Resident iTV advocate Gene Munster, a well-known Apple analyst for Piper Jaffray, has stepped up to the mic again with news that he spoke to a “major TV component supplier” regarding Apple. It would seem that Apple was speaking to this source and inquiring about the “various capabilities of their television display components.”
Apple is hard at work filing patents with the most recent one being discovered by AppleInsider entitled “Apparatus and Method to Facilitate Universal Remote Control.” The details of the patent filing indicate that the device would feature a touchscreen and endeavor to replace all of the confusing and overly-complicated, existing universal remote options most folks have sitting around at home.
We’ve all been saying it for a while now and it was reinforced by the announcements at CES this year: it’s time to revolutionize television. This is why the news that the US Patent and Trademark Office has granted Apple a patent relating to “a method of organizing episodic content such as TV shows on Apple TV.” is quite timely.
This patent reflects a customized user interface in which the menu could “correspond to television shows that have either been recorded from a broadcast or purchased from a content provider.”
The announcements at CES are always exciting and the release of the VIZIO Stream Player is no disappointment. It appears that VIZIO is getting serious about television and joining the ranks with a Google TV powered set-top box.
Connecting to any TV via HDMI, this little hardware device harnesses VIZIO Internet Apps Plus and can be controlled by the coolest Bluetooth® universal remote featuring a touchpad control and a QWERTY keyboard on the flip-side.
According to the Wall Street Journal the latest contender in the Internet TV arena is Lenovo. The technology manufacturer has continued to grow significantly since their acquisition of the IBM Personal Computing Division and hopes to increase their world dominance with the release of a “smart TV” product called LeTV (though some reports also announce that it will be called IdeaTV) and their own cloud storage service.
Does Lenovo have what it takes? Their line of products could make the company a strong contender.
How quickly can something become a cliche? Every Tom, Dick and tech company is coming out with a television platform of one sort of another. It seems all at once people started to realize that television as we’ve known it is an antiquated concept.
Cable companies had their run. They certainly enjoyed the (rather substantial) profits coming from selling tiers of these channels upon those channels just so you can watch the single program you love so much and then requiring that cables be snaked through your walls with the luxury of multiple set-top boxes (usually at a per screen cost) and and and… and none of it makes sense to us anymore.
Speaking of bringing the NFL into the 21st century, The NFL has finally agreed to remove the longstanding blockade on streaming the big game. In years past, football fans have gathered with family, friends, chips, and dips to watch two teams do battle for the coveted Lombardi trophy.
Now however, it would seem that we may be huddling around our smartphones rather than the big screen. The NFL and broadcasters have been wary of making the move to the online realm for a couple of reasons, number one being the controversial (really?) topic of money.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple is moving forward with their “assault on television.” Senior ranking Apple executives, including Senior Vice President Eddy Cue, have done more than hint toward something new that should serve to redefine television as we know it. This news has left many onlookers more than a little confused when Jobs himself has been quoted saying it wouldn’t be wise to get into the business of making TV’s.
Verizon Communications Inc is launching a new standalone service that will stream movies and television shows over the Internet which will operate in direct competition with companies like Netflix. Enjoying considerable brand recognition and an existing relationship with programming partners, the potential of this reality is pretty exciting!
Not to be discounted is the fact that this announcement validates the fact that the delivery of television and movie content is changing and recognizes the need to evolve in order to remain relevant.
So it looks like Apple isn’t the only company working on the creation of a smarter and more sophisticated television, if Sir Howard Stringer is to be believed, Sony Corp. is also doing a little R&D on the topic.
When Stringer made the announcement he referenced Jobs and his newly enlightened discussion over changes he wanted to make to televisions, indicating that he believes Sony will have something to counter whatever Apple has under their covers.
Billed as a “TV Companion” by its developer, Umami for iPad is a entertainment app that knows what show you’re watching. Umami uses your TV’s audio to sync to programs aired on major networks and basic cable within the last week. Viewers can also simply type in a show to receive a customized program filled with bios, news, photos, and other information about the show they are watching.
Umami is synchronous, which means its content changes depending on what you’re watching. The app works whether the TV broadcast is live or on a DVR. Umami creates a home page for each show that links to IMDB, Wikipedia, Google, Facebook, and Twitter.
Last night, PBS aired their documentary on the life of Steve Jobs. This well put together piece, titled ‘One Last Thing’, covered Jobs’ career and highlighted his impressive life’s achievements. The documentary features a number of interviews with prominent personalities who share their own experience with Jobs and tell how the Apple co-founder changed the world.
In case you missed the documentary last night, you’re now in luck as PBS has put the entire one hour TV episode on their website for viewing.
Once upon a time we were all shopping for bigger and better television sets to fill our living rooms and family rooms. We were cramming huge screens into our bedrooms and even finding a reason to put them into our kitchens.
Now, we turn to our iPads as much as anything to watch our favorite television shows and movies. And while I suspect most of you still turn to your huge television when you want to watch something as a family I think this change is indicative of our busier-than-ever lives and how we like to cram in a little entertainment on the go. (or if you are like me, you catch up on your much-loved television shows while you are in the waiting room at your daughter’s ballet class)
The popular FX Channel show Sons Of Anarchy is getting some technological love this fall. Starting November 1, a new app called SOA Gear will be available for the iPad.
This first-of-its-kind app will allow viewers to interact with the show in real time starting with episode nine of season four.
Steve Jobs was an incredible showman and it was amazing to see him work his magic on stage. Here is a short collection of our favorite videos of the man who reinvented multiple industries and made all of our lives a little better.
Steve Jobs’ 2005 Stanford Commencement Address
On TapCentral
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