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#1 Next Apple TV not yet out but...

Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2015 7:41 am
by Paul Barker
Won't have a audio take out which is presently optical.

I don't know anything about the relative properties of anything in this domain. Is splitting the hdmi to capture the audio lesser quality than optical? Because if so I would be buying the present Apple TV instead.

#2 Re: Next Apple TV not yet out but...

Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2015 8:38 am
by Cressy Snr
Buy the old one Paul.
I was going to purchase the new one; that is until I discovered they'd ditched the optical output. :x

While HDMI sends both audio and video over a single cable, copyright compliance requirements with HDMI can make it difficult or impossible for users to connect their audio devices without the use of an intermediary A/V receiver or HDTV with an optical out port.


One thing you have to get used to in the Apple universe, is that they have an annoying tendency to release new products with the most useful features removed. God knows why they do it but they have carried on like this since time immemorial.

To be honest, Apple have, of late, been severely trying my patience. Since the death of Steve Jobs, Apple's interest in serious music related stuff outside the OSX platform has diminished. At least, the Mac line of computers have full, studio standard pro audio capabilities.

Maybe thats what they want everyone to do; use Macs for serious audio. They look to be considering the new AppleTV more as an A/V surround system/ gaming component than an A/V component that happens to function as stereo audio device; IOW they've tightly defined what the AppleTV is and audio, outside the 5/7:1 surround definition, doesn't figure anymore. It has pissed a lot of people off including me but they've made their descision. Of course it's a more expensive route to use a Mac Mini for example like I do, but the hardware is good, as is the sound. I've had no complaints with mine.

The old device is still available; for how long though, is another matter.

#3 Re: Next Apple TV not yet out but...

Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2015 1:52 pm
by Paul Barker
Thank's Steve.

#4 Re: Next Apple TV not yet out but...

Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2015 6:41 pm
by pre65
I've seen on Ebay HDMI cables that split the audio and video signals.

#5 Re: Next Apple TV not yet out but...

Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2015 10:54 am
by Paul Barker
I've ordered a generation 3.

#6 Re: Next Apple TV not yet out but...

Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2015 12:01 pm
by cressy
i still have my gen 2 one but its hardly used atm, just for netflix every now and again. i was going to use it when i rebuilt my itunes library but had to buy a new dac and new laptop to do so wheras to use the squeezebox i just had to buy a new laptop. the good thing about the apple tv is that its very easy to use and set up and the sound quality when i compared the sb with a working dac to it is better. quite a nice sounding little box tbh. shame they've buggered about with it for the new version.
I was looking a something like one of the olive streamers of the musical fidelity clic recently but decided i couldn't justify the costs. so the apple tv or second hand sb still looks the best value for money at the moment

#7 Re: Next Apple TV not yet out but...

Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2015 1:49 pm
by Paul Barker
Yes I have yet to discover if I have a DAC which will work with it. Maybe my various faulty DAC's that suddenly give no output for no apparent reason may suddenly work consistently.

#8 Re: Next Apple TV not yet out but...

Posted: Sat Oct 24, 2015 8:00 pm
by Paul Barker
Patience is a vertue.

The used once one I bought doesn't work. Nobody home. So plugged it into itunes. Still nobody home. Opened dispute.

pooh.


My luck with DAC's seems to have infected Apple TV. Must be me.

#9 Re: Next Apple TV not yet out but...

Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2015 2:12 pm
by cressy
you could borrow mine if you like paul

#10 Re: Next Apple TV not yet out but...

Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2015 8:29 pm
by Paul Barker
That's a great offer, but I ordered a new version 3 yeasterday. Ebay seller of the used one is taking it back.

#11 Re: Next Apple TV not yet out but...

Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2015 8:38 pm
by cressy
No probs, sounds like they have sorted it quickly for you

#12 Re: Next Apple TV not yet out but...

Posted: Wed Oct 28, 2015 7:21 pm
by Paul Barker
Thankfully the apple tv arrived today and was so easy to set up it is unreal.

Now my problem with dac's remains.

Must have bought some duffers. No audio output.

Having to just use a cheapo. But it nocks spots off the TV mini jack output!

Glad I got the Apple TV with Tosslink. Seems to be very good.

#13 Re: Next Apple TV not yet out but...

Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2015 7:22 am
by Paul Barker
Kind of related, and as its my thread I don't mind the fork in the road.

Now I am simply able to listen to my digital music conveniently (without getting off my butt), I thought I'd see how much Led Zeppelin II is on iTunes Store.

Low and behold I cannot find how to buy it on the phone or on the iPad. I had to go to iTunes on the computer and even then had to forsibly prevent myself from being dragged down the road of " free trial" their subscription streamed music, which has stalked me for an age now. Seems now the other devices can't even buy an album.

The agendas of multinational corporations are really beginning to pee me off.

Similar agenda that is peeing me off right now is the one of the company who used to be the UK's only gas supplier. This company I get my main work from as a contractor. I got the contract because I applied for a job. "We don't have a job for you right now, but you can contract to us!"

Anyway I have done two spells of this work for them. First time round before Diana needed me at home to look after her for a while, I was out of hundreds of engineers in North Yorkshire in the top 4 and the top Contractor at successfully fixing boilers first time.

This time round I am top of my team of contractors at every single element of what they judge you by in companies these days. And also better than. Most direct labour.

The local team have called me back from Doncaster because they need me as two guys have left and another has 6 months to go.

So I ring my manager and she is "I am not aware of any jobs at the moment, but I'll tell my boss!"

Nothing doing at the moment.

Meanwhile a young lady who is best mates with a man I trained in this industry, who in turn is one of my best mates. She has been direct labour in my job for 12 years and is now working in the office. You cannot quote me but the policy is to get rid of older men and not to employ contractors, in fact their position is tentative. But to take on as many young females and train them up as they can get, because females make their customers feel comfortable.

Now I have never been comfortable with positive discrimination!

It is certain that older highly skilled white males will never receive positive discrimination.

Please don't name the company I work for, they have bots searching the web for anyone talking about them and I would be dropped for stating these things publicly, because probably foolishly, I use my real name.

#14 Re: Next Apple TV not yet out but...

Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2015 7:29 am
by Paul Barker
That's spooky, just as I shut this window a new email from Apple is pushed: new Apple TV now available.

You know where you can stick that!

#15 Re: Next Apple TV not yet out but...

Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2015 6:47 pm
by Mike H
iTunes is still available and still free to install. Only purchasing any music or video will cost you, as before. (?)

However it is now a 64-bit program so you need a 64-bit machine to run it on.

Is one of the reasons why I've now got a 64-bit PC. (There were other things that stopped working properly too or becoming increasingly difficult to use.)

HTH