However, it amazes me what some people try to get away with. Read this:
"The key breakthroughs of the Netflix Player are simplicity and cost," said Netflix chief executive Reed Hastings. "[It] allows consumers to use the full power of the Netflix Web site to choose movies for their instant Queue, and then automatically displays only those choices on the TV screen. That's a major improvement versus the clutter of trying to choose from 10,000 films on the TV."
Is this a joke?? I mean, how can selecting a show to watch using your TV HARDER than selecting a show on your PC and then looking for it on your TV in your list. I understand the economics of this. They don't need a full blown pointing device and don't need a real interface to browse titles. But please don't try and spin it. Just be honest. You'll gain a lot more respect from me than trying to make the limitations of the box sound like pluses.
For the record, now having 802.11n is a big mistake but since I can wire myself to my network where my TV is located, I'm not concerned. Doing streaming video over 802.11g is frustrating. I've tried it.
Now if only Netflix can secure more current material, we'll be all set! I'll still probably want an Apple TV though.
6 comments:
I'm not sure why I'd buy this device instead of an Apple TV. I can still rent or buy movies, but also TV shows and other video content.
I personally don't think it is an either/or situation and some people may like both. If you have Netflix already, I think it'll be worth it but I'm going to hold back and see what the reviews say once some people actually get a hold of the box.
For me, the 24 hr timer on the movie rentals with Apple TV is a deal breaker for me (unless they've changed that). We frequently watch a movie and don't get all the way through it until a day or two later and if the timer starts at say 10PM, I'm likely not to begin watching it again until 10PM or later the following day at the timer blows that out of the water.
For what is worth, we've typically received between 10-15 shows a month from Netflix. On Apple TV that would cost me $30-$45 plus the watching limitations. That doesn't even include HD quality content. With Blu-Ray costing the same as DVD on Netflix right now (it is rumored to change slightly in the future) the HD content is a steal. The 10-15 shows doesn't include Instant Watching content either although there isn't much of that with the inconvenience of watching it on a PC or laptop, at least until now that is.
Yeah, it does seem to have advantages. And I don't even have an Apple TV, so I'm no evangelist on the subject.
My thought though is that in short order we're going to have/want ONE box under our set through which we obtain digital content off of the Internet, assisted, perhaps, by our computer.
If that box can't also provide access to television shows, etc. then it's only a matter of time before it's obsolete. If Netflix gets any market share at all with this device, Steve Jobs will rework how iTunes rents movies, and probably kill the NetFlix box in a stroke.
It may do something NOW that AppleTV can't do, but it can't do anything that AppleTV couldn't do tomorrow, literally, if it proved to be a successful paradigm. And AppleTV can and will still be able to do much, much more. So I kind of see it as a short-term convenience, with very little long-term potential at all.
I agree with you about Apple TV being able to do anything this does and more quite easily. I would have much preferred an agreement with Apple such that Netflix stuff could have streamed to the Apple TV. Now that would have been great!
I seriously doubt however that Apple is going to change the rental plan to be more cost effective anytime soon and for now I can easily wait a day to receive a movie. In the meantime, there is quite a bit of content on the streaming side and point of fact is that is it is free but for the $99 investment IF and I say IF you have a Netflix subscription. If not, this box is obviously a much harder sell and won't get the least bit of attention from non-subscribers (i.e your opinions reflect that).
$99 is hard to pass on though so I'll likely end up with one. Apple TV is a bit farther in the future though.
One interesting note and I haven't seen much other than a few comments is that supposedly this box isn't built to be exclusively for Netflix. I read that they're completely allowed (Roku that is) to put in other providers streaming content. It'll be interesting to see where that goes if it goes anywhere.
I love the Apple TV but it is stuck in the commercial conundrum of the situation so I kind of doubt its ever going to be a big deal (at least a big deal on an iPod/iPhone scale).
I think we can all agree that a set top box has something missing if it can't watch and record TV like a Tivo. It also has something missing if it can't rent and buy movies and shows at an online store a la iTunes.
And, of course, the content providers will never allow this to happen If Apple builds in recording, the providers will yank their content from iTunes (just look at NBC's childish behavior in this regard). Likewise, the studios will never allow Tivo to rent and purchase content directly so long as they do have recording.
And, as usual, the consumer gets hosed.
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