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Disney CEO confirms iTV has a hard drive under the hood
Mr. J is either going to be ticked that Disney's new CEO Rober Iger leaked a much-speculated feature of the upcoming iTV, or it's a clever piece of marketing to which he gave a thumbs up in the first place. Regardless, thanks to the iPod Observer, we now know the iTV, Apple's upcoming AirPort-Express-for-your-TV device they previewed at the recent September 12th It's Showtime event, will sport a hard drive so users "can download what you put on the device on your computer, on your iTunes, through the television set" (perhaps he could used more rehearsing when leaking big stuff like this).Now don't get ahead of yourselves - for a second there I too thought that "download what you put on the device on your computer" bit meant he was hinting the iTV might do DVR, but that wouldn't make any sense as it would cannibalize the TV shows and movies they sell in the iTS. Either way, stay tuned for more (hopefully less awkward) iTV detail leaks.[via MacMinute]
Apple and Google in talks about iTV
Steven Levy, writing for Newsweek, reports that Apple and Google are in talks to bring Google Video to the Apple iTV (which, of course, is that forthcoming Apple product that will allow you to stream all sorts of content from your Mac to your TV). Now, there is no word on whether the talks are limited to watching the free content from Google Videos, or whether you will be able to enjoy purchased Google Videos using your iTV (yes, Google sells TV shows on Google Video).Who knows, maybe Google Video will switch to using Quicktime.
Google and Apple talking video?
It's the stuff fanboy dreams are made of: Google and Apple, sittin' in a tree. In fact, if you nearly passed out when Stevie J. walked onto the stage the other day sans mock turtleneck, or started into hysterics when Larry Page rode into CES on the back of that SUV, you might want to sit down for this one. Google and Apple are supposedly, maybe, possibly talking up video interoperability with Google Video and Apple's forthcoming iTV device. All we've got to go on so far is a quote from Google's consumer product chief, Marissa Mayer, who has confirmed the two companies are "engaged in talks." What level of iTV integration this indicates, if any, is yet to be seen, and with the usual amount of tight-lipped action we normal get out of Apple and Google, we don't expect to know much more until the feature is upon us, but the addition of Eric Schmidt to Apple's board of directors is a good sign of things to come. Plus, we're sure good, video-ey things can happen with these two companies putting their heads together, and a bit of internet video can't hurt a device that so far doesn't look to have much more than DRM interoperability to set it apart.[Via BBC News]
Hands-on with the Apple iTV prototype
We're as surprised as you, but Apple actually put their iTV units on display right after the show! Really, there isn't a whole lot here that we didn't already see in the keynote and up on their site, but it's definitely Mac mini sized in terms of footprint, and is a sexy little bugger. Click on for lots more pics!
Apple iTV set top box announced: 2007
Apple is finally entering the living room with their long-awaited set top box, codenamed the iTV, due in Q1 2007. The box can stream video from a connected Mac/PC or directly from the internet. No word yet on HD content specifically, but with the component and HDMI jacks on the box it's certainly come to the high-def party with the proper attire. Besides that there are USB, Ethernet, RCA and optical audio connectors, plus included 802.11 "wireless component video". You can watch movies, podcasts, view photo slideshows all on your HDTV through an updated Front Row-style interface on this half-height Mac Mini lookalike, all for $299. Continue on for pics of the back and interface or check out Engadget's coverage of the event.Update: Engadget has a hands-on and close up photos of the unit and interface, it is tiny. Still no word on supported output resolutions.
Apple to release iTV video streaming box in 2007
In an unusual turn of events, Apple has pre-announced a wireless video streaming set-top box to be released in Q1 2007 with the tag line "you can take content to your computer or iPod, but now... TV." Going by the codeword of iTV, the box looks like a flattened Mac mini -- apparently it's around half the height -- and features a built-in power supply, USB 2.0, Ethernet, 802.11 "wireless component video", optical audio and HDMI ports, plus regular ol' RCA stereo audio ports. Controllable by the standard Apple remote, the iTV will come with an updated version of the Front Row interface that shares Front Row's smooth 3D graphics, but differs in that it has a menu on the right side of the screen. Apparently it'll work with both iTunes on both PCs and Macs, and will sell for $299.
Samsung launches first ACAP HDTV, the SVP-56K3HDB
We know what you're thinking: another Samsung HDTV, another HDTV technology standard, another day. But you might actually want to check out Samsung's 56-inch SVP-56K3HDB, the first production model featuring ACAP. For those who haven't previously heard anything about it, the Advanced Common Application Platform (ACAP) standard was developed with the intention of being the future universal standard for interactive television (and is already a part of the ATSC spec in the US). Oh, sure, iTV's been around in various incarnations since forever, but there's never been an internationally standardized internet-connected TV system based around the concept of moving apps and data to and from your set -- hence ACAP, which might enable newsfeeds, weather and traffic, as well as commercials linked to online merchants, and, of course, in depth sports stats, backgroun info, or interactive information about the program you're watching. We don't know much else about the plasma dusokay the ACAP system's powering in the SVP-56K3HDB, but we're a little more interested in the two way data right now, if you don't mind.
TiVo getting interactive and on-demand ads
It was no surprise that TiVo's fast-forward banner ads didn't quite take as they might have hoped, but BusinessWeek is reporting that next month we can expect to see some new TiVo-based advertising systems rolled out, including interactive ads and ads on demand. Yes, yes, we've seen interactive advertising and enhanced television done umpteen times now, but from what it sounds like (BizWeek was kind of vague -- we don't have a lot of specifics yet), TiVo's taking a slightly different approach by background-downloading and storing ads in the system for viewing; this also lends to a new kind of choose your own adventure style ad system that lets viewers pick how they want to be advertised to with spots that unfold depending on user input. The irony here is that the first round of TiVo's interactive ads were apparently bought by Sony for the new Bravias they've been pimping so hard lately -- HDTVs that your trusty old standard def DVR won't be able to take full advantage of. Still, if you want to learn more about Sony's new TVs, their TiVo commercial will apparently have twelve different endings to choose from.[Via TechDirt]