Mac|Life Apple TV RSS Feed

Boxee To Have Its Own Box

Brian Proffit — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:22:27 -0600

Boxee's Avner Ronen announced today that they have signed a partnership with an unnamed consumer electronics company to manufacture a dedicated Boxee set-top box. Boxee will be showing a prototype and giving more details at a special unveiling event in Brooklyn, NY on December 7th. Those interested in attending can RSVP at http://boxeebeta.eventbrite.com/.

Ronen said this was just one more step in their plan "to provide consumers with a way to get Boxee in their living rooms, no matter whether it's on a Connected TV, game console, set-top box, BluRay player, computer, etc. Our goal is to be on every Connected device in the living room."

Judging by blog comments, Boxee fans are tentatively excited. Some have hacked their Apple TV to enable it to run Boxee, but they run into the same update override problems as those trying to sync their Palm Pre with iTunes. The questions they're looking for answers on at the unveiling are whether will it have DVR ability and if it will support other online content providers such as Hulu and Netflix.

The device will compete with others such as the new Myka ION announced just last week, which includes Boxee and Hulu support. The ION is expected to begin shipping by mid-December.

iTunes Extras/LPs Now Available for Apple TV-Friendly Re-download

Cory Bohon — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 22:05:10 -0600

Apple TV 3.0 update ushered in iTunes Extras and LPs on our favorite little television accessory, but users were told that currently owned iTunes Extras and LPs wouldn't work with the ATV just yet. However, ATV owners can now re-download their Extras/LPs in the new compatible format.

MacRumors reports that users were notified via e-mail that their content could be re-downloaded starting on Friday.

The e-mail said, "With the latest versions of iTunes (9.0.2) and Apple TV software (3.0), you can now use iTunes LP on your Apple TV. We have updated the iTunes LP that was included with (your purchase) so that it can now be viewed on Apple TV in addition to your Mac or PC. It is available for you to download now, free of charge."

MacRumors via 9to5 Mac

Apple TV 3.0.1 Update, Users Urged to Update

Cory Bohon — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 21:25:38 -0600

Apple issued an important update for Apple TV users today that fixes a bug that could cause content to disappear.

Users were informed via e-mail that if they downloaded the 3.0 update that they should subsequently update to the new 3.0.1 update.

According to the e-mail and a support note, "There is an issue with Apple TV software version 3.0 that can possibly cause your content to disappear after a period of time. All customers running Apple TV software version 3.0 should immediately restart their Apple TV and then upgrade to Apple TV software version 3.0.1."

You can download this update by selecting Settings > General > Software Update from the Apple TV menu.

Podcast #114: Apple TV Gets an Update and Adobe Taunts Apple

Mac|Life Staff — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 22:37:06 -0600

The Apple TV makes its way back into the Apple news cycle with an OS update. The Apple TV also gets to ride the coat tails of the report that Apple is shopping a $30 a month TV subscription service to television networks.

Finally, Adobe gets all passive aggressive on Apple with its latest jab at the iPhone's lack of Flash.

Got a question, but you're afraid to leave a voice message because of Witness Relocation Dept. rules? Drop us a question via Twitter twitter.com/maclife.

This week's Battlestar Applactica picks:

Gowalla - Free

Instapaper - Free

Don't forget, the Mac|Life staff would love to hear your thoughts, comments and ideas for the new podcast. Just leave a message on the Mac|Live question/comment line: (877) 404-1337, extension 622. Please limit the length of your messages to 1 minute max. We'll review these calls each week and feature our favorites, along with responses, on that week's podcast.

To subscribe to the Mac|Live podcast series through an RSS feed, click here; if you want to subscribe through the iTunes Store, click here.

iTunes 9.0.2 Follows Apple TV 3.0 Into the World

Roberto Baldwin — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:02:06 -0500

To enable grid Dark background - File>Preferences>General>Grid View (Click to embiggen)

Are you ready for some updating, well too bad. Apple is pushing another update on us and this one is for the Apple TV 3.0 software they pushed live a few hours ago. The best part about the update, support for a dark background grid in iTunes.

Yippee!

How long until an series of iPod and iPhone updates are pushed for the new iTunes which in turn is for the new Apple TV. Eventually, they could create an update loop that'll doom us all.

You can download the update via Software Update or from Apple's site.

Apple's notes on the new update:

iTunes 9.0.2 adds support for Apple TV software version 3.0, adds an option for a dark background for Grid View, and improves support for accessibility.

Apple TV 3.0 Software is Out

Roberto Baldwin — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:49:23 -0500

If you have the Apple TV, settle down, they didn't released new hardware. Instead they released an update to the OS.

Apple TV 3.0 adds the current iTunes features, Genius Mixes and iTunes LP to your set top box.

Check it out and drop your first reactions in the comments below.

Below is Apple's press release:

Apple Introduces Apple TV 3.0 Software With Redesigned User Interface

Enjoy iTunes Extras, iTunes LP & Genius Mixes on Your HD TV

CUPERTINO, California—October 29, 2009—Apple® today introduced new Apple TV® 3.0 software featuring a redesigned main menu that makes navigating your favorite content simpler and faster, and makes enjoying the largest selection of on-demand HD movie rentals and purchases, HD TV shows, music and podcasts from the iTunes® Store even better on your TV. You can now enjoy iTunes Extras and iTunes LP in stunning fullscreen with your Apple TV, as well as listen to Genius Mixes and Internet radio through your home theater system. The new Apple TV software is available immediately free of charge to existing Apple TV owners, and Apple TV with 160GB capacity is available for just $229.

“The new software for Apple TV features a simpler and faster interface that gives you instant access to your favorite content,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of Internet Services. “HD movies and HD TV shows from iTunes have been a huge hit with Apple TV customers, and with Apple TV 3.0 they get great new features including iTunes Extras, Genius Mixes and Internet radio.”

The redesigned main menu on Apple TV gives you instant access to your favorite content. Recently rented or purchased movies, as well as other content including TV shows, music, podcasts, photos and YouTube, are accessible directly from the new main menu. The new software also allows Apple TV users to enjoy stunning fullscreen iTunes Extras and iTunes LP, including great new movie titles such as “Star Trek” or classics like “The Wizard of Oz” and albums such as Taylor Swift’s “Fearless (Platinum Edition)” and Jack Johnson’s “En Concert.” iTunes Extras gives movie fans great additional content such as deleted scenes, interviews and interactive galleries. iTunes LP is the next evolution of the music album, delivering a rich, immersive experience for select albums on the iTunes Store by combining beautiful design with expanded visual features like live performance videos, lyrics, artwork, liner notes, interviews, photos, album credits and more.

Now Apple TV users can enjoy Genius Mixes through their home theater system and listen to up to 12 endless mixes of songs that go great together, automatically generated from their iTunes library. Customers can also enjoy Internet radio, allowing them to browse and listen to thousands of Internet radio stations, as well as tag favorite stations to listen to later. Apple TV’s support of HD photos is enhanced with iPhoto Events, which simplifies finding your favorite photos on Apple TV, as well as iPhoto® Faces, which gives access to photos organized by people identified in iPhoto.

Apple TV users have direct access to a catalog of over 8,000 Hollywood films on iTunes including over 2,000 in stunning HD video available for rent or purchase. Users can also choose from a selection of 11 million songs, 10,000 music videos and over 50,000 TV episodes to purchase directly from their Apple TV or browse and enjoy the iTunes Store podcast directory of over 175,000 free video and audio podcasts. Purchases downloaded to Apple TV are automatically synced back to iTunes on the user’s computer for enjoyment on their Mac® or PC or all current generation iPods or iPhones.* iPod touch® or iPhone® users can download the free Remote app from the App Store to control their Apple TV with a simple tap or flick of the finger.

Pricing & Availability
The new Apple TV software is available as a free automatic download to all Apple TV customers. The 160GB Apple TV is available from the Apple Store® (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of $229 (US). Apple TV requires an 802.11b/g/n wireless network or 10/100 Base-T Ethernet networking, a broadband Internet connection and a high definition widescreen TV. Video availability varies by country.

Apple TV easily connects to a broad range of widescreen TVs and home theater systems and comes standard with HDMI, component video, analog and optical audio ports. Using high-speed Wi-Fi, Apple TV automatically plays your iTunes content without setup or management.

Apple Releases Aluminum Remote

Cory Bohon — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 23:18:47 -0500

Today Apple released a shiny new remote to go along with the other product announcements. The new remote takes the place of the older, shorter, white plastic remotes that always seemed to squeak when you pressed a button.

The new remotes have the same $19 price tag, but are more iPod shuffle-esque in nature. Oh yeah, they're also made of aluminum (or as Jonathan Ive says, "AlooominiUm").

Apple notes on the store page that these new remotes will work with all Apple IR devices made after 2005, which means that you can get one for your beloved Apple TV, iMac, or MacBook.

You can get yours or see more pictures on the online Apple store.

Apple To Release a Touch Screen Remote for Apple TV?

Cory Bohon — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 21:03:19 -0500

A new rumor speculates that Apple could be hard at work creating a touch screen remote for the Apple TV. We're calling fake, but many multi-touch hopefuls are wishing for it to become a reality. The Boy Genius Report breaks the news with a picture of the speculative remote control device that supposedly only works with the Apple TV.

BGR notes that this rumor is from the same person who accurately predicted that Apple would be releasing a new version of iTunes that allowed for home screen organization. The tipster told BGR that the remote launch would possibly coincide with a revamped Apple TV launch.

Of course, this remote could definitely cause more of a gripe than the $19 plastic Apple remote that is being sold today.