“Take control of Apple TV” is a book by TidBITS managing editor Josh Centers that is said to answer every question you may have about the 4th generation Apple TV. It explains how to set it up and use it to watch movies and TV shows, play music, display your photos, and run all types of apps on the big screen.

Josh walks you through cables, ports, and setup, and explains how to use gestures and spoken commands with the Siri Remote—yes, you can talk to your TV! He helps you navigate and customize the Home screen, plus describes getting-started settings such as inputting your Apple ID and enabling parental controls.

In Take Control of Apple TV you’ll read about:

• The easy Siri Remote shortcut for sleeping your Apple TV
• Checking the battery level and charging your Siri Remote
• Three ways to rewind on the Siri Remote
• Alternatives to the Siri Remote
• Connecting your Apple TV to iCloud Photo Library, iCloud Photo Stream, iCloud Photo Sharing, or to photos stored on your local computer
• Beaming the display of your Mac or iPhone screen to your TV
• Making Mac or iOS audio play through your TV’s speakers
• Ripping DVDs and Blu-ray discs
• Running iTunes Home Sharing to play media from a local computer
• Using Plex Media Server to take your media library beyond iTunes
• Essential items to pack if you’ll be giving a presentation via an Apple TV
• What you can do with Conference Room Display mode
• How to tell if an iOS app includes a free copy of its Apple TV version
• How to reset or restore an Apple TV—useful for troubleshooting or for handing your device to a new owner

The second edition of the book includes What’s New in tvOS 9.2 that discusses the most importnat features of tvOS 9.2, like support for Bluetooth keyboards, Dictation, and the capability to display your iCloud Photo Library.

The book costs $15 and is available in PDF, EPUB and mobi formats from takecontrolbooks.com.

You can also get a free sample.

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

The post “Take control of Apple TV” – the ultimate guide appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

Apple today released the final version of tvOS 9.2 software update for the 4th generation Apple TV. tvOS 9.2 is a major update that brings folders for grouping apps on the home screen, support for Bluetooth keyboards, new Siri languages and an updated app switcher UI to the new Apple TV.

Folders

You can also group apps together in custom folders as you do on your iOS device. Just drag one app on top of another to create a folder, then give it a name.

New App Switecher UI

Double-click the Home button on the remote and you’ll see the apps you’ve used most recently. So you can quickly switch from one app to another without having to go all the way back to the Home screen.

Support for iCloud Photo Library and Live Photos

The new firmware also adds complete support for iCloud Photo Library and Live Photos. With iCloud Photo Library support on Apple TV 4, users will be able to view their full collection of photos and videos synced with iCloud. Previously, Apple TV has only supported viewing iCloud Photo Sharing and My Photo Stream.

Dictation

tvOS 9.2 brings voice dictation for search and username/password entry via the Siri remote.

Siri now has the ability to search the App Store for specific apps.

New features also include Siri support for US Spanish (in US only) and French Canadian (in Canada only) as well as Siri support for UK English, Australian English and US English available across the UK, Australian and US Storefronts when English is set as the system language.

tvOS 9.2 also supports MapKit, allowing developers to implement maps into their tvOS apps.

An update for the Apple TV Remote firmware adds improved motion sensor performance and support for additional sound bar and receiver hardware.

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

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Apple today released a native tvOS app that will allow Apple TV 4 users to live stream Apple’s upcoming event scheduled on Monday, March 21. The “Apple Events” app also makes it possible to watch replays of many of the previous Apple keynotes.

The Apple Events app offers live and on-demansd video of the company’s most important announcements, including presentations by Apple CEO Tim Cook.

Viewers are asked to tune in at 6pm local time on March 21 to watch the live broadcast.

Users of the 2nd and 3rd generation Apple TV will have to wait until the “Apple Events” channel shows up on the Apple TV main menu, which will probably happen on Monday, a few hours before the event starts.

It is expected that Apple will unveil a 4-inch iPhone SE, a 9.7-inch iPad Pro and new bands for the Apple Watch at the event. Apple may also reveal the release date of the final version of tvOS 9.2.

The event kicks off at 10am PST / 11am MST / 12pm CT / 1pm EST for the US, with the international times for the keynote as follows:

• London – 5:00 p.m.
• Paris – 6:00 p.m.
• Berlin – 6:00 p.m.
• Tokyo – 2:00 a.m. (Tuesday)
• Sydney – 4:00 a.m. (Tuesday)
• Auckland – 6:00 a.m. (Tuesday)

Streaming via Apple TV requires a 2nd or 3rd generation Apple TV with software 6.2 or later or an Apple TV 4.

In addition to the Apple TV, the event will be available live on iOS devices and Macs at https://apple.com/live.

Search for “Apple Events” on your Apple TV 4 to download the app.

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

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Apple has today released tvOS 9.2 beta 6 to developers (build 13Y5232a). tvOS 9.2 is a major update that brings folders for grouping apps on the home screen, support for Bluetooth keyboards, new Siri languages and an updated app switcher UI to the 4th generation Apple TV.

The new firmware also adds complete support for iCloud Photo Library and Live Photos. With iCloud Photo Library support on Apple TV 4, users will be able to view their full collection of photos and videos synced with iCloud. Previously, Apple TV has only supported viewing iCloud Photo Sharing and My Photo Stream.

tvOS 9.2 will also bring voice dictation for search and username/password entry via the Siri remote.

Siri will have the ability to search the App Store for specific apps.

New features also include Siri support for US Spanish (in US only) and French Canadian (in Canada only) as well as Siri support for UK English, Australian English and US English available across the UK, Australian and US Storefronts when English is set as the system language.

tvOS 9.2 will support MapKit, allowing developers to implement maps into their tvOS apps.

An update for the Apple TV Remote firmware will add improved motion sensor performance and support for additional sound bar and receiver hardware.

The latest beta is only available for developers and it must be installed on Apple TV 4 via a USB-C cable.

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

The post Apple releases tvOS 9.2 beta 6 for Apple TV 4 appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

Apple today released tvOS 9.2 beta for Apple TV 4 that adds Podcasts app, support for Bluetooth keyboards, folders for grouping apps, new Siri languages and a new app switcher.

Pairing Bluetooth keyboards for text entry was available for both 2nd and 3rd generation Apple TV, and it was highly requested feature for the Apple TV 4. With tvOS 9.2 users will be able to easily pair most of Bluetooth keyboards with their 4th gen. Apple TV.

The new beta also adds folders for grouping apps on the Apple TV home screen. As 9to5Mac notes, “pressing the Play/Pause button now brings up a series of options and controls for further management, including quick moves to folders or deletes.”

Siri now includes support for French Canadian (in Canada only) and US Spanish (in the US only). UK English, Australian English, and US English are now available in the UK, Australian, and US Storefronts when English is set as the tvOS language.

tvOS 9.2 also supports an updated app switcher UI and MapKit, allowing developers to implement maps into their tvOS apps.

Here are the official release notes:

tvOS 9.2 includes new features, bug fixes, and improvements in the OS and SDK.
New features and enhancements include:
– Bluetooth Keyboard support
– Folders support for grouping apps on Home screen
– MapKit support
– Siri support for US Spanish (in US only) and French Canadian (in Canada only)
– Siri support for UK English, Australian English and US English available across the UK, Australian and US Storefronts when English is set as the system language
– Updated App Switcher UI

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

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