Is Apple TV my best bet?

qposner · Aug 11, 2009

Hello,

I am looking for a good way to access ripped dvd's from my HDD to play on my living room tv. I would also like to be able to rent or stream movies from a download service. It needs to be easy to work with since it is basically a set up for my wife. My goal is to load all of my 3 year old daughter's dvd's on the HDD and make it very easy for my non-tech wife to access.

Upstairs I am using my xbox and Connect360 to access media and Netflix (with a relatively poor library for the xbox), but downstairs I need something very simple. Again, the goals are:

1) Media access from the hdd; and
2) Ability to rent movies from online sources.

Please let me know if Apple TV is my best bet or if there are other alternatives. Thanks!

Quinn

D3v1L80Y · Aug 11, 2009

PLEASE READ: Important information about DVD Ripping

qposner · Aug 11, 2009

D3v1L80Y said:
PLEASE READ: Important information about DVD Ripping

Im not talking about ripping rented movies. Im planning on backing up the tons of Disney movies, etc my daughter has and manages to kill.

Im also not asking about ripping. Im asking about a quality hardware recommendation that would suit my purposes.

D3v1L80Y · Aug 11, 2009

qposner said:
Im not talking about ripping rented movies. Im planning on backing up the tons of Disney movies, etc my daughter has and manages to kill.

It doesn't matter.
From the linked Announcement Thread:

The forum rules at Mac-Forums (linked at the top of every forum) are very clear, we respect US law and court precedence when it comes to legality of activity.

Therefore to clarify:

* You may not discuss breaking DVD encryption, copying, or "ripping" commercial, copy-protected DVDs.
* This includes DVDs you own. Even if you own the DVD, it is still technically illegal under the DMCA to break the encryption. While some may argue otherwise, until the law is rewritten or the US Supreme Court strikes it down, we will adhere to the current intent of the law.
* You may discuss ripping or copying unprotected movies or homemade DVDs.
* You may discuss ripping or copying tools in the context that they are used for legal purposes as outlined in this post.

qposner · Aug 11, 2009

D3v1L80Y said:
It doesn't matter.
From the linked Announcement Thread:

My point is Im talking about a hardware recommendation. Feel free to delete the portion that says I want to play backed up dvd's. Ripping is not the point of this post. I just want to be able to play media from my hdd.

XJ-linux · Aug 11, 2009

I have had luck with AppleTV for similar purposes. There are two free plugins - boxee and Plex that can expand the AppleTV's functionality as well. The ATV is very reliable and simple to use. The hierarchical menu system is easy to navigate. I stream video to the ATV via wireless n from my Mac Mini in the basement - no issues. Good luck!

qposner · Aug 11, 2009

XJ-linux said:
I have had luck with AppleTV for similar purposes. There are two free plugins - boxee and Plex that can expand the AppleTV's functionality as well. The ATV is very reliable and simple to use. The hierarchical menu system is easy to navigate. I stream video to the ATV via wireless n from my Mac Mini in the basement - no issues. Good luck!

Thanks, XJ. Can I save non-iTunes files directly on the ATV?

XJ-linux · Aug 11, 2009

Well, not sure what you are asking. Basically, ATV get's it's content by syncing to an iTunes library on one of your computers, and by streaming content from the others. So... the basic rule is that if it will play in iTunes it will play on ATV - .mpg, .m4v, quicktime, etc are example formats. With the plugins mentioned above, you can stream or sync non-iTunes media to the ATV as well. NitoTV, which comes with the boxee install, allows the ATV to see pretty much all media that you choose to reveal on your network. There are also tweaks to plug an external HDD directly into the USB port on the back of the ATV. Hulu, Disney, CBS, BBC, etc all have streaming content available over broadband internet as well. For more information, I'd recommend checking out: boxee :: forum That would explain far more of what can be done than I am able to post here.

qposner · Aug 11, 2009

XJ-linux said:
Well, not sure what you are asking. Basically, ATV get's it's content by syncing to an iTunes library on one of your computers, and by streaming content from the others. So... the basic rule is that if it will play in iTunes it will play on ATV - .mpg, .m4v, quicktime, etc are example formats. With the plugins mentioned above, you can stream or sync non-iTunes media to the ATV as well. NitoTV, which comes with the boxee install, allows the ATV to see pretty much all media that you choose to reveal on your network. There are also tweaks to plug an external HDD directly into the USB port on the back of the ATV. Hulu, Disney, CBS, BBC, etc all have streaming content available over broadband internet as well. For more information, I'd recommend checking out: boxee :: forum That would explain far more of what can be done than I am able to post here.

Will do. I guess I am just concerned that the ATV will not allow me to play videos that were not purchased from iTunes. BUt, it seems that might not be the case. I will check out the boxee link. Thanks!

baggss · Aug 11, 2009

Are you converting these movies to MP4 or M4V or are you simply playing the DVDs themselves?

qposner · Aug 12, 2009

baggss said:
Are you converting these movies to MP4 or M4V or are you simply playing the DVDs themselves?

Converting, but I do not want to get into any rip related discussion as requested by the forum mods.

TheTerminator · Aug 16, 2009

When I got my new MacBook, I had my old Windows desktop lying around so I connected it to the HDTV and installed XBMC. Works really great, and looks nice too. You can even install XBMC onto your Apple TV.