Apple Inc. is about to start guessing what you want to watch on TV. It’s bringing an all-new app called TV to Apple TV streaming boxes as well as iPhones and iPads this December.
The app will marry iTunes content with the apps you use to stream TV shows, movies and sports, honing its recommendations to your overall video preferences. It also will give Siri new abilities to get people streaming video quicker than before.
In the TV app, which Apple demonstrated Thursday during a press event in Cupertino, Calif., the first thing you see is a list of shows and movies labeled, “Up next.” This list displays new episodes of TV shows you watch on Hulu, iTunes, HBO Go, FX, Starz and other apps that you’re logged into. If you didn’t finish an episode or movie, it shows up in “Up next” as well, so you can pick up where you left off.If you want to watch something new, that you haven’t seen before, the TV app also will offer human curated suggestions for TV shows and movies. You can also browse suggestions by categories such as kids, sci-fi and comedy. The TV app will also have a section called “library” where you can see all of your iTunes purchases and rentals in one place.
Not all streaming services may be covered in the TV app. Netflix wasn’t mentioned as a compatible service in Apple’s demo. Neither was Amazon’s video service, which isn’t even available on Apple TV, but is available as an app for iPhones and iPads. Apple hasn’t yet responded to a request for comment.
The TV app lets you use Siri to jump into shows. Say, “Play Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and the show plays automatically, where you left off, whether you watch it in Hulu or paid for it on iTunes.
You can also use the app to get into live programming. In the demo, Apple showed how “Watch CBS News” could get you to a live broadcast, and “Watch the Louisville game” on a Saturday could launch college football on “Watch ESPN.” Ask “What other football games are on now?” and Siri could show the day’s games and how to stream them.
A store built into the TV app lets you download new streaming video apps. And for those who subscribe to a cable or satellite TV service, which can provide access to apps like ESPN, FX and HBO Go, the December software update also will include a “single sign-on” that lets you sign in once and automatically access any apps that are part of your pay-TV plan.
The pressure is on Apple to provide a more unified content experience, as smart TVs from Samsung Electronics Ltd. and LG Electronics Inc., and competing products from companies such as Roku Inc., do the same. We plan to review this new experience closer to its December launch.
[Source:-The Wall Street Journal]
