Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with TV and apple

iMe

Hands of Manos — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 09:13:11 -0800

Could you help me in making my decision to switch to Apple TV My girlfriend has On Demand. We watch about 2 shows, maybe 3 tops during the year (and that being True Blood, Heroes and The Tudors....we have netflix for movies).

Her kids watch a lot of Nick, Disney and the Cartoon Network.

I've played around with an apple tv, I like it and am already sold on it. I think my girlfriend would be too however she'd like for her kids to be able to watch cartoons when they want. Occasionally, she likes to watch Colbert and the Daily Show however she usually watches them the next day after they have aired.

Is it more economical to stay with onDemand or move over to appleTV? Can you give me reasons pro and con to each? (or is there another alternative...somewhere, there's a roku in this house, but it's buried and hidden at the moment)

Thanks

ps-we're pretty much integrated to mac as is

new Macbook Pro to tv?

cgs — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 18:12:48 -0800

How do I connect a new Macbook Pro to televisions? My question is identical to this older one, but that the new MBP's have Mini DisplayPorts instead of Mini-DVI.

I want to connect mine to my HDTV, as well as to older/regular tv's (composite). How many adapters do I need to buy? I'm guessing mdp -> hdmi for the hdtv. According to the wiki, I need to get two for the composite: mdp -> vga -> composite, which seems excessive to me.

Do any of you have first-hand experience with this? Can you recommend any sites that offer adapters/cables at good prices?

Thanks for your time-
cgs

apple tv or mac mini

fumbducker — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 16:43:00 -0800

apple tv or mac mini or both? i've spent the last few hours looking this up, and can not come to a conclusion. i have a few apple gift certs to spend, about $450. my requirements:

i want to connect to my hdtv & my stereo (not a home theater, its a zepplin - http://www.bowers-wilkins.com/display.aspx?infid=2466)
i want to play music & photos preferably without streaming
i want to browse the web
i want to play the occassional dvd (ripped or actually from a dvd)
i dont care about tv shows or movies that much, i have a directv dvr
ive seen all the apple tv hacks, looks like i could do most of what i want by adding an external hard disk. does anyone out there have that setup? one thing im not clear on is can i store the mp3s & photos right on this hard drive, and how do i get them on there? it sounds like i can sync it with any pc\mac with itunes, but what about the pics? and hows the web browsing?

alternatively, anyone have the mac mini setup with an apple tv? why should i spend the extra dough?

thanks in advance.

Could my new Airport Extreme be causing weird sounds on my TV?

The corpse in the library — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 13:45:15 -0800

Could my new Airport Extreme be causing weird sounds on my TV? I recently got a new Apple Airport Extreme. Since installing it I've had two problems which I think are related, as they didn't happen with the old Airport:

1. My TV set makes a VVVVUT vvvvvvut VVVVVVUT vvvvvvut sound (if only this were "Car Talk"), for about a minute, several times an hour.

2. My WiFi radio is having problems picking up signal. Sometimes it's fine, sometimes it just doesn't connect.

Any suggestions for fixing these problems? My computer skills are limited, but I'm happy to tinker when given good directions. Going back to the old Airport is not an option, as it caught fire.

Apple TV Questions...

steinwald — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 10:09:25 -0800

I'm thinking about the Apple TV - but have some unresolved questions. Information on the web about these issues is often conflicting - looking for answers from someone who has the device and knows how it works. 1. I have one source computer. I want to synch video and photo content, but stream music. Will the iTunes library on my iMac update play counts for music that is streamed to the Apple TV?

2. I've read conflicting reports about album artwork and streaming music. Some say the artwork is left behind, others say it shows up. Which is true?

3. Within iTunes I have a playlist of my favourite radio station streams. I can access this in frontrow, even though frontrow doesn't have internet radio functionality. Will this playlist work on the Apple TV?

Watch Cable TV on a MacBook?

HotPatatta — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 19:57:34 -0800

Can I watch and record Cable TV on a Mac? I am a PC user and have decided that I'm going to buy a Mac right when Leopard--the new OS--is released. But here's my question:

I once saw a device for P.C.'s that connects to your cable television connection and will actually transmit the signal to your computer (by WiFi? Bluetooth?). You can set your computer to record the signal and I guess it basically makes the PC a TiVo. Is there something similar for a Mac? I think the new AppleTV is different because you transmit content from your computer to the TV. I want something that does the opposite.

By the way, I have DSL.

ALSO, I know that you can get a TV tuner for your desktop or laptop PC, so that you can watch live non-cable TV. Is there something similar for a MacBook? Thanks, MeFites!

My MBP hisses when I connect it to my TV. Why?

tonylord — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 20:17:42 -0800

Why does my MacBook Pro hiss/bubble when I connect it to the TV (not the logic board thing, I've done that)? So I use my (2gig ram, 2.16 processor) MBP to watch films, dvds etc through my TV. I use the DVI-S-Video doohickey and a standard 3.5mm Y cable from the headphones socket.

Whenever I connect the system up, there is a constant hissing/bubbling sound through the TV's speakers.

It is incredibly annoying and sounds like the Logic Board problem did (through the right speaker), before I got that fixed. Was kind of hoping it was the same problem and all would be well when I got a new logic board. Ah well.

The sound is worse when the processor is doing lots of work and is realtively quiet when it isn't so busy. What is causing it, can I solve the problem?

I wonder if it's something to do with completing a circuit or something (sorry for the crappy terminology!). When I detach the audio cable, if I touch more than one of the posts on the plug with my fingers, I get audio feedback through the TV's speakers. Is that connected?

57 channels and nothing (on my G4)

docgonzo — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 16:24:18 -0800

I want to watch cable television using my old G4/500 and new 21-inch flatscreen monitor. How? All I want to do is plug the cable into the back of my G4 (OSX 10.3) and have the video appear on the screen -- preferably full-screen. What card or box do I need? I don't want to record the video, so most of the boxes I've found (and this askMeFi answer) are (over-priced) overkill.

How do I watch TV on my Macbook Pro?

ruwan — Mon, 21 Aug 2006 08:43:10 -0800

How can I watch TV on my MacBook Pro? What hardware/software will I need? My room has a cable outlet where I can hook a regular TV up, but I'm a little confused as to what I need after that. (The ability to record/pause would be great, but not really needed.)

Apple display as a TV?

josh — Thu, 21 Apr 2005 18:52:31 -0800

I have an Apple 20" Aluminum Cinema Display. What do I need if I want to use it as a TV without a Mac attached? Basically, I'd like to move this display off my desk and into my living room--reserving the option to take it back into the office and use it with my computer. Is there a box of some kind that will let me hook up my DVD player and cable box to the display? I'm totally ignorant about this kind of stuff and don't even know where to start looking.

Thanks!

Can anyone recommend a TV tuner for a Mac?

rorycberger — Mon, 14 Jun 2004 18:18:21 -0800

Can anyone recommend a TV tuner for a Mac? I have an iBook, so it has to be either a firewire or USB model (not a PC card), and i'm hoping to spend under a hundred bucks. I have no real interest in any TVR functions, as my hard drive is maxed out already and I have a TiVo at home. I'm at Dartmouth for a month - which is in the middle of nowhere - so it must be available online to be shipped immediately, preferably with expedited shipping.