“While it hasn’t said as much, Apple’s move to give Apple TV its very own space on its online store tells us it’s become very serious about the former ‘hobby,’ and it seems pretty clear the main components of the next-generation device will focus on the two things people most want from television: content, and control,” Jonny Evans writes for Computerworld.
“Apple’s been quietly introducing new channels through the Apple TV. This will continue,” Evans writes. “To grab a slice of the multiple display present, broadcasters recognize they must innovate broadcasting, offering content via dedicated apps is just one of these innovations.”
“The next opportunity will inevitably be distribution of channels on a subscription and pay-per-use basis. Once broadcasting figures out how to progress old models of territorial licensing, it seems inevitable you’ll be able to pick up hot channels or shows (Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad) wherever you happen to be, for a fee,” Evans writes. “These distributions will complement Apple’s existing iTunes offering, I imagine you will add new channels simply by purchasing them via Apple’s trusted and secure media distribution service.”
Much more in the full article here.
Related articles:
Apple TV: The fun little hobby is getting serious – January 29, 2014
Next-gen Apple TV may feature integrated 802.11ac AirPort router, built-in TV tuner; focus on gaming – January 29, 2014
Apple TV will only be as attractive as the content available for it. It looks as though Apple are doing the right things in the US, but not so much here in the UK. Hopefully that situation will change for the better.
I can’t see that happening without some major hookup with Sky. Sky already have a pretty decent product in that you can access broadcast material and access a lot of content both free (actually free and as part of your main subscription) and stuff pay for on demand. Since Sky are pushing Now TV for people without Sky boxes I can’t imagine there’s a huge market of people without a Sky box, and who can’t afford a tenner for Now TV, to that extent that Sky will be in a massive hurry to strike a deal with Apple. They’ve added Sky News so I can’t imagine it would be hard to add the rest of their offerings if they really wanted to. I can’t understand why they don’t have iPlayer etc yet.
By the same token, the app store (and to some degree the iPad) is only as attractive as the apps in it. What if apple used the app store economy for video production? In the app store, you have AAA app & game titles side by side with indies. Both can earn income. Currently, the apple tv has AAA video content which earns income in rentals and subscriptions while the indies are relegated to podcasts with mostly spotty production values.
What if indie film and video producers could put their content up for sale in the iTunes store on apple tv? Apple tv could get tons of great content with production values better than podcasts, even if not always as good as HBO series. Instead of courting the big players that are on the dole of the cable companies, clone the app economy for the video production business.
If the app is the new channel, then all apple need do is open up apps for apple tv and, while some of these would be games and organizers, many would be video programs, with a few of them perhaps winning Emmys!
With this strategy, once there was some good paid content that by-passed the cable companies, that apple would make 30% on this income while increasing the desirability of the apple tv hardware. Instead of another netflix enabling box, or offering the same rentals as amazon and hulu, they could have unique, mid to high quality programing unavailable on the other providers.
Just let me get OKC Thunder games without cable
man, they looked great last night!
I loved the Durant vs Lebron match-up. What great players.
I wish we had the ability to rearrange and/or hide icons. Other than that, I am loving the direction Apple is going with it. I know it won’t be an immediate change, but the change is coming. I’ve already cancelled my DirecTV account because I can get everything on AppleTV via app or the itunes store.
You can.
Hold down the ‘enter’ (middle) button on the remote and the selected channel will jiggle. You can then move it around.
Also, if you go into Parental Controls in Settings. You can show/hide channels.
That’s good to know. Thanks for the tip!
didn’t know that jitter technique either, thx.
This question comes up nearly every time the Apple TV gets discussed here. Needs to be a sticky in the MDN Take for all things ATV.
With that said, I still haven’t done it yet. I need to. But I’m upset that Netflix isn’t working at the moment. Haven’t restarted yet – it was easier to watch on my iPhone. I couldn’t be bothered to wait for a restart before The Following started back up this season. 🙂
Why can’t Apple just make the iPhone the ultimate remote. Paired to the TV, scroll listings on your phone, while watching content on tv! Or use the phone as a game controller for the tv?
I’m guessing that Apple doesn’t want to give up any internal space in the iPhone chassis for an IR emitter and whatever chip might control it. That would be great, though. The Remote app is a decent alternative to fiddling with the limited controls of the Apple remote, but it’s too cumbersome and sluggish a process to unlock an iOS device, launch the app, and then possibly have to twiddle wifi settings and choose the correct Apple TV. I’d like to see Apple incorporate the Remote app’s features into Control Center somehow, accessible from the lock screen. That would be a good start.
Hey — you can control Apple TV with the Remote App over WiFi. I can’t imagine it’s too tricky to make that BT, but WiFi would be better if you could, say, set your Apple TV to record a show from wherever you happen to be. Hey, in an ideal world you could watch it later while travelling on your iPhone
People have been asking why Apple killed FrontRow and hasn’t replaced it with anything better.
Your best solution is to buy a network-equipped Audio-Visual amplifier with Airplay — Yamaha makes several excellent models — which allow operation and switching of the receiver from any iOS device. Not complete control, but still pretty good.
http://usa.yamaha.com/products/technology/airplay/#psort=latest
They killed Front Row to sell Apple TVs. Front Row had most of the advantages and none of the drawbacks of the Apple TV pre Hockey Puck. I think HDCP is what killed Front Row- the MPAA wanted to lock the Mac down (output) like a chastity belt with no analog hole. Like His Steveness said about BluRay: it’s a bag of hurt.
I think IR is dead technology. Gassee wrote a piece a week or so ago about the clicker problem pointing out that IR is one-way communication. The clicker needs to *presume* that the TV is off; if it’s not, then when the clicker sends the signal, nothing happens. Wifi or better the new Bluetooth is better because it allows the gizmo to communicate with the clicker and let the clicker know what it’s current state is.
Also, there’s a million IR implementations – some gizmos toggle, some have a separate on/off signal, etc. That’s why Harmony has to maintain this huge database of different gizmos. And the manufacturers have a vested interest in maintaining interoperability across their devices but not across competitor’s devices.
Just hope they won’t junk it with nonsense apps, lately the have added so many I will never use.