Mar 23
Amidst growing concern over the Internet’s scalability in the face of rising online media consumption, Apple is rumored to be seeking a partnership with Comcast. If things go according to … Continue reading
Nov 24
Apple confirms PrimeSense buyout, paves way for motion-controlled future (updated)
Posted in: Today's Chili
At last, the will-it-or-won’t-it drama surrounding Apple’s rumored acquisition of PrimeSense is over. The iPhone maker has confirmed the deal with AllThingsD, issuing its now familiar statement that it buys smaller companies “from time to time.” The company isn’t discussing its plans or the terms of the deal, but ATD‘s sources claim that PrimeSense sold for about $360 million, or more than the $345 million that Calcalist reported a week ago. Whatever the value, it’s clear that motion control will play a role in Apple’s future — the crew in Cupertino now has access to 3D sensor technology that works in everything from living room devices to smartphones.
Update: PrimeSense has confirmed the acquisition to us, stating “We can confirm the deal with Apple. Further than that, we cannot comment at this stage.”
Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment, Tablets, Mobile, Apple
Source: AllThingsD
Oct 01
Until Apple actually produces a new TV related device, rumors about what it might be working on will continue to flow, with no end in sight. While we still don’t know what’s next out of Cupertino, Multichannel News reports the company has hired a former CableLabs executive for the job of engineering director. Jean-François Mulé served as senior VP of technology development at CableLabs for the last two years, and MCN indicates that before that he worked on a number of IP-based projects like DOCSIS 3.0 and second screen technology. It’s still hard to say what Apple may want to build for the living room, but apparently this is the kind of person needed to fill out that “vision of the future,” especially if that means working with existing cable and satellite TV services.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Apple
Via: GigaOm
Source: Multichannel News
Sep 26
It seems that Apple’s taking its little hobby more seriously with each passing day. Not long after adding a slew of new features to Apple TV, the company has quietly added two additional channels to its growing lineup: Major League Soccer and Disney Junior. For its part, the MLS app lets viewers watch live league matches with a $25-per-season subscription, while the latter offering brings video content for young ones but relies on participating cable providers for access, similarly to the Disney Channel and Disney XD. We should mention the pair of channels appear to be only available in the US, so fret not if some of you don’t see these show up on your Apple TV’s homescreen.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD, Apple
Via: 9to5Mac
Sep 25
Have a third-gen Apple TV and an iDevice running iOS 7? If you’ve yet to set up Cupertino’s set-top box, you can do so now by simply touching your iPhone or iPad to the Apple TV. Okay, Apple’s take on Bump requires a few more steps than that; you’ll first need to enable Bluetooth on your iOS 7 device, then connect to the WiFi network you’ll use with the Apple TV. (Your machine also needs Apple TV software 6.0 or later.) Still, it sure beats the labor-intensive process of selecting letters on-screen with the included remote. Once you’ve tapped your iPhone to the set-top box, prompts should appear on both the phone and the TV screen, and you’re good to go. Give it a whirl for yourself — Apple’s directions are available via the first source link below.
Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment, HD, Mobile, Apple
Via: TUAW
Source: Apple Support (1), Apple Support (2)
Sep 23
Apple may have been too hasty in rolling out its Apple TV 6.0 update last week, but it’s been quick to make amends. The company has just re-released the upgrade with a new build number — and, presumably, fixes for the connectivity and reset issues from the initial rollout. Otherwise, the new firmware offers the same AirPlay from iCloud support, iTunes Music Store shopping and iTunes Radio streaming that we saw a few days ago. We haven’t heard of any hiccups with this latest revision, but let us know if you encounter anything serious.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Apple
Source: 9to5 Mac
Sep 22
If you haven’t already updated your Apple TV to version 6.0, you’ll have to wait: Cupertino has discreetly pulled the software upgrade. Although no official statement has been made, users on Twitter have been reporting connectivity issues and accidental resets throughout the weekend. An unlucky few even saw their devices bricked entirely. Now, manually checked boxes report that version 5.3 is “up to date.” There’s no word yet when a more stable version of the software will be available for download, but when it is, it should bring users the AirPlay from iCloud support (for devices running iOS 7) and iTunes Radio access Apple promised on Friday.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Apple
Sep 20
Just in case you thought incorporation would slow things down among the folks behind CyanogenMod, dev and VP of Engineering Koushik Dutta just posted this video showing off AirPlay Mirroring from an Android phone. He’s been working on Android streaming support to various protocols / devices for the “AllCast” media streaming app since Google’s changes cut it off from the Chromecast (for now at least), and Apple’s screen sharing feature is the latest target. There are other apps in the Play Store that connect Android devices over AirPlay, but mirroring support integrated into the OS feels fresh. AllCast support is already in place for pushing media to Roku and DLNA-compatible hardware, and he says this mirroring feature is “coming soon to a CyanogenMod near you.”
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, HD, Mobile, Apple, Google
Source: Koushik Dutta (Google+) (1), (2)
Sep 20
Apple TV gets iTunes Radio, AirPlay from iCloud and more with latest software update
Posted in: Today's Chili
Apple may not have made any mention of an Apple TV software update at its event earlier this month, but it turns out it did have one set to roll out alongside its new iPhones. Available for download now, version 6.0 is a fairly big upgrade compared to other recent updates, bringing with it support for Apple’s new iTunes Radio service, along with new features like AirPlay from iCloud and the ability to browse and buy music from the iTunes store right from the Apple TV. You can now also sync podcasts across your various Apple devices and listen to them on your Apple TV, and view photos and videos you’ve added to your shared photo streams. The UI, however, hasn’t been updated to match iOS 7, remaining mostly unchanged from the most recent redesign.
Update: As All Things D notes, the AirPlay from iCloud feature is only available to devices running iOS 7.%Gallery-slideshow89886%
Source: 9 to 5 Mac
Sep 17
There are many ways to get ahead in the online content game, and one of them is to make sure your services play nice with competitor hardware. To that end, an update to the Amazon Instant Video app for iOS that dropped today means you can now stream to Apple TVs via AirPlay for the first time. In addition, version 2.1 integrates reviews and various info from IMDb, as well as giving you more ways to find things to watch. Concurrent downloads are now supported, and the changelog also boasts improvements to the UI and “offline experience.” All in all, it looks like a pretty significant update, so go ahead and hit up the source link to try it out.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, HD, Mobile, Amazon
Source: App Store (Amazon Instant Video)
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