On 2006-10-03 22:45:13 -0400, Babaganoosh <no@spam.invalid> said:
Quote:
Addendum: I really hope this thing will also be a DVR. If it's that, I'll be rejoicing.
There are already good DVR systems for Macs, such as the EyeTv units
<http://www.elgato.com>. The iTV is just for getting audio/video from
the Mac to the A/V system in another room.
Strictly digital-hub-wise, what can the Mac mini do that the iTV can't?
Nobody outside Apple (and those bound by its NDAs) can say for sure, but
the major shortcoming is that the iTV will not be able to download and
store music and movies from the Internet. That will remain the province
of actual computers -- Macs or PCs on the local network -- that will
function as servers to the iTV's client.
AFAIK, the only source for that statement is a single offhand remark by
Disney CEO Bob Iger at a Goldman Sachs conference last month. From the
rest of his remarks, it's pretty clear that Iger is no tech geek, was
not using technical terms precisely, and was describing a device that
converts video from a data stream served by another device on the local
network. <http://www.ipodobserver.com/story/28489>
If the iTV does contain a "small hard drive", there's still no reason to
think that it will store user content -- movies and music -- rather than
the codecs, other software, and buffer that the iTV needs to function.
ah, but can that thing record encrypted channels? (It looks too small to accept a CableCARD)
It can probably record anything it receives; decrypting the stream for
display is a different problem. Hard to tell from the image, but a
CableCARD is PCMCIA sized; it could have a slot for it.
In article <tomstiller-72C4D2.18343504102006@comcast.dca.giganews.com>,
Tom Stiller <tomstiller@comcast.net> wrote:
Quote:
<http://www.miglia.com/products/video/tvminihd/index.html> ah, but can that thing record encrypted channels? (It looks too small to accept a CableCARD) It can probably record anything it receives; decrypting the stream for display is a different problem. Hard to tell from the image, but a CableCARD is PCMCIA sized; it could have a slot for it.
never mind, I checked; it can't record encrypted broadcasts, and it
won't take a CableCARD. So forget it then.
--
"Drop the One Ring! Drop it NOW!"
- Jack Bauer in 'Lord of the Rings'
In article <no-C5B514.11122604102006@news.central.cox.net>,
Babaganoosh <no@spam.invalid> wrote:
Quote:
Strictly digital-hub-wise, what can the Mac mini do that the iTV can't?
There are many advantages in putting the hub *at* the TV. I can do
basic stuff like browse the web and access iTunes directly, which is
likely to be beyond the capabilities of the shipped iTV. I doubt there
will be a way to run something like VLC on the iTV. And from a basic
entertainment standpoint I can play DVDs, something the demoed box
didn't seem capable of. So while I'm sure an iTV will make a lot of
sense to a lot of people with a lot of TVs and a lot of existing
equipment, it will not be replacing my Mac mini.
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A question about the iTV
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