We bought the original 40GB Apple TV a few years ago. It enables us to access content we have purchased from the Apple Store like movies, TV shows and music and play it on the family room TV and through our stereo system. We have also loaded most of our own media into our library. So in addition to the content we have purchased, we have 90% of our CD’s loaded plus a few DVD’s. We never seem to get around to finishing up the job of loading all our music. We will get around to it someday I guess.

The DVD’s we have loaded tend to be stuff the kids watch fairly regularly, like ‘Cinderella’ for our daughter and a couple of fitness DVD’s for me. We have a DVD player hooked up as well so there is not much point in loading all the DVD’s (though it would be a nice back-up in case we scratch a disk).

We access our digital photos using the Apple TV so we can view them on the big screen and run our favorites as a screen saver. The TV set becomes a digital photo frame montage of favorite family pics. We also use the Apple TV to both search for and watch, podcasts and YouTube clips on the big screen.

Overall the Apple TV works well. The 2 problems we have had with it are:

Network Crashes – when our home network crashes I can sometimes solve the problem but sometimes it needs the skills of our ‘resident network and home theater expert’ who is of course not home. No network = no content and no access to internet content either.
This problem is a function of our set up as we have network hard drives that hold all our media content. We largely solved the problem by storing the kids favorite shows on the Apple TV’s local ‘My Movies’ and ‘My TV Shows’ libraries. I am equipped with delayed gratification, the kids; not so much.

Content Crashes – we had a duel hard drive failure last year and had to restore our media from back ups (which thanks to said ‘resident network and home theater expert’ were up to date). We think that all our thunderstorms and corresponding power failures had been slowly destroying the drives and some of the media. The new drives have all the media reloaded but a few of the files are not quite right and crash the Apple TV. For some reason its the kids Scooby-Doo episodes that seem to be the prime culprits. Our plan is to go back to iTunes and see if we can reload them, but again, this is one of those jobs we haven’t quite got around to. Hey, it will happen…and we now have Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS) on all the machine so they can handle a power outage gracefully.

The current model Apple TV is the 160GB. This gives you a lot of capacity to hold media in the local library. So network problems wont affect your enjoyment of the device so much. I also recommend having a good back up system for network media so that you don’t lose it. Why we may now have a few faulty files, we didn’t lose the whole lot as we had an offsite back up system in place. (OK this had nothing to do with me, but I am very grateful to ‘resident expert’).

Here is a pic of the back of the unit so you can see the ports it comes with:

And finally you can buy the Apple TV at the Apple Store for $229. Enjoy!

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In my first 2 posts on this topic I have reviewed Netflix and how we started out on a 3 disk plan but are now happily and cheaply on a 1 disk plan with unlimited instant streaming. Check this out in Netflix and the Roku Box Part 1. I then went on to discuss how to use Netflix on the Roku with Netflix and the Roku Box Part 2.

While writing these posts I checked out the feedback on Amazon. 83% of the feedback on Amazon is positive. I regard ratings of 4 stars and higher as positive feedback. And that has certainly been our experience.

I can only recall once when I had a problem with the Roku box when it locked up on me a couple of weeks ago. I put something else on for the kids instead and next time I tried to use it the box was fine. I have to admit that I was getting a little trigger happy with the remote when the ‘incident’ happened. Netflix’s system detected we had a problem and volunteered a discount on our bill that month as compensation. This was a nice touch as it was completely unexpected.

So what sort of problems are the people who are unhappy with the performance of the Roku experiencing? I have read through some of the 1 star feedback and it seems that quality control is poor at times so some people have received dodgy units and then this has been followed up by poor customer service resulting in a few very dissatisfied customers. A small number of poor reviews mentioned installation problems which may relate to faulty units being issued or compatibility with their home theater and/or home network.

We have had no problems with our unit. It is used on our second TV, so it was a great choice for us at only $99. I would recommend that your ‘resident network and home theater expert’ investigate any potential compatibility issues with your particular set up prior to purchase though, so you can side-step that as a potential problem. If you want more information check out: Feedback on the Roku Box by Amazon Customers.

There are other alternatives to access Netflix’s instant streaming content on your TV if the feedback above puts you off. They just cost more money. They may be a better fit for you if you are looking for the other functionality they offer or you already own the unit. Your options are the XBox 360, Sony Playstation 3 and the Nintendo Wii. Some Blu-ray players are also Netflix enabled.

You can find more information on these and other options on the Instantly Watch Netflix on your TV page.

We recently (well relatively) received the disk that will allow us to use our Wii player for this purpose. I haven’t actually used it yet. I will let you know how it goes when we do.

As for our decision to go with the Roku Box, it was $99 well spent!

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What is Boxee?

Boxee is a great way to watch TV, movies and video clips sourced form your own computer or the internet on your computer but with a TV like experience. It is designed to work just as well on a PC or laptop screen or connected to a TV. Boxee helps you find and organize the content you want to see.

Here are some of the things you can do with Boxee:-

• Find free TV shows to watch and stream them on demand.
• Access you Netflix instant watch queue and watch TV shows and movies on demand.
• Discover and catalogue content on your computer with coverart and shows descriptions.
• Subscribe to shows you like so that new episodes will automatically appear ready to watch when they are available.
• Navigate the interface with a remote control rather than a keyboard and mouse

For the time being, Boxee is software you download for free and install on a computer, but later this year, you will have the option to buy a Boxee box from D-Link that you simply connect to you TV.

Cut the Cable TV plans an entire series of posts giving you step by step directions on how to install and setup Boxee to meet your needs

How do you use Boxee?

Say you missed the final episode of Lost. You could go searching for it on Hulu, but Boxee is easier and prettier.

You simply select TV shows.

Look at the library options. Lost is popular so appears right up top, but you can also search for what you are looking for.

Clicking on Lost brings up the list of episodes with naturally the final one listed first. At the moment it seems you can watch almost the entire series from the beginning if you’re a sucker for punishment!!

Once you select the episode you want, Boxee shows you where it is available to see. In this case, the only option is Hulu.

So click it and a few moments later, Lost begins playing on your screen.

Pretty slick stuff isn’t it? If you want to experiment you can download Boxee and try it for yourself. Before you can make the software work you need to register on the site for free. you might want to check out the getting started video below. If you want more guidance, stay tuned for a series of step by step instructions on how to install, configure and use Boxee starting next week.

How To Get Started With Boxee

on Howcast

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Last time I posted I predominately discussed Netflix and how we started out on a 3 disk plan but are now happily and cheaply on a 1 disk plan with unlimited instant streaming. Check this out in Netflix and the Roku Box Part 1. The Roku box easily and cheaply enables you to stream Netflix instant content to your TV screen. We got our Roku HD Box in January 2010. It is available on Amazon for $100.

The box itself is pretty simple and comes with a small remote that is easy to use:

The installation was straight forward. From my view from the couch it was just a matter of plugging it in and it was up and running. It is WiFi enabled but as ours sits alongside our network router we just plugged it in using ethernet.

The top button on the remote (looks like a house) takes you to the main home screen which is shown on the first image in this post. From there you just use the arrows to select the Netflix icon using the select button on the remote. This brings up your Netflix Instant Queue as a listing of titles with cover art and time durations across the screen. They appear in the order of your Instant Queue on your Netflix account.

You select the title you want to watch and can then choose between:

• resume playing (from where you left off last time)
• play from beginning (you want to start over again)
• stars (to rank how you liked the show)
• remove (to remove it from your queue when you are finished with it)

I find the quality of the play back great. We have a 16 Mbps cable broadband connection and the box hooked up to a 32″ Samsung LCD TV via HDMI.

I manage my instant queue on my computer, but Roku have now added software to the box so you can do that directly on the TV. I will still mostly use my computer as it is faster to type on a keyboard and if I find a title I want but it is not available to watch instantly I can add it to my disk queue, which I can’t do from the box. On your computer you can also re-order the queue which is handy for grouping content together, like keeping all the kids stuff grouped together.

What I do like in the new software is that under the search function on the Roku box there are options to look at different categories of online content. Use your down arrow on the remote to scroll down and you get New Arrivals, split between movies and TV, plus the usual content classifications: comedy, sci-fi, romance, etc. Really handy when nothing on your instant queue matches your current mood and you want to quickly find something else that does.

For just $99 the Roku box is a great solution to get a lot of good TV and movie content to stream to your TV inexpensively.

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Front Row is a convenient media center experience. When activated (either by choosing Front Row from the application menu, clicking the menu button on your Apple remote or hitting the command and escape keys together) the computer screen slides away to reveal a media menu that allows you to listen to music, podcasts, watch movies or browse your photo collection. The problem is that you only have access to your media associated with iTunes or iPhoto. Nice, but somewhat limiting. You probably enjoy watching free TV on Hulu, or better yet, use the free Hulu Desktop application to watch your favorite shows. With the free Hulu Front Row plugin, you can add an option to your Front Row menu to launch Hulu Desktop. Choosing Hulu from the menu will launch the desktop application and closing Hulu will return you back to Front Row.

Here’s how to do it.

1) Install Hulu Desktop
The first thing you need to do is install the Hulu Desktop application [ADD LINK] by following the instructions in the link. You should run the Hulu Desktop app at least once so that you accept the End User License Agreement (EULA). So open the app, accept the EULA and then quit Hulu Desktop.

2) Work out which version of Mac OS X your have
Next we need to know what version of Mac OS X you are running. The plugin works with the Tiger, Leopard and Snow Leopard versions of the operating system on Intel Macs but there is special version of the software for the latest, Snow Leopard version. To tell which version you have, click the Apple logo at the top left corner of your screen and choose ‘About this Mac’. What I see on my Mac is show below.

If you see Version 10.6.something (the current version at the time of writing is 10.6.3), then you have Snow Leopard and you should use the Snow Leopard Hulu Plugin Link. Otherwise (10.4 or 10.5) you should use the Older Hulu Plugin Link.

3) Download and install the Plugin
Click the appropriate link for you above and follow the instructions to download and install it. A DMG file will download and should then display a Finder window like the one below that will allow you to install the appliance by dragging it to the alias to the Plugins Folder in the window.

That’s it. Start Front Row and you should have a Hulu option front and center to choose from. Happy viewing!!

Thanks to Hole in the Ceiling for developing these excellent plugins!!

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We have been Netflix members for about 6 years now. The business model (for those who donʼt know) is mail order DVD rental. You select a DVD title online and they post it to you. When you have watched it you return it in the enclosed prepaid envelope and they send out another DVD. The website includes the ability to queue DVDʼs so you can collate the DVDʼs you wish to watch and change the order at any stage. They will send out the next DVD in your queue.

If you receive a faulty DVD or one gets lost in the post (it happens occasionally) you can report the problem online and they will immediately send a replacement. The amount you pay depends on how many DVDʼs you wish to have circulating at one time. Currently, you can choose between 1 to 4 disks.

We started out on the 3 disk program. So we could have 3 DVDʼs at any one time. We usually had 1 at home for us, 1 at home for the kids and 1 on its way back to Netflix. Then Netflix introduced the ʻInstant Watchingʼ Program. This enables you to stream content to your computer and watch it instantly. This really requires a broadband connection of some kind. You can watch for an unlimited time on most plans but does not include all DVD content.

Once we got the hang of this we changed our Netflix plan to 1 DVD at a time with unlimited instant watching. This costs us $8.99 per month. It is working out just fine. We have watched piles of shows and movies online such as Weeds, the British series Chef! and The Shipping News, plus piles of kids movies: Scooby Doo, Batman, the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Bob the Builder, Thomas the Tank Engine, etc. Now it needs to be stated, if your Internet connection goes down you will NOT be able to access instant watching!

Our kids are 3 and 6 years old respectively and there is enough content available instantly to keep them satisfied most of the time. I add to this favourite shows I have purchased from the Apple store and the occasional purchased DVD of a show I know they will love and watch again and again. Every couple of months I also select a Netflix DVD for them to watch, but the 1 DVD we are allowed on our plan is predominantly used for us – the parents (aka the ones who pay the bills).

Current Netflix plan options are (as at May 14, 2010):

• 1 DVD out at a time, + unlimited instant watching: $8.99 per month
• 2 DVDs out at a time, + unlimited instant watching: $13.99 per month
• 3 DVDs out at a time, + unlimited instant watching: $16.99 per month
• 4 DVDs out at a time, + unlimited instant watching: $23.99 per month

There are also options for Blu-ray disks and a limited rental plan. I won’t list them here as they are available for viewing on the Netflix website. Netflix are always offering new customer discounts and trial periods, so I would look out for one of those if you would like to give them a try.

So I have burbling on about Netflix for ages – thought I should for readers who do not know much about them. What is a Roku box you ask?

The Roku box easily and cheaply enables you to stream Netflix instant watch content to your TV screen. Not much fun for the family to be huddled around a small computer screen when they can rest easy on the couch and watch it on the big screen. I have run out of time to talk more about this so I will save it for next weeks entry.

Cheers!

Julie

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Hulu is a great service (even if it will soon go subscription) that provides TV entertainment with a minimum of advertisements, typically only 3 or 4, 30 second spots per hour hour of programming. This makes for an easy way to catch missed shows but the experience can be so much better if you download and use the free Hulu Desktop application.

Hulu Desktop is a lean-back viewing experience for your personal computer. It features a sleek new look that’s optimized for use with standard Windows Media Center remote controls or Apple remote controls, allowing you to navigate Hulu’s entire library with just six buttons. For users without remotes, the application is keyboard and mouse-enabled.

link: Hulu – Labs: Hulu Desktop

Once you install the application you can browse through Hulu’s entire lineup of content in alphabetical order, by network or by Hulu channel. You can use the keyboard and mouse, or a windows media center or Apple remote to navigate. The best way to use it is to link it to your free Hulu account. Once you do this you have access to to your queue. This means that new episodes of your favorite shows will miraculously appear in your queue when they are available to watch. If you discover a new show you like, you can add that to the queue from inside the application. You can add either a single episode or subscribe to a entire series (in this case all the new episodes will automatically appear in your queue).

Perhaps the best part of Hulu Desktop though, is simply how beautiful it looks, turning your PC into a pretty slick media center that makes watching content so much more enjoyable than the clunky Hulu web interface. The video below shows the interface in action.

Using Hulu Desktop is one of the easiest steps you can take towards Cutting the Cable or Ditching the Dish. Give it a try. I think you’ll be impressed. If you use a Mac, there is even a way to launch the Hulu Desktop application from within the Front Row media interface, but that will have to wait for a future post.

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