If you asked your mom or dad what DLNA or UPnP stood for or did, would they just look at you weird? While the two technologies enable users to wirelessly beam content to Internet Connected TVs from their tablets, phones, and computers, Apple’s AirPlay is the first implementation that makes the experience seamless. Tap the button again and playback resumes on your root device. No complicated… → Read More
Developers don’t have to wait for a fully baked version of Apple TV to come out to get a feel for how their apps will play on the big screen.
Although an eco-system for Apple TV apps does not yet exist, there are dozens of quality iOS applications that are best consumed on an HDTV via AirPlay Mirroring. Creating apps specific to the leaned-back setting of the living room requires more than… → Read More
With the new AppleTV coming out later this month there’s been quite a bit of discussion about if it would be running on the new iOS system, or something else. The good news is we now know – configuration files in the iOS 4.2 beta have confirmed that the AppleTV will be running iOS. → Read More
Including access to Netflix on the rumored iTV seems like a no-brainer at first — every set-top box worth its salt has it. It’d be suicide not to, right? But then you start thinking about how Apple would probably like nothing more than to launch a full-scale competitor to Netflix in the form of 99¢ rentals. Chances are it was actually a difficult decision to make: it’s like acknowledging… → Read More
Apple has an event on the books for this coming Wednesday and it’s widely expected that Steve-O will announce new iDevices, specifically an iOS-version of the Apple TV and new iPods. Most of the pre-iTV news is purely speculative as we really don’t know much about it, although it should hit at a lower price point and a new cloud-based iTunes should debut alongside the device. Forget about the … → Read More
When looking at the current incarnation of Apple TV we find a tragically flawed device that overshot and underperformed at the same time. Essentially an iPod Classic with HDMI out, the Apple TV had a pitiful hard drive and a useless OS unless hacked. In the end, it was more expensive and more underpowered than anyone liked and competitors quickly filled the niche, offering format agnostic… → Read More
It can be argued that Apple eventually dominates in every consumer electronic market it enters. I’m sure I don’t need to point out the history of iPod, iPhone, and iPad. They are market leaders. However, the one exception is with the Apple TV. It didn’t exactly flop, but the media streamer is far from the blockbuster hit of its iDevice brothers.
That may change once the rumored $99 iTV hits… → Read More
As soon as the rumor broke that Apple would be renaming its struggling Apple TV to iTV, to better fit with the company’s i[Device] naming system, I thought to myself, “Isn’t ITV the name of a television network in England that always misses key goals in soccer games?” Yes, yes it is. In fact, the network isn’t too keen on Apple using the name iTV, and has promised to “vigorously… → Read More
The next version of the Apple TV is coming soon. There’s been a few rumors over the last month that the next version will be around $99 and feature some sort of cloud-based streaming. But that’s about it. Well, the crazy kids over at Engadget apparently have it on good authority that those two rumors are correct and the next Apple TV, or as it will be called, the iTV, is right around the corner. → Read More
The news is a bit aged but Boxee Beta is now on the Apple TV which means folks who updated to the latest ATV firmware can now get their media fix on. How do you get it? Hop over here, make a nice little patchstick, and rock out.
Boxee has full instructions right here and here’s our quick how-to. → Read More
Rumor has it that the rumors of a rumored Apple TV update at the non-rumored Apple music event on September 9 were just rumored and that Piper Jaffray’s Gene Munster was simply pulling more information out of his rear. → Read More
http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2010794&server=vimeo.com&show_title=0&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=8cc641&fullscreen=1quick intro to boxee from boxee on Vimeo. The Boxee application It’s the holidays and you’re short on cash. You want something cool and new to play with but you already spend all your dough on Thomas the Tank Engine stuff… → Read More
Boxee, the excellent, multi-platform, FOSS social media frontend has received a major upgrade: it now supports Netflix and all its functions — queue, watch instantly, and so on. In addition to that and all the regular bugfixes, they’ve updated the look and feel of some of the major media sites: Hulu is now a little more native-looking, Youtube supports “higher quality video… → Read More
We posted some rather complicated instructions over the weekend for users of the AppleTV augmentation app Boxee to manually upgrade. Of course, the official version would come out after only a day or two. Now those of you not terminal-inclined can enjoy the fruits of the box. Did that sound dirty just then? → Read More
As skeptical as I’ve been about AppleTV, Boxee makes it look pretty damn nice. If you’re one of those who tried out this mod but have been left out in the rain by the 2.3 firmware update, this is your chance to get your unrestricted media center on again. They’re working on making the old method of installation work on the new firmware, but until then you can install Boxee… → Read More
So I just updated the AppleTV and fired her up. There were no visual changes in the interface except for a message encouraging you to hold down the Play/Pause button to bring up other options. The options are, in order, Start Genius, Add to On-The-Go, and Cancel. Starting Genius brought up a big honking error. I’d like to take a closer look at the methods used by Genius to take a… → Read More
Hacking the AppleTV to make it ostensibly better has long been an underground hobby of mine. I upgraded my hard drive and tried to add plug-ins but this may be the holy grail of ATV mods. Boxee basically adds full media center capabilities to Steve’s box and turns the old menu into something glorious to behold. → Read More
Always one to kill two birds with one stone, Apple has announced the official availability of the Macbook Air and the fact that the AppleTV update will hit “within two weeks,” which is four weeks from two weeks ago when Stevie said it would be out sooner. Not that we’ve been freaking checking all last night or anything, right? Press Release → Read More
Everyone was happy to hear that the AppleTV was losing a bit of cost, as it was hard to justify getting one before with the features it offered. Now, however, it’s a much better deal (some disagree) and even my skeptical self is tempted. But whence this discount? The margins are as thin as the skin on my teeth. Computerworld speculates that since the discount did not extend to the UK and… → Read More
I really love home theater stuff. I’m a nerd for it. And that means that, perhaps like you, I’ve run out of HDMI ports for my gear. My TV has but one, and I’ve got three different devices that vie for it, much the same as how girls vie for my attention. The solution is the XtremeHD HDMI switcher by the geniuses over at XtremeMac. Looking very much like my Apple TV, the XtremeHD… → Read More
Costco is offering a $50 discount on AppleTVs in stores until the 23rd or 26th of this month depending on who you ask. Considering the upcoming HD content coming to the little guy, you may want to invest in one now while it’s cheap. $50 instant rebate on Apple TV at Costco [AppleTV Source] → Read More
First it was the Mac Mini now it’s the AppleTV. In-car hackers are stuffing the wee, kind of dead set-top box into cars now after hacking it to death and installing outside apps. The result — a slim, fairly quiet machine — makes for a good GPS and media device. The audio is plugged into the aux of my deck. The Apple TV and video convertor are both run off of my 300-watt invertor… → Read More
According to the Apple Fairy, close relative of the Fat Nano Fairy, there’s gonna be a pretty substantial update to iTunes sometime this month that’ll help to bring AppleTV back from the teetering edge of extinction. Apple has apparently placed a gargantuan order for more AppleTV units in anticipation for the upcoming “iTunes HD” or whatever it’ll be called. The name… → Read More
Yeah, duh. Anything Apple does, Microsoft will be there to compete, either directly or indirectly. Now according to SeekingAlpha, the latest item in Microsoft’s cross-hairs is AppleTV. For years, MS has been using its Windows Media Center extender technology to allow devices like the Xbox 360 and your home computer to be turned into Windows Media Center platforms. Though it’s actually… → Read More
Ubergizmo got a chance to play with an in-development 720p networked media player built around the DivX platform. While they compared it to AppleTV, such a device seems more like an orange – it’s dependent upon a host PC, doesn’t have a hard drive, and doesn’t make use of content purchased from an iTunes-like store. All that aside, the device has a couple of… → Read More
So genesis of the iPhone was sometime back in 2005, right? Interestingly, Apple happened to file a continuation on a patent application around that time covering a Universal Remote for controlling a number of home entertainment devices. A touch screen, hand held controller with a dynamic display that interacts with your entertainment appliances for information and can control a growing array of… → Read More
The AppleTV is finally shipping after a month of nail-biting anticipation and most people are excited while others are attempting to justify some reason to order it. I’m still on the fence about shelling out $300, but Gadget Lab’s “5 Reasons Why AppleTV Rules, 5 Reasons Why it Sucks” tells it like it is and backs up some of the reasoning why I think it will change home entertainment. One… → Read More
The first week of Feb. is drawing to a close and the iPhone is still buzzing around the blogosphere like wild fire. In case anyone has forgotten, let me remind you that the AppleTV will be gracing us with its presence on Feb. 20. I’m forced to stop and think about what sort of impact this small, silver, square and every other product from Apple will have on my life and in our homes. Look at… → Read More
If you missed our previous coverage of Apple TV, here’s a second chance to take a look at Apple’s new product that changes the way we can experience our digital media. Apple TV features HDMI, component outputs, built-in 802.11 g/b/n, Ethernet, an Intel CPU, 40GB of space and can support 720p resolution. On top of all that, Apple TV can also wirelessly stream media from up to 5… → Read More
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