Apple releases Apple TV "Take 2" software update

Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited January 2014
Apple on Tuesday quietly released its much-anticipated Apple TV "Take 2" software update, which introduces a brand new on-sreen interface and allows users to rent high definition movies directly from their widescreen TVs.



The update is available for existing Apple TV owners by selecting the "Update Software" option under the "Settings" menu. Once selected, the software requires approximately 6 minutes to download on a broadband connection and another 10 to 15 minutes to install. During the install process, it appears as if the Apple TV runs through three distinct update sessions in which the Apple logo and update progress bar will appear, complete an update, and then disappear three times.



With iTunes Movie Rentals and the new Apple TV software update (AppleInsider's First Look), users will be able to just click a button on their remote to rent movies from a catalog of over 1,000 titles, including over 100 titles in high definition video with 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound, with no computer required.



DVD-quality iTunes Movie Rentals are $2.99 for library titles and $3.99 for new releases, and high definition versions are just one dollar more with library titles at $3.99 and new releases at $4.99.



The Apple TV software take 2 software update is available as a free automatic download to all existing Apple TV customers, and will subsequently appear on all newly manufactured versions of the wireless set-top-box.



Apple TV, which includes the Apple Remote, is available for a suggested retail price of $229 for the 40GB model and $329 for the 160GB model (US and Canada). However, Mac Mall is offering free shipping, a $5 instant savings, plus a three percent added discount at checkout (via this link), which brings the cost of the 40GB model down to $217.28 (reflected at checkout).



Apple TV requires an 802.11g/n wireless network or 10/100 Base-T Ethernet networking, a broadband Internet connection and a high definition widescreen TV.



AppleInsider readers are discussing the "Take 2" update in this forum thread.

















































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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 179
    brussellbrussell Posts: 9,812member
    Hmm I haven't seen any of the other Mac sites report this yet.
  • Reply 2 of 179
    Thank God



    Now ATV owners can shutup about it.
  • Reply 3 of 179
    Yay!
  • Reply 4 of 179
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by BRussell View Post


    Hmm I haven't seen any of the other Mac sites report this yet.



    I checked my appletv and the update is there.
  • Reply 5 of 179
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by hmurchison View Post


    Thank God



    Now ATV owners can shutup about it.



    We'll be forever blessed with lengthy discourse on the merits and quality (or lack thereof) of HD movie rentals at 720p.
  • Reply 6 of 179
    gugygugy Posts: 794member
    Nice
  • Reply 7 of 179
    Two minutes left on my download. Anyone know how big the update is? what it weighs in at?
  • Reply 8 of 179
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by eodchop View Post


    Two minutes left on my download. Anyone know how big the update is? what it weighs in at?



    well i read it would take 10 minutes to download but it didnt even take a minute im about 3 minutes into the update and its almost done.
  • Reply 9 of 179
    boogabooga Posts: 1,082member
    Quote:

    ...HD movie rentals at 720p



    ...compressed down to a size that would fit on a DVD, except with worse sound than a DVD...
  • Reply 10 of 179
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Booga View Post


    ...compressed down to a size that would fit on a DVD, except with worse sound than a DVD...



    most of them movies have 5.1 dolby how is that worse then a dvd?
  • Reply 11 of 179
    hmurchisonhmurchison Posts: 12,415member
    Ahhh sound is overrated.



    720p can deliver the goods on fairly large HDTV IMO.





    I'm going to indulge myself by buying a larger LCD for my computer first and then my next AV purchase will be the ATV.
  • Reply 12 of 179
    suhailsuhail Posts: 192member
    I watched the trailer for WALLe in HD, looks very crisp. The download and buffering times have been dramatically reduced too. Awesome



    So when is the next update due? \
  • Reply 13 of 179
    Pretty good week for Apple software/application releases and it's still only Tuesday.
  • Reply 14 of 179
    Whilst its great news for our US cousins, we Brits just have to be Green Eyed Monsters for the time being
  • Reply 15 of 179
    Now that HD rentals are out, Is the bandwidth closer to 3 mbps or 5 mbps,

    to motivate those who are gauging how much money to give to an ISP

    for this service. If much higher than 3 mbps, there won't be much

    instant gratification to be had amongst most DSL users.
  • Reply 16 of 179
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mr Underhill View Post


    Whilst its great news for our US cousins, we Brits just have to be Green Eyed Monsters for the time being



    It was released here in Finland but I have a US account.
  • Reply 17 of 179
    Installed my update.



    Works good, looks good, sounds good. BUT... here I go...



    The new horizontal screen layout only applies to iTunes Store rentals. One of my biggest gripes with the Apple TV has been that it requires a widescreen, Hi-Def TV, but the Movie/TV Show menus are laid out vertically. You get 4-5 small lines of text (this is at the highest resolution setting) to describe the movie and the rest of the text is cut off, usually by up to 50%, and you get room enough for only 2 actors.



    Search only applies to the iTunes store and YouTube. You can't search your own library.



    The horizontal iTunes Store layout would have been common sense for the whole interface and I'm floored that Apple of all companies did not realize this.
  • Reply 18 of 179
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by zanshin View Post


    We'll be forever blessed with lengthy discourse on the merits and quality (or lack thereof) of HD movie rentals at 720p.



    Except that the AppleTV now supports 1080p.
  • Reply 19 of 179
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by sapporobaby View Post


    It was released here in Finland but I have a US account.



    You lucky @@//****
  • Reply 20 of 179
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Booga View Post


    ...compressed down to a size that would fit on a DVD, except with worse sound than a DVD...



    Precisely!!! People see 720p and think that's the quality of the image. I can create a 1080p image that looks worse than a 720p image, those numbers just refer to the dimensions of the frame, not the quality of the image within it. They see 5.1 surround and don't realize that, like mp3s, the audio streams have been compressed. It's all about the quality of the compression. You can't take a 25GB HD movie, compress it down to 2GB(?) and expect it to look just as good. It adds mosquito noise, color banding (and heavy dithering to compensate), loss of detail, and loss of color data.



    People who say "Looks good enough to me" need to rent the same movie on both systems (Blu-ray or HD-DVD vs download) and compare. Freeze frame the same frame and jump back and forth. Play your favorite scene back on both systems (and crank up the surround). Then when you're done, you can spend the rest of the week watching the extras off of the DVD before you send it back to Blockbuster or Netflix.



    AppleTV is great for missed programming. There are 3-4 times in the last year where I missed Tivoing a show. AppleTV makes a lot of sense there. Same with catching up on a series. AppleTV offers a much better viewing experience than sitting in front of your computer screen in those cases.
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