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Apple television said to run on customized chips like iPhone, iPad - Page 2

post #41 of 68
12/28/11 at 10:35am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hellacool View Post

Agreed, I am not talking to my TV...

Really? I'd use Siri all the time. Right now trying to search for and find a show I want to watch is excrutiatingly slow with a remote. Being able to say something simple like "Show me upcoming episodes of Law & Order" is going to be far easier and quicker than existing methods (using your remote).

Same thing with recordings. I record a lot of stuff (along with the rest of my family) and can easily have over 100 shows on my PVR. Why scroll through a huge list of recorded shows when I can simply say "Show me recordings of Law & Order" or better yet "Show me recordings of Law & Order I haven't watched yet" or "Resume the last Law & Order episode" if I stopped halfway through.

How about something like "Show me Dad's recordings" so I can see my stuff without having to look through the countless Oprah episodes my wife recorded or the umpteen kids shows my children record?

I have yet to see someone suggest a method other than Siri that would let me find what I want and do it faster or easier than Siri potentially could. If you know of something easier, then I'd love to hear it.

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post #42 of 68
12/28/11 at 10:41am
Quote:
Originally Posted by EricTheHalfBee View Post

Really? I'd use Siri all the time. Right now trying to search for and find a show I want to watch is excrutiatingly slow with a remote. Being able to say something simple like "Show me upcoming episodes of Law & Order" is going to be far easier and quicker than existing methods (using your remote).

Same thing with recordings. I record a lot of stuff (along with the rest of my family) and can easily have over 100 shows on my PVR. Why scroll through a huge list of recorded shows when I can simply say "Show me recordings of Law & Order" or better yet "Show me recordings of Law & Order I haven't watched yet" or "Resume the last Law & Order episode" if I stopped halfway through.

How about something like "Show me Dad's recordings" so I can see my stuff without having to look through the countless Oprah episodes my wife recorded or the umpteen kids shows my children record?

I have yet to see someone suggest a method other than Siri that would let me find what I want and do it faster or easier than Siri potentially could. If you know of something easier, then I'd love to hear it.

For simple commands like channel or volume up or down it's use becomes pointless for most, but for complex commands that take users minutes to execute and require a lot of hunting it could be very useful. Like when you use Siri to set up a location-based reminder.

Telling Siri to record season x episode y of a show the next time it airs or list all episodes of a show in order as they air would be very handy.

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post #43 of 68
12/28/11 at 10:42am
Quote:
Originally Posted by satcomer View Post

Siri or good voice control for the TV?

I still can;t believe the small TV sizes the rumors are about. That is what it makes me pause.

Pause... Me too. I just can't believe Apple would go 37" when nobody who can afford Apple prices would buy less than 40"+ for their living room. 55" would be my liking for the living room.

I think if they go IPTV only and go with under 40", they will fail no matter how great it works.

An IPTV without a compatible built-in cable tuner equals fail for many who are capped. I have Time Warner Cable TV and Internet. It's unlimited now but if Apple does IPTV only they will cap it or slow it down so IPTVs run like sh*t. TWC is not going to allow losing their pay per-view or cable TV to IPTV. Apple is going to have to partner with the ISPs to make it work.
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post #44 of 68
12/28/11 at 10:58am
Quote:
Originally Posted by al_bundy View Post

unless you only watch blu-ray on those huge screens the quality of the picture drops a lot after 47" or so. HD content looks OK depending on the channel. SD looks like crap.

All things are relative they say. I avoid SD like the plague other than older home made vids of the wife but 1080p looks great on my 60" and the 80" I was watching looked stunning. Of course the day will come when 1080p will be considered SD and we will be enjoying HD as 4.5K with 1920p.
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post #45 of 68
12/28/11 at 11:01am
Quote:
Originally Posted by amador_o View Post

I still think AppleTv will have to have coax for over the air... I'm not wasting bandwith on local channels that I can get for free....

As a technical matter, Apple would not be able to call it a TV if it does not include a terrestrial OTA tuner. This was the result of a battle that was waged about a decade ago over how these big screen devices could be labeled. Without a tuner it had to be called a monitor.

[WiFi in the screen device and a HDHomeRun device would allow local stations to be viewed with coax cable connected to the HDHomeRun device rather than the screen but the screen would still be a monitor rather than a TV. Details not addressed.]
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post #46 of 68
12/28/11 at 11:02am
Quote:
Originally Posted by amador_o View Post

. . .As far as size, my largest screen is 46", and I wish it was a 40" or 42". I know I'm going to piss off a lot of people saying this, but those giant screens are tacky.

I agree with you, but maybe it's also because I (and Apple?) think that manufactured programming of any kind, that is, television, is tacky.

What Steve Jobs "cracked," the go-to-market strategy he was looking for, is maybe an end run around the canned entertainment model that's been with us since Amos 'n' Andy on the radio in the 1920s. Maybe what he saw was that YouTube and Facebook are harbingers of a potentially more compelling video diet based on crowdsourced communication between individuals, rather than the masses feeding at the troughs of the traditional Content Providers.

The small screen sizes hint at the other part of the equation. These are personal, not group screens. What would make them compelling to watch?

I am risking my already shaky reputation on the answer: 3D. Autostereoscopic screens -- that's why they're so small, relatively. Good enough for one or two people to get the 3D without glasses. Add two-lensed iPhones or iPod touches for stereo movie-making and FaceTime -- genlocked by the way -- and you have a typical Apple breakthrough-product ecosystem. Pixar and other 3D studios can fill the gaps until people get stereo competent.

"Cracked" indeed. Or I am.
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post #47 of 68
12/28/11 at 11:07am
Quote:
Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post

So you're okay if they cut off/cap your data, but not okay if they give you an option to buy more? I'm okay with reasonable caps and additional charges, it's throttling I don't want.

I think I didn't make myself clear. I have no problem with them putting an upper limit on what is included in my monthly charge, then charging me incrementally if I go beyond that (I subscribe to the idea that those who use more should pay more).

What I object to are the prices they are talking about for going over the limit. As I mentioned, it costs ISP's about 1c/Gb, so I object to them trying to charges tens of dollars for an extra 50Gb.
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post #48 of 68
12/28/11 at 11:38am
Quote:
Originally Posted by juggernaut30 View Post

An Apple TV will never work. It's just a big iPad.

With an ATSC tuner because it is required by US law.
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post #49 of 68
12/28/11 at 11:46am
Quote:
Originally Posted by digitalclips View Post

THis will be interesting for sure. I just worry they will make them large enough. Many like me with 50 -60 inch screens are not going down in size for the main living room, in fact I'd love to go up in size. I have not recovered since seeing the Sharp 80 inch in Sam's Club just before Christmas

For those that already own a TV, I don't think they will buy an Apple TV regardless of size.
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post #50 of 68
12/28/11 at 12:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by pt123 View Post

For those that already own a TV, I don't think they will buy an Apple TV regardless of size.

Naw. Lots and lots of people will buy anything and everything Apple.

Especially if it promises simplicity and ease of use and elimination of the bulky surround sound system and cable box and VCR and DVD and BluRay and all those damned ugly wires.
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post #51 of 68
12/28/11 at 12:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by pt123 View Post

For those that already own a TV, I don't think they will buy an Apple TV regardless of size.

I recall smart phone owners at the time saying the same about the rumors of a phone coming from Apple.
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post #52 of 68
12/28/11 at 12:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by pt123 View Post

For those that already own a TV, I don't think they will buy an Apple TV regardless of size.

Maybe the small size is a calculated strategy to put the first models in bedrooms, dorm rooms, apartments or replace the last remaining tube sets. Apple probably realizes that people who already have an investment in a large screen TV in the living room are not likely to replace them just because Apple launches a new TV. What would you do with your existing 50" TV if you bought a new Apple giant screen? It is too big to put in the bedroom.

I already have a smaller full 1080 HD in my kitchen but I might replace it and move the old one to the guest bedroom. As methodical as Apple is you know they are considering all the angles. Everyone has some sort of TV. It just comes down to the logistics of introducing another TV into the home.

Maybe small is the new big!

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post #53 of 68
12/28/11 at 1:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr Squid View Post

This is an oversimplification, but I wonder if Apple is all that interested in the monster tv market. Apple's primary fan base is urban hipsters, and they tend not to live in McMansions. They tend to live in in places where small tvs make sense.

I think the thing you are not thinking of here is that the definition of a "small TV" changes all the time.

So in fact you are right, but a "small" TV nowadays is anything less than 50" or so. It will probably mean anything less than 60" a year from now. Also most "flat-screen" TV's are now just a couple of inches thick at most. Last year's state of the art 42" flat-screen is this years "kinda thick" cheap midrange TV.
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post #54 of 68
12/28/11 at 1:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by pt123 View Post

With an ATSC tuner because it is required by US law.

There is no law, US or otherwise, that says you have to have a cable tuner in a TV.
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post #55 of 68
12/28/11 at 1:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Prof. Peabody View Post

There is no law, US or otherwise, that says you have to have a cable tuner in a TV.

I thought the FCC said Televisions after a certain date of a certain size and up have to have an ATSC in preparation for Analog to Digital cut. I suppose Apple could choose not to classify it as a Television when seeking whatever government blessings are necessary to get it to market.

I like the idea of a monitor only since I haven't used an internal tuner in a decade or so. I could see Apple doing this, add the AppleTV3 guts and HT passthrough for external appliances.

All that said, I'm not replacing a 65" until Apple offers something close to as good with their interface/subscription.
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post #56 of 68
12/28/11 at 1:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Prof. Peabody View Post

There is no law, US or otherwise, that says you have to have a cable tuner in a TV.

Sounds like there are very specific laws from the FCC that govern turners in TVs.
I'm not sure what a cable tuner is. I assume you just mean tuner.

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post #57 of 68
12/28/11 at 2:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Prof. Peabody View Post

There is no law, US or otherwise, that says you have to have a cable tuner in a TV.

No cable tuner is required. However, in the US any TV manufactured after 2007 requires an ATSC tuner.
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post #58 of 68
12/28/11 at 2:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post


I'm not sure what a cable tuner is. I assume you just mean tuner.

US cable tuner is QAM tuner.
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post #59 of 68
12/28/11 at 2:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by pt123 View Post

US cable tuner is QAM tuner.

Cool. That's what I needed for my query.

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post #60 of 68
12/28/11 at 2:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by digitalclips View Post

I recall smart phone owners at the time saying the same about the rumors of a phone coming from Apple.

Sure, just make it a subsidized $200 like a smartphone and count me in.
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post #61 of 68
12/28/11 at 4:05pm
The key is not about displays or technology, it's about making TV simple again.
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post #62 of 68
12/28/11 at 5:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by studentx View Post

The key is not about displays or technology, it's about making TV simple again.

Gawd. Is there an Occupy TV movement? All I thought of when I read this is it'll be made for the 99% who couldn't set the VCR clock. Maybe that's why DVD players stopped coming with them¿ If that's the goal, count me 99% + 1% out.

Edit: Is there such a thing as a needful insult?
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post #63 of 68
12/28/11 at 5:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by pt123 View Post

US cable tuner is QAM tuner.

This reminds me of those Verizon FioS ads that have the dude in the truck saying to the kid, "It's true QAM." Made it sound so this century...
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post #64 of 68
12/28/11 at 6:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Prof. Peabody View Post

I think the thing you are not thinking of here is that the definition of a "small TV" changes all the time.

So in fact you are right, but a "small" TV nowadays is anything less than 50" or so. It will probably mean anything less than 60" a year from now. Also most "flat-screen" TV's are now just a couple of inches thick at most. Last year's state of the art 42" flat-screen is this years "kinda thick" cheap midrange TV.

The public perception of what constitutes a small tv may change over time, but the physical space available for tv in many urban homes does not. An 80" tv has a diagonal of about two metres, which is larger than the available wall space in some homes. This is not a problem for suburbanites who live in McMansions, but it may be a problem for creative hipster barista types who live in studio apartments and basement suites, and they are more of Apple's target market than middle aged dads are. And let's not forget that many younger people are used to watching tv on laptops and ipads, so a 37" tv is a big step up for them.
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post #65 of 68
12/29/11 at 12:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr Squid View Post

The public perception of what constitutes a small tv may change over time, but the physical space available for tv in many urban homes does not. An 80" tv has a diagonal of about two metres, which is larger than the available wall space in some homes. This is not a problem for suburbanites who live in McMansions, but it may be a problem for creative hipster barista types who live in studio apartments and basement suites, and they are more of Apple's target market than middle aged dads are. And let's not forget that many younger people are used to watching tv on laptops and ipads, so a 37" tv is a big step up for them.

In terms of what one might put in a room, it's still smaller than a three seat sofa. It doesn't take a McMansion to have space for an 80" screen, that's worthless hyperbole.
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post #66 of 68
12/29/11 at 1:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr Squid View Post

And let's not forget that many younger people are used to watching tv on laptops and ipads, so a 37" tv is a big step up for them.

2 years ago I bought a 40" but thought it was too big. Sold it last year and got a 37" which, for my taste, is the right size. Then again, I don't live in the States and hardly ever watch TV. Perhaps one a week, and only the news or a movie. No series. For many people in Europe a 60" is just overkill, even if they watch daily.
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post #67 of 68
12/29/11 at 5:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChristophB View Post

Gawd. Is there an Occupy TV movement? All I thought of when I read this is it'll be made for the 99% who couldn't set the VCR clock. Maybe that's why DVD players stopped coming with them? If that's the goal, count me 99% + 1% out.

Edit: Is there such a thing as a needful insult?

In itself, a DVD player doesn't need a clock for anything it does. VCRs had clocks so the user could program a timed recording. DVD decks didn't need recording capability so much, early decks only played, and by the time the technology was ready, hard drive PVRs took on the job and can set their own clocks.
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post #68 of 68
12/29/11 at 7:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Flaneur View Post

I agree with you, but maybe it's also because I (and Apple?) think that manufactured programming of any kind, that is, television, is tacky.

What Steve Jobs "cracked," the go-to-market strategy he was looking for, is maybe an end run around the canned entertainment model that's been with us since Amos 'n' Andy on the radio in the 1920s. Maybe what he saw was that YouTube and Facebook are harbingers of a potentially more compelling video diet based on crowdsourced communication between individuals, rather than the masses feeding at the troughs of the traditional Content Providers.

The small screen sizes hint at the other part of the equation. These are personal, not group screens. What would make them compelling to watch?

I am risking my already shaky reputation on the answer: 3D. Autostereoscopic screens -- that's why they're so small, relatively. Good enough for one or two people to get the 3D without glasses. Add two-lensed iPhones or iPod touches for stereo movie-making and FaceTime -- genlocked by the way -- and you have a typical Apple breakthrough-product ecosystem. Pixar and other 3D studios can fill the gaps until people get stereo competent.

"Cracked" indeed. Or I am.

Hmmm very interesting post. Just like Apple to go the completely unexpected direction. Maybe later they might get bigger screens, but for now everything you say makes some sense. Yes, Personal TV.

I loathe TV yet want TV. I WISH there was some good video content to watch. Just got an Apple TV even though we already have a Mini hooked up, the Apple TV makes it easier to get to the alternative crowd sourced stuff you mention. There are 'channels' and podcasts that are almost watchable.

If I could tell those indie creators only one thing it would be 'check the audio and use a better microphone' ! (Even the big studios don't get the importance of clear audio. Drives me nuts, 20 wardrobe assistants in the credits yet only one boom pole microphone operator for a 40M film!)

I am bored with lots of content out there, including Netflix, except for some of their Sundance films or documentaries.

One day all the junk we watch now will be only minor flavors in a giant soup of New Talent. Real Writers can write real stories, Digital houses will put together something besides safe sequels. Some kid we've never heard of will be a video genius and wont be stopped by the big producers. The day cannot come fast enough. Heh. Apple.
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