AppleTV needs to evolve into an AV Receiver, with a Cable Card connection, and a Clear Qam tuner for basic cable or HD antenna. Runs AppleTV UI. Can drive wired speakers, or wireless 5:1 speakers using AirTunes. HDMI out to TV or Projector.
AppleTV needs to evolve into an AV Receiver, with a Cable Card connection, and a Clear Qam tuner for basic cable or HD antenna. Runs AppleTV UI. Can drive wired speakers, or wireless 5:1 speakers using AirTunes. HDMI out to TV or Projector.
This thing where it tracks the eyes and pauses when you look away is the most pointless and useless "feature" a phone or tv could have. Stu-Pid!
And talking to your TV á la Siri is preferable?
Quote:
Originally Posted by blackfrog
AppleTV needs to evolve into an AV Receiver, with a Cable Card connection, and a Clear Qam tuner for basic cable or HD antenna. Runs AppleTV UI. Can drive wired speakers, or wireless 5:1 speakers using AirTunes. HDMI out to TV or Projector.
Apple tend to make devices that are sold internationally. What you propose would make a device of limited use outside the US. Apple may have to make different devices for different regions, but I think they will try for something more universally applicable. In Europe, we tend to use satellite rather than cable. I very much doubt Apple will make a device that drives speakers directly.
I will reserve my opinions about the new x-box till it is officially announced and the real specs and capabilities are revealed. The always-connected requirement strikes me as feature guaranteed to lose sales. My son mentioned to me that he saw statistics that about 40% of x-box 360's sold have never been connected online. I can't immediately find the reference but 22 million X-box 360s have been sold and there are 'only' about 8 million active x-box live gold accounts so I think it is well possible.
It may not have been accurate or it might have been because of how it was put across.
They could block used games fairly easily with an always-on machine. Each disc would just have a unique id burned onto it and could be linked to an XBox Live account when inserted or to an XBox id. If someone else tried to use the disc, they wouldn't be allowed to link the disc with another account or console. If they tried to play it offline, it would prevent playing until it was linked. Some could hack their consoles to get round it but the majority wouldn't. It wouldn't necessarily have to stop all resale but each game can perhaps have the restriction to resell once. Publishers must lose a lot of money with used games being passed around as they only make money on the first sale.
The losses Microsoft and Sony made on their consoles overall is staggering at $2.6b and $4.5b respectively. They had no choice but to go with cheaper hardware this time round and AMD was obviously willing to go to a price NVidia wasn't. NVidia's approach is to go the mobile SoC route with Tegra, which AMD isn't doing and AMD isn't coping well against Intel in mainstream computers:
I care even less about gaming than I do about social media. But even I have to admit that both areas represent potential growth for the companies that do it right. For those of you who follow the (better/more plausible) Apple rumors, has there been any indication that Apple is set to turn the Apple TV device into some sort of major gaming console, as well as a better TV watching device???
I don't particularly want my TV (my computer, my phone or anything else) watching me. But I would LOVE to have a TV connected device that would get to "know" me and my likes and dislikes, and then go out and find shows that I might want to see. TiVo does an OK job of this, but it's not exactly "magical". Seems that with a better foray into artificial intelligence or maybe just advanced search, Apple could create a device that could/would do this. I don't even watch that much TV anymore - 5 minutes watching the Real Housewives of X kills 500 zillion brain cells... proven fact! So I'd rather spend my time watching what few shows I enjoy, rather than searching for something I might like... and finding that I've missed the first 20 minutes because I was channel searching that long to find it!
Seems like there is so much low hanging fruit that Apple could pick up here. I hear they've got a few bucks laying around that should make this possible. Step 1: Buy TiVo!
Comments
Quote:
Originally Posted by blackfrog
AppleTV needs to evolve into an AV Receiver, with a Cable Card connection, and a Clear Qam tuner for basic cable or HD antenna. Runs AppleTV UI. Can drive wired speakers, or wireless 5:1 speakers using AirTunes. HDMI out to TV or Projector.
Thanks! I'll pass this on to Tim.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RadioFlyer
This thing where it tracks the eyes and pauses when you look away is the most pointless and useless "feature" a phone or tv could have. Stu-Pid!
And talking to your TV á la Siri is preferable?
Quote:
Originally Posted by blackfrog
AppleTV needs to evolve into an AV Receiver, with a Cable Card connection, and a Clear Qam tuner for basic cable or HD antenna. Runs AppleTV UI. Can drive wired speakers, or wireless 5:1 speakers using AirTunes. HDMI out to TV or Projector.
Apple tend to make devices that are sold internationally. What you propose would make a device of limited use outside the US. Apple may have to make different devices for different regions, but I think they will try for something more universally applicable. In Europe, we tend to use satellite rather than cable. I very much doubt Apple will make a device that drives speakers directly.
I will reserve my opinions about the new x-box till it is officially announced and the real specs and capabilities are revealed. The always-connected requirement strikes me as feature guaranteed to lose sales. My son mentioned to me that he saw statistics that about 40% of x-box 360's sold have never been connected online. I can't immediately find the reference but 22 million X-box 360s have been sold and there are 'only' about 8 million active x-box live gold accounts so I think it is well possible.
Originally Posted by Dave MacLachlan
Because it provides some insight on how AppleTV may eventually end up?
WON'T end up, you mean.
Originally Posted by blackfrog
AppleTV needs…
Not in the slightest.
…AV Receiver, with a Cable Card connection, and a Clear Qam tuner for basic cable or HD antenna.
Why would I ever want this product, ever, for any reason? This is the opposite of what needs to happen to television.
That Microsoft guy on Twitter who mentioned the always-on connection lost his job over it:
http://venturebeat.com/2013/04/10/adam-orth-fired-microsoft-xbox-exec-who-insulted-fans-appears-to-have-joined-the-ranks-of-the-jobseekers/
It may not have been accurate or it might have been because of how it was put across.
They could block used games fairly easily with an always-on machine. Each disc would just have a unique id burned onto it and could be linked to an XBox Live account when inserted or to an XBox id. If someone else tried to use the disc, they wouldn't be allowed to link the disc with another account or console. If they tried to play it offline, it would prevent playing until it was linked. Some could hack their consoles to get round it but the majority wouldn't. It wouldn't necessarily have to stop all resale but each game can perhaps have the restriction to resell once. Publishers must lose a lot of money with used games being passed around as they only make money on the first sale.
Not for the right reasons though:
http://www.extremetech.com/gaming/150892-nvidia-gave-amd-ps4-because-console-margins-are-terrible
The losses Microsoft and Sony made on their consoles overall is staggering at $2.6b and $4.5b respectively. They had no choice but to go with cheaper hardware this time round and AMD was obviously willing to go to a price NVidia wasn't. NVidia's approach is to go the mobile SoC route with Tegra, which AMD isn't doing and AMD isn't coping well against Intel in mainstream computers:
http://arstechnica.com/business/2013/03/amd-sells-its-austin-hq-for-164-million-to-raise-some-quick-cash/
I care even less about gaming than I do about social media. But even I have to admit that both areas represent potential growth for the companies that do it right. For those of you who follow the (better/more plausible) Apple rumors, has there been any indication that Apple is set to turn the Apple TV device into some sort of major gaming console, as well as a better TV watching device???
I don't particularly want my TV (my computer, my phone or anything else) watching me. But I would LOVE to have a TV connected device that would get to "know" me and my likes and dislikes, and then go out and find shows that I might want to see. TiVo does an OK job of this, but it's not exactly "magical". Seems that with a better foray into artificial intelligence or maybe just advanced search, Apple could create a device that could/would do this. I don't even watch that much TV anymore - 5 minutes watching the Real Housewives of X kills 500 zillion brain cells... proven fact! So I'd rather spend my time watching what few shows I enjoy, rather than searching for something I might like... and finding that I've missed the first 20 minutes because I was channel searching that long to find it!
Seems like there is so much low hanging fruit that Apple could pick up here. I hear they've got a few bucks laying around that should make this possible. Step 1: Buy TiVo!
Humor?