Apple TV: Not Ready for Prime Time

The set-top box that syncs with a computer is simple to set up but doesn't deliver the audiovisual quality or all the features consumers may want

by Cliff Edwards

Editor's Rating:

The Good: Simple setup, automatic updates of most-used iTunes content

The Bad: Content limited to iTunes library, no USB or photo card support

The Bottom Line: Apple TV is a solid choice for Mac enthusiasts but falls short of being a mainstream product

Reader Reviews

Setting up Apple TV, I couldn't get the phrase "kid tested, mother approved" out of my head. The genius of Apple (AAPL) products has been that they're simple for just about anyone to set up and then very easy to use. Apple TV is no exception, bringing order to the usual chaos of setting up consumer electronics with such aplomb that it puts rivals to shame.

Setup is so straightforward that within 10 minutes of taking Apple TV out of its box, I was streaming Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl from an iMac in the kitchen to a 52-in. Sharp Aquos high-definition television in the bedroom.

First, using either an HDMI (high-definition multimedia interface) or a component cable, you hook up your television to the Apple TV set-top box—a white 8-in. square that's essentially just a very quiet, very stylish, Intel-based computer without the optical disc drive.

Remote Takes Getting Used To

Next, you connect the box to your home network. As every device should, Apple TV checks first to see if you're connected via a more efficient Ethernet cable that can download at a faster rate than wireless. But I decided to see if Apple's Airport 802.11n Wi-Fi router would do a decent job of handling both security setup and video transfers between my iMac and the Apple TV box.

It did. Using the gum-stick-size remote control to tap in the right security key, you can set up either WEP or WPA Wi-Fi encryption. You're given a security key on the TV screen to pair the set-top box with the designated Mac or Windows computer from which you will be transferring digital files. (You need to have at least iTunes version 7.1 and a fairly new computer for successful pairing.)

If you own a relatively new MacBook, you'll be familiar with the Front Row user interface for entertainment that divides your digital content into clear categories. Unfortunately, Apple TV also comes with the same simple six-button remote as the MacBook, and it needs a few tweaks. I found myself intuitively clicking the left arrow button to navigate back to the prior screen. But instead, you have to press the menu button.

And the remote is so small, I was constantly worried about misplacing it and then having to search the nooks and crannies in my home to find it. Once you get used to the remote, though, it's pretty easy to zip through the neatly organized content to find what you want.

Photos look great on the big screen, but you're limited to playing iPhoto slide shows you've already configured on the host machine. While there's a USB 2.0 port on the back, you can't connect a digital camera directly to Apple TV. Nor are there memory card slots like those being built into a growing number of devices from plasma TVs to high-definition DVD players.

Not the Prettiest Picture

Curiously, though Apple TV can be connected to an HD television, it isn't really meant for viewing high-definition programming. Likewise, despite Apple's admonition that you need a widescreen set that supports at least DVD-quality playback, the device is limited to VGA-quality content. It also lacks Dolby Digital 5.1 audio support. With HDTV still in the early stages of broad consumer adoption, Apple appears to have chosen to limit the size of the media files the device can receive to make sure wireless streaming performs without a hiccup.

That's not to say video content looks or sounds bad. I watched Pirates of the Caribbean and The Colbert Report on Sharp's latest set. While both lacked the spectacular detail of high-definition, the picture didn't look lousy. Many new TVs are designed to upscale images to the set's native resolution with internal processing. Even so, movies and television shows delivered via Apple TV won't win any beauty pageants.