May 2008
Apple TV, Vudu, and TakeTV
Three devices that let you download and play digital movies on your TV
Maybe your local video store doesn’t have the assortment of movies you’d like, or maybe it takes just a little too long for
the next Netflix movie to hit your mailbox. If you’re in a hurry, there’s another way to play downloaded movies almost instantly
on your TV set. Apple TV, Vudu, and SanDisk Sansa TakeTV all connect to your TV, but each operates differently.
Apple TV offers movies, TV shows, and podcasts directly from its iTunes service onto your TV. For other content, you’ll need to hook the Apple TV up with your computer for the transfer to your television set. The recently released 2.0 software provides a much-needed free upgrade. The box is available in 40GB and 160GB versions, for $229 and $329 respectively. Because movie rentals are erased 24 hours after you start viewing them, we think the smaller version is adequate for most people.
The Vudu requires a home network connection to access and download movies from the Net. Unlike Apple TV however, it isn't designed to connect to or access any of the media content you might have stored on your home computer. Its 250GB box costs $295. Once you’re hooked up, you’ll be asked to pay a $20, $50, or $100 deposit. After you’ve used the initial deposit, your credit card is automatically charged the same amount. As with the Apple TV, Vudu rentals remain available for 30 days but are erased 24 hours after you start viewing. Vudu’s larger hard drive is handy because, unlike with the Apple TV, you can buy movies from the service.
The Sansa TakeTV keeps things simple. Content is available only in standard definition. There’s no wireless or Ethernet; files
are transferred via “sneaker net,” meaning you shuttle a portable flash drive between your computer and a docking station
attached to the TV. The package, $150, includes the docking station, 8GB flash drive, and remote. A 4GB version for $100 is
also an option.
The video quality of all three was underwhelming, even for high definition movies from Apple and Vudu. Bandwidth limitations force the companies to compress movies for faster download, which degrades and softens the image. We’d wait to buy any of these devices. But if you must have one now, here’s the lowdown on what you’ll get.
Movie selection. For the most movies, Vudu is the logical choice. It’s got the largest database of the three, with 5,000 movies and a good mix of old and new. You can also purchase the movies as opposed to Apple TV’s rental-only policy. Apple TV’s database of about 1,000 movies is also much smaller than Vudu’s, and selection is a bit thin for older movies. With TakeTV, videos are downloaded from Fanfare.com, a beta Web site with a very Spartan selection of TV shows and no movies. TakeTV only supports videos in MPEG4, DivX, and xVid formats.
Media variety. The Apple TV provides the most options for viewing different media. You can buy TV shows and rent movies from iTunes and download Internet videos from YouTube. If you use Flickr to store your digital photos, you can view them on your TV via the Apple box. You can also listen to your iTunes music from your PC or iPod and get better sound if you have the TV hooked up to a stereo or surround-sound system. Vudu offers about the same number of TV shows; TakeTV and Fanfare.com offer fewer TV shows.
Wireless connectivity. The Apple TV box includes an 802.11n wireless connection. A wired Ethernet connection is also an option. For wireless access with the Vudu, you’ll need to purchase a wireless bridge for $50 to $130.
Output options. Vudu offers the most. It can be hooked up to a new HDTV or older set via an HDMI, component, composite, or S-Video connection. And a pleasant perk: HDMI, composite, analog audio, and Ethernet cables are included. Apple TV has only component and HDMI outputs. Older TVs that use only composite or cable inputs won’t work with it. TakeTV’s docking station connects only via composite or S-video, so there’s no HD content.
Instant availability. Vudu stores the first 30 seconds of all available movies on its hard drive, then uses a peer-to-peer network to access the rest. That means no buffering is necessary before viewing. But it also means that you can’t fast forward a movie right away. With Apple TV, you have to wait a few seconds to about a minute (depending on the speed of your broadband connection) for the movie to buffer before you can start watching.
BOTTOM LINE
Movie buffs will like Vudu best because it has the most-extensive film collection, and you can buy and rent. If you’re looking for media variety, Apple TV offers movies (rental only), TV shows, Internet content, and music.
CONTENT COSTS
Apple TV. Rental for new, standard-definition movies is $3.99; older films are $2.99. You’ll pay $4.99 (new) and $3.99 (old) for high-definition flicks. You can also purchase TV shows ($1.99) and songs (99 cents).
Vudu. New, standard-definition movies can be rented for $3.99; old ones are $2.99. High-definition movies are $5.99 (new) and $3.99 (old). You can also buy movies for $9.99 to $24.99. TV shows are $1.99.
TakeTV. There is no subscription service for Fanfare.com, and most TV shows are $1.99 to download. But “Premium content” might require a fee.
Apple TV offers movies, TV shows, and podcasts directly from its iTunes service onto your TV. For other content, you’ll need to hook the Apple TV up with your computer for the transfer to your television set. The recently released 2.0 software provides a much-needed free upgrade. The box is available in 40GB and 160GB versions, for $229 and $329 respectively. Because movie rentals are erased 24 hours after you start viewing them, we think the smaller version is adequate for most people.
The Vudu requires a home network connection to access and download movies from the Net. Unlike Apple TV however, it isn't designed to connect to or access any of the media content you might have stored on your home computer. Its 250GB box costs $295. Once you’re hooked up, you’ll be asked to pay a $20, $50, or $100 deposit. After you’ve used the initial deposit, your credit card is automatically charged the same amount. As with the Apple TV, Vudu rentals remain available for 30 days but are erased 24 hours after you start viewing. Vudu’s larger hard drive is handy because, unlike with the Apple TV, you can buy movies from the service.
Apple TV
Vudu
SanDisk Sansa TakeTV
The video quality of all three was underwhelming, even for high definition movies from Apple and Vudu. Bandwidth limitations force the companies to compress movies for faster download, which degrades and softens the image. We’d wait to buy any of these devices. But if you must have one now, here’s the lowdown on what you’ll get.
Movie selection. For the most movies, Vudu is the logical choice. It’s got the largest database of the three, with 5,000 movies and a good mix of old and new. You can also purchase the movies as opposed to Apple TV’s rental-only policy. Apple TV’s database of about 1,000 movies is also much smaller than Vudu’s, and selection is a bit thin for older movies. With TakeTV, videos are downloaded from Fanfare.com, a beta Web site with a very Spartan selection of TV shows and no movies. TakeTV only supports videos in MPEG4, DivX, and xVid formats.
Media variety. The Apple TV provides the most options for viewing different media. You can buy TV shows and rent movies from iTunes and download Internet videos from YouTube. If you use Flickr to store your digital photos, you can view them on your TV via the Apple box. You can also listen to your iTunes music from your PC or iPod and get better sound if you have the TV hooked up to a stereo or surround-sound system. Vudu offers about the same number of TV shows; TakeTV and Fanfare.com offer fewer TV shows.
Wireless connectivity. The Apple TV box includes an 802.11n wireless connection. A wired Ethernet connection is also an option. For wireless access with the Vudu, you’ll need to purchase a wireless bridge for $50 to $130.
Output options. Vudu offers the most. It can be hooked up to a new HDTV or older set via an HDMI, component, composite, or S-Video connection. And a pleasant perk: HDMI, composite, analog audio, and Ethernet cables are included. Apple TV has only component and HDMI outputs. Older TVs that use only composite or cable inputs won’t work with it. TakeTV’s docking station connects only via composite or S-video, so there’s no HD content.
Instant availability. Vudu stores the first 30 seconds of all available movies on its hard drive, then uses a peer-to-peer network to access the rest. That means no buffering is necessary before viewing. But it also means that you can’t fast forward a movie right away. With Apple TV, you have to wait a few seconds to about a minute (depending on the speed of your broadband connection) for the movie to buffer before you can start watching.
BOTTOM LINE
Movie buffs will like Vudu best because it has the most-extensive film collection, and you can buy and rent. If you’re looking for media variety, Apple TV offers movies (rental only), TV shows, Internet content, and music.
CONTENT COSTS
Apple TV. Rental for new, standard-definition movies is $3.99; older films are $2.99. You’ll pay $4.99 (new) and $3.99 (old) for high-definition flicks. You can also purchase TV shows ($1.99) and songs (99 cents).
Vudu. New, standard-definition movies can be rented for $3.99; old ones are $2.99. High-definition movies are $5.99 (new) and $3.99 (old). You can also buy movies for $9.99 to $24.99. TV shows are $1.99.
TakeTV. There is no subscription service for Fanfare.com, and most TV shows are $1.99 to download. But “Premium content” might require a fee.
