Apple TV Thoughts

Any comments and opinions related to Apple products are those of Brian Nagel alone and do not reflect those of Apple Inc. or its subsidiaries. He’s just a little guy.

So I just purchased the new Apple TV.

A couple years back, I did my best to stimulate the economy by purchasing the original model with a 160gb hard drive – and it’s been one of my favorite Apple purchases over the years. There’s just something inherently cool about being able to take all of my digital content from my 13″ laptop, and experience it on my 27″ television. (Yes, 27″ is NOT impressive, never mind the fact it’s not a real HD TV, but…more on that in a bit.)

It allowed me to:

• Listen to my entire [~130GB]  music library through my surround sound.
• Look at all my photos in large form and reminisce with the slick screen saver.
• Watch my [near 2 TB] library of TV Shows and Movies.

Since I stopped buying optical discs (CDs/DVDs – why do folks still buy those anyway?) years ago, my Apple TV became to perfect accessory to my digital media life.

So…Initial thoughts on the new one:

• It’s TINY. Smaller than the palm of my hand.
• The speed is noticeably improved. They built it with the same A4 processor found in the iPhone 4 and the iPad.
• Setup is incredibly simple. Turn it on, pick your language, pick your internet connection, sign into your iTunes account.
• Netflix integration just as simple, and the reason for me to pick up the new one.
• I definitely need a new TV.

I actually had to borrow my folks’ HD TV for the test setup, since the new Apple TV is HDMI only. I’m definitely out of it in terms of TV upgrades, as the one I’m still using is the same monstrosity I purchased in high school. I’m looking into a Samsung 40″ LCD – unless someone can recommend something different?

But I digress.

In the first few minutes of browsing my content with the new guy, I am definitely impressed with the remake. For me, the added speed and the Netflix integration made purchasing the device an easy decision. The possibilities of other additions in the future with software and firmware upgrades make it very intriguing, as well.

If you’re into Netflix, have a good amount of digital media hanging out in your computer, and like to get On-Demand content with just a couple clicks of a remote, the new Apple Tv is a great way to get started.

Oh…and stop using discs – they’re so 1995.