Apple TV unboxing

We wrangled ourselves an Apple TV, and have gratuitously documented the unboxing process for your entertainment pleasure -- seriously, lots of photos. (Hey, what else you got going on to liven things up on a Thursday morning?) Obviously, the packaging and device are a sterling example of Apple minimalism, all the way down to the complete lack of video cables, which sucks for oodles of hapless buyers who are going to discover the absence of such just in time to make a whole 'nother trip to the electronics store. Stay tuned for some interface walkthroughs and various other tomfoolery once we can find ourselves a cable or two that won't look out of place sticking out of Stevie J's latest.

Gallery: Apple TV unboxing

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[Alex @ Mar 22nd 2007 10:49AM]

Apple TV doesn't have a screen. You plug it into the television you already have. Oh, and the stream of insults just makes you seem obnoxious, not right.

[Keef @ Mar 22nd 2007 9:18AM]

what does this even do?? is it just a T.V tuner/recorder...

[Trojan @ Mar 22nd 2007 9:34AM]

It doesn't even do that. You plug it into your TV to play the iTunes media you have stored on your computer. You can sync to it like an iPod (it has a 40GB HD).

That's ALL it does.

[Aaron @ Mar 22nd 2007 9:38AM]

"what does this even do?? is it just a T.V tuner/recorder..."

Less than that, I'm afraid... It streams your crap from iTunes. So whatever you may have bought on iTunes, plus your music, plus any videos you happen to have in the H.264 format. Streams it all to your TV. Useful? You be the judge...

Also, no AV cables in the box? You have got to be kidding me. I can't wait for all the stupid fanboys to try and justify THAT decision.

Go ahead, kids. Lower my post rating. You still know I'm right.

[Maarten @ Mar 22nd 2007 9:34AM]

Jeez, that's so small... my tv will never fit on top of that tiny box, what were they thinking?

[andy @ Mar 22nd 2007 9:35AM]

its an ipod for your tv, it works directly with g/n enabled computers (mac / pc) and doesnt need a wireless hub. it syncs or streams from your computer. it allows for watching video from the web, at the moment trailers, who knows whats intended for future software updates. it has hardware video decoding software, like that of a blueray player for h.264, for all those whining about lack of divx welcome to the superior world of h.264 and stop pirating.

[zargon @ Mar 22nd 2007 9:43AM]

Don't be a ignorant moron.

Divx support is huge, it is a lot more common than H.264 is right now. It is widely used and supported (except in devices like this it seems). People are not going to want to re-encode all of the media. Never mind the fact that re-encoding it is never a good idea as compressing and encoding an already compressed encoded format just makes the quality go down.

H.264 may be the future, but it doesn't have a big enough foot hold just yet.

On top of that, there are plenty of people that use divx for legitimate purposes. Don't make ignorant blanket statements and try to group everyone in the same group. Until the latest rounds of codecs, divx was by far the best one to use for internet video due to its high compression while maintaining quality in the video. Making download smaller and it easier to stream. Red vs Blue used it just to name one of many sources of legitimate divx usage.

[Nick @ Mar 22nd 2007 9:59AM]

i agree lack of an HDMI or component cable is pretty shitty on apples part.. but what can you expect.. back when i got my iPod photo they used to package an AC adapter with it.. now a days... they AC adapter isnt packaged and they charge you $30 for one.

[Geoffrey Sperl @ Mar 22nd 2007 11:50AM]

@Aaron: To be fair, there are a lot of A/V components that do not come with cables other than run of the mill RCA composite types. But, no, there should be, at least, component cables in there. When you look at something like monoprice.com and see what prices they have on cables, it's almost criminal that there aren't cables included in the package.

One really nice thing, though, is that there is no power brick. Admit it: that's slick in a box this small.

Now, as for taking things from iTunes: If you know what you're doing, you can get quite a bit into iTunes. I've ripped the DVDs I watch quite a bit and placed them into iTunes for syncing to my iPod. The issue with that, of course, is that watching the same "Seven Samurai" file on my 51" HDTV that I use on my iPod would be insane, which means ripping a higher-quality of the movie, which means storing it twice, which means I will run out of room very quickly...

However, for the end user with an SDTV and has locked themselves into the iPod and the iTMS, then the Apple TV makes a lot of sense.

I, however, am passing on this one and will stick with my Series2 TiVo and TiVo Desktop for now (note: the TiVo is not on the 51" TV)...

[flink @ Mar 22nd 2007 9:39AM]

Try setting this up with your computer up one flight of stairs and down the hall and your TV is in the basement.
LOL.
Why doesn´t it sync? Run up to computer to troubleshoot. Run back to TV to try again....repeat ad nauseum.

[Rick Lyon @ Mar 22nd 2007 9:49AM]

Hmm, since you seem to be new to computers, Apple included an ethernet port just for you. Or, if you can't run cables, Apple also has Airport Extreme and Airport Express to extend your home wireless network. Next time do your research because when you bash Apple, your ignorance shows thru.

[Waitupasec @ Mar 22nd 2007 9:42AM]

Haha wait its a surprise that apple is skimping on something they already make like 300% profit on? Wake up.

[Rick Lyon @ Mar 22nd 2007 9:49AM]

Araon, can you list the devices that come with AV cables other than RCAs? Didn't think so.

It plays what you bought from iTunes AS WELL as what you PUT INTO iTunes. So, download some HD shows from torrents, some movies, porn, etc convert them to mpg and stream away. It's a bridge from your computer to your home theater system using iTunes.

[Matt @ Mar 22nd 2007 10:06AM]

"Araon, can you list the devices that come with AV cables other than RCAs? Didn't think so."

Xbox 360 comes with component cables in the box and does everything the AppleTV does and more.

[Jason @ Mar 22nd 2007 10:06AM]

My Oppo DV971 came with an HDMI-DVI cable.

[Aaron @ Mar 22nd 2007 10:58AM]

"Araon, can you list the devices that come with AV cables other than RCAs? Didn't think so."

This thing is $300. It's also from Apple, so I assume it's fairly easy for newbies, i.e. not a super high-end technical device. It does not matter what everyone else puts in the box. This would be like not including headphones with iPods, and it's stupid.

"So, download some HD shows from torrents, some movies, porn, etc convert them to mpg and stream away"

Converting tons of other content you've downloaded is not realistic. Not only would it be an enormous waste of hard disk space, but it would literally take weeks to download a bunch of videos - especially in HD - and then transcode them all. Who really wants to do that just so they can play it on their AppleTV? As others have pointed out, the Xbox 360 already does a better job with its MCE functionality. Hell, even without Media Center, the 360 can still stream music, pictures, and WMV files from your PC.

[Maestro @ Mar 22nd 2007 9:49AM]

This seems OK, but it really doesn't do anything my 360 can't do. In fact, my digital cable box has music channels and ON DEMAND video purchases. So if I pair my stb and my 360, who needs this?

[saboola @ Mar 22nd 2007 10:40AM]

My word of advice is skip this thing all together and look for a modded Xbox with XBMC installed. Trust me you wont regret it.

[brendan Sheehan jnr @ Mar 22nd 2007 12:34PM]

You mean HDMI right?

[darkstar @ Mar 22nd 2007 9:58AM]

yep. thats what i found out when i bought the apple ipod dock. for $30, it came with a base. no av, nor power cable. nothing else except the base.

[Aaron @ Mar 22nd 2007 10:50AM]

Yeah, I'm surprised by the lack of accessories these days. I got a 4th gen iPod a couple years ago and it came with the AC adapter, a base, and two different data cables. It kicked the bucket 11 months later (barely covered by warranty), and the replacement 5th gen iPod came in a much smaller box with only a little sleeve thing. I didn't really care in that case, but it seems ridiculous with this product to not package in some cables, especially when you're Apple and your game is keeping it simple for the consumer.

[andy @ Mar 22nd 2007 10:04AM]

"On top of that, there are plenty of people that use divx for legitimate purposes."

like?... lol, name one legitamate way of purchasing divx video!!! h.264 is better and there are legal ways of obtaining it plain and simple.

[zargon @ Mar 22nd 2007 10:25AM]

"like?... lol, name one legitamate way of purchasing divx video!!! h.264 is better and there are legal ways of obtaining it plain and simple."

Try choosing your wording better next time. You just said stop pirating, you never said anything about downloading. I merely pointed out that divx was used for legitimate purposes.

Why exactly do you think that H.264 is better than divx, I would like to some insight on your thinking. Could it just be that you use H.264, therefore it is better? That you don't actually know about the formats?

I do not understand why you have this notion that divx = piracy. Divx movies are as legally obtainable as H.264 movies. Like I said, Red vs Blue used it. There are plenty of other sites that are currently using divx. One that you may have heard of, Google.

So take off your blinders and do a little research. Don't just bend over and submit to what ever Apple decides to feed you. There are other viable options out there, just because Apple doesn't use them does not mean that they are not legal, easily obtainable or not worth using.

Though I suppose for you, ignorance is bliss, right?

[Rick Lyon @ Mar 22nd 2007 10:04AM]

Wow, some bitter PC fans around here. Just because Vista blows chunks and you're bitter about the real concept that M$ is declining you don't need to bash Apple to sadistically please yourselves.

I'm waiting to see some pics of actually streaming of movies, tv shows, etc from iTunes. MORE PICS!!

[Aaron @ Mar 22nd 2007 4:38PM]

Watch the apple phone keynotes, that is where you see this in action...

People should stop being idiots, It's a product from apple! A lot of people "who don't pirate" buy the shows off itunes, making this perfect for siting at home with you wide screen and being a your rich selfs.

[Rick Lyon @ Mar 22nd 2007 10:36AM]

Ah silly me. With all the hoards of DVD players, HDMI switching receivers, media centers, HDTVs, etc that NONE come with HDMI cables but because your treasured Xbox does somehow this translates to an Apple shortcoming? You're comparing a game console to a media bridge and boasting it does more? Well, if it makes you feel better about yourself....

[brendan Sheehan jnr @ Mar 22nd 2007 12:13PM]

Except it costs more, has a much smaller harddrive, has a fan noisier than a jet engine (I know I own one) which makes it useless for watching movies, is way bigger then the Apple TV, isn't a sleek looking, software isn't as elegant, as easy to use or as easy to set-up, doesn't have 802.11"n" networking. Other than that it's better yeah. Oh and most adults don't play computer games, so they wont need that functionality of the 360, so for them the Apple TV is probably a better choice.

[Rick Lyon @ Mar 22nd 2007 11:19AM]

I know it does, 1 out of how many DVD players? I think the Panasonic S97 did as well, so 2 out of 30, 40 players?

[Chris @ Mar 22nd 2007 10:07AM]

NOW i would be interestd if it was a media center extender, i say drop the harddrive, reduce the price, swap in MCE Extender v2.0 and sell it for 100$ and im 110% sold.

[jon.leopold @ Mar 22nd 2007 10:10AM]

I'm a big Apple fan (I was brainwashed in Nov. 2004), but I can't see myself getting one of these, even if I had a widescreen or HD TV to hook it up to. There's no videos on my iBook that I'd want to stream to my TV, nor am I interested in buying any off of iTunes.

Maybe if the iTunes TV and Movie stores got full DVD-quality instead of kinda-sorta-almost-DVD-quality I'd be a little interested, but until then Netflix and my own DVD library win the prize.

Besides, I have to save my pennies for the first MacBook Pro upgrade with Leopard installed.

[WamBAm @ Mar 22nd 2007 10:14AM]

My old PC with about $100 of upgrades I got off ebay and tigerdirect does the same thing as this and more.

[Arno @ Mar 22nd 2007 10:27AM]

Looks like another crappy Apple product. *yawn*

[cydeweyz @ Mar 22nd 2007 10:55AM]

Sony and Toshiba HDMI DVD players sold at Costco come with HDMI cables. Comcast HD cable boxes come with component and DVI cables. Who woulda thunk? Why would a Receiver or a TV come with audio or video cables? These objects are INPUT devices. OUTPUT devices should come with the cables it has OUTPUTs for! So Apple TV is outputing video at $300 a pop, but you'll have to find your own cables??? Idiots can only justify that one...

[Mrmean @ Mar 22nd 2007 10:40AM]

LMAO @ all you bitter ruined anti-apple people crying...and clearly voting posts negative to satisfy your hatred...

[Kieran Coghlan @ Mar 22nd 2007 10:46AM]

YAWN.....

Enough of the lame pictures. How the F*&k does it work? Give us a full review already! What's the real-world functionality? How well does it stream HD content? Can it smoothly stream HD wirelessly? How many different file formats does it support? Are you locked in to iTunes software?

I hate "unboxing" galleries. Save the time it took to snap all those pics and post them, and put it toward getting on with your review of the product.

[Jeff @ Mar 22nd 2007 10:54AM]

"like?... lol, name one legitamate way of purchasing divx video!!!"

I've got a stack of video tapes that I've digitized over the years and now store as divx files. Some are old home movies, some are store-bought tapes... covered by a little thing called "fair use". All of these divx files are legitimate files.

That said, it doesn't take an MS fanboy (of which I certainly am not one) to point out Apple TV's shortcomings. There are many devices out there that will stream various formats *and* play DVD's to boot. Guess what? They're cheaper too. (In fact, I just bought a used Gateway ADC-320 that'll stream divx, mpg and avi files for $50 including wireless card.)

If you want something *just like* the Apple TV - small, with built in storage - but with support for a large number of formats, do a Google search for MediaGate. These cost about the same as Apple TV but do more - they also have larger hard drives and DVI output (same as HDMI), and they will output up to 1080p.

I really don't know why anyone would buy Apple TV.

[Rick Lyon @ Mar 22nd 2007 11:19AM]

Well, how about the idiots who lust over the Sling box which doesn't include a cable? You know what they say about idiots....

[Rick Lyon @ Mar 22nd 2007 11:19AM]

Again, you need to research. It takes me 3 minutes to convert an HD avi TV show into an iTunes playable mpg. Sorry, but to some the Xbox simply isn't an option? Maybe some already have the PS3? Maybe some hate M$? Maybe some don't play video games? I mean, yea, my mom should get the Xbox to view her iPhoto collection in her livingroom streamed from her office? Come on.

[Gordy @ Mar 22nd 2007 10:58AM]

Mine has arrived. I'm not sure why there is so much drama over AppleTV. While AppleTV is limited, it does its job impeccably, and I can't wait to unbox mine.

Regarding MCE and 360 comparisons, read the NY Times and WSJ AppleTV reviews. Your illusion has been revealed. Both are less than stellar. The new Netgear box is crap too.

[Kieran Coghlan @ Mar 22nd 2007 11:03AM]

Someone was asking for a place to obtain legitimate DIVX content online for free?

http://stage6.divx.com/tags/Movie+Trailer

That's the trailer page. There are plenty of amateur videos under other tags, too. As well as some pro tags. iTunes is AFAIK the only place to pay for downloading of television programs and movies. But there is plenty of legit DivX content out there, including movie trailers, which are the main thing people use H.264 for any way (so far).

Also, H.264 does not imply lack of piracy. Anyone can download and use an H.264 codec (or buy one) and convert all their videos to H.264, and distribute them illegally is they desire.

Clues for sale! $.25 each! Get yours now!

[Martin Hill @ Mar 22nd 2007 11:04AM]

We don't buy much from the iTunes Store (no TV shows or movies on the Australian iTunes Store yet), but we do already have an iMac on the coffee table in the lounge with 2 EyeTV units plugged into it which we use as our main TV capable of recording 2 digital TV channels simultaneously. EyeTV already automatically uploads these recordings into iTunes for playback on-screen and synchronised with my Video iPod. We also watch live TV or any of our recorded shows from anywhere in the house (or out by the pool) streaming wirelessly (and glitch-free) from the iMac to my wife’s MacBook and my MacBook Pro via our new “N-enabled” Airport Extreme (using the free CyTV software).

When watching movies with friends, we fire up the data projector. However, if we were like the masses out there who didn’t want the iMac in the lounge, it would be a no-brainer for us to buy an Apple TV to allow us to also view all our recorded TV shows, music, music videos, movie trailers, and heaps of home movies we’ve created on an HDTV or data projector instead. The 100 million iPod/iTunes users out there represents a massive existing user-base. This is not rocket-science people.

For those guys who keep complaining that Apple TV won’t play their pirated AVI torrents of Battlestar Galactica etc – I don’t know how you can bear to watch those horribly compressed ~350MB files (are higher quality now? I gave up looking). Often these guys are the same ones who then have the cheek to complain that Apple’s iTunes movies and TV shows are not high enough resolution for TV or HDTV viewing despite the fact that they have a data rate and resolution 2 to 3 times higher than the typical pirate stream. I can’t bear up watching DivX torrents that look worse than an old VHS tape on an HDTV screen. In contrast, the EyeTV recordings which I convert to iPod Video (640x480) format to save space and to play on my Video iPod are crystal clear and indistinguishable from the high-res digital TV recordings that the EyeTV records.

Many people also harp on the iPod video format being less-than DVD quality, but considering many people’s experience of DVDs is when they are played back on an interlaced standard definition TV which is significantly inferior to the non-interlaced (progressive) 640x480 format used by the video iPod format on an iMac’s LCD or a progressive scan HDTV.

IMHO

-Mart

[Martin Hill @ Mar 22nd 2007 11:09AM]

Ouch - well that came out a bit mangled! Hopefully you get what I meant. :-)

-Mart

[J @ Mar 22nd 2007 11:08AM]

Can someone clear this up? Only component and HDMI outputs? What about those people still with regular TVs, they didn't think to put a S-video or Composite out? It couldn't have cost that much extra.

[cydeweyz @ Mar 22nd 2007 11:25AM]

again, Slingbox is an INPUT device. It OUTPUTS to TV??? Nope... and Slingbox HD does not have an HDMI input, but something that looks like it. Don't "think different", just THINK!

[Aaron @ Mar 22nd 2007 11:34AM]

Three minutes? I don't see how that could be, but whatever, there are a lot of factors there. Also, when I said weeks, I was considering download time as well.

If you have a PS3, then play your shit on that.

Irrational hatred for Microsoft is not a good reason to reject a good product.

The 360 does a lot more than play games, that's kind of the point here.

I'm not in a position to tell you what your mother should be doing, but the low-end 360 is the same price as the AppleTV. Keep that in mind. And if your mom is really willing to drop $300 for the ability to look at pictures on the TV, then, uh, AppleTV all the way. The point is for everyone else, the Xbox is quite likely a better choice, as it does quite a bit more. And it comes with a goddamn cable.

[Rick Lyon @ Mar 22nd 2007 11:59AM]

FIne, then list the OUTPUT devices that come with HDMI cables? Tivo? Cable company DVRs? PS3? Wii? DVD players are output devices and a tiny percentage include cables beyond RCAs. Of every component in my HT, 1 device of 8 came with HDMI cables, none with component.

Really I can see this a rally cry for anti-Apple sheep to use as ammo. Especially knowing that the price of ANY AV cable at monoprice.com is beyond cheap really renders this bash fruitless.

[DM @ Mar 22nd 2007 11:27AM]

yawn! Another crap product from apple that is again, completely useless. What else is new? I can't wait for my lowest rating, I'm excited.

[Chicksta @ Mar 22nd 2007 11:33AM]

This device isn't intended to be used by people who are serious gadgeteers, nor by people who would have video game consoles and could therefore repurpose an xbox. These are for HDTVs only, thus why there is no s-video or composite - it's not about cost, it's about experience. If you want sub-par connections, there are other options. If you want games, there are other options. Even I'm not a good candidate for this, as my MBP can connect via DVI to HDMI and use digital audio, so all this would do is enable me to have the laptop closer to me. Plus my video iPod connects to my receiver, so I could just sync stuff up that way. This product is more akin to a modern day version of those TVPlus VCR things that were made for people that couldn't bother to figure out how to set their clocks on a VCR. I don't see why it's a bad thing that a company makes products that aren't for me; there are a lot more non-geeks in the world, or don't you all remember high school?

[Aaron @ Mar 22nd 2007 11:39AM]

I think that's exactly why everyone is somewhat pissed off, though. You're right, the idea is to make something for the masses. But the file formats are very limited, so expect to do some converting, if you know how. And it doesn't even come with any kind of AV cable, so it's back to the store to find the right one. Good luck if you happen to be one of those tech-illiterate people, you know? I think Apple screwed up here, and once again made something for their devotees and no one else.

[Rick Lyon @ Mar 22nd 2007 12:06PM]

Yes three minutes using Divx Doctor which converts avi to mpg which iTunes plays. Download would be the same time for use on the Xbox or the AppleTV, I was simply pointing out there is no 'huge inconvenience' to make the files ready for the AppleTV.

I have the PS3, but that won't stream everything from my mac. I can download stuff to it directly, but that's work I don't want to deal with.

My hatred for M$ isn't irrational, it's a normal byproduct of being a mac user.

THe Xbox is a gaming console, the AppleTV isn't. So to compare the two or label the AppleTV as under featured isn't the point because it isn't relevant to compare an iTunes bridge to a gaming console.

Yes, the Apple TV would be the logical way to watch TV Shows downloaded from the music store, watch your photo collection and listen to your music on your TV/HT system quickly and painlessly.

Everyone else? You mean Xbox owners I guess. Because the target audience for the AppleTV is folks like my mom, myself who want seamless bridging, plug and play, don't need a video game, want to buy movies, music, TV Shows from iTunes and watch it on something other than a computer. Simply because you are not the targeted group for whom Apple designed this product doesn't give you empowerment to bash. It doesn't suit your specific needs, then move along. It will suit more MAC USERS' needs then PC users I'm sure. It will fit more NOVICE computer users then pros and gamers. It will make people have an easier time getting content from their mac to their HT system and I don't think having to buy a $10 HDMI cable from monoprice.com is a big deal or deal breaker as you sound off.