However, Apple may think their is no need for UI apps to run on the TV. Clearly, the TV is not going to support a touch-based interface. It is likely all the UI controls a TV requires can be better accomplished using an iPod, iPhone, or iPad. Consequently, the TV’s UI could be provided by apps running on multiple mobile devices used around the home.

We can see this direction emerging with Apple’s AirPlay which enables mobile devices to stream video and audio to any AirPlay connected devices, such as an Apple-TV connected TV. This is a bit like using an iPod touch to stream music to a Hi-Fi system connected using a wireless AirPort Express. The AirPort acts as a bridge between the Hi-Fi and the home network. The Apple-TV could be used like an AirPort Express for Video. The relatively low $99 cost and power requirement of the new Apple TV would fit with this operation.

The Apple TV web site shows how in the future an iPod can be used to switch its output from the mobile display to a wirelessly connected TV (see How it Works). Video could be discovered or organized with a mobile app, but ultimately viewed on the TV. Maybe we will soon see an update to the iPhone SDK to support an AirPlay icon and menu for switching video output to any connected TV. This would enable developers to better build “TV apps”.

Video stored on an iPod could be streamed to the TV, but it is also likely the iPod could alternatively just send the storage location of the video to the TV, along with the play-back position. This would reduce network traffic. A mobile app may find or select a video for TV viewing, but it need not have to be actually stream to the TV. Once given the video’s network address, the Apple TV alone could deal with the decoding and presentation.

Now consider the tangle of boxes and multiple remotes. One solution would be a relatively simple video receiver box with no remote controller or built-in TV UI. In effect, a NAS-like box (Network Attached Storage) sitting next to an Apple TV and network-wired to the Apple TV. The box could receive ATSC, DVB-t or cableCARD-type CA-protected broadcast video. The UI for accessing the video would be on the iPod or other Apple mobile device. It would be easy and network-efficent for the UI on the user’s mobile device to have the video “sent” to the TV for display, as the video’s network address is close (wired) to the TV.

Such a system would easily support video time shifting and TV access to any video reachable on the home network, such as video stored on a laptop computer. All the TV-remotes are gone, replaced by the iPod of the like. Missing from the story, is the ability to control the graphics engine inside the Apple-TV. AirPlay only provides a means of switching the location for video decode, there appears no means for a UI application to incorporate such things as graphics transition animation between video playback. But maybe that’s a future Apple demo.

Daniel Mann

Full-screen video appears on the TV when it is connected to an iPhone or iPod touch via an Apple AV Composite Cable. Apples cable design does not replicate the entire mobile screen. The touch screen is used to start-stop-pause-step play or return to normal iPhone/iPod operation.

Thousands of individuals and companies such as Independent Television News (ITN), PBS, PBS NewsHour, Associated Press (AP), Discovery Networks, Film Movement, France 24, France 24 (English), Lionsgate Films, and OpenFlix, to name only a few, have YouTube channels. These channels contain a dizzying amount of uploaded videos, playlists and connections to other interesting video.

Navigate YouTube enables playlists or video channels to be watched in sequence with TV-like freedom — no need to continually click a mouse or screen. It also makes it easy to find and subscribe to new channels. You can also exchange video recommendations with friends, or piggyback on their playlists and channel subscriptions.

The iPod touch in my home has effectively been turned into a Set-Top Box for watching TV.

So, lean back in front of the TV and sswatch the latest internet-delivered video, uninterrupted by mouse clicks. All without any monthly service fee.

When someone adds your User ID to their YouTube address book (easily done with the Navigator for YouTube iPhone app), you will receive an email request to become a friend of the requestor. If you accept the request, then you are promoted from an ordinary contact in their address book to a friend.

Similarly, you can easily use Navigator for YouTube to request that a contact be converted to YouTube friend status. You can then look at their activity and better share your interest in YouTube video.

Navigator for YouTube makes it easy to use the iPhone/iPod Touch to review the YouTube activity of ones friends. In the example screen shot below, Pam is a friend. It is easy to review some of her recent YouTube activity. This is a great way to find interesting new video.

This feature, along with other interesting YouTube access features, is now part of the new version 1.3 update. The app makes it easy to be a YouTube expert-user.

There is more info at the iTunes App Store or at the user instructions webpage.

Revisez les vidos standards, les catgories, les canaux et les listes de reproduction. Organisez alors les nouvelles vidos en vos propres favoris et listes de reproduction. Rendez la Playlist prive ou publique. Souscrivez aux listes de rproduction et aux collections de vidos dautres abonns pour votre accs futur. Souscrivez aux vidos pertinentes avec des mots de recherche.

Regardez les vidos prfres publiquement visionnes, les listes de reproduction et les abonnements bass sur vos amis, famille et contacts de YouTube. Envoyez et recevez des recommandations de vidos de vos contacts de YouTube par l’intermdiaire des messages de vido de YouTube.

Recherchez les nouvelles vidos marques pour votre rgion gographique, utilisant le clavier local. Explorez-les pour de nouvelles vidos par l’intermdiaire de la commutation facile de l’identification de l’utilisateur au propritaire des vidos intressantes – explorez alors leur monde.

Toutes les actions sont maintenues synchronises avec le PC, l’accs Mac ou Apple-TV YouTube.

Somaire:

Regardez toute les catgories de vidos: musique, nouvelles, sport,
Revisez les classements de vidos : valu suprieur, les plus populaires
Changez la rgion gographique : tats Unis, France, Japon, Brsil, regardez alors les catgories et les normes standards pour la rgion.
crivez des mots de recherche et trouvez des nouvelles vidos pertinentes.
Ajoutez les nouvelles vidos aux favoris ou aux listes de reproduction.
Crez et ditez les listes de rproduction ou les favoris. Rendez les listes de reproduction prives ou publiques.
Souscrivez aux vidos compatible avec les mots de recherche – de nouvelles vidos sont trouves sans recopier votre requte.
Recherchez les listes de rproduction dautres abonns et souscrivez pour votre accs futur.
Recherchez les canaux dits par National Geographic, BBC ou tout autre uploader de YouTube.
Souscrivez aux canaux pour un accs futur facile et pour tenir jour avec leurs derniers tlchargements.
Regardez votre abonnement aux canaux, listes de reproduction, vidos compatibles avec des mots de recherche ou tous les favoris des autres abonns.
Regardez un sommaire des dernires vidos ajoutes votre abonnement de vidos.
Ajoutez ou enlevez d’autres utilisateurs de YouTube sur votre liste de contacts.
Accs facile aux messages de vido de YouTube reus de vos contacts.
Envoyez une vido intressante un contact, et ajoutez un message court.
Commutez l’identification de l’utilisateur un de vos contacts pour accder leurs favoris et listes de reproduction publiquement visionnes.
Commutez l’identification de l’utilisateur l’identification employe par un uploader de vidos intressantes.
Regardez vos propres vidos tlcharges.
Dcouvrez une nouvelle vido, puis trouvez les vidos pertinentes.

Daniel Mann

Look at publicly viewable favorite videos, playlists and subscriptions based on your YouTube friends, family and contacts. Send and receive video recommendations with YouTube contacts via YouTube video messages.

Search for new videos tagged for your language or geographical region, using local keyboard. Explore for new videos via easy switching of user ID to the owner of interesting videos – then explore their world.

All actions are kept in sync with PC, Mac or Apple-TV access to YouTube.

View video Categories: Music, News, sport, …
View Standard Feeds: Top Rated, Most Viewed, …
Change geographical region: Unites States, France, Japan, Brazil, … Then view Categories and Standard Feeds for the region.
Enter search-words and find new videos with matching description.
Add new videos to Favorites or Playlists.
Create and edit Playlists or Favorites. Make Playlists private or public.
Subscribe to videos matching search-words – new videos are found without reentering search-words.
Search for other user’s Playlists, and subscribe for easy future viewing.
Search for Channels published by National Geographic, BBC or other YouTube uploader.
Subscribe to Channels for easy future access and keeping up-to-date with their latest uploads.
View your subscription to Channels, Playlists, video matching search-words or other users’ Favorites.
View a summary of latest video added to your video subscriptions.
Add or remove other YouTube users to your list of contacts.
Easy access to YouTube video messages received from contacts.
Send an interesting video to a contact, and add a short message.
Switch User ID to one of your contacts to access their publicly viewable Favorites and Playlists
Switch User ID to the ID used by an interesting video uploader.
View your own uploaded videos.
Discover a new video, then find related videos.

The Issue: Speaking at the MediaGuardian Edinburgh International Television Festival, the well informed Ashley Highfields remarks imply that the TV industry has as little as two years to create a viable digital businesses or face the TV equivalent of an “iTunes moment. Which others have described as record labels ceding control over digital asset distribution to the Apple juggernaut.

Background: After years of effort by many companies to combine TV and Internet, no widely accepted video appliance or networked-TV has emerged. Does Highfield see that this is about to change? Is Apple now positioned for a dominant position in the TV platform and service business? Or is Highfield referring to something other than Apple technology?

Behind the scene: Apple is rumored to soon introduce a new iPad (i.e. large Apple Touch). A new Apple-TV is also expected. Are these the platforms that will finally bring convergence between web and TV? Highfield opines, “Once this happens the shift of spending from TV to web will accelerate even more”.

It has been two years since blogging began on possible next-steps for the Apple-TV. In this time Apple has made great strides in feeding expectations for extensive software application support on smart phones. This has caused the established hardware-oriented phone builders to scramble to develop their own software application infrastructure. Efforts, such as Android and Ovi are manifestly attempts to protect against further erosion of the high-end mobile phone market to the iPhone onslaught. This erosion has initially been most noticeable in the US market but soon to follow elsewhere.

The iPod has also developed into a software application platform in the form of the Apple Touch. Both Touch and iPhone support a full browser experience based on WebKit, and also application software programs built using the Apple SDK. Building a Pad-like device based on the same technology would enable Apple to build a lower-cost web access or web-browsing device without underselling its existing MacBook market and with access to the extensive catalogue of iPhone applications (some 60,000+ strong). What might be called an iPad could not support the full range of applications supported by a Mac or MacBook, but would nevertheless offer a compelling Internet and application enhanced appliance.

The original Apple-TV was based on PC technology. This has a much higher hardware cost than a Touch. The Apple-TV does not make use of this additional hardware capability; its a cost tax without major benefit. Now, however, Apple would appear to have the technology to build a next-generation Apple-TV based on Touch technology instead, which would likely require better graphics resolution for the larger TV screen. This development step is likely required for an iPad device as well.

A lower-cost Apple-TV could make headway in the US market where consumers are accustomed to subsidized Set-Top Boxes from service providers, and hence are very price sensitive. Following the recent U.S. transition to digital ATSC from analog NTSC broadcasts, Apple may decide the time is now right to introduce a Touch-based Apple-TV with ATSC support. This hybrid box, would meet demand for media convergence capabilities within a relatively low-cost appliance. Clearly, the European market would require a DVB-t hybrid, but Apple is likely to lead with US products first.

The lower cost hardware would also better support a co-branded networked Apple-TV with Touch technology built into the glass (as they say in industry-speak). With these steps, Apple will have moved the modern TV to a software application platform, much like it is moving the mobile phone to a software platform. Many of the existing TV and STB suppliers would struggle to respond. I suspect a large portion of the window in which to respond that Highfield refers to would be consumed while waiting for company accountants to confirm loss of market share. Thus making it safe in these difficult career times for product managers to engage in reactive-product development. Apple would have lit the green light, signaling the rush of competitive new products.

Highfield stated, “So, realistically, I think the industry has about two to three years to adapt or face its iTunes moment. And it will take at least that long for media brands to build credible, truly digital brands. But, importantly, I do believe TV does have a small, two to three year window in which to respond”

Software application developers benefit from the efficiencies of a common platform such as the PC. The PCs dominance is why we see new applications such as the iPlayer first appearing on the PC, even before the Mac. It is simply a matter of quickly reaching the greatest number of users. A common TV platform based on some form of Apple-TV would rapidly gain the attention of application developers. This assumes the new Apple-TV supports iTunes store-enabled applications. Albeit, with Apple having the final say on what applications are acceptable – this is likely to lead to some conflicts. Without some degree of support for independent application developers, the new Apple-TV would not be considered a common platform. Consequently, it would have a slower market acceptance and pose less threat to its competitors, and therefore extend the window in which to respond.

An Apple-TV which only supports iTunes would give Apple greater control over revenues generated by web-TV convergence. It would also simplify any competitors ability to rally the software community to support an alternative approach and platform. This might be based on a WebKit- or Adobe Flash-based range of boxes and TVs. However, the industrys reluctance to embrace software technology has resulted in years of waiting for the ideal convergence TV platform. The failure to make do with technology now readily available is now likely a greater problem than mastering the business changes inherent with convergence. Again, this may well play to Apples advantages by keeping the software community fully occupied developing new applications for the iPhone, Touch, iPad, or any new Apple-TV.

Apple also has the opportunity to combine the operation of the iPhone or Touch with the PC or Mac and the Apple TV. Ecosystem-enabled smart application software holds the promise of finding relevance with web-savvy consumers and service providers. It will be interesting to see how Apple balances decisions regarding conflicting agendas for openness, exclusivity, and inclusion of non-revenue generating features, such as digital recording and ATSC tuners, or DVD playing. To achieve market dominance it has to ease new ideas into a wide audience which still finds value in existing, low-cost and well-understood TV-related appliances. Both Microsoft and Sony have not found this an easy nut to crack, despite major undertakings using their game platforms.

We should know soon whether the iPad is launched and the Apple-TV receives a refresh, and if Ashley Highfields predictions prove correct, the clock is ticking for competitors to make the next move.

Daniel Mann

YouTubes PC landing page now has tabs for Shows and Movies.

To support TV viewing of these categories, there is now an updated version (16×9 youtube_beta_19.zip) of the active-TV TV-webpage available from this blogsite. As can be seen from the TV image below, some of the full-episode shows and movies have been marked by their up-loaders, as only viewable from a PC.

Daniel Mann

This update is slightly slower initially accessing YouTube video; but we wanted to make a quick solution available for all those that have reported the problem. We will likely release a faster version later.