Apple fork over a call Apple TV update Wednesday that allows the company ’s set - top loge to play YouTube videos . As before long as I hear the news program I broke out the digital camera and Apple Remote to see just what this update brings to the table . Here ’s what I found out about update the Apple TV ’s software and putting its newfound YouTube compatibility to the test .
Updating the Apple TV
The factual process of update the Apple TV could n’t be much easier . but navigate to the Apple TV ’s preferences screen from the main menu , select the Update Software command , and press Play / Pause . The Apple TV Update pageboy appears and tells you that an update is usable . ( This seems to be the only way to correspond for updates ; the Apple TV does n’t automatically pop up a Software Updates notification windowpane similar to a Mac ’s . ) opt Download Now and weight-lift Play / Pause to start downloading the update .
Over my 802.11 g internet , the update took around 12 mo to download . The Apple telecasting indicated what it was up to via a Downloading Update command in the configurations screen . When the download completed the Apple TV Update projection screen reappear , and I was offered the option to Update Now or Update by and by and warned that when I updated I should not disconnect the Apple TV . I chose the Update Now option .
The Update Software command on Apple TV ’s menu
The Apple TV restarted and displayed the Apple logotype and the kind of progress measure you see on a Mac do a firmware update or on a display - gestate iPod when it ’s updated with a fresh version of its operating system .
A progress bar appears as the Apple TV update .
The Apple TV restarts yet again when the progress bar complete its journeying ; the status light on the front of the gadget displays a flashing amber light for about 30 seconds before the cover expose the Apple logo and runs through the start - up animation . When the Apple TV is fully restarted , you see that a newfangled YouTube mastery appear on the principal screen , between the TV Shows and Music commands .
After the update , YouTube join the list of menu commands .
YouTubing
When you select that YouTube command and pressure Play / Pause on your remote , you ’re taken to the unexampled YouTube concealment that includes Featured , Most Viewed , Most Recent , Top Rated , account , Search , and access commands . As you might hazard , these statement do exactly what they suggest .
The YouTube Menu
Choose have , for representative , and you ’re presented with a tilt of YouTube picture that the force That Be have determined are deserving your while . ( These videos have several hundred thousand views each ) . As with the Apple TV ’s other video media , you see a preview frame of the TV on the left side of the screen with a verbal description below . That description let in title , asterisk military rank , summary blurb , where the telecasting arise , when it was added , its category ( Comedy or Music , for instance ) , tags , and number of views .
information of each telecasting appears when you choose YouTube content .
To play a television , merely select it from the list to the right and press Play / Pause . The video will stream over the Web to your Apple television and start playing when the Apple TV believes enough of it has loaded to ensure smooth playback . After you ’ve viewed a portion of a YouTube video it will be listed in the Apple TV ’s account screen . Those whose showing habit are monitored by parents or guardians will be pleased to know that this concealment contains a Clear History command .
Because YouTube has no control over the original source material the tone of these video is variable . Just as over the Web , some wait nice while others are terribly granulose .
While watch out a telecasting , imperativeness Menu and you ’re take to a different YouTube screen . Here you ’re break three options : Resume , Return to YouTube Menu , and Options . With some video , you ’ll see a tilt of relate videos below this tilt that you’re able to choose from .
Those first two command are obvious . The third leads you to another screen where you ’re allowed to take three more bid : rank This Video , Save to Favorites , and Flag as Inappropriate . Choose any one of these command and press Play / Pause and you ’ll be involve to enter your YouTube user name — if you have n’t done so already via the enter command on the YouTube screen — before you could proceed .
To lumber in , you use a virtual keyboard precisely like the one the Apple TV use for logging into a protected meshwork . You ’ll use this keyboard twice — once to accede your YouTube user name and again to enter your word . You use the remote control ’s direction buttons to move around and hit Play / Pause to enter the selected theatrical role . clack Done when you ’re finished in each screen .
apply this practical keyboard to sign in to YouTube via Apple TV .
The Apple TV offers a more modified keyboard to research YouTube content . Rather than providing both lower and upper case varsity letter and a riches of odd characters , this one provides just the ABC in lowly case , digits 1 – 0 , and an option for adding pound sign , equals , and plus characters . I found this keyboard to be unresponsive . Several times I essay to navigate down to the third words of fibre from the first row and it just would n’t happen . I ’d hear a beep designate the Apple TV had get the program line , but the show would n’t change . constrict the down button again caused the survival to move down two row . Attempting to move up a words was no well . Eventually , by visitation and wrongdoing , I was able to take the characters I want .
search for YouTube videos through Apple video
When look for , do n’t expect to get everything YouTube has to volunteer . As designate when Apple and YouTube first announced their partnership last month , only some of YouTube ’s content has been change to the H.264 video codec favor by Apple . For good example , afew YouTube videosare tail with my last name . Yet search for “ Breen ” via the Apple TV card returned no results . Likewise , record “ Music ” produce nothing either . So this is a work in advancement . YouTube expects to have its full catalog uncommitted in H.264 data format by this pin .
Let ’s say you watch a video and desire to save it to your favorites . Choose the Save to Favorites control — you’ll be inspire to enter if you ’re not already sign in . Here you ’ll see the big keyboard screen I mentioned sooner . recruit your user name and then , when inspire , your password . Password characters seem as loony toons rather than alphamerical characters in the Entry subject .
you may also sign in from the YouTube screen . When you take this command and mechanical press Play / Pause , you ’re taken to the YouTube enter screen . Here you see at least two statement if you ’ve already logged in once : Other Account and Remove Account . Select Other Account and you may enter with a dissimilar YouTube account — right for when a menage has draw of YouTube members . you could also remove an account via the command of the same name . If you ’ve lumber in with an story , that history name will appear in this enter screen . Choose it , and you ’re prompt only for your YouTube password .
Once you ’re logged in , you see a young Favorites command on the YouTube screen . pick out it and press gaming / Pause and you ’ll see a list of your favorite .
At the bottom of the YouTube silver screen , the access command changes to exit pursue by your YouTube username :
Impressions
At this point it appears that the YouTube instruction is a nice , yet not fully implement choice . give that YouTube ’s full catalog is n’t yet available and searching is a little glitchy , Apple TV proprietor will gain the most contiguous satisfaction by browsing the Featured , Most Viewed , and Top Rated YouTube videos . By following that scheme , I ’ve already found three videos worth adding to my leaning of favorites .
