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Apple TV MC572B/A
by DanB7290
I'd heard friends raving about the Apple TV. So one day, with a bit of spare cash burning a hole in my pocket, I decided I'd try one out. Before doing so, I watched the girl from the Apple shop do her demonstration, and within 5 minutes I had one bagged up and was on my way home with it.
It is fantastically simple. It's a ... small black box that sits below your TV, connects to it via HDMI, and streams content via wifi from iTunes. With the latest software, you can stream any films or TV shows you have purchased from iTunes over the internet, and display them in 720p HD on your TV. It is also possible to buy or rent new shows from the iTunes store directly on the Apple TV itself. One word of advice here; be sure to have a good internet connection. Anything less than 8mb/s and you'll be looking at juddery, low quality videos.
But what else can it do? You can link it up to a Netflix account if you have one, it'll display YouTube videos, with the quality upped, on your TV, and so much more, this is a product you really need to check out for yourself. A few of the apps on there are USA only, which is a shame, but not a dealbreaker.
By far the most impressive feature is it's integration with other Apple products. I have a MacBook Pro running Mountain Lion, and through the Apple TV I can mirror it's display on my TV screen, and if I'm watching something live, or a longer video streaming over the web, it's perfect. For example, watching the Red Bull Stratos jump live, in 720p, was pretty amazing on it. It'll also mirror the display of an iPad 2 or later (including the upcoming iPad Mini), the latest (Oct 2012) iPod Touch, and the iPhone 4S or later. Even if you don't have one of these products, it still has some functionality with Apple TV. For example, I have a 1st Gen iPad, and any videos can be displayed on the Apple TV instead of the iPad; it just comes up with a picture of a TV on the iPad, and the message "showing on Apple TV". This is the same for playing videos in iTunes on your PC or Mac, just hit the icon and click Apple TV. Also anything with iOS 5 or later (haven't tried it with iOS 4) will let you play your music via Apple TV, so your iDevice acts like a remote.
Speaking of remotes, the one that comes with the Apple TV is remarkably simple, and yet feels so good in your hand, it's definitely a premium product and not to be confused with the pound shop bargains. Be wary though, if you have a Mac, it'll control your Mac and Apple TV simultaneously, so make sure you turn off that functionality of your Mac.
If you pay for iTunes Match, it'll do something even better. Anything in your iTunes library on your PC or Mac, even if it wasn't bought from iTunes itself, will be available to watch on your Apple TV (and all your other Apple Products for that matter). However, this is expensive, but there is a solution. Turn on "Home Sharing" on the iTunes menu on your PC or Mac, and as long as the Apple TV is on the same wifi network as your PC or Mac, which has to be switched on, anything on your iTunes library will be available to select and watch on your Apple TV, including music. This means you could write up that report while having a movie on in the background.
All in all, this is an amazing piece of kit, and one I thoroughly recommend for anyone using iTunes. And at £99, it's an absolute steal. The only caveat I would mention is that it doesn't take too kindly to slow internet connections
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Creative BT-D1 Bluetooth Transmitter
by spirit19
This Creative USB Bluetooth transmitter is primarily meant to increase the efficiency of Creative products however it works with all other Bluetooth enabled products too.
This is a small-ish product, it sticks out about 1.5 centimeters, so I have seen smaller Bluetooth transmitters but this is not the biggest by a long shot. ... Although at the price (around £15) I really would expect a more compact package, though this alone isn't a deal breaker. Its got a sturdy build quality so it can take a fair few knocks which are bound to happen when it is sticking out the side of a laptop.
This is a simple plug and use product. There are a few drivers to install, but those are all done automatically and in under a minute. All you have to do once it is plugged in and ready to use is set both the transmitter and your Bluetooth enabled device on pairing/search mode.
The method of putting your Bluetooth device on pairing mode will vary by product, but to put the transmitter on search mode, you have to press a button situated at the head of the product for 4 seconds until it starts flashing its blue light rapidly. Once you have connected your device to it, the blue light will stop flashing rapidly and instead flash only once every 2 seconds.
The transmitter has Apt-X technology built in which means that if your device is Apt-X ready (many new devices are) then the Bluetooth connection will be as secure and reliable as any wired connection meaning you will get crystal clear sounds or images. I used it only for audio and the sound was amazing, I couldn't tell the difference between the Bluetooth connection and a wired connection (I tested my speakers with both).
This device is simple on the first use and continues to be an easy to use product until you want to connect a different device via Bluetooth. I initially used it with my speakers and they worked instantly and flawlessly. However later on, I wanted to use my Bluetooth headphones instead, so I figured it would just be a matter of putting it onto pairing mode again along with the headphones and they should connect, however it wasn't so; they were both in pairing mode but never connected. I tried repeatedly, but for some reason it seems to have a memory of the product you connect it to and it can't connect to anything else. In the end I had to go to my laptops Bluetooth device settings and remove my speakers from the list of devices to get my headphones connected. As a result of this I made sure my latest laptop purchase had Bluetooth built in so I could avoid these troubles.
I got this free with the speakers I bought from Creative so no harm done really, but they retail at about £15 so for anyone wanting a separate Bluetooth transmitter, this is probably not the way to go. If you are desperate for a flawless connection and definitely on have one Bluetooth device you would use with it, then this could be one to consider especially for audio, but if you have more than one probably look elsewhere.
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Apple TV MC572B/A
by DaveJMcW
I love Apple TV. Is it pricey? Yes. Are there cheaper ways of doing what it does? Of course. But nobody packages it together in such a simple, uncluttered way the way Apple does.
Basically, Apple TV:
-brings internet connectivity to your TV, via HDMI.
- allows you to view your apple products and iTunes content via your ... TV.
Apple TV connects to your network either wirelessly via it's bulit in wifi, or through the ethernet cable (I use the latter for reliable streaming).
YOu can rent HD films from Apple (though they tend to be pricey at around £4.50 a go), or alternatively you can use it to watch netflix - something I do an awful lot. Watching YouTube also goes from being a solitary pursuit hunched over a laptop, to something everyone can enjoy together in the lounge on the big screen
Because you can view your iOS device on it, you can also use the BBC iPlayer via AirPlay. Apparently this will also be coming to Apple computers in the forthcoming Mountain Lion OSX Upgrade.
And lets not forget the beautiful, elegantly designed apple remote. (incidentally, you can also download an app for you iOS device that will control the AppleTV as well). This can also be used to control your macbook.
Although there is much more to be said about appleTV, I hope this has given you a real world insight into how it might be useful to you at home.
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