Time Warner working to deliver live & on-demand shows to Apple TV
Time Warner Cable is reportedly working on an application for the Apple TV set-top box that will allow cable subscribers to stream both live and on-demand shows without the need to have a dedicated cable box.
The new software in the works will "effectively add an Apple layer on top of the TV screen," according to a report published Thursday by The New York Times. Apple's own programming guide will allegedly offer an experience "far superior" to anything Time Warner can offer customers on its own.
The fact that Time Warner Cable is willing to hand over so much control to Apple should not be a surprise: The company's chief operating officer, Rob Marcus, signaled last year that he would be willing to give up user interface control to Apple if it were to offer customers a better experience and earn more subscribers.
Thursday's report explains that Apple has apparently switched its approach with content providers and is allegedly looking to cooperate cable providers, rather than sign exclusive deals with individual channels. It's said that Apple intends to collect a fee from distributors like Time Warner in exchange for enhancing their television service.
The Time Warner Cable app said to be in the works would join the likes of WatchESPN, HBO Go, and Sky News, which were given their own dedicated applications on the Apple TV in an update pushed out to users in June. Users who access WatchESPN on the Apple TV must have an active cable subscription, while HBO Go can only be streamed to customers who subscribe to HBO through their cable provider.
Word of a content deal with Time Warner first surfaced earlier this month, but few specifics were given. It was then said that Apple's agreement could be similar to Time Warner's current content deals with Roku and Microsoft's Xbox 360.
Apple is also said to be considering a "premium" service for Apple TV that could allow users to skip through commercials. Rumors claim that customers would pay for such functionality, and a cut of that fee would then be given to cable providers.
The new software in the works will "effectively add an Apple layer on top of the TV screen," according to a report published Thursday by The New York Times. Apple's own programming guide will allegedly offer an experience "far superior" to anything Time Warner can offer customers on its own.
The fact that Time Warner Cable is willing to hand over so much control to Apple should not be a surprise: The company's chief operating officer, Rob Marcus, signaled last year that he would be willing to give up user interface control to Apple if it were to offer customers a better experience and earn more subscribers.
Thursday's report explains that Apple has apparently switched its approach with content providers and is allegedly looking to cooperate cable providers, rather than sign exclusive deals with individual channels. It's said that Apple intends to collect a fee from distributors like Time Warner in exchange for enhancing their television service.
The Time Warner Cable app said to be in the works would join the likes of WatchESPN, HBO Go, and Sky News, which were given their own dedicated applications on the Apple TV in an update pushed out to users in June. Users who access WatchESPN on the Apple TV must have an active cable subscription, while HBO Go can only be streamed to customers who subscribe to HBO through their cable provider.
Word of a content deal with Time Warner first surfaced earlier this month, but few specifics were given. It was then said that Apple's agreement could be similar to Time Warner's current content deals with Roku and Microsoft's Xbox 360.
Apple is also said to be considering a "premium" service for Apple TV that could allow users to skip through commercials. Rumors claim that customers would pay for such functionality, and a cut of that fee would then be given to cable providers.
Comments
With cable content being an app, just like any other, we can finally have that consistent, intuitive user experience that could have easily been envisioned if the cable companies weren't so stupid and paranoid.
I have two cable boxes, and they work ok, but I don't like that they're both Samsung! I can at least control both boxes from my iOS devices.
I would love to toss my cable box & would certainly be willing to pay extra for life without commercials!
Quote:
Originally Posted by macFanDave
This is the last piece of the puzzle, as I see it. If the cable companies would control their content with software rather than with their ugly, useless set-top boxes and equally pathetic remotes, we could finally have the AppleTV (the one with the screen) we all dream of (and I think that Steve Jobs dreamed of.)
With cable content being an app, just like any other, we can finally have that consistent, intuitive user experience that could have easily been envisioned if the cable companies weren't so stupid and paranoid.
when those cable boxes first came out, they were very powerful for their day. i've read TWC paid hundreds of $$$ each for them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TBell
I am confused why Apple gets in trouble for anti-competitive behaviour when Cable companies are allowed to preserve their monopoly by forcing Apple to adopt to their wishes. Ala Carte programming is what I want.
Time Warner, Comcast, etc. have paid off more people in power?
Quote:
Originally Posted by neckra
This is awesome! Just a matter of time before Apple TV has apps for local TV based on area - and boom good bye cable cord! Very exciting news!
you will still need a cable subscrition
time warner is just getting out of the box and tv guide business
Quote:
Originally Posted by TBell
I am confused why Apple gets in trouble for anti-competitive behaviour when Cable companies are allowed to preserve their monopoly by forcing Apple to adopt to their wishes. Ala Carte programming is what I want.
tell that to disney, CBS and others who control the content and sell the channels in bundles
take it or leave it
Advantages:on demand, portable throughout house,can set it at any size (for the dreamer 2 at once), higher quality display, better stereo.
Disadvantages: worse for multiple people viewing, can display content at lower quality, limited content.
This is sorta sad in comparisons.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jayfizzle
I would love to toss my cable box & would certainly be willing to pay extra for life without commercials!
That commercial-free rumor is not going to happen. It's not the MSOs (Comcast, Time-Warner, Verizon) who make money from those commercials (except for a few) - it's the cable networks (Discovery, Turner, MTV, AMC, etc.) They are not going to let their channels out there without spots - it would destroy their entire economic model. Besides, you can't skip a commercial on live programming.
I also have to wonder about picture and sound quality - whether it's going to be as good coming down the net and into the Apple box as it is off the fibre and coax that feeds the cable box. When I watch Vudu movies, I almost always have caching problems at least once or twice during the movie - it's very annoying. In spite of the mantra that cable companies suck, I have a technical problem on cable maybe once a year and when it happens, it's only on one channel, which implies that it's a cable channel issue, not an MSO issue.
Like everyone else, I would like an ala-carte cable plan. I think that the MSOs should assign points to each channel and you get so many points for so many dollars. The more points you buy, the cheaper each point becomes. This way, each customer could create their own package. But that's unlikely to happen either, because the cable networks force the MSOs to take packages of cable channels and they also force them,for the most desired channels like the sports channels, to pay a fee for each subscriber, even if that subscriber never watches the channel. That's why your cable bill goes up every year. The only way this happens is if Congress passes a law forcing it, therefore, it's never going to happen. The only way I could see it happening is if a market disrupter comes in, but it's hard to imagine who could disrupt the market since the cable networks won't permit that disruption and even if one caved, no one dominates the market.
But maybe the answer is not to try and emulate what cable does today. Maybe Apple should simply (or not so simply) get the VOD rights to all the shows via a deal with an MSO. You'd still have to be a cable subscriber in that model, but the shows are there for you to watch whenever, via Apple's supposedly superior UI and on whatever device you want. The exceptions would be sports and news, which would still be live.
And tell it to the TV set manufacturers!
First wave of TV was to sell one TV per household, next (disregarding swapping out the B&W with color) was more than one TV per household and so on until they now want to sell us TVs to be discarded every time they are not kind enough to allow a SW update, like with the Android scam, while the HW part of the TV may have a life expectancy of ten times as much before it is technologically of physically at the end of life.
I still have a 22 inch cinema display that is in regular use, it costed significantly more than my current 27 inch iMac, and has been in on a succession of secondary uses while associated HW has come and gone.
In my opinion the only thing that makes sense is a TV that is just a monitor used in combination with one single inexpensive ATV or similar that can be changed out frequently as tech advances. The one thing I miss though is a built in hard disk like in my set top box, but I guess that would be a hard one to swallow for the content providers.
Nope. The last piece is taking cable companies out of the system. Net apps and direct subscribing. No cable TV plan needed
Or even get the season passes down to a better price and add a premium pricing where you get to stream at time of OTA until the download is available. Can do it in Apple TV and iOS devices only (AirPlay turned off), no computers until 'home video' kicks in.
All shows up right off, no more of this two years later crap. Missing seasons filled in, etc
That was my reaction.
At some point in the future, when all the cable companies, Verizon, Comcast, Time Warner etc. have apps on the Apple TV, will one of them release the dogs and allow watching with just a payment via iTunes to someone with no cable contract? At that point, if there is an à la carte option too, we will have reached a paradigm shift
The long rumored TiVo killer from Apple may soon appear.
Only way I can see it would be unlimited show storage in iCloud. iCloud would just need to store one copy of the show for multiple people to use, then stream it down (like Tivo to Tivo style). Apple TV just add's a small flash chip to hold 30-60 minutes of live TV so you can pause and go back and forth like Tivo. Then add additional chip for holding 20 or so hours worth HD shows that can be transfered down and store rest in cloud. Show's could be automatically stored with or without ad's depending on your "plan" and boom, no trying to find older eps of shows you start in middle of season, all would be there for you to catch up on. And the other perk of commercial removal. Then I don't mind dropping my two Tivo boxes.
Been with Tivo since they started with DirecTV, and just got another new box to replace a silly big grey TW one. I be happy to stop having 6-12 appointments with TW when I need to move or change something because these tech's don't deal with Cable Cards or know anything about them.
I say bring it on Apple, with the TWC and Tivo (if true) ... let's really start making pay/cable TV what it should have been years ago.
PS - I be happy to pay TW and Apple to have ad free shows. TW for the access, and Apple for removing the ad's and channel guide ... (already paying 15 bucks each Tivo box per month)Quote:
Originally Posted by macFanDave
This is the last piece of the puzzle, as I see it. If the cable companies would control their content with software rather than with their ugly, useless set-top boxes and equally pathetic remotes, we could finally have the AppleTV
I agree. There is no downside to using Apple to be the UI and the box. I still don't understand why the cable boxes today consume so much freaking energy and run so hot- even the non-hard drive models. They could even get crazy and share Rental revenue with Apple. Right now renting a movie on cable is a painful process- iTunes on the ATV is beyond easy.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TBell
Ala Carte programming is what I want.
Not going to happen.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Robert Mark
The long rumored TiVo killer from Apple may soon appear.
Already done.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RPT
The one thing I miss though is a built in hard disk like in my set top box, but I guess that would be a hard one to swallow for the content providers.
Not sure why- it'd be just like the current boxes. I don't even mind paying the cable companies a "fee" like I do for DVR & HD Services if it can all go to my ATV w/ a hard drive.
An ATV/Time Capsule combo would be amazing. Shared Hard drive for DVR and Backups, Router, and ATV all built in one unit. Even at $399, and $99 for the other non-hard drive versions... that'd be a dream. Heck, could you imagine an ATV/Airport Express combo that sold for $199 and could be used as a wifi extender?
I'm curious, with the availability of on demand HD why do you see a need to record / store anything?