Apple tv3

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midnightcaller

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I got an apple tv3 as a gift. Opened the box, connected it to unotelly and netflix and watched a few movies.

Boy is this thing data hungry. So if I want to get full use of the Atv I would need uncapped data or I would have to be very selective about what I watch.

So I decided to investigate the option of getting uncapped data.
3G is too expensive
Adsl in my area is pathetic
Sat looks feasible ( looked at bitco 5 Mb option)

Anyhow it looks like if I want uncapped I must be prepared to spend about R900 a month (minimum) that's about R11k per year. Assuming I got bitco 5Mb service on 24 month contract)

So the Atv costs R1400 upfront. But it's useless without data. (Yes I know I can use homesharing ad watch movies from a hard drive)
Uncapped data for a year costs R11000 (bitco)
Unotelly usd5 per month
Netflix usd8 per month
Total usd13 per month
Total usd156 per year (R1700)

Atv 1400
Data 11000
Streaming 1700
Total 14100
Average 1175 per month (with Atv)
Average 1058 per month (without Atv)

So those are my calculations.......

Edit: Apple TV returned. I paid a little more and got an iPad mini
 
Last edited:
I'm on a 4mb line with uncapped and that will remain whether we watch Netflix or not.

So I'm now 4 months away from dstv which is a saving of over R2800 as opposed to R600 for unotelly and Netflix and R1200 for the ATV.

That's R1000 up already and you can add on R550 each and every month.

Lovely :)
 
I'm on the Afrihost 50GB cap, and I haven't reached my cap once since I've had Netflix / Apple TV. I also stream Twitch and a lot of YouTube.
 
My issue here is that :

A once-off spend of R1400 on atv3 results in a R1000 monthly spend to get the maximum use of the device.
 
maneshk said:
My issue here is that :

A once-off spend of R1400 on atv3 results in a R1000 monthly spend to get the maximum use of the device.
Click to expand...

Did you expect all of the content to be on the device once you bought it?

The iPad also requires some sort of data connection in order to display content.
 
vinodh said:
For info, what's the actual problem with ADSL in your area?
Click to expand...
Thanks for asking.
Max I can get is 4mb. This based on a call into call center as well as asking some residents in the area.
4mb uncapped adsl will cost R799 per month. This from Telkom call center.
Even with 4mb , there is no guarantee that I can stream netflix without buffering and I run the risk of being throttled or shaped if I abuse the service.

Hence, my (subjective) conclusion that adsl is pathetic for me.
 
maneshk said:
Thanks for asking.
Max I can get is 4mb. This based on a call into call center as well as asking some residents in the area.
4mb uncapped adsl will cost R799 per month. This from Telkom call center.
Even with 4mb , there is no guarantee that I can stream netflix without buffering and I run the risk of being throttled or shaped if I abuse the service.

Hence, my (subjective) conclusion that adsl is pathetic for me.
Click to expand...

What worked for me was to open Telkom ADSL speed checker site and see what is available in my area. I then phoned them and asked for a post reset. I confirmed and on my router that my line was syncing at 10mb and then contacted my ISP for an upgrade from 4mb to 10mb.

With regards to your comment that you will get throttled for abuse: my suggestion is to work out out more or less what your usage will be based on the data usage for Netflix/Hulu Plus. This thread might help. Then get the package that bests suits your usage.

4mb is fine for streaming Netflix/Hulu Plus as long as you have good international speeds. I wass with Afrishost's 10mb Business uncapped and never saw more than 4.5mb international. Switching back to MWEB (not something i'm proud of) almost doubled that speed. What made Afrishost's connected really bad for me was that international speeds was around 2mb for most days and as low as 1mb on really bad days. This made streaming pointless since just about everything buffered. Downloading via http on Afrihost Business was fantastic and I got max line speed all the time.

ADSL is probably your best option for video streaming but you will have to do some planning/research first to ensure the best possible experience.
 
maneshk said:
I got an apple tv3 as a gift. Opened the box, connected it to unotelly and netflix and watched a few movies.

Boy is this thing data hungry. So if I want to get full use of the Atv I would need uncapped data or I would have to be very selective about what I watch.

So I decided to investigate the option of getting uncapped data.
3G is too expensive
Adsl in my area is pathetic
Sat looks feasible ( looked at bitco 5 Mb option)

Anyhow it looks like if I want uncapped I must be prepared to spend about R900 a month (minimum) that's about R11k per year. Assuming I got bitco 5Mb service on 24 month contract)

So the Atv costs R1400 upfront. But it's useless without data. (Yes I know I can use homesharing ad watch movies from a hard drive)
Uncapped data for a year costs R11000 (bitco)
Unotelly usd5 per month
Netflix usd8 per month
Total usd13 per month
Total usd156 per year (R1700)

Atv 1400
Data 11000
Streaming 1700
Total 14100
Average 1175 per month (with Atv)
Average 1058 per month (without Atv)

So those are my calculations.......

Edit: Apple TV returned. I paid a little more and got an iPad mini
Click to expand...


I hate to generalise but you sound like a proper Gujji charou!

Just watch SABC & eTV if you that tight man!
 
You buy a streaming service and hardware when you already have uncapped, not the other way round.

How is that iPad Mini working out without data?
 
SauRoNZA said:
You buy a streaming service and hardware when you already have uncapped, not the other way round.

How is that iPad Mini working out without data?
Click to expand...

The apple tv3 was a gift. I didn't purchase it.
When I watched one movie from Netflix, the Apple TV used 2.5 gb of the 10gb bundle.
The iPad mini uses data from a 10gb data bundle.
 
Yeah it's about 3Gb an hour at HD resolution.

Not going to be great on anything capped.
 
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