Introduction to Apple TV Features
Apple Inc. has developed a digital media player device which is referred to as Apple TV. Apple TV features support gameplay and hence can be considered as micro-console. This device is an entertainment device that is capable of receiving digital data from multiple sources such as service providers (Internet or Cable TV service), external drives, etc. These digital data can then be streamed it to the TV for playing on the screen and thereby giving a better TV experience. It has an operating system called tvOS developed by Apple Inc. tvOS is completely based on iOS.
Apple has earlier started working on TV, which was referred to as iTV. This entertainment device can be operated using the Apple Remote. The pre-orders for Apple TV began on January 9, 2007.
Apple has dropped iTV name for Apple TV due to trademark rights held by ITV, which is a broadcast network company based in British. Hence, Apple named iTV devices like Apple TV and held trademark right for the name.
Apple TV features provide several online services apart from entertainment such as AOL On, Beats Music, CBS News, Flickr, HBO GO, Hulu Plus, iTunes Radio, iTunes Store, Netflix, Vimeo, YouTube, and even more for Apple TV (4th generation).
Apple TV is an HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) compliant source of the device. You can use this HDMI port same way as normal TV’s HDMI port. It gives a better viewing experience as compared to other TV. This device can be operated using the Apple Remote control device, which comes along with Apple TV. Alternatively, you can operate it from iOS devices such as iPhone, iPod touch, iPad or Apple Watch via Wi-Fi using an iTunes Remote app. This app can be downloaded free from the App Store.
Different generations of Apple TV
There were several different apple tv generations right from its initial release. The Apple TV 4th generation is the latest release and will be available from November 9, 2015. This TV has tvOS 9.0.1 operating system in it.
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We have discussed in detail the features of each apple tv generation below:
1st generation
- Apple started shipment for Apple tv first generation on March 21, 2007
- Earlier it had a 40 GB hard disk, which was extended to 160 GB on May 31, 2007
- It has a memory of 256 MB
- It has the dimension of 28mm*197mm*197mm (h*w*d format)
- It weighed about 2.4 lb (approx. 1.1 kg)
- It was priced at US $ 299.00
- The operating system was 3.0.2 and is based on Mac OS X 10.4
- It has an Intel Pentium U processor
2nd generation
- Apple started shipment for apple tv 4th generation from September 1, 2010
- Earlier it had an 8 GB hard disk, which was not user-accessible but for caching only
- It has a memory of 256 MB
- It has the dimension of 23mm*98mm*98mm (h*w*d format)
- It weighed about 0.6 lb (approx. 0.27 kg) which is significantly less as compared to 1stgeneration
- It was priced at the US $ 99.00
- The operating system was 6.2.1 and is based on iOS 7.1.2
- It has an Apple A4 processor
3rd generation
- Apple started shipment for Apple TV third generation from March 7, 2012
- Earlier it had an 8 GB hard disk (not user-accessible but for caching only), which is the same as that of 2nd generation
- It has a memory of 512 MB
- It has the dimension of 23mm*98mm*98mm (h*w*d format)
- It weighed about 0.6 lb (approx. 0.27 kg) which is the same as that of 2nd generation
- It was priced at the US $ 99.00, which is the same as that for 2nd generation
- The operating system was 7.2 and is based on iOS 8.3
- It has an Apple A5 processor
4th generation
- Apple started shipment for the 4th generation of Apple TV on October 26, 2015
- It has 32 or 64 GB storage depending on the model
- It has a memory of 2GB which is significantly better than its predecessor
- It has the dimension of 33mm*98mm*98mm (h*w*d format)
- It weighed about 0.9 lb (approx. 0.41 kg)
- It was priced at the US $ 149.00 for 32 GB model and the US $199.00 for the 64 GB model.
- The operating system is tv 9.1, which is based on iOS
- It has an Apple A8 processor
Apple TV Features
Following are some features:
1. Experience
It provides an experience that you’ve never experienced. If you are looking for the next film then it can be frustrating on the existing TV remote. There is countless buttons on the remote that creates more confusion. This completely avoids Apple TV new. Apple tv first generation Remote bypass those confusing remote buttons with just a simple swipe of your thumb. You can clearly see entertainment options clearly laid out right before you. This experience is designed to make you feel like you’re interacting directly with your apple tv screen, even though it’s on the other side of the room.
Apple TV Remote has a glass touch surface that provides an experience that feels both fluid and precise. The touch surface is such that what your finger does on the remote is exactly and immediately reflected in your screen. The best thing about Apple TV remote is that you never have to search for a button to press.
With Apple TV remote you can use your thumb to swipe, scroll, select and easily navigate around your screen. This avoids endless clicking of arrow buttons to find what you want. You can perform the following operations with Apple TV remote :
- Multidirectional navigation: Move your thumb in any direction and the action is mirrored on your Apple TV screen.
- Click anywhere: Simply click anywhere on the glass Touch surface to make your selection.
- Precise time-scrubbing: Swipe quickly with a sweeping motion to fast-forward and rewind across large amounts of time. You can swipe with smaller, more precise movements to go almost frame-by-frame.
The screen of Apple TV has been designed with the use of parallax. This makes film posters visually come alive. The clean design of Apple TV makes you feel like you’re interacting directly with your Apple TV screen.
You can quickly bounce between apps while watching the movie. Simply double-click the Home button on the remote and you’ll see the list of apps used most recently (shown in image 4). This helps in quick navigation between apps without having to go all the way back to the Home screen.
Apple TV features allow you to customize your Home screen. You can move the most-used apps to the top row of the Home screen for faster access (shown in image 4). For example, add Discovery Channel to your mix, and when the icon is selected, shortcuts to Discovery Channel content appear above. Now, simply single-click on the title to watch Discovery Channel.
Apple TV features have got new cinematic screensavers. When your Apple TV is idle for the certain time it displays aerial HD videos of stunning locations including New York City, San Francisco, London, Hawaii and the Great Wall of China.
2. Entertainment
It gives you access to the most riveting entertainment content through apps. You can enjoy super hit films on iTunes, search for your favorite sport, and breaking news, search gifts for your kids, any educational programming content, music concerts and much more.
It make it easy to catch all the latest entertainment on iTunes.You can rent or purchase recent box office hits and cinema classics. Most of the films are available on the same day they come out on DVD.
You can get instant access to streaming services like Redbull TV and Qello, and full-season sports subscriptions from MLB and NHL.
3. Games and more
Apple TV with bigger screens will redefine the gaming experience to a completely new level. Beyond amazing games, you can expect a completely new experience such as booking travel accommodation from Airbnb, shopping from GILT, etc.
Popular games such as Guitar Hero, Skylanders superchargers, Geometry Wars 3, Galaxy on fire, Rayman Adventures, Crossy Road, Beat Sports, Shadowmatic, etc are available on Apple TV. You can also use iOS devices such as iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and Apple Watch to play the game on Apple TV (shown in image 5).
Apple TV remote can also be used to play games. This is because the Apple TV Remote doubles as a dynamic games controller, with the Touch surface acting as a virtual directional pad. It even has a built-in accelerometer and gyroscope. If you are playing exciting games such as multi-player tennis then there’s a Remote Loop (which is sold separately) to keep your remote tethered during gameplay (shown in image 6).
4. Music and Photos
Your entire library of personal content (music, photos, and videos) is available on Apple TV. You can listen to millions of songs, including your complete personal music collection, on the best speakers in the house. Beats 1 radio will definitely bring the world of music to your living room with great DJs such as Julie Adenuga, Zane Lowe and Ebro Darden. You can even watch behind-the-scenes videos posted by your favorite artists on Connect.
Apple TV features make it easy to share all your photos and home videos from iCloud, displaying them in impressive fashion on your HDTV. This is a really great way to turn your life’s best moments in the life of the party. Watching your home videos on your Apple TV HDTV makes truly entertaining reality television.
With the use of Airplay, you can wirelessly stream content on your iPad, iPhone, iPod touch or Mac to your HDTV. Peer-to-Peer AirPlay really makes it easy for guests to share content from their Mac or iOS device directly to your TV even without learning your Wi-Fi password or having to connect to your home network. AirPlay mirroring allows you to display the screen of your iPad, iPhone, iPod touch or Mac on your HDTV. And hence when you perform gestures such as tap, swipe, pinch or play something it is immediately reflected on big-screen Apple TV. Image 9 shows the AirPlay logo and Image 5 shows AirPlay in actual use.
5. Technical Specifications
Below are detailed technical specifications about Apple TV :
- Apple TV Set-top box has 35mm*98mm*98mm (height*width*depth format) dimension and weighs about 425 grams.
- Apple TV Remote has 124mm*34mm*6.3mm (height*width*depth format) dimension and weighs about 47 grams.
- It comes with two size capacity variants i.e. 32 GB and 64 GB
Apple TV Remote has the following features:
- Bluetooth 4.0 wireless technology
- IR transmitter
- Accelerometer and gyroscope
- Lightning connector for charging
- Rechargeable battery providing months of battery life on a single charge (with typical daily usage).
Apple TV set-top box Ports and Interfaces details:
- HDMI 1.4
- 802.11 ac Wi-Fi with MIMO
- 10/100BASE-T Ethernet
- Bluetooth 4.0 wireless technology
- IR receiver
- USB-C for service and support
- Built-in power supply
It has an A8 chip processor with 64-bit architecture
System requirements for Apple TV are mentioned below:
- iTunes purchasing and renting and Apple TV Home sharing require iTunes Store account
- Requires 802.11 wireless, apple tv Ethernet network or broadband Internet access
- Wireless video streaming requires 802.11 a, b, g, nor ac
- Requires acceptance of the software license terms
- Requires HDMI cable which is sold separately
It supports H.264 video up to 1080p, 60 frames per second. Apple TV supports stereo audio in .mp4, .m4v and .mov file formats. Apple TV also supports MPEG-4 video up to 2.5 Mbps, 640*480 pixels, 30 frames per second.
Apple TV features to support the wide range of audio formats such as HE-AAC (V1), AAC (16 to 320 Kbps), protected AAC (from iTunes store), MP3 (16 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, AIFF and WAV, Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby Digital Plus 7.1
It supports photo formats such as JPEG, GIF, and TIFF
It is compatible with high-definition TVs with HDMI whereas Remote is compatible with the new Apple TV (4th generation)
A variety of accessibility features of Apple TV help you get the most out of your new Apple TV. Persons With Disability (PWD) can use Apple TV with ease. Apple TV has features such as VoiceOver, Zoom, Bold text, Increase contrast, Reduce Motion, Closed Caption, and SDH support, Accessibility Shortcut.
The new Apple TV features are designed with BFR-free, PVC-free, and meet ENERGY STAR 4.1 requirements whereas Apple TV Remote is designed with Arsenic-free glass, BFR-free, PVC-free, and Recyclable aluminum enclosure. These design features reduce the impact on the environment and can be recycled easily.
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