I have an AppleTV and have bought movies and TV shows from the iTunes store. However, with the multiple hardware partners I can see GoogleTV becoming the market leader. I am therefore starting to worry about content I have bought as it uses DRM and therefore cannot be played on a non-Apple device.
I thought it would be chrome also. Very clever of them to make it android to strengthen the relevance of that OS. Looking at the brief presentation stories and photos i have seen, this looks like a pretty good first iteration. Not sure I will buy yet ... price is a big factor that they have no released.
Chrome OS is practically a non-entity. It's a browser.
If you've seen the Chrome browser, and you've made it run full-screen, then you've seen Chrome OS.
Chrome OS is practically a non-entity. It's a browser.
If you've seen the Chrome browser, and you've made it run full-screen, then you've seen Chrome OS.
If Chrome OS is just a browser then so is WebOS and neither one would have a Linux kernel, be bootable or be classified as an OS. Using WebKit as the GUI is quite clever, IMO.
They said many people these days end up watching videos on the Web, because it's much easier to find what you're looking for and watch it on your own schedule.
I think this sounds exciting!!! But the above quote is only true for techy geeks (like me)...my mom is definitely not hitting the web to look for tv shows My mom does, however, use a DVR. It's really gotta be stupid simple at the end of the day.
I like my AppleTV but with multiple hardware partners I can see Google very quickly gaining more market share than the AppleTV. Even if AppleTV adds a web browser and AppStore I don't think Apple has enough of a lead.
RIP AppleTV?
Well considering the Apple TV actually exists, and the Google TV does not, I think Apple has an enormous lead.
That said, I think you hit on the key issues though. ATV needs a browser (and keyboard support of some sort to go with it), and an app store. These really do seem like complete no-brainers.
I would also like to see several hardware options, including a DVD and tuner. I imagine something along the lines of the system having stub launchers for "DVD" and "Live TV" that are normally greyed out, but when you plug in a device it notices it, lights up the option, and offers to load the actual program from the app store. For instance, the Live TV system would notice you plugging in an Elgato box, and offer to download the full version of EyeTV.
I considered hacking my ATV to support my USB stick, but it really seems like so much trouble. If the menus really worked (no "quitting" and other nastyness that it has now) I would have done so and trashed my cable box.
I think this sounds exciting!!! But the above quote is only true for techy geeks (like me)...my mom is definitely not hitting the web to look for tv shows My mom does, however, use a DVR. It's really gotta be stupid simple at the end of the day.
My 9 year old daughter uses youtube for _everything_. She rarely watches "actual tv". I think she would be offended to learn she's being "techy".
I think all us mid-lifers have to realize that we're way behind the curve on this. If you multiply the age of the viewer by the number of hours, that factor is skewing way into the white-hairs now. When they die, broadcast-model TV dies with them.
Hopefully, this will spur Apple to get serious or get out of Apple TV altogether. My hope is they buy Netflix.
1) Netflix's "mail the CD" model is nearing end-of-life and they are looking to partner with anyone and everyone for their streaming service. They will almost certainly be on AppleTV soon, but they sure aren't worth buying as they have no distinct IP.
2) Apple TV was only a "hobby" because they were waiting to see which way the market was going to go. Now that it's obvious that Google is preparing an all out assault on all Apple products, you will see them respond rather vigorously.
I wouldn't be surprised if Apple TV had new hardware and was using the iPhone OS very soon. It might even be announced when they announce the next iPhone in a couple of weeks.
....Just think for a second how useless an iPhone or iPad app would be on an Apple TV.
It could be pretty cool based on using the iPhone remote app with my appletv. It let's you use a remote without looking at the remote, which i think is awesome.
Google has finally done something better than Apple (other than copying). I'm definitely not pleased with Google's general rip off of Apple's iPhone OS with Android etc but on this one they have gone much further than Apple was willing to go and good on them. Apple's vision problem was that they wanted to keep AppleTV tied to iTunes and keep a closed shop. The result is that to really use AppleTV more fully you have to use something like aTV Flash or Boxee or Plex but all of those lack overall integration. IMO Google TV really does seem a lightyear ahead of that. The addition of non-phone specific android apps running on your tellie is a good one.
This isn't the death of Apple or any of that kind of non-sense, but in this particular niche Apple may not be able to catch up unless they're willing to open up AppleTV to let users outside the iTunes walled garden. I'm not sure Apple are eager to do that. But maybe they'll have a good think now if Google is able to attract a large enough market to pique Apple's interest. Otherwise I suspect Apple will turn to the iPad as their device to control tellies.
Boxee, Plex and my awful Sony PS3 as a media centre all seem dead to me.
I'm not sure Flash is that big a deal though, esp with the timeline Google laid out essentially making summer 2011 the real launch date. HTML 5 for streaming video is rapidly gathering steam as provider after provider is announcing HTML5 solutions. I think GoogleTV's strengths are elsewhere.
I think you are absolutely right. Google TV will be light years ahead of the current Apple TV. There is currently no product on the market that does all of what they showed in the keynote in such a seamlessly integrated way.
Google TV is integrating the full internet (websites, web apps, feeds, movies, videos, audio) and apps (android marketplace) with your TV and they make it easy to find using Google search through manual input (typing) or using your voice.
I think they are only tolerating flash for now and view it as a bridge technology until HTML5 fully comes to maturity.
Google TV looks very promising and looks like it will be very successful.
I think though, that from all the companies out there, Apple is uniquely positioned to challenge them in this space. However, like you said, the only way they can will be to open up Apple TV to users outside of the iTunes ecosystem. Instead, integration with the iTunes ecosystem can be a plus and a point of differentiation.
Apple has all the pieces they need such as the iPhone OS, a sweet custom processor, the App Store, iTunes and Webkit. Their purchase of Siri can also come into play here.
It's going to be interesting to see how this all shapes out over the next year.
If Chrome OS is just a browser then so is WebOS ...
I was probably being too mean, but I disagree with this comparison.
WebOS has a distinct, well-thought out UI in my opinion. Chrome OS might be more than a browser, but it has no UI distinct from a browser. It acts, looks, and works like a browser, whereas WebOS doesn't work or look anything like a web browser.
(ii) Allow for @tv to record programs from cable on to its hard drive (in HD);
No, use a separate box that plugs into the ATV for this. You definitely don't want to load it's processor and HD with encoding, there's not enough power to do this AND use it for watching a program. You're going to need another box for this anyway, the tuner, so package all of this into that box and then sync the completed recording if and when the ATV is not busy.
Quote:
Originally Posted by anantksundaram
(iii) Come with a built-in disc player (preferably Blu-Ray.
Again, this is MUCH better handled by an external box. Just repackage the drive for the MBAir and there you go. Better yet, support AirDisk and then you can just pop the disk into your local Mac and stream it.
Yes, BD support would be great, but it's pretty clear they're not going to support BD.
I wouldn't be surprised if Apple TV had new hardware and was using the iPhone OS very soon. It might even be announced when they announce the next iPhone in a couple of weeks.
I hope this happens but i doubt it. Not a good idea to mislead your share holders by calling apple tv a hobby and then surprising everyone by releasing an apple tv device with iphoneOS.
However to support your point, Apple TV runs on Tiger (10.4 ish). It's a bit old and due for an upgrade or an extermination (a la newton).
Comments
Actually the iphone does a great job solving keyboard needs ... apple sells a remote app that connects nicely with appleTV.
Except it's not great, because the iPhone and iPod touch are way too expensive. A touch alone costs more than an Apple TV.
I thought it would be chrome also. Very clever of them to make it android to strengthen the relevance of that OS. Looking at the brief presentation stories and photos i have seen, this looks like a pretty good first iteration. Not sure I will buy yet ... price is a big factor that they have no released.
Chrome OS is practically a non-entity. It's a browser.
If you've seen the Chrome browser, and you've made it run full-screen, then you've seen Chrome OS.
The fact that Android will allow itself to be licenced and built into TV's will inevitably push Apple to make their own TV sets.
Apple to swallow Sony in 3, 2, 1 ...
This will not happen. Buying Sony or making TVs.
As an Apple TV owner I can tell you this looks like it will blow apple TV away. I still don't understand the lack of browser support on the apple tv.
If they don't take Apple TV out of hobby status ... they might as well shut it down.
Jup youre right about that. This concept is much better.
Chrome OS is practically a non-entity. It's a browser.
If you've seen the Chrome browser, and you've made it run full-screen, then you've seen Chrome OS.
If Chrome OS is just a browser then so is WebOS and neither one would have a Linux kernel, be bootable or be classified as an OS. Using WebKit as the GUI is quite clever, IMO.
Both of those things are not at all true. mpeg-4 and pdfs display fine. it's not Apple's fault you're one of 7 people who used jpeg2000.
Uh, it is true. Why don't you read what I said again. JPEG2000 has been a standard since, well, the year 2000.
They said many people these days end up watching videos on the Web, because it's much easier to find what you're looking for and watch it on your own schedule.
I think this sounds exciting!!! But the above quote is only true for techy geeks (like me)...my mom is definitely not hitting the web to look for tv shows
I like my AppleTV but with multiple hardware partners I can see Google very quickly gaining more market share than the AppleTV. Even if AppleTV adds a web browser and AppStore I don't think Apple has enough of a lead.
RIP AppleTV?
Well considering the Apple TV actually exists, and the Google TV does not, I think Apple has an enormous lead.
That said, I think you hit on the key issues though. ATV needs a browser (and keyboard support of some sort to go with it), and an app store. These really do seem like complete no-brainers.
I would also like to see several hardware options, including a DVD and tuner. I imagine something along the lines of the system having stub launchers for "DVD" and "Live TV" that are normally greyed out, but when you plug in a device it notices it, lights up the option, and offers to load the actual program from the app store. For instance, the Live TV system would notice you plugging in an Elgato box, and offer to download the full version of EyeTV.
I considered hacking my ATV to support my USB stick, but it really seems like so much trouble. If the menus really worked (no "quitting" and other nastyness that it has now) I would have done so and trashed my cable box.
Maury
I think this sounds exciting!!! But the above quote is only true for techy geeks (like me)...my mom is definitely not hitting the web to look for tv shows
My 9 year old daughter uses youtube for _everything_. She rarely watches "actual tv". I think she would be offended to learn she's being "techy".
I think all us mid-lifers have to realize that we're way behind the curve on this. If you multiply the age of the viewer by the number of hours, that factor is skewing way into the white-hairs now. When they die, broadcast-model TV dies with them.
Maury
Chrome OS is practically a non-entity. It's a browser.
If you've seen the Chrome browser, and you've made it run full-screen, then you've seen Chrome OS.
It's more than a browser: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Chrome_OS
Hopefully, this will spur Apple to get serious or get out of Apple TV altogether. My hope is they buy Netflix.
1) Netflix's "mail the CD" model is nearing end-of-life and they are looking to partner with anyone and everyone for their streaming service. They will almost certainly be on AppleTV soon, but they sure aren't worth buying as they have no distinct IP.
2) Apple TV was only a "hobby" because they were waiting to see which way the market was going to go. Now that it's obvious that Google is preparing an all out assault on all Apple products, you will see them respond rather vigorously.
I wouldn't be surprised if Apple TV had new hardware and was using the iPhone OS very soon. It might even be announced when they announce the next iPhone in a couple of weeks.
Except it's not great, because the iPhone and iPod touch are way too expensive. A touch alone costs more than an Apple TV.
Pfttt. There are a few tens of millions of ATV owners, vs. something like 100 million iPhone/iTouch owners. Disproof by example.
Maury
It's more than a browser: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Chrome_OS
I was probably just being sarcastic.
I guess you could say it's a browser with hardware drivers?
My point was mostly that it has no UI other than what you've already seen in the browser and that it acts, walks, talks, etc. ... like a browser.
....Just think for a second how useless an iPhone or iPad app would be on an Apple TV.
It could be pretty cool based on using the iPhone remote app with my appletv. It let's you use a remote without looking at the remote, which i think is awesome.
Google has finally done something better than Apple (other than copying). I'm definitely not pleased with Google's general rip off of Apple's iPhone OS with Android etc but on this one they have gone much further than Apple was willing to go and good on them. Apple's vision problem was that they wanted to keep AppleTV tied to iTunes and keep a closed shop. The result is that to really use AppleTV more fully you have to use something like aTV Flash or Boxee or Plex but all of those lack overall integration. IMO Google TV really does seem a lightyear ahead of that. The addition of non-phone specific android apps running on your tellie is a good one.
This isn't the death of Apple or any of that kind of non-sense, but in this particular niche Apple may not be able to catch up unless they're willing to open up AppleTV to let users outside the iTunes walled garden. I'm not sure Apple are eager to do that. But maybe they'll have a good think now if Google is able to attract a large enough market to pique Apple's interest. Otherwise I suspect Apple will turn to the iPad as their device to control tellies.
Boxee, Plex and my awful Sony PS3 as a media centre all seem dead to me.
I'm not sure Flash is that big a deal though, esp with the timeline Google laid out essentially making summer 2011 the real launch date. HTML 5 for streaming video is rapidly gathering steam as provider after provider is announcing HTML5 solutions. I think GoogleTV's strengths are elsewhere.
I think you are absolutely right. Google TV will be light years ahead of the current Apple TV. There is currently no product on the market that does all of what they showed in the keynote in such a seamlessly integrated way.
Google TV is integrating the full internet (websites, web apps, feeds, movies, videos, audio) and apps (android marketplace) with your TV and they make it easy to find using Google search through manual input (typing) or using your voice.
I think they are only tolerating flash for now and view it as a bridge technology until HTML5 fully comes to maturity.
Google TV looks very promising and looks like it will be very successful.
I think though, that from all the companies out there, Apple is uniquely positioned to challenge them in this space. However, like you said, the only way they can will be to open up Apple TV to users outside of the iTunes ecosystem. Instead, integration with the iTunes ecosystem can be a plus and a point of differentiation.
Apple has all the pieces they need such as the iPhone OS, a sweet custom processor, the App Store, iTunes and Webkit. Their purchase of Siri can also come into play here.
It's going to be interesting to see how this all shapes out over the next year.
If Chrome OS is just a browser then so is WebOS ...
I was probably being too mean, but I disagree with this comparison.
WebOS has a distinct, well-thought out UI in my opinion. Chrome OS might be more than a browser, but it has no UI distinct from a browser. It acts, looks, and works like a browser, whereas WebOS doesn't work or look anything like a web browser.
(ii) Allow for @tv to record programs from cable on to its hard drive (in HD);
No, use a separate box that plugs into the ATV for this. You definitely don't want to load it's processor and HD with encoding, there's not enough power to do this AND use it for watching a program. You're going to need another box for this anyway, the tuner, so package all of this into that box and then sync the completed recording if and when the ATV is not busy.
(iii) Come with a built-in disc player (preferably Blu-Ray.
Again, this is MUCH better handled by an external box. Just repackage the drive for the MBAir and there you go. Better yet, support AirDisk and then you can just pop the disk into your local Mac and stream it.
Yes, BD support would be great, but it's pretty clear they're not going to support BD.
Maury
I wouldn't be surprised if Apple TV had new hardware and was using the iPhone OS very soon. It might even be announced when they announce the next iPhone in a couple of weeks.
I hope this happens but i doubt it. Not a good idea to mislead your share holders by calling apple tv a hobby and then surprising everyone by releasing an apple tv device with iphoneOS.
However to support your point, Apple TV runs on Tiger (10.4 ish). It's a bit old and due for an upgrade or an extermination (a la newton).