Product ReviewsApple TV (3rd Generation) 8GB Digital HD Media Streamer - Black

Amazing product despite being outdated.

Even though the 4th gen and now 4k Apple TVs exist, this thing is still great, turns on instantly, supports most major streaming services like youtube, netflix, hulu, hbo, sadly no prime video though. Airplay is easily the best feature and the reason I purchased this, it's so easy to just instantly send any video or song to your TV and works flawlessly, even screen mirroring for iOS devices and macs as well.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: cchenders407

You may want 4th gen instead

4th Gen is better if you need Apple tv store apps. Picture also looked better on the 4th gen. As with all of these streaming boxes you spend a lot of time entering codes, troubleshooting and doing non entertaining things. I don't think this is the way tv watching will eventually go. Some of my friends can't use it without constant help. This applies to all these streaming devices. I would say for the money, they are very cool, but don't get rid of cable yet.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: adamil.2tsvnqaux

AirPlay

I use it mainly for AirPlay to stream the music from my computer to other rooms. I can play the same music in three rooms now - from iTunes on my computer and to two ATVs.

The ATV in my kitchen hiccups occasionally. The used one I bought off of eBay doesn’t appear to do this. Maybe the kitchen ATV is damaged now. I need to do some testing.

I don’t really use the ATV as a video player as the apps offered are very limited. I use the ATV to leverage iTunes and airplay to play to multilevel devices. I have a fire tv that has way more apps and I can add the Kodi app. I use this device to stream video. The fire tv doesn’t have an optical audio output so I can’t use it for music. Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: tuc287580

Love it, but, has its limits

Yes I LOVE IT...but, needs VUDU and some others! Make no mistake, you NEED a service to enjoy this fully! Sure, you could hitchike off your paying friend/family...but, every channel must be code input! Not hard, just time consuming! Much of it is access to what must be PAID for, and only BIG CITY accessible for big networks! Wish the History, H2 etc, were always FULL content. Limited to current content mostly. Adding access for other channels would be awesome!Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: nikatronics

Almost Great

I have both Roku and AppleTV devices. By most measures, the Apple device wins by a mile. The interface is easy and beautiful. But more importantly it has better sound and video. Why not 5 stars? The big flaw is Apple's self-serving control over the apps and services they allow on their device. Because they want to sell Apple Radio, there is no Pandora. Because they compete with Amazon, no Amazon Prime. Understandable, but frustrating. It means that, instead of one device--and it would be AppleTV--I still need
Roku. Frustrates me and likely avoids a knockout blow to Roku. Thus 4 stars not 5.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: tetchy.tech

Not for everyone, but for many!

Apple TV is currently on its third generation and has matured with age. Its primary goal is to give you access to the content you have bought on iTunes, or to stream your additional movie, TV and music files from a PC or Mac running Apple's software.

You can purchase or rent iTunes content straight through the small box, so don't technically have to have another Apple device. However, with Apple AirPlay meaning it can mirror and stream content to a large screen from your iPhone or iPad, it would seem unlikely that you wouldn't have one of those too.

Like many Apple products, Apple TV is a doddle to set up and use. It is presented in a straight forward, clean way, with bold apps and a very Apple-centric style.

Unlike many of its rivals, much of the content available through the box - specifically the iTunes movies and shows - offer trailers and previews in 1080p, so you can check to see whether you fancy something before paying for it.

Apple AirPlay mirroring is essential too, as the lack of app support for major UK services, such as BBC iPlayer, ITV Player and 4oD, can be compensated through using an iPhone or iPad to stream them to the box.

It is also capable of 1080p output and much of the content is presented as such. And iCloud support means you can view all of the pictures stored in your Photo Stream.

Although there are several third party apps, they are not as varied as on many rivals and often seem US-centric in nature.

In all other respects, Apple TV is locked to Apple's ecosystem and therefore suffers from the same problems or benefits as the company's other devices, depending on your point of view.

New apps seem to be added once in a blue moon, and there isn't the versatility exhibited on rival boxes. Apple also restricts application user interfaces to ape its own, so although Netflix has profiles and the same functionality as on other devices, it isn't presented the same and can be confusing and awkward to use in comparison.

It is easy to recommend Apple TV to owners of iPhones, iPod touches and iPads, less so to everybody else. If iTunes is your life, you should consider an Apple TV even if you already own a smart TV.

Its simplicity in use and quality of output is superb, but do be aware that AirPlay streaming BBC iPlayer, for example, gives you a less than HD version of that particular service as it is dependant on the iOS app, which was not designed with TV use as its primary concern.

You also cannot AirPlay Sky apps - Sky Go and Now TV - from an iPad or iPhone, so if you subscribe to either of those services, you need to look elsewhere (in fact, for Sky Go, only the Xbox 360 has support outside of mobile devices). You can access Now TV's sports coverage at a daily rate, but not the entertainment channels or movies.Read full review...

Works great, connects my TV to my apple devices. Basically turns my TV into a smart TV

Just plug the power in and the HDMI to the TV and your TV now has netflix, hulu and way way more. I use an app called "Beamer" to connect my macbook to the TV so I can play movies from my macbook on my TV. You can also connect the TV via your home network to your macbook as a third screen, this isn't ideal for much as there is a lot of latency so you can't stream movies this way if you need to stream movies use "beamer". Beamer uses different technology and sends the stream over your home network in a more secure way so there isn't latency and buffering issues. Hard line the apple TV to your router for more seamless streaming.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: buyer_bay

TV Mirroring with Apple TV

I decided to purchase this device which is one generation older than current as my primary goal was to be able to view my iPhone, iPad contents on TV. Set up is almost automatic and IOS recognizes I devices readily. For the most part "mirroring" on TV works well with great resolution. There is minimum loss of clarity, but you can expect that and hardly visible. (This is mostly as I have a UHD 4KTV). It is great to stream live gaming and play on TV. However, many games tend to be "jerky" as streaming is not 100% effective. Some games tend to hang more than others, especially any ones that have fast live action like racing, or flying. However, it is a great deal at price offered in eBay. If you want perfection, you should go to generation 4, but for the price, I am quite satisfied with the quality of Gen 3. Also, you can download the free app, so you will not need the included remote anymore. In fact, the devise goes to power save mode, and you will need the remote to turn it on. However, with the App, it works right from the I device....no need to turn on separately. I like the access to my MacBook iTunes which can stream music from my cloud automatically. The numerous Apps and services are a bonus! A++Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: refurbished | Sold by: alltechwholesale

Well made, crappy operating system.

The device did all it was supposed to BUT, Apple TV was a disaster to work with, It took hours on the phone (both hold and actual human help) to get the software to grasp I had an account and to log in. When we got to the bit of the login process that demands answers to questions, it refused to accept my answers or to reset. The picture quality was amazing when apple finally let me into the world of apple.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: bluefrontenterp...

Almost perfect except...

...I wish it had Amazon Video included. It would be the perfect Media Streaming device if it only had the Amazon video option. Other than that...I like it. It's shoot and fast. Faster that my TIVO which has Amazon Video.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: nikatronics