Step one: buy a Panasonic plasma and set it to THX mode.
Step two: don't plug anything into it and stare at the empty screen in content.
Step three: there is no step three!
The notion that you'd have to plug nothing into an Apple-branded television because they would provide all of the content you could ever want is absurd. The idea that an Apple-branded television would have superior picture and sound is equally absurd; Apple would be limited to the same display technology as everyone else and they aren't known for great display calibration (compare two iPhones of the same model and you'll likely see one looking very blue and the other very yellow). Furthermore, Apple would likely want to make the tv as thin as physically possible, which means the speakers would be downright awful.
The idea of your phone being the only remote is also a bad one; what happens when you leave the room and your spouse or children want to change the channel or adjust the volume?
Because cable companies are way more concerned with protecting themselves than providing better solutions for consumers.
If they swap out their own cable box with something from Apple they lose ownership of the customer.
I wouldn't be surprised if Apple get the same deal as Microsoft and are able to integrate some cable box like functionality into the Apple TV in the same way Microsoft has with the Xbox 360.
However I would be surprised if it was a fully featured cable box that the cable company give you the option of purchasing instead of their own box.
But the customer is still paying $80 a month for service! Isn't that ownership of the customer? If I stop paying my cable bill... I'm no longer a customer.
Oh, and I wasn't saying you should be able to purchase your own box. I was thinking it could be like the situation it is now, where you rent your cable box.
Instead of renting a cable box made by Scientific Atlanta... you rent a cable box made by Apple.
I dunno... every cable customer has a cable box... wouldn't Apple like to be in that box?
I was thinking about MLB TV. Here in the UK with the current AppleTV you can buy a MLB TV subscription and watch any game (including the Red Sox) over the internet through your AppleTV rather than having to watch it on the computer.
The point I was trying to make is that any Apple Television could for many people act as a replacement to Cable/Sat. I like baseball but the only way I can receive it through Cable/Sat in the UK is to subscribe to ESPN. But then I have to watch whatever game they are broadcasting. This way I get to watch whatever game I want.
In that sense the Apple TV could replace your cable/sat subscription if like me you only want a few extra channels over and above the free to air channels. I don't really want or need cable/sat as I don't watch much TV but I would like access to certain sports and would be willing to pay to subscribe to them as "apps" on my Apple TV.
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/subscriptions/index.jsp#blackout in side of the usa you need cable or satellite to get local + nation games (not on fox) and then then you don't get all of the fox games in your area. but on satellite and cable you do get the cubs and sox games on wgn america.
Regular Season Local Live Blackout: All live games on MLB.TV and available through MLB.com At Bat are subject to local blackouts. Such live games will be blacked out in each applicable Club's home television territory, regardless of whether that Club is playing at home or away. If a game is blacked out in an area, it is not available for live game viewing. If you are an MLB.TV Premium subscriber and not within either Club's home television territory, the applicable game will be available as an archived game as soon as possible after the conclusion of the game. If you are an MLB.TV Premium subscriber within either Club's home television territory or an MLB.TV subscriber in any territory, the applicable game will be available as an archived game approximately 90 minutes after the conclusion of the game. Archived games are not available through MLB.com At Bat.
In addition, note:
? These blackout restrictions apply regardless of whether a Club is home or away and regardless of whether or not a game is televised in a Club's home television territory.
? All live Toronto Blue Jays games are blacked out throughout the entire country of Canada.
? Additional teams may also be subject to blackout in parts of Canada based on their region.
? All live games will be blacked out in the U.S. territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands during the MLB regular season.
To find out which Club's live games are blacked out in your current location, click here: \t
To find out which Club's live games are blacked out of the area where you will be watching the game, enter the zip code of that area here and click Go: \t
Note MLB.com live game blackouts are determined in part by IP address. MLB.com At Bat live game blackouts are determined using one or more reference points, such as GPS and software within your mobile device. The Zip Code search is offered for general reference only.
To look up your current IP Address click here: \t
If you think we have inaccurately determined your blackout restrictions, you may call Customer Service at 866.800.1275 (US) or 512.434.1542 (International).
Regular Season Weekend U.S. National Live Blackout: Due to Major League Baseball exclusivities, live games occurring each Saturday with a scheduled start time after 1:10 PM ET or before 8:00 PM ET and each Sunday with a scheduled start time after 5:00 PM ET, will be blacked out in the United States (including the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands). In addition, in the event of circumstances that produce a programming conflict or change in schedule, the above blackout windows may be subject to change. If you are an MLB.TV Premium subscriber outside of the United States, each of these games will be available as an archived game as soon as possible after the conclusion of the applicable game. If you are an MLB.TV Premium Subscriber within the United States or an MLB.TV subscriber in any territory, each of these games will be available as an archived game approximately 90 minutes after the conclusion of the applicable game.
For a listing of Regular Season games that will be nationally blacked out in the United States, please click here.
Regular Season Play-In Game: Due to Major League Baseball exclusivities, any play-in game to determine the final team(s) to reach the MLB Postseason, i.e. a 163rd game, will be blacked out in the United States (including the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands).
Postseason Live Blackout: Due to Major League Baseball exclusivities, during the MLB Postseason, all live games will be blacked out in the United States (including the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands) and Canada. If you are an MLB.TV Premium Subscriber outside of the United States and Canada, each of these games will be available as an archived game as soon as possible after the conclusion of the applicable game. If you are an MLB.TV Premium Subscriber within the United States or Canada or an MLB.TV subscriber in any territory, each of these games will be available as an archived game approximately 90 minutes after the conclusion of the applicable game. Archived games are not available through MLB.com At Bat.
Postseason.TV: Subscribers to Postseason.TV, available only during the MLB Postseason, will be able to view live alternative video feeds (excluding the broadcast feed) from MLB Postseason games without blackout restrictions.
Live Audio of those games subject to the blackout restrictions reflected above is available as part of any MLB.TV subscription, as part of MLB.com Gameday Audio.
I dunno... every cable customer has a cable box... wouldn't Apple like to be in that box?
Not every cable customer has a cable box. Many of those that do are getting rid of them or would like to. At any rate, cable boxes are a declining market. I have no idea what Apple's desires and plans are for cable boxes. You seem to believe that Apple has a hankering to take on the juggernauts of Scientific Atlanta and Motorola. Why?
What is the point? We have the Apple TV already that works with any screen. Any features can be added to a similar device that works with any TV... massive sales potential that way. Making a TV itself is pointless.
While I would love to have seen the TV of which Steve dreamed-- I still recall the joy of the NeXT machine, I do agree there that an actual Apple Branded TV in that vipers' pit of high-speed competition makes little sense. Trying to keep my SONY system up-to-date a year or so after going HD LCD has been a nightmare and integrating Panasonic, Samsung, and Toshiba components.... I dove what the little Apple TV did for me, one HDMI & one Optical Audio cable plugged into the TV and not bothering with the "Home Theatre" and I was up and running in 5 minutes.
Comments
Step one: buy a Panasonic plasma and set it to THX mode.
Step two: don't plug anything into it and stare at the empty screen in content.
Step three: there is no step three!
The notion that you'd have to plug nothing into an Apple-branded television because they would provide all of the content you could ever want is absurd. The idea that an Apple-branded television would have superior picture and sound is equally absurd; Apple would be limited to the same display technology as everyone else and they aren't known for great display calibration (compare two iPhones of the same model and you'll likely see one looking very blue and the other very yellow). Furthermore, Apple would likely want to make the tv as thin as physically possible, which means the speakers would be downright awful.
The idea of your phone being the only remote is also a bad one; what happens when you leave the room and your spouse or children want to change the channel or adjust the volume?
Again... Too... Much.... Logic....
Because cable companies are way more concerned with protecting themselves than providing better solutions for consumers.
If they swap out their own cable box with something from Apple they lose ownership of the customer.
I wouldn't be surprised if Apple get the same deal as Microsoft and are able to integrate some cable box like functionality into the Apple TV in the same way Microsoft has with the Xbox 360.
However I would be surprised if it was a fully featured cable box that the cable company give you the option of purchasing instead of their own box.
But the customer is still paying $80 a month for service! Isn't that ownership of the customer? If I stop paying my cable bill... I'm no longer a customer.
Oh, and I wasn't saying you should be able to purchase your own box. I was thinking it could be like the situation it is now, where you rent your cable box.
Instead of renting a cable box made by Scientific Atlanta... you rent a cable box made by Apple.
I dunno... every cable customer has a cable box... wouldn't Apple like to be in that box?
I was thinking about MLB TV. Here in the UK with the current AppleTV you can buy a MLB TV subscription and watch any game (including the Red Sox) over the internet through your AppleTV rather than having to watch it on the computer.
The point I was trying to make is that any Apple Television could for many people act as a replacement to Cable/Sat. I like baseball but the only way I can receive it through Cable/Sat in the UK is to subscribe to ESPN. But then I have to watch whatever game they are broadcasting. This way I get to watch whatever game I want.
In that sense the Apple TV could replace your cable/sat subscription if like me you only want a few extra channels over and above the free to air channels. I don't really want or need cable/sat as I don't watch much TV but I would like access to certain sports and would be willing to pay to subscribe to them as "apps" on my Apple TV.
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/subscriptions/index.jsp#blackout in side of the usa you need cable or satellite to get local + nation games (not on fox) and then then you don't get all of the fox games in your area. but on satellite and cable you do get the cubs and sox games on wgn america.
Regular Season Local Live Blackout: All live games on MLB.TV and available through MLB.com At Bat are subject to local blackouts. Such live games will be blacked out in each applicable Club's home television territory, regardless of whether that Club is playing at home or away. If a game is blacked out in an area, it is not available for live game viewing. If you are an MLB.TV Premium subscriber and not within either Club's home television territory, the applicable game will be available as an archived game as soon as possible after the conclusion of the game. If you are an MLB.TV Premium subscriber within either Club's home television territory or an MLB.TV subscriber in any territory, the applicable game will be available as an archived game approximately 90 minutes after the conclusion of the game. Archived games are not available through MLB.com At Bat.
In addition, note:
? These blackout restrictions apply regardless of whether a Club is home or away and regardless of whether or not a game is televised in a Club's home television territory.
? All live Toronto Blue Jays games are blacked out throughout the entire country of Canada.
? Additional teams may also be subject to blackout in parts of Canada based on their region.
? All live games will be blacked out in the U.S. territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands during the MLB regular season.
To find out which Club's live games are blacked out in your current location, click here: \t
To find out which Club's live games are blacked out of the area where you will be watching the game, enter the zip code of that area here and click Go: \t
Note MLB.com live game blackouts are determined in part by IP address. MLB.com At Bat live game blackouts are determined using one or more reference points, such as GPS and software within your mobile device. The Zip Code search is offered for general reference only.
To look up your current IP Address click here: \t
If you think we have inaccurately determined your blackout restrictions, you may call Customer Service at 866.800.1275 (US) or 512.434.1542 (International).
Regular Season Weekend U.S. National Live Blackout: Due to Major League Baseball exclusivities, live games occurring each Saturday with a scheduled start time after 1:10 PM ET or before 8:00 PM ET and each Sunday with a scheduled start time after 5:00 PM ET, will be blacked out in the United States (including the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands). In addition, in the event of circumstances that produce a programming conflict or change in schedule, the above blackout windows may be subject to change. If you are an MLB.TV Premium subscriber outside of the United States, each of these games will be available as an archived game as soon as possible after the conclusion of the applicable game. If you are an MLB.TV Premium Subscriber within the United States or an MLB.TV subscriber in any territory, each of these games will be available as an archived game approximately 90 minutes after the conclusion of the applicable game.
For a listing of Regular Season games that will be nationally blacked out in the United States, please click here.
Regular Season Play-In Game: Due to Major League Baseball exclusivities, any play-in game to determine the final team(s) to reach the MLB Postseason, i.e. a 163rd game, will be blacked out in the United States (including the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands).
Postseason Live Blackout: Due to Major League Baseball exclusivities, during the MLB Postseason, all live games will be blacked out in the United States (including the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands) and Canada. If you are an MLB.TV Premium Subscriber outside of the United States and Canada, each of these games will be available as an archived game as soon as possible after the conclusion of the applicable game. If you are an MLB.TV Premium Subscriber within the United States or Canada or an MLB.TV subscriber in any territory, each of these games will be available as an archived game approximately 90 minutes after the conclusion of the applicable game. Archived games are not available through MLB.com At Bat.
Postseason.TV: Subscribers to Postseason.TV, available only during the MLB Postseason, will be able to view live alternative video feeds (excluding the broadcast feed) from MLB Postseason games without blackout restrictions.
Live Audio of those games subject to the blackout restrictions reflected above is available as part of any MLB.TV subscription, as part of MLB.com Gameday Audio.
OUTSIDE THE U.S. AND CANADA
No blackout restrictions apply.
...
I dunno... every cable customer has a cable box... wouldn't Apple like to be in that box?
Not every cable customer has a cable box. Many of those that do are getting rid of them or would like to. At any rate, cable boxes are a declining market. I have no idea what Apple's desires and plans are for cable boxes. You seem to believe that Apple has a hankering to take on the juggernauts of Scientific Atlanta and Motorola. Why?
What is the point? We have the Apple TV already that works with any screen. Any features can be added to a similar device that works with any TV... massive sales potential that way. Making a TV itself is pointless.
While I would love to have seen the TV of which Steve dreamed-- I still recall the joy of the NeXT machine, I do agree there that an actual Apple Branded TV in that vipers' pit of high-speed competition makes little sense. Trying to keep my SONY system up-to-date a year or so after going HD LCD has been a nightmare and integrating Panasonic, Samsung, and Toshiba components....
We shall see.