Apple TV Plus

Yeah a lot of big stars. But no details on price yet so I really didn't learn anything new about it from the event they held. Already heard they signed up famous stars and creators like spielberg and Oprah.

Their strategy seems....safe I guess.

Their updated TV app lets you subscribe to services like Showtime or HBO right in the app by clicking on a show. They got a few OTT services as part of the app. One of bullet points of the TV app was ad-free so I don't know where the OTT services fit in with that bullet pt exactly. Anyway nothing earth shattering or new really on that front either.

 

The price: TBA.

 

Basically, Apple is following Amazon's playbook here. The new Apple TV app will live not just on Apple hardware but (surprisingly, to me) also on Roku, Fire TV and all major brands of smart TVs. Just like the Prime Video app exists across platforms and is home to the Prime Video SVOD, the Apple TV app will be home to the Apple TV+ SVOD. Just like the Prime Video app gives you access to the content you've rented or purchased from Amazon (via their website or an Amazon device), the Apple TV app will do the same for your iTunes video library. Just like the Prime Video app integrates add-on subscriptions from Amazon Channels in with your Prime Video content, the Apple TV app will integrate Apple TV Channels add-on subscriptions (from basically the same sources as Amazon offers) in with your Apple TV+ content. (Although it looks like you won't be required to have an Apple TV+ subscription to subscribe to Apple TV Channels the way that you must first have a Prime Video subscription in order to subscribe to Amazon Channels.)

As JoeKustra points out, the big unanswered Q about Apple TV+ is the price. Given the small amount of content (premium ad-free stuff, presumably in 4K HDR) that it will have -- only new exclusive originals, no back catalog, no theatrical films -- $5/mo seems like a realistic price. But knowing Apple, they might try to price it up at $10, or maybe the same as Disney+ (expected to be $6-8), which will launch about the same time. If so, it won't fly. And they should offer an extended free trial (e.g. 3 months) to get folks hooked, especially if the model is to roll out new episodes on a weekly basis rather than dump entire seasons at once. We'll see...

 

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Biggest question for me is what's the go-to-market strategy? Obviously they are building their own streaming service and have the talent on display to prove it. This service will compete I guess primarily with Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, HBO, Showtime who all have well established services and large libraries of original content. But will they make their service available cross-platform, as all these other services do, or will they tie it to Apple hardware (as is the normal Apple way)?

 

Yes, they said this. But does that necessarily mean the AppleTV+ service, and original content, will be available cross-platform?

 

Which reminds me. Is the TiVo app for ATV ever going to be released?

 

You mean the one announced for 3rd quarter of this year?

 

Although I do have an Apple Tv and I am a Mac guy mostly. I never buy from iTunes and probably never will. They remove videos you have rightfully purchased if they loose the rights to sell them. Happened to a friend of mine. I forget what excuse they gave him when he complained. So, your purchases are not really yours. I'll stick to an occasional rental from them and Amazon but stuff I want to own I will buy physical media and rip with Makemkv.

The announcement didn't do much for the stock, too bad.

 

yeah and the thing is they already let you sign up for streaming services via your apple id and the tv app already does aggregation and you already could see itunes purchases thru the tv app I think. the only diff i saw was they made it a bit easier to sign up for other services.


Price will be interesting. Is the appletv+ service just their original content? Will they license movies every month like other services do? Will they bundle it with other services? Will they give it away for free for 2 years with hardware purchase? Will they charge HBO-like prices?

 

Apple has never cared about the price of their products and I'll bet this one will cost more than all the others. They expect loyal Apple customers pay up and shut up.

Note: I think Samsung has been in the Apple Kool-Aid too. A 2k phone?

 

Prices were TBA. I watched it and they didn't say. Most of the + stuff i would not watch. It is nice that all the extra stuff will just work with your apple ID. No-relogging in.

 

The expression "walled garden" was used a lot on CNBC".

 

I'm 99.99% certain it does mean that. Apple would have very little incentive to make their Apple TV app available on competing hardware platforms -- which is a bit of a stretch for Apple -- unless they planned to use that app on Roku, Fire TV, etc. as a portal for their paid subscription service, Apple TV+.

Yeah, I don't think it's going to be some *huge* improvement to subscribe to HBO, Showtime, Starz, etc. through the Apple TV app as opposed to doing so through those providers' own apps, given that their apps/content were already integrated into the TV app's Up Next watch list. That said, yes, it will be a little more convenient for sign-up and billing; yes, it will be more convenient when browsing for new stuff to watch (since the full library is there in the same TV app); yes, video streams should start just a bit sooner since you won't be handed off from the TV app to the provider's own app; and yes, I expect video quality to be a little better since it's encoded by and streamed from Apple as opposed to HBO, Showtime, etc. Assuming the price is no higher than going direct through the provider's own app, and assuming one still has the option of using the provider's own authenticated app (e.g. Showtime Anytime) on non-Apple devices, then I'll probably switch to subscribing to those services via Apple TV Channels in the future.

As for Apple TV+, yes, it will ONLY be Apple's original content, which they just began producing in the last year or so (spending $1-2 billion so far). Unless they decide to license other companies' content -- which there have been zero rumors of them doing -- or they buy another content owner with an existing library (e.g. Sony Entertainment, MGM, Lionsgate, etc.), then Apple is only going to have a relatively small number of hours of video to offer at launch, with presumably only a few new hours added each month. It's hard for me to see how they'll be able to get many subscribers at all if they price it higher than $5-6 (or unless they bundle it in for free or super-cheap with other services, like Apple Music). There had been rumors that they would offer it for free, at least early on, exclusively to Apple device owners. Who knows, maybe that will still happen. Free for the first year to all Apple device owners, $6 for everyone else after one free month. Then you get another free year every time you buy a new iPhone, iPad, Mac or Apple TV.

 

What interests me is whether they’ll write an AppleTV app for running on TiVo. I live basically off my AppleTV4k now with YouTubeTV for some networks and local channels. It has unlimited DVR. The remote on the AppleTV is crap for navigation and forwarding 30 seconds. I’d rather try to getting cable networks (ESPN+, CNBC, TNT, etc) through the TiVO via an AppleTV app and my locals OTA.

 

The odds of that are probably slim to none.

EDIT: the inverse is on the way though, expected in Q3 2019. TiVo is writing a tvOS app for Apple TV (and Roku, and Fire TV).

 

Doing a hard click on the right edge of the Apple TV remote's touch pad always jumps me forward many seconds (15? 30?) in the video stream in nearly every app I use. Is that not working for you? Now, I will admit that I sometimes effect an up or down swipe, with the corresponding on-screen result, when I'm instead just meaning to do a left or right click or swipe. So the trackpad isn't perfect.

You might want to look into getting a Harmony universal remote. They can be programmed to control the ATV4K pretty well with just regular physical buttons, no trackpad. I used mine with my ATV4K when I first got it but quickly got used to the Apple remote and decided I preferred it. But, yeah, the Apple remote can still be frustrating now and then.

 

I hate the apple remote ,I was hoping they would announce a new remote with regular buttons. I hate it so much i am thinking of just getting the amazon fire tv cube. i have had bad luck with roku so i dont see myself buying another one those either.

 

I've ditched the Apple remote and exclusively use the one from Caavo.

 

All of the movies I purchased from iTunes (before anyone else was selling them digitally) showed up in Movies Anywhere once I linked my accounts. Sadly, there is not the same kind of thing for TV shows.