Apple recently released a firmware update for its AppleTV to add
support for HD TV Shows. On today's show we talk about the update and
our latest experience with the AppleTV. The latest firmware brings the
version to 2.2 and, according to Apple, it promises to provide
bug fixes, improve stability, and add a feature or two. The following
Table is from Apple:
Feature
How To
HD TV shows
Purchase the leading HD TV shows directly from the iTunes Store. (US only)
Movie browsing by actor and director
Browse
movies on the iTunes store by actor and director. Select “More” on the
movie page and browse the actor and director list on the left to see
other movies for that individual.
Chapter selection, alternate audio and subtitles
While playing a movie, press and hold Play/Pause to
access chapter selection, alternate audio and subtitle display. The
display shows the options available for the current movie.
Movie description
Press Up when playing a movie to display a description of that movie.
Genius playlists
To create a Genius playlist based on the currently playing song, press and hold Play/Pause to bring up the contextual menu and select Start Genius. Note: The Genius feature must first be enabled in iTunes 8.0.1 and synced with Apple TV.
On-The-Go playlists
To add the currently playing song to the On-The-Go playlist, press and hold Play/Pause to bring up the contextual menu and select Add To On-The-Go.
Music videos in playlists
Make
playlists in iTunes combining your favorite music videos and songs.
Play them back on Apple TV and let them play continuously.
Apple TV standby mode
From the main menu, press Play/Pause for about three seconds (or go to Settings >Standby).
The
latest update rocks! It brings us closer to what the ultimate movie
server should be. With that said there are a few items that we'd like
to see added. Many of these come from an article titled "What the AppleTV Needs" (Thanks to Brad T for the link).
Add a DVD or Blu Ray Drive/Player
Provide a "Back Up" utility that can archive and playback DVDs from a
network drive or an external drive connected via USB
Provide Hulu, Netflix, ABC.com, etc right from the GUI, This is unlikely so how about an all you can eat plan.
Support
for the HD Homerun and turn the AppleTV into a DVR. You could attach an
external drive via USB or even record to a NAS device.
AppleTV
App Store - just like the iPhone, there are very creative people out
there that can make this device do some amazing things. We'd like to
see:
The HT Guys love their Starbucks. If you want to say thanks, a cup of joe will do just fine!
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Blu Ray