The fourth-generation Apple TV has been renamed to Apple TV HD
It’s just a name change (that makes lots of sense, mind you). Aside from that, this is still the good ol’ 1080p streamer with Siri Remote, App Store and other familiar features.
HD
Facebook brings 360 degree photos and 720p video to Messenger
Users of the Messenger service can now send panoramic images taken with their iPhone and HD quality videos, as well as receive them, using the mobile app or the website.
Amazon’s Instant Video for iOS can now stream content in HD and over cellular
Amazon’s Instant Video client for the iPhone and iPad has received an update Thursday, bumping version number to 3.0 and bringing out several improvements to streaming video quality.
Users can now stream Instant Video content on their iOS device through their carrier’s cellular network while controlling their mobile data usage settings. In addition, the ability to watch video streams in high-definition has been added, too.
Apple accused of pushing users to download HD movies on non-HD devices
With the September 2008 release of iTunes 8, Apple along with introducing a slew of new software features started upgrading resolution of movies and television shows sold on the iTunes Store to high-definition 720p. One Apple user has now taken the company to court over what in his view files as fraud, unjust enrichment and violation of consumer protection laws.
A Florida user took issue with iTunes movie downloads, alleging Apple tricked him into buying a pricier $4.99 high-definition version of the Big Daddy movie although his iPhone 3GS did not support playback of HD content. Claiming he was unaware an SD version was available for $3.99, he argues Apple should compensate the “millions” of owners of older hardware who paid a buck more to download HD versions of movies and TV shows…
AT&T will begin rolling out HD Voice support later this year
Last week, T-Mobile announced that it was finally going to start offering the iPhone. It will be selling all current models, with the iPhone 5 starting at just $99 down, and will support the handset’s HD Voice (or Wideband Audio) feature.
In fact, once it launches the iPhone 5 later this month, T-Mobile will be the only US carrier to support its HD Voice option. But it won’t be that way for long. AT&T announced today that it will be rolling out support for the tech later this year…
Tweaked third gen iPad could have improved FaceTime camera
In addition to the iPad mini, and a handful of other announcements, Apple is widely expected to unveil a tweaked version of its current full-sized tablet at its media event tomorrow.
The retooled slate is said to feature a handful of changes, including Apple’s new Lightning connector, a global LTE chip and, if these images are legit, an improved FaceTime camera…
Rumor: next iPhone may feature an HD FaceTime camera
AppleInsider points to a new research note today from KGI’s Mingchi Kuo, an analyst it says is “known for having sources deep within Apple’s supply chain.” The note claims that Apple’s next smartphone could feature a new HD-capable front-facing camera.
The high resolution shooter, which would be a significant upgrade from the current VGA sensor used in the iPhone 4S, would allow users to make higher-quality FaceTime calls, and, according to Kuo, will be repositioned to the center of the handset…
How 1080p content in iTunes compares to Blu-ray
iTunes 1080p movie on the left, Blu-ray movie on the right
The new iPad and the new Apple TV have one thing in common — full HD video. Both products recently received significant hardware upgrades to allow them to playback 1080p content. Heck, the new iPad can even capture its own hi-def videos.
But is full HD video really worth the upgrade? Ars Technica published a report this morning aiming to answer that very question. The site takes a look at the difference between iTunes files encoded in 720p and 1080p. And 1080p versus Blu-ray…
Dual-Core A5 Apple TV Leaked in iOS 5 Beta
The code ninjas at 9to5Mac have uncovered references to a new, more powerful Apple TV in the iOS 5 beta.
Since Apple started implementing the faster A5 processor in products like the iPad 2 and iPhone 4S, we’ve all been wondering when the Apple TV will see a specs bump. Practically, a move to the A5 chip in the Apple TV would mean that 1080p video content is coming to Apple’s beloved set-top box…
Apple Reportedly Launching 3 HDTV Models Next Year
Would you buy an Apple TV set? That’s the billion dollar question I’m sure Steve Jobs and company are asking themselves right now, as speculation continues to suggest that Apple is bringing an HDTV to market in the not-so-distant future.
While the Cupertino company has identified their interests in the TV industry as “a hobby,” there have been several reports over the last 12 months that indicate they are about to take it to the next level. So what could Apple do to make their TV set better than the competition?
Record Video Instantly From Your iPhone’s Home Screen with Capture
With Apple’s iPhone 4 possessing one of the best cameras for recording HD video around, it’s understandable that we all want to get as much use out of it as possible.
The only problem with the iOS Camera app is it’s just so slow to access. Add in the time taken to tap the icon for changing from still to camera mode, and chances are you’ve just missed whatever it was you wanted to film in the first place.
Capture is an App Store app that offers a much quicker way to record video on the iPhone, without the need to sit and wait for Apple’s own app to go through the motions…
1080p Video Playback Finally Coming in iOS 5
An interesting tidbit has been uncovered in the iOS 5 beta relating to HD video playback. It appears that iDevices will finally be able to playback HD video at a full, 1080p resolution.
Specifically, the iPad 2 has been confirmed to have the ability to playback full, 1080p video in the Videos app. In the past, iTunes wouldn’t even allow the syncing of 1080p video to an iDevice.