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Fox Sports will stream ALCS games in 4K HDR for the first time
Want to watch the American League Championship Series in the best possible quality? You'll need to stream it. Fox Sports is keeping up its recent habits by streaming 2019 ALCS games in 4K HDR through its namesake app and Fox Now. The same caveats still apply. You'll need a 4K-capable Roku device or an Apple TV 4K to watch. And this is technically an upconverted 1080p signal rather than true 4K -- you might not see every dirt smudge on player's uniforms. This could nonetheless be the best view you get, and you can tune into the non-HDR 4K feed using FuboTV and conventional broadcasters.
How to get the most out of Netflix, Hulu and other streaming services
A Netflix or Hulu subscription alone won't cut it anymore. The streaming landscape is fracturing as bastions of old media rise up with their own services, offering a blend of originals and library material. Over the coming months, the streaming video options will multiply like Gremlins, as the likes of Disney, Apple, WarnerMedia, NBCUniversal and mobile platform Quibi hop into the game.
Apple TV update arrives with multi-user support and a new home screen
It's not just iOS 13.1 and iPadOS reaching users -- Apple TV fans have something to look for, too. Apple has released tvOS 13, giving users of its newer media hubs some features that were arguably overdue. Multi-user support is arguably the most practical. You can create profiles for everyone in your home to ensure they get relevant layouts and recommendations. You'll also see a refreshed home screen with full-screen video previews, a Control Center and picture-in-picture to keep videos playing while you use other apps.
Oprah’s Book Club is coming to Apple TV+
Oprah Winfrey is one of the A-list celebrities Apple has enlisted for Apple TV+. Winfrey has already signed on for a series with Prince Harry on mental health, and she's expected to release another documentary, Toxic Labor, about workplace harassment. Today, we learned that Oprah's Book Club will get a place on the streaming platform, too.
Apple introduces real-time lyrics to Music
With the release of iOS13, Apple's added a fun new feature to Music: time-synced lyrics. The updated lyrics experience presents real-time synced song words that animate along with the music as they're being sung, rapped or spoken, no matter how mumbly or shouty. The feature also lets you navigate music in a new way -- skip to a part of a song simply by tapping on the lyric. So no more pretending you know the words. It's available now for all Apple Music users on iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. An Android version is on its way, as is one for Apple TV, which will be handy for impromptu karaoke parties.
Disney CEO Bob Iger resigns from Apple board ahead of TV+ launch
Bob Iger, the long-time Disney CEO, has resigned from Apple's board of directors. Apple made the announcement on Friday in an SEC filing, where it revealed that Iger stepped down on September 10th -- which happens to be the day the company shared launch details for Apple TV+, its upcoming video streaming service. Disney is, of course, getting ready to debut a streaming service of its own, Disney+, on November 12th for $6.99 a month in the US, Canada and the Netherlands. Apple TV+, meanwhile, will arrive on November 1st for $4.99 per month in over 100 countries.
Apple can make TV+ ubiquitous through brute force
Apple CEO Tim Cook didn't waste any time at the company's 2019 iPhone event. One of the first announcements he made was that Apple's highly anticipated video-streaming service, Apple TV+, will launch November 1st for $4.99 per month. Since introducing it in March, Apple has teased a number of the originals that will be exclusive to Apple TV+, including series such as For All Mankind, The Morning Show and Dickinson. And while Apple has managed to get plenty of A-list celebrities to join its push into original content (like Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Steve Carell and Jason Momoa), that may not even be the company's best weapon as it takes on Netflix, HBO, Hulu, Amazon and, soon, Disney.
Apple Arcade exclusives have to be better than Frogger
Let's get one thing clear right away: Some Apple Arcade games will be fine. They'll be good, even. Sayonara Wild Hearts looks like a rapid-fire, neon-streaked music video in game form, while Jenny LeClue is a spooky and dense investigative experience more than five years in the making. Beyond a Steel Sky is the long-awaited sequel to beloved late-90s cyberpunk title Beneath a Steel Sky, and it's coming to Apple Arcade. So is The Pathless, a stylish, mythical adventure from the studio behind Abzu, and Overland, the post-apocalyptic strategy game from indie royalty at Finji. All of these games are coming to Apple Arcade, but they have another thing in common: They're launching on other platforms, too.
Apple TV+ launches November 1st for $4.99 a month
Apple's upcoming video streaming service, which will be known as Apple TV+, is launching on November 1st for $4.99 per month. CEO Tim Cook made the announcement during the company's 2019 iPhone event, where he also revealed that people who buy an Apple TV, Mac, iPhone or iPad (starting today) will get a free one-year subscription to the service. Apple has spent the past few months teasing the original series that will be on Apple TV+, including For All Mankind, The Morning Show and Dickinson. And Cook revealed another one on stage today: See, a drama starring Jason Momoa that's set in a world 600 years into the future where humans have no sight.
Twitch finally releases Apple TV app as public beta
It's been easy to find official Twitch apps for consoles, mobile devices and a handful of media hubs, but Apple TV owners haven't had any such luck -- you've had to turn to third-party apps that don't quite match the experience you find elsewhere. There's a native app at last, though. Twitch has released a public beta version of its Apple TV app through Apple's TestFlight program, letting you tune into your favorite livestreamers from tvOS-based devices. The layout will be familiar if you've used any of Twitch's other recent apps, but that's not a bad thing -- you'll have the same live channel previews, on-screen chat, your followed channels and suggestions for popular games and broadcasters.
‘Midsommar’ director’s cut will be an Apple TV exclusive
A director's cut of Ari Aster's broad-daylight horror movie Midsommar hit select theaters this past weekend, expanding the original runtime of 148 minutes to 171 minutes. While A24 will publish the original cut as a Blu-ray, DVD and digital combo pack on September 24th, and Lionsgate will release a standalone DVD on October 8th, the director's cut will be an Apple TV exclusive, as noted by Blood Disgusting.
Apple's comedy series 'Dickinson' gets its first trailer
Apple appears to be ramping up for the launch of Apple TV. Just one week after dropping the trailer for its first original series, The Morning Show, the company released the first teaser for its upcoming series Dickinson on Monday. The comedy based on the life of Emily Dickinson will follow her rebellous, coming to age years and will be availble on Apple TV+ sometime later this fall.
Disney+ will have apps for iOS, Apple TV, Android and Xbox One
The debut of Disney's highly anticipated streaming service, Disney+, is almost here. But, leading up to the November 12th launch date, the company is starting to share more details about it. Today we're learning about how you'll be able to watch content on Disney+, which includes new original series like The Mandalorian, every season of The Simpsons and Disney's entire movie library. And while we knew Disney was planning to bring Disney+ to "your favorite" smart TVs, phones, laptops, tablets and gaming consoles, the only devices it had actually named were Roku and Sony's Playstation 4. Now, in addition to those, Disney's making it official that Disney+ will support iOS, Apple TV, Android, Android TV, Google Chromecast and Xbox One at launch.
CBS All Access is coming to Apple TV Channels next week
Apple cordcutters will soon have an easier way to manage their CBS subscription, as the CBS All Access streaming service is arriving on Apple TV Channels on July 29th. CBS announced the launch on Twitter, as spotted by 9to5Mac.
Apple renews ‘Carpool Karaoke’ for a third season
America's road trip with James Corden and his celebrity guests isn't over yet. Apple has renewed the CBS-produced Carpool Karaoke for a third season, reported Variety. The short-form singalong show was the tech giant's first original series on Apple Music (since moved to Apple TV), and so far has been a hit with viewers. Corden earlier this week racked up three Emmy nominations for his role in the web series spin-off, which began as a segment on The Late Late Show.
Sling TV gets a new look on Apple TV and Roku
Sling TV has made some tweaks to its interface on Apple TV and Roku devices that should make for a better viewing experience. The company says the updates are in response to customer feedback, and should make it easier to sift through shows and movies. The changes are rolling out to Roku users starting today, and all Apple TV users should have the new interface by now.
Hulu adds an episode shuffle button for 'Seinfeld'
Larry David has always said the mantra for Seinfeld was "no hugging and no learning." In other words, whatever happened in an episode of the enormously successful sitcom, Jerry and the gang wouldn't change. That perhaps made it easier for viewers to dip in and out of random episodes, without necessarily needing to know about long-running storylines. To celebrate the show's 30th anniversary today, Hulu is leaning into that with an episode shuffle button.
Roku continues to dominate TV streaming in the US
It's no secret that Roku has many devotees, but how big is its lead in the TV streaming world, really? Quite large, according to Strategy Analytics -- and importantly, growing. The analyst firm's latest sales research indicates that Roku is expanding its dominance in the US, with over 41 million active media streaming devices (about 15.2 percent of the market) under its belt. That's a 36 percent advantage over the next-closest platform, Sony's PlayStation line.
Apple TV beta tests iOS-like picture-in-picture
The latest beta version of Apple's upcoming tvOS 13 has an unexpected surprise. The company is introducing support for a picture-in-picture mode that allows you to browse while continuing to watch a video. The feature, available in tvOS 13 beta 2, was not previously announced by the company and wasn't mentioned during its WWDC keynote earlier this month.
Ubisoft teases an Apple TV+ series called ‘Mythic Quest: Raven's Banquet'
Ubisoft is working on a live-action series called Mythic Quest: Raven's Banquet, the company has announced at E3 2019. The new show, which stars Rob McElhenney (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) and Danny Pudi (Community), is said to be coming to Apple TV+, the streaming service that's expected to launch later this fall. There aren't many details about the series right now, but we do know it was produced and created by McElhenney along with two other It's Always Sunny veterans, Charlie Day and Megan Ganz.
