Apple TV?

[Zbridget]

Apple just redid it's Apple TV product- lowered the price to $99. Would that be a good choice to do the workouts?

I'm thinking that rather than burn a DVD, or purchase a cable for my iPhone to stream them from my computer to the TV.

Any thoughts?

Bridget

[Vee]

I use the iomega screenplay because it supports more video formats than apple tv. I love having my entire workout collection on tap to browse through and play at the flick of a button. In my opinion,

A. Get an apple tv or other media player/streamer if you don't have an iPod/iPhone, or don't have enough space on it for your workouts, or simply want the convenience of a dedicated device always connected to your television.

B. The new Apple tv has no inbuilt storage space like older models so you need to get an additional hard drive or stream your workouts from your computer to it. So you may want to consider alternatives like the iomega screenplay, or even better xstreamer with inbuilt storage as alternatives. The advantage of the apple tv is apple's reputation for reliability and ease of use and favorable early reviews. The other streamers support more video formats including the h.264 that cathe uses for her workouts.

[christosz]

I have the WDTV Live media player. Although it has no storage (you can get an external hard drive), it plays all video formats (.mkv, avi, divx, m4v, mp4 etc.) and HD formats (720p/1080p), can playback movies with DTS soundtrack (where others don't), can connect wirelessly to the internet for YouTube playback among other things, can stream movies from any computer (PC or Mac) and it's really tiny.
Two drawbacks, though:
-You won't be able to get the menu/chapter listing option for m4v files (Cathe's workouts are this type) you get with iTunes. Only Apple TV has this option because it works with iTunes.
-It has no buttons on it at all so the remote control is always necessary.

I am not sure the new Apple TV can connect to an external hard drive. I think it can only stream movies from your computer.

I am thinking of buying the Apple TV just to use it with Workout Manager for Cathe's workouts only. I am using 2-4 DVDs on a weight day, and right now I am programming my 6-disc DVD player.

Chris.

[Zbridget]

Thanks Vee & Chris- I am looking at the apple tv- thinking it will be able to stream from workout manager when that is up and running. As I download more videos the process of burning them is becoming tedious and I am looking for a simpler solution.

I am hoping the hear a response from SNM's tech people (once the holiday weekend is up) to see if they have an opinion on how this would work- I am looking for a simple, easy option that even a cavewoman can do!

Bridget

[Vee]

Originally Posted by christosz

I am not sure the new Apple TV can connect to an external hard drive. I think it can only stream movies from your computer.

I am thinking of buying the Apple TV just to use it with Workout Manager for Cathe's workouts only. I am using 2-4 DVDs on a weight day, and right now I am programming my 6-disc DVD player.

Chris.

Sorry for the misinformation on connecting Apple TV to an external harddisk. You are right, there is no itunes preloaded in the Apple TV so it relies on the itunes on your computer. I just went to the Apple site and saw that they seem to support the .AVI codec now! It still is way too limited on the video formats it supports in my opinion. At $99 though, for someone who exercises a lot with Cathe, I do think it is worthwhile for the mix and match options it creates along with workout blender. .

Chris, If you connect your laptop directly to your television, using say a HDMI cable, can't you play Cathe workouts with full control on chapters from itunes on the television screen? I guess you wont have the advantage of a remote if you did that though.

[christosz]

Vee,
If you can definitely hook up your laptop to your TV and if you have a MacBook you can use the Apple remote control for some functions.
Otherwise, if you computer is not close to the TV you are using for your workouts, then wifi streaming is your only solution, I guess... :-(

[Vee]

Thanks Chris. I still live in the Windows world for my computing. So I am going to rely on that option (directly connecting laptop to TV) for my future Cathe downloads to get chapter control.

[MidgetDogg]

I use my Apple TV and it's great for the downloads. I won't even bother buying the DVDs anymore. One thing I don't like about the new Apple TV is that it doesn't have a hard drive on it. I don't like to hog up my Mac's memory with digital movies. Plus, if you don't have them stored on your Apple TV, you have to have your computer on and nearby for the streaming. But, that's just my preference. I absolutely love my Apple TV.

[stepitup]

I use the cables with my iphone. I do weight work in my gym and ab & stretching in my bedroom so it allows me to move around pretty easily.

[TexasLaura]

Vee,
You seem to be the local expert! Can you help me?
As a relatively computer un-savvy person who has been following this forum and trying to figure out how to do this, it seems that your method of using the iomega is the most efficient. My question is: will Cathe's chapters still function?
Thanks for all your help so far!
Laura