Last week, rumors surfaced of a new Apple TV. The new form factor is rumored to look like a screen-less iPod Touch and start at around $99. With Google announcing their own Google TV platform, the time is right for an Apple TV refresh.
What could be in store for the new Apple TV?
Storage
On board storage is rumored to be around 16GB which would make it more reliant on cloud storage (streaming) or connection to a Time Capsule (external drive.) This makes a lot of sense as this would keep the entry costs lower, hopefully boosting adoption rates. For the prosumer who likes to have a localized, large media library, the ability to easily piggy-back to the larger Time Capsule would be a plus.
Apps
Connecting the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad apps to the TV screen would be huge. If the new Apple TV shared the same OS platform as the other mobile devices, developers could easily port (or already have them work) on the new Apple TV.
Connections
The new device is rumored to have only a single HDMI port for 1080p video and network via built in Wi-Fi. The small form factor and simple connections would make the device portable and easy to share between television sets.
How does Apple get the great content that’s currently available for the iPhone, iPod and iPad onto the TV cheaply and easily? That’s the question. Hopefully the next Apple TV will have a good answer.
[ AppleInsider ]
New evidence in the latest iPhone SDK makes mention of a front facing camera which could mean that video iChat could finally making it’s debut in the next iPhone.
Bandwidth requirements more than software development or hardware costs have probably been keeping this feature out of the iPhone. If AT&T can’t keep a phone call from dropping, how could they handle 2-way video chat? With recent investments in their infrastructure, maybe AT&T is ready to allow this type of communication (in exchange for more iPhone exclusivity?)
Wether or not video chat finally becomes part of our day to day communication will come down to the quality of the experience.
One of the ways video chat could be improved is to get rid of the separate camera all together and integrate the camera sensor into the display itself. This way, the display will act like a true window (or mirror) and help people make proper eye contact (no looking at a camera.) This tech is in development but no word on when this will make it way into consumer devices.
The ability to switch the video feed the other user is receiving from your front camera to the back camera would also be pretty useful. If you’re witnessing an event or want to show someone something, you can both share in the experience.
If there’s a company who can make mobile video chat work, it’s definitely Apple.
CNN has released their CNN Mobile application for the iPhone & iPod Touch.
The $2 app delivers headlines, live video, local weather/news, push notifications, and the ability to upload iReport content.
The My CNN section allows you to follow and save stories or topics and get local weather and news based on your current location.
The video quality is very good and is delivered as Video On Demand or offered as a live stream of CNNs main broadcast. You can enable push notifications when breaking news hits and the video goes live.
The ability to upload pictures and video directly into an iReport is very easy which should translate into more user generated news content.
The application feels polished and does pretty much what you expect. The live video streams over edge, 3G or wifi and is the one real standout feature.
The one surprise is that the application is not free. While $2 is not outrageous and the app is definitely worth it, there is quite a bit of in-app advertising going on (even the loading screen had a Lexus ad.) I wouldn’t be surprised if the price drops or goes free in the future.
If you watch CNN or frequent their site, you’ll probably enjoy the app. If you prefer to get your news from FOX or avoid the “Gotcha Media” altogether, you may want to pass on this one.
[ CNN Mobile iPhone App ]
BoinxTV is an Apple Award winning software package that turns your Mac into a TV production studio.
With BoinxTV you can record shows, create video podcasts, play out in real time or steam live video online.
Using your Mac and up to three video cameras, BoinxTV allows you to produce transitions, overlay text and other professional looking effects, all live.
BoinxTV won a 2009 Apple Design Award at this years WWDC and their site has a good mix of real world video examples.
This solution looks well suited for schools, churches, podcasters and other small organizations that are tech savvy and like to take the do-it-yourself route.
The technical requirements are reasonable and packages start at just $199.
[ Boinx Software ] [ Apple Design Awards ]
Were you ever sent a video you couldn’t open on your Mac?
There are so many different file formats and codecs, iTunes or Quicktime may not be able to (or want you to) play the video.
Luckily there is the VLC Player. A free app for both Mac and Windows, VLC can read most media formats (MPEG-2, MPEG-4, H.264, DivX, MPEG-1, mp3, ogg, aac …) and is a safe and easy install.
Once installed, just drag the file you want to try and play onto the VLC app logo and most likely you’ll be laughing to the contents of the video in no time.
[ VLC Player ]
