http://www.geeksugar.com en Copyright 1976-2012 Sugar Inc. All rights reserved. http://media2.onsugar.com/v831/static/imgs/feeds/logos/geeksugar.jpg http://www.geeksugar.com http://www.geeksugar.com/How-Utilize-Apple-TV-Parties-2634862 <a href="http://www.geeksugar.com/How-Utilize-Apple-TV-Parties-2634862"><img width=160 height=99 src='http://media1.onsugar.com/files/upl1/1/15111/02_2009/62630461b062a2d6_apple-tv.large.jpg' /></a><p><span class="inline left"></span>When I first told you how much I was <a href="http://www.geeksugar.com/2608779" >enjoying the Apple TV</a>, I mentioned that I thought the device was best suited for party people. And I am party people. No, not in a frat-boy <a href="http://popsugar.com/tag/brody+jenner" onclick="trackOutboundLink('###CATEGORY###', 'popsugar.com/tag/brody+jenner', '###LABEL###')" >Brody Jenner</a> way, but in that I love hosting people at my house. </p> <p>The most basic hostessing rule is making sure people are entertained, and the Apple TV brings that in a couple key ways. My absolute favorite thing about the Apple TV - and I am aware of its many talents - is its slideshow feature. That's because my boyfriend and I take a ton of photos, and the people in the photos are usually the attendees of our parties, so they get to reminisce about other events while enjoying a new one. </p> <p>To see why the Apple TV's slideshow is different than others, </p> read more. <span class="inline left"></span>Though it's true that other devices can display photo slideshows on your TV - I have used most, but they all have limitations: The PS3 requires you plugging in a thumb drive, an iPod has to be plugged in as well, a burned DVD demands much prep, and you usually end up with the same kind of visual effect; that is, one photo cycling at a time. The Apple TV's visual is much more dynamic, showcasing several photos at a time, so your guests don't experience awkward lulls of you and your lover gazing into each other eyes on last year's vacation. And you get to see all the photos on your hard drive, because Apple TV connects to your home network. Likewise, because of that connection, you have access to your entire iTunes library with the Apple TV, thereby giving you the other thing every party needs: music. Don't hook up a stereo, don't futz with trying to figure out how to play music and the slideshow from the TV - the Apple TV manages it with ease, and your guests will love using the remote to treat it like a jukebox. Plus, these days it seems that people spend more money on speakers for their TV rather than a traditional stereo system, so it makes sense to use your TV as your home music player. Plus, the Apple TV can save a party - when things get dull, suggest movie night and start downloading a film right away. Music, photos, entertainment - the Apple TV won't pop your popcorn or mix cocktails, but it will free you to do those very important things! <span style='font-size:10px !important;'><a href="http://www.gettyimages.com" onclick="trackOutboundLink('###CATEGORY###', 'www.gettyimages.com', '###LABEL###')" target="_blank">Source</a></span> http://www.geeksugar.com/How-Utilize-Apple-TV-Parties-2634862#comment Reviews Apple Party Apple TV Apple TV Review Series Tue, 06 Jan 2009 13:05:41 PST GeekSugar http://www.geeksugar.com/How-Utilize-Apple-TV-Parties-2634862 http://www.geeksugar.com/Apple-TV-Review-2608779 <a href="http://www.geeksugar.com/Apple-TV-Review-2608779"><img width=160 height=107 src='http://media4.onsugar.com/files/upl1/1/15111/51_2008/f18071cf29a9d492_apple-tv.large.jpg' /></a><p><span class="inline left"></span>Call waiting, cell phones, TiVo . . . all technological conveniences that you told yourself (I definitely did) at first you didn't need; until of course, you had them, and they became indispensable.</p> <p>This is now how I feel about <a href="http://www.apple.com/appletv/" onclick="trackOutboundLink('###CATEGORY###', 'www.apple.com/appletv/', '###LABEL###')" target="_blank">Apple TV</a>. Our friends at Apple sent me the mighty little movie streamer, and I've been learning to live with this new gadget.</p> <p>For the uninitiated, Apple TV ($229) is a box-top digital media receiver - basically, a home theater enhancer that functions as a movie or music player. To hear my first impressions, and to whom I would recommend an Apple TV, just </p> read more. First impressions: <ul> <li>First of all, set up of the Apple TV could not be easier. You plug in the HDMI cable (or component, if that's how you roll), and it's just a few minutes to be all set up. It was truly one of the most painless gadget setups I've ever been through.</li> <li>The most impressive thing about the Apple TV? Its abilities as a media hoster. That's right, hoster, not player, because player is so limiting. The first thing I did was connect my computer and iTunes account to the Apple TV, and bam, all my photos and music were available. The screensaver slideshow of photos (with several photos onscreen at a time) mesmerized my friends and me.</li> <li>The movie watching experience is great, but I didn't expect it to be difficult. With no skips for obvious reasons, it's as smooth and easy as using a PS3 for viewing Blu-ray movies.</li> <li>The 160GB of space is awesome; we watched a DVD the other night, and it skipped, so we ripped it to the Apple TV and watched it from there (effectively saving movie night <i>and</i> my nerves). Not only is it a better way to watch, you can rip your DVDs to the Apple TV's hard drive, and then never have to deal with those discs again.</li> <li>Watching a movie directly from Apple TV is ideal, and way better than renting or buying from your computer (whether you'd watch it straight from your PC or transfer it from there to the Apple TV). Where downloading a two-hour movie onto my computer from iTunes takes me about an hour, it takes about 20 minutes from Apple TV and we were able to watch it before it had fully downloaded.</li> </ul> Who is the Apple TV ideal for? <ul> <li>Movie Junkies. This is the obvious one, but very true. Having the Apple TV means you can rent or buy movies and TV shows from iTunes (stay tuned for my impressions of that) anytime - no having to get out of your PJs or into the rain to get a new movie.</li> <li>People who want to digitize their movie collection. You have 160GB of space to fill up, so you can divide that among quite a few movies and then sell those discs or just consider the file on the hard drive a back up.</li> <li>People who entertain a lot. My favorite part about Apple TV is not movie watching, but photo viewing and music playing. Normally we play slideshows on our TV, but we either have to burn a limited number of images to a disc, or run it from the PS3, whose slideshow isn't as cool looking. Apple TV runs my whole photo library and looks amazing doing it.</li> <li>People who are resisting Netflix, but sick of actual movie stores.</li> <li>People who want a movie streamer. There are other streaming devices, but <a href="http://www.roku.com/netflixplayer/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=ppc&utm_campaign=nfplanding&gclid=CMjwxoXow5cCFRNOagod_hGKSA" onclick="trackOutboundLink('###CATEGORY###', 'www.roku.com/netflixplayer/', '###LABEL###')" target="_blank">Netflix's Roku</a> doesn't do anything besides movie streaming, costs $99 plus a Netflix account, and you could do it with an Xbox, but you'd have to have an Xbox and an Xbox Live Pass. No subscription is necessary with Apple TV.</li> <li>People who are not ready for Blu-ray (or think it won't stick around). If you rent or buy directly from the Apple TV, movies are available in HD, and they look pretty clear.</li> <li>Gadget junkies. Enough said.</li> </ul> This is just the beginning of my experiences with the Apple TV, so if you have any questions or curiosities about it, let me know in the comments below and I'll try to cover it all in the followup! http://www.geeksugar.com/Apple-TV-Review-2608779#comment Reviews Apple Apple TV Apple TV Review Series Tue, 16 Dec 2008 11:00:00 PST GeekSugar http://www.geeksugar.com/Apple-TV-Review-2608779