The following message is from Apple expert Matt Volbrecht, who answers
Apple-related questions on the Peel the Apple list. Someone wrote to the
list asking about what options were available via the new Apple TV and
Matt provided such an informative response that I thought I'd share it
with this list.
Well there' slots you can do with it. First off, you have your iTunes
options - Movies, TV Shows, Music, and iTunes Radio. These options give
you direct access to all the content on the iTunes Store or that you've
already purchased from iTunes. So for example, you could browse movies
and then rent or buy them, or you could browse and buy TV shows. You can
also access all previously purchased movies and shows - even content
purchased on other Apple devices, right through those menus. Anything
purchased on one Apple device is fully available on all other Apple
devices using the same Apple ID - up to 10 devices for music, Movies,
and Shows, and because the Apple TV streams all content, you can
purchase an unlimited amount of movies and shows and watch them whenever
you want on any device - without having to take up your own storage
space with the content. Movies you purchase in HD also frequently
include iTunes Extras. This is equivalent to what used to be known as
DVD bonus content. The good part is, it works with VoiceOver, so you can
actually enjoy it too.
Music allows you to browse the iTunes Store for music as well as playing
purchased music. If you are an iTunes Match subscriber, you will have
access to your entire iTunes Library. The Third Generation Apple TV does
not currently support Apple Music - Apple's new music streaming service,
and I don't know whether Apple has plans to bring this to that
generation of the Apple TV or not.
There is also a "Computers" category. This allows you to use Home
Sharing, a feature of iTunes, on your computer to watch movies and other
content on your Apple TV. You don't need to do this with purchased
content, but if you have any home movies in iTunes etc, you could watch
these on Apple TV through that menu as long as your computer is on,
iTunes is running, both devices are connected to the same Wi-Fi network,
and Home Sharing is enabled on both devices using the same Apple ID.
Next we get into a bunch of other apps. There are I think almost 70 apps
- maybe more. Some of these are completely free, others require paid
subscriptions through the iTunes Store or directly, and still others
require subscription through a supported cable or satellite provider.
There are things like Netflix, HBO, Showtime, Hulu, NBC, ABC, CBS, PBS
and PBS Kids, Disney and its companion channels, ESPN, Feeln,
Smithsonian Channel, Lifetime, A&E, History, Natgeo, YouTube, CNN News,
Vimeo, Flicker, Movie Trailers, Weather, iCloud Photos, iTunes Podcasts,
Internet Radio, iMovie Theater, and more. You can play with these to see
what they do. Many of the paid ones still offer some degree of free
content as well.
HBO and Showtime are unique in that they both offer two options -
stand-alone subscriptions and provider subscriptions. So for example
with HBO there are two apps - HBO Now and HBO Go. If you had HBO through
your cable or sat provider, you will login using HBO Go, and if not, you
can purchase a subscription through the iTunes Store using HBO Now right
on your Apple TV. The content is exactly the same.
The last part of Apple TV is what's known as AirPlay Mirroring. With
this you can mirror both the audio and video of any other Apple device
to your television. So you could be browsing the web, checking Facebook,
or playing a game on the big screen with friends and family, using the
iPad, iPhone, or Mac. What's really cool is, while audio from the iOS
and Mac devices is mirrored to the TV, VoiceOver still comes out of the
speaker on the iOS device. This makes the experience a bit more
pleasant. Some apps just display the same content on both the TV and the
iOS device, while other games and such actually have been designed for
AirPlay Mirroring situations. For example, Bowling Central, Motion
Tennis, and Dance Party are all apps that show instructions on the iOS
device while showing the actual game on the TV. These games I just
mentioned are not the most accessible, but with friends and family
they're awesome.
Speaking of friends and family, the Apple TV, particularly the iTunes
parts, actually supports multiple accounts. So you can login with more
than one account and switch back and forth. Additionally, if a friend
came over and wanted to play a movie or show from his/her device on your
TV, he/she would not need to do anything except mirror his/her iOS
device to your TV - no logging in or anything - just be on the same
network, and that content can be streamed. It's a pretty amazing device.
Any questions let me know.
Sent from my iPad
On Nov 8, 2015, at 6:21 AM, Eve <squirrel49@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Hey All,
On Friday, I finally got my apple TV connected. What programs will I be
able to find?
I'm not real familiar with what it does & how to find stuff.
Any help will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
Eve
--
David Goldfield, Assistive Technology Specialist Feel free to visit my
Web site WWW.DavidGoldfield.Info
You are invited to visit the moderator's Web site at WWW.DavidGoldfield.Info
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