Apple TV

Stay up-to-date on the latest Apple TV news and learn how to get the most out of your device with our comprehensive tutorials and guides. Discover new features, troubleshoot issues, and explore the best apps and games for your Apple TV.

How to watch local live TV on Apple TV with an HDHomeRun + antenna combo

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

It is possible to legally watch free over the air terrestrial television via the Apple TV. This can easily be accomplished by connecting an HDHomeRun to your home network along with an ATSC antenna to pull in free over-the-air high definition local channels.

It's basically the equivalent of connecting an antenna to your TV. TVs generally include a tuner built in, which allows the unit to display the channels pulled in from over the air. Wouldn't it be cool, though, if you could broadcast all of those channels on your home network? By using an HDHomeRun, you can easily tap into free high definition television streams via the Apple TV and an app like Kodi. You can even watch live TV on your iPhone, Mac, or other devices.

In this video tutorial, I'll show you how easy it is to get live local channels on your Apple TV. That means you can watch high definition streams for NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, and more. There's no monthly subscription involved, or anything like that, which makes this perfect for cord cutters. Have a look.

Time Warner could be up for sale and Apple is reportedly a possible suitor

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 13, 2016

Time Warner CEO Jeffrey Bewkes told the New York Post on Wednesday that he would entertain a sale of the company and industry sources contended that Apple could be among the possible suitors, with others said to include carrier AT&T, which now owns DirecTV, and Fox.

The rumour is interesting given Apple's failed attempts to create a skinny bundle of programming from existing content partners that was supposed to debut alongside the fourth-generation Apple TV in October 2015.

tvOS 9.2 preview: Bluetooth keyboard support, folders, redesigned App Switcher, and Podcasts app [video + screenshots]

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

Potentially lost in all of the hype over the huge iOS 9.3 beta 1 release, was tvOS 9.2. This release was no slouch either, as it brings a much-wanted addition to the forth generation Apple TV. In this video, I'll showcase many of the new features, including Bluetooth keyboard support, folder support, the redesigned App Switcher, and the new stock Podcasts app. Have a look...

VLC media player lands on Apple TV

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 12, 2016

VLC for Apple TV was supposed to be released back in December, but it took longer than anticipated. As of Tuesday, the application is now available free in the App Store on the fourth-generation Apple TV.

According to Felix Kühne, lead iOS developer for VLC, the app is “a full port of VLC media player combined with platform-specific features” and it supports virtually all formats under the sun, just like its iOS counterpart.

Like Infuse and Plex, VLC permits you to stream audio and video item stored on network-attached drives to your Apple TV, without having to manually convert DIVX, AVI and other “foreign” files into iOS-friendly formats.

Infuse for Apple TV gains custom Favorites graphics, new zooming/sorting options and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 4, 2018

Infuse for Apple TV, a versatile media center app by aTV Flash Black developer FireCore, has received an update in the App Store today, bringing a bunch of welcome additions to the experience. No longer are those media folders you add to Infuse represented by generic icons: you can now add custom artwork to them, letting you pretty up Infuse's menu.

New zoom options have been added for removing encoded black bars, you can now sort your media by filename and rename or remove a Favorite by long-pressing its icon. Read on for the full list of changes in this edition of Infuse.

Apple seeds tvOS 9.2 beta 1 with support for Bluetooth keyboards and app folders

Cody Lee ∙ Updated June 13, 2018

Apple released a slew of developer betas on Wednesday, including iOS 9.3 and tvOS 9.2. This is the first 9.2 beta for tvOS, the operating system for the just-released, fourth-generation Apple TV.

Developers can find the new tvOS beta, which is labeled build 13Y5179e, either over-the-air on an Apple TV set with the previous beta or as a standalone download via Apple's developer portal here.

Apple in talks with NFL to live-stream next season’s London games

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

Apple is in talks with the National Football League regarding streaming rights, reports Reuters. Citing two sources familiar with the situation, the outlet says the iPhone-maker is among a group of tech firms pursuing the opportunity to live-stream 3 NFL games next season.

More specifically, the companies are looking to buy the rights to conduct live streams for all three of the NFL games to be played in London next year. Yahoo hosted a live stream of a single London-based game this season, and by most accounts it was a success for both parties.

All-new iHeartRadio app coming to Apple TV soon with live stations and podcasts

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 5, 2016

iHeartRadio Media announced today at CES 2016 in Las Vegas that a whole new radio-streaming app will be coming to the fourth-generation Apple TV. In addition to a redesigned interface, it will allow users to experience all of the core elements of the service and let them access thousands of live and custom stations, including podcasts.

Both registered and unregistered users will be able to play live and custom radio stations, view For You recommendations, save favorite stations to a brand new My Favorites Radio feature and more, all from the comfort of their couch.

Apple TV expands universal search integration to PBS and PBS Kids

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 3, 2016

Apple's begun allowing developers to implement tvOS's universal search features in their Apple TV apps, beginning with PBS. As first noted by AppleInsider, Siri content queries now produce deep links from both the PBS and PBS Kids apps.

For instance, a Siri query for a PBS show called “Curious George” brings up the regular search results page with a brand new PBS Kids app option alongside the usual iTunes and Netflix choices.

Microsoft said to be considering smaller Xbox to compete with Apple TV

Cody Lee ∙ December 30, 2015

Microsoft is said to be once again looking to create a device that would go head-to-head with the Apple TV and similar products. Citing internal sources, veteran blogger Brad Sams reports (via Business Insider) that the company is considering plans for a "lightweight Xbox One."

The smaller console would feature access to a variety of streaming services, and be capable of playing games from Microsoft's Windows store. Sams believes the device, if it materializes, will launch in the second half of 2016 with a much lower price point than existing Xbox models.

Patents hint that broadcast TV and presence detection features may be coming to Apple TV

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 28, 2015

Apple is researching a pair of interesting new features to give its fourth-generation Apple TV some new smarts and make the box more TV-like. Titled “User detection by a computing device” and “Input device & user interface interactions”, these inventions outline a fresh new user interface for changing channels on an iOS device and a presence-aware remote to keep playing content as long as someone is in the room.

The best apps and games for new Apple TV users

Lory Gil ∙ Updated April 19, 2018

If Santa (or maybe your hard-working, thoughtful spouse) brightened your holiday with Apple's fourth-generation set-top box this year, you've got a big surprise in store for you. Not only can you watch your favorite movies and television shows from such apps as Netflix, Hulu Plus, and HBO Go, but Apple TV 4 has also been updated with its own App Store full of interesting content for your big screen.

If you just unwrapped a new Apple TV and are wondering where to start, we've created a list of the 10 best apps and games for new users.