Apple today announced that it’s bringing the Internet’s most popular originally-created content from YouTube to the living room with Apple TV. Beginning in mid-June, Apple TV will wirelessly stream videos directly from YouTube and play them on a user’s widescreen TV. Using Apple TV’s elegant interface and simple Apple Remote, viewers can easily browse, find and watch free videos from YouTube in the comfort of their living room.
“This is the first time users can easily browse, find and watch YouTube videos right from their living room couch, and it’s really, really fun,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO, in the press release. “YouTube is a worldwide sensation, and Apple TV is bringing it directly from the Internet onto the widescreen TV in your living room.”
Thousands of the most current and popular YouTube videos will be available on Apple TV at launch in mid-June, with YouTube adding thousands more each week until the full YouTube catalog is available this fall. With Apple TV’s stunning interface and simple Apple Remote, users can easily navigate through YouTube’s familiar video browsing categories or search for specific videos. YouTube members can also log-in to their YouTube accounts on Apple TV to view and save their favorite videos.
Apple TV seamlessly integrates with iTunes® to wirelessly play a user’s favorite content from a PC or Mac on their widescreen TV, including movies, TV shows, music, photos and podcasts. Apple TV users can choose from over 500 movies and 350 TV shows in near DVD quality; over five million songs; 5,000 music videos; 100,000 podcasts; and 20,000 audiobooks from the iTunes Store. Users can enjoy their favorite music on a home entertainment system and view slideshows of their photo albums on a widescreen TV.
Apple today also announced that it is offering a new Apple TV build-to-order option with a 160GB hard drive. The new larger hard drive offers four times the storage for up to 200 hours of video, 36,000 songs, 25,000 photos or a combination of each. Apple TV is easy to connect to a broad range of widescreen TVs and home theater systems and comes standard with HDMI, component video, analog and optical audio ports. Using high-speed AirPort 802.11n Wi-Fi wireless networking, Apple TV can auto-sync content from one computer or stream content from up to five additional computers right to a TV without any wires.
Apple TV, which includes the Apple Remote, is available through the Apple Store, Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of US$299. Apple TV with a 160GB hard drive will be available tomorrow for a suggested retail price of $399. The YouTube feature for Apple TV will be available as a free software update in mid-June.
Apple TV requires iTunes 7.1 or later running on a Mac with Mac OS X version 10.3.9 or later, or a Windows PC with Windows XP Home/Professional (SP2).
Apple’s YouTube via Apple TV demo:
That sucks, an upgrade shortly after the release that I just bought? Why didnt they just offer it with 160 gigs in the first place?
Might as well be the first to say post.
Can the Apple TV be used in disk mode like the iPod?
Phew, at least my 160GB mod will be officially supported in software.
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booo, that’s the high price of being an early adopter. You tend to get the shaft.
That sucks. I married my wife when she was young and pretty and now shes old and grumply. Why wasn’t she old and grumply before I married her?
That sucks. I studied ebusiness and now all the hype is in renewable energies. Why weren’t there any renewable energies when I started studying?
That sucks. I just bought a BMW and now my neighbour bought a Porsche. Why didn’t he buy that before, so I could top him with a Maserati?
apparently, the guys in the store department haven’t updated the site yet – there’s no 160 gig model available for sale.
Ooh I’m sure those YouTube videos will look great on those big HD tvs.
*disengages sarcasm mode*
It’s good to have more features such as YouTube but I think the bigger disk is more interesting, depending on how much they charge for it.
“This is the first time users can easily browse, find and watch YouTube videos right from their living room couch, and it’s really, really fun,” said Steve Jobs..”
How exactly, without some sort of keyboard entry device, will be be able to “easily find” youtube content? Could this be a subtle hint that an interface device (other than the remote) may be available from Apple?
hey MDN, you must be overwhelmed with all this news about YouTube and AppleTV…
what gives, no story today titled: “Apple shares hit new all-time closing high – again” ??
Or they could just do a software update activating the f-ing USB port and you could stack on as much storage as you like.
Stupid.
lol, in other news
“has everybody missed this?” asked:
How exactly, without some sort of keyboard entry device, will be be able to “easily find” youtube content? Could this be a subtle hint that an interface device (other than the remote) may be available from Apple?”
sorry, no looks like you missed it. there is a photo of an onscreen text-entry dialog box you use with the remote to enter text, see here:
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/live/steve-jobs-at-d-now-264586.php
Not being an early adopter I’m not grumpy
I wish Apple would go back to announcing things the DAY they are ready… rather than announcing and making us all wait until mid-Whatever…. sucks.
Darn it, I want a 500 gig drive! Not buying until it’s 500 gigs, do you hear me Steve!
1080p. Let me know when it can handle 1080p.
I don’t think getting the AppleTV to handle 1080p will be a big deal. The question is, where will you get 1080p content?
1. Downloads? Still too big for the pipes.
2. Rip all twelve Bluray and HD titles in existence? Sounds like a fun way to spend an afternoon. (NOT)
3. Home movies in 1080p? That’s the ticket, yeah.
I would not find more built-in storage in the ATV all that helpful anyway. I loaded my 40 gig up with photos and a little music. All the video is streamed from a Mac over wireless-N with tons of outboard storage.
You really need iTunes to manage the collection. So, even if you had 550TB of storage on the ATV, you still need a reasonable way to manage it. A desktop machine is the only reasonable way to manage the library at this point.
“200 hours of video, 36,000 songs, 25,000 photos”
really their photo’s take up more space than their music? That can’t be right? What, do they have 25000 10 Mpixel photo’s saved in RAW or what?
I suspect that Google is working on a method to offer higher resolution videos exclusively for ATV.
The statement “Thousands of the most current and popular YouTube videos will be available on Apple TV at launch in mid-June, with YouTube adding thousands more each week until the full YouTube catalog is available this fall” tells me that they are doing something to the videos for use on ATV…. Otherwise, why wouldn’t the entire catalog be available at launch????
YouTube looks bad on my 19″ LCD, can you imagine it on a big screen?? So, at least to me, they must be converting these things for ATV use in much higher resolution….
Instead of extra storage, what I want on the ATV is the ability to browse movies the same way I can browse my music: by genre, artist, playlist, etc.
Maybe I ought to pass on the iPhone for a few months.
I’d flip if I bought one in June and by October they’re announcing a 3G verison with a 3.2 megapixel camera, improved multi-touch and 16gb memory for only $100 more, if not the same price.