Gizmodo: Apple TV 2.0

Giz Explains: How Broadband Usage Caps Will Kill Internet Video

matt buchanan — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 15:00:00 EDT

NBC's scheduled coverage of the 2008 Olympics is absolutely breathtaking in its scope: It's broadcasting over 3,600 hours of the world's greatest athletes performing feats that reveal how shapeless and amoebic the rest of humanity is—that's 1,000 more hours than the last 12 Summer Olympics combined. The internet is a huge component of their nearly omniscient coverage. You can even download and watch full-length events. But NBC has a fat red warning on the page: If you've got metered or capped broadband, you might want to think twice before downloading. It's the first shot by major media in the next great battle for the internet's future. Here's why you—and most media companies—should be worried about the new wave of internet pricing.

This might seem like an odd topic for Giz Explains, our weekly "WTF is that?" series, but a bunch of comments last week revealed a need to plainly explain the tussle going on between internet service providers, the Federal Communications Commission, content providers and you, and how it's shaping the way you'll use internet over the next couple of years. First, a quick primer.

Comcast was caught slowing down BitTorrent traffic last year by the Associated Press. It (re)sparked cries for government-mandated net neutrality—treating all internet traffic equally, whether it's email, Skype or a bootleg of The Dark Knight over torrent. While that didn't happen, a complaint against Comcast went through the FCC, which ruled against it last week, saying that slowing down BitTorrent was a naughty thing to do, and that they must disclose all management practices to subscribers.

In the meantime, a different network management trend started to emerge among the major ISPs: metered broadband, aka data caps. It's like dial-up service or wireless data: After reaching your alotted amount of data for the month, you pay extra, maybe through the nose, as our northern neighbors in Canada are familiar with. Conveniently, it's "net neutral," since it doesn't discriminate against particular kinds of traffic, and it's fully disclosed to subscribers so it satisfies guidelines discussed by FCC Chairman Kevin Martin. In case you're looking to file a complaint, Electronic Frontier Foundation Senior Staff Attorney Fred Von Lohmann told us, "There's certainly nothing to stop them from pricing that way if they want to."

Time Warner was the first major to float the plan, which is currently in testing, with a 40GB cap at the high-end. Comcast is considering a metered approach as well, its spokesman has confirmed. AT&T is the most recent major ISP to jump onboard, and it'll be testing caps in the fall. Not to mention Cox Cable and a whole mess of regional ISPs already implement them.

Here's the rub: The P2P apps ISPs point to as pillaging their networks are increasingly a nonexistant bogeyman. Video is now the actual bandwidth monster, and it's only getting hungrier and hungrier.

The thing about all that video is that it competes with what your ISP is probably delivering to your other screen in the living room. Why watch 30 Rock on your couch at specific time when you can grab it on demand on your laptop with Hulu, or on a Netflix Roku box? That awesome Vudu box you bought? Pulling in Transformers in HD uses your cable provider's pipes, but it doesn't see a dime from the transaction.

Suppose you decide to be pseudo-green and opt for an all-digital approach from Vudu or Apple TV, and you have a moderate habit of two movies a week. A 90-minute movie running at a constant bitrate of 2.5 megabits per second (you're talking HD here) will swallow 1.69 GB. If you've got a 40GB cap, eight movies will eat over a quarter of it. And that's just your rental habit, with today's specs. The 1080p flicks they'll be streaming tomorrow will be even more bandwidth intensive.

More importantly, today's geek frontier is tomorrow's mainstream playground. Like game demos on Xbox Live? Or games-for-purchase on Steam? Those are a gig or two a pop, and as more and more games are distributed digitally, the gigs will add up. Which is also part of the problem as far as the ISPs are concerned: AT&T's tech chief glibly notes that "traffic on our backbone is growing 60 percent per year, but our revenue is not."

While I wanted to tell you that data caps will destroy the internet as we know it, really video is what's actually facing the greatest threat. Time Warner has openly said content providers can't have it both ways. And the EFF's von Lohmann told us that while he hasn't "seen any evidence that [metered broadband] will radically change the internet" he is "worried that companies that have their own video they're delivering over the same pipe they deliver internet service will have an incentive to reduce caps" and it's a "valid concern worth watching." It would effectively have us paying twice for video delivered over the internet. Most people can barely stand paying for it once.

aTV Media Center Hack for Apple TV is Back, Now With GUI Installer and Support For USB Drives

John Mahoney — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 17:00:00 EDT

After disappearing for a while due to a fair use scuff-up, the aTV software that helps turn the Apple TV into the media center it should have been is now back and freshly updated. Big new features are a GUI installer for loading the hack onto a USB stick, eliminating the messy command line work that used to be required, and support for external USB devices for connecting a bigger hard drive or NAS for more storage, on top of everything else this nifty unofficial upgrade does for your Apple TV.

Mplayer codecs mean you can handle just about every file format you can find (including uncompressed VIDEO_TS rips). Other add-ons include the Sapphire media organizer, a WebKit browser, game emulators, the ability to FTP into your box to avoid iTunes and more, all without blocking any of the out-of-the-box functions. Not bad at all for $60. [aTV via 43 Folders]

Tip: iPhone Remote Is a Wi-Fi Keyboard for Apple TV, Prevents Aneurysms

matt buchanan — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 14:59:00 EDT

Apple TV's onscreen keyboard is an exercise in stress management, especially with its morsel of a remote. Not pimped by Apple is that the iPhone's Remote app solves this by presenting the iPhone's keyboard anytime you need to type and would otherwise pop a blood vessel, like when you're searching for "Jay and Seth Vs. the Apocalypse" on YouTube or plumbing through iTunes. Handy for the weekend, no? [Daring Fireball via Mac Rumors]

OS X Media Application CenterStage Merges With Plex

Matt Hickey — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 21:30:00 EDT

CenterStage, the great Media Center-like UI for OS X, has merged with the Plex project, an alternative interface in hopes of creating a de facto product for any Mac user looking for more functionality that Apple TV currently affords. The application can play back many formats the Apple TV, and even iTunes, can't, like XviD, AVI, Video_TS, and others, straight through your HDTV. It also has additional features like streaming Internet radio and built-in game emulators. The excellent Plex UI will mix with what CenterStage already has built, the end result being a universal application for Mac-centric Media Centers that's easy to use. Check out the new UI demo and screen shots after the jump. [CenterStage]

Apple TV 2.1 Update Adds Remote App and Mobile Me Support

matt buchanan — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 09:02:12 EDT

Apple TV 2.1 is out via Software Update. It adds two things: Support for the Remote app for the iPhone and iPod touch (awesome), and support for MobileMe. Hoo. Ray. [iLounge]

Netflix's Roku Box To Expand Its Horizons, Could Stream Hulu

John Herrman — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:14:23 EDT

The already impressive Roku streaming box will expand its services beyond Netflix's VOD adding new "big name" content providers in the future. Roku is taking the coy approach for now, but rumors of a flash-enabled browser to stream Hulu (which now streams at 480p resolution), YouTube and the various individual network sites are both plausible and awesome.

Silicon Valley Insider thinks that Unbox support is unlikely on account of its status as a direct competitor to Netflix streaming, but TiVo supports it so I wouldn't rule it out completely, plus a $99 provider-agnostic box would fill a conspicuously empty gap in the market, and my heart. [Forbes via Silicon Valley Insider]

State of The Infinite Format War: Get Ready for Five Long Years of Set-Top Battle Royale

matt buchanan — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 13:00:00 EDT

One year ago, we predicted that the infinite format war would rise from the ashes of the HD DVD/Blu-ray format war—that a million online services and set-top boxes would suddenly promise to deliver movies and video to your computer or TV. And that each one would essentially be their own format, since none of them are compatible, and each would promise only a fraction of available movies. We were right about our fears, but we also have a solution to a decent download collection.

Today, as new boxes and services are announced, there has yet to appear one that can give you every movie, let alone a single format you can use on your various everyday devices. Thankfully, what we're hearing now is that while this infinite format war may not go on forever, the state of video will suck for the next five years until every service has the same baseline catalog. If you believe the studios. In the meantime, you'll be looking for the set-top box with the best catalog, and the one that can deliver you your films in the best way possible.

If you thought the HD DVD/Blu-ray split was bad, at least there was an easy order to it, an alignment by studios. Warner, Universal and Paramount were on HD DVD, everyone else (plus Warner) put their movies on Blu-ray. Sure, no Big Lebowski on Blu-ray, but at least you knew why. There is nothing even approaching logic when it comes to the movie options from VOD set-top box to the next, at least not from the user perspective. Warner Bros. put out Ocean's Thirteen. You can watch it on Vudu and Amazon Unbox, but not iTunes. Warner also put out I Am Legend, which is on all three, and Xbox Live Marketplace. Paramount's Shooter is on all three, but only for purchase, not rental (and totally MIA from Xbox). And you could rent Disney/Pixar's Ratatouille a few months ago, but now it's only for purchase. "WTF?" is a natural response. (On a side note, it's a bitch to really search or go through any of the catalogs, so it's even harder to tell if it's an accidental or intentional roadblock.)

To explain our current clusterfuck, you need a quick trip back to 1999. Remember the state of digital music back then? It was messy and ugly. The music industry had no idea what to do with this whole internet thing, and they were involved in assorted, competing ventures. Then along came iTunes, which basically organized the music universe and, to the chagrin of the RIAA, set up a sane pricing structure, too. It's not a complete catalog of all music ever (Beatles, hello?), but it's the closest thing there is, and it's pretty damn good. It brought order to the chaos, and now claims 85 percent of the legal download market. So it has the music industry by the balls, enough to speed their efforts to fortify a worthy number 2—Amazon, which was the first store to boast a catalog exclusively made up of DRM-free music from all four majors as a result, a perk deliberately withheld from iTunes to curb its power.

We're basically at that same, nebulous 1999 point with video, though Hollywood has learned from the music industry's mistakes—and iTunes is not the guaranteed champion in the case of online movie sales. The industry is eagerly putting stuff out there, and on as many services as it can—we're at the point now that most of the major studios release movies on online services on the same day they release them on disc.

A problem gumming up our dream of the one box is that each service requires a different format—one studio told us that a big issue is digitizing and formatting a film to meet each service's specs. It just takes time, though they're going as fast as they can. And new releases are gonna take priority, obviously. We are at least a little skeptical of this claim—we don't think it takes that long to digitize a flick

From what we were told, there's surprisingly little worry of a single company dominating digital distribution. A studio we talked to said that it's all so new, the fear of a monopoly (by Apple or otherwise) is at worst simply a thought skulking around in the back of their mind, not an actual concern. So no service is getting any favors to promote one over the other, or keep another in check. (At least not yet, though Blu-ray-happy Sony may well have the most incentive to keep the online space anemic.) Again, here, we're a little suspicious—obviously they wouldn't come right out and tell us they're afraid of iTunes, but when you look at the measly catalog and consider the studios' close study of how the music industry complete botched online music, the idea of Apple becoming the single biggest distributor of most digital media and holding serious sway over the entire entertainment industry has to weigh on their minds.

I mean, if you were in their shoes, and could prevent making iTunes into the all-powerful Walmart of the digital video generation, wouldn't you?

The one bit of protectionism going on that was copped to is the push to purchase, rather than rent. It makes sense that a studio gets more money when you buy a movie than rent it, since it's the same set of bits headed to your hard drive, and both are guaranteed you'll watch the movie at least once, but one costs three to four times as much as the other. So you are going to see a lot of them not open a flick up to online rentals until a month after it's available for purchase, and even see rental options disappear, as recently happened across the board with Pixar movies.

Ultimately, and somewhat shockingly, Hollywood does have the same vision we do—a single god box that'll deliver the entire catalogs of all the studios. Only, unlike in the iTunes hegemony, every home could have a different god box, be it Xbox, TiVo, Vudu or Roku.

Forgive the buried service journalism. Enough of this theoretical talk. So, what does it take to get a decent download collection? Until the god box, you will need several, two at least. Right now, Vudu is good for latest and greatest plus some older favorites; Netflix Roku has better TV options and some interesting deep cuts (plus a $99 box price and unlimited streaming for 10,000 so-so titles for any plan over $9 with discs by mail as a backup); Xbox 360 has a surprisingly large amount of HD movies, and a nice catalog geared towards the gaming demographic; Apple TV has its own legion of fans for its ability to move movies to iPods and computers, though it still has a lot to prove in the catalog section. That's not even counting the TiVo with Amazon Unbox or the cable box you likely already have, each with their own assorted VOD options. Even if you owned all of 'em, you still might not find what you want, even if it's something that should be slapping you in the face. Take Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, for instance. We could not legally find it on any service, even though the sequel hit theaters just a few weeks ago—and got a surprisingly good buzz from usually snooty critics. Did Warner miss the perfect opportunity? They wouldn't say.

The other major issue is the state of broadband and the guys controlling the pipes. For the online video revolution to fully take off in HD, we need bigger pipes. For most people, that's years away. This is deeply threatening to the cable companies, and they're pretty clear that they're not happy about content moving online—you can see the fear in the recent moves to limit all kinds of data consumption (most of which is already video), not just the supposed protocol of pirates. What if limits or overage charges were put in place for people who were simply doing their best to buy copyrighted video? Why would someone give up DVD and Blu-ray rentals from Netflix in order to pay twice—for both the bandwidth and the content—and have to wait somewhat impatiently for the download, too?

So friends, while all of this gets ironed out, the infinite format war rages on: Lots of boxes, lots of online services, none of them complete, none of them that'll fully satisfy your wife's desire to rid the shelves of DVDs. Hollywood just can't move fast enough for this revolution, as arguably eager as it is, and the ISPs may not clear the way when the show does get on the road. From what we can tell, the stuff will all get sorted out in time. How much time? Give it five more years. If you believe the studios. [Insert groan of impatience here.]

iTunes Movie Purchases and Rentals Go to UK and Canada

Jason Chen — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 12:52:53 EDT

Apple's finally taken their movies to the UK and Canada, giving them 700 and 1200 films respectively to buy or rent. The flicks will be available the same day as their DVD release, and if you've got an Apple TV, you can watch 100 (UK) or 200 (Canada) of them in HD on your TV. Both countries have the standard 30 days to start watching a rental, and 48 hours after you've started to finish it. If you've been aching to give Apple the money you used to give retailers and not have to shower and get dressed in order to buy a movie, this is fantastic news! [Apple (UK) and Apple (Canada)]

aTV One-Step Apple TV Hack Gizmo Discontinued

Kit Eaton — Fri, 30 May 2008 06:23:00 EDT

It was just the other day that we brought you news of the aTV single step Apple TV flash-drive hack, bringing cool functionality to your Apple TV. But now a notice on Apple Core's website says the device has been discontinued (voluntarily, according to the company) over questions about the fair use of some of the software the gizmo uses to work its magic. At least it looks like people who've stumped up cash for one will be getting their money back— the full statement sheds more light on the matter.

—aTV Flash Unavailable Until Further Notice- Thursday 29 May, 2008
Due to questions arising regarding the fair use of a particular file present on the aTV Flash, and conflicting opinions as to whether or not it falls under the fair use category, we have VOLUNTARILY discontinued offering the aTV Flash at this time.

In our interpretation of the fair use doctrine, our software does not cross any lines, but since this is a grey area issue, we have taken a proactive approach and decided to seek clarifcation directly from the rights holder before we offer the product again.

We are working with them to resolve this, and will have updates posted here as they become available.

Current orders have been canceled and refunded.

Sorry for this inconvenience.

Apple Core, LLC

I guess if you're keen to get an aTV, you'll just have to hope that Apple Core work out the problem and get the product back on sale soon. [Maclife]

Hack Apple TV In One Step With the aTV Flash Drive

Sean Fallon — Tue, 27 May 2008 16:40:00 EDT

The idea behind AppleCore LLCs aTV Flash Drive is that users can reflash their Apple TV and add all sorts of cool and useful functionality without having to waste time scrounging around the internet looking for hacks. According to the product website, all you need to do is install the drive and it will do the rest—without voiding your warranty. But what sort of features will it add?

Key Features: - Play most video formats (DivX, Xvid, AVI, WMV, RMVB + more) - Play DVD files WITHOUT converting them - Sync, organize and watch non-iTunes video files - Browse the web with a Safari based web browser - Rent & watch Hi-Def movies from Jaman.com - Stream media from UPnP(v1) media servers - View local weather forecasts - View RSS Feeds - Enable SSH access - All original Apple TV features remain intact - And much, much more...

The drive will run you $59.95, which is a small price to pay in proportion to the enhanced functionality you will receive. This is in addition to the fact that it can save you a ton of time—not to mention one big headache. [AppleCore LLC via Palluxo via Crunchgear]

Analysts Predict Apple 2013: That's One Wonky Crystal Ball

matt buchanan — Thu, 22 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT

Foretelling Apple's next grooves is the national pastime for (some) geeks and an occupational obssession for analysts, who trip over themselves with crazy predictions in "notes" and reports to people with lots of money who want to make more. Forrester just released its big report on what Apple will be like in 2013, and it's a doozy—their crystal ball must be a Chinese knockoff, because it completely ignores the actual direction of not just Apple's wares, but gadgets and media as a whole. An Apple clock radio? Really?

To start, for people who supposedly have " years of tracking [Apple's] strategic product moves" they seem woefully unaware of products that Apple has out right now, much less where Apple is heading. For instance, they predict a whole new "home server" product/market to dish out your movies and music. Time Capsule could do that with a couple of firmware updates. And it's already out there.

The biggest thing is that they're seeing seven or eight major products at Apple's core where really there's just a few, at most. The illogic of Apple doing Geek Squad-style home installs or pumping out digital picture frames and media-streaming clock radios aside (yes Forrester really suggests all of those things), stuff is converging (or trying to), not multiplying and splintering. Macs, Apple TV and the iPhone cover most of what Forrester is proposing is the future of Apple and in a far less complicated way than they're imagining—what's missing is the content, but that's a wider problem, beyond and outside of Apple (and anyone else trying to make god boxes for the living room).

Here's our take on 2013: Fewer boxes and gadgets, more integration, more seamlessly. Can we get our six figures now? [Forrester]

Is Apple Developing a Wiimote-Inspired Controller For Apple TV?

Sean Fallon — Thu, 08 May 2008 14:25:12 EDT

A newly published patent filing has revealed that Apple is considering a 3D remote control system that combines features found in the Wiimote and their own multi-touch technology. According to the filing, the system could detect the position of the remote control and be used to manipulate objects as well as "zoom into and out of an image or a portion thereof based on the absolute position of the remote control in the third axis"—features that Appleinsider believes could be destined for Apple TV.

References to gaming in the filing also serve to rehash old rumors about gaming and Apple TV as well as how a controller like this might fit into such plans. Naturally, I have my doubts about such theories given Apple's stance on gaming over the years, but as with all rumors and patent filings, we will just have to wait and see what comes of it. [Appleinsider via MacRumors]

Buy Movies Directly on Apple TV (No Computer Required)

Jason Chen — Fri, 02 May 2008 17:30:00 EDT

Following up Apple's same-day DVD release purchasing announcement, they've added a feature to buy movies directly on Apple TV without the need for a computer. Before this, you could only rent on your Apple TV and have to buy movies on your computer first, then stream it. [MacRumors]

Warner Bros. to Release Movies for Apple TV and On Demand Same Day as DVD

matt buchanan — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 17:26:10 EDT

The format war over, and Blu-ray safely enthroned as the victor, Warner can now turn its sights beyond—to downloads and the infinite format war. Time Warner's chief executive announced today that Warner Bros. will release movies for on-demand systems like Comcast's and Apple TV on the same day they are released on DVD from now on.

Warner's been toying around with it for a little while and been increasingly open to internet distribution, so it doesn't come as a major surprise. Interestingly, according to their numbers, offering same-day releases on the internet only eats into DVD rentals by 3-5 percent, and actually increases sales. Plus, online rentals/sales double bring them more than double the profit margin of physical discs, so everybody wins, except for Blockbuster. (So Hollywood really does have nothing to fear from online distribution.)

The best news though? Head of Warner's home video said that they're trying to make online rentals "at least as lenient" as grabbing a DVD from Blockbuster, breaking open that 24-hour window. Now that would be a deathblow for Blockbuster. [Bits]

iPhone Getting iTunes Remote Control App?

Jason Chen — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 13:00:00 EDT

TUAW's tipsters tell it that, based on code found in the latest iPhone SDK beta, Apple's working on an app called iControl to hook up with iTunes libraries. Their guess is that it'll enable your iPhone to connect wirelessly to your iTunes and play back music, videos and podcasts (supposedly on the phone). That's interesting and all, but we're hoping it's more of an actual "controller", as specified in TUAW's headline and image. This way we can use the iPhone as a remote to adjust playback on our iTunes and Apple TVs. This is the one that makes sense to us. [TUAW]

Netflix Working With Three Secret Hardware Partners: No Names, Just Hints

Sean Fallon — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 13:59:02 EDT

We already know that Netflix has partnered up with LG, but a recent conference quarterly call has revealed that there are three other players in the mix:

At this point, I can tell you we have LG plus three additional partners actively working on integrating our technology into their products. Three of the four partners are major companies which each sell millions of devices per year and will enable the Netflix functionality in some of those devices likely in Q4 of this year. The fourth partner is a small company with which — which will likely launch sooner than Q4.

So which companies could they be talking about?

Rumors have been floating around about the XBox 360 for awhile now, so that makes Microsoft one likely contender. Naturally, that could also mean that Sony and the PS3 would be included. Other major company players that naturally spring to mind are TiVo and Apple—but the fourth "small company" is anyone's guess. [Seeking Alpha via Hacking Netflix via Zats]

Apple TV Firmware 2.0.2 Released, Nobody Knows What It Does

Adrian Covert — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 21:34:21 EDT

Apple issued v2.0.2 update for Apple TV today, but nobody is quite sure what it does except add a Genre sort button to the movies sections and a Flickr update that lets you see galleries of favorite photos tagged by your friends. Jason O'Grady of The Apple Core said the download took 9 minutes over a cable connection, so it seems like the update is sizable. Anyone else notice anything new? [The Apple Core]

Myka Brings BitTorrent to Your TV

Sean Fallon — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 15:30:10 EDT

The Myka is what many Torrent fans have been waiting for—a device that makes it easy to download torrents and play them on your living room TV. You can connect to the internet via LAN or WiFi, it has HDMI, Composite, S-Video and SPDIF ports (nice), your choice of 80, 160 or 500 gigabytes (and USB expansion) and the Linux OS with pre-installed BitTorrent software. You can even transfer videos directly from your computer. Prices are going to fall between $299 and $459, which is more than the Apple TV, but something tells me that there is some built-in value there. Additional pic after the break.

[Myka]

AppleTV DVR Patent Points to AppleTV 3.0 Features?

Jason Chen — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 12:38:35 EDT

We're not sure whether this patent will actually be implemented or if it's one of those cover-our-asses sort of filings, but Apple's had a DVR-like patent in the works since at least 2006. The figures show a TiVo-ish program that records TV, but then makes the recorded files available to watch on their iPods. There's even a direct docking mechanism so you don't need a PC to transfer files to and fro. Could this be the next-gen AppleTV? Probably not, since Apple's going in the direction of downloading shows from their iTunes store, and letting people record shows easily to transfer to their iPods kind of eats into their other downloading pie. [Apple Insider]

Sony CEO: $200 Blu-ray Players Coming

matt buchanan — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 12:43:32 EST

Everybody clamoring for a cheap Blu-ray player now that the format war is over might wanna bide their time with a sweet DVD upconverter—the $200-player Blu-ray cavalry is at least a year away, according to Sony Electronics CEO Stan Glasgow, who we talked to today in New York. "I don't think $200 is going to happen this year. Next year $200 could happen. We'll be at a $300 rate this year. $299 will happen this year."

No cheap Chinese-made players will be flooding the market to push it down either, not until the BDA decides to license the tech to them, and Glasgow implied it's gonna be a while before that happens. Anyone else wants a license? Sure. But not them, in part it was indicated, because of piracy concerns. Not that the price matters too much right now, since Sony is "struggling to keep up with the demand."

The mighty morphin' PS3 SKU—from 60GB to 40GB, backward-compatible or not—isn't going to stop shape-shifting. When asked "Will there also be another PlayStation with Blu-ray built-in? Glasgow answered that "there's going to be continual evolvement in the PlayStation line" before talking about feature upgrades with software.

Other points that came up at the roundtable:

• Sony dropped Memory Stick slots from its TVs, even ones that do photos and music playback. Not sure what that means for the underdog format.

• When people are asked what brand they think of when it comes to HD, Sony "is far and away the leader"—close to 36 percent, compared with 10 percent for the runner-up.

• Around 50 percent of their LCD HDTVs sold last year were 1080p—the shift to 1080p is happening now and Blu-ray will help that.

• Sony is not sweating the recession.

• The company is "working very hard" on an answer to Apple TV, though it all seems to center around a Blu-ray player one way or another, and doesn't necessarily rely on the ill-fated Bravia Internet Video Link. Sony is "working on many other avenues to deliver downloaded content," like the PlayStation Network, which will be "spread that over the next year or so to many other products of Sony."

Apple TV vs. Vudu vs. Xbox 360: Video Download Battlemodo

Wilson Rothman — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 12:15:00 EST

If you've been wondering how to compare the video-download options of Apple TV, Vudu and the Xbox 360, I think today is your lucky day.

A few weeks back, I wrote up a piece on Vudu's high-definition video falling short of my expectations. Today I bring you a more thorough report of the three most compelling set-top boxes and their video-download capabilities. Apple TV, Vudu and Xbox 360 all have a lot going for them, but by looking at them side-by-side, you can see how their makers are all taking different paths to get to the ultimate desired end. Dive into the chart, then have a look at the screengrabs from three movies, to really get a feel for the progress, or lack of progress, in the world of HD downloads.

Just so you know, in addition to skipping everything that requires an actual PC (including HP's MediaSmart receivers), I omitted TiVo from the running for now, for two reasons: 1) the Amazon Unbox on TiVo doesn't yet offer HD movie downloads; and 2) TiVo itself is a subscription service, whereas these systems don't charge a monthly fee for the privilege of renting movies.You can see how frustrating it is to pick a winner when you look at the three systems on paper. Fortunately, things clear up a bit when you compare stills I shot at the same time, on the same Panasonic 1080p plasma TV.

Screens from Ratatouille—note that the Vudu shot is standard-definition only:
Screens from 3:10 to Yuma—note that the Apple TV shot is standard-definition only:
Screens from Transformers—here the three devices are all running high-def versions, and I've mixed in a screen from the HD DVD of it as well, for surprising comparison.
Keep in mind that the key here is to compare the shots with each other, as they were all shot the same way. (Note that the same perceived down-rezzing issue I noted before on Vudu's high-def is still obvious.)

Now that you've seen all the evidence I could gather. It's a toss-up to me, though I think for content I have to lean towards Vudu and for pure video quality (and most HD content) the Xbox 360 is hard to beat. Meanwhile, Apple TV is cheapest and lives up to its name with the best access to actual TV programming—though NBC is still painfully absent. How about helping me make the call here?

[Apple TV; Vudu; Xbox 360]

Apple TV Web Browser Safari HD Rechristened "Couch Surfer"

matt buchanan — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 13:20:09 EST

That awesome little native web browser for Apple TV, Safari HD, is no more. It emerges from the crucible of Apple Legal as Couch Surfer—as we like to say, more original, more better. [Apple TV Hacks]

Web Browse on Apple TV With Safari HD, Out Now

matt buchanan — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 10:57:59 EST

If you have a burning desire to surf the internets on your TV with Apple TV and its crappy little remote, Safari HD has you covered. It's actually a native Apple TV browser coded with the WebKit rendering engine, and it supports Flash plus anything else Safari can handle. After downloading the installer, you've gotta open an SSH connection and do a minor bit of command mojo, but it's easy enough for even the nubbiest noob. And TV net browsing is pretty nubby. [Brandon Holland via Apple TV Hacks]

Apple TV 2.0 Review

Jason Chen — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 08:30:50 EST

Ever since our Apple TV 1.0 review decided that Apple's thrust into the living room wasn't pantsworthy, we've been waiting for them to step up and make a revision that was. Apple TV 2.0 is their answer. (Let's stop calling it Take 2, please!) It's everything Apple TV should have been when it launched, complete with audio and video podcasts, Flickr and .Mac integration and—most importantly—movie rentals without a computer. At $229, it's an essential part of any iTunes user's living room arsenal.

The New UI:
Gone is the right side text, left side image menu system of the first-gen Apple TV. It's now a two-column affair, with the major categories on the left and subcategories for the selected entry on the right. It may not be quite intuitive at first, but you'll get the hang of it in about 30 seconds. Simple and easy to use is the name of the game in the end, which is more than fine for the 10-foot living room experience, since Apple TV doesn't really have all THAT many functions once you break it down. But the good news is, all of them behave the way they're supposed to.

Movies:
This is going to be the core of your Apple TV experience. Browsing for movies is a fairly easy task, with a Top Movies section listing the most popular movies available right now, along with a genre browser and a search function. Typing in your Apple login and password with the remote is arduous, and you'll want to let the Apple TV remember your password for future sessions (unless you're worried about security, then you'll have to go through the fun of re-typing in your password every time you rent/buy anything). After you accept the EULA, your Apple TV buffers for about a minute before you can start watching; longer if your connection sucks.

It's $3.99 for an SD rental and $4.99 for an HD, then you have 30 days to start watching it and 24 hours to finish watching it once you've started. That's competitive with Blockbuster, Netflix and other VOD services.

There's a limited selection of content right now, despite the fact that Apple has the full blessing of all the major studios, which means that Netflix is still your best bet for the time being in terms of most content for your buck. This is especially true when you account for their streaming Watch Now program, which can now be used directly on your TV via a Media Center PC. If you're talking just HD content, your selection gets narrowed down even further.

Not that it really matters that much in the end, since the HD you're streaming doesn't look nearly as good as an actual Blu-ray or HD DVD disc. But it's still better than SD. If we had to scale the HD movie picture quality of HD on a scale where Blu-ray is a 10, HD cable is a 7 and VHS is a 1, this would be about a 5. It's better than DVD, but it's not "true" HD. Oh, and their 5.1 audio doesn't sound as good either. It's good enough to watch and think you're watching HD, but it's not quite good enough for true HD movie fans.

Podcasts and Movie Trailers
Browsing Podcasts is almost exactly like browsing movies for rentals. You scroll around, find a video (Collegehumor's Street Fighter: The Later Years for example), and hit play or download. Depending on how the podcast you're watching is encoded, you can either make out that Blanka's makeup is splotchy around the neck and beard, or barely be able to tell the difference between Mike Birbiglia and Jim Gaffigan on Comedy Central's two-minute clips. It's usually watchable at the very least, plus it's free, so there's little to complain about. You can also subscribe to your favorite podcasts, which will be downloaded to your Apple TV when you go to your "My Podcasts" screen and click on them.

Movie trailers are pretty much the same as before. Browse around, pick a trailer, then watch it. Incidentally, it's very distracting trying to write a review when the thing you're reviewing throws up stuff like the Dark Knight trailer in your face.

Photos
.Mac and Flickr galleries look fantastic, with slick transitions and soundtrack support. It definitely works better than it did back at Macworld (after which Steve Jobs choked an engineer backstage), and is fairly easy to set up once you go through the one-time process of typing in a contact's name using the Apple remote. I hooked it up to Adam Frucci's Flickr gallery, and boy does his crotch look huge in HD. You can still view your iTunes-synced photos as well, if you're feeling frisky.

TV Shows, Music
Browsing TV shows and Music is essentially the same as what you get on the computer, except clumsier since you have to do everything with the remote. Once you find something you like, you can purchase it directly onto your Apple TV without going to your machine.

YouTube
It's the same as before. Browse YouTube like you would on your iPhone or your computer. Watch amateurs make amateur-grade video.

Random Notes
In case you cared, it took about four minutes for me to download the update, and another 10 minutes to install it.

Verdict
Just like Apple TV 1.0, it's a fantastic way for people to get their iTunes-purchased movies, music and TV shows from their computers onto their living room TVs. What's even better—the "mass appeal," if you like—about version 2.0 is that it doesn't require a computer to function. People can plop down an Apple TV into their homes and rent movies, listen to iTunes music, sync up with their grandchildren's Flickr or .Mac streams, or just waste an hour surfing YouTube.

The only question you have to ask yourself to justify this purchase is whether or not you have faith in Apple to back up their fancy piece of hardware with content—both on the Movie and TV side—in order to provide you something to watch for years to come. It may take a while, and things might not go entirely smoothly (see NBC's iTunes departure for example) but I think they'll get there. And for the new, lowered price of $229, it's not even an expensive gamble. [Apple]

Apple TV Guided Tour

Jason Chen — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 00:47:06 EST

Those of you who aren't quite sure whether the free software upgrade is worth your while (it is) or if it's time for you to invest in an Apple TV (stick around for the review) should take a look at Apple's Guided Tour of the new UI. It's not as thorough a video as a nerdlinger would produce—we'd take you through every function, every UI element, every single menu selection—but it does give you the gist of what the device is all about. They spend most of their time on the video functionality, which is most likely what you'll be using this for as well, so it's a good intro for a family member who hasn't ever heard of Apple TV before. [Apple - Thanks Justin!]

Vudu Update Brings 80 More HD Movie Titles, Other Goodies

Haroon Malik — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 03:35:19 EST

The Vudu software has just been updated to version 1.2, and with it comes 80 new HD titles for rent. The new additions will be in the price range of $3.99 - $5.99, but the upgrade will also bring added functionality, including instant HD, (an indicator that alerts the user broadband speeds are high enough for HD content downloads); speed limit adjustment control, (user definable bandwidth limits and recommendations based on the imposed limit) and a constant audio setting for high-end audio equipment compatibility. In addition the UI will also get a slight re-work. Apple TV, are you scared? Not even a little? [Vudu Forum via TV Snob]

Official: AirBook Shipping Now, Apple TV Update Delayed

Brian Lam — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 12:28:32 EST

According to Apple, the Air is officially shipping and the Apple TV update due two weeks from Macworld's Keynote (yesterday) has a week or two left in the oven. Release after the jump.

MacBook Air Now Shipping

Apple TV Update Coming Soon

CUPERTINO, California—January 30, 2008—Apple® today announced that MacBook Air™, the world's thinnest notebook, is now shipping. MacBook Air measures an unprecedented 0.16-inches at its thinnest point, while its maximum height of 0.76-inches is less than the thinnest point on competing notebooks. Apple also announced that the new Apple TV® software update, which allows users to rent high definition movies directly from their widescreen TVs, is not quite finished. Apple now plans to make the free software download available to existing Apple TV customers in another week or two.

MacBook Air has a stunning 13.3-inch LED-backlit widescreen display, a full-size and backlit keyboard, a built-in iSight® video camera for video conferencing, and a spacious trackpad with multi-touch gesture support so users can pinch, rotate and swipe. MacBook Air is powered by a 1.6 GHz or 1.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 4MB L2 cache, and includes as standard features 2GB of memory, an 80GB 1.8-inch hard drive, and the latest 802.11n Wi-Fi technology and Bluetooth 2.1.

Apple TV's software update will allow movie fans to rent movies on the iTunes® Store directly from their widescreen TV. With iTunes Movie Rentals and Apple TV, users can just click a button on their remote to effortlessly rent movies from a catalog of over 1,000 titles by the end of February, including over 100 titles in stunning high definition video with 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound, with no computer required. DVD-quality iTunes Movie Rentals are $2.99 for library titles and $3.99 for new releases, and high definition versions are just one dollar more with library titles at $3.99 and new releases at $4.99. Purchases downloaded to Apple TV are automatically synced back to iTunes on the user's computer for enjoyment on their computer, all current generation iPods* or iPhone™. 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.

Pricing & Availability
The new MacBook Air is now shipping and will be available through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com), Apple's retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of $1,799 (US), and includes:
• 13.3-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display with 1280x800 resolution;
• 1.6 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 4MB L2 cache;
• 800 MHz front-side bus;
• 2GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM;
• 80GB hard disk drive with Sudden Motion Sensor;
• Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100;
• Micro-DVI port (includes Micro-DVI to VGA and Micro-DVI to DVI Adapters);
• built-in iSight video camera;
• built-in AirPort Extreme® 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
• one USB 2.0 port;
• one headphone port;
• multi-touch TrackPad with support for advanced multi-touch gestures including tap, scroll, pinch, rotate and swipe; and
• 45 Watt MagSafe® Power Adapter.

Build-to-order options and accessories for MacBook Air include the ability to upgrade to a 1.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor; 64GB solid state drive, MacBook Air SuperDrive®, Apple USB Ethernet Adapter, Apple USB Modem, Apple MagSafe Airline Adapter, Apple Remote and the AppleCare Protection Plan. Additional build-to-order options also include pre-installed copies of iWork™ '08, Logic® Express 8, Final Cut® Express 4 and Aperture™ 1.5.

The new Apple TV software will be available as a free automatic download to all Apple TV customers within two weeks. Apple TV, which includes the Apple Remote, 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) for the 40GB model and $329 (US) for the 160GB model (US and Canada). Apple TV requires an 802.11g/n wireless network or 10/100 Base-T Ethernet networking, a broadband Internet connection and a high definition widescreen TV. iPod® games will not play on Apple TV. iTunes Movie Rentals are available in the US only.

*Movie rentals work on iPod classic, iPod nano with video and iPod touch.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with its iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, and has entered the mobile phone market with its revolutionary iPhone.

First Proof Apple Making Near Zero on AppleTV (And Big Bucks on iTunes)

matt buchanan — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 18:20:20 EST

That sweet $70 price chop Steve announced for the Apple TV had to come from somewhere (a question smartly raised by CW) and we know the only thing Apple guards more than closely than its secrets is its bottom line. So, we went to teardown masters iSuppli for a fresh estimate to see how much of it was paid for by falling component costs over the last year. Surprising answer: Not that much. Apple really is subsidizing Apple TV, a significant shift in strategy.

This chart makes the damage pretty clear: Apple barely ekes out a 10 percent profit (a single Jackson) on the 40GB model at the new pricepoint, a far cry from its more typical 50 percent margin.

Andrew Rassweiler, iSuppli's Teardown Services Manager & Principal Analyst, says that while the processor is admittedly the "big unknown for us" because it's not an off-the-shelf component, he "doubts it would be anymore expensive than what we've assumed." The bottom line for Apple's bottom line here is that "if they were giving it away before, they're definitely giving it away now."

This is a marked change for Apple: iTunes content has existed to sell the hardware, not the other way around. iTunes income is incredibly minor compared to hardware sales, not least of which because the majority of each track, album, whatever goes back to the label or studio. Apple TV stands to be the first device Apple makes more money off of the content than the hardware.

Conclusion? Apple is getting aggressive about moving into the living room, looking at the long run of establishing that fourth-leg. Besides, it's better to sell a million at a $20 profit than ten thousand at $60. [iSuppli]

All Things Macworld 2008: Get it Right Here

Sean Fallon — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 10:49:44 EST

Just in case you missed anything, here is all of the news from Macworld 2008:

MacBook Air Full Coverage:
• Details on the New MacBook Air
• Hands on With the New MacBook Air
• Hands on with the Apple Multitouch Gesture Pad
• Adding a 64GB SSD To the MacBook Air? $1300 Extra, Please
• MacBook Air's Fatal Flaw: Battery, RAM, HD Sealed Like an iPod
• Apple's Official 60 Second MacBook Air Tour

Time Capsule:
• Apple Announces Time Capsule Backup Server
• Hands On With the TIme Capsule Backup Server

Apple TV Take Two:
• Apple TV Take 2: $299, No Computer Required, Direct Rentals
• Apple TV Take 2 Impressions

iPhone & iPod touch Firmware Updates:
• iPhone 1.1.3 Firmware Update Gets Official
• Hands on With the 1.1.3 iPhone Firmware
• Apple Adds Mail, Maps and More to iPod Touch For $20

iTunes with Movie Rentals, etc.
• iTunes Movie Rentals Official: Every Major Studio Onboard, 1000 Films Available
• iTunes / iPod-Ready Digital Copies on Fox DVDs Official, Free

Live Blog Transcript of Steve Jobs' Macworld 2008 Keynote
• Gizmodo's Live Keynote Coverage