ABC News Comes to Apple TV with Live and On-Demand Video, Local News, and Historical Footage [Updated]

PocketSand11 said:

All the apps for antenna TV channels tend to be free. ESPN, no way.
You need a cable subscription to watch USA vs Germany on Thursday!

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I logged in using my Verizon FiOS signon (Internet only) and I seem to be able to watch the games on ESPN3. Not sure if it is limited to Verizon or what. The other ESPN channel broadcasts say they aren't in my channel package (which is funny as I have none).

harrissjt said:

It's the MINIX Neo X7

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Cool. I just checked out their website and watched that video review. Sweet little box!

I'll continue to stick with my Apple TV indefinitely, but it sure does leave a lot to be desired in the interface department. I don't even mind the basic grid they use; I just wish it were more easily customizable and with folders.

Apple I sincerely hope you are at least trying to get the worlds largest (and oldest) television broadcaster involved here. Honestly the UK does not care until you do.

PocketSand11 said:

The Apple TV way of watching TV shows is not really Apple-quality. A bunch of apps with their own special interfaces, and you always have to guess what and what not you'll have to pay for. You go deeper and deeper into each one to try and find stuff, and they're all separate. It's like looking through the UC Berkeley websites. You can't even reorder your home screen. It's also lame that you can't watch straight up TV channels on it.

Amazon Prime also needs to happen. Until then, my Apple TV will sit as an Airplay server. Even the cheapest TVs now come with Amazon Prime built-in. They're all "smart" TVs now that Amazon, Netflix, etc. are pushing and probably paying to have their services on TVs.

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I watch and appreciate the added content, but I agree that the fact that the channels have to be launched separately and have their own UIs makes it very hard to find things. What I want is a single interface to look for programs regardless of the Apple TV channel they're on. Doing this by voice would be even better.

I only ever use Netflix, Settings, and AirPlay. Everything else I don't need, so stop cluttering up my screen. (Not saying there should only be those 2 apps, but not loads of random ones that I never want to use. At least give me an option)

cclloyd said:

I only ever use Netflix, Settings, and AirPlay. Everything else I don't need, so stop cluttering up my screen. (Not saying there should only be those 2 apps, but not loads of random ones that I never want to use. At least give me an option)

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jesus how many times does it have to be pointed out that you can hide apps? also apple has made it simple to just accidentally figure it out on your own. for crying out loud did you ever just by accident hit the settings button?? main menu option is right there

harrissjt said:

It's the MINIX Neo X7

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JoeShades said:

jesus how many times does it have to be pointed out that you can hide apps? also apple has made it simple to just accidentally figure it out on your own. for crying out loud did you ever just by accident hit the settings button?? main menu option is right there

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I think the point being made is that we should have the option to a bare bones system, and be able load the apps/channels that we want to see, rather than having to go through and delete all the apps/channels that we don't want to see.

I live in Australia, and more than 3/4 of the channels provided as standard on ATV here are US based, and either useless, or irrelevant to me.

Pagemakers said:

Apple. There is more to the world than just the USA!

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I don't think the cricket app is aimed at the USA.. Intact I has to lookup on Wikipedia to even figure out that it wasn't an app for a US wireless carrier..

PBS Kids / ? new feature

The PBS Kids inclusion is HUGE for those of us with children. Lots of good programming (not the crap that's on the usual kids channels) and multiple episodes, available whenever you want it. No more filling up the DVR, or hearing the lamenting when you accidentally deleted that episode about the dinosaurs.

I also hadn't noticed before the ability to rearrange the icons, sort of like you have on iPhone/iPad. Hold down select, and you get the jiggly icon which you can then move.

Dave

I can see Tim Cook getting up on stage at the end of the year and saying "Apple TV is the way of the future, do you want to see it? Its in your house already.... Heres our latest software update and Boom"

alent1234 said:

i'm sure that thousands of people can't wait to go to work daily to make TV for you to watch for free

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Given how many people have simply dropped out of the work force and are permanently affixed to the govt teat in the US, your sarcasm seems a bit specious to me. Welfare, SSI, Food Stamps, Obama Phones, and Obamacare are your new American dreams. Stop complaining and get back to work. Hundreds of thousands of new, illegal, democrat voters depend on you to survive. But I digress.

Cable monopolies or duopolies are a big problem. Firstly, I should be able to choose specific content from them or a viable competitor a la carte - instead of being forced to buy a package of 240 channels (at a premium) when I only want 5 (for example).

Secondly, I shouldn't have to pay you and your technician to physically come to my house and swap out my old cable box(es) just so I can have your fancy new menus, etc... (XFinity's X1 service). Maybe some people do not know how to disconnect coax cable and power cords, but I have these skills and you can send me return labels, Comcast.

Finally, you shouldn't be charging ANY customer for exceeding your bandwidth cap if I am already paying you a flat rate for internet. Remove the flat rate and meter it (like a water utility) or leave the flat rate a flat rate for the speed I want.

DELLsFan said:

Cable monopolies or duopolies are a big problem. Firstly, I should be able to choose specific content from them or a viable competitor a la carte - instead of being forced to buy a package of 240 channels (at a premium) when I only want 5 (for example).

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While I can agree with much of your sentiment/disgust in the post, the al-a-carte thing only happens if there is a way for all of the existing players to make more money, not less. Your post reads like cutting it from 240 channels to 5 should probably cut your bill accordingly. Nobody- Apple included- is interested in cutting the monthly subscription cost. They all want to make more money every year and Apple wants to pile on for 30% of that… not 30% of some steeply discounted "new model".

I know how the thinking works: $100 for 200 channels = 50 cents a channel. I only want 5 channels. 5 channels times 50 cents = $2.50 per month. My bill should be $2.50. However, if everyone got that wish and the cash flows that hold it all up were cut from $100/month to maybe $5/month, that 95% cut to the cash flows would kill it all.

Have you ever considered that the 5 channels you want might be subsidized by ads running on the 235 channels you don't want? The money from the ads on those other channels flows to the Studios. That pool of money funds the great stuff we want to watch. Kill those channels and you kill the commercials running on them (that you never have to see). That's other people paying (for those commercials) to help subsidize the television that we all watch. Kill the subsidy and it has to be made up or the Studios have less funds which should lead to a drop in breadth & depth of programming.

Maybe we really just want Apple to replace a Comcast as "cable provider"- one middleman replacing another. Wouldn't Apple want to make whatever Comcast makes in such a situation? Why would Apple decide to cut it's take if it could slip in as the new middleman? However, it doesn't even matter if Apple was so generously willing. Who owns the pipes through which such a solution from an Apple completely depends? That would be Comcast, etc. So even if an Apple replacement could be offered such that the cable TV business is killed off, Comcast can just make up the difference in higher broadband rates for "heavier users" (like these new Apple Television Service subscribers).

Al-a-carte is this wonderful dream that pretty much falls apart as soon as we step out of our own shoes and get in the shoes of the other players in the chain. It can work but only if the source of the money at our end of the chain would be willing to deliver more money for al-a-carte than we do for the "as is". In other words, 200 channels for $100 or the 5 channels "I" really want for $125. Show all of the other players how to make more money with such a change and they'll change. Show them how the source of their revenue is going to cut their costs by 90% or more and all they see is their revenues getting cut by 90% or more. Why should THEY want to embrace that change?

PocketSand11 said:

That's what they were discussing when I turned on the TV a few days ago. OK, the nuclear war thing was exaggerated from how they were saying that the U.S. was war-happy, but they did discuss why Obama should be convicted of felonies (I use their wording).

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The U.S. is war happy. And you're right, I'm sure Obama has strictly adhered to all the laws, because he's a man of such unparalleled integrity.

Kar98 said:

I grew up in East Germany, so I'm good on propaganda directly from the Kremlin. But if you wanna watch it for the comedic value, I understand.

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Being from a particular place does not give your analyses inherent credibility. I provide the countless irrational and wrong people from my country as evidence. RT is far from perfect, but they have a steady stream of new HD content. Sometimes they interview economists who are complete idiots, but they usually range from pretty good and mildly misguided, to spot on correct, which is more than can be said of the American propaganda hubs. If you don't like it then don't watch it, but ABC is hardly a bastion of truth.

HobeSoundDarryl said:

While I can agree with much of your sentiment/disgust in the post, the al-a-carte thing only happens if there is a way for all of the existing players to make more money, not less.
. . .
Al-a-carte is this wonderful dream that pretty much falls apart as soon as we step out of our own shoes and get in the shoes of the other players in the chain. ..

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Hobe you are absolutely right. But people do have other options right now aside from just forking over the cash for Cable/Sat or pining away waiting for the perfect ala carte streaming solution.

Just set it up for yourself.

I use an OTA antenna in my attic connected to HD Homerun tuner and EyeTV on my mac. It's a free DVR that gets high-def shows from the major networks, and auto-transcodes them into iTunes so they are available on both of my Apple TVs. Only recurring fee is the $20/year TV Guide subscription for the EyeTV software.

I've been using this successfully for 3 years now. My wife warmed to it after I had it running for a couple months in parallel with our DishNetwork service, and she was then ready to ditch the dish.

Something even simpler than my setup could be set up with the Channel Master DVR, which apparently has no recurring fees whatsoever, yet still provides guide content and lets you hook up your own external hard drive for DVR storage. Or perhaps SimpleTV. (I've used neither of these products, but they sound good, and they don't depend on streaming services.) or setting up a Plex media server in combination with Apple TV.

With Aerio getting smacked down by the SCOTUS, I'm convinced anyone waiting for the perfect "cheap and ad-free" ala carte streaming service to be provided for them by a third party company is on a fool's errand. Either set it up yourself and stop complaining. . . or just stop complaining. Whining about it does not solve anything.

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Also:
"The Flickr channel has also been redesigned."

. . . uh what now?! That would be the first Flickr channel re-design in. . . what. . . 4 years?!?

Can I now actually log in to Flickr on my Apple TV? Instead of just subscribing to other people's photo streams individually?

dgalvan, I'm right there with you. I just can't get the entertainment I desire from the cord-cutting solutions. I do have a OAR antenna for local broadcast channels. We do have Netflix.

We like live sports not carried by either. And we like really crisp HD rather than some of the downgraded quality we get when trying to stream/airplay. So we hop back and fourth between DISH and DTV, ride the promotional rates for 2 years and then hop to the others promotional rate. It's the only (relatively simple and legal) way to get the programming we desire.

If we could ditch select programming like that, we could probably do just fine with OAR + Netflix + Hulu or similar. Or we could jump through some technical hoops to access other programming and airplay it. However, again, the quality seems to slide as the sourcing of content becomes more complicated. And some programming just can't be watched live (and legally) without owning a subscription to cable/satt.

Good for you and those like you. We simply can't get there yet until our preferences change or some "new model" arrives that meets those preferences in a satisfactory way.

malexandria said:

I'm giving up on Apple TV. I have 200 Digital Copy files where more than half of them are in SD, the lack of compatibility with the Mac/PC version of iTunes drives me crazy, and there's no way to attach an external HD. It really is a very limited device that Apple has apparently abandoned.

I bought a Blu-ray Drive for my MBP and Ripping software, it'll take me all summer (and maybe fall) to rip 700 Blu-ray disks but at the end of it, it'll be nice not to be locked into Apple and iTunes and have 1080P HD copies of everything. I can finally have my entire library in one place with an open platform like Roku and my Plex Server. I have 550 Digital Copies on UV, so it'll be nice having ONE streaming box that has everything.

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It's not really Apple's fault is it? They barely make money off the device anyway. They give you all these features with the hope you'll turn around and buy something somewhere, but most of it is free such as AirPlay, and all the new stations they are adding every few months.

Hungry&Foolish said:

Willow TV is the official broadcaster of cricket in the US and Canada and requires a $14.99 subscription.

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thank you. I tried yesterday evening and quality is awesome.

Z400Racer37 said:

The U.S. is war happy. And you're right, I'm sure Obama has strictly adhered to all the laws, because he's a man of such unparalleled integrity.

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Under Bush, yes. Not Obama.

I determined that it is in the national security interests of the United States to respond to the Assad regime’s use of chemical weapons through a targeted military strike. - Barack Obama

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Today NATO planes patrol the skies over the Baltics, and we’ve reinforced our presence in Poland, and we’re prepared to do more. -Barack Obama

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RT would rather paint him as a threat than a liar and bluffer, I guess.

Yes, I agree that Obama has probably not committed any felonies, but RT actually tries to sell that BS.

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alent1234 said:

i'm sure that thousands of people can't wait to go to work daily to make TV for you to watch for free

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There are ads, even on cable TV.

malexandria said:

I'm giving up on Apple TV. I have 200 Digital Copy files where more than half of them are in SD, the lack of compatibility with the Mac/PC version of iTunes drives me crazy, and there's no way to attach an external HD. It really is a very limited device that Apple has apparently abandoned.

I bought a Blu-ray Drive for my MBP and Ripping software, it'll take me all summer (and maybe fall) to rip 700 Blu-ray disks but at the end of it, it'll be nice not to be locked into Apple and iTunes and have 1080P HD copies of everything. I can finally have my entire library in one place with an open platform like Roku and my Plex Server. I have 550 Digital Copies on UV, so it'll be nice having ONE streaming box that has everything.

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I also have 200 or so movies and TV shows on my Apple TV many of which were purchased through iTunes as well as some which were ripped. I use an external hard drive on my Mac to store them all and no problems here. Majority of my movies are 1080p too. Enjoy spending your summer and fall ripping movies.

malexandria said:

I'm giving up on Apple TV. I have 200 Digital Copy files where more than half of them are in SD, the lack of compatibility with the Mac/PC version of iTunes drives me crazy, and there's no way to attach an external HD. It really is a very limited device that Apple has apparently abandoned.

I bought a Blu-ray Drive for my MBP and Ripping software, it'll take me all summer (and maybe fall) to rip 700 Blu-ray disks but at the end of it, it'll be nice not to be locked into Apple and iTunes and have 1080P HD copies of everything. I can finally have my entire library in one place with an open platform like Roku and my Plex Server. I have 550 Digital Copies on UV, so it'll be nice having ONE streaming box that has everything.

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Yes apple is done with the apple tv, will never add anything to it anymore, they wil never add apps like ABC news, oh wait it does not do exactly what you want therefore apple has abandoned it. Nice logic there

malexandria said:

I'm giving up on Apple TV. I have 200 Digital Copy files where more than half of them are in SD, the lack of compatibility with the Mac/PC version of iTunes drives me crazy, and there's no way to attach an external HD. It really is a very limited device that Apple has apparently abandoned.

I bought a Blu-ray Drive for my MBP and Ripping software, it'll take me all summer (and maybe fall) to rip 700 Blu-ray disks but at the end of it, it'll be nice not to be locked into Apple and iTunes and have 1080P HD copies of everything. I can finally have my entire library in one place with an open platform like Roku and my Plex Server. I have 550 Digital Copies on UV, so it'll be nice having ONE streaming box that has everything.

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I've wasted a lot of time ripping CDs into iTunes, downloading video content, not to mention how much it's all cost and now I feel like I've wasted my time and money doing so. The convenience of having everything on hard drive with no more disks just isn't worth it IMO.

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PocketSand11 said:

All the apps for antenna TV channels tend to be free. ESPN, no way. I wish everyone would ditch cable so it would be back to watching sports on an antenna TV wherever you want. Even if paying for the service isn't a problem, the cable boxes always stink, and you can't watch your shows on the go usually. You need a cable subscription to watch USA vs Germany on Thursday!

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Thankfully all the World Cup games are on free-to-air TV here because the government mandates certain protected sports events which must be shown on free-to-air TV. You can blame the cable companies but they're just trying to make money. Blame the politicians instead and the people who think everything on this planet should come down to how much money you have.

This may make me watch ABC again

My god, its getting to be like Foxtel... live feeds all over the joint.

I'm not sure why they call it ABC news since nobody I know bothers to get their news from there . Otherwise, it would be great to get the rest of the non-news programming from ABC.