I was pleasantly surprised to find my Apple TV ordered online on 5 September was shipped just 22 days later, and was actually delivered to me in September, albeit on its last day, as promised. Setup began inauspiciously on discovering no HDMI cable in the package. Once an HDMI cable was purchased I repeated my ‘Kindle’ moment from a year ago – 10 minutes for out of the box, plug in, power on, configure Wi-Fi, select video podcast then up and away, impressive.
The worst part of setup was the tedious entry of the inevitably long Wi-Fi passphrase using the intuitively simple remote control and frustrating on-screen keyboard. This same frustration returns for entering the iTunes account and password but fortunately these are one-off hurdles.
Watching direct-streamed podcasts, YouTube movies, TV shows and full-length movies from the comfort of the couch on the big screen add a huge increment to my online viewing experience. All this streaming can be done without intervention from iTunes on your PC or Mac. It soon became clear that streaming is the natural way I operate and Apple TV fits in perfectly.
The Remote app running on the iPad makes feeding stuff from your iTunes libraries really simple and enjoyable since it replaces the remote control. However I normally leave my iPad set to using its 3G connection which makes it a genuine go-anywhere device. To use the iPad Remote app with the Apple TV requires a switch to Wi-Fi which is a little irritating.
So after 24 hours with an Apple TV I give a really big tick, but I will have to keep an eye on my broadband data cap that will be taking a big hit.
Man, I’d love to own one for myself. The Apple TV would come in handy in watching live Internet feeds, and miscelaneous Youtube clips.