The Apple Blog

lucamacis · 02-29-2008

I have been searching around on the net for an Apple tv Alternative but i cant seem to find anything.

I really like the idea of the Apple TV especially the interface but im after more than 160gb especially at the £269.99 price point.

I quite literally want a way of plugging in my 250gb external hard drive with all my video content into my widescreen lcd with a very simple, tree structure user interface to get to my content. Nothing flash. Obviously some external device is need to plug in via HDMI or something which then plugs into my external drive via usb

Have you heard of anything like that? I dont think anything like that even exists but you guys we're the first people i thought to ask. I had a look round but it all seems very vague and sketchy information wise.

I guess im willing to spend up to £100 to get it going...

Thanks to anyone that helps

Ginamos · 02-29-2008

Sounds like you're looking for a "Multimedia Hard Drive".

LaCie do some here, but they're not the cheapest. Hunt around Amazon and you'll find some alternatives closer to the £100 mark.

lucamacis · 02-29-2008

Thanks for your help. The lacie drive looks pretty awesome and much better value then Apple TV

Thanks

Ginamos · 02-29-2008

A LaCie multimedia drive would be my choice over the Apple TV, especially if you live in a country with no iTunes movie content (like I do).

I notice the LaCie LaCinema Premier supports "HD Component video (up to 1080i upscaling)", not sure if the Silverscreen model does.

The one drawback is having to physically attach the drive to a computer, you may be able to attach it to an Airport Extreme Base Station as a NAS drive, so you could copy files wirelessly, maybe something to think about for the future.

Galley · 02-29-2008

If you've got a PS3, it does the same thing. You can either hook up a hard drive, or stream it from your Mac.

**Yuiichi** · 03-01-2008

Or, for that matter, an Xbox 360. Now that both PS3 and Xbox 360 support DivX out of the box, streaming is really rather pleasant. Unfortunately, I think that streaming is the only option (other than burning disks) for the 360. If you don't mind streaming and have either console, you won't have to spend a dime

**baseballboy828** · 03-01-2008

For those who want to use an Xbox as a media center with a mac, Connect360 is a useful app. MediaLink is a similar app for PS3 owners. Both apps are shareware ($20) and made by Nullriver.

Coda · 03-04-2008

I use a modded Xbox (v1) with XMBC. The only thing it doesn't do is HD, because of the lack of raw CPU power.

02-29-2008	#1 (permalink)
lucamacis Inventory Control Specialist Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Essex Posts: 99	I have been searching around on the net for an Apple tv Alternative but i cant seem to find anything. I really like the idea of the Apple TV especially the interface but im after more than 160gb especially at the £269.99 price point. I quite literally want a way of plugging in my 250gb external hard drive with all my video content into my widescreen lcd with a very simple, tree structure user interface to get to my content. Nothing flash. Obviously some external device is need to plug in via HDMI or something which then plugs into my external drive via usb Have you heard of anything like that? I dont think anything like that even exists but you guys we're the first people i thought to ask. I had a look round but it all seems very vague and sketchy information wise. I guess im willing to spend up to £100 to get it going... Thanks to anyone that helps __________________ Black Macbook - 2.2 Core 2 Duo, 1GB, 160GB Visit my Blog

02-29-2008	#3 (permalink)
lucamacis Inventory Control Specialist Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Essex Posts: 99	Thanks for your help. The lacie drive looks pretty awesome and much better value then Apple TV Thanks __________________ Black Macbook - 2.2 Core 2 Duo, 1GB, 160GB Visit my Blog

03-01-2008	#6 (permalink)
Yuiichi Assistant Store Manager Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 2,021	Or, for that matter, an Xbox 360. Now that both PS3 and Xbox 360 support DivX out of the box, streaming is really rather pleasant. Unfortunately, I think that streaming is the only option (other than burning disks) for the 360. If you don't mind streaming and have either console, you won't have to spend a dime __________________ My Mac(s): MacBook, white - 2.0 GHz, 2 GB RAM, 80 GB HDD Cake for you? The Macversity - Mac + School = Love.

03-01-2008	#7 (permalink)
baseballboy828 Assistant Store Manager Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: New Jersey Posts: 2,252	For those who want to use an Xbox as a media center with a mac, Connect360 is a useful app. MediaLink is a similar app for PS3 owners. Both apps are shareware ($20) and made by Nullriver. __________________ iMac Intel Core Duo 17" 1.83Ghz, 2GB Crucial RAM ::Twitter : Ben Drucker Photography: Professional Photography Services :: Interested in a free trial Smugmug account?

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search

02-29-2008	#2 (permalink)
Ginamos Personal Shopping Specialist Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 260	Sounds like you're looking for a "Multimedia Hard Drive". LaCie do some here, but they're not the cheapest. Hunt around Amazon and you'll find some alternatives closer to the £100 mark.

02-29-2008	#4 (permalink)
Ginamos Personal Shopping Specialist Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 260	A LaCie multimedia drive would be my choice over the Apple TV, especially if you live in a country with no iTunes movie content (like I do). I notice the LaCie LaCinema Premier supports "HD Component video (up to 1080i upscaling)", not sure if the Silverscreen model does. The one drawback is having to physically attach the drive to a computer, you may be able to attach it to an Airport Extreme Base Station as a NAS drive, so you could copy files wirelessly, maybe something to think about for the future.

02-29-2008	#5 (permalink)
Galley Personal Shopping Specialist Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Greenville, SC Posts: 223	If you've got a PS3, it does the same thing. You can either hook up a hard drive, or stream it from your Mac.

03-04-2008	#8 (permalink)
Coda Inventory Control Specialist Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 65	I use a modded Xbox (v1) with XMBC. The only thing it doesn't do is HD, because of the lack of raw CPU power.

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)