You don't care but many others who want 4K do just because you don't have it does not mean you are the only Apple customer so that comment "I don't have a 4K TV" makes no sense at all other than you can not afford one and somehow you blame others.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple's TV Plans Fell Apart Over Content Owners' Resistance to Skinny Bundles
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
You don't care but many others who want 4K do just because you don't have it does not mean you are the only Apple customer so that comment "I don't have a 4K TV" makes no sense at all other than you can not afford one and somehow you blame others.
Really no right or wrong in this discussion. If you are OK with your choice, great. However, it is good to hear others perceptions, experiences, and expectations. Makes me think and hopefully directs me to an option that fits my needs and or wants.
Last edited:
I agree, simplicity is nice. But the ATV4 and it's "app based" model get us very close to the level of simplicity of Dish and other "traditional" Cable/Sat TV services.
In my setup - I've have now gotten to the point where everything I watch is readily accessible via ATV4 main interface via a couple of clicks on a Siri remote. CNN/ESPN/Netflix/Hulu/OTA - all there on my main screen as apps. I never even have to switch TV inputs. Maybe not quite the same as "flipping the channels" on my dad's remote, but close.
The only part where I am still "cheating" is I am borrowing someone else's CableCo login to access live feeds via CNN and ESPN apps. But that's because these companies are clinging to an old model, where I can only get their content via CableCo "bundles". If they offered me a reasonably priced access (say $4.95/month) - I'd probably jump on it.
Your comprehension was extremely weak here. I stated people have different needs. Your comment, your needs and your wants are all anecdotal and so was my response to you because of that. Different strokes for different folks.
If you want 4K, then the ATV4 is not for you. And the many other consumers who want 4K are still in the minority. It is not something the general public is asking for at the moment. The assumption of what I can or can't afford is cute and relevant to the discussion. Especially considering you already know cheap 4K TV's are at the moment. I'll ignore your sad attempt at derailing.
$30-40 will only end up getting you maybe 5 channels when all this a la carte stuff is all said and done I wager
I would still rather pay $40 for 5 channels that I want than $40 for a list of channels I will never watch just to get a couple that I do.
So that helps the people who live in big cities in the US who get at least OTA channels, but helps absolutely nobody else, anywhere.
Here's solution for that other half, stable, albeit expensive solution:
Apple launches a satellite, maybe 3 of them. One at the North/South America, one at Europe/Africa, and one at Asia/Australia. Apple makes a ground-receiver antenna that doesn't require anyone to setup (unlike pizza dish receivers), just stick it somewhere that has line of sight to the south, and it automatically finds the satellite. Plug this into the Apple TV, and completely subvert the ISP's data caps for live streaming video. If a 4K HEVC stream fits in a 10Mbit channel, and the highest capacity bird right now is 140Gbit's, that's 14,000 4K channels.
See, in big cities, condos and apartment buildings usually prohibit satellite dishes because it makes the building look ugly, and you have to drill holes in the building envelope which leads to "leaky condo"'s that result in super-expensive remediation (at least in wet climates like Oregon, Washington and British Columbia.) But this is a solution for the rest of the world who doesn't live in such buildings. People who live out in the boonies usually get substandard internet access to begin with.
So undermine those ISP's by having a satellite system where downloading 2 hour 4K video takes takes less than one second, and can be temporarily stored on the Apple TV device for a seamless "streaming-like" service. Save some bandwidth for "live streams" like sports, but anything that is pre-recorded just download the entire thing instantly.
In all honestly the entire "live tv" bit is overrated, when the only stuff that actually needs to be streamed is the 6PM news, Sports, and live concerts. Anything that you can put ads on, may as well be dynamically placed by the streaming device at cue points based on it's geographic location.
I am really enjoying the the Apple TV 4. Not in anyway bashing Apple, just a warning. Apple you may want to take a look at Apps as your solution for entertainment. Amazon has now really impressed me with their subscription services. They start with the App for Amazon Video, add if you like Prime, Media subscriptions like Showtime, Starz, other channels, all in one app interface. Search app for all content within the app, then add subscription media from anywhere to watchlist, it plays. Wow One App, One interface, One watchlist, across multiple subscriptions. Here is the really cool thing for me, One login, One password, one billing, multiple devices. Does not get any better then that. Now add HBO and Netflix, throw in a Prime discount and Apple could find themselves in a bind. This IMHO is really a game changer. Plays on AT 4 via AirPlay, add an App and Apple may have some real competition for billing and delivery of media. Gotta Love Competition.
Last edited:
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
I don't know. I keep coming back to a very common scenario around the TV:
"What's on tonight?"
"I don't know. Let's look for something"
<fork 1: the "as is" channel guide>
page down through the dozens or hundreds of channels and find something. Click and you're watching it.
<fork 2: the "future" of apps and maybe no guide>
"What's on HBO?" open HBO app and browse
"Nothing"
"What's on Showtime?" open Showtime app and browse
"Nothing"
"What's on CBS?" open the CBS app and browse
"Nothing"
Repeat
Repeat
I think this "the future" works better when we know what we want to watch: "Siri, find Game of Thrones."
I think it is much more cumbersome than the "as is" when we want to try to find something to watch and we can't name the show... akin to a "new music discovery" problem vs. knowing exactly what song you want to hear.
Don't get me wrong. Apps bring libraries of episodes while on-screen guides bring one episode of something. Love both options and hope "the future" will find some way to have both options instead of revolving around opening each app one at a time to find something new to try.
Last edited:
Sure, but that's only because we are used to searching for something to watch by flipping the channels or browsing the TV Guide.
My 9 year old, who grew up without the concept of "live TV" or "TV channels" (by the virtue of me being a cord cutter for many years), doesn't seem to ever have a problem of finding things to watch. He has bookmarked over a dozen of kid shows on Netflix and Hulu, which can keep him occupied for hours. When he gets bored with those shows - he switches over to "Recommended For You" section of Netflix, and finds new stuff to watch. Or he switches to YouTube watched a bunch of channels he subscribed to there.
I think the issue of content discovery is something that can be easily solved by the likes of Apple, who can offer very sophisticated discovery with natural language searches, AI, and combined with the history of your past viewing history, likes and preferences. Over time, it can potentially become a lot more efficient and effective than our old ways of flipping the channels and paging through TV guides.
Last edited:
No doubt Apple will do their best to ensure that you pay as little as possible per month.
Apple can't be number one at everything. Services are outside of Apples Core Strength and they're best left to some other company.
I'd like to see Apple get the upper hand here I just don't know what lure or stick they'd use to get it
Don't you think "We want to pay you a lot less than you are already getting and then take our 30% cut" is going to persuade them to give Apple the upper hand?
Don't you think "We want to pay you a lot less than you are already getting and then take our 30% cut" is going to persuade them to give Apple the upper hand?
Maybe if they added a pretty please after it it'd work
People will pay to own good shows, but they will only stream so and so shows, so people like to have the option of both. It is interesting that Apple music is the first media they stream rather than sell, so they have started to move in that direction.
People really like the Netflix on demand model, so in the future we might have a Netflix standard (as it is now) and a Netflix premium where you get the current show.
Just came across this article - https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...ng-faster-than-ever-away-from-traditional-tv/ - pretty much sums where I thought things were heading.
Hardly news though is it, that these "so called" creative businesses are the last to wake up and smell the coffee. Look at their reaction to the VHS and Betamax video recorder (wanting to stop the sale of blank tapes, then a special tax on blank tapes to stop people recording), reselling of CDs, DVDs, etc., etc.
It still annoys me that I'm forced to sit through adverts on a DVD/BluRay disc that I've bought myself - including of course, the tedious advert to not copy it! I wasn't going to copy the damn thing - I just wanted to watch it!
Hardly news though is it, that these "so called" creative businesses are the last to wake up and smell the coffee. Look at their reaction to the VHS and Betamax video recorder (wanting to stop the sale of blank tapes, then a special tax on blank tapes to stop people recording), reselling of CDs, DVDs, etc., etc.
It still annoys me that I'm forced to sit through adverts on a DVD/BluRay disc that I've bought myself - including of course, the tedious advert to not copy it! I wasn't going to copy the damn thing - I just wanted to watch it!
Good article. I would add that the decline in viewing hours maybe related to news, weather, business, shifting to the Internet. Once upon a time the 10 o'clock news was a must see. I have not watched in at least 2 years. Consume all my news, weather, business over the Internet. Sports, series, and special programming, keeping subscribers for now. Times are changing.
Last edited:
When will TV Studios understand we don't want their crap channels?!? I used to pay 150$ for cable and only watched a handful. I want to pick the channels I watch and only pya for those, period. If they networks would actually make quality shows... then maybe, but really how many channels of "reality shows" do we all want to pay for?
I think you are right, it will take Netflix, Amazon and Apple banning together to make it happen. They better all turn to the darks side and get it done soon.
I think you are right, it will take Netflix, Amazon and Apple banning together to make it happen. They better all turn to the darks side and get it done soon.
Last edited by a moderator:
CTYRider, Thanks for this tip... I wasn't aware of the HDHomeRun optoin (previously explored Tablo). I still don't like commercials though, so recording/pausing would be key for me. We're getting closer though!
I stopped paying money to cable companies long ago, because I was tired of being forced into all those channels I don't want. The sports channels particularly irritated me, given that I'm already forced to pay for their stadiums, parking and transportation projects via my tax dollars when I have absolutely no interest in any of it. Disney is STUPID for thinking their ESPN channels are "must-haves." Idiots.
If the cable companies want my money, they better get smart and provide us with a list of channels and their associated prices, then let us pick and choose what INDIVIDUAL channels we want. If they want to provide big package deals that's fine, to benefit those people who want it all. I do not, and I refuse to pay for fluff.
If the cable companies want my money, they better get smart and provide us with a list of channels and their associated prices, then let us pick and choose what INDIVIDUAL channels we want. If they want to provide big package deals that's fine, to benefit those people who want it all. I do not, and I refuse to pay for fluff.
... and those of us that find the general news so depressing, we avoid it altogether
I can't say I miss having to sit through advert breaks either.
Agreed. Even if you know what you want, on satellite or cable I can get to it much faster than through apps.
Plus there is still sports. I can flip between games instantly with minimal delay. I can also keep 3 games in the buffer and switch among them, rewinding to see a missed play.
Oh man, I've been waiting for these evens to come for a long time! No more "A" channels being bundled with crappier "B" level channels that not everyone wants. It may be a while still, but the chain is in motion!
For the love of Pete,
Here's what you do Apple:
Figure out a way to integrate this:
into this: ------->
Elgato did that with EyeTV a long time ago. Works great, but didn't scare the TV industry one bit.
https://www.elgato.com/en/eyetv