Apple switches on iTunes Genius for videos
Apple this week flicked the switch on its iTunes Genius recommendation engine for movies and TV shows, a feature it originally planned to introduce alongside the release of iTunes 8.1 earlier this month.
First introduced with the release of iTunes 8.0, Genius is the name given to Apple's proprietary recommendation engine that uses collaborative filtering and iTunes' built-in rating system to generate music recommendations for iTunes customers based on their existing music catalog.
Put more simply, the technology lets iTunes Store customers select any song from their library and then click the Genius button to create a playlist of similar-sounding songs from their library. A Genius sidebar also appears on the right-hand side of the iTunes window and recommends music from the iTunes Store that customers don't already have, based on the songs they select.
It's the latter feature that Apple promised to expand to video files in the hours leading up to the release of iTunes 8.1 a few weeks ago, before pulling the plug for undisclosed reasons.
Nevertheless, readers are reporting Tuesday that Genius iTunes Store recommendations for Movies and TV Shows have suddenly started to show up alongside their iTunes libraries, a claim AppleInsider hasverified(see screenshot).
When selecting an TV Show from your iTunes library, for instance, the Genius sidebar now lists additional episodes from that show's same season, additional shows from other seasons, and then 10 recommendations for similar shows.
First introduced with the release of iTunes 8.0, Genius is the name given to Apple's proprietary recommendation engine that uses collaborative filtering and iTunes' built-in rating system to generate music recommendations for iTunes customers based on their existing music catalog.
Put more simply, the technology lets iTunes Store customers select any song from their library and then click the Genius button to create a playlist of similar-sounding songs from their library. A Genius sidebar also appears on the right-hand side of the iTunes window and recommends music from the iTunes Store that customers don't already have, based on the songs they select.
It's the latter feature that Apple promised to expand to video files in the hours leading up to the release of iTunes 8.1 a few weeks ago, before pulling the plug for undisclosed reasons.
Nevertheless, readers are reporting Tuesday that Genius iTunes Store recommendations for Movies and TV Shows have suddenly started to show up alongside their iTunes libraries, a claim AppleInsider hasverified(see screenshot).
When selecting an TV Show from your iTunes library, for instance, the Genius sidebar now lists additional episodes from that show's same season, additional shows from other seasons, and then 10 recommendations for similar shows.
Comments
I wonder if we it will work with downloaded movies too - is it just using movie titles to compile the Genius list, or is there more to it?
Downloaded movies are sent to the MPAA to be analyzed by their geniuses.
Hey Apple, how about letting me repeat a video or playing videos in sequence? Something that would be useful- instead of a "genius" designed for lazy idiots.
You can do this (at least I know you can play videos in sequence and even shuffle them) if you create a playlist, have all of the videos in the list "checked" and uncheck the "skip when shuffling" in the Information for each video.
You can do this (at least I know you can play videos in sequence and even shuffle them) if you create a playlist, have all of the videos in the list "checked" and uncheck the "skip when shuffling" in the Information for each video.
I was hoping to just play them, like my music, continuosly without a playlist . Thanks for this work-around. Will this work for short home made movies/videos? or is it only music videos?
I was hoping to just play them, like my music, continuosly without a playlist . Thanks for this work-around. Will this work for short home made movies/videos? or is it only music videos?
Works for any video in a Playlist. The inability to constantly play videos in their normal location is not a bug, it's designed that way because we don't usually watch video constantly without interruption. Music, we often do, because we are usually engaged in other activities when listening to music, even if that other activity is merely relaxing.
Works for any video in a Playlist. The inability to constantly play videos in their normal location is not a bug, it's designed that way because we don't usually watch video constantly without interruption. Music, we often do, because we are usually engaged in other activities when listening to music, even if that other activity is merely relaxing.
Well I usually sort my music first by album/track and play the album through- I don't need to make a playlist. The same goes for TV episodes-I would prefer to just sort them by show and play 2 or 3 in a row- not to have to make a playlist, play and then delete the playlist.
I wonder if we it will work with downloaded movies too - is it just using movie titles to compile the Genius list, or is there more to it?
Seriously... who has so many downloaded movies that they need a bot to tell them which ones are like other ones?
This feels like another solution in search of a problem, even when run against the iTunes store.
I must be missing something on the usefulness of this. I'm sure I'll be enlightened shortly.
Seriously... who has so many downloaded movies that they need a bot to tell them which ones are like other ones?
This feels like another solution in search of a problem, even when run against the iTunes store.
I must be missing something on the usefulness of this. I'm sure I'll be enlightened shortly.
I'm not sure what your personal library has to do with being to know what other media is like other media. There are plenty of TV Shows and Movies that I'd I like that I only find long after they've come and gone.
The inability to constantly play videos in their normal location is not a bug, it's designed that way because we don't usually watch video constantly without interruption. Music, we often do, because we are usually engaged in other activities when listening to music, even if that other activity is merely relaxing.
I guess that explains why MTV no longer plays videos. It's all our fault!
How about something linked into Facebook or something, that'll be neat.
www.ilike.com
you download it and it integrates into itunes, facebook, myspace, etc. it's probably what you're looking for
Genius is still not working for me. I wonder if it only works on videos that have been purchased from the iTunes store. The videos I have were all legally downloaded from my Tivo.
Maybe, but it could be that you have no labeled them in a way that Genius will know how to compare it. Plus, you'll need to update Genius.
Maybe, but it could be that you have no labeled them in a way that Genius will know how to compare it. Plus, you'll need to update Genius.
That could be but I'm pretty sure they are labeled in an identical manner to how Apple does it. I did try updating Genius however unfortunately that didn't work. Thanks for the ideas.
That could be but I'm pretty sure they are labeled in an identical manner to how Apple does it. I did try updating Genius however unfortunately that didn't work. Thanks for the ideas.
I just tried a few things and couldn't get it to work. I doubt that it's anything complex to deter users from buying content from iTS after we loaded something we didn't buy from the store. That just doesn't make sense. I think that what needs to be altered isn't available in the iTunes Get Info area and that Genius just isn't that smart at this point.
I imagine that there will be others that will try it and a couple will be coders who will find what Genius is looking for and create a simple app to allow you to make the changes that need to be made.
I just tried a few things and couldn't get it to work. I doubt that it's anything complex to deter users from buying content from iTS after we loaded something we didn't buy from the store. That just doesn't make sense. I think that what needs to be altered isn't available in the iTunes Get Info area and that Genius just isn't that smart at this point.
I imagine that there will be others that will try it and a couple will be coders who will find what Genius is looking for and create a simple app to allow you to make the changes that need to be made.
If the video library in iTunes is so limited and the content mainly dreck what difference does a video genius even make? We're not exactly talking Amazon here with thousands of titles.
If the video library in iTunes is so limited and the content mainly dreck what difference does a video genius even make? We're not exactly talking Amazon here with thousands of titles.
There are thousands of TV show and movie titles in the iTS. You can also import any video you buy on Amazon. Why is that not enough to warrant recommendations. I've used IMDb's recommendations to find movies and TV shows I may not have otherwise discovered.