Potential of AIRPLAY on ATV2 w/ iOS 4.3?

[amitdoc2b]

I have the MLB.TV subscription and At Bat 2011.

For those already in the know..

Will we be able to watch live baseball games using the At Bat 2011 app on our second-generation Apple TV's via the new Airplay in iOS 4.3? Right now it only transfers audio of the baseball game and not video.

It would be absolutely amazing to press a single button on my iPhone and transmit my live baseball game from the At Bat 2011 app onto my television screen via Apple TV.

Let me know if this will be possible with iOS 4.3?

Thanks!

 

[sandman42]

Once 4.3 is available we're supposed to be able to Airplay audio and video to the TV2, so you should be able to watch MLB on your TV.

 

[fpnc]

Actually, AirPlay video must be enabled by the app or content provider so unless they do that you won't be able to view video on the Apple TV using AirPlay. In fact, you can be fairly certain that some of the premium content providers will block AirPlay unless they can strike new content licensing deals with the movie and TV studios and/or Apple.

The same is true for content on the web, you won't be able to view video unless the website explicitly includes code to enable AirPlay.

And before someone asks, no, you won't be able to use AirPlay to play existing video games on your HDTV. There might be a new category of games that are developed using AirPlay but a game like Angry Birds won't suddenly be able to be played on your TV.

 

[amitdoc2b]

Oh thats great then, I don't need the new iPad. Because I thought that "mirroring" feature was cool to play apps from my screen to TV via wires (HDMI out), but now I can just do that wirelessly with ATV2 with my iPhone through 4.3. Much more economical and convenient since it is wireless.

 

[amitdoc2b]

Actually, AirPlay video must be enabled by the app or content provider so unless they do that you won't be able to view video on the Apple TV using AirPlay. In fact, you can be fairly certain that some of the premium content providers will block AirPlay unless they can strike new content licensing deals with the movie and TV studios and/or Apple.

The same is true for content on the web, you won't be able to view video unless the website explicitly includes code to enable AirPlay.

And before someone asks, no, you won't be able to use AirPlay to play existing video games on your HDTV. There might be a new category of games that are developed using AirPlay but a game like Angry Birds won't suddenly be able to be played on your TV.

Thanks for the info. Well, in the case of MLB.TV you already paid $120 to watch premium content on computer or iPhone with the same subscription, so I am not sure why they wouldn't allow it to AirPlay? They already allow audio AirPlay. As for games, I'm not much of a gamer but I figure for those interested can't just developers (like that of Angry Birds) make an update so it can start playing on ATV2?

 

[fpnc]

Thanks for the info. Well, in the case of MLB.TV you already paid $120 to watch premium content on computer or iPhone with the same subscription, so I am not sure why they wouldn't allow it to AirPlay? They already allow audio AirPlay. As for games, I'm not much of a gamer but I figure for those interested can't just developers (like that of Angry Birds) make an update so it can start playing on ATV2?

It's unlikely that Angry Birds will ever work with AirPlay. The same is true for most other games, AirPlay requires H.264 video and typically games neither output nor use such video except for things like scene cuts.

As for MLB.TV, they may or may not enable AirPlay. The fact that some premium content is current on the iPad is because the iPad is considered to be a mobile device and therefore NOT something that can be viewed on a standard TV. Netflix does not seem to care and they already support video output over Apple's wired AV cables (their content license must allow it). Other providers, like the ABC and Hulu Plus apps do not support video out and it's therefore somewhat questionable whether those apps will be enabled for use with AirPlay.

 

[bozzykid]

As for MLB.TV, they may or may not enable AirPlay. The fact that some premium content is current on the iPad is because the iPad is considered to be a mobile device and therefore NOT something that can be viewed on a standard TV.

MLB.tv is already available on set top boxes like Roku and Boxee so they already have licensing deals to show their content on televisions.

 

[Rootman]

Hulu and MLBTV are licensed for internet TV sets and Blueray players, so they wouldn't be fundamentally restricted from Airplay.

 

[EvilC5]

im hopeing for EyeTv app to be able to airplay, if so, buh bye more cable boxes....less money in their hands and more in mine....

 

[fpnc]

MLB.tv is already available on set top boxes like Roku and Boxee so they already have licensing deals to show their content on televisions.

Hulu and MLBTV are licensed for internet TV sets and Blueray players, so they wouldn't be fundamentally restricted from Airplay.

True, but they would also have to be licensed for playback on the Apple TV. In fact, Hulu Plus (a service you actually pay for) runs on the iPad but you can't watch that content on an HDTV using your iPad because they do not support video out over Apple's component cables. However, Hulu Plus does have a deal with Sony to provide that service to the Playstation 3.

Licensing is complex, some providers have exclusive or sweetheart deals with other companies so not everything is going to be available on every platform. Also, a license for playback on a mobile device doesn't necessarily mean that the two companies will come to an agreement to provide that same content when you are connected to a TV (whether connected via wires or wirelessly).

 

[bobr1952]

MLB.tv is already available on set top boxes like Roku and Boxee so they already have licensing deals to show their content on televisions.

I didn't realize what MLB.tv was until I read this thread. Pretty cool really--games on your Mac, iPhone--or TV--I have a Roku to do that directly. May have to look into this.

 

[jas1973]

if this happens my roku player is going in the trash

 

[autumnmike]

you can't have angry birds stream to the atv. airplay goes over wifi. there is wayyyy to much lag over wifi. the best you can hope for is, a.) use an ipad as a console with mirror out and use iphone as a controller. b.) have a dedicated atv app/game that runs off the atv.

 

[sidgriffey]

Great thread.... been wondering this for a while.

This is old news for some, but if you own the first Apple TV, you can jailbreak it and install Boxee (I recommend ATV Flash). Then thru Boxee you can watch MLB.TV directly on your Apple TV. The highest resolution chokes a bit but if you choose the standard video option it still looks remarkably good and plays very smoothly. It's essentially the same as the PS3 offering for MLB.TV (i.e, it lacks the extras of the app versions on iOS).

Anyone know if Boxee is installable on ATV2 yet?

 

[ipsb11]

Anyone know if Boxee is installable on ATV2 yet?

Wouldn't hold my breath...don't know if there's enough HD space on the ATV2 to install Boxee. Would be awesome if we could though, that way I wouldn't have to drag my old ATV out for baseball season.