The way we watch TV is going to change dramatically over the next 5 years, with Microsoft and Apple vying for real estate in your living room. Apple has not done a good job to date leveraging their lead with the iPod and the company is finding itself trailing behind Microsoft, which has been really innovative with their media center products. Apple has yet to gain a beachhead in the living room, with either hardware or software.
- Mac Mini as a home theater computer. Many have touted the Mini as Apple’s answer to a home theater pc. While the design of the Mini is attractive, it is missing several key features that make it useless as a media server/ front-end. No digital audio “outs” (spdif) or tuner card kills it. That means you cannot hook it up to a receiver for surround sound and you are reliant on streaming video to it. You cannot possibly fit those items into the Mac mini and keep its design. The Mac Mini is missing a sound card like the HDA Mystique. Apple has some catching up to do with the plethora of HTPC cases on the market for the PC.
- Lack of cable card support. Microsoft’s next operating system will incorporate cable card support, allowing for the recording of HDTV on your computer through your cable provider. Apple is nowhere in sight with this feature.
- iTV lack of features. If the feature set of the iTV remains as announced, it is DOA for non-Mac users. $300 is way too expensive for an item that is already late to the party.
- Front Row versus Vista. The Vista media center interface is light years ahead of Front Row. The RC1 of Vista showed a lot of promise. Can Leopard make up the ground?
- Lack of iPod integration with home stereos. Apple has yet to deliver a home audio solution. To me, Apple should be trying to make a system like the Sonos ZP 80 instead of wasting their time with iTV. Here is where the Mac mini could shine. I do not think it is a coincidence that Microsoft’s Zune was released in time for the arrival of Vista.
- iTunes video downloading. Who wants to download videos at resolutions less than DVD quality to watch on their new HDTV? To be fair, this most likely was not Apple’s fault. The studios probably forced their hand.
- Microsoft TV IPTV Edition. Microsoft appears to be sticking their finger into everything. Microsoft TV IPTV Edition. is a software platform developed specifically to deliver broadcast-quality video and integrated TV services over broadband networks. IPTV, like that provided by Verizon, could be an interesting development and Microsoft has positioned themselves well with Broadband providers.
October 12th, 2006 at 10:28 pm
What are you talking about? What lack of features are talking about?
By the way Apple now has Google video and YouTube on its side, as Google now owns YouTube, and Google’s CEO in now on Apple’s board.
“Apple should be trying to make a system like the Sonos ZP 80 instead of wasting their time with iTV.” Are you for real?
“The Vista media center interface is light years ahead of Front Row.”
Vista is not available yet, and front row 2.0 in coming in Leopard. Oh by the way Leopard should smash Vista.
“Microsoft appears to be sticking their finger into everything. Microsoft TV IPTV Edition. is a software platform developed specifically to deliver broadcast-quality video and integrated TV services over broadband networks. IPTV, like that provided by Verizon, could be an interesting development and Microsoft has positioned themselves well with Broadband providers.” What the heck are you talking about? All Microsoft is doing lately is copying Apple, and if that true video iPod comes out before Christmas then kiss that Zune thing goodbye.
October 13th, 2006 at 3:49 am
There’s alot of opinion in this article.
However, here’s the facts, HDMI for COMPUTERS has been available since Mar of this year with Sapphire RADEON X1600Pro. It did not exist before then, so keep in mind it was made for PC first
Mac’s don’t have 5.1 surround by default (or at all as far as i can tell other than Core Audio) don’t see any hardware to match it however. Most new PC’s have 5.1 or 7.1 HD surround sound. You’re beautiful HD video is going to sound great in stereo, or should i give you the benefit of 2.1 on that Mac.
Ipod also only supports 2 channel stereo, and as more records are being released in 5.1, this becomes more of an issue, however i’ll note that no other personal player on the market offers 5.1 either.
As for TV tuner cards, well, bow down to the driver writers, if they are kind enough to write one for OSX then you have your support else, stick with a PC cause someone wrote a driver for windows i garuntee it.
I will say that i saw the iTunes video quality today, not too bad i’d say, could be better, but for what they’re offering, not bad.
Either way, you’re all full of crap.
October 13th, 2006 at 9:31 am
Actually it does have digital optical audio out, though not 5.1 or 7.1.
The Airport Express (w/ AirTunes) looks like it does exactly what the zZone does, but for A LOT LESS. (Also digital optical out, $129, integrates with iTunes very easily (as such works with the remote and front row)). (This is not exactly what you are comparing, but since your iTunes library is the same as your iPod).
There is the EyeTV video capture USB device which is small enough to not distract from the design of the MacMini.
For $99 you can get a module, which plugs into the firewire port and gives you 5.1 out. Griffin Firewave.
As for the iTV, Airtunes and all iPod features are available for both the Mac and PC, so I would expect it would be the same for that as well. (Apple has been following this tactic for a while, since they made iTunes for the PC).
(I’m going to go look at http://www.123macmini.com some more, see if there is anything else I didn’t know about.
October 13th, 2006 at 11:12 am
Talk of tuners and cable cards is missing the point. Tuners and cable cards and PVRs and VHS all support the current model of broadcast TV. Broadcast TV has been around since 1950 and is a terrible terrible way to fund TV production. It relies on un-targetted advertising hitting as many eyes as possible. This model worked in 1965 but things have moved on.
iTV has the potential to disrupt the entire TV industry. Not because of the technology, but because viewers will suddenly be able to pay to watch what they want.
Screw the ad breaks. Screw the advertisers. Screw the networks. Screw the cable subscription. Give your money to the people who make shows you want to watch. Then see what happens.
C.
October 13th, 2006 at 4:39 pm
if anyone manages to read this before the person who made this site takes it down I had previously posted that the whole article was incredibely unresearched and uninformed - politely mind - and he removed it…..offering up a comments section and then removing completely reasonable remarks that show a different opinion speaks volumes about this whole article!
October 13th, 2006 at 6:31 pm
Media_lush:
I am all for differing comments. I just took it down because it was a rude post. It was just a typical digg slash and burn comment. There are several comments here that disagree with me. That is fine. I have realized I need to look into Leopard more and I am going to write a post about changes to Front Row.
I am very informed when it comes to media centers. I think I did not properly frame the post. I view home theater computers as a computer that can connect to a receiver, provide 5.1 surround sound, record TV, and provide a directory to your movies and music. Apple has no strategy right now for that. No cable card support, no sound cards with Dolby srround. Nothing. Everything they are doing has already been done by other companies and has been done at a better price point. A XBox 360 has a better feature set than the iTV, does the exact same thing as an iTV, plays games, and is the same price. Yet people act like Apple is set to take over the living room.
October 13th, 2006 at 7:40 pm
I thought it important to mention that I was watching HDTV programs through my macbook pro and 37″ HD LCD without even the need of any kind of third party box or media centre (for well over a year now {with my G4 before my mbp})- and also that you should try and track down what many people believe the secret of iTV is actually going to be which - if it’s true - is quite astounding - do a search on reddit.com as I think that’s where I first came across the story.
As for “XBox 360 has a better feature set than the iTV, does the exact same thing as an iTV” - considering no-ones actually really looked at one or seen the specs or explained the HDMI port etc I feel that a, well, plainly wrong thing to say at this time.
October 13th, 2006 at 9:19 pm
First off, let me say I hope Apple can deliver. I am not sure Vista can deliver but I think it is better positioned right now. You make valid points and I will post in more detail about leopard and iTV.
I do not doubt you were watching HD (though probably not 1080p) using your mbp. You were not watching it with surround sound and you were not watching live TV. That is what I think it takes to win the living room. Sports sell HDTVs and will sell media centers. You cannot download sports from iTunes. In my opinion, sports drive the living room.
My main point about iTV is that $300 is too much for an appliance that lets you stream video.
October 17th, 2006 at 10:08 am
I was just checking the specs for the Mac Mini Opticical outpout it DOES PROVIDE AC-3 encoding when an Optical Connector is plugged in, so you don’t even need a card.
October 17th, 2006 at 10:43 am
This article talks about a guy using his Powerbook and the Optical cable to get 5.1 sound. (So media_lush can improve his experience, and disprove another myth).
I got a PM from the SlingMedia Beta manager and she says the Sling media player for the Mac should be available to the public by the end of the month. (The other alternative for live TV is the EyeTV adapter, I mentioned earlier)
October 17th, 2006 at 9:06 pm
I am interested about that Powerbook article. My guess is that you will not get 5.1 SURROUND sound on individual channels. You will get sound out of all 5 speakers but not in true surround sound. I am pretty sure the only way to do that is with a soundcard from HDA, though I will try and verify it.
October 26th, 2006 at 7:23 am
Nonsense. It’s uncertain Apple or Microsoft will succeed in this space, but anyone who thinks the ‘battle for the living room’ will be won on technical merit alone needs a history lesson.
February 2nd, 2008 at 10:57 pm
I think no matter what I will stick with Mac, I don’t want to watch a movie on a PC and have it freeze half way through the movie. I know a mac won’t do that. Mac always puts Microsoft in it’s place…in the back row.