Brightcove, the online video platfrom that has long offered customers several ways to deliver content to the Apple TV, has released the Brightcove Native Player SDK for tvOS that allows customers to develop native applications for, and deliver Video Cloud content to, Apple TV.

With the September announcement of the next gen Apple TV, Brightcove launched the Jump Start for Apple TV program with the goal of helping content publishers create “powerful experiences” on the new Apple TV without spending the developer resources and time to do so.

The initial release of Brightcove’s tvOS SDK provides a foundation for the playback of Video Cloud assets including an integration with the Media and Playback APIs as well as full Video Cloud analytics support.

Content owners can easily leverage their assets and video metadata to create tvOS applications which captivate their audiences and gather comprehensive analytics data.

Built with developers in mind, the SDK caters to those familiar with iOS development and exposes underlying components that allow for changes or additions to be made on a whim.

The developers are planning to to add new functionality to the Native Player SDK, such as support for FairPlay DRM in Video Cloud.

Access to the SDK is included with Brightcove Video Cloud and Brightcove Perform.

Check out our gift guides:

• Last Minute Holiday Gift Ideas: Best Accessories for Apple TV Users
• Holiday Gift Guide: Best Accessories for Apple TV 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th gen.

Most of the Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals are still there: 

• Best deals on TVs for Apple TV
• Best deals on Bluetooth speakers for Apple TV 4
• Best deals on Bluetooth headphones for Apple TV 4
• Best deals on AirPlay speakers for Apple TV (2nd, 3rd and 4th gen.)
• Best deals on skins/stickers for Apple TV (1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th gen.)
• Best deals on Bluetooth keyboards for Apple TV 2 & 3
• TotalMount Pro for Apple TV (2nd, 3rd and 4th gen.) now 33% off

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

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As expected, Apple has toady announced the next generation Apple TV with big focus on apps and gaming. It runs the all-new tvOS operating system, based on Apple’s iOS, enabling iOS developers to create new apps and games specifically for Apple TV. Users will be able to download apps directly through the new Apple TV App Store.

The 4th gen. Apple TV features Apple’s 64-bit A8 chip and supports Bluetooth 4.0 and fast 802.11ac Wi-Fi..

It comes with a completely redesigned Bluetooth “Siri Remote” that lets you navigate through your content by using Siri or a glass touchpad. It also sports built-in accelerometer, gyroscope and a Lightning port.

You can search with your voice for TV shows and movies across multiple content providers simultaneously. Siri allows you to search TV shows and movies by title, genre, cast, crew, rating or popularity. Apple TV will search iTunes and apps from Netflix, Hulu, HBO and Showtime.

Siri also offers playback control and on-screen navigation, as well as quick access to sports, stock and weather information.

The new operating system – tvOS, supports key iOS technologies including Metal, for detailed graphics, complex visual effects and Game Center.

Crossy Road and Beat Sports are among the first games that we will see on the new Apple TV.

The revamped Apple TV will be available at the end of October starting at $149 for a 32GB model and $199 for a 64GB model.

A new Xcode beta that includes the tvOS SDK is available for developers today at developer.apple.com/xcode/downloads.

Developers can also request an Apple TV developer kit at developer.apple.com/tvos/.

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

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The WWDC 2014 is scheduled to be held a month from now in San Francisco and as usual, we’re in the dark as to what Apple is planning to show off. However, 9to5Mac seems to have caught with some sources with knowledge of the plans and brings the first glimpse of what we can expect. Though iOS 8 and OS X 10.10 would take the major flash, Apple TV is also on the agenda.

The major news is kind of disappointing as it says that the next Apple TV won’t be announced in the conference. Based on the recent rumors, we were expecting a refreshed Apple TV with new interface, SDK for third party channels, a standalone App Store and support for games and controller. It is reported that though Apple initially had plans of the same, the Apple TV 4 won’t be quite baked yet for the June event.

However, sources say that Cupertino is now planning separate launches for the Apple TV 4 software and hardware and that the WWDC may witness the former – meaning, the revamped firmware for the Apple TV and SDK for developers may be released at the event.

This also reinforces the earlier reports that the new software will be backward compatible and support at least the 2nd and 3rd generations of the Apple TV. So if things go as we hope, your old cluttered Apple TV might be running games, apps and new third party channels in a couple of months.

The other report is about a new feature in iOS 8 called multi-resolution support, which would help developers to adapt their games easily to the variety of screen resolutions of new iPhones and iPads. Analysts believe that if the rumored iOS sibling of Apple TV inherits this feature, many of the iOS games and apps will seamlessly start working with Apple TV with just few tweaks. And if that happens, the Apple TV App Store would gain millions of apps, within a matter of months.

But in the end, only June 2 will tell what Apple really has in those keynote slides. So what is that you are expecting the most from WWDC 2014? Let us know in comments below.

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

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Channel checks indicate Apple has a product event in March that is Apple-TV related (possibly an iTV SDK introduction. We think a Sep/Oct iTV launch is being targeted.

Apparently, Misek is modeling Apple to sell an estimated 2 million of its revamped Apple TVs during the third quarter of this year but told investors if this release happens in October rather than September, he may need to be pushed back his estimates a full quarter.

We expect a price point of $1,500+ for a 42” to 55” model and also expect a below corporate average [gross margin]. Apple is likely to largely rely on leveraging content via partnerships with existing pay-TV operators.

Apple is clearly poised to dominate this market if the content delivery system is there. The unique eye for design, integrated software, and expansive AppStore could make an Apple iTV the must have item of 2014.

Apple Insider went on to point out that, “a good deal of the speculation from the investor side has to do with a desire on their part for Apple to diversify its offerings.” With all the concern in the market regarding Apple’s ability to continue their growth without new products, this iTV news could be just the thing to get Apple back on its feet. I say that realizing that they are already a dominant force in the market but their is no denying that companies like Samsung and Google are hot on their heals.

Update: After The Loop’s Jim Dalyrmple, who has proven to be reliable when commenting on Apple’s plans for media events, has published his one word response on the situation saying “Nope” to an Apple TV event taking place in March, Apple Insider has reached out to Peter Misek, who “maintained a high level of confidence regarding his hardware predictions.”

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“The mythical Apple television set that everyone talks about is already here,” said Jeremy Allaire, CEO of Brightcove, in an interview with The Verge. Brightcove, a provider of cloud content services, has just unveiled the App Cloud Dual-Screen Solution for Apple TV. The new solution enables media publishers to develop apps for the iPhone and iPad that simultaneously control content, data and information presented on an HDTV while displaying synchronized content on the iPad or iPhone.

The dual-screen solution leverages Apple’s AirPlay technology, which allows viewers to use applications that simultaneously present content, interactive options and data on both the touch device and an Apple TV.

Brightcove’s new Dual-Screen App Solution will be included in the new App Cloud SDK and available to the open source community, enabling content owners to build dual-screen apps for Apple TV.

The availability of the dual-screen solution coincides with Brightcove’s introduction of App Cloud Core, a free developer edition, also announced today. App Cloud Core enables developers to build an unlimited number of mobile applications using HTML5 and JavaScript.

Although dual-screen apps for iOS and Apple TV (AirPlay-enabled apps) already exist, thanks to an open source SDK, it will be now easier to create such apps for Apple TV.

[image: The Verge]

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Facebook’s got the world’s biggest archive of photos, with 250 million posted each day, and allows for high-resolution uploads that’d look great blown up on a big screen. Imagine the photos from your news feed turned into a slideshow on your Apple television. Or the videos shared by friends streamed back-to-back. Even simple text status updates and their comments shown full-screen could be a pleasant laid-back experience. It could update reverse chronologically in real-time so you could leave it on to always see the latest content.

And while Facebook is struggling to make money on small mobile screens, Facebook TV could be a more natural place for display ads. Advertisers have been demanding a bigger, flashier ad formats that Facebook TV could host. We’re so used to watching commercials on TV that a glossy still ad every 10 minutes or 10 photos, or the occasional fifteen-second pre-roll might not seem out of place.

BGR reported on Friday that Apple will introduce an Apple TV SDK and Apple TV App Store at WWDC 2012.

Apple will kick off WWDC with its keynote presentation today at 10 a.m. PST. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Google+ for the latest updates on WWDC 2012.

[source: TechCrunch]

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Is the Apple TV about to get its own App Store? According to BGR, Apple will introduce an Apple TV SDK at WWDC 2012. Apple TV software development kit would allow third-party developers to make apps for Apple’s set-top box.

BGR reported last month that Apple is planning to unveil a brand new version of the Apple TV operating system at WWDC. A “trusted source” has told BGR that the new OS will be much more feature-complete than the current Apple TV OS and that it’s apparently the one that the long rumored Apple TV set will run.

At this year’s D10 conference, Apple CEO Tim Cook made clear that Apple TV is no longer a “hobby” project for the company: ”This is an area of intense interest for us,” Cook said, referring to the TV business. We’re going to keep pulling this string and see where it takes us.”

China Business News reported in May that Foxconn has already started a pilot production of the new Apple “smart TV”.

Apple will kick off WWDC with its keynote presentation today at 10 a.m. PST. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Google+ for the latest updates on WWDC 2012.

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