Apple to Open Up Apple TV's Universal Search to Additional Apps via New API

[MacRumors]

One of the key features of the new Apple TV set to launch later this month is universal search, which allows users to find content across a number of different services using text entry or, in some countries, Siri voice search. Universal search will work across iTunes, Netflix, Hulu, HBO, and Showtime at launch, but it was initially unclear whether the feature would be expanded to include additional content sources over time.

In a follow-up story on his interview with Tim Cook last month, BuzzFeed's John Paczkowski relates some additional details on Apple TV shared by Cook, including word that developers will indeed be able to make their content available to universal search via an API.

"At launch we'll have iTunes, Netflix, Hulu, Showtime, and HBO -- so we'll have five major inputs into universal search initially," Cook said. "But we're also opening an API, so that others can join in."

And Apple's confident that they will do just that. "I think that many, many people will want to be in that search," Cook said. "And that's great for users. Think about your experience today. Even if you're fortunate enough to have the content you want to watch in an app, you sometimes don't remember exactly where that show is, so you're going to Netflix or Hulu or Showtime. You shouldn't have to do that. It should be very simple."

Cook went on to note that universal search will be intelligent enough to know which services the user is subscribed to, highlighting which sources are available free or with existing subscriptions. This is true even when different services offer only a portion of a television series' seasons, such as a show where older seasons are available through Netflix with an existing subscription but newer seasons may need to be purchased through iTunes or through a new HBO subscription.

Article Link: Apple to Open Up Apple TV's Universal Search to Additional Apps via New API

 

[diddl14]

The UI of my TV is terrible so love to see my cable provider bring their app to AppleTV..
(https://www.horizon.tv/)

 

[Mike MA]

This is getting interesting.

 

[Mac Fly (film)]

Plex

 

[mdridwan47]

I hope it's jailbreakable too. Imagine the possibilities!

 

[mozumder]

Good. Does this include a guide system? Like a Netflix interface, except for ALL content? Searching is only one method of finding content. We also need a curated guide.

Meanwhile, we also need a system that shows live shows/events.

Live content is where interesting things happen. Recorded content is stale. Plus, you can interact with others during live content broadcasts.

Does the new Apple TV have a built-in NTSC or CableCard tuner?

 

[QuarterSwede]

Good. Does this include a guide system? Like a Netflix interface, except for ALL content? Searching is only one method of finding content. We also need a curated guide.

Meanwhile, we also need a system that shows live shows/events.

Live content is where interesting things happen. Recorded content is stale. Plus, you can interact with others during live content broadcasts.

Does the new Apple TV have a built-in NTSC or CableCard tuner?

Recorded content is stale!? People LOVE to binge watch shows. There definitely needs to be a lot more live but there's room for both.

 

[V.K.]

This is very good news and I hope developers will take advantage of that. I would definitely like to be able to search YouTube and Ted from the universal search interface. But what I would really like to know is whether universal search will work on local iTunes libraries connected via Home sharing.

 

[Advil]

that's what they said about facetime

 

[Jandmtv]

Universal search Ali is all fine and well. But what's more important to me is a universal provider login. It is so ***** annoying having to log into each and every channel with my provider info separately. And very time consuming too!

How difficult would it be to add universal provider login into the settings menu, input provider name, email and password and done.

 

[flaw600]

that's what they said about facetime

I remember them saying that they were considering bringing FT to other platforms, not open up an API. The former didn't happen due to being too iOS centric. How is that comparable to universal search?

Universal search Ali is all fine and well. But what's more important to me is a universal provider login. It is so ***** annoying having to log into each and every channel with my provider info separately. And very time consuming too!

How difficult would it be to add universal provider login into the settings menu, input provider name, email and password and done.

Because apps are largely sandboxed for security reasons?

This is very good news and I hope developers will take advantage of that. I would definitely like to be able to search YouTube and Ted from the universal search interface. But what I would really like to know is whether universal search will work on local iTunes libraries connected via Home sharing.

Probably won't happen. Universal Search probably works via metadata mining, but it's unlikely that your home computer content has recognizable metadata to use.

 

[Jandmtv]

Because apps are largely sandboxed for security reasons?

Sandbox or not. Apple has to figure something out. Way too many channels to log into each one separately.

 

[jettredmont]

“At launch we’ll have iTunes, Netflix, Hulu, Showtime, and HBO — so we’ll have five major inputs into universal search initially,” Cook said. “But we’re also opening an API, so that others can join in.”

To be clear, though, "opening an API" doesn't necessarily mean that it will be an open API available to any applications. There are many private APIs (the AppleTV3's dev environment had a bunch of them, for example) which Apple has "opened" in the past.

The words are there ("open"), but they don't necessarily mean what we all hope they mean.

 

[danuff]

Now, if Apple would just open up Siri's API, I'd really be a happy camper!!!

 

[jettredmont]

I hope it's jailbreakable too. Imagine the possibilities!

No, Apple will do everything it can to stop jailbreaking. It might even be successful; it certainly was with ATV3, although stopping jailbreaking on a platform with an app store is going to be harder than one with a small set of sanctioned "apps".

Since the main reason behind jailbreaking the ATV in the past has been to use content providers like Plex, the fact that they are satisfying that need with an officially-sanctioned process (Plex seems like they will have an ATV app out soon) means that the drive behind jailbreaking will likely diminish substantially. If you are resting your hopes on jailbreaking for some reason, you are probably in for disappointment.

 

[jdillings]

Great news....I'm almost tempted to buy the new Apple TV.

 

[BladesOfSteel]

Probably won't happen. Universal Search probably works via metadata mining, but it's unlikely that your home computer content has recognizable metadata to use.

But if you put in the data yourself - via subler for example - then your movies would have the same meta data as any iTunes material.

 

[jettredmont]

Good. Does this include a guide system? Like a Netflix interface, except for ALL content? Searching is only one method of finding content. We also need a curated guide.

Not sure what you're after here, in a world where there are dozens-to-hundreds of content sources, what kind of "guide" are you expecting? One that is specifically tailored to the subset of content providers you currently subscribe to? One that assumes you are subscribing to every service known to man?

I don't know. I thin the mix of review content (podcasts and the like) and in-service guides (recent releases, what's hot, what-we-think-you'll-like recommendations, etc) are a much better alternative than the likes of the old TV Guide and cable "guide" channels.

Meanwhile, we also need a system that shows live shows/events.

Okay, but that's a part of the apps. There are already some broadcasting live events - heck, even Apple does live events - and they seem to coexist just fine with recorded content.

Live content is where interesting things happen. Recorded content is stale. Plus, you can interact with others during live content broadcasts.

Does the new Apple TV have a built-in NTSC or CableCard tuner?

Built-in NTSC: No. But, I'd expect devices like HomeRun to build apps for the AppleTV to stream DVR-recorded content throughout the house for people who do plan on watching live TV with DVR functionality built in. As always, the sticking point there is still the "TV Guide" data, which is locked up by a handful of companies who are highly rent-seeking, which is why you can hook an ElGato device up to your Mac and watch/record live TV all day long, but if you want to know what show is actually on that channel you have to subscribe to a $10/month "guide" service (there are free alternatives, but they tend to not be as accurate, or at least weren't a few years back when I cared to look).

CableCard: No, no, absolutely not. Ever. The cable industry has done everything it can to cripple CableCard. AppleTV has the Internet, which is a much much better replacement for CableCard. CableCard is a bigger bag of hurt than Bluray, just to allow Apple's customers to pay exorbitant fees to the cable company to keep that company from becoming a "dumb pipe".

Really, for 90% or more of consumers, the answer to live broadcast TV is that they get a subscription to a service which sends that broadcast to an app via UDP streaming, which is all transparent to them and ends up looking like MLB At Bat or iTunes Music Festival. NTSC HD broadcast is really neat and free (and as a side note, much higher quality than anything streamed over the Internet, your cable subscription, or your satellite subscription), but not likely the "way forward". Unfortunately, because I like getting better quality for free. But, Apple is probably the only company that could bring it together to make that system something easy to install, maintain, and use, and they don't have any interest in doing so.

 

[AtheistP3ace]

Yes!!! This is awesome news. Here's hoping its full featured enough but very excited to hear this.

 

[goobot]

No, Apple will do everything it can to stop jailbreaking. It might even be successful; it certainly was with ATV3, although stopping jailbreaking on a platform with an app store is going to be harder than one with a small set of sanctioned "apps".

Since the main reason behind jailbreaking the ATV in the past has been to use content providers like Plex, the fact that they are satisfying that need with an officially-sanctioned process (Plex seems like they will have an ATV app out soon) means that the drive behind jailbreaking will likely diminish substantially. If you are resting your hopes on jailbreaking for some reason, you are probably in for disappointment.

Because jailbreaking died with the iPhone back on iOS 2 when they launched the App Store?

 

[V.K.]

Probably won't happen. Universal Search probably works via metadata mining, but it's unlikely that your home computer content has recognizable metadata to use.

I admit I have no idea what tech underlies the ATV universal search but if it's metadata mining like you say why should it be an obstacle for searching my local itunes library? Most of my music and movies (even the ones not bought on the itunes store) have very detailed metadata. why can't that metadata be used?

 

[AtheistP3ace]

I hope it's jailbreakable too. Imagine the possibilities!

Yea that would be cool but imagine this would be routed through some server or something apple controls so might be hard for jail breaking to take advantage of that. Buuuut don't take my word for it. I'm just guessing really. I'm not familiar with how they do these things.

 

[Glassed Silver]

This is very good news and I hope developers will take advantage of that. I would definitely like to be able to search YouTube and Ted from the universal search interface. But what I would really like to know is whether universal search will work on local iTunes libraries connected via Home sharing.

That's all I really need to be honest.

That and H.265 on Apple TV, iOS and iTunes.

Glassed Silver:mac

 

[jettredmont]

Universal search Ali is all fine and well. But what's more important to me is a universal provider login. It is so ***** annoying having to log into each and every channel with my provider info separately. And very time consuming too!

How difficult would it be to add universal provider login into the settings menu, input provider name, email and password and done.

The cynic in me says that universal provider login hasn't happened because Apple wants to use that as a differentiating factor when it introduces its own service.

But I think the real answer is just a combination of that they haven't gotten to it yet, and that the cable companies really don't want it. It isn't there in the ATV3 realm because they really stopped developing the APIs for ATV3 a while back (new channels have come up using those APIs, but the APIs and frameworks the APIs use hasn't changed at all over the past couple of years so far as I can tell). On ATV4, they had a pile of things to do. I'm sure a universal cable-company-authentication process is in that list, but they haven't gotten to it yet.

From the cable company's perspective, universal login is exactly what they do not want. They do not want to become a "dumb pipe" just serving bits over IP. The easier it is to verify that you have a subscription to a provider with a set of channels, the more likely you are to use that method to access their content rather than your cable box, and then the more likely you are to see what little value the cable company is really adding. That said, with SlingTV and the eventual AppleTV Service coming on board with an IP-first approach, the cable company's obstinate approach is going to start losing them subscribers. Which is when you'll see a swift shift over to "oh, we loooove us some Universal Provider Login! Why would you ever have thought we didn't want that???"

Because apps are largely sandboxed for security reasons?

No, that's not what is keeping a universal provider login API (at least, not one on the more modern ATV4 platform).

Apple has solved that problem already. Think of Facebook and Twitter login in iOS. Think of iTunes store login in iOS. An app can verify that you are logged in to such service, and request that you authorize it to see information on that login. That is exactly what you would need for a universal provider authentication system. However, the main issue (aside from Apple not providing that API) is that the cable companies do not provide a single back-end that ATV can talk with. Comcast makes a deal with HBO to allow HBO to determine if a user login is for that cable company. The interaction model is purely B2B, not B2C, which keeps ATV from easily getting into the mix. And, as a for-the-moment-pleasant for the cable company side effect makes using an IPTV box as your primary source of content extremely painful and keeps people dependent on their cable boxes.

 

[Boatboy24]

Great. Now get an Amazon Prime app that works with it and I'll buy one.