Apple TV iOS 7 Beta Adds iTunes Radio and Conference Room Display Mode

[JarJarThomas]

I would think with the new controller api, it would be possible that the next apple tv version has
-> gamecontroller support and apps
-> airplay direct because it needs a new wifi chip

at least, now everything exists, question is, will apple do it right now ?
Or do they wait till next year untill gamecontroller support is used by the devs.

They are always rather conservative in what they do.
If something works reliable and good, they implement it. If not they try to wait till it is reliable and good.
Sure in some cases they did the dangerous path, siri, maps and ping for example. But as you can see, it can be risky.
and unlike sammy or google, apple is not allowed to have quirks in their soft and hardware.

 

[itickings]

Let's just hope they don't kill the PlexConnect loophole in the update...

Adding a real app store would of course be sweet. Add the wireless controllers and things could be really nice.

/me dreaming

 

[bobenhaus]

[url=http://cdn.macrumors.com/im/macrumorsthreadlogodarkd.png]Image[/url]


Last week, Apple released iOS 7 Beta 1 for iPhone to developers. At the same time, it released a new beta for the Apple TV as well.

YouTube: video​

Users of the Apple TV beta have discovered at least two new features inside. AppleInsider notes that Apple built an iTunes Radio client for the Apple TV -- something that Eddy Cue mentioned during the WWDC Keynote and that Apple has promoted to potential iTunes Radio advertisers -- with in-line video advertisements.

Apple has also added a 'Conference Room Mode' for use in business and academic settings that displays simple instructions for connecting to a Wi-Fi network and sending data from both a Mac or iOS device.

Image​

The final version of the Apple TV Beta software should be released alongside iOS 7 in the fall.

Article Link: Apple TV iOS 7 Beta Adds iTunes Radio and Conference Room Display Mode

Not very interesting and kinda too simply looking. No wonder we havent seen an full fledge Apple iTV yet.

 

[isaacscomputers]

Thanks Macrumors

Thanks for your support. It is me that made the video and yes I am only 13. If you have any questions about the video don't hesitate to ask!

 

[iMat77]

Apple TV...

Nice to see that something is happening to the poor AppleTV (owned gen 1 and own gen 2, but will probably skip the 3rd).

AppleTV has so much potential, in light of the recent adding of game controls API to iOS 7 and the poor reception of the newest gen consoles, that, I am sure, Apple will release something new.

It has been spoken in length about the fact that the TV set top box business is plagued with razor thin margins. Now, as far as 4K is concerned, the tech is still so new that it can be sold with some margin.

I imagine, speculate to better describe it, that Apple will release an Ultra High Def TV in fall with the new iOS 7 (redesigned interface and App Store). At the same time, if I was Apple, I would go the "MacMini" route as well. Which is to say sell a 3rd gen ATV for people who recently purchased a 1080p TV. The same capabilities BUT: the TV set would be astonishing 4K display, whereas the 3rd gen ATV would be limited to 1080p, the TV set would come with an iSght Camera and FaceTime HD as well as, maybe, some sort of enhanced sound. So you would have some enticing differentiation points, sell a set top box with a profit and still grab a large share of the market of TV owners who are not exactly in the mood to change half of their home set up and shell the premium price of the "AppleTV pro".

What Apple is doing with the ATV, in light of sales number they state, is fiddling until they find a winner or, in light of what Steve Jobs' biography says, maybe still negotiating with providers until the solution is "complete".

Just thoughts...

 

[Glideslope]

I thought we might have seen new Apple TV hardware at WWDC but that will probably have to wait for the same time the new iPads are released.

Great things come to those who wait (just a bit longer.)

 

[brewno]

AppleTV needs to add VPN. Urgently.

 

[fozy]

Stream to multiple airplay devices

Still waiting for Apple TV to restore support to stream music to multiple Airport Express units, just like iTunes.

Any word on this in the beta?

 

[Jimmy James]

Air Video. That's all I want.

 

[JPLC]

I own two AppleTV's and I love them.

But why does owning them feel like a couple of race cars that can't leave the garage?!

 

[ra4oasis]

I'm a little confused, what is the Conference Room Mode?

And I would also like to throw my support the "We NEED Airplay Direct" statement. I work at a university, and we'd probably put an Apple TV in every classroom if we could get them on our network. But the subnet problem kills that whole idea right now.

 

[Aidyn's X]

Very easy? You must be a software developer working inside Apple. You probably shouldn't be posting on MacRumors!

Just kidding. I know you're not a developer at Apple, because they would never call it "easy". Obvious, yes, but not easy. Fixing iMessage isn't even easy. (I've actually had an Apple employee explain the underlying iMessage issue to me in confidence. It's truly not easy to fix.)

What iMessage issue?

 

[beaniemyman]

wow! that further strengthens it's lead. itunes radio would be lovely to see on the tv. keep it up apple, you are doing an excellent job.

 

[JohnDoe98]

'Conference Room Mode'? :faceplam:

How about AirPlay Direct?!?!?!?!

No network needed!
Would instantly buy 65-75 Apple TVs if they had the mythical Airplay Direct feature.

Um, can the Apple TV connect to an iPhone hotspot? Or to a Mac creating an Ad Hoc network? If so, wouldn't that be Airplay Direct? All we'd be missing is the hotspot feature for the iPad and the ability for the Apple TV to remember multiple wifi networks, so that it connects to whatever hotspot/ad hoc network you create. Alternatively, you can just create the network with the name and pw of the wifi network the ATV usually connects to and it should go through no?

 

[redcrow240]

I own two AppleTV's and I love them.

But why does owning them feel like a couple of race cars that can't leave the garage?!

Hello. I also have two AppleTV's. One in the bedroom and one in the living room. I thought the same thing until I started doing more and more research into little ways of getting it to work for me.

I got the program called "beamer" for mac, and now my macbook pro in the bedroom can stream all the movies that I have to the AppleTV. Just drag the file in and it automatically sends it to whichever AppleTV you chose. Much more flexibility than using itunes. I think this is close to the "airvideo" request from a few posts back.

Seperately, I got a vpn set up with hidemy#$%.com and I set up the macbook to broadcast different ip's to the AppleTV. I can browse and watch Netflix selections from different countries. Only thing is that they do not have an instant queue feature.

Im sure there are a lot more tweaks and tricks to get our race cars out of the garage

 

[Carlanga]

I just want flixster or vudu stream only apps to start at least.
Hat the fragmentation of my movies and how I can't access a good bunch of them on my atv natively

 

[engbjm]

Screen Saver

I hope they update the screen saver.

Getting tedious updating the ss to see a new batch of 100 or so pics every once in awhile.

Would be great if it updated itself to include more variety if there isn't disk space on the ATV for a whole iPhoto event, Album, Collection, etc.

 

[BigHonkingDeal]

I have a Roku. By ecosystem I mean the hundreds of millions of iOS devices that are already out there and the developers that already develop for them.

I have both as well and I find myself using the ROKU player most of the time....

First, most movie rentals are about $1 less on Amazon and I like the way ROKU streams better as well.

Second, I have an Projector hooked up outside by the pool area (about 50 ft away) and Apple TV only has HDMI output.

Sound goes out via Airplay though

(maybe it's time to upgrade my equipment)

 

[notjustjay]

I'm a little confused, what is the Conference Room Mode?

I haven't seen the video, but I can speculate on what they're working on. At WWDC they demo'd the ability for your Mac to take over the Apple TV display screen and behave just as if it was another attached monitor, right?

So imagine walking into a conference room, selecting its Apple TV, and displaying your PowerPoint/Keynote presentation right to the projector screen?

It would be great. The "Conference Room Mode" is probably a special startup screen that basically says "Hello, my name is Conference Room A", so you know which one to select.

 

[aced411]

Wow these updates are amazing and long overdue.... not

 

[otismotive77]

hmmm...cool. i always wanted to get the apple tv, looks like my wish is coming true next month. it'd be really nice to listen songs on the itunes radio.

 

[flux73]

I have both as well and I find myself using the ROKU player most of the time....

First, most movie rentals are about $1 less on Amazon and I like the way ROKU streams better as well.

Second, I have an Projector hooked up outside by the pool area (about 50 ft away) and Apple TV only has HDMI output.

Sound goes out via Airplay though

(maybe it's time to upgrade my equipment)

I get cheaper movie rentals on iTunes by keeping my eye out for iTunes gift card sales, which can often be quite good. For example last Christmas, I bought $60 worth of iTunes gift cards for $32 (Safeway combo deal). I have seen 50% off sales, but you can frequently find a deal for 20% off (Staples just had a $40 for $50 GC).

How does ROKU stream better? I'm genuinely curious. I've never had an issue with Apple TV streaming - regardless of iTunes rentals, Netflix, or Hulu. OTOH, my Panasonic's built-in Hulu is nearly unusable - if I pause or rewind, there's a good chance, when it starts playing again, the video will stutter very badly. Nothing I've tried fixes it unless I just exit the app and restart.

 

[MacLawyer]

Amazon Prime!

......Please.

 

[Banyan Bruce]

ATV Conferencing in the classroom....

Now if they could get ATV to allow multiple displays in the classroom they would see sales of ATV in schools fly.

Check this out. That's what I want to do with ATV in my college classrooms and extend the usefulness of ipads and interactive whiteboards even further.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2A18yjbq88&feature=youtu.be

 

[Laird Knox]

It has been spoken in length about the fact that the TV set top box business is plagued with razor thin margins. Now, as far as 4K is concerned, the tech is still so new that it can be sold with some margin.

The squeeze is already on. The other day Amazon was selling a 50" 4K TV for under $1000. Currently it is going for $1113.