Filed under: Software, Apple TV
Other new features from the Apple TV software update
While YouTube on the Apple TV stole the show of the device's most recent software update, Apple managed to sneak in a few other features and some intriguing hints at possible future features. As TUAW reader Brandon mentioned, there is a new iTunes Store section in the Settings menu, but all this does (for now) is allow you to select your country of residence. Could this be a precursor to shopping the iTunes Store from the comforts of your living room couch? Or is it simply a way to make the Apple TV access the streaming content (such as top songs, movies, etc.) from one's own country?
Also new is the ability to use iPhoto slideshows for the Apple TV's screensaver (and possibly Aperture slideshows as well; I'll have to check on that), and a new Parental Controls section in Settings that allows you to lock the Apple TV with a 4-digit numerical password. Brandon also says he now sees a 'no audio' feedback on the Apple TV when trying to use an Apple Remote to change volume, but I don't.
I'm also not sure about this one, but I believe a 'Shuffle' option is new above lists of items like playlists, artists, etc. Can anyone confirm that one? How about features we're missing? Let us know if anything else is new in the comments or via our tips form.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
bmoney said 2:21PM on 6-20-2007
The Shuffle option isn't new, and what I meant about the "no audio" was that the Apple TV makes a noise when you try to adjust the volume with the up and down buttons on the Apple remote...as if it's telling you "no" with a little clicky sound.
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cromer said 2:27PM on 6-20-2007
So, where's the visualizer for music on Apple TV?
How hard can this be to implement Apple? I'm waiting to buy one until this feature is put in, and i don't think i'm alone on that.
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Dalton said 2:42PM on 6-20-2007
I don't remember seeing a shuffle option at the beginning of each album, which is the case now. I accidentally shuffled the first album I tried to play, because that option now shows up right at the top.
I'm not so sure that was the smartest design move, actually. I usually *don't* want to shuffle albums when I play them. Maybe they should have put that option at the bottom?
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Heather said 2:44PM on 6-20-2007
Where is Itunes Internet radio on AppleTV?
Where are the Visualizer Screen Savers?
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Dalton said 3:22PM on 6-20-2007
Something else I never noticed before: when you're listening to music, and have a photo slideshow set up as your screensaver, a little bubble pops up in the lower left corner when the song changes. Pretty nice.
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Matt said 3:22PM on 6-20-2007
What's with the obsession with visualizers? Just buy an Apple TV and enjoy the functionality. It's like refusing to buy a fantastic car because it doesn't come with Hello Kitty stickers.
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Blair said 3:27PM on 6-20-2007
Just so anyone with a hacked AppleTV is aware... this does wipe out all mods and hacks (ssh, ATVFiles, etc.). It is possible to get SSH working again, but most of the frappliances don't work at this point. The author of ATVFiles is aiming to update his hack tonight to work with the update. Unfortunately all network mountable filesystems have been removed as of today's update... so I'm unsure how that will be enabled again in the future.
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mungler said 3:30PM on 6-20-2007
do tv shows get divided up by season or is it still one big fat stupid list?
my Simpsons collection (seasons 1-17 complete) is a total PITA to navigate....
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Anthony said 3:31PM on 6-20-2007
@Matt: HA!
@Dalton: It did that before. It is a little difficult to notice, personally I think it could be a little bigger, or even customizable with a small, medium or large option. With the current way it is being small.
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cromer said 4:33PM on 6-20-2007
Touche` Matt...lol. I wouldn't call the whole visualizer thing an obsession, but you got to admit it would be really cool...especially for parties. It would be much better than staring at the menu, or even album art for hours. The only reason i could see not to do this would be if there wasn't enough computing power to handle it.
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Smivey said 4:46PM on 6-20-2007
Well,l just installed the update. What I didn't know is that it would reset my resolution preferences. Now I'm staring at a blue screen. I can reconnect my component cables to a lower resolution input on my TV and eventually see the display, but I can't seem to change it to the highest resolution any more. Did anyone else have trouble with this?
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Michael said 4:50PM on 6-20-2007
Could someone who's using the AppleTV update please check on something for me...
When you go into the "Pictures" section from the main menu does it still just display the Photo Albums you've synced with AppleTV or can you view the folder structure you've created in iPhoto? I have tons of images (12,000+) and I'm waiting for AppleTV to sync folders and sub-folders so that I don't have to scroll through hundreds of albums.
I know it's unlikely that they updated this but I figured it'd be worth checking on. Thanks!
-Michael
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bmoney said 4:59PM on 6-20-2007
Now, if only we could browse/search the podcast directories in this way...
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mentalsticks said 5:02PM on 6-20-2007
I think I've found another change: when fastforwarding video, the name of the markers (if there are any) are shown. I'm pretty sure that wasn't the case before.
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mentalsticks said 5:06PM on 6-20-2007
I think I found another update: when fast forwarding videos, the markers (if there are any) are shown. I'm pretty sure this wan't the casfe before.
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paul said 6:49PM on 6-20-2007
@ mungler : It's still one big list, but if the meta data is right, then it should be in the correct order (reverse chronological order, newest at top). This is handled by season and episode number in the iTunes get info. But you probably know that.
It would be nice to have sub directories with seasons. I've done that with front row set ups before in the Movies folder, but the ATV doesn't play anything out of iTunes structure.
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Robert said 8:29PM on 6-20-2007
When will Apple make it so you can watch HD trailers on the Apple TV (or at least have the choice of what resolution the trailers are shown in)?
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Dave Chartier said 10:00PM on 6-21-2007
#8: Nope, sorry. Still one big fat list. I agree, this is a dumb idea.
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