Apple's flood of announcements this month continues apace today with the addition of high-def movie purchases to the iTunes Store. Although HD TV shows were previously available to buy, HD movies were rental-only until now. HD flicks will cost you $19.99, and we're guessing they're the same H.264 compressed 720p quality as usual, so videophiles will probably want to stick to Blu-ray. Purchases will come with both an HD file and an iPod / iPhone-ready SD file, which is a nice touch, and Apple's also promising that HD rentals will now be on the store within 30 days of retail release -- better, but not perfect. It's all going live today with exclusive pre-orders of 'Quantum of Solace' and 'Twilight,' but honestly, we're still wondering when Apple will implement subscription video and really take it to Netflix.

For home theater junkies who've been having a difficult time taking the Apple TV seriously, you should definitely have a look at what the latest software update brings to the dinner table. First off, we should warn you that any non-Apple TV software (like, you know, Boxee) will be banished should you choose to update, but if you're kosher on that front, we'll continue on.

Apple's changelog notes that AirTunes streaming is now enabled, meaning that tunes can be streamed from the STB to AirPort Express speakers or other ATV units nearby. Additionally, the box can now learn other remotes, meaning that you can probably get your universal remote to handle this bugger, too. The last big addition is that Playlists in iTunes can now be seen on Apple TV, and there's also support for volume control in Music.

Grab the download from within your box now if you dare, and feel free to chime in with any other noteworthy changes you happen upon.

[Via TUAW]

Rumors are swirling that the Apple TV will be replaced tomorrow by a new device, potentially a media-centric low cost Mac that would sit somewhere between the current Apple TV (which lets you access your iTunes videos and buy iTunes TV Shows and movies on any TV in the house via Wi-Fi) and the Mac Mini (a computer) in capabilities. We've been predicting the death of Apple's seemingly forgotten media streamer for sometime, so this comes as potentially welcome news.

According to an e-mail sent to The Unofficial Apple Weblog, Apple stores and resellers have been instructed to remove and destroy all Apple TV displays and literature by tomorrow and return the set-top-boxes to Cupertino.

The e-mail also mentions a September 30 webcast "kick-off" event. If the Apple TV really is prepped for a successor, we won't have to wait to long to find out. [From: TUAW]

Face it: Seasons one through three of 'Lost' were not meant to be watched on your tiny computer screen, and YouTube does not sit well with a couch. It's time to start take all the videos, songs and photos you've been collecting on your computer for years and watch them where they belong: On your shiny new HDTV. Fortunately, that's a surprisingly simple endeavor. Like really simple. Like sit on the couch, pop open a beverage of choice and wield the remote simple. Watch, and learn.

We can't say we're too terribly fond of purchasing movies on a proprietary set-top-box (à la VUDU), but for those with no real attachment to physical media, Apple's looking to hook you up. Aside from announcing that day-and-date DVD releases were coming to iTunes, Cupertino has also enabled its Apple TV to purchase full-length films; prior to today, users could only rent them for a window of time. Details are pretty scant at the moment, and we're not even sure if HD films can be purchased (or if a premium is added on), but feel free to fire up your box and let us know how it goes in comments below. [Source: iLounge]

Rumors are swirling that Blockbuster is getting ready to take a major risk by entering the set-top box market with a streaming video player. This a move that others have speculated that Netflix would make, though there has been little public information about the project. The box would be an off-shoot of Blockbuster's Movielink service, which the video rental company has failed to fully integrate into its Blockbuster branding since purchasing the movie download service. Movielink has also been overshadowed by digital rental services from higher profile companies like Netflix and iTunes.

Streaming digital media straight to the TV is the ultimate goal of the rental outlets, but figuring out that last mile has been tough. Apple built a set top box (the Apple TV), but Apple was already in the hardware business and so it wasn't as big a risk for them. Netflix and Blockbuster have no experience designing, building, or selling hardware or software.

Perhaps the more logical solution, at least for now, would be to piggyback off of other entertainment devices. Netflix is offering its streaming services via Xbox 360 and rumored soon to be on the PlayStation 3, and Amazon's Unbox movie-and-TV-show download service is already on TiVo, leaving the field a little spare for Blockbuster.

Even so, it might be wise to experiment with delivery on a pre-built device before throwing piles of cash the company clearly doesn't have at a new Blockbuster branded set top box.

From Reuters

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For serious computer gamers, Apple hardware hasn't been the platform of choice since the '80s. Sure, there have been notable recent exceptions, such as when EA made a major push to the platform last summer, but ultimately gaming on the Mac remains just that: an exception.

Is all this about to change? Talk of an Apple- and gaming-related patent might just be an omen of things to come.

The patent talks of extending the Apple trademark into the world of gaming hardware. The specific legal verbage would extend the company name to cover:

Toys, games and playthings, namely, hand-held units for playing electronic games; hand-held units for playing video games; stand alone video game machines; electronic games other than those adapted for use with television receivers only; LCD game machines; electronic educational game machines; toys, namely battery-powered computer games.

So, could this be sign of a portable gaming device from our friends in Cupertino? Or, perhaps a home-gaming console that will bundle Apple TV functionality? And, if so, with the gaming market already pretty crowded at the moment, can the industry handle another player? Maybe, but before you get too excited keep in mind that this might simply mean more downloadable games able to be played on iPods and iPhones, rather than something fantastic.

From ars technica and Engadget

Related Links:

• Is There Hope for the Apple TV?
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Well, we all knew it was coming. The rumors have been circulating for so long that it's more been a matter of when rather than if.

At today's MacWorld keynote, Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced that he has finally struck a deal to put movie rentals on iTunes. Pretty much all the major movie studios --Touchstone, MGM, Miramax, Lions Gate, Fox, WB, Walt Disney, Paramount, Universal, and Sony -- have all signed on to provide rentals at $2.99 for older films and $3.99 for new releases.

Like pretty much every other online movie service and Vudu, the iTunes movie rental service, which launches today, gives you 30 days to watch a chosen film, but after you hit play, you have just 24 hours to complete the movie before your rental expires. The files can be transfered to iPods and Apple TVs, though, so you can start watching the movie while it's still downloading your computer's iTunes, then copy it over to your iPod (or Apple TV) and finish watching it somewhere else later that day.

Apple also unveiled Apple TV Take 2, which essentially amounts to a new interface for the Apple TV that makes it independent of a computer. The update lets you access the full iTunes store directly from your Apple TV and rent DVD-quality movies to watch on your TV (or buy music and audiobooks to listen to on your TV/home theater system). And, for just a dollar more, you can get HD quality video and 5.1 surround sound. The Apple TV will still sync to your PC or Mac, if you have one. The revamped Apple TV ships in two weeks for $229.

The best part is that current Apple TV users aren't left out in the cold. Jobs admitted that Apple hadn't exactly hit the nail on the head with the original Apple TV, and is offering the new UI and features as a free download to all current Apple TV users. For once, some of Apple's early adopters are getting taken care of!

So, does this mean you should forget Blu-ray and just pick up a new Apple TV? Maybe, though we're going to reserve our final judgment until we find out whether the HD offered is highest-quality 1080p or not (as with Blu-ray) and if every one of the 1,000 or so films Apple is promising to have available by year's end is also available in HD.

That said, we won't say don't rent movies from iTunes. We've got iPods just like everyone else, and we'd be dumb not to partake of this latest offering from Apple. We just want to see if Apple really has a decent selection of HD movies, since no one else -- other than the Blu-ray camp (and only recently) -- seems to have pulled this off.

From Engadget

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Just a few days ago we mused about one possible way to drive some interest in the lagging Apple TV device: turn the iPhone into a sort of glamorous, multimedia universal remote. But, that was idle speculation. Now we have something a little more concrete about updates to the Apple TV device, as well as possibly not one, but a pair of new iPhone models.

It's all still rumor fodder and rather vague at this point, but those rumors are enticing. The new Apple TV "could include an LCD" and a new generation of the iPhone could feature a "different look and will probably include 3G capability." That iPhone is supposedly due sometime late 2008, but another update is due earlier in the year, likely just adding more memory to the current model's somewhat anemic eight gigabytes.

So, scoop, or just speculation of likely hardware updates? An iPhone with more storage is all but guaranteed, though an Apple TV with a built-in LCD doesn't do much for us, honestly. We'd rather use the LCDs on our iPhones. We'll find out about the rest next year.

From AppleInsider

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Poor Apple TV, so simply styled and sophisticated, yet already being called a failure by many. The thing just hasn't sold, and with its limited support for HDTV, it isn't likely to get any better. But in a recent interview with USA Today, Apple head honcho Steve Jobs indicates that he still wants Apple TV to succeed, and he has plenty to say about just how the company can make that happen. One suggestion seems quite fascinating to us: Turn the iPhone and iPod Touch into fancy remote controls.

No, this isn't an announcement of intent from Apple, but think about it: Logitech's programmable Harmony remotes make wading through the settings of your home entertainment center easy. One button to turn everything on to watch a movie, another one to turn on the Xbox 360 and play a game, etc. etc. No more fumbling with 15 remote controls. However, Harmony remotes are expensive one-trick ponies and somewhat painful to configure. If Apple could bring its patented user experience to the universal remote game, it could certainly have a winner on their hands.

However, there's one big catch: Neither the iPhone nor the iPod Touch have infrared emitters, so on their own they can't control much of anything. But connect the devices to an Apple TV via Wi-Fi, give the Apple TV 2.0 a built-in IR emitter, and you could stream content directly to your iPhone or iPod Touch and turn them into colorful, multi-touch universal remotes.

Maybe we're dreaming here, but we'd be interested.

From Digg

Related Links:

• Is There Hope for the Apple TV?
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The Apple TV, after garnering some initially positive press, has faded into obscurity. Apple won't even release sales numbers for the tiny device, and Steve Jobs recently dismissed it as a "hobby."

So what happened? Apple usually has unprecedented success with its consumer electronics, and has a knack for creating a market where one didn't previously exist. But the Apple TV did not find much of an audience beyond die-hard Apple fanatics and the hacker/tinkerer crowd.

The failure of the Apple TV can be attributed to a number of decisions by the boys in Cupertino:

Poor Marketing
It's not that Apple didn't push the product, but more that they didn't explain it properly. The Apple TV is not a proper set-top box or a smaller Mac Mini. Essentially, it's a stationary video iPod with a hefty set of restrictions.

Apple TV didn't come with cable to connect to your TV.
It may seem like an odd complaint, but Apple is known for shipping products that work right out of the box. If you have to buy a $30 HDMI cable to make the thing work, it's betraying Apple's "it just works" ethos.

Apple TV requires an HDTV.
While HD is invading American homes at an incredible rate, Hi-Def sets are far from ubiquitous, limiting the device's appeal from the outset.

Apple TV lacks media support.
Sure, you can load up just about any audio file (other than Ogg or WMA) or photos of your choice, but the Apple TV's main selling point was its video capabilities -- where it undeniably fell short. The Apple TV is limited to lower-resolution MPEG 4 and H.264 video files such as those available through the iTunes store. These formats are nowhere near a high enough resolution to look passable on the fancy HDTV required to use the box. No DivX, no Xvid, no WMV. In fact, the Apple TV isn't even capable of handling the HD trailers hosted on the Apple Movie Trailers web site. Basically if you didn't buy shows and movies on iTunes and don't want to watch YouTube videos blown up to 1280x720, you probably have no reason to purchase the Apple TV.

A small community of intrepid hackers managed to add support for more formats, add USB storage expansion (a must on the original 40 Gigabyte model), and force the diminutive box to run both OS X and Linux, but homebrew enthusiasts alone cannot float an entire market segment.

Is there hope for the Apple TV? Probably not. At least not in its current iteration. Dropping the HD requirements would be a start, but simply building a more open and capable streamer is the only way to reinvigorate interest in the device. The Apple TV might be significantly cheaper, but we'd strongly recommend you drop the extra couple hundred bucks on a Mac Mini and an adapter for your TV -- you'll be much happier with the results.

From DailyTech

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• Video Rentals Rumored for Apple TV
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Though the Apple TV certainly isn't the most popular device Apple has ever produced, the company isn't giving up hope yet. Recently, YouTube content was made available on the little white media box, and then Apple TV was offered with up to 160 gigabytes of storage.

Now, if a report from London's Financial Times is to be believed, you may soon be able to fill that bigger drive with downloadable video rentals. The report speculates that sometime this fall, Apple will begin offering 30-day video rentals at $2.99 a pop -- similar to the pricing structure for movie rentals on Xbox Live Video Marketplace. But, whereas videos rented through the Xbox are stuck on your console, the report states that Apple's rentals will be viewable on your Apple TV and also transferable to your iPod, maybe even the upcoming iPhone. Hey, maybe a new iPhone commercial is in order?

From Financial Times and Engadget

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Apple's svelte media device, the Apple TV, didn't exactly garner rave reviews when it launched last month, mostly thanks to its rather limited specs and undersized abilities. Frustratingly, it seemed only well-suited to playing low-quality videos purchased through iTunes.

In a few weeks, though, Apple TV owners will have a whole new suite of low-quality videos at their fingers, courtesy of YouTube. The free software update was announced today by Steve Jobs at the D 2007 conference, where all things digital are on display. Other announcements included the new Palm Foleo mini-laptop and Microsoft's Surface interactive tabletop thing.

We're looking forward to this afternoon's event: Jobs is set to square off against Bill Gates in what can only be described as an epic clash of the geek titans.

From Engadget

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