[bobrap]

I keep looking and reading about the ATV2 and I guess I just don't get it. Would I be correct in assuming that this is not meant for people wanting to playback 1080p media? Why would one want to down-sample 1080 to 720? My HTPC just blew a power supply and I was thinking of this as an alternative, but, it seems that I will be disappointed in its performance. Am I missing something here? Don't yell too much, just trying to determine if I should get one. Thanks.

[DLeavy]

If you want 1080p, then it's not for you. Small form factor, low power consumption and able to play my media (including some 720p) is all I need. For $100 - can't beat it.

[proudTSUalum]

I think it depends on the user. IMO I dont see that much difference in 720 vs 1080. its all about the model and brand of HDTV that you have. I,m Samsung for life best picture period....

[jabba_29]

How big is your tv and how far away do you sit?

I would bet on at least 75% of use cases you would scarcely be able to see the difference be teen 720 and 1080.

For a sub $100 machine you cannot go far wrong with ATV2

[dizzyikea]

I have several clients (see my sig) and by far the ATV2 is my favorite, the wife can use it with ease, no boot up time (i leave it on 4 watts who cares), simple remote, silent and small.

I have been trying to convert my wife to XBMC for some time so i can ditch the Sky+ not untill i got an ATV2 did she agree and now wants one in each room. At last!!

[bobrap]

I use a 55" Samsung and sit about +/-15 ft away. I have a lot of bluray on disc, hence, my concern about 1080p. Think ATV2 will ever get an upgrade to play 1080p?

[Ned Scott]

I use a 55" Samsung and sit about +/-15 ft away. I have a lot of bluray on disc, hence, my concern about 1080p. Think ATV2 will ever get an upgrade to play 1080p?

Doubtful. A lot of people thought Apple might just be limiting the ATV2 in software because they don't sell any 1080 content on their iTunes Store. Same for the iPhone4, iPod touch4, and iPad1 with the HDMI adapter. All four of those devices share about the same specs and the same SoC (CPU/GPU) called an A4

Then the iPad2 came out and supports 1080 output. The iPad2 has an A5 with a better CPU and GPU. This suggests that the 720 limitation for the A4 really was hardware, because Apple would have made the iPad2 limited as well if it was simply an iTunes content issue.

However, that is just a theory.

[Ned Scott]

I've got a 1080 TV and an ATV1 with BCHD and Crystalbuntu which also does 1080 that is currently serving as my most used HTPC (gave my ATV2 to my parents, but I still get visitation rights). However, 90% (give or take) of my content is 720. I actually kick myself for not buying a 720 TV at a larger size for the same price than the smaller 1080 TV.

[procrastinator]

As has already been said, in the majority of cases then you will not notice a difference between 1080p and 720p at your normal viewing distance. Check out this chart:
http://s3.carltonbale.com/resolution_chart.html
and this article:
http://carltonbale.com/1080p-does-matter
The chart conveying the benefit of screen resolution vs. viewing distance is based on the maximum resolution visible by the human eye. According to that chart you would need to be sitting 7 feet or closer to a 55" screen to appreciate the full benefit of a 1080p picture. Based on this 720p would be perfectly suitable for watching your content.

Personally I don't have any 1080p content because I don't have a big enough screen to appreciate it. The ATV2 decodes all of my 720p content perfectly fine. I can't personally vouch for how well 1080p content is played back by the ATV2 (outputted at 720p obviously). If you were considering an ATV2 then I guess that's the question that needs answering next, i.e. how well 1080p content is decoded by the ATV2 - I'm sure there are plenty of other people here who could answer that.

[gabbott]

I use a 55" Samsung and sit about +/-15 ft away. I have a lot of bluray on disc, hence, my concern about 1080p. Think ATV2 will ever get an upgrade to play 1080p?

At that distance and that size display, you really can't discern between 720p and 1080p.

I have a 55" samsung DLP that was professionally calibrated and I sit half that distance in front of it and really can't tell a difference.

[number2]

ATV2 isn't going to cut it as an replacement for your HTPC. Its not anywhere close to XBMC live. Maybe in a year or two.

But check out the user interface they have on the Netflix app for the ATV2. Better than any smart TV or Blu-ray player or even Media Center. That's the only reason I keep my ATV2 hooked up.

[Ned Scott]

ATV2 isn't going to cut it as an replacement for your HTPC. Its not anywhere close to XBMC live. Maybe in a year or two.

Sounds like you've never even used it.

[ProphetVX]

ATV2 isn't going to cut it as an replacement for your HTPC. Its not anywhere close to XBMC live. Maybe in a year or two.

But check out the user interface they have on the Netflix app for the ATV2. Better than any smart TV or Blu-ray player or even Media Center. That's the only reason I keep my ATV2 hooked up.

With the exception of a somewhat more sluggish interface (gets less and less every build) and lack of 1080p, XBMC for the ATV2 is great as a standalone media player. Its very close to that of it's PC counterpart if you aren't interested in 1080p.

Its just a matter of what you want from a media player... CPU intensive skins or a media player with a small footprint that still plays pretty much every file you throw at it.

In terms of stability, in my experience both platforms are pretty close to on par now.

[bobrap]

Really appreciate all the responses. I guess I'm going to have to do some sort of comparison for myself. I just can't get my head wrapped around the idea of not being able to see the diff between 720 and 1080. If you can't see the difference unless you are sitting right on top of the screen, what's the point of 1080? I guess I think in terms like why would bluray be 1080 and not 720 if you can't tell the difference? Must be like the HD audio is a gimmick argument.

[pko66]

I actually kick myself for not buying a 720 TV at a larger size for the same price

Some sentences proper men NEVER use:

"My girlfriend is too hot"
"My taxes are too low"
"My TV is too big"