Genius Comes to Apple TV
October 3, 2008
Apple have released the genius playlist option to the Apple TV device. We have been fans of the Apple TV since their release and with each update the device becomes more and more a living room centre piece. Initially the Apple TV worked as an iPod for the living room but a number of recent updates have substantially increased the power of the media centre. The Apple TV update, 2.2 offers a number of new features as well a fixing an important security flaw.
- HD TV shows Purchase the leading HD TV shows directly from the iTunes Store. (Sadly US only)
- Movie browsing by actor and director Browse movies on the iTunes store by actor and director. Select “More” on the movie page and browse the actor and director list on the left to see other movies for that individual.
- Chapter selection, alternate audio and subtitles While playing a movie, press and hold Play/Pause to access chapter selection, alternate audio and subtitle display. The display shows the options available for the current movie.
- Movie description Press Up when playing a movie to display a description of that movie.
- Genius playlists To create a Genius playlist based on the currently playing song, press and hold Play/Pause to bring up the contextual menu and select Start Genius. Note: The Genius feature must first be enabled in iTunes 8.0.1 and synced with Apple TV.
- On-The-Go playlists To add the currently playing song to the On-The-Go playlist, press and hold Play/Pause to bring up the contextual menu and select Add To On-The-Go.
- Music videos in playlists Make playlists in iTunes combining your favorite music videos and songs. Play them back on Apple TV and let them play continuously.
- Apple TV standby mode From the main menu, press Play/Pause for about three seconds (or go to Settings Standby)
The update is available via the Apple TV dashboard.
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All the Apple TV needs now is a DVD drive … oh, hang on, that’s called a MacMini!
(Though if iPlayer was integrated with an Apple TV I would consider buying one and fitting it downstairs.)
The Mac Mini debate doesn’t hold up to me. The new interface on Apple TV is more than front row. We have YouTube, rentals, and all HD and very easy to use. The Apple TV is also much cheaper !?!?
But what would it cost them to add a slimline DVD player. It’s like the Wii … why no built in DVD software? Multifunction devices aren’t everything, but if you’re doing a front room media solution, need to support shaving mirrors.