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Not going to happen. Amazon doesn't sell AppleTV on its site either - it's a direct competitor for its Amazon Fire TV.

This maybe true, but there were rumors at the end of 2015 that Amazon streaming was coming to the ATV4.
It may have been MR front page rumor too, I can't remember.
 
I will buy one th second Sling TV becomes available. Until then, the Amazon Stick is just fine.
 
What difference does it make where the server is? Pulling from 108.175.32.0 (netflix) or 192.168.1.67 (your local plex server) is the same to tvOS.

When you ask siri for something, it goes to Apple servers to get you an answer.

All these other providers have data that is universal to everyone so it makes it easy. It becomes a very different story with Plex
 
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My biggest disappointment thus far is the fact I can't simply say, "Hey, Siri...search My Computer for Chevelle (insert any artist's name)" and have it pull up results from my music library. For a company with so much talent and vision this is a glaring, common sense omission.

Also, it was an Amazon source that stated they were working on an Apple TV app for the new TVOS. Sadly, it has yet to materialize but perhaps they are saving it for a formal announcement...say March 12th? Pretty please?!?!

-Saint
 
I either don't understand this feature or I can't use it. On my ATV4 I search for a show or movie, even request for Netflix, and it brings it up to purchase or whatever on iTunes.

If you search for a movie or show from the main screen using Siri it should find it everywhere it's available, and show you all of the choices.
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My sentiments exactly. No Amazon support thus far? That's been the deal breaker for me.

It's about to cost Amazon my prime business. And thousands of dollars a year in purchases.
 
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As an Apple TV 4 owner in Germany, I am progressively getting sick and tired of the USA-centric releases for said device. Sure, I can understand why a company would want to roll out certain features initially to one country and then to others there afterwards but the offering is _so_ many countries on the apple TV is very, very poor.

It's clear to me that Apple themselves have pushed and negotiated the American networks to get their apps ready for release early but why couldn't they have done this outside of the USA too? The UK has very little to choose from in terms of entertainment on the app store and the situation in Germany, France and Ireland, to name but a few, is even worse.

To me, this device was released to the world way too early and is _still_ not ready to sell in so many countries. Get it right, get it right everywhere, release it to developers to test and make their apps, populate the app store and then put it on sale to the general public.
 
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How on earth is it a good thing for Universal Search to be Apple controlled? In order to not have a frustrating user experience, I'll need to manually think before I use Siri "oh, Disney is included but Plex isn't"...
 
When you ask siri for something, it goes to Apple servers to get you an answer.

All these other providers have data that is universal to everyone so it makes it easy. It becomes a very different story with Plex

Siri is cloud based. It pulls from the cloud and the device which it is on. The Apple TV does not store any data locally like there would be on other iOS devices.

Plex has access servers "in the cloud" just like any other service. People can stream their movies on the go from anywhere using plex.
 
Plex has access servers "in the cloud" just like any other service. People can stream their movies on the go from anywhere using plex.

You missed the entire point. Let me better phrase this

You aright but Plex allows you to stream from YOUR server back at home and each persons server is different from the rest. Where as all these other streaming services have library that is the same to everyone so there is only one set of movies and shows siri needs to know about.

When you ask Siri for something, she goes back to Apple Servers gives the data containing what you said and she gets a message with what to say back from the Apple Servers.

When I say cloud I am referring to Apple Servers.
 
I love seeing new features for Apple TV and can't wait until they are able to realize a full-service alternative to cable TV. The FCC's recent smackdown on the set-top box monopoly seems like it should add fuel to their fire. I can't wait to watch the bloodsucking cable TV companies gnashing their teeth as they lose huge chunks of TV business all due to their own lazy, predatory, monopolistic arrogance.
 
Once again, an Apple product feels crippled in Canada.

Not only is Universal Search limited, we don't even have Siri, which is one of the two selling points of the Apple TV (the other one being the App Store).......

Ugh, what?!? Do you even have an Apple TV4?
Siri has been available in Canada on the 4th Gen Apple TV since day one.
 
You missed the entire point. Let me better phrase this

You aright but Plex allows you to stream from YOUR server back at home and each persons server is different from the rest. Where as all these other streaming services have library that is the same to everyone so there is only one set of movies and shows siri needs to know about.

When you ask Siri for something, she goes back to Apple Servers gives the data containing what you said and she gets a message with what to say back from the Apple Servers.

When I say cloud I am referring to Apple Servers.

That still doesn't explain why Plex would be issue. Siri is mostly a speech-to-text engine. From what I understand, this is how it works: (1) I say "Smallville" into the remote; (2) The ATV4 sends the audio file of me saying it to Apple's Siri servers; (3) The Siri servers interpret that audio file, and return the string "Smallville;" (4) The server sends that string back to the ATV; (5) The ATV then queries the apps that support the Siri search interface as described in Apple's APIs (not yet a public API for tvOS, but clearly it's there) for content that matches the search term "Smallville" and show you the results. Whether that query is for Netflix or Plex, it makes no difference.

Now, we don't know exactly how Siri works. I have looked a little bit with Wireshark, but haven't really done a proper analysis, but I think it is as above. Still, one could argue that steps 4 and 5 are different. It could be (4) The Siri server queries all available streaming partners for content that matches the term "Smallville" and gets a list of results; (5) The Siri server sends back that list of results to the ATV and shows you the results. There are a few reasons I think this other way is wrong and not how it's done: (a) the ATV would either have to filter our results for apps that aren't installed or based on georestrictions you are under or based on parental controls, or would have to send a list of all your apps, restrictions, and parental controls to the Siri server with the original search audio for the filtering to happen there, the former is inefficient as it causes queries to happen and data to be passed that is not used and the latter is insecure as it publicly exposes your app lists etc; (b) it would be inefficient from a bandwirth standpoint for Apple's servers to do all the querying when they can offload that on to the individual ATVs; (c) the content providers would rather the querying was done from individual ATVs as they like to gather that data on a per-user level to know what you are searching for and when in order to better build the recommendation engines. Even if it is done in this alternative way, which I don't think it is, but even if it is, the query for Plex would still work as Plex has a standardized URL and server for everyone to connect to that then reroutes to the appropriate user's installation (a forwarding server, of sorts).

Still, from what I have seen, Siri server just returns a speech-to-text string, and all searching is done on the ATV itself. This is obviously the most efficient way to do it.
 
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Apple has today added four new universal search options to the fourth-generation Apple TV: Watch ABC, Disney XD, Disney Channel and Disney Jr. This allows users to easily find content like Modern Family and Star Wars Rebels after pressing the Siri button on the Siri Remote. The move brings the total number of sources in universal search to 14.

universalsearchappletv.png

At launch, universal search only worked with iTunes, Netflix, Hulu, HBO (Now and Go) and Showtime (Regular and Anytime). Apple had promised to expand the feature and the number of sources included over time and has, thus far, delivered on that promise. Last month, Apple added FOX NOW, FX NOW and National Geographic as sources; in January, Apple added PBS and PBS Kids.

In the United States, universal search across all 14 services is available. In Australia, Canada, France, Germany and the United Kingdom, universal search is only available across iTunes and Netflix. In other countries and regions, universal search is only available across iTunes Movies.

Apple plans to continue opening up its universal search API to additional partners and apps in the future.

Article Link: Apple TV Universal Search Gains Watch ABC, Disney Channel and More

I am STILL waiting for apple to allow me to search MY iTunes local files. I know they can, and I'm pretty sure why they won't. Apple has become microsoft.
 
Since I don't spend a single cent on any digital media universal search is completely useless to me.
If you don't have access to Netflix, Hulu, ABC or use iTunes or contribute money in any way, why do you think Apple would want to contribute to your hapiness using their product?

Apple is a very good company - but they are still a business. Why would they want to enable you to get all the media you want for free? Does it cost nothing for the media to be created in the first place?
 
As an Apple TV 4 owner in Germany, I am progressively getting sick and tired of the USA-centric releases for said device. Sure, I can understand why a company would want to roll out certain features initially to one country and then to others there afterwards but the offering is _so_ many countries on the apple TV is very, very poor.

While I can understand your disappointment, this is the way for many industries, not just electronics or Apple. For example, I am in the US, and would love to have car emission standards that almost the rest of the world have, especially the emission standards that countries in Asia have. Another example could be video game titles that are Japanese only. There are many other examples.

It's clear to me that Apple themselves have pushed and negotiated the American networks to get their apps ready for release early but why couldn't they have done this outside of the USA too? The UK has very little to choose from in terms of entertainment on the app store and the situation in Germany, France and Ireland, to name but a few, is even worse.

From all the rumors, Apple is having a difficult time negotiating lots of stuff in the US, so I can imagine that if they can't strike deals in the US, outside the US is not going to be any better. Look at the rumored Apple streaming TV service, or the Apple+Comcast deal. There are posts every couple months saying these deals are falling through.

I could be wrong, but I think trying to make a deal outside of the country would be harder.

I do not know much about what streaming boxes are available outside the US, is there other options? Or, are they all in a similar situation of the ATV4?


I agree with you that the ATV4 seems unfinished though. Apple had years to work on it, and besides the bugs at the released that most have been fixed, I find myself using the same Apps that the ATV3 has, and enjoying those Apps more.
 
Not going to happen. Amazon doesn't sell AppleTV on its site either - it's a direct competitor for its Amazon Fire TV.

As is Roku... which prominently has Amazon Prime Video. Probably even more importantly Roku, since both offer cheap "Stick" solutions.
 
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If you don't have access to Netflix, Hulu, ABC or use iTunes or contribute money in any way, why do you think Apple would want to contribute to your hapiness using their product?

Apple is a very good company - but they are still a business. Why would they want to enable you to get all the media you want for free? Does it cost nothing for the media to be created in the first place?
I get movies from the public library which is 100% free and legal.
 
I get movies from the public library which is 100% free and legal.

You get digital copies from the library to load into your computer???

Unless you are using Hoopla app, or stealing the unredeemed iTunes/UV codes from those blue rays. I don't see how else you can get free and legal digital copies from a library????
 
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