This little Apple TV device has to be my last gizmo of 2012, right? I’m sure it is as I can’t honestly think of anything else I remotely need or want. Did I just say remote? Yes, this little Apple TV comes with its own tiny remote too – one more to add to the collection to baffle and frustrate Paulette who simply wants to turn the TV on!!Apple TV isn't a TV, it's a box that connects to your TV and makes it easy to play various content from your computer or from the Internet.
This incredible, powerful device fits in the palm of your hand
Until I got an iPad a few weeks ago, I’d never really checked into finding out much about Apple TV even though I’d seen ads and heard a lot about it. We had a brief experience with Netflix a few months ago and I found downloading movies to a laptop computer and then connecting the laptop to the TV with cables etc. a bit cumbersome. It was the same experience with ITunes movie downloads. Enter Apple TV and it’s all simple, elegant and seamless for $109.
It comes with the smallest, simplest & most stylish remote around
Apple TV gives you anytime access to HD movies and TV shows from iTunes — many in stunning 1080p. The entire Netflix catalogue, YouTube, live baseball and hockey games as well as many other media shows are available on Apple TV. If that isn’t enough, then you can access any of your computers or mobile devices to stream movies, photos, videos or games right to your widescreen HDTV.
Setup couldn’t be easier – just a power plug and HDMI cable
Setting up Apple TV was a breeze. All I had to do was plug in the power cord and then connect an HDMI cable (not included) to one of the HDMI ports on the back of our TV. After I selected the correct HDMI Input on my TV, the Apple Setup menu appeared and took me through a few steps to connect the device to our home Wifi. The Wifi on the Apple TV searched for local networks, found ours, and simply asked me to sign in with my Apple ID and WiFi password.
The main Apple TV menu – Movies, TV Shows, Music, Netflix etc.
From there on, it’s simply a case of using the remote to point and click. For example, in the image above if I clicked on Movies, I would connect to the iTunes Movie store where I could browse all the movies and either select one to rent or to buy. Whatever I chose, after I paid, the movie would be streamed immediately to my device where I could choose to watch it right away or at a later time.
Last night, Paulette wanted to watch a movie called Hope Springs with Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones. I just started up Apple TV and clicked on Movies then chose Hope Springs and opted to rent it. In just a few minutes Paulette was sitting watching the movie and able to pause, rewind or fast forward using the remote. I fast-forwarded to my computer because this looked to be a dreadful chick-flick about a long married couple wanting to “spice things up”.
Access all your photos stored on computers to show on TV
Since the Apple TV device is connected to my home WiFi, that also enables me to wirelessly access any of the computers on the network to play any music, movies or videos stored on my desktop or laptop computer. Just clicking the photos icon allows me to show all of the photos on my computer(s) in individual or slideshow format. This works really well and reminds me of the days when my Dad used to force us to watch his ‘slide show’ carousel of our vacation pics!
If you happen to be into games, then Apple TV is just the thing
Quiet and so small it fits in the palm of your hand, Apple TV sits neatly anywhere near the TV. It is virtually unnoticeable alongside the widescreen TV and the satellite receiver. This little gizmo is going to come in real handy in our 5’er when we want to watch a movie as we’ll no longer have to risk life or limb by stepping over cables stretched over the living room floor.
Paulette thinks this should be my only T-shirt
Just remember, there are only 2 shopping days left ‘till Christmas!
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