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.

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

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

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

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

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

NFL

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

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

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

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

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

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.

How to install Kodi on the new Apple TV 4

It's been a while in the making, but it is now possible to install Kodi on tvOS. Granted, this is a very early tutorial, and Kodi for Apple TV 4 is still in the pre-pre-alpha stages, but it does work, although not perfectly yet.

Still, the fact that we can even get Kodi on the Apple TV without jailbreaking is a win in itself. In this video tutorial, I'll show you how to install Kodi on the new Apple TV running tvOS.

RadioShack selling 32GB Apple TV + HDMI cable bundle for $119.98 online

A few days ago, we told you about an in-store promotion that RadioShack was running to sell the Apple TV for $50 off its retail price. Today, RadioShack is still discounting the Apple TV, and this time you can purchase the popular set top box via RadioShack's online store.

True, it's not as cheap as the $99 price of the earlier deal, and you'll still need to pony up for taxes where necessary, but it's still a big savings over the retail price of a 32GB Apple TV. Best of all, you don't even have to leave your couch to take advantage of the savings.