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Apple Researching Digital Video Recorder (DVR) Possibilies

How about my iphone connects to the set-top box (or to a mac running frontrow) using my home's wifi network, and I launch an app that makes it into a nice friendly remote control.

You could make a really cool remote control app. It could let you browse the library on the machine being controlled right on the iphone's screen, play music or video straight from the phone, or even preview video on the phone and channel surf without ever changing what's showing on the tv...

Someone should write this app :)
 
I can't speak to the licensing issues but three quickie thoughts on integration with iPods and iPhones:

1. You could basically take what YouTube has enabled -- people grabbing clips of favorite programs -- and integrate workflow between AppleTV and iPod device. Think of sports highlights, funny one liners, new items, etc.

2. There are some compelling social applications that could be built around this type of model, which again have potential to extend both devices. I am watching the Laker game on TV, so are you at your home, we are IM'ing and share clips, notes on game and players.

3. It is not a given that best path would be to download the entire program or even entire clip to device given storage scarcity. Why not make program or clip stream-able and this is part of what you pay for service. Program accessible anytime/anywhere?

Mark
 
Brian Hickman said:
This would be a device that I would buy in a heartbeat. I love the idea of programming your DVR via an iPod Touch since it is aready equipped with WiFi. And I also like how they use the iChat video conferencing view when working with the on-screen menu. Still lets you see the entire show while searching through the menus and guides. Could be a snazzy setup.

Hickman
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I already do this with my MythTV setup and MythWeb via my iPod Touch.
 
This really isn't all that surprising given Apple's iTunes and iPod strategy, especially with the release of the video capable iPod Nano last year, as has been previously suggested on these forums. At the very least the inclusion of a DVR into Apple TV would serve as a backup plan to any contractual problems that Apple may encounter with televion studios. Having a couple million tiny iPod nano's that seem designed to handle 1/2-1 hour format shows without content is not a situation Apple would want to be in. And being at the mercy and whims of television studios, as was demonstrated by the recent tension with NBC, is not an ideal situation.

An Apple DVR may never see the light of day so long as there are enough studios to play ball and for Apple to generate revenue from selling shows on iTunes. But should more studios abandon ship Apple at least has a backup plan to get content onto iPods as well as enhancing their media strategy in the living room.

For the immediate future, the threat of an Apple branded DVR may provide Apple leverage with the studios to keep content on iTunes where they can generate revenue at a price Apple can influence.
 
Everyone here thinks this DVR will need a tuner to record Over-the-air or cable signals. I disagree.

Apple developed the iPhone in conjunction with AT&T. AT&T are aggressively developing their U-Verse service that delivers TV not by the regular tuner model but by IPTV (internet protocol TV).

From the line coming into a U-verse subscriber's house all they would need is to connect an Ethernet jack. Apple has worked with AT&T for phone, so why not for TV? This could lead to some interesting integration - program your DVR away from the house using you iPhone. Stream shows you've record from home to you iPhone while you are traveling.

Would I be happy with the arrangement? No, as I can not subscribe to U-Verse but if AT&T was willing to pay enough I could see Apple doing this, especially if it was a software update to the existing line of Apple TV.
 
techmonkey said:
Why? The monthly fee is one of the reasons I stopped using my ReplayTV and never bought a Tivo. iTunes already offers its store for free, adding a TV guide wouldnt increase cost much.
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Because that's just how businesses work.
They wouldn't be able to have a guide that knew every TV channel you had from your cable provider unless they had some sort of home server where they could store all that information to get it compatible with everyone's cable box.

Sure, the ability to record the channel you're watching at a certain moment in time would free, but being able to record every episode of Weeds without having to do a thing or recording the Yankees game while watching the Cowboys requires all sorts of information being sent over the network and you get charged. It's only around $10 a month, so it's no big deal.

And since when is iTunes free? All the shows and movies in it cost money (unless there is a specific promotion at the time).
 
This is great! It is THE feature that will shift AppleTV from a early adopter toy, to a compelling product for the average consumer. I pay $15 a month reluctantly to the cable wh*re for this feature, which amounts $180 a year for the ****** *rental* device.

And consider the fact, the technology to do this is available for every mac already! (download firewire SDK - and it can do scheduled recordings from a cable box like a champ). The main requirement is just popping in a tuner or two, and we have got a wholesome apple TV!
 
I'm still using a Tivo Series 2. I would be very interested in seeing where Apple goes with this instead of upgrading my Tivo DVR. I'm curious to know if it would be subscription based as Tivo is or another business model.
 
Popeye206 said:
Hummm.... what do you mean by Stop gap???? DVRs are well worth it... but I think you're saying that direct content from networks is going to overtake the DVR's usefulness??? Is this why you think this?
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Jeff_R said:
How is a DVR a stop-gap solution? I know in Apple's mind, we will eventually all purchase the content we want, when we want it.
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DVR is a stop-gap solution because you're recording scheduled video content. Re-recording something that's already been digitized simply doesn't make sense in this day and age, at least not to a forward-thinking company like Apple. What DOES make sense is something like Hulu, a service that offers you content when you want it (not scheduled content) but is also still paid by advertising.

Add a pay-to-own component to that and take it out of a web setting and place it into a set-top box and suddenly you have what people REALLY want: TV when they want it, without the hassle of recording video or paying extra for it. A subscription for premium ("cable") content would work just as well, but what everyone is taking for granted is that you would need to schedule this stuff. It should just simply be available at a certain time and streamed digitally. THAT is the future of TV, not DVR.
 
Oh great. Just when I thought we'd seen the end of the Apple TV needs to be a DVR threads and comments, we get this which is just going to start the cycle over again....
 
BTW, who does Apple's patent drawings?! Engineers?
 

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arn said:
Sorry. Filed by Apple in October 2006. Publicly revealed today.

arn
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Patents submitted to the USPTO go through a review process. It takes about two years for them to be reviewed and approved.

If you notice, they filed all their patents for the iPhone in 2004-2006.
 
L3X said:
Patents submitted to the USPTO go through a review process. It takes about two years for them to be reviewed and approved.

If you notice, they filed all their patents for the iPhone in 2004-2006.
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Thanks, I was looking for this info for my post. Investors won't approve a lot of budget for R&D on a device that might not get patent approval. I didn't want to post patent approval process since I wasn't sure of the time frames.

Arn, I wasn't trying to bash you, I think you do a great and fabulous job.
 
Next version of AppleTV.

Ability to hook up an external CD drive to rip your music.

DVR, and you can sync directly with an iPod/iPhone, thus taking the computer completely out of the equation...
 
gkarris said:
Next version of AppleTV.

Ability to hook up an external CD drive to rip your music.

DVR, and you can sync directly with an iPod/iPhone, thus taking the computer completely out of the equation...
Click to expand...

It also restores the Computer to being a Computer and not a Television to watch and record movies, tv shows, etc.
 
This would be the best thing they could possibly do to boost up sales for the Apple TV. I might even buy one then. :D
 
damnit. Apple should be researching how to get 1080p video on the Mac...and make it easy, like getting Blu-Ray to work! The displays are there, the CPU power is there, the video card technology is there...what are we waiting for? Apple is best as a computer company, and focusing their technology and research on that should be the focus, instead of trying to control the media entertainment market. Just my opinion.

(although that's sort of what they are already doing with the iPod and iTunes, and it seems to be working...or generating good income for Apple)
 
The only way that I can see this having mass market appeal is if :apple: partners with Dish or DirectTV. Local station content would be too difficult to manage otherwise IMHO, and off-air HD reception is not a viable option for a vast portion of the population.
 
When AppleTV was announced, this is exactly what I was hoping for. I've known folks who love their Windows Media Center as a DVR-like set-up, and anything Apple can do to compete with/counter that would be great.

This great news if this device ever comes to light!
 
WardC said:
damnit. Apple is best as a computer company, and focusing their technology and research on that should be the focus, instead of trying to control the media entertainment market. Just my opinion.

(although that's sort of what they are already doing with the iPod and iTunes, and it seems to be working...or generating good income for Apple)
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I think you just responded to your own argument! lol Also, iTunes works for a lot of us as well when we don't feel like taking our music from Acquisition or other P2P sites.
 
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