Hands-on with Apple TV 5.4 Beta: iTunes Radio, Conference Room Display, custom subtitles

By Christian Zibreg on Jun 17, 2013

To go along with the recently released iOS 7 Beta 1, Apple has also made a companion Apple TV beta software available for download to its registered developers. The pre-release code enables such new capabilities as iTunes Radio free music streaming, a new Conference Room Display setting and fully customizable subtitles.

The first beta of what would later become the Apple TV 5.4 software update was posted to Apple’s portal for developers after last Monday’s keynote. The pre-release version is meant to be used for testing AirPlay with third-party iOS apps. As we haven’t had a chance to cover it extensively, here’s what to expect in terms of features… Read More

 

Apple will live stream WWDC to Apple TV, iOS, and its website

By Jeff Benjamin on Jun 10, 2013

Great news for those not standing in line at Moscone West right now: Apple will live stream the entire WWDC keynote via the Apple TV.

This really is awesome news, and it’s a huge treat for those of us who own an Apple TV. In fact if you check your device right now, you should see the official WWDC app on the Home screen. Read More

 

New hack allows you to run Plex on Apple TV without jailbreaking

By Cody Lee on Jun 5, 2013

Good news third-gen Apple TV owners! A new hack has surfaced for the popular set-top box that doesn’t require a jailbreak. As most of you know, the ATV3 hasn’t been jailbroken since its release last year, and there’s no word on when or if it will happen.

The hack, referred to as ‘PlexConnect,’ essentially allows you to run Plex media center software on your Apple TV, enabling you to playback various types of content from your local network on your big screen. And all it takes is a single settings change… Read More

 

Time Warner CEO says it’s discussing streaming video deals with Apple and others

By Cody Lee on Jun 4, 2013

This is kind of interesting. Speaking at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Global Telecom and Media conference today, Time Warner’s CEO Glenn Britt told investors that the cable company is in talks with a few tech giants, including Apple, over video streaming deals.

Britt says the deals are similar to the one Time Warner inked with Roku back in March, which allows subscribers to stream 300 cable channels to the Internet-connected set-top box. And his comments suggest we could see a comparable package land on the Apple TV… Read More

 

New Apple Television concept surfaces

By Jeff Benjamin on May 17, 2013

Will Apple’s long rumored television set ever see the light of day? Who knows. But Sam Beckett’s new concept video shows off some of the awesome things that might be possible with a full sized Apple TV. It shows off scheduling recordings, swiping between channels, and of course, Siri integration. The best thing about it all? It’s fully controlled using an iPad mini… Read More

 

New content deal to bring CW programming to Apple TV

By Cody Lee on May 16, 2013

Great news Supernatural fans. The CW television network has reportedly struck a deal with Apple to bring the popular TV show, among other programming, to the Apple TV. It currently has applications out for the Xbox 360 and Windows 8.

The news came during the company’s annual Upfront Presentation in New York today, where CW president Mark Pedowitz announced that its TV Now application would be coming to Apple’s beloved set top box sometime later this year… Read More

 

Netflix announces new $12 per month family plan

By Cody Lee on Apr 23, 2013

Following the version 4.0 release of its iPhone and iPad app yesterday, Netflix announced that it was going to be rolling out a host of new “family friendly” features over the next few months. And it looks like the first is going to be a new family plan.

Traditionally, folks pay $8 per month for Netflix’s service, which allows for unlimited streaming of its content to up to 5 devices—2 devices simultaneously. But with the new family plan, families can stream to up to 4 devices at the same time… Read More

 

Rolomotion turns your iDevice into Wii-like console

By Christian Zibreg on Apr 17, 2013

Pune, India-based Rolocule creates games for a living and earlier today the team teased an interesting solution aimed at bringing Nintendo Wii-style gaming to your big screen TV via Apple TV and some clever iPhone and iPod touch software. Rolomotion is the name of the game (pun intended).

It’s basically a dedicated app that wirelessly beams specially-designed games to your telly through the Apple TV while using your iPhone or iPod touch as a Wii-style controller.

The game running on the device reads data from the iPhone’s gyroscope, magnetometer and accelerometer sensors to make possible motion-based action via Apple’s set-top box. I’ve included a nice demo clip right past the fold… Read More

 

Apple offers third-gen Apple TV replacement program over Wi-Fi issues

By Christian Zibreg on Apr 15, 2013

Is your Apple TV acting up lately? Specifically, is the set-top box exhibiting issues related to Wi-Fi networking? If so, Apple may have a brand new unit for you, free of charge, up to two years after the device’s purchase date.

According to a new report, the iPhone maker has opened a replacement program for owners of the third-generation Apple TVs plagued with problems related to locating or joining Wi-Fi network, dropped connections and more.

Only a small number of units have been affected and Apple has specified which serial number pairs are eligible for the replacement program… Read More

 

Supply chain chatter claims Apple is building 4K ‘Ultra HD’ TV set

By Cody Lee on Mar 26, 2013

It’s been a while since we’ve heard any new information regarding Apple’s rumored TV project. It seems ‘iTV’ speculation has been replaced by talk of Apple’s secret plans for the smartwatch space, and its expected entry into the budget handset market.

But that changed this evening with a new report out of China, claiming that Apple has been in discussions with Foxconn over the production schedule of a TV set. And the 4K ‘Ultra HD’ television will finally land in either late 2013, or early next year… Read More

 

Hulu updates Apple TV app with new categories and improved playback

By Cody Lee on Mar 19, 2013

Great news today for Hulu Plus users. The popular streaming service has announced this morning that it has created a brand new app for the Apple TV that will make it easier to find new content and play it back on your favorite set-top box.

Hulu says it has “redesigned the Plus experience from the ground up” with a new content section, a new “Shows You Watch” tray for quickly accessing your favorite shows, and a more streamlined playback feature, with new Play button… Read More

 

New Cupertino hotel offers an Apple TV in every guest room

By Cody Lee on Mar 18, 2013

If you look around your next hotel room, there’s a fair chance it will have an alarm clock with a 30-pin dock connector for your iPhone. It’s a popular amenity for hotels to list, since there are some 500+ million iOS devices out in the wild.

But one hotel in Cupertino, California is taking their iOS compatibility to the next level. Starwood Hotels’ Aloft Hotel has announced today that it now has an Apple TV, connected to a 42-inch LCD television, in all 123 of its guest rooms… Read More

 

Inside 2013 Apple TV: redesigned power-savvy A5 chip, cost optimizations

By Christian Zibreg on Mar 15, 2013

Apple shipped five million Apple TVs last year for a nearly $500 million in additional revenue. That’s a very successful hobby and while talk of Tim Cook & Co. building a standalone HD TV set remains just that – rumor mongering – Apple has quietly retooled the $99 set-top box, with most of the under-the-hood tweaks aimed at optimizing production costs.

AnandTech took a peek inside the gadget and found some minor changes. The publication found a significant reduction in the new model’s power consumption, directly related to the optimized A5 chip, leading AnandTech to speculate that perhaps Apple could use this chip for another device, “perhaps one powered by a battery” (hint: iWatch)… Read More

 

Here’s an iTV concept Jony Ive would approve of

By Christian Zibreg on Mar 13, 2013

Resident Apple mockup artist Martin Hajek is on a roll lately. Just a day following his publication of the traditional iWatch concept which adorns the April 2013 cover of the MacUser magazine, he’s back at it with a new Apple television mockup that has Jony Ive written all over it. The beautiful renderings are based on the familiar iMac look and sport the sinister black design, with details reminiscent of the iPhone 5. Go past the fold for the full awesomeness… Read More

 

Apple actually removed one CPU core from Apple TV’s die-shrunk A5 chip

By Christian Zibreg on Mar 13, 2013

Silicon analysts over at Chipworks were able to conclude yesterday that the smaller A5 package, which was recently discovered inside a retooled Apple TV, is still being fabbed on Samsung’s 32-nanometer process rather than on TSMC’s 28-nanometer technology, as some watchers speculate. Compared to its 2012 counterpart, the new A5 with a 2013 die is noticeably smaller, prompting questions on how Apple has managed to achieve a smaller die without changing fabbing technology.

The full A5 floorplan Chipworks published this morning reveals the culprit: the new die is smaller because the package contains just one ARM CPU core. Now, Apple has always rated the Apple TV as single-core, but previous implementations called for dual-core designs with one core intentionally disabled, though still present.

In removing one CPU core altogether, Apple’s silicon team was able to shrink the die size without having to switch to a more sophisticated fabbing process technology… Read More

 

Apple’s smaller A5 chip is still being fabbed by Samsung

By Christian Zibreg on Mar 12, 2013

As we reported Monday, a retooled version of Apple’s $99 set-top box has been found to have a die-shrunk version of the iPad 2′s A5 chip rather than the A5X package, as previously speculated. Some market watchers even thought the new package is fabbed on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company’s (TSMC) new 28-nanometer process. However, after conducting a thorough analysis of the silicon under sophisticated microscopes, chip wizards over at Chipworks and Silicon-IP have determined that the new A5 package is being fabbed on Samsung’s 32-nanometer process after all… Read More

 

Gullible analyst says no iTV this year because Apple finds 4K display too costly

By Christian Zibreg on Mar 12, 2013

An analyst with a terrible track record wrote in a note to clients issued Tuesday that Apple won’t release a standalone HD TV set in 2013 after all. As much as Apple wanted to, the report has it, the company has allegedly found ultra high-resolution 4K panels to be prohibitively expensive.

You should take this particular analyst’s observations with a healthy dose of skepticism: the same guy called for an Apple-branded HD TV announcement at last year’s WWDC, later mulling full iTV production for August 2012. He repeatedly said iTV was “imminent” (calling it the iPanel), having also missed with an Apple TV related media event (and a bunch of other things that never came to be)… Read More

 

Retooled Apple TV found to have die-shrunk A5, not A5X

By Cody Lee on Mar 10, 2013

Earlier this year, a software update for the Apple TV (5.2) revealed a new device labeled “AppleTV3,2.” After digging through some FCC documents, and some code, it was discovered that it was just a tweaked version of the third-gen ATV with an A5X processor.

Or at least it appeared that way. The retooled set-top box has just begun hitting Apple Stores, and the folks over at MacRumors were able to pick one up and crack one open this weekend. And they’ve determined that its processor is actually a die-shrunk A5 chip… Read More

 

Staples US web store starts selling Apple accessories

By Christian Zibreg on Feb 26, 2013

After test page ads for an Apple TV and other Apple gear appeared on Staples’ United States web store, and following hints Staples execs dropped which pointed to the retailer partnering with Apple on carrying various products in its Stateside locations, the new Apple-focused mini-store has gone live over at the Staples web store.

The company is offering a range of iPad, iPod, iPhone and Mac accessories and peripherals, including mice, keyboards, Apple’s Smart Covers, the $99 Apple TV set-top box, as well as Airport Express, Airport Extreme and Time Capsule wireless appliances… Read More

 

Meet Apple TV’s newest competitor, the Samsung HomeSync

By Cody Lee on Feb 25, 2013

As you’ve probably noticed by now, we’re huge fans of the Apple TV here at iDB. Apple’s set-top box is inexpensive, easy-to-use, and it integrates perfectly with our iOS devices. Plus, older versions of it can be jailbroken.

The device has been doing remarkably well for Apple, despite the fact that it has several competitors. But we’ll see if that hot streak can continue now that Samsung’s throwing its hat in the ring with its new HomeSync… Read More

 
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