Macworld 2008 Photos
See selected photos from Marcel's Macworld 2008 trip. Just click here to view the photos with complete with staggeringly witty commentary.
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February 10, 2008
February 9, 2008
Tech Toy of the Month: Apple TV, One Year Later with iTunes Movie Rentals
In the first Technology Bytes newsletter, written exactly one year ago, I wrote about the Apple TV. I said at the time that if users could browse and play their DVD collections on the Apple TV it would sell like hotcakes. It turns out that while I may not have been completely correct, I was on the right track. Up until now, the Apple TV has not sold very well. Apple has said that the main reason for this was due to lack of movie support on the Apple TV. Additionally, according to Apple's research, many users wanted the ability to rent movies over the Internet, rather than outright buying them.
Now, with the addition of the iTunes movie rental service and a free software upgrade, the Apple TV is poised to be THE tech toy of the year. Imagine being able to rent a movie from the comfort of your own living room, right from your own TV using a remote control, and being able to watch that movie nearly instantly. That is what the Apple TV and iTunes movie rental service promise to deliver. And while some of you may not be very excited about this, I believe that you will become hooked once you try it out yourself. I predict that within 2 years, people will wonder how they ever got along without the ability to rent movies on-line, just as many people today wonder how they ever got along without a Tivo or DVR.
Some of you may be wondering what type of quality the movies will be. I'm happy to report that you will be able to rent movies in HD quality, along with Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. This should provide an impressive experience in any home theater setup.
Along with the ability to rent movies from iTunes, the upgraded Apple TV will also NOT require the use of a computer. Users will still be able to do all the things they could do before, but it is not a requirement to synchronize data from your computer to the Apple TV as it was previously. Because of this, Apple has included additional features that you can do directly from the Apple TV:
- Purchase TV shows, music, and music videos
- View photos from Flickr and .Mac web galleries
- Have direct access to over 125,000 podcasts
The Apple TV is now much more an Internet-enabled device than an accessory to your computer. This means that anyone, regardless of technical skill, will be able to take advantage of the features of the Apple TV. Additionally, Apple has dropped the price of the entry-level Apple TV from $299 to $229. Along with anyone who owns a Mac or PC, now consumers who simply want an "appliance" will be able to use iTunes. This should bode well for iTunes sales and rentals.
Apple originally promised that the Apple TV update would be available 2 weeks after January 15th. That date has come and gone, so expect the update to be available any time. Users who already own the Apple TV will be notified of the update right from their Apple TV. New Apple TV purchases after the update is released should have the update already installed. And don't forget, that the Apple TV really requires that you have an HDTV. While you can buy an adapter for your older TV, I really think you should just put the money towards an HDTV.
As always, if you have any questions about Apple products or home theater, please contact me and I'd be happy to answer them.
Q: What should I know about Vonage, Skype, or other Internet telephone services?
- Submitted by Amy Herman
A: Internet telephone services such as these use a technology commonly called "Voice over Internet Protocol", or VoIP. Basically, they convert voice into digital data that is carried over the Internet then converted back into voice. VoIP can be implemented in many different ways, such as using VoIP inside a company's private phone system. However, for purposes of this question, we'll talk about using VoIP technology as a replacement for "regular" phone service, otherwise known as "plain old telephone service" or POTS for short.
Vonage and similar companies are VoIP services that position themselves as POTS replacements. These services use your existing broadband Internet service. Often, the companies provide equipment that connects to your home or office network, as well as to your existing POTS equipment. So basically once the service is set up, you will continue to use your old phones just as you did before. Instead of your voice traveling over the local phone company's system, your voice is converted to Internet traffic and rides over your Internet provider's network. Generally, these companies position their services as being cheaper than service from a regular phone company.
Skype and similar software provide VoIP services by utilizing your computer to make the voice to digital conversion. Often, the user you would be calling will have the same software on their computer. Usually, the companies that provide the software will not charge you if the person on the other end also uses the same software. They will only charge you if you are calling someone with a regular phone.
Finally, many Internet providers are offering phone services, which while they may not advertise them as such, are based on VoIP technologies. Basically, these services are very similar to Vonage-type services, but they are simply bundled with the Internet providers data service.
As far as the voice quality of these services, reports are many and varied. Some people have had very good experiences with these services. Others have not. Generally, the biggest factor in the quality of these services is the reliability of the underlying Internet service.
The only way to know if a particular service will work in your particular situation is to test it out. My advice is to test the particular service you are interested in before completely committing yourself to that service. Most services will provide at least a one month free trial. If you really feel a VoIP service will be beneficial to you and you'd like to ensure that your network is optimized to support VoIP, please let me know. I'd be happy to help you out.
Don't Wait Until 2009 to Get an HDTV
As many of you may be aware, on February 17th, 2009, federal law mandates that television broadcasters end their analog broadcasts and use digital broadcasts only. There is a misperception that this means everyone will need to have an HDTV by that date. While it will certainly be more convenient if you have an HDTV by that date, if you have an older "standard" definition TV, it will continue to work if you get a digital-to-analog converter, or if you have cable or satellite TV.
Regardless, many people will still think they will need an HDTV by that date - or at least they'll use the excuse to get one! So 2008 will probably see unprecedented sales of HDTV's, especially toward the end of the year as people wait until the holidays to get one. While TV manufacturers will probably have enough supply to meet demand, there exists a possibility that there may be a run on HDTVs this holiday or post-holiday season (January/February 2009). While you may be able to find an HDTV, you may not be able to find the one you really want. For this reason, as well as a few more I will talk about, my suggestion is to not wait until the holidays to purchase an HDTV.
For example, another reason is that you will also probably want to purchase other devices to go with your HDTV. For example, in order to get the best quality out of your HDTV, all your source devices (cable/satellite receiver, DVD player, A/V receiver, etc.) will need to be HD sources. If you don't want to spend money on all these things at one time, you should purchase the HDTV first, then save the device purchases for the holidays.
As you will read in my Tech Toy of the Month article, the ability to rent movies over the Internet via the Apple TV will require the use of an HDTV. Technically, you could get an adapter for your older TV, but why spend the money on an adapter when you could just put the money towards a new HDTV? As the Apple TV will probably spur the sales of HDTVs as well, the possibility of not getting the HDTV you really want becomes more likely.
Finally, if you need help getting your new HDTV setup, it may become very difficult to find quality help during the holiday or post-holiday season, again because most people will probably put off their HDTV purchase until then. The early bird gets the worm in this case. Speaking of getting help with your HDTV, please feel free to contact me if you have any further questions on HDTV or home theater.
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About February 2008
This page contains all entries posted to Technology Bytes in February 2008. They are listed from oldest to newest.
January 2008 is the previous archive.
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