Need to convince a friend not to get the new Apple TV...
#1
I've got a pal that's about to buy an Apple TV, which I ranted and squealed over getting him NOT to do. He said he'd give me the chance to convince him on XBMC instead.

Anyone know some excellent videos/comparisons/web posts that I can push to him to really seal this?
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#2
well XBMC can be ran on ATV so even IF he does buy one doesn't mean he can't enjoy XBMC Smile

-=Jason=-
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#3
Just to be clear though, xbmc runs on first gen apple tv, not second gen.
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Always read the XBMC online-manual, FAQ and search the forum before posting.
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"Well Im gonna download the code and look at it a bit but I'm certainly not a really good C/C++ programer but I'd help as much as I can, I mostly write in C#."
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#4
It just depends on how he's going to get his media. If he wants to rent (can't buy with the new ATV unless you buy it on a computer first) everything from Apple and/or netflix the ATV is perfectly adequate, and cheap.

If he wants to rip his own dvds/blu-rays, play music outside of iTunes, run a NAS without iTunes, have a configurable beautiful GUI, support 24hz playback, support 1080p, maintain a PC for the sake of playback, etc. go with XBMC.

It basically comes down to how in-bed with iTunes he already is. If he uses an iPhone, buys stuff on iTunes, has media in AAC format, the ATV is a good choice to be honest. Personally I can't live in Apples world... my first gen ATV running XBMC and Macbook are probably as far as I'll ever go.

UI differences should be obvious if he just looks at screenshots. The ATV interface is hideous.
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#5
His media will be 80% downloads, 15% netflix rentals, 5% streaming.

He has an iPhone and is all up in iTunes with it, but has no love for Apple other than that. He's just oblivious to what an xbmc pc can do.
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#6
well then ATV is not for him....

turn him onto a zotac box or similar show him some youtubes of xbmc in action night skin is a fantastic skin to show off. there was one video in particular that got me hooked.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TR9-vahLi1s

Video, Music, addons, ROMS.... Hulu....Youtube.... XBMC is the way to go for sure.


-=Jason=-
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#7
Could pick out some videos from mine or HitcherUK's youtube pages...

Or just search "xbmc" in youtube and see if any other cool vids pop up. I know I'd be more persuaded by videos...
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Check out The Carmichael - A Skin For XBMC

Check out Night - A Skin For XBMC

Check out Unfinished - A Skin For XBMC
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#8
Well so far I think I'm off to a good start. Has anyone seen a video that shows the wonderful relationship of sabnzbd, sick bear, and xbmc?
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#9
Yeah if he's going to download any of his video... the ATV is a horrible choice. He'll be very disappointed in its complete lack of ability to play random downloaded content.

You shouldn't have much trouble... just show him the AppleTV spec sheet at http://www.apple.com/appletv/specs.html namely the video formats section where it shows that it won't play much.

He'll be better off with a WDTV Live box if he's looking for cheap, simple, and able to play stuff he downloads with it.
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#10
My XBMC (Acer Revo 3610) sits beside my brand new Roku XDS. Both are particularly good at their purpose. I would not substitute the Apple TV (2nd gen) for either.
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#11
Very easy- the AppleTV is limited to 720p. If he gets an AppleTV its obsolete day 1.

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#12
why not give him a usb-hd with xbmc-live on it so he can play around with it ?
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Need to convince a friend not to get the new Apple TV...0