“Pick up the remote, turn on the television — and watch YouTube,” Brian Stelter reports for The New York Times. “The user experience envisioned by technology enthusiasts came a step closer to reality on Wednesday when TiVo, the maker of popular digital video recorders, announced a partnership with YouTube that will deliver Web video directly to users’ televisions.”
MacDailyNews Take: Amazing. Where did TiVo ever come up with such an idea?
Stelter continues, “With the YouTube deal, TiVo becomes the latest entrant into the marketplace for porting Internet video content to television. Apple introduced a new version of Apple TV with similar features in January. “
MacDailyNews Take: Actually, Brian, in what is readily available and extremely easy information to access, Apple has offered YouTube via Apple TV since June 20, 2007. It’s all in Apple’s June 20, 2007 press release, conveniently titled YouTube Live on Apple TV Today; Coming to iPhone on June 29. In fact, nowhere in Apple’s January 15, 2008 press release regarding Apple TV 2.0 does it state or even imply that YouTube features have just been added. So, Brian, did you just make an innocent mistake or are you purposely trying to make TiVo look like much less of a latecomer or is it something else entirely? General incompetence? Perhaps just plain laziness? No, really, we’d like to know why this easily-researched mistake showed up in the hallowed pages of The New York Times when the date upon which Apple TV began offering YouTube is clearly presented, accurately dated, and readily available within seconds to anyone online?
Stelter continues, “The YouTube product will be available only to a subset of TiVo users who have up-to-date hardware and a broadband connection. Of the four million TiVo users nationwide, more than half receive their set-top box from a cable operator. Of the 1.7 million who purchased their box directly from TiVo, about 800,000 have the broadband connection. The company’s Series 3 and HD set-top boxes will support YouTube connectivity; earlier versions of the hardware did not support online video playback.”
MacDailyNews Note: Apple has likely sold in excess of one million Apple TV units in less than a year (began shipping on March 20, 2007).
Stelter continues, “Sometime later this year — the company did not specify the date — a category for YouTube videos will be added to the TiVo interface.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: So, let’s say that TiVo gets around to it by June 2008. They’ll be bringing “a user experience envisioned by technology enthusiasts a step closer to reality” a year later than Apple already delivered it – an eon in tech terms – not a mere 90 or so days later as The New York Times incorrectly implies. Such a simple thing to get right – and a trivial matter to most – it nonetheless makes us wonder just what else is incorrect in the pages of The New York Times?
To reiterate for clarity’s sake: this is not about TiVo, YouTube, or even Apple TV per se, this is about The New York Times’ inability to report a simple, easily-checked fact correctly. If they can’t get an Apple TV date correct from an easily-obtainable press release, what else in wrong in The New York Times?
Contact:
Where are the ATV hack that will allow the playing of other file types? When can I play files off of a USB thumb drive?
For now, I’m still investigating other media streaming/capture devices like the Neuros OSD or the building of a Myth TV.
What else is wrong in the New York Times? lkashdfs;jlah;slkdjb
I just wet myself
The media was all over this revolutionary idea…anyone doing any homework at all could find out Apple TV and the iPhone was already doing it a year ago. The media has more power than the government…another example is their acting like Mike Huckabee didn’t even exist, especially after the McCain/Romney childish bicker over words debate at the Reagan center. He is the only one who has never ever used a teleprompter. If you don’t know what the fair tax is, then find out now or find out later…either way, you will find out.
One thing I do like about the NY Times is you don’t have to hunt around for the editorial page – it’s right on the front page.