Walt Mossburg said in hisreviewthat “ Apple TV ’s most formidable contender is theXbox 360game console from Microsoft , which , in addition to play games , can also playact back content from Windows computer on a TV . ” The Times ’ techmeister David Pogue also call up the 360 Media Extender in hisreview , as well some other gizmo .
https://gizmodo.com/wsj-pulp-bite-mossy-and-kate-get-up-on-the-apple-tv-10-245976
In our principal - to - head , we conduct Vista Ultimate and used a 360 as a Windows Media Extender . With this setup , we came to the conclusion that the hulking white box ekes out the slimmer , shorter Apple TV — unless you have a standard XP calculator with Media Center , or copious amounts of Apple iTunes DRM’d content . Why ?
frame-up
Both are easy as pie , quite honestly . Turned on the 360 , my Vista Media Center determine it instantly . Same for iTunes / Apple TV . One catch here , however , is that if you want to wirelessly teem to your 360 , you ’re go to need a dongle than runs $ 100 for the prescribed one , which is quite frankly , raunchy . Apple TV ’s deficiency of cable’s length is n’t much well . Both the 360 and Apple television set provide a computer code for you to punch into your Media Center and iTunes to authenticate , not long after which you’re able to start move content . Woohoo . The 360 warns you if you ’re move content wirelessly on both ending , however , urge that at least your electronic computer be hardwired to the web .
Interface
Both have attractive interface , obviously . Apple TV looks plainly fabulous in HD , with crystal clear text and vivid icons . award , this is a downside if your record album art take up , as mentionedbefore . Media Center ’s no slouch either , with a heavy emphasis on live trailer . Text - wise , I prefer Apple television , just because I find blanched text on a opprobrious background knowledge easier to read than light blue and blanched on dark blue , which prevail the interface .
https://gizmodo.com/five-little-things-we-dont-like-about-apple-tv-246138
Apple television is also much snappier — Media Center felt dull both on my laptop computer and on the video itself . When that sluggishness is paired with scroll in four directions , I found it to be a fleck awkward to get where I want to go . That read , both use a modified “ folder metaphor ” as its major formal , and I ’m not too fond of it . It take too farseeing to admittance content . God prevent you ever have to the onscreen keyboard to get anywhere with either of them . ( You do n’t really , as of yet . ) I do n’t jazz what the solution is , but surely there ’s a better direction to make content and option more quickly and easily accessible . Live previews are excellent , I do experience that .
Moving Content
Media Center lets you customise which folders you want it to “ watch ” to spell into your subroutine library . That depicted object you could then stream to your “ Media Extender , ” the 360 . If for some reason the 360 wo n’t play a television in your library , it wo n’t give you a thumbnail preview , which is a nice way to allow you know . Apple TV , because it syncs ( ports contented to its hard cause ) from your main figurer rather than simply watercourse , gratefully it has a fairly customizable set of synchronize options . It still chafe me that you ca n’t manually delete or tote up mental object , though . Be warned , just because iTunes will toy a video does n’t think that Apple TV will , as you may see in the screenshot below .
Apple TV plays H.264 and protect H.264 , iTunes Store purchase video and MPEG-4 , whereas Media Center handles MPEG-1 , MPEG-2 and all WMV . Not being able-bodied to snap up content straight from the iTunes store is a bummer , especially since it pulls trailers from the intertubes directly , so the 360 one - ups it here with its build - in direct entree store . So both use proprietary data format in some mode . Bleh . But Media Center gives you more pick than Apple TV does , so a check for the 360 apparatus .
Apple idiot box also does not pullulate photos — meaning you’re able to only store them on the drive , you’re able to only pull photo from your main information processing system . Media Center , since it only streams , obviously pour photos , but I favour the way it salute them , actually . No problems loading up my euphony library , which is comprised all of MP3s , and the like record album graphics , on either system .
Playing Content
I find the Apple TV remote to be a small crummy . Sometimes fast - forwarding and rewinding was a little wonky , acquire ahead of itself . Using the Xbox 360 controller ( not remote ) was n’t better , largely because there ’s no consecrate intermission button , though I appreciated using the triggers as FF and RW . Weirdly , when you go back to the menu in Media Center , a bouncy thumbnail preview maintain playing , and there ’s no easy way to shut it off , which was kind of frustrative when I want a telecasting to stop playing .
Otherwise , both played attractively ( if they were able to toy the content ) , with no hiccups when streaming with either , despite using wireless G networks in both examination . ( If you ’d like to donate to the Giz wireless N fund , let us sleep together . )
determination
If you use iTunes as your primary spiritualist software and want to get your content on your widescreen television , it ’s not a spoiled means to do it , but that ’s all it does ( for now ) . If you already have a 360 and do n’t mind Media Center , I see little stop in blowing $ 300 on Apple TV if all that concerns you is bringing cognitive content cohere on your microcomputer to your tv set . You already have a $ 400 machine that does more than port media , it play games . Great ones . And presently it ’ll be anIPTV boxto boot .
https://gizmodo.com/the-real-deal-on-xbox-360-iptv-with-pics-and-video-227911
Apple TV is a bit more graceful in its presentment , I mean , and it ’s slightly gentle to get to content with it , but it could do well . More importantly , it does n’t do what it does so much good than the 360 / Media Center frame-up that it guarantee a disjoined purchase if you already have a 360 , or even contrive on catch one . Value - wise , the 360 is the winner here , at least for now .
But there are sound converging result on the horizon , so if you do n’t postulate one of these now posture wet , because things are only choke to get better .
Apple TV[Gizmodo ]
AppleApple TVhome entertainmentMicrosoftXbox 360
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