Since the unofficial word was already out about the Apple TV making its debut this year, most people may not be surprised with this tidbit. The Apple TV is officially up for pre-ordering and no, it won’t be called iTV. Users get to pick their entertainment from iTunes and also avail of streaming content via Netflix, YouTube, Flickr and MobileMe.
The Apple TV’s in-built Wi-Fi, Ethernet and HDMI offer users a variety of connectivity options. Netflix subscribers can access the Netflix streaming catalog and look through content, rate them, add to or remove from queues or instantly stream right to the HDTV. The box incorporates an internal power supply for user-friendly set up and low power operation within its 4-inches square chassis that is almost 80% smaller than its previous version.
“The new Apple TV, paired with the largest selection of online HD movie and TV show rentals, lets users watch Hollywood content on their HD TV whenever they want,†remarked Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “This tiny, silent box costing just $99 lets users watch thousands of HD movies and TV shows, and makes all of their music, photos and videos effortlessly available on their home entertainment system.â€
iTunes hosts a huge collection of HDTV episodes from ABC Family, ABC, Fox, Disney Channel and BBC America that can be rented for around 0.99 (approx. Rs. 45) and first run movies at $4.99 (approx. Rs. 230). Apart from that, iTunes also shelves more than 7,000 movies with over 3,400 available in HD. YouTube videos, over 2,00,000 podcasts, 4,000 Internet radio stations and user images from MobileMe or Flickr accompanied by new slideshow themes can be accessed with Apple TV.
Content may be streamed from PCs or Macs to the home HDTV via the HDMI cable that’s sold separately. The bad news is that the device only supports H.264 videos of up to 720p resolutions. It comes with a seven-button aluminum Apple remote. Customers may choose to control their Apple TV with their iPhone, iPad or iPod touch devices using the Remote app which can be downloaded for free from the App Store.
Though the new Apple TV won’t be out until late this month, it is up for pre-sales at $99 (approx. Rs. 4,630) through the company’s online store.
