Last calendar week , Apple update the package for its second - generation Apple TV to contribute streaming of purchase video shows and reenforcement for the Vimeo video - sharing servicing .
1. Playlist support
iTunes and the Apple TV nicely group TV shows into pamphlet by show and season , making it promiscuous to navigate through your series and then practise down to regain the episode you require to bet . With picture show , it ’s a different story , as iTunes — and an Apple TV get in touch to an iTunes library — just plops every pic down into the Movies field .
If you do n’t have a lot of movies , that ’s not a big yield . But I presently have 492 movies , most of which are iPhone - shot videos of my twin that have been blue-pencil in iMovie and exported to iTunes in multiple formats ( from 720p for the best quality down to a mobile version for sync to my wife ’s and my iPhones ) .
As you might imagine , finding a particular video can be really difficult . In iTunes , the Search loge peg down things down apace , but on the Apple idiot box searching is more of a hassle than it ’s deserving . To make Apple television set navigation a lilliputian piece easier , I typically uncheck all but the HD edition of my video so they do n’t show up when browse . But that leaves a draw of scroll down to find one of the manyElmo ’s Worldvideos I ’ve purchased from the iTunes Store or rend from my videodisk for the kids .
In iTunes, you see all purchase and rental options for a movies. On the Apple TV, not so much.
Sure there are workarounds , such as deepen the Media Kind setting in iTunes to television receiver Show for files and grouping like ones together with the same Artist / Show name , or even addingAAto the offset of those files ’ name so they float to the top . But what I ’d like to see is a way to organize movies that serve make them easy to find . That could be as simple as let me view and select iTunes playlist ( regular and smart ) via the Apple TV . When viewing euphony from iTunes libraries on you connection , you’re able to already see and select playlists that have music in them , so it ’s not like the Apple TV is incapable of working with playlists . Or even admit me to create movie folders in iTunes that also show up on the Apple telly as well .
2. Allow for movie purchases
In iTunes , you see all leverage and rental options for a flick . On the Apple TV , not so much .
In adding cyclosis of previous purchased TV , the most - late Apple TV software update also impart back a feature escape since the release of the secondly - gen Apple TV — the ability to purchase some content via the hard - movement - lacking twist .
Until last hebdomad , the television receiver Shows card would only show those series and episodes available for economic rent from the iTunes Store , which meant you ’d only see a tiny fraction of the storage ’s TV content . That made some sense , because without a intemperate drive , the Apple TV has no spot to salt away a download . But now , the Apple goggle box allow you buy show and then stream them straight off over the Internet ( and after download them to computers and iOS devices ) .
In iTunes, you see all purchase and rental options for a movies. On the Apple TV, not so much.
I ’d like to see Apple extend that purchasing ability to picture show as well . Right now there ’s only a rental choice displayed with movies on the Apple TV , and if you want to buy something you still have to do it via another twist . Perhaps this is in the workings already , but it ’s on my leaning until that bechance .
3. Allow streaming of already-purchased movies
In a similar vena to purchasing movies , I wish the Apple TV would permit you teem movies you ’ve purchased from the iTunes Store in the past times , just as Apple now give up for TV show . I could see likely licensing and/or bandwidth concerns with such a move , but it ’s a consistent next step after extending that good manners to telly appearance .
4. Add more content sources
By summate support for Netflix , MLB.TV , and NBA League Pass , Apple has already demonstrate its willingness to include telecasting subscription services that contend ( directly or otherwise ) with the company ’s own iTunes Store . The recent addition of Vimeo was a welcome change , too . Why not proceed the trend and make the Apple TV a small more like a Roku role player , other set - top machine , or plug into Blu - ray actor ?
Roku offers many more content informant than the Apple TV .
Other source already available from contend devices include Amazon Instant Video , Hulu Plus , and Vudu for video ; Pandora , Radio , and Last.fm for euphony ; and NHL GameCenter Live for sports . In other quarrel , there ’s a lot that you still ca n’t enjoy using the Apple idiot box right now .
Roku offers many more content sources than the Apple TV.
I sympathise Apple ’s desire to give users a consistent user interface — which is why Netflix on the Apple telly look like everything else on the Apple TV , andunlikeNetflix on other devices — so I would anticipate a bit of work to get more of these offerings up and running . And yes , the Apple TV is a still a ‘ hobby ’ ware compared with the Mac / iPod / iOS tripod on which Apple perch , but giving citizenry more reasons to like the Apple TV ( especially equate with competing devices ) ca n’t be a uncollectible thing .
