Posts tagged Apple TV
Apple in sexy new iPods shocker
02 years ago
As reported here last week. Apple have announced their new music and media lineup for the next 12 months.
A revamped iPod Touch, a totally new iPod Nano and the much anticipated re-imagining of the Apple TV were all unveiled by Steve Jobs at the Apple press conference in San Francisco yesterday (1st September 2010).
The iPod Touch looks slick and now comes with the same Retina display screen boasted by the iPhone 4. In fact with the addition of FaceTime and a HD video camera, it’s now pretty much an iPhone 4 without the phone.
The all new iPod Nano has had a complete makeover, now squat and square in size, the new touch screen covers the entire frontage. A great new design Mr Jobs and the added FM radio is a plus, but the removal of video playback is a backward step for me.
Finally we move onto the Apple TV (looks like they decided against the iTV renaming). Now encased in a sexy little black box design, so impressively small it will fit in the palm of your hand. As I first predicted months ago, this new incarnation has now dropped its internal hard drive, relying solely on live streaming from your home computers iTunes account. You can now no longer purchase films or TV shows direct from the Apple TV itself. The only option is to rent them, or purchase content on your computer and then stream it over to the Apple TV.
Still no 1080p resolution and no word yet whether the UK version will include a version of the US Netflix feature, where Netflix subscribers (a bit like LoveFilm over here) can instantly download films for no extra cost.
Another big problem at the moment for us folks in the UK is we can’t rent the TV shows yet, hindering the plan to rival Sky and Virgin Media, so unless Apple get together with the TV networks pretty quickly, this new box could die a death even quicker than its older brother.
All in all, another range of must have Apple gadgets, but like always with Apple there seems to be more questions than answers.
Apple TV to be relaunched iTV?
02 years ago
A much rumoured press event to be held by Apple on September 1st 2010 could unveil their next planned assault on your living room.
As well as the now annual updates and revisions to the iPod range it looks like the California based computer bods are finally ready to turn Apple TV into more than just the hobby it’s been since its initial release way back in 2007.
Believed to be re-branded as iTV the new look box should be much cheaper than the current Apple TV, mainly due to its lack of hard drive, choosing instead to simply stream HD quality video from your iTunes account onto your home computer into your iTV then straight on into your HD television, this is a mistake in my opinion as I don’t really want to go and turn on my Mac everytime I want to watch a show on my TV. But if Apple couple this with the ability to rent the latest TV shows at a reasonably low price (making it a realistic alternative to Sky and Virgin Media) then Steve Jobs could finally turn one of his biggest failures into a winner.
The exact spec and full pricing structure will be known on the 1st but the big question remains how will Apple get away with calling the new box iTV in the UK. Surely even as you read this the bosses of the original ITV will be warming up their lawyers ready for action. Changing the name to iTV would be a backward move over here as probably 99.9% of the UK population already know the name ITV and what it means to them, good or bad! Trying to push their new product infront of that kind of preconceived recognition could backfire spectacularly on Apple.
Therefore expect it to remain as Apple TV over here, or not depending on the size of Apples balls. Either way we’ll know for sure next week.
New Apple TV on its way
02 years ago
The rumors of Apple relauching it’s Apple TV continue a pace with news coming through of TV show rentals being made available for just 99 cents (propably 99p to you and me).
These shows will no longer be downloaded to your box but instead streamed direct from your iTunes account. This fits in with the other rumors of the new Apple TV being purely Cloud based with no harddrive to cut down production costs. Along with the rumoured software update based on the new IOS 4, Apple looks to finally be taking the Apple TV as a more serious hobby. The upcoming Google TV certainly seems to have ruffled a few feathers at Apple HQ.
Blu-Ray finally wins
02 years ago
by Dicki Ware
in Gadgets
I’ve resisted temptation for 5 years, but fear I can resist no more. I want a Blu-Ray player. There I’ve said it, its out in the open.
Occasionally I get an idea in my head that I won’t like something and it sticks there like a stubborn mule until reason finally kicks in. My Disitation at Uni was all about how the Internet was just a passing fad that would never take off and quickly be surpassed by the next big thing (at the time I truly believed this).
I was firmly behind DVD, buying my first player way back in 1998 when discs were few and far between, quite often on 2 sides that you had to flip halfway through. The best way to get your hands on a film was to buy from a little known mailorder company called Play (whatever happened to them). I understood DVD I knew the reason of its being, VHS was a dead duck and this was the future.
But then Blu-Ray came along and maybe it as too soon for me but I resented it. I resented the original asking price, I resented its battle with Toshiba HD-DVD, I resented the fact that Sony were getting too big for their boots and so I have resented it ever since. Despite it quickly slaying the HD-DVD with its cool name and cool logo, its inclusion in the Playstation3, even its subsequent price cuts.
But over the last couple of years I’ve realises that DVD isn’t tomorrow anymore, its 11pm and soon to become yesterday. My desire for HD content began to swell and I needed to get a fix somewhere other than BluRay, so a couple of Chrstmases back I purchased an 160gb Apple TV. This little box has served me extreamly well over the last few years supplying me with HD content of all my favourate shows 24, Lost, Battlestar, All downloaded with a few simple clicks. Add in HD film rentals, music and photos and what more could you possibly ever need from a media player?
Well the answer is true High Definition, 720p on an Apple TV is great but 1080p is even better. Epsecially when 2 killer must have discs are now on there way that I absolutely must see as soon as possible.
The first one, out now is last years U2 360 Tour Live from The Rose Bowl, while I watched this live on YouTube at the time this Blu-Ray disc is the closest thing to being there you can get (except for the Imax movie U23D – but thats a whole other story). The other disc is still specualtion at the moment but you know its coming its just a question of when. Thats right, The Star Wars saga, all 6 movies in yet another box set. I’ve got them on DVD twice and VHS twice hopefully I’ll only need them the once on Blu-Ray. Unless Uncle George starts tinkering again.
So it’s finally out in the open, “I want Blu-Ray”. The next question is which machine do I go for?
