dysonblog: February 2008

this is strictly a brainstorming session - there's no telling how terrible this progression of thoughts will be to read (see this sentence as a primary example)

I wonder if it's not smarter to go with an AppleTV rather than a Blu-Ray player. Before delving into the ideas in my head, let me preface this by making a couple of key points on which I'll base this thought process. First, I'm not planning on buying either any time soon. My wife simply wouldn't allow it. This, however, does allow me plenty of time to objectively weigh the pros and cons of both platforms, and allow them to mature and develop further. After all, AppleTV just received a major upgrade that makes it worthy for consideration, and Blu-Ray players are still proverbial toddlers (if not infants). At any rate, I've got plenty of time to watch and think. Also, I'm thinking about my situation in particular, so I won't be thinking for the HD aficionados at large. So, without further delay...

If you're anything like me, you don't actually own a large number of movies. I tend to rent much more than I buy. I literally think I own about seven titles on DVD. I just don't watch movies more than a couple of times on purpose. Now, if Back to the Future comes on TBS, I'll probably watch it for the 67th time, but I see no point in owning it. On top of that, optical media has one big fat giant glaring beast of a problem: it's optical. One little scratch, and you've got a $20 coaster (or $30 if you bought blu-ray). On top of that, there's the bulk of storage. Now, there are some reasonable solutions to both problems (such as careful storage and things like disc binders) but I'm "contemplating the if's" here.

What about rental programs? Netflix and BlockBuster are both rolling out HD movie rentals, and with the format war being basically over and Blu-Ray the clear victor, the whole process is very simple. However, you've still got to have a Blu-Ray player, and you've still got to be careful with those discs. At this point, I'm starting to sound a bit like Debbie Downer, magnifying the perceived shortcomings of a reasonable awesome platform for HD movies. But I like playing devil's advocate, for the purpose of strengthening the saint's case. No, I have no idea what that really means... yes, I am crazy. What?

Accepting the above as legitimate (a stretch, I know), there's room for improvement. Or, perhaps, a completely different approach. Enter the Apple TV as the dark-horse candidate. The sleeper, so to speak. It's enclosure is tidy and small, roughly a quarter of the size of a Blu-Ray player (partly due to it's lack of an optical disc drive of any kind). However, it's got a very compelling advantage: HD movie rentals, over the internet. No longer do you have to keep up with the media - the movie is stored on the Apple TV's internal hard drive. The rental prices are fair, but the rental period is a bit funky. When you rent a movie, you have to start it within 30 days, and you have 24 hours to complete it. Not really an inconvenience, since you can start watching a movie less than a minute after you rent it (beat that, Netflix!), so just rent it right before you want to watch it. If the rental price is of major concern, then perhaps the price of the platform itself is of some reassurance: $229. That's about half the price of the only reasonable Blu-Ray player on the market (Sony's PlayStation 3). Also, think about the math. If an HD rental is $4 (which I think it is), then you could rent a movie seven times for the price of a Blu-Ray movie. That's WAY more than I would ever need.

The Apple TV has some other neat features. You can view your entire iTunes and iPhoto libraries over your home network, in HD. You can check out YouTube videos, buy TV shows, and buy Music Videos all right there on the Apple TV. The Apple TV's built-in wireless (802.11n) network connection (and ethernet port) accommodate the connective requirements. Its got the same level of A/V connections as the PS3, so HD video and great audio quality are all there, out of the box. Besides that, it just looks cool and sleek. The PS3 needs some serious Jenny Craig.

In all fairness, the PS3 is no slouch when it comes to music, photos, and video file playback. You can even play divx files over the network on the PS3. That's a trick, however, that my XBMC-powered Xbox (original) has been playing for years now. I wouldn't mind kicking it to the curb for something that offered Blu-Ray, though.

So, I guess I don't really know which i would prefer. Apple TV offers HD rentals, but no DVD playback. The PS3 seems to cover it all, but you've still got to get ahold of those discs, try not to scratch them, and drop a big chunk of change to pick one up.