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Apple Releases tvOS 12.3 With Updated TV App

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Apple today released tvOS 12.3, the seventh update to the tvOS 12 operating system that runs on the fourth and fifth-generation Apple TV models. tvOS 12.3 comes more than a month after the release of tvOS 12.2.1, a minor bug fix update.

tvOS 12.3 is a free update that can be downloaded over the air through the Settings app on the Apple TV by going to System -> Software Update. Apple TV owners who have automatic software updates turned on will be upgraded to tvOS 12.3 automatically.

appletvapp-800x446.jpg

tvOS 12.3 is the biggest tvOS update Apple has released for quite some time because it introduces an overhauled TV app, which Apple first showed off earlier this year at its March 25 event. The new TV app is similar to the old TV app but it has a refreshed, modern look along with new features.

appletvapp3-800x448.jpg

There are dedicated sections for TV shows, movies, sports, and children's programming, along with access to your iTunes content. There continues to be a "Watch Now" section with an "Up Next" feature for keeping track of the TV shows and movies you're watching, and there's a new machine-learning based "For You" option that surfaces content recommendations based on what you've previously watched.

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Apple has included a "Channels" feature, which is a major part of the company's new services push. With Channels, you can subscribe to paid TV content from services like HBO, Showtime, and Starz, and watch that content right within the TV app without having to swap over to a third-party app.

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When you subscribe to a service through the TV app, Apple gets a cut of the subscription price and it makes it easier to access third-party content. While Channels are available, the TV app will continue to recommend content that's also only available through third-party apps, so it will work the same way that it did before, but with better recommendations.

appletvchannels2-800x447.jpg

The new Apple TV app is available in more than 100 countries starting today, and with Family Sharing, up to six family members are able to share subscriptions to Apple TV channels. Channels content can be watched both online or offline, including HBO content.

In the future, Apple plans to make its new TV+ subscription service available through the TV app, with TV+ offering up access to Apple's original TV shows and movies. The TV app is available on the Apple TV and iOS devices, and in the future, it will expand to the Mac.

Apple has also released new 7.3 software for the third-generation Apple TV models.

Article Link: Apple Releases tvOS 12.3 With Updated TV App
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2019/05/13/apple-releases-tvos-12-3/
How soon can someone update and report if Apple reinstated its movie counts for 4k movies? So nice to have that and will really be sad if it’s gone...
 
MacRumors said:

Apple has also released new 7.3 software for the third-generation Apple TV models.
Click to expand...

This is actually better than it sounds at first; they fixed security issues with the third-generation Apple TV:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210121

Just last week my boss was talking about removing a few of these from our network due to security audits claiming they were a potential threat vector; thanks to this update we don't have to worry about it and can continue using them. (Primarily we use them as AirPlay targets)
 
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sandler77 said:
How soon can someone update and report if Apple reinstated its movie counts for 4k movies? So nice to have that and will really be sad if it’s gone...
Click to expand...
Good thing i never updated. I hate when they take away useful features.
 
Here in Germany we got one Channel only...This must change really fast Apple. Amazon has many channels in Prime Video which users can subscribe too, so I guess it would have been possible for Apple to have a lot of channels from day one in Germany too..
 
Updated atv. Not worth anything without sports that i want. Get FoxsportsGo with the ability to watch the teams/region I want. I don’t live in that region anymore but I’m not changing my teams. In today’s tech age I should be able to watch whatever team I want from my living room without multiple subscriptions. Apple make deal with the NFL.
 
jhall8 said:
The new ATV3 software is 8.4.2.

Edit: I saw the above on a reliable site. But I now see that the Apple support page shows version 7.3.
Click to expand...
I think both are correct, the Apple TV software for ATV 3 is officially 7.3, however, versions 7.x are based on iOS 8. ...and I see now the last version (7.2.2) was also based on iOS 8.4.2, so changes are minor.
[doublepost=1557787652][/doublepost]Anyone (in US) have pics of the new Apple TV channel on ATV 3?
 
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benji888 said:
I think both are correct, the Apple TV software for ATV 3 is officially 7.3, however, versions 7.x are based on iOS 8. ...and I see now the last version (7.2.2) was also based on iOS 8.4.2, so changes are minor.
[doublepost=1557787652][/doublepost]Anyone (in US) have pics of the new Apple TV channel on ATV 3?
Click to expand...
Here you go. And thanks for the clarification about the ATV3 update.
 

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From my early testing, it appears that Home Sharing is improved with this new TV app. Local content seems to load faster, and I haven't run into any bugs yet (no errors, double library listings, etc etc.)
 
Ugh. I absolutely hate the new Apple TV app.
  • Purchased TV shows and Movies are combined (why would I want that?)
  • If you hover on a movie too long it starts auto-playing a trailer (like Netflix, and I loathe it)
  • Movie album art is inconsistent, and now only three movies fit in a row; that’s only 6-9 on the entire screen; total waste of screen real-estate...
  • ...meanwhile, the genres menu takes up half the screen (why is there no way to hide the side menu?) Admittedly this was previously the case, but it should have been fixed a long time ago
  • You have to start watching a movie before you can read the movie info or quality (or select ‘play from beginning’)
  • Movies in a series STILL aren’t displayed in numerical order
The worst part is, I can’t determine what they actually improved. Sure, it does a few things differently than before (like Channels) but that’s not a feature that I didn’t already have (with Prime, Hulu, etc).

EDIT: And for the love of god, why can’t I use Siri on my HomePod to turn the Apple TV on or off (or sleep)? Absurd.
 
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John.B said:
How is the performance of the new 7.3 update to the ATV3? There were reports of it being laggy — to the point of being on using unusable — on the betas.
Click to expand...
It's pretty horrendous on my Apple TV 4 — not quite unusable, but very frustrating, and I end up missing (over- or under-swiping) my target quite a lot.
[doublepost=1557853113][/doublepost]
tothemoonsands said:
From my early testing, it appears that Home Sharing is improved with this new TV app. Local content seems to load faster, and I haven't run into any bugs yet (no errors, double library listings, etc etc.)
Click to expand...
Do you mean that Home Sharing content is displayed inside the TV app itself? Or that the Home Sharing app on the Apple TV has improved?
 
EmpyreanUK said:
Do you mean that Home Sharing content is displayed inside the TV app itself? Or that the Home Sharing app on the Apple TV has improved?
Click to expand...

Yes, the former - Home Sharing content is displayed inside the TV app in iOS. This isn't new per se, but from my experience so far, it is much improved now. Loads faster, no errors or authorization issues, no double library listings, episodes are accurately reflecting watched/unwatched status etc.
 
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Some problems playing purchased content in the Apple TV app, too.

For example, I’ve purchased every season of Veep, but randomly it tries to open the HBO app for a few different episodes (whereas all others play from iTunes, like they’re supposed to). The same episodes play just fine outside the Apple TV app.
 
Anyone else extremely annoyed when browsing content? When iTunes buy/rent titles are mixed in with subscription content, I find it very frustrating.
 
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