The network device allows users to use an HDTV set for playing music, watching videos from Internet media service, and also in order to view photos. Youtube, Flickr, iTunes Store are all included in the category of Internet media services. The biggest disadvantage is that Apple TV doesn’t come with any connecting cables, except for AC power cable. To connect to a TV or other video equipment you have to buy the HDMI cable or others such as stereo audio cables or component video cables. Apple TV supports a variety of ports and interfaces: HDMI, optical video, USB 2.0 analog RCA stereo video. Also supports a lot of video and audio formats like: H.264, iTunes, MPEG-4 AAC, and others.
Some say that Apple TV cannot record any television programs or movies from cable, broadcast, or satellite. When it comes to record talking, many critics have expressed opinions about the lack of capabilities of personal video recorders of Apple TV. Apple TV can only be used to stream movies and other content from your MAC or purchase/rent movies online through iTunes Music Store and the Apple TV interface. Though Apple TV has no TV tuner built-in, in other words it cannot receive any broadcast or cable/satellite signals, the capability of PVR software and tuners can be applied to the connected home computer. PVR software will connect to iTunes, allowing scheduled HDTV recordings to appear automatic on Apple TV for playback.
Nowadays, many of us have lots of favourite movies or family events kept on DVDs. But if you want to watch these DVDs on Apple TV it is not possible because this device has no DVD drive. A solution is to convert DVDs into digital files so that they might be played by Apple TV and after that you can transfer the digital file to Apple TV. For that, on your Mancintoch PC, you will need to load some free software programs. First of all you have to download and install the software programs: VideoMonkey, MactheRipper and iTunes on your pc’s desktop. On “ (Settings->Network )” on the apple TV device, select the wireless or wired network which both apple tv and pc will share. Write down the activation number which can be found on “Computers->Select iTunes Library” on the Apple TV. In the PC, on Apple TV icon enters the number you have just written down.
After inserting the DVD onto the disc tray, run the MachteRipper program and wait till the DVD is registered on this program. After that begin by selecting the “mode” tab and press “go” button for beginning copying the content of the movie to the hard drive. Repeat the process for everything you want to copy from your DVD. For modifying the DVD to Apple TV format you need drag everything you copied by MactheRipper into the VideoMonkey software. Be sure that (“Apple TV-> 1024X720P ->Quality”) is set to “High” and press “Start” button from VideoMonkey program to start conversion of the DVD files.
After that, all the files will be transferred into the iTunes program. In the iTunes program press the “Movies” tab, check the “Sync Movies” and the DVD files that were transferred into this program, press “Sync” button and wait until the DVD files are copied to the Apple TV’s drive hardware.