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Apple Television Set to Include Siri and Face-Tracking iSight for FaceTime Calls?

I call BS on the rumors of an Apple television. Will require too many sizes to fit the different room sizes. Large and expensive to ship. Too large for many people to carry home from an Apple store. No real opportunity for a deep ecosystem of customers who will want to buy more and more similar products down the road.

I can imagine many improvements for the AppleTV set top box, but an integrated Apple television sounds extremely un-Apple.
 
How will it handle multiple people in the room?

If it could recognize people talking (by seeing mouths moving,) that could work a bit... Someone starts talking so zoom so that they're included... Maybe eye contact indicates they want to be seen?

Any other ideas for how it determines who on a packed couch needs to be in focus during an extended family conference call?
 
If they did release this I would want a full integration for cable, gaming DVD's etc. I don't want an apple TV connected to a hard drive and Xbox. I want it to work with my cable company or sky. I want it to have a built in hard drive so I can record a TV series by simply asking it. I want to be able to play proper hard core gaming titles not just iOS offerings. AirPlay any apple device. Make it like this or just don't bother.
I'm fed up of my lounge full of boxes and wires. I want it simplified like the iMac.
The problem is that each person has a different set up. Not to mention the US will be different to the UK. This is why I think it's a pipe dream. Content over broadband only will never work where people outside of the US get less than 10 meg.
 
People really believe Apple would implement such a ridiculous solution as only being able to control your TV with voice/Siri?

Really??
 
I think its an Apple Set Top Box as well

let the TV makers battle over a low margin device

meanwhile the problem that needs solving is how separate the content providers from the networks, the internet has broken this wall already

my problem with both hollywood and cable networks

is distribution

I want to see first run features that are unavailable in my market especially if they are independent films. I'd happily pay the content creators actual money, but since the films never play here and take months to show up on Netflix I end up streaming them and no one gets paid.

2ndly I'm a loyal viewer of a couple TV shows and sports teams
I dont want commercials, home shopping network, or teams I dont care about

I would be happy to sign up for a la carte series, sometimes networks like HBO and my favorite teams sportscasts.

this is an on demand world, the networks just dont know it yet
 
Just scratching the surface

MacRumors said:
[...] With Jobs calling it "the simplest user interface you could imagine", speculation immediately leapt to Siri, which could allow users to change channels and find shows using only their voice.[...]
Click to expand...

And maybe a lot more than that. Changing channels and finding shows would be a great start. Those are basic tasks that everyone already does when they watch TV, and they're among the most clumsy and awkward areas of the TV experience. But with Siri as a front end, the Apple TV set could do a lot more than just streamline the TV experience.

Home automation, communication and messaging (e.g. FaceTime), home security, gaming, etc. could all be part of Apple's long-term TV plans. Not to mention deep integration with the Apple iOS and iTunes ecosystem. They could leverage that, as they have for iPhone and iPad, in ways that competitors couldn't even attempt to copy. And Apple could stream pre-recorded shows and live events from their own servers. The live Paul McCartney concert might have been a proof-of-concept for that.
 
Not sure about this "breakthrough" in TV design. Short of spitting out holograms in the middle of the floor, what more can these things do? It's like automobile industry... same old internal combustion engine, just more cup holders.

No desire for Facetime calls while sitting on the sofa in my shorts either (not a pretty sight :eek:).

And Siri? When I did use it my jaw actually hurt because I had to enunciate every syllable clearly just so the Siri algorithm could understand me. You expend less energy pushing buttons. There's a reason why every device has a "finger" interface today. Voice control just isn't as practical as everyone makes it out to be. In the car, yes... but not from across the room on the sofa.

Just gimme a TV that stabilizes the audio on those blaring commercials and knows what freaking aspect ratio the broadcast is coming in at so I don't need to change it manually.
 
DTphonehome said:
I can imagine a remote like the current Apple TV remote, just with a mic on it. You hold down a button and talk to it, just like an iPhone.
Click to expand...

As apposed to just pushing channel up? This is what I mean... the viewing distance from my TV to me means I would have to shout - not practical when everyone is in bed or multiple people are watching tv. Pushing a button to talk is just adding an extra step. And the touch screens of iOS devices, whilst flexible, mean I have to look at the remote screen to know what I am changing (no tactile feedback, and vibrations won't cut it).

Personally, I've 'cracked' (also known as, thought of what is obvious once you hear it) many of the problems to do with television but sadly I do not have billions of dollars backing me. None of my ideas use voice though.

Using speech is actually not natural, despite what (not you personally person I replied to, anyone now) you may think. Primal and instinctive sounds, very natural. Speech, not so much. Speech relies on trust, trust that the recipient knows what you are saying and trust that they won't use it against you (heard of lies anyone?). I wouldn't trust Siri on either of those points.

I'm not saying Apple haven't 'cracked' the problem of television (not that it's a big problem), just that if Siri is their 'answer' it better be the best experience of my life, or I'll be sticking to remotes of decades ago..
 
Apple Big Mac said:
So we're envisioning Apple's answer, more or less feature for feature, to Samsung's Smart TVs, right? What extra value would Apple bring? I've heard critiques that these Samsung Smart TVs don't live up to the hype in terms of software quality, so one could presume that Apple would do it "right."

It seems like a hard, non-traditional type of market for Apple. TVs are very durable commodity consumer goods that are expected to be bought once and last practically indefinitely. That's not the market Apple lives in or has ever pursued up to this point. But given SJ's strong enthusiasm, we have to optimistic about some kind of breakthrough.
Click to expand...

Reviews so far say those Samsung TV interfaces are gimmicky and definitely not ready for prime-time. If Apple did it, they would do it right.

And Apple has been branching out into areas where it didn't traditionally have a presence for the last decade, and it's worked out amazingly well for them. They'll definitely face a challenge in the TV market, but I do think they can do it right. I was a skeptic for a long time too, but I'm beginning to see how this can be done. If they can nail the interface and content, they'll dominate a whole new area of consumer electronics.
 
GSPice said:
Content, content, content.
Click to expand...

This is the correct answer.

A TV is a tool for people to watch their favourite shows and movies. They can make the TV as cool as they like but if people can't watch their favourite TV shows and movies on it in the same or a better way than they can currently they won't want it.
 
The 27" imac is quite heavy. Lets just hope it's not 55" of aluminum block and glass. That thing will weigh a freakin' ton.
 
Perhaps Apple is going to try to reinvent the TV market.. do away with HDMI and use Thunderbolt??

To be honest, I'm not interested in the actual TV as so much as the content and price!! or will this be a "content is only viewable on Apple TV" type of Apple ecosystem...

So many questions..
 
djdover said:
As apposed to just pushing channel up? This is what I mean... the viewing distance from my TV to me means I would have to shout - not practical when everyone is in bed or multiple people are watching tv. Pushing a button to talk is just adding an extra step. And the touch screens of iOS devices, whilst flexible, mean I have to look at the remote screen to know what I am changing (no tactile feedback, and vibrations won't cut it).
Click to expand...

Who said what you want to watch is one channel up or down? Modern cable systems deliver literally thousands of channels. If you don't know what channel you are going to, you have to go to the guide and scroll through endless pages. Very tedious.

As for the mic, take an Apple remote. Hold it in your hand, up to your mouth, as if there was a mic on it. Hold down the center button, speak, and that's it. I'm not suggesting that you'll have to shout to your TV across the room. That would work with any number of people in the room, and at any distance.
 
"Sorry, I can't find 'HBO' in your address book"
...
"Do you want me to search the Web for it?"
;)


But I wonder what is the difference between this (mock-up) and a giant iMac with Siri included...
 
tbrinkma said:
How far do you sit from your TV when you have your computer attached to it?

There are three values you need to know to determine if a display is 'retina' or not:
  1. Display size (37" in this case).
  2. Display resolution (1080p in this case).
  3. Viewing distance.

If text 'looks terrible', you're either not running at the display's native resolution, or you're sitting too close. (Or something *really* weird is going on.)
Click to expand...

Viewing a 55" 1080p TV at about 9 feet. Text looks pretty bad but readable. I have the same resolution on my 23" PC monitor viewing at 2-3 feet that the TV has at 55" has viewing at 9 feet. I'm using an HDMI cable for PC connection and using native HDTV resolution 1920 x 1080 on the pc. Even at nine feet, I don't see how it can compensate for that low of pixel density, despite what any chart says. I can see the pixels.

Tony
 
Wouldn't Apple have to redesign the stand? A solid aluminum base (like the current monitor/iMac) for a 40" or larger television would get a little heavy.
 
Apple fanboy said:
Content over broadband only will never work where people outside of the US get less than 10 meg.
Click to expand...

You do realize that the US has some of the slowest internet speeds in the world right? Even some 3rd world countries have faster, cheaper internet!
 
DTphonehome said:
Reviews so far say those Samsung TV interfaces are gimmicky and definitely not ready for prime-time. If Apple did it, they would do it right.

And Apple has been branching out into areas where it didn't traditionally have a presence for the last decade, and it's worked out amazingly well for them. They'll definitely face a challenge in the TV market, but I do think they can do it right. I was a skeptic for a long time too, but I'm beginning to see how this can be done. If they can nail the interface and content, they'll dominate a whole new area of consumer electronics.
Click to expand...
Whatever Apple does it has to be centered around exclusive content, IMO. Would the iPod have been as successful w/o iTunes & the iTMS? Would the iPhone and iPad be as successful w/o Apple's App Store? The product also has to reveal some new integration into Apple's existing ecosystem.

TV's, Blu-ray players and video game consoles are already Internet ready and have apps for Netfilx, Hulu, Amazon, HBO GO, NHL, ESPN, etc., so a set top box is a dead end for Apple, IMO. But on the flip side TVs are big purchases that people only usually do once every 5-10yrs which doesn't jive w/Apple's routine of kicking out a new 'must have' model every year.

It will be interesting to see how Apple attacks this.

Lethal
 
Am I the only one who thinks Apple should make a projector instead? The value of a projector is there is no need to make different sized products like a TV. You can embed AppleTV like controls right onto it with Siri. It can be used in the office and at home (both markets). The possibilities are endless with a single device and the size of the product allows for smaller footprints on shelves.

And it also fits in with the iP* (iProjector) nomenclature

Thoughts?
 
A thought:

It's fairly well known for most on MacRumors the legalities between Apple and Samsung. Thus, if Apple produces a television that responds to movement and voice, would this not be a [possible] legal issue with Samsung's "Smart Interaction" feature already available on their top line LED LCD systems?

(Just an opinion, if it takes the same shape/style as current ACD's, I'll be disappointed. I don't mind the look, but it would seem [to me] a copout in design development. Tying in product lines is one thing, but merely making a larger ACD as an LED LCD TV would seem... odd)

Just remembered something, what ever happened to "Cable Cards"? My old 2005 42" Panasonic had a slot for a Cable Card, was supposed to be a replacement for a cable box and allowed for more than the standard 99 channels w/o a box - but no DVR. Never happened?
 
osx11 said:
You won't need a cable box/blue-ray player.

I think the real revolution will come in terms of content.
Click to expand...

Maybe in the future, but we're not there just yet... Cable companies barely allow HBO to be streamed onto an iPad. I can't imagine every single TV channel becoming available streaming to an Apple HDTV. Even if it's previously aired shows or live TV.

And I don't think people are ready to throw away their dozens (or hundreds) of DVDs & Blu-Rays just yet. Especially for those who like to have a physical copy of things. Maybe eventually when all Blu-Rays come with an HD iTunes copy of the film & all bonus content that'll happen. But for now I can't see that happening. But not to worry, the Apple HDTV will have at least a pair of HDMI ports on the back of it.

I love iTunes and I do buy content from there, but when it comes to movies and TV shows 9 times out of 10 I'd rather buy the Blu-Ray or DVD. I have more flexibility with how and where I watch my content currently and it's usually cheaper (especially when items are on sale).


powaking said:
Am I the only one who thinks Apple should make a projector instead? The value of a projector is there is no need to make different sized products like a TV. You can embed AppleTV like controls right onto it with Siri. It can be used in the office and at home (both markets). The possibilities are endless with a single device and the size of the product allows for smaller footprints on shelves.

And it also fits in with the iP* (iProjector) nomenclature

Thoughts?
Click to expand...
The issue is having a screen and the right lighting conditions in you room. Apple's all about controlling as many aspects as possible. I think going the TV route makes a lot more sense for them. There isn't a gigantic market for projectors unless you dive into the movie enthusiasts crowd. And I don't think Apple is going after them just yet.
 
bedifferent said:
A thought:

It's fairly well known for most on MacRumors the legalities between Apple and Samsung. Thus, if Apple produces a television that responds to movement and voice, would this not be a [possible] legal issue with Samsung's "Smart Interaction" feature already available on their top line LED LCD systems?
Click to expand...

No idea. I do know that whatever Apple does - even if it's identical to Samsung - some posters on here will insist Apple did it first and that Samsung still copies everything Apple does. Or that Samsung can stuff it because they've been copying Apple, yadda yadda...
 
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