Apple TV

drifter

drifter

Well-known Member
Does anyone have Apple TV? What can you get on it? I've been hearing about it but just in bits and pieces.
 

A-ha ! Did I hear my name being called ?
Well, yes, I believe I did; so here I am, Princess Tiger Lily !

Apple TV...In a word, we love it ! It is even better when you have an iPhone or iPad to use along with it; but would also be fine all by itself.
It is just a little box, maybe 4"x4", and it connects to the TV and then to your wi-fi, or can also be wired in if you don't have a wi-fi connection. With it you can watch Apple movies/TV shows that you either rent or buy, all Netflix movies ($8 month subscription), YouTube videos, news, weather, and other programs that are either free, or you can subscribe to. For instance, if you are a sports fan, you can subscribe to the sports channels.

You can also listen to your iTunes music, various podcasts, and about a zillion radio stations of any kind that you like.
If you have an iPad, you can use Airplay, and it will put anything that you are looking at on the iPad onto the TV screen. If you have Amazon Prime, you can also watch all of the free Amazon movies using airplay.
I am sure that there is a whole lot more that I am not remembering right now, and they are adding new programs all of the time, as well.
Oh, yeah....cost. it costs about $100 new, less if you get a used one on ebay, and once you have it, there is no other charge. Basically, it is like having another computer, but it just does TV stuff.
Every year (think it is in September) they have a free month-long concert that you can watch live every night.
And you can also use any pictures that you have in your Photostream as a screensaver, which is really neat, too.

If you look up Apple Tv on youtube, where are videos that show you what it is and how it works.
 

Thanks, VFC, I asked the question then forgot about asking. Thanks for your reply. I shall scoot myself over to YouTube and see what else I might find out. By the way, I got acquainted with a guy in Lubbock, TX, a professor now but at one time was a reporter whose paper sent him over to Alabama to cover a murder trial about a preacher who killed his wife by causing her to be bitten a number of times by rattlesnakes. He got so wrapped up in the whole affair he wrote a book about it, "Salvation On Sand Mountain." I thought it was a heck of a story. Have you heard of the book? Thanks again.

Thanks to you, too, friend, Ina.
 
Drifter, I didn't know that there was a book, but I do remember reading about the story, and there was a big to-do about it at the time, and how the church believes in handling snakes.
I have heard about this practice before, and as far am I am concerned;it is totally against what i think the Bible says to do. It pretty plainly says that we are not to tempt the Lord God, and that certainly seems to fit into that catagory to me.
And to allow someone, or FORCE someone to do this and be bitten is horrible; and must have been an awful way to die besides.
Sand Mountain is just east of Huntsville, if I remember right, and not really that far sway.

As far as the Apple TV; I think that they are great. There are several similar options, Roku is one, and Amazon Fire TV, Google Chrome TV, and maybe even more. A lot of people are wanting to get away from cable television where you have to pay for a package, regardless of whether you watch all of those programs or not. With the Apple TV, you can pretty much subscribe to programs that you actually watch. Plus, you can watch them whenever you want to watch them, not just when the TV channel says they are on.
 
Got two of them! I like to live in two different rooms in the winter for variety, and the variety of "stuff" that I can get with them is amazing, especially as they are so cheap for what you get...
 
Please permit me a small rant, Maybe a Rant with a capital R. I'm normally a pretty level headed guy, ignorant, but not too excitable, but my patience is being sorely tried by my cable supplier, Cox Communication. They supply me with cable, with internet, and with phone services. I have a package deal. Here in Norman there are few options. The only other company available is AT&T and they are so big one hand don't know what the other is doing. The price of my service has been inching up in cost monthly in small increments, then month before last by bill jumped a whopping forty dollars and change, making my monthly costs $183.99 and I was getting, partial, limited TV service. I called Cox, why the jump, I ask? They have, they said, been giving me a bunch of discounts, good for six months and the six months had expired. For example my sixty-four dollar a month internet will now cost seventy some odd dollars,and my phone service and telephone service jumped proportionly. I negotiated a lower price for even more limited TV Service, with discounts, I'm sure, and they practically cut off my phone. The phone was not discussed. With my new phone service Cox has decided ato give me, I get unlimited incoming calls, 30 minutes of outgoing calls a month, but domestic long distance calls are not included in the 30 minute cap. They are billed at 18 cents a minute. If I go over the thirty minute cap, calls will then be charged at 50 cents a minute. I have a comfiorming letter right here in my hands.

I can cancel phone service and television, leaving internet service with Cox, then hooking up with Apple TV or Roco and use Cell phones. TV is essential for the missus. Internet is essential for myself. My wife is tone deaf in one ear(hearing aid does not help) we have yet to find a cell phone she is comfortable with, hearing wise. Does anyone use AT&T? Personally I don't like them, they are too big and often hard to find somebody to discuss a problem with if you have one (billing problem).

I think I'm going to ride out this month until my next bill arrives, then make a decision. I hope some of you will overlook my rant rudeness and pass on any ideas you might have. Cheers Senior members.
 
Drifter, I feel your pain on this one, I'm planning to clip all services after the fall/winter tv season unless they turn back my prices to my original plan fees I started out with. I'm don't with them inching up the price and snatching channels, I really only wanted cable to watch regular tv, can't get the free over that tv station in my area with an antenna, no matter what antenna you have it just comes out scrabbled or you have to keep jumping up and down for the few channels that will show up. I know if I move to another section of the city, I would be able to use an antenna or even in some complexes get free cable, but, I too am not happy with the only two companies that service my area.

So for the summer at least, I will be getting a better phone with better net access and giving up all connections till fall season starts back up next year or I move. LOL. Yep, I too am pissed.
 
Drifter, we have Comcast here, and they just raised my bill by an unexpected $25 , too. I don't know what is going on that they all seem to be raising the costs, and I am sure that they are driving their customers away in droves, too !
My husband HAS to have his TV, or I would get rid if it completely and just use the Apple TV, but there are some of the programs on our local stations, plus Fox News that he likes to listen to, and so I have been keeping the cable.
We have Verizon cell phone, and they also have something called Home Phone Connect, that is about $10 a month,and works along with the cell phone, but is like a home phone.
There is also Magic Jack, which hooks up to the computer, and (unless they have changed) once you buy it, you just pay about $30 a year to renew it, and all calls are unlimited.
If you have an iPad (and maybe other tablets), you can use headphones and watch television, which might help your wife to be able to hear without having to have the sound volume up really loud.
 
Thanks guys and gals for your comments and input. I had a service man come by an hour or so ago and got my TV back up and going, and I have gotten my cable package down to $108.00. I'm not sure what kind of phone service I have but I'm going to ride with it until I get my next bill. Whatever, though, I'm going to add Apple TV and get aquainted with it. I may have to rely on it in the future. Cheers.
 
Drifter, I just found this excellent little comparison video.
It shows you the advantages and capabilities of the Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, and the Kindle Fire TV. It is a well put-tpgether comparison, slightly favoring the Kindle Fire; but from the things he points out, it looks to me like the approval is well-deserved.
If you are just going to watch movies and TV programs, then the Apple TV, or even the tiny Chromecast will work, although you have a lot more choices with Apple.
However, both the Roku and the Fire TV have more functions if you like to have versatility. The Roku does look more like a kid's gaming device , while the Fire looks like a quality piece of equipment.
If I didn't already have an Apple Tv, I would definitely be looking at the Fire TV. My daughter, who is a committed Apple devotee, and has had an Apple TV for several years, just got herself an Amazon Fire TV, and she said she likes it.

Hopefully, this will give you , and anyone else who is considering an item like this, a better idea of the capabilities of each one.

http://youtu.be/k3fFPeZfBzk
 
Happyflowerlady said:
A-ha ! Did I hear my name being called ?
Well, yes, I believe I did; so here I am, Princess Tiger Lily !

Apple TV...In a word, we love it ! It is even better when you have an iPhone or iPad to use along with it; but would also be fine all by itself.
It is just a little box, maybe 4"x4", and it connects to the TV and then to your wi-fi, or can also be wired in if you don't have a wi-fi connection. With it you can watch Apple movies/TV shows that you either rent or buy, all Netflix movies ($8 month subscription), YouTube videos, news, weather, and other programs that are either free, or you can subscribe to. For instance, if you are a sports fan, you can subscribe to the sports channels.

You can also listen to your iTunes music, various podcasts, and about a zillion radio stations of any kind that you like.
If you have an iPad, you can use Airplay, and it will put anything that you are looking at on the iPad onto the TV screen. If you have Amazon Prime, you can also watch all of the free Amazon movies using airplay.
I am sure that there is a whole lot more that I am not remembering right now, and they are adding new programs all of the time, as well.
Oh, yeah....cost. it costs about $100 new, less if you get a used one on ebay, and once you have it, there is no other charge. Basically, it is like having another computer, but it just does TV stuff.
Every year (think it is in September) they have a free month-long concert that you can watch live every night.
And you can also use any pictures that you have in your Photostream as a screensaver, which is really neat, too.

If you look up Apple Tv on youtube, where are videos that show you what it is and how it works.
Click to expand...

so you mean if I find something on you tube that I want to watch on my TV, I could do it with the Apple TV thing? I cancelled my cable TV about a couple years ago and now have a blue ray thing, but it is limited to Netflix and VuDu.
 
Thanks, HappyFL, I read a similar review by C/Net the other night and tonight I bought an Apple. I haven't done anything but hook it up and sign up with netflex. I was too tired to check it out otherwise. We also went to the grocery store and after carrying in all the groceries in, I was simply beat. I bought Apple because my computer and tablet are Apple. Thanks for your help.
 
Butterfly said:
so you mean if I find something on you tube that I want to watch on my TV, I could do it with the Apple TV thing? I cancelled my cable TV about a couple years ago and now have a blue ray thing, but it is limited to Netflix and VuDu.
Click to expand...
Butterfly, that is exactly what you can do, and even more. You can watch Netflix, Hulu, Crackle, and several other movie websites. Apple also has subscriptions to TV series, so you can also buy one episode, or the whole season of programs that you like to watch, and are too new to show up on Netflix or Hulu yet. They have new movies that you can either rent, or buy, like the cable On Demand has.

Plus, if you have an iPad, you can also watch the Amazon movies using Airplay. Literally anything that you can find online, you can watch on your television screen with Airplay. It is an amazing program that transfers whatever is on the iPad onto the TV, but you have to have both the iPad and the Apple TV to do this function.

If you look at the last video that I posted, it also compares the different devices that will work this way, so you can get the one that best works with what you already have. If you have a Kindle and Amazon Prime, then the Kindle Fire TV would probably be the best choice; but if you have n iPad or mac, then the Apple TV is more functional.
The little Google Chromecast is the cheapest one, but also does the least, from what the review says.
 

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