-ray player they already have.

Another thing I want to mention since it may not be clear to some people, is that Apple TV works just as well with Windows machines as it does with Macs — iTunes is cross-platform. Just because it says “Apple” doesn’t mean it doesn’t work well with Windows. iPods, iPhones, iPads and Apple routers are all cross-platform as well. In fact, the majority of streaming boxes out there can stream content from both PCs and Macs, which is a good thing since many households have both.

And in answer to another question, yes, Apple TV supports dual-band 802.11n. The Logitech Revue does not.

I also agree entirely with a couple of posters that the best/easiest way to put a Web browser on your TV is to simply connect a computer. My conclusion states:

“For just a little more money, you can hook up a PC to your TV and play anything you want. The built-in Media Center software in Windows 7 is excellent, and it can serve as a DVR with the addition of a $50 over-the-air TV tuner. If you’re interested in cutting out your cable bill, this is the way to go, since you’ll get both online and over-the-air TV. (I’ll talk about creating the perfect Windows DVR in a future article.)”

This is also the best way to cut your cable bill. Let me know if there’s anything in particular you’d like me to cover or questions you’d like to see answered in the follow-up article on Windows Media Center.

Reply | Quote

What is the relevance of this article to people living outside North America? Can we expect features on hardware or software that are specific to our own countries in future newsletters?

Reply | Quote

I can’t believe a purportedly responsible, Windows oriented publication would print Becky Waring’s sycophantic paean to Apple TV. Like everything else from Apple, this device locks its users into iTunes, and iTunes is an unruly beast on Windows. It doesn’t matter how well Apple TV performs those few things it does ‘extremely well’. Its purpose, like that of everything else Apple sells, is to oblige the purchaser to do things Apple’s way until they’ve been painted into a corner. One of Windows’ greatest benefits is not having to work within the confines of one company’s vision (and monomaniacal greed).

I wouldn’t deny that Apple makes s ome decent products, but if one doesn’t wish to partake in their dreams of hegemony, then nothing Apple is the most sensible choice.

I think it would benefit Ms. Waring to spend a little time searching the web for the countless stories of those who wish they’d never bought an iPod nor let iTunes take residence on their Windows systems. Some have written because it crashed their systems, others have written because it slowed their systems considerably, others recognize it for the bloatware it is, and others object to Apple spying on them with its Bonjour service. In my case it was all of the above, and I had to spend a few extra hours removing traces of iTunes from my system after uninstallation. (Hint: if you insist on running iTunes, kill Bonjour by blocking port 5353.)

Finally, can iTunes even be mentioned in the same breath as Netflix. It surely can’t by anyone who has compared the cost of both options.

Reply | Quote

Do any STB/media players allow you to stream/play .tivo files from a PC to the box (and then to a TV)? All my video stored on my PC are from a Series 2 Tivo, and if I could get netflix and all my stored movies via a streaming player/STB, I would be a happy camper.

Reply | Quote

Others have said some of this but I will say it again…
The title of this subscription newsletter is WINDOWS Secrets (not TV Streaming Secrets) and it has an international subscriber base.
This article is US orientated; it talks about US cable contracts ; it describes a US Apple product and a US Logitech product.

Stick to what we pay you to provide!

Reply | Quote

Hi Becky,

You mentioned that you’ll talk about creating the perfect Windows DVR in a future article. A Windows DVR is probably the most cost effective solution. Here are some things I would like to see in the article:
1. comparison of a few video tuner cards
2. include other programs for recording, not just Windows 7 Media Center for those that have XP or Vista
3. recommendations on how much hard drive space to have

When do you expect to publish that article?

Reply | Quote