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How Apple TV can simply be improved

N

NocturnalJazz

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Apple TV is pretty simple when using your ios device remote app. However, the process of unlocking your device opening the app is time consuming. It takes roughly 2-5 seconds depending how quick you are. Those seconds may not seem like a lot, but they quickly add up over the course of a night and become frustrating. So what's an easy solution for apple?

Access from the lock screen. Swiping up is control center, swiping down is notification center, and swiping right is unlocking/pass code. That leaves swiping left. Wouldn't it be wonderful if all you needed to do was press your home button and swipe left to have access to your remote? The app itself already has the glass background like the the lockscreen, so aesthetically it already fits in. There may be an issue of quickly syncing with your device... Or maybe iBeacon could quickly fix that. But overall I think it would be a great addition/solution to ios.

Just my thoughts. I would love to see this implemented in the future or some other way to simply manipulate Apple TV.

Any thoughts or other ideas?
 
NocturnalJazz said:
Apple TV is pretty simple when using your ios device remote app. However, the process of unlocking your device opening the app is time consuming. It takes roughly 2-5 seconds depending how quick you are. Those seconds may not seem like a lot, but they quickly add up over the course of a night and become frustrating. So what's an easy solution for apple?

Access from the lock screen. Swiping up is control center, swiping down is notification center, and swiping right is unlocking/pass code. That leaves swiping left. Wouldn't it be wonderful if all you needed to do was press your home button and swipe left to have access to your remote? The app itself already has the glass background like the the lockscreen, so aesthetically it already fits in. There may be an issue of quickly syncing with your device... Or maybe iBeacon could quickly fix that. But overall I think it would be a great addition/solution to ios.

Just my thoughts. I would love to see this implemented in the future or some other way to simply manipulate Apple TV.

Any thoughts or other ideas?
Click to expand...

Apple Remote 😉.
 
The remote app is cool, but a pain to use for the reasons you have stated. But really, I prefer the included remote control with physical buttons that I can click. I don't use my Apple TV for much that requires a keyboard, but have an old bluetooth keyboard sitting there when it's needed. I greatly prefer that to a touchscreen anyway.

The one thing I would really like on the app and physical keyboard would be a volume control.
 
i use a harmony remote, that way i have access to volume controls as well as the aTV, and can also set the input on the stereo.
and I don't have to worry about the remote getting lost, as the tiny little apple remote is so prone to doing.

If i do need to type something (not that often) i'll pull out the phone/iPad and use remote app.
 
I'm sure that Harmony is nice, but I'm not going to spend $80 for a remote control for my $90 Apple TV. 🙂

I guess I could use one of my other remotes that has a volume control, but I like the simplicity of the little apple remote. Just wish it had a volume control, which seems like a pretty basic requirement for any remote.
 
Anyone aware that you can authorize a remote you already have (and includes volume contra) also function as an aTV remote?
 
Boyd01 said:
I'm sure that Harmony is nice, but I'm not going to spend $80 for a remote control for my $90 Apple TV. 🙂

I guess I could use one of my other remotes that has a volume control, but I like the simplicity of the little apple remote. Just wish it had a volume control, which seems like a pretty basic requirement for any remote.
Click to expand...

The point of the Harmony is to have a single remote for all your AV devices. I was able to pick one up for $65 and it replaced 5 remotes (TV, DVD, Apple Tv, Cable Box, Receiver). Simply amazing.

As far as your software solution, yeah, iBeacon (or at least context) would be a nice feature. Say if an apple tv is within range, a swipe to left would control that. Or for instance, home automation. Left swipe would allow control of it as long as the devices had previously been synced up (possibly via an app that sits tucked away in a folder).
 
drewyboy said:
The point of the Harmony is to have a single remote for all your AV devices. I was able to pick one up for $65 and it replaced 5 remotes (TV, DVD, Apple Tv, Cable Box, Receiver).
Click to expand...

Yeah, I get that, but…

I rarely use my DVD player now that I have ripped my collection
I don't have a cable box
I don't have a receiver

I have an ordinary, inexpensive universal remote that could do those things anyway. I think the apple tv can be programmed to recognize the remote from my TV, and may do that eventually.

But as I already said, I like the little apple remote instead of a big thing with lots of buttons, I just wish they would add a button for volume control.
 
Boyd01 said:
... I like the little apple remote instead of a big thing with lots of buttons, I just wish they would add a button for volume control.
Click to expand...
Problem is the AppleTV remote only pairs with a ... AppleTV. The AppleTV has no real way to control volume.
 
Why couldn't it control the audio output level from the device itself (not the TV set)? This is what the volume control in iTunes does on my Mac, or what the volume control on my iPhone does when connected to external speakers.

Maybe there's some good reason for not doing this that I don't understand? Does the HDMI spec require some fixed output level perhaps?
 
The app drives me nuts. Horribly executed and To get to, for example, a tv show I need to:

1. Open the iPhone app
2. Select the ATV from the main screen (have 6)
3. Hit DONE on the handheld remote simulation screen
4. Hit the "... More" option across the bottom
5. Select TV Shows
6. Select ALL TV SHOWS
7. Scroll to the Show and Season.
8. Select Episode

--or--

1. Open the iPad app
2. Select the ATV from the main screen (have 6)
3. Hit Apple TV Living Room in bottom left of screen (name of device I selected in previous step)
4. Select the library from the drop down that opens after step 3.
5. Select TV Shows from drop down
6. Select TV show from list on left that opens after previous step
7. Scroll to the Season.
8. Step 8 gives all episodes within season selected from 7
8. Select Episode


Could this be any more unintuitive? Did they purposely develop this and create the flow to just irritate the end user?
 
dynaflash said:
Problem is the AppleTV remote only pairs with a ... AppleTV. The AppleTV has no real way to control volume.
Click to expand...

True... Thats where a logitech remote comes in handy.

I used the the Logitech Harmony remote. Anytime that I have to search, then I pull out the phone and get the app out, but 95% of the time, just normal remote.
 
Boyd01 said:
Why couldn't it control the audio output level from the device itself (not the TV set)? This is what the volume control in iTunes does on my Mac, or what the volume control on my iPhone does when connected to external speakers.
Click to expand...

:apple:TV isn't an amplifier. It's passing a low level audio signal to an amplifier either in your TV or in your Receiver/Amp. It's at the latter where the volume should be adjusted. If you're trying to use the little remote that came with :apple:TV, I suggest replacing that with a learning and/or universal remote with a feature often called "punch through". That feature allows you to assign volume up & down to a single set of buttons that work with everything.

I have a remote from Universal Remote Control Inc. It can "learn" the codes from all other remotes and it has this "punch through" feature for functions like volume up & down. It replaces ALL of the remotes for all of the AV equipment including :apple:TV. As far as I'm concerned, THAT is the way to go for good AV experiences.

Trying to use an iDevice is generally no good unless you are single living alone (because the others will be unhappy when the "good remote" goes out with you). Trying to use a mix of dedicated remotes is the same aggravation it's always been. So, one good learning, universal remote can cover all bases.
 
Make it big enough for a SSD drive to be user replaceable, or open up the USB port so I can attach an external drive. Put full blown iOS on it so I can use safari or other browser.
 
bearcatrp said:
Make it big enough for a SSD drive to be user replaceable, or open up the USB port so I can attach an external drive. Put full blown iOS on it so I can use safari or other browser.
Click to expand...

why why why and why?

1. any SSD worth putting in is a very expensive investment into a very inexpensive box
1a. why would you do this? portability? thats what ipads are for. send the movies to your iphone or ipad. airplay the movie to the apple tv
2. again - any external drive worth attaching is an expensive investment. If you have an apple tv in your home...most likely you have a computer as well. use that computer with your external harddrive. make it your itunes hub. Therefore youre not locked into 1 atv. you can stream itunes to multiples atv's and ipod/ipad/iphone. you can even setup whole house speakers and airplay music everywhere.
3. a browser? on your tv? why? you would need not only safari but a keyboard and mouse. leaving a keyboard and mouse next to your tv, just so you can turn on your apple tv to search things makes no sense.. If you want to use the tv as your monitor - airplay does that already.

the apple tv was for the longest time an ADD ON Device. Meaning that it really is meant to compliment your IOS device. Even the cheapest slowest windows PC can run itunes and stream it to apple tvs.

what youre describing is a mac mini with HDMI port - and guess what...they already have that.

i have 3 apple tvs. multiples iphones/ipads/ipods and various airplay speakers an airport extreme and a dedicated central mac mini always on running itunes. Everything works flawlessly with the occasional reset of the Atv or itunes(i have a large library).

one thing i would like improved with the atv is a better way to search/group items. thats the one thing i miss about xmbc. Being able to sort by year, or recently added etc without having to create smart playlists. Also the way in which items are grouped - for instance tv show season. Id also want to not keep having to go to computers to find tv shows - it makes no sense

One other feature that has been talked about has been making the apple tv a tv tuner as well. This would work perfect on projectors that dont have tv tuners built in.

what really needs to be done is apple needs to SPEND TIME on this device. give it as much attention as the other iOS devices and make it great
 
I did forget to mention when I asked for a SSD slot, let iOS pull the content from internal/external drives instead of having to run a computer with itunes to stream. Doubt apple would make ATV bigger to accomodate a SSD but to hook up an external drive to the ATV would be great. Not that expensive. Easier on the electric bill too.
BTW, I ditched my ipad as I don't need a tablet. Why would I stream from my phone. The nuc is starting to look better all the time but will wait for the new ATV to see if apple steps up and makes a descent HTCP.
 
whoiare said:
why why why and why?

1. any SSD worth putting in is a very expensive investment into a very inexpensive box

STORAGE
1a. why would you do this? portability? thats what ipads are for. send the movies to your iphone or ipad. airplay the movie to the apple tv

Ditched the ipad. Dont care for a tablet. Why have another device running? One would be easier on the electric bill.

2. again - any external drive worth attaching is an expensive investment. If you have an apple tv in your home...most likely you have a computer as well. use that computer with your external harddrive. make it your itunes hub. Therefore youre not locked into 1 atv. you can stream itunes to multiples atv's and ipod/ipad/iphone. you can even setup whole house speakers and airplay music everywhere.

Get rid of itunes and another device running. Let iOS pull it.

3. a browser? on your tv? why? you would need not only safari but a keyboard and mouse. leaving a keyboard and mouse next to your tv, just so you can turn on your apple tv to search things makes no sense.. If you want to use the tv as your monitor - airplay does that already.

Blue tooth keyboard and mouse. Why go fire up computer when the ATV and TV is already on.

the apple tv was for the longest time an ADD ON Device. Meaning that it really is meant to compliment your IOS device. Even the cheapest slowest windows PC can run itunes and stream it to apple tvs.

what youre describing is a mac mini with HDMI port - and guess what...they already have that.

I have a 2010 mini with HDMI. I hate external drives but use them if I have no choice.

i have 3 apple tvs. multiples iphones/ipads/ipods and various airplay speakers an airport extreme and a dedicated central mac mini always on running itunes. Everything works flawlessly with the occasional reset of the Atv or itunes(i have a large library).

one thing i would like improved with the atv is a better way to search/group items. thats the one thing i miss about xmbc. Being able to sort by year, or recently added etc without having to create smart playlists. Also the way in which items are grouped - for instance tv show season. Id also want to not keep having to go to computers to find tv shows - it makes no sense

One other feature that has been talked about has been making the apple tv a tv tuner as well. This would work perfect on projectors that dont have tv tuners built in.

what really needs to be done is apple needs to SPEND TIME on this device. give it as much attention as the other iOS devices and make it great
Click to expand...

read above
 
bearcatrp said:
read above
Click to expand...

1. any SSD worth putting in is a very expensive investment into a very inexpensive box

STORAGE
1a. why would you do this? portability? thats what ipads are for. send the movies to your iphone or ipad. airplay the movie to the apple tv

Ditched the ipad. Dont care for a tablet. Why have another device running? One would be easier on the electric bill.

electric bill? really? if you are constantly turning your mac mini on and off then you are using it wrong. the mac mini only spins the external harddrive when it is called for by itunes. you could even run that mac mini completely headless if you were really worried that much about the electric bill. in terms of what devices suck electricity youll find a newer mac mini is probably 85W vs that tv you are using with your apple tv at probably 300W. Plus. adding SSD capabilities to an atv will increase its power consumption.

2. again - any external drive worth attaching is an expensive investment. If you have an apple tv in your home...most likely you have a computer as well. use that computer with your external harddrive. make it your itunes hub. Therefore youre not locked into 1 atv. you can stream itunes to multiples atv's and ipod/ipad/iphone. you can even setup whole house speakers and airplay music everywhere.

Get rid of itunes and another device running. Let iOS pull it.

Get rid of itunes? you mean that little piece of software that has 100's of thousands of credit card numbers attached to it? the software thats more profitable than like 3 fortune 500 companies in itself?

3. a browser? on your tv? why? you would need not only safari but a keyboard and mouse. leaving a keyboard and mouse next to your tv, just so you can turn on your apple tv to search things makes no sense.. If you want to use the tv as your monitor - airplay does that already.

Blue tooth keyboard and mouse. Why go fire up computer when the ATV and TV is already on.

who wants to keep a keyboard an mouse and tv remote all near the tv just to browse? what happens when multiple people wanna watch tv? again. if you need to fire up a computer youre using it wrong.

the apple tv was for the longest time an ADD ON Device. Meaning that it really is meant to compliment your IOS device. Even the cheapest slowest windows PC can run itunes and stream it to apple tvs.

what youre describing is a mac mini with HDMI port - and guess what...they already have that.

I have a 2010 mini with HDMI. I hate external drives but use them if I have no choice.

i have 3 apple tvs. multiples iphones/ipads/ipods and various airplay speakers an airport extreme and a dedicated central mac mini always on running itunes. Everything works flawlessly with the occasional reset of the Atv or itunes(i have a large library).

one thing i would like improved with the atv is a better way to search/group items. thats the one thing i miss about xmbc. Being able to sort by year, or recently added etc without having to create smart playlists. Also the way in which items are grouped - for instance tv show season. Id also want to not keep having to go to computers to find tv shows - it makes no sense

One other feature that has been talked about has been making the apple tv a tv tuner as well. This would work perfect on projectors that dont have tv tuners built in.

what really needs to be done is apple needs to SPEND TIME on this device. give it as much attention as the other iOS devices and make it great
 
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