Apple announced that app developers can now submit apps to its Apple TV App Store of sizes ranging anywhere from 200 MB to 4 GB. This is very good news for millions of developers, since it makes it easier for them to create more feature rich apps, including games. For a number of years the limit imposed by Apple sat at 200 MB, but the latest change in policy seems to bode well for both the company and the developers. Apple said that the increased size limit should provide a rich and full user experience upon installation. Apple also said that just like before, applications can host up to 20 gigabytes of extra content from the App Store.

With such a great announcement made by the Cupertino based company, many have started to speculate that Apple is paving the way for the 5th Generation of their popular Apple TV. The storage options for it may also be doubled, since the current 32 GB and 64 GB are too small. With the new changes, downloading a few large applications would easily fill up the device. However, a 256GB version of the Apple TV would easily accommodate several such apps.

According to developer Steve Troughton Smith, apps that are a few GB in size are usually games, so there is a possibility that the future Apple TV may double as a gaming console. Steve continued to say that if Apple wishes to, they could easily fit a modern GPU and CPU into their upcoming Apple TV and make it a lot more powerful than many of the gaming consoles currently on the market. Steve specifically referred to the Switch, which is Nintendo’s newest gaming console.

The post Changes in the Apple TV make way for better gaming appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

After two months of testing and feedback from registered developers, Apple has finally released the final version of tvOS 9.2.2 for the Apple TV 4th generation. If you’ve got the ATV4, then you’ll want to download the latest update right away.

The tvOS 9.2.2 update is only a minor update, as in it only features some bug fixes and improvements. This is the second minor update following the release of tvOS 9.2 almost four months ago. Apple included plenty of new features and improvements on the tvOS 9.2 update.

You can download the latest tvOS 9.2.2 update by turning on your Apple TV and heading over to System>Software Update. The latest update will be automatically installed if you have enabled automatic software updates on your set top box.

The update focuses on resolving bugs that were discovered in tvOS 9.2.1, some security enhancements and performance improvements throughout the system. Remember, this update is only for the latest Apple TV 4th gen.

This is most likely the last software update that the Apple TV 4 will receive before being updated to tvOS 10. Apple is currently beta testing tvOS 10 and it includes several new features. You get an overall improved Siri search, single sign-on for cable, game controller support, Dark Mode, redesigned Remote app, automatic downloads for apps, and more .

Apple will release the final public version of tvOS 10 alongside the launch of the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus/Pro in September this year. Until then, you will have to enjoy tvOS 9.2.2. You can read about the security content of the latest update over here.

The post tvOS 9.2.2 Released With Bug Fixes and Improvements for Apple TV 4th Gen appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

Apple announced at this year’s WWDC  they are working on a new version of the Remote app for iPhone and iPad that will get all the features of the Apple TV Siri Remote, including touch navigation, Siri and game play support. According to CNET, the redesigned app will be released to the public this summer but the beta version is now available for testing and can be accessed by registered developers.

After downloading the Apple TV Remote IPA, you will be able to install the app directly to your iPhone or iPad via iTunes. The app requires an iPhone or iPad running iOS 9.3.2 or later, and the Apple TV running tvOS 9.2.1 or later.

9to5Mac’s Jeff Benjamin has already got his hands on the new app. Taka a look at his video walkthrough:

As noted by 9to5Mac, the new Apple TV Remote will allow you to:

• Navigate Apple TV with touch gestures
• Ask Siri to find something great to watch, listen to, or play
• Dictate text, including usernames and passwords
• Enter text with the keyboard
• Play games using the accelerometer and gyroscope on your iOS device
• Game Mode with simplified game controls, available while holding your iOS device in a landscape orientation
• Controll the movie, TV show, or song that’s currently playing in the Now Playing screen

Learn more about everything Apple announced at WWDC 2016.

Be sure to follow Apple TV Hacks on Twitter, Facebook or Google+ for all the latest Apple TV-related news.

The post Apple TV Remote app for Apple TV 4 now available for testing appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

Apple TV took the third place position in 2015, based on revenue in the overall global set-top market, according to the recent research by IHS. That’s up from ninth place in 2014.

The research finds that more than 10 million Apple TVs were shipped in 2015 — the fifth largest volume in the world — following Arris, Technicolor, and Skyworth and ZTE.

According to Daniel Simmons, director of connected home for IHS Technology, “Apple TV’s particular success is a result of translating consumption habits from across Apple’s wider device ecosystem onto the TV screen.”

In 2015, global set-top box shipments grew 4.8 percent, year over year, to reach 353 million units, according to IHS

This growth was driven by internet-protocol television (IPTV) in China, where telecommunications companies are pushing IPTV services to generate returns on their investments in fiber to the home (FTTH), which connects buildings with high-speed internet access.

Revenue increased by 3.4 percent to reach $5.7 billion in the fourth quarter of 2015, compared to the previous quarter, partially driven by next generation device launches of Apple, Amazon, and Roku. Revenue for 2015 fell 5.4 percent to $22.2 billion, due to reduced demand for high value STBs in North America, primarily caused by poor pay-TV performance in the region.

Simmons said that the new positioning of Apple at the top of the set-top box market reflects several trends:

1. Pay-TV specific set-top boxes are becoming less important for consumers to access premium content, because Netflix, HBO Go and other OTT video platforms now offer top-tier content to retail OTT STBs.
2. As retail STBs have grown in the market, traditional pay-TV set-top vendors have been forced to re-position themselves, with significant consolidation at the top of the market, diversification toward software and services in the middle, and low-end vendors moving toward broader volume.

Be sure to follow Apple TV Hacks on Twitter, Facebook or Google+ for all the latest Apple TV-related news.

The post Apple TV growing in popularity appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

Yahoo today launched Yahoo Sports for Apple TV 4, a new app that all allows users to watch their personalized sports news, highlights and live games completely free.

At launch, users can watch the most recent news and highlights from MLB, NHL, NBA, PGA and some of the top soccer leagues from around the world.

They will also get the coverage and in-depth analysis from the Yahoo Sports editorial team such as The Vertical with Woj, Instant Reactions, Sports Dash, and Power Rankings.

The app also gives access to Yahoo Sports’ full slate of  live streaming options including the MLB Free Game of the Day.

Just select your favorite teams through a simple one-time setup and from then on you’ll get a personalized sports playlist of top highlights from your teams and the top stories across sports.

Yahoo said they will be releasing new features for the app in the coming months.

The Yahoo Sports app for Apple TV 4 is available for download now through the Apple TV App Store.

Be sure to follow Apple TV Hacks on Twitter, Facebook or Google+ for all the latest Apple TV-related news.

The post Yahoo Sports app for Apple TV 4 now available appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

Last year, Amazon appeared to have confirmed that they were developing a tvOS app for Prime Video, but the second-largest streaming service in the United States is still missing from the Apple TV. Speaking at Vox Media’s Code Conference yesterday, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said the company wants “acceptable business terms” before it can bring Prime Video to platforms like Apple TV.

We can always get the player on the device, the question is whether you can get it on with acceptable business terms.

When asked whether “acceptable business terms” meant paying Apple’s famous 30 percent cut on in-app purchases and subscriptions, Bezos declined to answer and said that “private business discussions should stay private.”

Last October Amazon pulled both Apple TV and Chromecast from its retail store citing potential customer confusion over which streaming devices support Amazon Prime Video.

It’s important that the streaming media players we sell interact well with Prime Video in order to avoid customer confusion.

Now, it seems that Amazon can bring its video service to the Apple TV and return the set-top box to its store only after Apple offers “acceptable business terms”, which would probably mean agreeing to take less than 30% cut of anything sold within Amazon Prime Video app on Apple TV.

Also read: Starz subscription streaming app now available on Apple TV

Be sure to follow Apple TV Hacks on Twitter, Facebook or Google+ for all the latest Apple TV-related news.

The post Amazon Prime Video not coming to Apple TV until Apple agrees to ‘acceptable business terms’ appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

Rheo is an interesting new tvOS app that curates videos from across the web. It is said to be “the fastest way for you to discover and enjoy the videos you want to watch.” Alan Cannistraro, founder of Copper Studios, the company behind the app, spent 12 years at Apple in both design and engineering roles of media products. He worked on the very beginnings of Apple TV, and even brainstormed with Steve Jobs about the future of media technology.

Rheo finds the best short-form content available, and deliver it to you as a single, interactive stream. 

The developers reduced navigation to its simplest form: Watch, Skip, Tune.

Watch

When you launch the app, it starts playing immediately. When a video ends, the next one begins.

You can also scrub content. By moving your finger in a circular motion, you can move slowly to scrub frame-by-frame, or quickly to jump anywhere in the clip.

Skip

Rheo lets you flip through videos as quickly as you’re used to flipping through photos or songs.

We do all the work to make sure the next video is ready to play as soon as you’re ready to watch something new.

Tune

The more you use Rheo, the more it learns what you like and what you don’t.

By pressing the ‘menu’ button on the Siri Remote, you can pick between:

• Laugh — enjoy the hottest new comedy clips
• Inform — catch up with breaking news
• Learn — expand your mind, just a little
• Spark — appreciate festival-quality short films and animation
• Chill — float on a stream of downtempo music that you can play all day long.

Search for “Rheo” on your Apple TV’s App Store to download the app.

Be sure to follow Apple TV Hacks on Twitter, Facebook or Google+ for all the latest Apple TV-related news.

The post New Apple TV apps: Rheo – video for the streaming generation appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

NBCUniversal announced that pay-TV customers can now watch shows from its Bravo, Syfy and E! on Apple TV 4 with the launch of three apps for tvOS: Bravo Now, E! Now and Syfy Now.

Apple TV users who authenticate via their cable, satellite or telco TV provider get access to full seasons, and current and past episodes of many of Bravo, E! and Syfy’s most popular programmes.

The Bravo Now app includes the latest episodes of “The Real Housewives of New York City” (pictured above), “Below Deck Mediterranean,” comedy “Odd Mom Out” and “Top Chef.” This fall, the lineup will include scripted series “Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce” and season five of “Vanderpump Rules.”

Syfy Now’s lineup includes drama “The Magicians,” thriller “12 Monkeys” and the network’s long-running reality show “Face Off.”

The E! Now app features fan-favorite “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” and other unscripted fare including “Botched,” “#RichKids of Beverly Hills,” Caitlyn Jenner’s “I Am Cait” with and “WAGS” (available May 27). Episodes of E!’s “The Royals” will be available later this year.

Other NBCUniversal networks on the Apple TV include NBC, USA, NBCSN, and CNBC.

Simply search for “Bravo Now”, “Syfy Now” or “E! Now” on the Apple TV App Store to download the app.

Be sure to follow Apple TV Hacks on Twitter, Facebook or Google+ for all the latest Apple TV-related news.

The post NBCU’s Bravo, Syfy and E! apps now available on Apple TV appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

BitTorrent has launched BitTorrent Live, a multichannel, live and linear video streaming platform spanning news, sports, music, tech, and youth culture. It is already available for Apple TV 4 and will soon come to iOS, OS X and Android.

BitTorret Live allows you to watch free streams from 13 content providers. Variety reports that the biggest focus will be on content that warrants live viewing, including news, sports and events.

Powered by the company’s proprietary peer-to-peer live streaming protocol, BitTorrent Live allows for large audiences to view live video with sub 10-second latency and without the need for CDN or pre-provisioning.

With BitTorrent Live, every viewer is also a broadcaster. According to the company, “this allows the video stream to remain strong and for the broadcast to be as scalable as traditional Over-the-Air TV.”

BitTorrent Live Programming

• AWE: Formerly known as WealthTV, AWE is a 24/7 network devoted to taking viewers on a journey of how wealth is achieved, used and enjoyed.

• Clubbing TV:  The official media partner of some of the planet’s biggest electro festivals, Clubbing TV offers exclusive, quality electronic music content from artists and labels all around the globe embracing the entire the Dance Music lifestyle.

• FAST&FUN is a new Television Channel offering an action-packed, adrenaline-including medley of extreme sports, from car racing and motocross to snowboarding and skateboarding; a large variety of disciplines, shows and competitions from all over the world.

• Fightbox: From MMA and boxing to arm wrestling and sumo, Fightbox is a compilation of the finest combat sports from around the globe all on one channel.

• Filmbox Arthouse: Every month FilmBox Arthouse also airs special presentations devoted to a particular creative movement (German Expressionism, New Romanian Cinema) or individual filmmakers (The Surreal Art of Salvador Dali, Rossellini’s War Trilogy, etc.)

• Heroes TV: Delivers what action, adventure fanatics want.  Heroes TV targets audiences with Multiple programming categories to offer the most comprehensive action, adventure line up on TV.

• Newsmax: Newsmax TV provides the latest news, expert views and live programming from your favorite TV hosts and A-list guests. (conservative programming)

• NUsicTV:  Delivers the finest new independent artists at the forefront of music in a linear broadcast, allowing viewers to discover the vanguard in music without having to search the internet.

• OANN: Features political analysis programming and political talk shows, along with network special documentary-style reports; its news coverage attempts to maintain objectivity while its political shows illustrate a stronger conservative lean.

• One World Sports: It features exclusive, live, world-class sporting events and premier matchups from around the world, with over 3,000 hours of unduplicated sports programming annually. Content focus is on live and same-day action of league, championship and qualification competitions in soccer, basketball, baseball, golf, table tennis, badminton, darts, and more.

• OpenNews TV: OpenNews TV brings you live video talk shows from the best progressive talk radio personalities.

• Pursuit Channel: Pursuit Channel is a television network that airs programming geared to hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation.

• TWiT: The TWiT.tv Netcast Network with Leo Laporte features the #1 ranked technology podcast This Week in Tech, along with over 20 other top-ranked online shows.

BitTorrent says that additional channels will follow, including subscription based, ad supported, and Pay Per View premium tiers.

Search for “BitTorrent Live” on the Apple TV App Store to download the free app.

[App Store Link]

Be sure to follow Apple TV Hacks on Twitter, Facebook or Google+ for all the latest Apple TV-related news.

The post BitTorrent launches BitTorrent Live, a multichannel live TV streaming app for Apple TV 4 appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

AirParrot 2, a little piece of software that lets you wirelessly stream your screen or media files to a variety of media receivers, has been today updated to version 2.5.1. This update resolves an issue when connecting to a Chromecast running the latest Chromecast software update.

Released in November 2014, AirParrot 2 was the first application to enable screen mirroring from a Mac or Windows computer to a Chromecast receiver.

You can update AirParrot 2 by selecting “Check for Updates” from the AirParrot 2 preferences menu. Additionally, you can download the new version from the AirParrot 2 download page.

Read more about AirParrot 2:

• AirParrot 2 updated with support for 13 new languages
• Squirrels releases AirParrot Remote: an iOS remote for AirParrot 2
• AirParrot 2: the ultimate companion app for Apple TV 4
• AirParrot 2.2.1 for Mac brings improved cast mirroring and hardware acceleration

Be sure to follow Apple TV Hacks on Twitter, Facebook or Google+ for all the latest Apple TV-related news.

The post AirParrot 2.5.1 for Mac and Windows resolves Chromcast connectivity issues appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.