Will apps be able to be written to be cross platform compatible with iTV? Might be tough with all the different resolutions
iPhone 4 - 960x640
iPhone 3g/Touch - 480x320
iPad - 1024x768
TV - 1280x720 or 1920x1080
Just like iPhone apps running on an iPad, the iTV would likely just center the natural app resolution within the TV image, with the (1x) and (2x) options where appropriate.
Wouldn't it be fun to use an iPhone or iPod Touch as a controller? So you can steer and control a racing game you're playing through AppleTV on a TV...
ISafari would benefit from a cursor, because websites aren't fomatted for the TV.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PaulMJohnson
I've yet to be sold on the idea of browsing the web on the TV anyway. I've got it on the PS3, but think it's hopeless. Just find reading text like that on something so far away weird!
It?s possible to format websites* to be idealized for a 10-Foot UI but I think it would have to be pretty popular for websites to do so, and even then there are still limitations that can?t match the speed and complexity that cursor or your finger can use over a simple remote.
Why is everybody under the impression that because the new Apple TV can access the App Store it can also run those apps? Couldn't it just mean you can browse the App Store and purchase/download apps? Of course then those apps would have to be transfered to your Mac or PC and when you plug in your iDevice, the apps get installed. But that should be no problem. If Apple TV can access existing files on your computer it should be able to put them there too. So, not to rain on everybody's parade, why does anybody want to run their iPhone apps on their TV? Or more precisely, why would Apple invent this complex/cumbersome system for allowing you to view your iPhone's video output on your TV when you could just buy the existing cable they've already placed on the market?
Why is everybody under the impression that because the new Apple TV can access the App Store it can also run those apps? Couldn't it just mean you can browse the App Store and purchase/download apps? Of course then those apps would have to be transfered to your Mac or PC and when you plug in your iDevice, the apps get installed. But that should be no problem. If Apple TV can access existing files on your computer it should be able to put them there too. So, not to rain on everybody's parade, why does anybody want to run their iPhone apps on their TV? Or more precisely, why would Apple invent this complex/cumbersome system for allowing you to view your iPhone's video output on your TV when you could just buy the existing cable they've already placed on the market?
I think most of us are under the impression that if it?s iOS-based and has access to the App Store that it will have apps specifically built for it, not run IPhone and iPad apps. Look at how poorly iPhone apps look on the iPad, and that has the same input method. There is no feasible argument to suggest that Apple will simply let these apps run wild on a widescreen, landscaped HDTV that can be several feet across.
Just like iPhone apps running on an iPad, the iTV would likely just center the natural app resolution within the TV image, with the (1x) and (2x) options where appropriate.
Thompson
Going from iPhone 3.5" to iPad 9.7" is one thing, going to 42" TV might be pushing it.
Everyone seems to assume that iTV will be the same old box with new guts. But if it is true that App Store games are to be a factor, maybe this new device will be a specialized version of the iPad--the iPadTV. This solves the the gaming touch control issue, the accelerometer issue, and is reinforced by the rumor that it will have no hard drive. It also consolidates the iPod's role as the "preferred" remote for your home media devices.
I think the point of the 99cent tv rentals is not to replace your cable box but to provide a different service altogether. Missed last nights favourite tv show? Download it to your iPod/iPhone/iPad and watch it on the bus/train, etc. This would simply be another differentiator for iOS devices versus Android, etc. Steve Jobs has said repeatedly that Apple doesn't make any money from iTunes, it's simply there to stimulate demand for iOS hardware.
Apple makes money from iTunes. Only reason they'll have 99c shows is because they couldn't get subscriptions. A sky+ killer needs a subscription. Apps might be the key to that though. Who knows? The studios still hold the cards.
Then must put a cursor, think of a Macbook trackpad with the screen being the TV. So you need a cursor. Only when using an iphone/ipod/ipad has the remote can you get rid of the cursor.
You don't need a cursor. It's this simple: For the $99 you get this new Apple TV with a simple remote ilk now. And on stage some guys like Netflix demo apps you can use with this simple remote. You can even play simple games with this remote. But to play full on games you need either an iPod touch, an ephor or an iPad. The other possibility is the remote doubles as a decent games controller.
Yeah, the success of Apple TV running iOS would be completely dependent on the support it recieves. if major networks hold out, it won't be as useful as it could be. It's not even a given that hulu would make it onto this device.
iOS merely provides the platform for change.
Yeah, true. But this kind of platform would be something totally new. I couldn't see it being ignored. I could see it getting ugly fast though. E-mailing from the TV sounds ridiculous. I hope Apple keeps crap like this off the Apple TV App Store and only approves TV-relevant apps.
Apple was granted a patent earlier this year (applied for in 2005) for a touchscreen device that sensed proximity and movement of objects close to the screen:
It sounds like the same technology could be used to create a MagicTrackpad-like remote, which could sense fingers/thumbs near the surface, and register touches/gestures like the trackpad already does. The difference would be that, instead of controlling a pointer with one finger down (like on OSX), it could track multiple fingers while in the air (only at close proximity of course) and pressed down, and you could see where your fingers are by looking at the screen (maybe it could be a small circle like on the Wii that could change color when contact is made).
No need for a display on the remote. Full multi-touch, accelerometer, etc. functionality would be great though. However, a screen could be added to provide enhanced controls, which would make it a proximity-sensing iPod Touch that doubles as a proximity-sensing MagicTrackpad for iTV.
I'd have to try it out, but I could see this potentially being a very good experience, maybe better than a iPhone/Pod/Pad, because your view wouldn't be blocked as much by your fingers, and it would make large screens easy to operate as a touchscreen. The only question is how natural and easy it would feel in practice.
Can anyone comment on the likelihood that such a technology is fully developed now? Is this similar to the MS Surface? Would the sensors be too expensive or not accurate enough, or the processing too complex?
I've yet to be sold on the idea of browsing the web on the TV anyway. I've got it on the PS3, but think it's hopeless. Just find reading text like that on something so far away weird!
I hope you don't watch any movies or play any video games with subtitles then
I think that although its hard to picture it without having heard the details about the way the iTv will interact with i-devices, I can still imagine apps being scaled up for the tv with the ability to use the accelerometers and display from your iPhone etc.
For instance, driving games, even casual ones could be easily pulled off by having a display of your wheel on your iPhone and then a split-screen or similar on the iTv.
Either way, the idea of having iOS on it gets the thumbs up from me as it will make it something recognisable and quite cool to use. I'm sorting out my metadata as I write this
On the control front if we have an iDevice (iPod Touch, iPhone, iPad or even Trackpad) with our fingers on it then why would the new Apple TV not show the finger positions as translucent overlaps on the TV screen.
The direct display touch devices and the track pad devices are fundamentally different. Drawing dots on the screen where you're touching does nothing to make them equivalent. Consider this: if an app displays a button that activates when you touch it, on a direct display touch device you just touch what you see. On a track pad device you have to guess where to touch, see where the dot appears, correct the position, then click. These are two fundamentally different mechanisms and cannot transparently be converted between. Use an iPad/iPhone and then switch to/from a track pad device, and pay attention to how they work differently.
The magic trackpad isn't appropriate for living room use either... to click it properly it has to be on a hard surface, so holding it like a living room remote doesn't work (or at the very least, its a horrid experience that I can't imagine Apple accepting).
The accelerometer issue is another problem, of course... the sensors would have to be built into the remote control, like the WiiMote. This is possible, and possibly cost effective these days. I remain dubious about whether Apple will choose to do this, however.
Comments
Will apps be able to be written to be cross platform compatible with iTV? Might be tough with all the different resolutions
iPhone 4 - 960x640
iPhone 3g/Touch - 480x320
iPad - 1024x768
TV - 1280x720 or 1920x1080
Just like iPhone apps running on an iPad, the iTV would likely just center the natural app resolution within the TV image, with the (1x) and (2x) options where appropriate.
Thompson
ISafari would benefit from a cursor, because websites aren't fomatted for the TV.
I've yet to be sold on the idea of browsing the web on the TV anyway. I've got it on the PS3, but think it's hopeless. Just find reading text like that on something so far away weird!
It?s possible to format websites* to be idealized for a 10-Foot UI but I think it would have to be pretty popular for websites to do so, and even then there are still limitations that can?t match the speed and complexity that cursor or your finger can use over a simple remote.
Why is everybody under the impression that because the new Apple TV can access the App Store it can also run those apps? Couldn't it just mean you can browse the App Store and purchase/download apps? Of course then those apps would have to be transfered to your Mac or PC and when you plug in your iDevice, the apps get installed. But that should be no problem. If Apple TV can access existing files on your computer it should be able to put them there too. So, not to rain on everybody's parade, why does anybody want to run their iPhone apps on their TV? Or more precisely, why would Apple invent this complex/cumbersome system for allowing you to view your iPhone's video output on your TV when you could just buy the existing cable they've already placed on the market?
I think most of us are under the impression that if it?s iOS-based and has access to the App Store that it will have apps specifically built for it, not run IPhone and iPad apps. Look at how poorly iPhone apps look on the iPad, and that has the same input method. There is no feasible argument to suggest that Apple will simply let these apps run wild on a widescreen, landscaped HDTV that can be several feet across.
I still don't get why Apple won't release the FULL Apple TV interface for Front Row for all regular Macs?!
Good question.
I have been wanting this for a while now.
I would think it would make sense to create a uniform viewer experience across all systems.
Just like iPhone apps running on an iPad, the iTV would likely just center the natural app resolution within the TV image, with the (1x) and (2x) options where appropriate.
Thompson
Going from iPhone 3.5" to iPad 9.7" is one thing, going to 42" TV might be pushing it.
Everyone seems to assume that iTV will be the same old box with new guts. But if it is true that App Store games are to be a factor, maybe this new device will be a specialized version of the iPad--the iPadTV. This solves the the gaming touch control issue, the accelerometer issue, and is reinforced by the rumor that it will have no hard drive. It also consolidates the iPod's role as the "preferred" remote for your home media devices.
This comment makes no sense.
I think the point of the 99cent tv rentals is not to replace your cable box but to provide a different service altogether. Missed last nights favourite tv show? Download it to your iPod/iPhone/iPad and watch it on the bus/train, etc. This would simply be another differentiator for iOS devices versus Android, etc. Steve Jobs has said repeatedly that Apple doesn't make any money from iTunes, it's simply there to stimulate demand for iOS hardware.
Apple makes money from iTunes. Only reason they'll have 99c shows is because they couldn't get subscriptions. A sky+ killer needs a subscription. Apps might be the key to that though. Who knows? The studios still hold the cards.
Then must put a cursor, think of a Macbook trackpad with the screen being the TV. So you need a cursor. Only when using an iphone/ipod/ipad has the remote can you get rid of the cursor.
You don't need a cursor. It's this simple: For the $99 you get this new Apple TV with a simple remote ilk now. And on stage some guys like Netflix demo apps you can use with this simple remote. You can even play simple games with this remote. But to play full on games you need either an iPod touch, an ephor or an iPad. The other possibility is the remote doubles as a decent games controller.
Yeah, the success of Apple TV running iOS would be completely dependent on the support it recieves. if major networks hold out, it won't be as useful as it could be. It's not even a given that hulu would make it onto this device.
iOS merely provides the platform for change.
Yeah, true. But this kind of platform would be something totally new. I couldn't see it being ignored. I could see it getting ugly fast though. E-mailing from the TV sounds ridiculous. I hope Apple keeps crap like this off the Apple TV App Store and only approves TV-relevant apps.
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles...ty_sensor.html
It sounds like the same technology could be used to create a MagicTrackpad-like remote, which could sense fingers/thumbs near the surface, and register touches/gestures like the trackpad already does. The difference would be that, instead of controlling a pointer with one finger down (like on OSX), it could track multiple fingers while in the air (only at close proximity of course) and pressed down, and you could see where your fingers are by looking at the screen (maybe it could be a small circle like on the Wii that could change color when contact is made).
No need for a display on the remote. Full multi-touch, accelerometer, etc. functionality would be great though. However, a screen could be added to provide enhanced controls, which would make it a proximity-sensing iPod Touch that doubles as a proximity-sensing MagicTrackpad for iTV.
I'd have to try it out, but I could see this potentially being a very good experience, maybe better than a iPhone/Pod/Pad, because your view wouldn't be blocked as much by your fingers, and it would make large screens easy to operate as a touchscreen. The only question is how natural and easy it would feel in practice.
Can anyone comment on the likelihood that such a technology is fully developed now? Is this similar to the MS Surface? Would the sensors be too expensive or not accurate enough, or the processing too complex?
I've yet to be sold on the idea of browsing the web on the TV anyway. I've got it on the PS3, but think it's hopeless. Just find reading text like that on something so far away weird!
I hope you don't watch any movies or play any video games with subtitles then
I hope you don't watch any movies or play any video games with subtitles then
You can't compare that... Subtitles are HUGE(like GIANT huge) in comparison with fonts in a webbrowser.
For instance, driving games, even casual ones could be easily pulled off by having a display of your wheel on your iPhone and then a split-screen or similar on the iTv.
Either way, the idea of having iOS on it gets the thumbs up from me as it will make it something recognisable and quite cool to use. I'm sorting out my metadata as I write this
you can't compare that... Subtitles are huge(like giant huge) in comparison with fonts in a webbrowser.
Usually
On the control front if we have an iDevice (iPod Touch, iPhone, iPad or even Trackpad) with our fingers on it then why would the new Apple TV not show the finger positions as translucent overlaps on the TV screen.
The direct display touch devices and the track pad devices are fundamentally different. Drawing dots on the screen where you're touching does nothing to make them equivalent. Consider this: if an app displays a button that activates when you touch it, on a direct display touch device you just touch what you see. On a track pad device you have to guess where to touch, see where the dot appears, correct the position, then click. These are two fundamentally different mechanisms and cannot transparently be converted between. Use an iPad/iPhone and then switch to/from a track pad device, and pay attention to how they work differently.
The magic trackpad isn't appropriate for living room use either... to click it properly it has to be on a hard surface, so holding it like a living room remote doesn't work (or at the very least, its a horrid experience that I can't imagine Apple accepting).
The accelerometer issue is another problem, of course... the sensors would have to be built into the remote control, like the WiiMote. This is possible, and possibly cost effective these days. I remain dubious about whether Apple will choose to do this, however.