The new Apple TV in action.
(Credit: Apple)It might just be for the for the hobbyists, but Apple announced on Thursday that version 3.0 of its Apple TV software is now available for download.
According to Apple, the free software features a redesigned menu that the company hopes will make it easier to find the content users are looking for.
Perhaps the biggest news from the update is the addition of Apple's recently announced iTunes Extras and iTunes LP. The former gives users the opportunity to access special features like deleted scenes and cast interviews in various movies in the iTunes Store. iTunes LP allows users to view content related to specific songs, including interactive lyrics, performance videos, and other offerings.
Apple also announced that users can finally listen to Internet radio stations on the Apple TV. They can listen to several stations, including WCBS, K-Rock, and others. The company also added Genius Mixes, which lets users "listen to up to 12 endless mixes of songs that go great together, automatically generated from their iTunes library." iPhoto users will now have access to iPhoto Events. Apple also threw in its facial-recognition feature iPhoto Faces.
Overall, the update seems rather iterative. As an Apple TV owner, I was hoping for something ground-breaking. Instead, Apple has added a few extras and Internet radio. They're nice to have. But they certainly pale in comparison to my hopes for bigger and better things from this product. For now, it seems that the Apple TV is still just "a hobby."
Apple TV owners can download the free software now.
Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has written about everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Don is a member of the CNET Blog Network, and posts at The Digital Home. He is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure.
EchoStar has officially announced a cable-ready version of its SlingLoaded DVR. Except for the fact that it's designed to work on any Tru2way-compatible cable system, the EchoStar T2200S will not be that different from the Dish Network ViP922, which snagged the Best of CES Home Video award at January's 2009 Consumer Electronics Show.
Like the ViP922, the EchoStar T2200S offers a laundry list of features we'd expect from a high-def DVR, including a 1TB hard drive and dual-tuner support. But EchoStar is also boasting of a built-in DOCSIS cable modem, MoCA (Multimedia over Coax Alliance) compatibility, and integrated SlingGuide programming search engine--all of that in addition to the built-in Slingbox functionality, which would allow users to access live and recorded programming via a wide range of Windows and Mac computers and smartphones (including many Windows Mobile, Symbian, and Blackberry models, with an iPhone client said to be coming soon).
EchoStar's release says that the T2200S will be "available for testing" by June 2009, with a fourth quarter rollout projected. That means it'll probably be 2010 before this product sees the light of day. While a consumer CableCard version--one you could buy off-the-shelf at Best Buy or Amazon--would likely be prohibitively expensive, it's possible that customers could lease a unit from their local cable provider (an "MSO," in industry parlance) with significantly less up-front cost. As always, the devil's in the details--but we love the idea that a SlingLoaded DVR would be available to cable viewers, not just Dish Network subscribers.
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