Latest Apple TV beta software includes iCloud Family Sharing, brings shared content into the living
Alongside the introduction of Apple's second iOS 8 beta release on Tuesday, the company issued the first beta version of its upcoming Apple TV Software update, which activates the new iCloud-based Family Sharing function set to debut as part this fall.
Introduced at WWDC as a tentpole feature for iOS 8, Family Sharing allows up to six family members to access each other's purchased content from any registered device running iOS 8 or OS X 10.10 Yosemite.
With native support on Apple TV, this means video, music and more can be viewed on a large television screen without connecting to the streaming box via AirPlay.
With its latest Apple TV Software beta -- at least this initial version -- Apple is limiting support to third-generation Apple TVs, suggesting owners of older models like the second-generation variant may be left out when the update sees public release. Some speculate Apple has been forced to leave out legacy models as software advancements has advanced past the capabilities of older components like the A4 SoC.
According to the release notes, there are a few issues with the first Apple TV Software beta including intermittent stuttering (dropped frames) or complete playback stoppage. In some cases, Apple TV may crash and return to the main menu after purchasing a music video.
Along with Family Sharing, Apple also tweaked the main menu's iconography to "flatter" graphics akin to those seen in iOS and the upcoming Yosemite.
Introduced at WWDC as a tentpole feature for iOS 8, Family Sharing allows up to six family members to access each other's purchased content from any registered device running iOS 8 or OS X 10.10 Yosemite.
With native support on Apple TV, this means video, music and more can be viewed on a large television screen without connecting to the streaming box via AirPlay.
With its latest Apple TV Software beta -- at least this initial version -- Apple is limiting support to third-generation Apple TVs, suggesting owners of older models like the second-generation variant may be left out when the update sees public release. Some speculate Apple has been forced to leave out legacy models as software advancements has advanced past the capabilities of older components like the A4 SoC.
According to the release notes, there are a few issues with the first Apple TV Software beta including intermittent stuttering (dropped frames) or complete playback stoppage. In some cases, Apple TV may crash and return to the main menu after purchasing a music video.
Along with Family Sharing, Apple also tweaked the main menu's iconography to "flatter" graphics akin to those seen in iOS and the upcoming Yosemite.
Comments
Apple good. Family good.
Congrats on your daughters called Jen! Family Sharing will be a real boon to you.
The key is all iTunes accounts involved must share the same credit card. Which essentially can be argued is hardly different from 4 people sharing the same iTunes account, which is how we do it here (and will continue to).
My wife has never made a purchase with her iCloud account...only mine, and that's not gonna change.
Excited? Not.
If you can Airplay-Why bother?
Being in a different location. Families who have siblings who live away from the main account's home can still watch the movies the family bought on the account.
That's how we do it as well. Works perfect. This just adds to the perfection.
Congrats on your daughters called Jen! Family Sharing will be a real boon to you.
Well they get along well with our son Mac so what more could we ask for...
Excited? Not.
If you can Airplay-Why bother?
Being in a different location. Families who have siblings who live away from the main account's home can still watch the movies the family bought on the account.
@pazuzu, is that response satisfactory?
After waiting so long for an update to the 'Hobby', I hope that they have something more than just Family Sharing to show off.
What about an app store for the ATV? What about games, a browser, USB ports, and essentially turning it into an ultra low-budget pc with 16GB of storage?
Guess what? There are a lot of people that actually reside outside of the US. How about allowing us to be able to load region friendly apps, rather than filling our TV screens with a load of North American stuff that we can't, or don't want to use (Netflix, NHL, and MLB, I'm looking at you...).
I got tired of waiting for Apple to pull their finger out, so I went and bought a MINIX Neo X7. It runs Android, and I hate myself more than you can ever know...but it does what I want it to do.
It runs standard Android apps. You can stream, or play stored movies over a LAN or from an attached USB drive. It has a browser, wifi, bluetooth, an SD card reader, and the list goes on...
Would I buy an nice shiny Apple device if it had just a few of these features. Hell yes! But until then, I guess I'll just have to stick with my cheap Android box, and let a little part of my soul die every time I use it...
@pazuzu, is that response satisfactory?
Not really- If you know the family's iTunes account and password you already have this. Remember he said bought on account.
Excited? Not.
If you can Airplay-Why bother?
lol haters gonna hate. again.
why on earth would i want to:
...when i could now just source the playback from a wired ATV?
think man.
You can already share purchases by adding additional AppleIDs to the AppleTV boxes. It even asks if you want to save the password for purchases, just say no. Then switch between the stored IDs and enjoy the various purchases. That's how we do it. Whenever I add a new digital movie code, it appears for my family members to watch, even when they don't live with me. What will happen when Jr. grows up and mommy and daddy stop paying for his iTunes account and tell him to use his own payment method? Do all those purchases under the prior payment method become de-authorized since the IDs are no longer considered "family shared?"
yep. sounds fine to me.
and way better than manually switching accounts on ATV every time i want to music made with my wife's device.
how you can seriously argue that's better is beyond my ability to rationalize.
Not really- If you know the family's iTunes account and password you already have this. Remember he said bought on account.
having all your family members use the same itunes account is idiotic. doing so when theres a seamless way to not do so? beyond idiotic.
apple's new solution, Family Sharing, is a much better alternative.
Not really- If you know the family's iTunes account and password you already have this. Remember he said bought on account.
Having separate accounts gives you privacy with respect to emails, documents and bookmarks, not to mention a better address book without the 100s of contact details belonging to someone else that are of no use to you.
The only drawback of separate accounts was that you had to buy the same 3rd party apps (now that iWork for iOS is free with new iOS devices!). This is what Family Sharing will hopefully mitigate.
Yes. This is a really fine move by Apple. All those people who think that using one account and sharing the password works will realise how flawed that is when their children grow up. This is a much more elegant solution.