Potential Apple HDTV

[maustin1979]

With all of the rumor mills gaining some pace around the appearance of an Apple HDTV set, as well as some vague but fairly promising inference from Tim Cook's D10 interview, I'm interested to know what features people think may become a reality assuming a concept is in full swing.

There has been talk of 42", 50", 55" or 60" viewable diagonal.
Will Apple try to go Retina with a screen that big? Would this even work unless anyone producing content is actually filming in an ultra resolution format?
Assume there would be Airplay to connect to other Apple devices?
Could this be used as a second display with your Mac? What resolutions would this support?
Would it allow connection to existing set-top boxes/cable/satellite providers, or would it likely try the proprietry "Apple content distrbution" model and go it alone??

Lots of questions, and I know there aren't many answers out there, but what does anyone think?

 

[steve-p]

I still don't think it's all that likely they will build an actual TV set, more likely they will expand ATV with extensions such as wireless FaceTime camera and/or motion sensor. Does that count

 

[maustin1979]

I still don't think it's all that likely they will build an actual TV set, more likely they will expand ATV with extensions such as wireless FaceTime camera and/or motion sensor. Does that count

Counts for this thread for me!

Does sound like this is a plausible option - though would a facetime camera have to separate from the ATV device itself to enable it to be placed at the correct height? If it sits on a shelf under your TV you may find it's more like CrotchTime!! ;D

 

[steve-p]

Counts for this thread for me!

Does sound like this is a plausible option - though would a facetime camera have to separate from the ATV device itself to enable it to be placed at the correct height? If it sits on a shelf under your TV you may find it's more like CrotchTime!! ;D

Yes I think it would have to be a small separate camera, otherwise all mine would see through a dark tinted glass door would be the coffee table It would actually work best if built inside some Kinect style motorised motion sensing and tracking housing. Then it could find your face easily and adjust itself in real time, so you wouldn't have to set it up and sit in exactly the same spot to use it. Kinect would be a good starting point for the concept, but making it a lot smaller in typical Apple fashion would be good.

 

[HellDiverUK]

Interestingly, Samsung's newest TVs have a camera built in, currently for use with Skype.

It's not beyond the imagination that Samsung, already an Apple supplier, would integrate ATV in to this TV. The hardware is probably all there, all they'd need to do is add the ATV board to an internal HDMI input, supply a few mA of power, instant AppleTV-powered TV.

 

[marc11]

Other than iTunes content, what does Apple TV currently offer any TV company that has a smart TV? My LG Plasma has Netflix, MLB, Hulu, Amazon Prime, a Web Browser and tons of other content, plus it offers DLNA and USB ports to stream direct from an HDD. What does Apple bring to this TV? Okay, iTunes content and airplay, but iTunes doesn't have anything over Netflix, Hulu or Amazon really, so other than those that are heavily connected to iTunes content, I do not see any benefit in running an ATV OS on a TV.

Now, if the ATV offers apps, then that is a different story...but today? The only big thing I can see ATV offering is Airplay, now a TV set with built in Airplay from any of my devices, now that would be huge.

 

[steve-p]

Other than iTunes content, what does Apple TV currently offer any TV company that has a smart TV? My LG Plasma has Netflix, MLB, Hulu, Amazon Prime, a Web Browser and tons of other content, plus it offers DLNA and USB ports to stream direct from an HDD. What does Apple bring to this TV? Okay, iTunes content and airplay, but iTunes doesn't have anything over Netflix, Hulu or Amazon really, so other than those that are heavily connected to iTunes content, I do not see any benefit in running an ATV OS on a TV.

Now, if the ATV offers apps, then that is a different story...but today? The only big thing I can see ATV offering is Airplay, now a TV set with built in Airplay from any of my devices, now that would be huge.

It's kind of a given that there would be apps if Apple built a TV set. And highly likely that ATV will get apps this year. What Apple would offer is a decent user experience. My Panasonic plasma has a ton of apps for catchup TV and other streaming services, Skype etc and can also do DLNA or read SD cards or a USB disk, it can even work as a PVR if you use USB storage, but it's slow and pretty unpleasant to use, so I don't use any of that functionality. It wouldn't be hard to beat this kind of competition.

 

[marc11]

But my LG is a dream to use and really fast. So I guess it depends on the tv and brand. Just struggling to really see the value Ape could bring other than perhaps the name halo effect and allowing a tv mfg to abandon TV os development and hand it to Apple. Suppose there is something to that.

Still say given native airplay on my TV from my Apple devices and I'd be sold.

 

[maustin1979]

there is quite a good article in Micro Mart here in the UK this week around the speculative future direction Apple products might take, inferring that without massively re-inventing some other hardware lines such as a TV, Apple may find itslef slowing down quite considerably with how much they can actually evolve existing lines such as the iPhone and iPad, as these are already adequately specced in terms of hardware - meaning that future updates are more and more likely to be step changes rather than being significantly groundbreaking in the same way these devices were when first introduced. How much truth there is in this versus conjecture I don't know, but it does seem to be a viable argument for the production of something else with more mass market appeal than their Computer lines for example - everyone has more than one TV right??

 

[CocoaPuffs]

There are so much room for innovation in existing product line that it still doesn't make much sense to make these obvious choices in creating a new product just to slap Apple logo on it.

Apple is not going to make a TV for the sake of having a TV in its lineup (or at least I hope not), so if we do see Apple making a TV, it would be something pretty revolutionary.

Your list is far too basic for Apple to be concerned itself with.

 

[maustin1979]

There are so much room for innovation in existing product line that it still doesn't make much sense to make these obvious choices in creating a new product just to slap Apple logo on it.

Apple is not going to make a TV for the sake of having a TV in its lineup (or at least I hope not), so if we do see Apple making a TV, it would be something pretty revolutionary.

Your list is far too basic for Apple to be concerned itself with.

Think that's probably a good shout if I'm honest - but it does beg the question "what features would appear on a list of revolutionary innovations that would make Apple see the value of pursuing concept and development" then??

 

[mooblie]

Nobody is broadcasting more than 1920x1080 pixels at present, so this point is moot.
(That, BTW, is already regarded as "HD".)

Higher resolutions than that are currently cinema-targeted only, and involve "2K", "4K" lines... but that's another story entirely.

 

[RedCroissant]

Cloud-based DVR and super box?

They could very easily have come to agreements with networks to stream their content directly to users TVs either through the ATV or purported actual television. This could make it to where it acts as a DVR that stores everything in the cloud and is watchable/recordable/upgradeable/update-able from any iOS device. This could also make it so that people that are normally restricted on the types and number of channels they can receive from traditional cable/satellite providers now have more options from worldwide sources of television entertainment.

 

[CocoaPuffs]

Think that's probably a good shout if I'm honest - but it does beg the question "what features would appear on a list of revolutionary innovations that would make Apple see the value of pursuing concept and development" then??

The question is whether there's a need to build an actual TV when an existing ATV is suffice.

 

[RedCroissant]

The question is whether there's a need to build an actual TV when an existing ATV is suffice.

I think so. Why not try to profit in another part of the electronics industry? They could use the excess aluminum that isn't used for their other products and along with having Sharp provide the glass for it. And sure, they could build it like it's a regular led/lcd display and use the interior for more storage or for other components. If it can be assumed that it would also run iOS, then there would need to be more storage for game center apps and things like that.

 

[CocoaPuffs]

You are talking about a very saturated market with countless brands, and it just doesn't seem to have much room for the kind of profit we have come to expect from Apple.

 

[mic j]

You are talking about a very saturated market with countless brands, and it just doesn't seem to have much room for the kind of profit we have come to expect from Apple.

I think they said the same thing with regard to Apple computers when they were truly only satisfied a very pricey niche market. And they still don't have that large of market share. But they found a way to make a boatload of money through the iPod, then iPhone, then iPad. They could spread their reach to TV but for people to pay the price, they have to offer something truly extraordinary. And, it has to be updatable. People don't upgrade TV's like they update iPhones (every year).

 

[marc11]

I think so. Why not try to profit in another part of the electronics industry? They could use the excess aluminum that isn't used for their other products and along with having Sharp provide the glass for it. And sure, they could build it like it's a regular led/lcd display and use the interior for more storage or for other components. If it can be assumed that it would also run iOS, then there would need to be more storage for game center apps and things like that.

There isn't such thing as excess aluminum.

 

[jasg49]

I will be very disappointed if Apple just releases just another slab of pixels on a living room stand.

To mix a couple of metaphors, Apple needs to think outside the (TV) box AND cut the cord.

For over sixty years, television has been a largish box that lives and is tethered by several cords in a single room. I'd like to see both eliminated.

Imagine a very lightweight LCD panel you can carry around from kitchen to coffee table to bedroom. Each location has a base unit that provides power and existing Apple TV functionality as a minimum. You get two base units with each screen, but Apple and third parties can provide base units with wired networking, speakers, FaceTime camera, motion sensors for gaming - even a Tivo base unit if you are stuck with a need for conventional signals.

Suddenly, the cord is truly cut and the TV no longer dominates the room - and you can still get the current 'headless' Apple TV for your big screen home theatre needs. Price it right and it dominates dorms and apartments. It does not compete with the big plasma on my wall - but the kitchen and bedroom TVs would be toast.

By all reports, iPad video viewing is very common - what we need is iPad video for more than a single set of eyes - something in addition to 'TV' that we don't even know we need yet... Classic Apple market disruption.

 

[mrderik]

Just make a 50" iPad, 16:9, kinect, Siri, and a 'magnetic wall mount' and call it the iDivorce...

D.

 

[marc11]

I will be very disappointed if Apple just releases just another slab of pixels on a living room stand.

To mix a couple of metaphors, Apple needs to think outside the (TV) box AND cut the cord.

For over sixty years, television has been a largish box that lives and is tethered by several cords in a single room. I'd like to see both eliminated.

Imagine a very lightweight LCD panel you can carry around from kitchen to coffee table to bedroom. Each location has a base unit that provides power and existing Apple TV functionality as a minimum. You get two base units with each screen, but Apple and third parties can provide base units with wired networking, speakers, FaceTime camera, motion sensors for gaming - even a Tivo base unit if you are stuck with a need for conventional signals.

Suddenly, the cord is truly cut and the TV no longer dominates the room - and you can still get the current 'headless' Apple TV for your big screen home theatre needs. Price it right and it dominates dorms and apartments. It does not compete with the big plasma on my wall - but the kitchen and bedroom TVs would be toast.

By all reports, iPad video viewing is very common - what we need is iPad video for more than a single set of eyes - something in addition to 'TV' that we don't even know we need yet... Classic Apple market disruption.

Nice idea but unless the screen that you carry around can be used without the base you are still tethered to a cord as once it's in the base it is no different then a traditional tv. I also suspect the reason many homes have more than one tv is because they want to watch different things by different people at the same time (think kids watching icarly or Xbox playing in the living room, while wife watches something while cooking and I have football on in the garage while changing the cars oil) Your idea doesn't solve that. Finally I don't know about you but I don't want my 60 inch tv in the bedroom or the kitchen fir that matter and I don't want my 42 inch in my living room. TV sizes play specific and significant roles in the rooms they are targeted for, one size does not fit all.

 

[Irishman]

With all of the rumor mills gaining some pace around the appearance of an Apple HDTV set, as well as some vague but fairly promising inference from Tim Cook's D10 interview, I'm interested to know what features people think may become a reality assuming a concept is in full swing.

There has been talk of 42", 50", 55" or 60" viewable diagonal.
Will Apple try to go Retina with a screen that big? Would this even work unless anyone producing content is actually filming in an ultra resolution format?
Assume there would be Airplay to connect to other Apple devices?
Could this be used as a second display with your Mac? What resolutions would this support?
Would it allow connection to existing set-top boxes/cable/satellite providers, or would it likely try the proprietry "Apple content distrbution" model and go it alone??

Lots of questions, and I know there aren't many answers out there, but what does anyone think?

Retina at what distance? 6'? 7'? 8'? 9'? Kinda loses its meaning at a point when you can't predict viewing distance.

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Counts for this thread for me!

Does sound like this is a plausible option - though would a facetime camera have to separate from the ATV device itself to enable it to be placed at the correct height? If it sits on a shelf under your TV you may find it's more like CrotchTime!! ;D

Oh yeah! Facetime After Dark!

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It's kind of a given that there would be apps if Apple built a TV set. And highly likely that ATV will get apps this year. What Apple would offer is a decent user experience. My Panasonic plasma has a ton of apps for catchup TV and other streaming services, Skype etc and can also do DLNA or read SD cards or a USB disk, it can even work as a PVR if you use USB storage, but it's slow and pretty unpleasant to use, so I don't use any of that functionality. It wouldn't be hard to beat this kind of competition.

Gonna get your hopes up for nothing! We all thought it would be a given for the ATV2 to have apps....and for the ATV3 to have apps.

What now? Still no apps!