1) This rumour, if true, would be more shocking if it didn’t happen. Netflix streaming and iTS video downloads do serve different purposes. If one argues that they crossover too much, I would ask if Apple cared about YouTube on iDevices and the AppleTV would kill music video purchases on the iTS.
2) I still can’t see how this could be $99 with Apple still getting their typical low-end net profit. I can see $150, but not $99, even with 720p as the maximum video output. If this rumour is true I will be anxious to see the internals.
3) Speaking of 720p, I have a heard time believing that even Apple would release a new AppleTV without 1080p, unless they also plan to release a flagship AppleTV with local storage, etc.
Is there any reason why the next round of iPods can't act as Apple TV's? Maybe there will be no specific ITV device. Thats one way to force adoption!
I do not own an Apple TV, and I know little about the product, so I'm guessing out loud here. Processors should be able to handle 1080p nowadays, strap a HDMI connector on an iPod and away ya go.
It's a little weird that evert device in the house can stream Netflix: TV, Blu-ray, iPhone, iPad, computer, my watch, eyelids, ice dispenser... hell, even my dog will stream Netflix soon. Too bad most new releases aren't available when the DVD/BD is.
Yeah, Netflix streaming is a ripoff. Nothing interesting available. Simply a front for their mail-in service.
I guess they realized, after all, that the studios are not the easiest people in the world to negotiate with.
This Bloomberg piece has a good explanation of why the networks have been reluctant to provide content for a cable-killer subscription package:
Quote:
A subscription service with Apple would have jeopardized the TV networks? chances of getting higher retransmission fees from TV-system operators, RBC Capital?s Bank said. The four big broadcast networks -- Fox, NBC, CBS and ABC -- receive about $250 million a year in so-called retransmission fees industrywide, he said. That number will balloon to several billion dollars within five years, Bank said.
?If you?re running a TV network, you don?t want to upset the existing ecosystem broadly by starting a rival subscription service with Apple,? he said. ?You want to look for ways to drive incremental revenue.?
That is how I see it, too. There is surely a turning point but I think they need to tread lightly because these cable companies paying these huge fees to networks are also providing internet.
Is there any reason why the next round of iPods can't act as Apple TV's? Maybe there will be no specific ITV device. Thats one way to force adoption!
I do not own an Apple TV, and I know little about the product, so I'm guessing out loud here. Processors should be able to handle 1080p nowadays, strap a HDMI connector on an iPod and away ya go.
yep they could indeed. But how do you control your ipod since it cant wireless stream to the TV.
I can see an ipod with no screen and no battery for under 99$ easy. The problem is the remote, how can you package this with a multi-touch remote for 99$? Or maybe vanilla AppleTV will come with a cheap remote and multi-touch remote will be an option.
Apple needs to get this out quickly before GoogleTV so they can get head start in 3rd party app suport for their iOS based TV set-top platform. TV is the next big battleground for platform war!!! This will weaken the cable and satellite companies' ability control media. We have already seen what open platform mobile devices (iPhone and Android) have done for the telecom industry.
I can see an ipod with no screen and no battery for under 99$ easy. The problem is the remote, how can you package this with a multi-touch remote for 99$? Or maybe vanilla AppleTV will come with a cheap remote and multi-touch remote will be an option.
I would imagine that it would come with a basic IR remote, but allow you to use the appropriate iDevices to control the AppleTV via your LAN, just like it does now.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wishchild
Apple needs to get this out quickly before GoogleTV so they can get head start in 3rd party app suport for their iOS based TV set-top platform.
I think an SDK would be the killer feature to make an AppleTV a real product for Apple. I really hope they?ve gone that route.
Why buy AppleTV when just about any el cheapo Blu-Ray player can? I'll need more reason than that.
games... its a playstation with itunes and an app store. I can tell you if this is announced people are going to talk about it has a gaming console + TV.
imo 99$ for something that do all this is not bad.
Or maybe with 50million iPhones in existence (or whatever the latest figure is ) they will just release an app.
Chances are most people who intend to buy an Apple TV probably own an iPhone, if not, like you say, sell a remote as an option.
Between the iPhone and iPod Touch there are about 100 million, and there has been an AppleTV app on the App Store from Apple for some time. It makes putting in searches quite easy.
However, there is one caveat to using this app. It has to be on the same LAN to work. If your AppleTV is using 802.11n and you had one of the previous iPhones that only had 802.11b/g then you were screwed, even if you had a dual-band AirPort Extreme Base Station. I hope they find a Wide Area Bonjour solution to this.
Apple needs to get this out quickly before GoogleTV so they can get head start in 3rd party app suport for their iOS based TV set-top platform. TV is the next big battleground for platform war!!! This will weaken the cable and satellite companies' ability control media. We have already seen what open platform mobile devices (iPhone and Android) have done for the telecom industry.
This is one of the big questions I have. Jobs talked pretty openly at the All Things Digital conference about the problem of creating yet another box to hook up to your TV. It's just not feasible from a business point of view to replace a set-top box so you have to create add on boxes often overlap and replicate functionality.
Hooking up all these boxes is a real pain also. The biggest thing I don't like about my Apple TV is that it takes me three remotes just to watch a movie on it. You have to change inputs and sources to get everything on the same page to watch what you want. It's also getting to the point where it takes a PhD to hook up a home theater system these days! How are they going to position the iTV that doesn't make it just another box?
'Digital' channels are not the same as HD channels, so you're comparing apples and oranges.
Standard DVD is just 480p, so that is not a great standard against which to judge Netflix streaming.
I get my HDTV through Comcast. Comcast compresses the transmission so much it's much less than Blu-ray quality and slightly better than standard DVD. Netflix HD via my Roku box compares favorably and is sometimes better than Comcast HDTV. For what it's worth.
Yeah, from what I hear Roku has many neat features. One of them is the Netflix instant watch of course, but Facebook and Twitter integration as well. If the rumor about Netflix coming to AppleTV is true then maybe Roku will be put out to pasture.
What makes you think that Apple is not "fully ready?" What does being "fully ready" mean, anyway?
I dont think the iTunes TV rentals prices are to Apple satisfaction. They also wanted a per channel subscription. The studio negotiations are far from over and I think they want better deals before releasing the new AppleTV.
SJ said just a few months ago that there were not ready to come up with a successful product.
Comments
2) I still can’t see how this could be $99 with Apple still getting their typical low-end net profit. I can see $150, but not $99, even with 720p as the maximum video output. If this rumour is true I will be anxious to see the internals.
3) Speaking of 720p, I have a heard time believing that even Apple would release a new AppleTV without 1080p, unless they also plan to release a flagship AppleTV with local storage, etc.
4) Still not seeing how iTV could work in the UK.
Hopefully we’ll get some answers tomorrow.
"Bitter, party of one."
I do not own an Apple TV, and I know little about the product, so I'm guessing out loud here. Processors should be able to handle 1080p nowadays, strap a HDMI connector on an iPod and away ya go.
It's a little weird that evert device in the house can stream Netflix: TV, Blu-ray, iPhone, iPad, computer, my watch, eyelids, ice dispenser... hell, even my dog will stream Netflix soon. Too bad most new releases aren't available when the DVD/BD is.
Yeah, Netflix streaming is a ripoff. Nothing interesting available. Simply a front for their mail-in service.
I guess they realized, after all, that the studios are not the easiest people in the world to negotiate with.
This Bloomberg piece has a good explanation of why the networks have been reluctant to provide content for a cable-killer subscription package:
A subscription service with Apple would have jeopardized the TV networks? chances of getting higher retransmission fees from TV-system operators, RBC Capital?s Bank said. The four big broadcast networks -- Fox, NBC, CBS and ABC -- receive about $250 million a year in so-called retransmission fees industrywide, he said. That number will balloon to several billion dollars within five years, Bank said.
?If you?re running a TV network, you don?t want to upset the existing ecosystem broadly by starting a rival subscription service with Apple,? he said. ?You want to look for ways to drive incremental revenue.?
That is how I see it, too. There is surely a turning point but I think they need to tread lightly because these cable companies paying these huge fees to networks are also providing internet.
Is there any reason why the next round of iPods can't act as Apple TV's? Maybe there will be no specific ITV device. Thats one way to force adoption!
I do not own an Apple TV, and I know little about the product, so I'm guessing out loud here. Processors should be able to handle 1080p nowadays, strap a HDMI connector on an iPod and away ya go.
yep they could indeed. But how do you control your ipod since it cant wireless stream to the TV.
I can see an ipod with no screen and no battery for under 99$ easy. The problem is the remote, how can you package this with a multi-touch remote for 99$? Or maybe vanilla AppleTV will come with a cheap remote and multi-touch remote will be an option.
The quality of Netflix streaming is better than many of the digital cable channels...
Agreed. Netflix HD streaming is good quality. It's not blu-ray but close enough for me...better than standard DVD.
'Digital' channels are not the same as HD channels, so you're comparing apples and oranges.
Standard DVD is just 480p, so that is not a great standard against which to judge Netflix streaming.
Apple needs to get this out quickly before GoogleTV so they can get head start in 3rd party app suport for their iOS based TV set-top platform.
Yes, I think Apple is not fully ready to bring this thing out but competition is forcing them too. Gotta love competition.
Or maybe vanilla AppleTV will come with a cheap remote and multi-touch remote will be an option.
Or maybe with 50million iPhones in existence (or whatever the latest figure is ) they will just release an app.
Chances are most people who intend to buy an Apple TV probably own an iPhone, if not, like you say, sell a remote as an option.
I am pretty sure my dog can stream netflix.
Why buy AppleTV when just about any el cheapo Blu-Ray player can? I'll need more reason than that.
I can see an ipod with no screen and no battery for under 99$ easy. The problem is the remote, how can you package this with a multi-touch remote for 99$? Or maybe vanilla AppleTV will come with a cheap remote and multi-touch remote will be an option.
I would imagine that it would come with a basic IR remote, but allow you to use the appropriate iDevices to control the AppleTV via your LAN, just like it does now.
Apple needs to get this out quickly before GoogleTV so they can get head start in 3rd party app suport for their iOS based TV set-top platform.
I think an SDK would be the killer feature to make an AppleTV a real product for Apple. I really hope they?ve gone that route.
Why buy AppleTV when just about any el cheapo Blu-Ray player can? I'll need more reason than that.
games... its a playstation with itunes and an app store. I can tell you if this is announced people are going to talk about it has a gaming console + TV.
imo 99$ for something that do all this is not bad.
Or maybe with 50million iPhones in existence (or whatever the latest figure is ) they will just release an app.
Chances are most people who intend to buy an Apple TV probably own an iPhone, if not, like you say, sell a remote as an option.
Between the iPhone and iPod Touch there are about 100 million, and there has been an AppleTV app on the App Store from Apple for some time. It makes putting in searches quite easy.
However, there is one caveat to using this app. It has to be on the same LAN to work. If your AppleTV is using 802.11n and you had one of the previous iPhones that only had 802.11b/g then you were screwed, even if you had a dual-band AirPort Extreme Base Station. I hope they find a Wide Area Bonjour solution to this.
Yes, I think Apple is not fully ready to bring this thing out but competition is forcing them too. Gotta love competition.
What makes you think that Apple is not "fully ready?" What does being "fully ready" mean, anyway?
Apple needs to get this out quickly before GoogleTV so they can get head start in 3rd party app suport for their iOS based TV set-top platform. TV is the next big battleground for platform war!!! This will weaken the cable and satellite companies' ability control media. We have already seen what open platform mobile devices (iPhone and Android) have done for the telecom industry.
This is one of the big questions I have. Jobs talked pretty openly at the All Things Digital conference about the problem of creating yet another box to hook up to your TV. It's just not feasible from a business point of view to replace a set-top box so you have to create add on boxes often overlap and replicate functionality.
Hooking up all these boxes is a real pain also. The biggest thing I don't like about my Apple TV is that it takes me three remotes just to watch a movie on it. You have to change inputs and sources to get everything on the same page to watch what you want. It's also getting to the point where it takes a PhD to hook up a home theater system these days! How are they going to position the iTV that doesn't make it just another box?
I hope they find a Wide Area Bonjour solution to this.
Or just Bluetooth, messages shouldn't be data intensive so reasonably reliable at average viewer-TV distances .
'Digital' channels are not the same as HD channels, so you're comparing apples and oranges.
Standard DVD is just 480p, so that is not a great standard against which to judge Netflix streaming.
I get my HDTV through Comcast. Comcast compresses the transmission so much it's much less than Blu-ray quality and slightly better than standard DVD. Netflix HD via my Roku box compares favorably and is sometimes better than Comcast HDTV. For what it's worth.
Roku will be bummed.
Yeah, from what I hear Roku has many neat features. One of them is the Netflix instant watch of course, but Facebook and Twitter integration as well. If the rumor about Netflix coming to AppleTV is true then maybe Roku will be put out to pasture.
What makes you think that Apple is not "fully ready?" What does being "fully ready" mean, anyway?
I dont think the iTunes TV rentals prices are to Apple satisfaction. They also wanted a per channel subscription. The studio negotiations are far from over and I think they want better deals before releasing the new AppleTV.
SJ said just a few months ago that there were not ready to come up with a successful product.