As you know, I’m a pretty big fan of Roku (see my blog post). But when I recently recommended an Apple TV to a client who had purchased an iPad and a new HDMI-equipped TV, I became even a bigger fan of Apple TV. Even though I had read that the Apple TV was a great addition to a household that had other Apple devices, I really didn’t have any idea it would work as well as it did. I was totally amazed by this little gizmo.
What is Apple TV? On the Apple website, you’ll find it described as a “tiny entertainment powerhouse” that plays content from iTunes, Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, and other entertainment sources, in 1080p HD if the source supports it. Sounds pretty good, but that’s not the half of it.
I connected the Apple TV to my client’s new TV via an HDMI cable (not included with the Apple TV), configured Apple TV via the shinny silver remote (provided), and in no time could play Netflix videos and stream audio to the TV. That was interesting, but then I thought “what if you could steam video from the iPad”. Wouldn’t you know it, they thought of that too.
AirPlay is what Apple (and even Android) devices use to steam content to Apple’s older Airport Express, and now to the Apple TV. The really cool thing is, it’ll stream just about any video or audio content from your iPhone, iPod, or iPad to your TV. Want to watch a PBS special that’s on the Web but not on Netflix yet. No problem. Select Apple TV in AirPlay, and as if by magic, the video and audio start playing on your TV. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. What this little device is capable of is just incredible!
But there are a few caveats before signing into the Apple store to get your refurbished Apple TV for $85 (with free shipping, by the way):
1) this is an HDMI-only device so make sure your TV can handle it, and you have thought about how your going to get audio to your entertainment center if you have such a thing (there’s only an optical digital audio output provided with the Apple TV).
2) although DoubleTwist provides some level of AirPlay support for Android devices, if you’re not an Apple household, you might be better off staying with something like Roku.
3) even though I say Apple TV is really easy to set up, “really easy” is relative. In some cases you might want your 9 year-old grandson on site before attempting it.
If you’re looking for something that just works and works well, Apple TV should be on your short list. Buy it from Apple’s refurbished department and save $15, and remember to buy an HDMI cable from Amazon.
Enjoy!
