Apple TV Just Got More Screen Savers, Here's How to Get Them on Your Mac

[HDJulie]

I've installed Aerial & set it as the screensaver. I didn't know that I needed to Beta version, so have now installed it. I don't see where I can do these things: "ability to filter video themes, overlay weather data, and adapt the videos that are played to the time of day, plus it offers an additional library of over 100 different videos". There's an "Experimental" menu that has "Launch Aerial Settings" but when I select it, nothing happens

 

[cwizou]

I've installed Aerial & set it as the screensaver. I didn't know that I needed to Beta version, so have now installed it. I don't see where I can do these things: "ability to filter video themes, overlay weather data, and adapt the videos that are played to the time of day, plus it offers an additional library of over 100 different videos". There's an "Experimental" menu that has "Launch Aerial Settings" but when I select it, nothing happens

So in Companion (the menu bar thing) at the top you have an Open settings (not in experimental).

This will open System Preferences to the Screen Saver panel. You can also go there manually. Then press "Screen Saver options" below the tiny Aerial preview, you'll find all settings there. Advanced settings are behind the "cog" icon that you can find top left of the window that pops up. Weather (and other stuff) is in overlays.

 

[HDJulie]

So in Companion (the menu bar thing) at the top you have an Open settings (not in experimental).

This will open System Preferences to the Screen Saver panel. You can also go there manually. Then press "Screen Saver options" below the tiny Aerial preview, you'll find all settings there. Advanced settings are behind the "cog" icon that you can find top left of the window that pops up. Weather (and other stuff) is in overlays.

Aha, thanks!

 

[dredlew]

What do you hate about it? I don't recall any problems with the AppleTV screensaver.

Let me see…

1. Main complaint; I cannot choose which ones I want and don’t want to see. It’s such a basic, yet the most important feature and in all these years they have actively refused to implement it. Yes, multiple feedback requests have been submitted just by myself and I can’t be the only one.
2. It only downloads at max one a day, even though when I watch something, AppleTV is on for several hours. Why is this a problem? Because…
3. Every tvOS update wipes the downloads clean! It is so insanely stupid. There’s no justifiable reason to do this. It needlessly uses mine & Apple’s bandwidth to redownload everything again and it takes forever because of #1 & 2.
4. There are ancient clips that are still in HD, they look atrocious on a 4K projector. Again, fix #1 and I wouldn’t have to deal with this.
5. At some point, they limited the number of clips that could be downloaded (like 20) or so, which was ridiculous for a 40GB AppleTV that can easily store 40-50 clips. I believe there are now over 60 available and I don’t know if the limit still exists because of #1, 2 & 3. I never even get to a point where I see all of them. On Aerial, I do.
6. Separate clips for SDR and HDR. If you frequently switch between them, it’s a never ending loop of the same repeating clips all the time.

There are clips I loved seeing that I haven’t been able to see in years because of refusal to fix these pretty common sense issues. The screensaver is a headline feature of AppleTV, yet it’s so poorly implemented, I question why they even bothered. You literally have more control over the screensaver by displaying your own photos. Of course, that’s not the same as nice slow-mo videos.

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

Let me see…

1. Main complaint; I cannot choose which ones I want and don’t want to see. It’s such a basic, yet the most important feature and in all these years they have actively refused to implement it. Yes, multiple feedback requests have been submitted just by myself and I can’t be the only one.
2. It only downloads at max one a day, even though when I watch something, AppleTV is on for several hours. Why is this a problem? Because…
3. Every tvOS update wipes the downloads clean! It is so insanely stupid. There’s no justifiable reason to do this. It needlessly uses mine & Apple’s bandwidth to redownload everything again and it takes forever because of #1 & 2.
4. There are ancient clips that are still in HD, they look atrocious on a 4K projector. Again, fix #1 and I wouldn’t have to deal with this.
5. At some point, they limited the number of clips that could be downloaded (like 20) or so, which was ridiculous for a 40GB AppleTV that can easily store 40-50 clips. I believe there are now over 60 available and I don’t know if the limit still exists because of #1, 2 & 3. I never even get to a point where I see all of them. On Aerial, I do.
6. Separate clips for SDR and HDR. If you frequently switch between them, it’s a never ending loop of the same repeating clips all the time.

There are clips I loved seeing that I haven’t been able to see in years because of refusal to fix these pretty common sense issues. The screensaver is a headline feature of AppleTV, yet it’s so poorly implemented, I question why they even bothered. You literally have more control over the screensaver by displaying your own photos. Of course, that’s not the same as nice slow-mo videos.

I don't think I'd call the screensaver a 'headline feature of the Apple TV'. Sure, watching them is interesting, but I bought mine for watching what it can deliver that I want to watch, not for the content it delivers because I haven't paid it any attention in a while. *shrug*

Regarding memory, the ATV has to download the install image and supporting software while having the current OS still loaded in its memory. Having a finite amount of memory, perhaps Apple is being a little harsh in clearing memory, but that would be better than the drama of 'Unable to update system. Free up memory and try again'.

 

[RONS67]

Sounds great but I'm too paranoid to give it the permissions it asks.

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

Sounds great but I'm too paranoid to give it the permissions it asks.

Smart...

Most people 'hack themselves'.

I had a client that was convinced their in-house-expert had a better alternative to our hardware firewall. Zone Alarm!

They installed it, and people kept chipping away at their protection, and eventually they were hammered in an attack from outside. I said 'Gosh, that sucks. Hope you had backups.' Then they got ransomed. 'Gosh, that sucks. Hope you have backups.'. Yeah, I 'fired' them. Idiots...