Apple TV

There are many technical issues related to a next generation TV system, as conceived by Apple. It's mind boggling. But one small area where Apple could cash in on its expertise would be a touchscreen remote, a simpler, less expensive version of the iPod touch to accompany a 4th generation Apple TV. ________________ Over the…

There is no rumor like an Apple rumor, and there is no company like Apple to cause the world to pore over everything it can to find even the vaguest hints of what the company is planning. Today is one of those days, because Amazon's French and German sites did a tiny little thing that…

For a long time now, we've heard rumors that say Apple's new TV product will be a conventional HDTV with a 50 to 60-inch display. Other sources insist that it will be a next generation Apple TV set-top box and that competing in the cut-throat HDTV business makes no sense. However, there is an argument…

Vevo is reportedly developing an specifically for Apple TV that will stream music videos to Apple's settop box. This would be a new service for Apple TV, as Vevo hasn't had a presence on the device and Apple hasn't announced that it would. The news comes from AdAge, a well-connected magazine. Citing unnamed sources, AdAge…

There's one less console in the living room now that Microsoft has officially announced the demise of MSN TV. The device started life as WebTV and was a hardware package that turned user's televisions into simple Web surfing and email systems while also offering up online entertainment, and even though it will soon be gone,…

Hockey lovers rejoice! The NHL is back in action this Saturday, January 19th after a lengthy and painful labor dispute that delayed nearly half the season. Thankfully, there are now more ways than ever to get your hockey fix, and Apple is leading the way with several options. First, users must subscribe to the NHL’s…

Apple TV Testing in Progress Just in time for Christmas, we have one more Apple TV rumor to stuff into your stocking—the Central News Agency (CNA) of Taiwan reported on Friday that initial testing of television sets for Apple has started at Chinese manufacturer Hon Hai Precision Industry. Citing an unnamed source within Hon Hai,…

Apple last Thursday released Software Update 5.1.1 for second- and third-generation Apple TVs. In addition to stability and performance fixes, it also introduced support for the new “Up Next” feature found in iTunes 11. Unfortunately, a number of users are reporting problems with the update, resulting in aborted downloads and failures to reboot following an…

The panels are being produced by Sharp, a company in which Hon Hai Precision invested US$800 million in March. Many have speculated, including analyst Brian White, that Hon Hai Precision was making this investment in order to secure panels for Apple’s television. “A holiday launch would make for a very merry holiday season for Apple…

Foxconn says no Apple television productionA report from late last week had Mr. Gou confirming that Apple is designing its own HD television, and that Hon Hai subsidiary Foxconn would be building the devices. He also said that a joint factory venture with Sharp would play into Apple television production.Now, in a statement to The…

Japanese electronics manufacturer Sharp has begun production of its first high-resolution displays based on indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) technology, the company announced Friday (via MacRumors). Analysts believe that Sharp’s new displays are a “prime candidate” for use in upcoming Apple products, including the much-rumored Apple television. Sharp claims that the new technology allows twice…

The interview is a good one (see the note below about the format), and if you are interested in hearing more about Mr. Isaacson, his work with Steve Jobs, how he talked to the people at around the executive, his background, and much more, you will enjoy watching the full video (embedded below). The exciting…

In addition to Mr. Christianson’s observation, other users are reporting the same problem over at the Apple Support Communities. For this article’s purposes, we’re using Apple TV 2 4.4.4 and OS X 10.7.2 For many years, Macs have been able to create ad-hoc networks for sharing an internet connection or connecting multiple computers in a…

The story builds off one of the many revelations in Steve Jobs (US$16.99 on Amazon Kindle and iBooks), where Mr. Jobs said that Apple had “finally cracked” the code for making a TV integrated with settop box functionality with, “the simplest user interface you could imagine.” This is one of the few times that Mr.…

I have seen people agonize over their gas mileage with a pocket calculator, but I have rarely seen the discussion of cord cutting get beyond the argument that “cable costs too much and the price keeps going up. I’m canceling.” Here’s some analysis to help you decide if you want to, say, buy an Apple…

A quick look at Apple discussion board revealed that the problem existed for some users early on, while others discovered the issue after updating their Apple TV with the latest iOS version (iOS 4 for Apple TV). The problem, they claim, relates to the DNS entries the Apple TV is relying on to find streaming…

The T&C used to specify that rented “movies” could not be moved between devices. The term “movies” has been replaced with “content” when it comes to rentals, thus including everything one can rent from iTunes, which is, more or less TV shows and movies. The screenshot below is the T&C notification, complete with the change…

“Even though the new Apple TV isn’t yet in people’s homes,” the group said, “the firmware is available on Apple’s normal public distribution servers and SHAtter has been used to decrypt its keys!” What exactly people will do with a jailbroken Apple TV remains to be seen. For one thing, there is no market for…

So what are the implications of such a service? ZDNet’s San Diaz says: “Linking Web content and traditional TV programming into a searchable database for viewing is a smart idea. Eventually, TV programming will be funneled through the Internet instead of cable and satellite systems. Viewers will need a way to not only find programming…

It turns out that Viacom and Hulu are squabbling about the ad revenue split. Hulu put some nice spin on the situation, saying, “After a series of discussions with the team at Comedy Central, though, we ultimately were unable to secure the rights to extend these shows for a much longer period of time.” However,…

To download updated iTunes LP and iTunes Extras content once it’s available, do this: Launch iTunes. Go to Store > Check for available downloads. Download the available albums or movies. You’ll need iTunes 9.0.2 or higher and Apple TV 3.0 to play iTunes LP and iTunes Extras content on your Apple TV. Instructions on updating…

Unfettered technology simply produces too many choices. When people are confronted with too many choices, they freeze up and select none. That’s not good for the TV studios. Apple, the master at reducing a myriad of choices to focused solutions, has the Apple TV. In fact, the studios are now worried that Apple TV and…

High Definition TVs are just now starting to appear with Ethernet connections. But with every vendor singing deals, protecting turf, and wanting to lock customers in, one has to think for a bit about how to get TV from the Internet onto the living room HDTV free of gotchas.ABC uses its own browser Plug-in (Lost)The…

“You know, our next big step is we want it to make toast.” – Steve Jobs (2004, referring to iPods) I have written a lot about the Apple TV. Iive written about updates, Iive pointed to stories and reviews, and Iive discussed the compression issues related to getting HD content into the customeris Apple TV…