Apple TV 2012 Review: Can You Hear Blu-ray’s Death Rattle?

you could now purchase a $ 100 box that stream a large catalogue of available - to - anyone video that ’s nearly as high - fidelity as Blu - ray of light . The Apple TV is not the first nose candy to telecasting on phonograph record , but it unquestionably hit a vein .

Why It Matters

In term of an overall , pant - on - couch experience , the Apple TV is still the best streaming box you’re able to plug away into your electron tube — followed by a Roku . The status quo stay . But Apple , long overdue , is now beaming movies at the high possible HD quality : 1080p . For the first time , this mean the Apple TV is n’t just the golden banner of streaming movies , but a contender against the King of All Physical Media , the Blu - ray . The phonograph record has been doom to obsolescence since its audio forbears gave up the ghost , but this newest looping from Apple could mean a hurried jog to the cemetery .

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The Apple telly is still the exact same minimalist masterwork — deserve of a spot at the MoMA someday . It ’s unaltered from its anterior form , and just as easy to set up : stop up in the succus , hook up the HDMI , and you ’re in business . The equally minimalist remote control , a clarion amid A / quint ascendency over-crowding , is back too . estimable .

Facile form intend it ’s easy to skip justly into the substance and cartilage here : The young 1080p video resolution , possible thanks to an upgraded processor and crafty contraction from Apple , is fab .

The difference will vary from show to show and take to shoot , but there ’s an undeniably abrupt uptick in fidelity . Facial hair , creases , and pores toss off out of face ; fine lines and texture appear on surface , and text in every world is much sharper . More pixels means more item . In footing of clarity this is most of the path to a Blu - beam of light disk , approaching the well potential picture anywhere at all , without having to in reality touch one of those clunky primitive plastic traffic circle things — everything you ever bribe from iTunes will be dangle from the swarm , forever .

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Most of the way ai n’t all of the way . Streaming a filing cabinet the size of it of a full Blu - ray moving picture just is n’t practicable with today ’s internet speeds , unless you ’re using the WiFi at Los Alamos or sleeping with the cable guy or something . Apple has to turn out corners using software tricks in lodge to deliver movie : Blu - ray flicks are decade and tens of gigabytes in size of it . iTunes 1080p streams are only a few gigs . 1080p is like kosher — the attest red-hot dogs are good , but some brand are tastier than others .

While watching iTunes ’ interpretation of Drive — a motion-picture show with brilliant brights , color , and deep , speeding night scenes — those cut corners were evident . Compression . Like a spoiled JPEG , the stream version of the film exhibited some visual smearing and distortion , peculiarly during fast motion and shadow . Drive is full of both . So while the iTunes written matter reliably render Gosling ’s Fe jaw and all its stubbly ornament , unpleasant color striation hang on across the LA skyline , through junk cloud , and around street light source . Even in well lit scenes , details like pattern walls and wood blurred , a smear of colors .

The only haze in the Blu - shaft version ( see on a PS3 ) was the city ’s actual smog — virtually no visible artifacts or compressing jumble . It ’s not constant , and it ’s most detectable when you ’re looking for it , but it ’s there .

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Oh , and the new menus . They ’re not exclusive to the new manikin ( you could download a computer software update for your old Apple TV ) , but male child are they dumb . Apple , clear mimicking your iPhone ’s home silver screen , has replaced its elegant text - large UI with gaudy chiclet icons . They look gaudy , but more unfortunately , they ’re hard to pilot — and some ca n’t even be take away . I do n’t desire to have to slide over a bunch of alternative I do n’t give a tinker’s damn about just to get to Netflix — particularly not with the we - couldn’t - possibly - dispatch - any - more - buttons - from - this remote . Apple clearly did this to make room for Roku - style channels , but in the meantime , it ’s a minor esthetic and functional tibia - kick .

Should I Buy This

Despite its ugly new interface , the Apple TV is still the best of its breed . But thanks to its newfound stellar video quality , it now straddle two class — surely , it ’s the good streaming box , but it might actually give you a grounds to head off ( or ditch ) a Blu - ray player . The video quality is that wonderful , and the ease of choose from a catalog ( thin as it might be ) from your sofa , letting it quickly buffer , and then play it in magnificently unclouded fashion is just terrific .

If you care more about inhabit the future tense , inhabit it here — at this point , discs are just for purists . If the notion of literally the best possible character resonates , this is n’t for you — Blu - re is on top , but you might require to ask yourself how much you care . Are you still listening to CDs , or were you felicitous to sacrifice some fidelity for the convenience of MP3 ? The new Apple TV represent a alike conclusion breaker point .

• dimension : 0.9 x 3.9 x 3.9 inches

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