The Apple TV connects to your TV (or home theatre system). You rent or buy movies from the iTunes store using the Apple TV or iTunes on your Mac or PC. So, you’ll need an iTunes account first. It’s easy to set up an account, you will need a credit card to buy content.
I set up an Apple TV over the weekend. It took about 5 – 10 minutes to set up.
Because it’s connected to a computer running iTunes, you can also watch movies that exist in your iTunes library. You can also listen to music and view photos through the Apple TV.
I’ve included a diagram (see sidebar) that shows how a home media sharing setup can be achieved. It’s not detailed, just a conceptual thing.
Notes:
- Up to 5 Apple TVs can existing on a local network
- Content is delivered from computers running iTunes v9.x
- Content can be synced with 1 computer (sync means content is copied to the Apple TV)
- Content can be streamed to an Apple TV from other computers on the network
Apple introduced Home Sharing in iTunes 9 – which means you can stream and transfer music, videos, and more with up to five other computers on your local network. Here’s a short video which demonstrates this feature.
Another interesting set up can be found on Winston’s tips:
More links:
- The Mac Mini specs (note HDMI port)
- Apple TV specs
Next up – Apple TV alternatives.
