Components for Apple Television Set Reportedly 'Starting to Move in Small Quantities'

Screw 1080p.

I want my @2x 1536p or @3x 2304p or @4x 3072p Apple television. Can you imagine what native apps will look like at those resolutions?!!!

J/K. We won't have any GPU's powerful enough to drive those 2000+ resolutions within the next year I don't think.

I don't think a 40"+ Apple television will be considered a Retina display tv at "only" 1536p according to Apple's definition of Retina regarding the distance from which the human eye can distinguish the pixels.

However, since no one's gonna be sitting only a foot or so away from such a large display, it might.

Yeah, you know what? I think that at an average approximately 8'+ viewing distance, 1536p might pass for Retina. We'll have to wait until 2015 for the 3072p Apple TV to be announced with the new A24HolyCrapXXX 24 core processor of course - maybe alongside or within the timeframe of the opening of the new Apple Mothership Campus in Cupertino.

With the release of the new iPad at that same resolution, and if the rumors are true that this Apple TV is due for release/announcement in 4Q of this year/1Q of next year, that will give willing developers around 9 months at least to make their apps 1536p native. Those that don't make them native will just be able to use @2x which most of them will have already done anyways in order to take advantage of the new iPad's Retina display.

Can you imagine an announcement later this year saying "Today we're introducing the new (Apple TV) with a Retina display, Siri/voice command control, PLUS access to your ENTIRE iTunes library including all of your APPS that you've been using on your iPhone/iPod/iPad for years."?!!!

Add to that a new optional physical Apple input/interface device(s) for everything (especially gaming) like controller/glove/motion sensor/etc. and IT'S OVER!

I've been telling people since 2002 that "Apple is looking to replace Sony in the home space with it's 'digital lifestyle' in the next decade".

Prove me right Apple!

In the market for tv next year, if reasonably priced, I'll get it.

I think it's true that Apple will be putting out a TV in Q4. I don't think it's going to be a plain black bezeled unit that looks like all the rest. I am expecting an imacculate design per usual. One that the industry tries to copy. Aluminum unibody enclosure? Apple TV innards? It'll be awe inspiring. As for content and experience, I'm sure it'll be equally amazing. Can't wait!

Samsung have to many patents for apple to build a TV.

I still find it funny that people genuinely think Apple would call it the iTV

basesloaded190 said:

Same story, different day. Although I am in the camp of not believing that this will happen I am always curious what Apple could possible do with this.

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indeed. If they were going to release a TV set in Q4/Q1 they wouldn't be prototyping it at this stage. They would be finalizing it.

And these parts sound like a prototype game. Frankly I'm thinking new Cinema Displays, next years Mac models or even the 2013 iPad and iPhone over a tv set.

igazza said:

never to late to buy shares. in 3 more years they could be 1500

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That's true. At the time $200 seemed a lot. But it really is difficult to imagine $1500.

cxny said:

Unless Apple thinks it can reinvent the TV this is not going to happen. Oh wait, this is Apple.

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Valid point. But does reinventing TV mean a new TV set. Or just new ways of getting your content and getting it to your TV.

kristoffer4 said:

What if Apple makes a Retina TV?!

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Most all TVs larger than 55" are already 'retina' TVs. Since Apple is defining 'retina' as pixel density related to viewing distance, most TVs already meet this criteria because they are viewed from a greater distance.

The image on the new iPad will look/appear no sharper then the image on an iPad 2 side-by-side from a distance of 6 feet because your eye's retina can't resolve the difference in details at that distance. Your eye can't resolve pixel detail on a current 55" TV from 8 feet away now, so increasing the detail would not provide any improvement.

whawhat said:

Much like a smaller iPad, I'll believe this when I see it...

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Much like the iPhone, the Verizon iPhone, or the iPad. I'll believe it when I see it - oh wait....

terraphantm said:

1080p is probably "retina" for most sizes at the distances that most people watch from.

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newdeal said:

Wirelessly posted (Opera/9.80 (Android; Opera Mini/6.5.27452/27.1324; U; en) Presto/2.8.119 Version/11.10)

Evert tv made is already a retina tv. viewing distances of 10 feet and even a 480p is retina on a 42" screen lol.

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Really?? So I have a 55" TV that I sit 15 feet away from and I can still see the pixels... Oh, you say I should sit further away... well then you're doing it wrong....

Sorry that's not a retina screen. Now if Apple released a 4K television, then I'm sure it would be claimed as a "retina" screen. I can see Apple, if they do release a full-blown TV set, releasing it with 4k resolution to command a higher price.

MacQuest said:

Screw 1080p.

I want my @2x 1536p or @3x 2304p or @4x 3072p Apple television!

Can you imagine what native apps will look like at those resolutions?!!!

I don't think a 40"+ Apple television will be considered a Retina display tv at "only" 1536p according to Apple's definition of Retina regarding the distance.

However, since no one's gonna be sitting only a foot or so away from such a large display, it might.

Yeah, you know what? I think that at an average approximately 8'+ viewing distance, 1536p might pass for Retina.

With the release of the new iPad at that same resolution, and if the rumors are true that this Apple TV is due for release/announcement in 4Q of this year
/1Q of next year, that will give willing developers around 9 months at least to make their apps 1536p native!

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Retina is just a marketing term. People always for get that and try and link it in to be a specific ppi figure. What it relates to is having the size of the pixel being less than the size resolveable by the naked eye at the typical use distance. By that definition, a typical 40" TV is "retina" at normal use conditions.

And what of actual content? The current standard is 1080 lines for high def. No-one's making actual TV content in this mythical 1536 lines that you've conjured up.

sterlingindigo said:

I think it's true that Apple will be putting out a TV in Q4. I don't think it's going to be a plain black bezeled unit that looks like all the rest. I am expecting an imacculate design per usual. One that the industry tries to copy. Aluminum unibody enclosure? Apple TV innards? It'll be awe inspiring. As for content and experience, I'm sure it'll be equally amazing. Can't wait!

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Apple will have to go something to beat designs like this. I hope they can!

This guy really has a hard-on for a TV from apple.


Also why does he continually insist on calling it the iTV?

I personally find it doubtful. Apple just released a new Apple TV. Why would they would launch a product that would compete with it so soon...


Plus an actual TV is not a very lucrative market as people tend to have their TV for quite a few years before upgrading.

Not happening, not Q4, not ever.

Larger iMac with built in AppleTV will be the closest thing you'll see.

Work the bugs out first

The latest version of Apple TV has some significant usability issues. Because of the way Apple TV interacts with iTunes TV shows are listed in an almost random order when sorted by name. Seasons aren't grouped together but arranged by date of import into iTunes. This single bug can add a few minutes to an interaction that used to take seconds. This is especially true because the lists seems to speed up as you scroll through it. This is a great feature when the list is alphabetized but an awful feature in a random (or apparently random) list.

Other minor issues include highlight effect that are hard to see new interface elements that don't match the old ones that are still present.

I wonder what they are going to call it. Unless Apple reaches an agreement with the UK company holding the name (unlikely) or buys them up, iTV is not going to happen. Apple TV would be a good name but they already have a different product with that name. Apple Television is too big. Apple HDTV? Maybe iMedia?

And I wonder if Apple will allow any connections to the tv. Or will it ship without HDMI ports, etc because the sole purpose would be to use their services/icloud/itunes...

IGZO seems an odd choice. As a new player in the market, I thought they would go with an emerging technology such as OLED or Crystal LED that will be at the top end of the market, rather than a bit better version of the current norm.

charlituna said:

indeed. If they were going to release a TV set in Q4/Q1 they wouldn't be prototyping it at this stage. They would be finalizing it.

And these parts sound like a prototype game. Frankly I'm thinking new Cinema Displays, next years Mac models or even the 2013 iPad and iPhone over a tv set.

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Unless it's already been prototyped and they are testing manufacturing. However it could be a dock station for the new iPhone for all we know....

Revelation78 said:

Really?? So I have a 55" TV that I sit 15 feet away from and I can still see the pixels....

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A 55" projection TV from 1989 doesn't count. And if you're referring to a 55" 1080p tv, then no, you cannot see pixels from 15 feet...Unless of course you have super hero vision.

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perealb said:

I wonder what they are going to call it. Unless Apple reaches an agreement with the UK company holding the name (unlikely) or buys them up, iTV is not going to happen. Apple TV would be a good name but they already have a different product with that name. Apple Television is too big. Apple HDTV? Maybe iMedia?

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iDefinition

I wonder what part of "apple won't use the name iTV as the channel itv holds it's copyright" the informant for this story doesn't understand?

sulpfiction said:

A 55" projection TV from 1989 doesn't count. And if you're referring to a 55" 1080p tv, then no, you cannot see pixels from 15 feet...Unless of course you have super hero vision.

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iDefinition

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Wow, really??? No it's actually a Samsung UN55D8000Y and yes I can see the pixels from 15' away...

deannnnn said:

And what would you watch on your Retina TV?

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4K coverage of the Olympics....although not sure how easy it will be to tap into that feed