“Apple’s TV hobby continues to expand in scope: Apple has added five more apps to its Web TV box, from providers including Disney, the Weather Channel and Vevo,” Peter Kafka reports for AllThingsD. “This is the second time Apple TV has grown in the past few months. In June, Apple added high-profile apps from ESPN and HBO, along with a few others.”
“The most significant offering this time around is Disney’s popular Disney Channel. If you’ve got a pay TV subscription with several of the big providers, you’ll get access to the cable channel’s live feed, along with on-demand options,” Kafka reports. “But if you get your TV from Time Warner Cable, Dish or DirecTV, you’re out of luck, for now.”
Read more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Readers “Fred Mertz” and “Edward W.” for the heads up.]
I have TWC, so no Disney Channel on Apple TV for me. I was about to say how I couldn’t care less, then I remembered that Gravity Falls is on that channel. Dang it!
——RM
Currently supported providers for the Disney apps include AT&T U-verse, Charter, Comcast, Cox, Midcontinent Communications, Optimum, and Verizon FiOS.
So, the way this is heading, if you have a cable TV subscription for HBO, SHO, Cinemax, etc., you won’t need a cable set-top box to watch the pay channels. You’ll be able to watch them on Apple TV. But you’ll still have to pay the outrageous monthly fees to your cable provider. I’m looking for some advantage here to owning an Apple TV and I can’t find it among these recent additions. I don’t subscribe to any premium channels. If they produce content that I want to see, I wait till it’s available via Netflix to watch it, or buy the DVD when it’s released. Color me unimpressed.
Why to own Apple TV?
1. Its cheap, 99 dollars.
2. Its on demand, and the interface is easy to navigate rather than using the clunky set top boxes the cable companies give you.
3. You can stream your iphone straight to the TV, play games, watch videos, view the web.
4. You can rent movies, listen to radio, buy songs, almost anything in iTunes can be done from the ATV.
5. Instead of using a a crappy remote, you can use your iphone as a remote
6. You have access to netflix and hulu (non-cable companies) straight from the ATV. Side note, other vendors have this as well, but the interfaces aren’t as friendly..except maybe Xbox’s.
7. you can stream your computer straight to the ATV and with mavericks coming online you will be able to use the full-screen option with your HDTV because it sees it as another monitor.
And I am sure there are more things i am leaving out, but seriously? you don’t see a reason to own this?
I didn’t say I don’t own one. In fact, I own 3 of them. What I said was that I’m looking for some advantages to owning an Apple TV related to these announcements of new access to content. I want the access to be unfettered by a requirement to subscribe to a cable provider. I want to pay Apple for the content I want to see, not Comcast, or Verizon, or whatever provider I happen to be strapped to. I want to be able to watch what I want when I want to watch it on my Apple TV without paying subscription fees to the cable companies. Capisce?
Yeah. Well, we all want that. I think we would be hardpressed to find someone on this forum say they want to go through comcast(or other provider) to get content on their apple tv.
I got confused when you said
“I’m looking for some advantage here to owning an Apple TV and I can’t find it among these recent additions.”
Even with just these recent additions i see an advantage to owning an apple tv, even though its retarded how to get the content to stream or watch on the ATV. probably just wording thats all.
On another note, if people watch all their programming through the apple tv and not the cable boxes, the content providers will know this and they will be further inclined to ditch their deals with cable companies because they will have the statistics to prove the apple tv will work.
With three kids under 10 there’s no way I would allow them to just flip through the 14,326 cable stations of crap content. I have an ATV in their playroom. They can watch Netflix and stream content we own in iTunes. The addition of Disney is great for me. They’ll be thrilled!
8. If you buy a movie on Verizon (for example) you own it . . . till you cancel the service.
If you buy a movie from Apple TV, you own it as long as there is an Apple.
Apple ID’s don’t come with a monthly fee.
Yes, but the prices on iTunes movies are still cost prohibitive. They are outrageous actually. I guess they may be comparable to retail DVDs but I doubt it. Either way, I’ve never known anyone that paid retail for a DVD. I like the iTunes system but so far I’m only buying tunes. Movies and TV are going to have to drop significantly before I click “purchase”.
Think of it as a way to get content to ANOTHER TV without paying for another cable box (which has a monthly fee).
Disney & Weather channel are pretty big, along with ESPN, HBO, & Netflix. If they can get Viacom on board too (mtv, comedy central, nick), I think that would be enough for Apple TV to finally move beyond the hobby stage.
Will these channels/apps be available on Apple TV in Canada?
U-Verse has access however the Apple TV is asking to enter a security code but when you go to the link provided there is no place to enter that security code and no mention of Apple TV.
So the Disney channel app is there but no access on the Apple TV for now at least through U-Verse. It is working on the iPhone and my computer though. Just can’t find where to put that security code in to get it to work on the Apple TV.
Did you figure it out? Because I’m having the same issue. I think I’m already approved on my computer so it doesn’t take me to the screen to put in another access code.
Apple is using this as a Trojan horse. Once they have all the channels on board they will negotiate for independence from the cable cartels.
Unfortunately the cable and satellite cartels also own a lot of internet providers, so they’ll claw back the monthly data allowance when streaming video and data-heavy applications get more of a foothold.
Yes, the Cable Cabal will do what is necessary to stay in business.
The horror!!!
(actually, they will just increase the access speed to adjust for the added usage and charge more to offset the loss of video revenue)
Again….THE HORROR!!!
Someone tell the government to take it over!!!!!!!
Contacted Disney Channel support and they said there channel will be up by September 6 for the Apple TV. So we have to wait another week or so and it will be working.
Currently supported providers for the Disney apps include AT&T U-verse, Charter, Comcast, Cox, Midcontinent Communications, Optimum, and Verizon FiOS.
I have Uverse and had no problem activating Disney and Disney XD. I used the website to enter the security codes.
Where did you find the place to enter the security codes? When I went to WATCHDisneyChannel.com I was prompted to enter my U-Verse account information. There was no place to enter the Apple TV security codes.
http://watchdisneyxd.go.com/activate
http://watchdisneychannel.go.com/activate
Each link takes you to a 3-step process to activate, including a spot to put in the code. I’m assuming you get these channels on your Uverse subscription. If not, then that’s the issue.
You got it right flipkal. On the Apple TV it only gives you the initial website without the /activate which I was missing.
It works now I’m happy to say. Apple TV is now becoming a real player with all the added content and hopefully more to come. This is really getting exciting.
I was able to activate my Disney Channel, however, it keeps showing the rotating circle and state “Accessing Disney channel” and it won’t pull up the movie. Did you have trouble with this?
I’m having the same problem. Did anyone find a solution to this yet?
Only available in the US. Not very exciting until these content agreements are global, like music purchases in iTunes. What would the history of iTunes be (and Apple’s, for that matter) if confined to the US? Remember where most of Apple’s cash is?…
The Watch Disney app isn’t set up for multiple Apple TV’s . I activated one Apple TV with no problem when I went to activate the app on the Apple TV it keep rejecting the activation code. Contacted
Disney Support they have to look into this issue. I guess they didn’t figure on many homes happy multiple Apple TV’s.
The NON-Weather Channel? Please.
That would be the one that runs ‘Ice Road Truckers in Saudi Arabia’ in the middle of Tornado outbreaks because showing actual weather would be an affront to the audience.
Disney? No thanks.
Vevo? Zzzzzzz…
How about some 24 hour news channels that actually show news- unlike the US crap we are fed from CNN, Faux, and NBCU.
UStream might be a nice add also as it carries a lot of breaking news feeds.
Try to go to link to activate and it sends you straight to your mobile site, what’s up with that
Good
Ready to start!
Rachel, WordPress is not longer used just to create a simple WordPress blogs. It is used by millions of websites and many of theme are highly trafficked ones.