Hi
I am looking to have some sort of media player hooked up to my TV (for info, I can have component or HDMI for picture to the TV and Optical for audio to the home theatre amplifier)
I have seen a number of options out there but the one that is my preference is the AppleTV, as I have been so impressed with the simplicity and performance of my MacBook and Airport Extreme.
But, is it right for me?
I understand that for it to be able to stream content the content needs to be available in my Itunes library? I have a number of downloaded .avi files on a USB hard drive shared via Airport Express. I have not been able to import these into Itunes on the MacBook - can Itunes handle avi? I currently play the files on the MacBook with Quicktime, but admit that an add on was required for this (downloaded from Apple site - divx?). How straight forward is it to convert avi files into a correct format? How long to convert a 700Mb file?
How do I rip a backup copy of my DVDs so that they are available via Apple TV?
Is there any other way to see shared files on the home network other than Itunes? Do I need to convert my files to another format? What tools are needed for this? I keep seeing things about hacked AppleTV units… worthwhile or more pain than gain? If you chose to hack the AppleTV, can it then be used without the need for Itunes to be open on the MacBook?
With the AppleTV having options of 40GB or 160GB, how do I get content onto the hard drive? Can it be seen as a networked hard drive, or can I plug it into the MacBook via USB?
Anything else I need to know about AppleTV, or alternate options that work well with the MacBook / Airport Extreme?
A lot of questions I know, but I am a Mac newbie and keen to use the Mac offerings to be best of their ability!
Many thanks
Mike
I am looking to have some sort of media player hooked up to my TV (for info, I can have component or HDMI for picture to the TV and Optical for audio to the home theatre amplifier)
I have seen a number of options out there but the one that is my preference is the AppleTV, as I have been so impressed with the simplicity and performance of my MacBook and Airport Extreme.
But, is it right for me?
I understand that for it to be able to stream content the content needs to be available in my Itunes library? I have a number of downloaded .avi files on a USB hard drive shared via Airport Express. I have not been able to import these into Itunes on the MacBook - can Itunes handle avi? I currently play the files on the MacBook with Quicktime, but admit that an add on was required for this (downloaded from Apple site - divx?). How straight forward is it to convert avi files into a correct format? How long to convert a 700Mb file?
How do I rip a backup copy of my DVDs so that they are available via Apple TV?
Is there any other way to see shared files on the home network other than Itunes? Do I need to convert my files to another format? What tools are needed for this? I keep seeing things about hacked AppleTV units… worthwhile or more pain than gain? If you chose to hack the AppleTV, can it then be used without the need for Itunes to be open on the MacBook?
With the AppleTV having options of 40GB or 160GB, how do I get content onto the hard drive? Can it be seen as a networked hard drive, or can I plug it into the MacBook via USB?
Anything else I need to know about AppleTV, or alternate options that work well with the MacBook / Airport Extreme?
A lot of questions I know, but I am a Mac newbie and keen to use the Mac offerings to be best of their ability!
Many thanks
Mike