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Filed under: Cool tools, How-tos, Tips and tricks

Batch tagging your iTunes videos the easy way

by Sang Tang on Jun 30th 2009 at 10:00AM

"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet." - William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

If we applied Shakespeare's logic to today's digital age, then it would also mean that watching mis-tagged or untagged videos on your Apple device (be it a Mac, iPhone, iPod or Apple TV) would be just as enjoyable. Okay, you got me, they'd probably be just as good. But this doesn't mean you're excused from tagging your videos appropriately.

First, a bit of background. The vast majority of videos purchased from the iTunes store, as well as "digital copy" (iPod/iPhone pre-formatted videos that are sometimes included on DVDs and Blu-Ray discs), will come pre-tagged. So, the situation for those in this camp (myself included) is peachy, especially when using an Apple TV. Your videos show up on the screen screen with proper titles, season and episode numbers, actors, and descriptions. Just the way Steve likes 'em.

But what if you already own the DVD and want a version for your iTunes library? For those of you with the time and patience to rip an MPEG-4 version (and believe me, this takes some patience, especially if you use H.264 encoding) of your favorite videos, a HandBrake-MetaX martini make tagging your videos a bit more of a pleasurable experience - as if it wasn't fun enough already.

Continue reading “Batch tagging your iTunes videos the easy way”

Tags: apple tv, AppleTv, dvd, handbrake, iphone, itunes, mac, metax, movies, quicktime, tag, tagging, tv shows, TvShows, video, videos

Filed under: iPod Family, Software Update, iPhone, Apple TV

Apple TV software update adds gesture support via Remote

by Michael Jones on Jun 24th 2009 at 5:30PM

Apple has quietly pushed out software updates for both the Apple TV and the Remote application for the iPhone and iPod touch. The update, identified as version 2.4 for the Apple TV, and version 1.3 (24) for the Remote app, adds gesture support for controlling Apple TV from your iPhone or iPod.

Our in-house Apple TV geeks, Megan Lavey and Christina Warren, both installed the updates and gave them a try. Megan indicated the gestures were quick and responsive, and coupled with the ability to use the iPhone/iPod keyboard to search for shows, the new versions made it much less tedious to navigate through your shows.

Boxee users may wish to hold off on updating, however, as it seems that you may not be able to reinstall Boxee after completing the update. Also worth noting is that the new Remote app requires the 3.0 software update to be installed on your iPhone or iPod touch.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

Gallery: Apple TV Remote Gestures

Gesture WindowVideo PlaybackAudio Playback ControlsNavigation Window

Tags: Apple Remote, apple tv, AppleRemote, AppleTv, breaking news, BreakingNews, iPhone, iPod Touch, IpodTouch, Remote

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Rumors, WWDC, Apple, iPhone, App Store

Wall Street analysts anticipate WWDC 09

by Steven Sande on Jun 4th 2009 at 8:30PM

With WWDC 09 coming up next week, Wall Street analysts are polishing their crystal balls and commenting on what they think we'll hear about. In a post on Barron's Tech Trader Daily blog, Eric Savitz polled the top tech analysts for their ideas.

Yair Reiner of Oppenheimer believes that the new iPhones will be delayed until WWDC so that the conference focus will be on Snow Leopard and iPhone OS 3.0. Shaw Wu of Kaufman Brothers is in agreement, and Wu also believes that AT&T will offer more flexible service plans, and that the iPhone line will split into a high-end version with improved battery life and a junior version with less functionality.

Savitz's post goes on to tap Phil Cusick of Macquarie Research for his ideas, which also include the split of the line into high-end and entry-level iPhones. He's noted as saying that the high-end phone will include both a front camera for video chat and a rear mounted autofocus camera, but that an OLED screen won't be a feature of this device.

Kathryn Huberty of Morgan Stanley is cited as believing that the new iPhones will be unveiled at WWDC, with a $100 price cut, lower AT&T service plan fees, and entrance into the China market, thereby increasing demand. Huberty is noted as thinking that Apple won't add another US carrier before 2011. Vincent Rech of Societe Generale also believes that China is ripe for an iPhone distribution deal.

Everybody's favorite research analyst, Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray, has high hopes for AppleTV in the near future, according to a post on the Wall Street Journal's All Things Digital site today.

Blogger John Paczkowsi cites Munster as believing that Apple is working on both a new AppleTV for a September release and an App Store to go with it. WWDC 09 might be used as a launch site for an AppleTV SDK, along with an announcement of an App Store for AppleTV for a 2010 launch.

Munster, who has a pretty good track record at Apple predictions, feels that future AppleTV apps could include digital video services for expanding content offerings (he cites Hulu as an example) and that an SDK would enable use of the iPhone or iPod touch as a game controller.

The consensus? Pretty much everyone believes that new iPhones are imminent, although the timing of the release is up in the air. Several of the analysts believe that the new devices will be announced at a separate Apple event towards the end of June where Steve Jobs can make his long-awaited return to the company.

Whatever the outcome of WWDC, be sure to stay tuned to TUAW for our continuing coverage of this important event.

Tags: apple tv, AppleTv, features, gene munster, GeneMunster, iphone, wall street, WallStreet, wwdc

Filed under: Multimedia, Software, Beta Beat

Evom beta takes up iSquint's mantle, effortlessly converts video formats

by Robert Palmer on Jun 1st 2009 at 12:00PM

While still in beta, Evom (from The Little App Factory, makers of iPodRip) looks ready to pick up where iSquint left off. It easily and quickly converts videos to formats compatible with iTunes, YouTube, your iPod, and Apple TV.

It couldn't be a simpler drag-and-drop operation: drop the video on the Evom window, and select a destination. After that, Evom does the heavy lifting and (optionally) adds the finished video to iTunes. The output quality is good -- it uses the same technical foundation as ffmpegX. You get the same high quality without all the fiddly controls of ffmpegX.

Evom also includes a bookmarklet that lets you save off YouTube videos to your computer with a single click. The quality of the output there mostly depends on how good the source video is, but it couldn't be easier.

iSquint, my favorite "as if by magic" video conversion tool, was discontinued after Techspansion (also the makers of iSquint's bigger brother VisualHub) shut their doors last October. The VisualHub codebase is still being developed, however, in a new project called Video Monkey that Aron covered in March, which is also well worth a look.

Evom is in beta, but unlike iSquint, it appears like it may cost something when the final version is released. It also appears limited to converting 60 items until it's registered, and trying to register the app leads to a non-existent shopping cart area. Even so, the simple interface and easy installation will be worth a few bucks to me.

[Via Daring Fireball.]

Tags: appletv, beta, conversion, evom, ffmpeg, ipodrip, isquint, techspansion, video, youtube

Filed under: Video, Internet, Internet Tools

Hulu Desktop app gives full-screen experience to Mac users

by Christina Warren on May 28th 2009 at 5:00PM



NBC's online video site, Hulu, has launched a desktop app that allows Mac users to watch Hulu content without using a web browser, and with full Apple Remote support. After all of the boxee nastiness, I'm a bit surprised by the development. That doesn't mean this isn't still exciting.

For some background, Hulu has been involved in a back-and-forth battle with the social media center application, boxee, which allows users to access online content from their Mac or Apple TV and makes big-screen viewing a pleasure. The last big boxee update changed how boxee serves Hulu content, in an effort to make it more difficult for Hulu to pull the plug.

Hulu's justification (well, one of many justifications) for going after boxee was that the content is designed to be viewed from a web browser and not from the couch. Although the tagline for Hulu Desktop, "Lean-back viewing for your PC," keeps the sematic difference between a 24" LCD monitor and a 25" LCD TV in check, the execution, especially with extensive remote support, seems to say something else.

I don't know, maybe Hulu really believes that people won't be using this application with their TV-connected Macs or Windows Media PCs, but this app certainly feels like it was meant for big screens.

Regardless of the double-speak, how well does this application actually work? Well, based on my limited testing (I did want to get this post done), it is awesome. I totally want to figure out if the arbitrary system requirements can be bypassed so this can get running on the Apple TV.


The Interface

The interface is great. Although Hulu Desktop didn't take up the full-screen of my 22" external monitor when it was initially launched, a quick ⌘-F will take you full screen. I should also note that the size of the application window was larger than 1280x800 by default, so mobile users might get the "full screen" upon launch experience.

The Apple remote works flawlessly with the Hulu application. My only problem was with my screensaver -- unlike FrontRow, Hulu doesn't turn the screensaver off when playing back content. I also managed to crash the application, but that's to be expected.

All in all, finding programming to watch is easy and intutiive, not unlike the original Hulu implementation in boxee. Switching from playing a program to searching for others is easy (the Menu button) and fast-forwarding through content is a joy. As a long-time boxee user who hates trying to fast-forward or rewind Hulu playback (even before they switched serving mechanisms), this is nice. By default, my Internet connection played back everything at High Quality (you can adjust this in the settings), and the quality looked even better than in the browser.

Gallery: Hulu Desktop for Mac

Continue reading “Hulu Desktop app gives full-screen experience to Mac users”

Tags: appletv, boxee, hulu, hulu-desktop

Filed under: Apple Corporate, Multimedia, Rumors, Apple TV

Blockbuster to bring content to Apple

by Dave Caolo on Mar 25th 2009 at 11:00AM

On a January day in 1981, my sisters and I experienced unbridled glee when our father came home with a shiny new VCR. Imagine: Movies. In our own house. Whenever we wanted. What a world! It was an enormous, top-loading hunk of metal and plastic that I'm sure is currently at the bottom of a Pennsylvania landfill.

The VCR's arrival spawned the movie rental shop, the biggest of which (In Scranton, anyway) was Blockbuster. Today, services like On Demand, Netflix, Hulu and to a lesser extent Apple TV have forced them to re-think their business model, and they're getting into the video on demand business as well.

According to AppleInsider, Blockbuster's vice president of digital entertainment Kevin Lewis recently told Reuters that they're going to make downloadable content available to TiVo customers soon, and Apple after that.

That's all the detail we've got, but we'll assume he meant the Apple TV and iTunes. We'll keep an eye on this story and keep you updated.

Tags: apple tv, AppleTv, blockbuster, itunes, itunes store, ItunesStore, on demand, OnDemand, rentals

Filed under: Software, Apple TV

Boxee alpha boasts API, Hulu-stomping browser and Pandora

by Christina Warren on Mar 24th 2009 at 7:45PM



Boxee is having a massive meet-up in NYC tonight and is unveiling a new version of the alpha that brings more features, some Hulu manageability, and a new API. Fire up the update function in your Apple TV or OS X copies of boxee and get in on the fun!

Tonight's new release brings in some new features and workarounds to existing services:

  • The excellent music service, Pandora, is now built-into boxee, using the new boxee API
  • Speaking of the API, it should now be easier than ever for users to contribute add-ons to the project to integrate new service
  • BoxeeHQ has launched its PBS App Box app. It's pretty solid and provides access to many of public broadcasting's best content
  • A new XUL-based browser for Hulu and other content. This is big, because XUL is the framework that Mozilla uses for Firefox, meaning, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to restrict access to RSS streams accessed by boxee.
  • RadioTime support for over 100,000 terrestrial radio stations that can be streamed worldwide.
If you are on your Apple TV, just go to the Downloads section in Launcher and grab the latest version. Mac users can either download the latest version from boxee.tv or use the new auto-update feature to grab the latest release.

And of course, controlling boxee is now even easier using the free remote for the iPhone and iPod touch.

Tags: apple tv, AppleTv, boxee, boxeehq, hulu, pandora

Filed under: Software, Internet Tools, Mac mini, Apple TV

Boxee launches update, "App Box" and Hulu RSS support

by Christina Warren on Mar 6th 2009 at 11:00AM


My favorite media center software, boxee, has just released a new alpha update for Mac OS X 10.4 and 10.5 users and Apple TV users. This update, which the boxee team classifies as bleeding-edge (which means, if you don't want to deal with any potential bugs, wait for the more stable release scheduled for March 24, 2009) adds the "App Box" -- boxee's version of the App Store, automatic updates, and most excitingly, a new video-optimized RSS reader. The new RSS reader allows users to access Hulu's public RSS feeds directly from boxee.

Two weeks ago, boxee was forced to remove Hulu streams from its service. As boxee noted in its blog, users aren't going to wait around for Hulu's content providers to get with the program, or for an official agreement to be ironed out. Within hours of the initial Hulu shutdown, industrious coders created alternatives anyway; those alternatives were thwarted, rebuilt, thwarted again, and the game continues on. Although the RSS feed implementation isn't as slick or as quick as boxee's stand-alone app was, it's a start. Plus, on my 40" Samnsung HDTV, the quality wasn't bad at all. Playback was a little more stilted than via the direct boxee app, but it is certainly more than watchable.

Boxee's "App Box," which is similar to the Plex App Store, utilizes a lot of video source plugins previously available from places like BoxeeHQ. Now the installation process is one-click, and not a bunch of steps. Right now, the only repository of apps set by default is the official repository, which contains add-ons built by boxee or trusted sources, but you can easily add access to additional sources as they crop up (dir.boxeehq.com will get you access to every BoxeeHQ app). Some of the new sources that are especially cool: TED Talks and Boing!Boing! video. BoxeeHQ is prepping a PBS app for the March 24th boxee release, so lots of cool stuff is on the way.

To download the latest boxee release, head over to app.boxee.tv, head over to Download and download the Mac version. Apple TV boxee users just need to go to Downloads in the Launcher menu (where Boxee and XBMC are located) and grab the latest version (it'll say 0.9.9.5324 test version) that way. If you need to put boxee on your Apple TV, head over to the ATV-USB Creator page and you can get all the information you need to create a patchstick.

I've updated my Apple TV and my MacBook and I'm digging the new features. What do you think?

Tags: apple tv, AppleTv, boxee, boxeehq, hulu, plex

Filed under: Software Update, Apple, Apple TV

AppleTV gets a stealth update

by Mel Martin on Feb 25th 2009 at 11:00AM

Apple didn't just update Safari's beta yesterday. While no one was looking, the Apple TV was updated to version 2.3.1. We checked, and there was no update note published and no specific information on the Apple web site. The most recent software note is from November 19, 2008 and refers to the version 2.3 update.

I prowled around the menus in the new version a bit, and found a Network Test function. It asked me what my bandwidth was, or allowed me to say I didn't know. Then after a few seconds a progress bar showed that something was downloading. The test ended and I received no information about my download speed, so I assume the information went to Apple to help diagnose any connectivity problems.

There may be some other changes or fixes, but I didn't see anything and Apple is so far silent on what else may be in this update. After my update the AppleTV page on iTunes was missing all the media tabs except for 'Photos'. I dropped the connection between iTunes and the AppleTV and re-linked them, and all the tabs came back. I did have to sync again. Whether that was caused by the firmware update or a problem I had and didn't notice is unknown. I suspect it is the former, but no harm was done, other than the bother of doing a fresh sync.

Apple would do well to open up a bit about these stealth updates. I hate updating firmware without knowing the benefits, if any, the update gives me. Then again, if a bandwidth tester is the stealthy scout for the rumored iTunes Replay streaming-on-demand service, that's probably a good thing.

Of course, if you have modified your Apple TV to run boxee you will notice that the update sends it into the netherworlds. Users tell us re-applying the patchstick for boxee puts everything back where it was.

Thanks to TUAW reader Nate and others for the heads up.

Tags: AppleTV, firmware update, software update

Filed under: Video, Hacks, Internet Tools, Apple TV

Hack Patrol: Restore Hulu to Boxee

by Mat Lu on Feb 22nd 2009 at 12:30PM

As one might expect in the hubub following Hulu's decision to block Boxee users from streaming its content, a technical work around has now popped up. Over at Lifehacker they've got complete instructions for installing a plugin for XBMC / Boxee that will bring back the brain-softening stream.

It appears to be a relatively simple process that works for both the Apple TV and the Mac versions of Boxee. Of course, there's no telling how long this particular patch will work, though frankly it seems hopeless on the part of Hulu. After all, they have to make their content available to web browsers, so in the end all the XBMC / Boxee hackers have to do is fool the Hulu servers into thinking they're streaming content to a regular web browser's Flash plugin. So unless I'm missing something, from a technical standpoint it seems like as long as the XBMC community is willing to write patches I don't see how Hulu can keep their content locked up. Of course whether they might have some legal recourse is another matter whatsoever.

Update: Apparently the plugin is already broken. Hopefully, a new one will pop up soon.

Tags: apple tv, AppleTv, boxee, xbmc

Filed under: Internet, Internet Tools, Apple TV

Boxee forced to remove Hulu

by Christina Warren on Feb 18th 2009 at 7:30PM

As a boxee user/proselytizer, I am gutted over the latest news: Hulu will be removed from boxee as of Friday (February 20, 2009). Hulu gives some insight into its request for removal from boxee in its blog post and at least Hulu seems to understand that this decision will be extremely unpopular for users. And I think that's an understatement.

So what's going on? Why would Hulu request the removal from a system that not only doesn't omit ads, but gives nothing but positive good will to the Hulu brand? As always, it seems to come down to money, or in this case, "content providers." Apparently big media still doesn't get it. Streaming TV shows over the web -- even in HD -- is apparently just fine, just don't make it easy to access or use on a TV-sized monitor.

Boxee isn't alone in feeling Hulu's wrath. Earlier today, Hulu content was yanked off of TV.com (CBS's TV portal that started offering programming in January). I sort of understand Hulu's position in regards to TV.com -- why give competitors a key to all of your content if you aren't going to get anything in return -- but boxee?

This is just incredibly short-sighted and a total lose for consumers, customers and TV viewers. Just as television networks are making waves in providing free alternatives to torrents (or buying stuff off of iTunes), they do stuff like this that only reinforces old habits.

The even more pathetic situation is that if I hook up my MacBook to my HDTV, using HDMI or DVI, I can still watch Hulu that way. I can even pause and fast forward from the comfort of my couch, if I use a Bluetooth keyboard. This just makes having a central box for all my media THAT much more difficult.

Will this end with boxee? What about the Hulu-capable TVs that debuted at CES? Are those devices somehow exempt?

We'll be following this story as it develops. As the boxee team says, they are committed to getting Hulu back on boxee. We hope something can be worked out soon.



Tags: apple tv, AppleTv, boxee, breaking, breaking-news, Hulu

Filed under: Apple TV

Apple wants to know more about your Apple TV use

by Cory Bohon on Feb 10th 2009 at 12:00PM


Apple is now asking users of the Apple TV product to take a survey "in an effort to improve [the] Apple TV." According to Mac Rumors, new Apple TV owners were told about this data collection. In an email sent to various users, Apple gives us the following details about the survey:

"Please take a few minutes to complete this survey to help us understand how you use your Apple TV. Your responses will remain completely confidential and results will be viewed only in aggregate. We value and appreciate your input."

The survey takes a few minutes to complete, and provides users the ability to give their full input in the form of a text box. You can take the survey by clicking here.

Update: Apparently Apple is experiencing a heavy server load and the survey site is being very unresponsive or not at all responsive at this time.

Thanks for the tip, Zack!

Tags: Apple TV, AppleTv, survey

Filed under: Accessories, Analysis / Opinion, Apple TV, Road Tested

One month with Apple TV

by Dave Caolo on Feb 2nd 2009 at 4:00PM

Last Christmas, my wife surprised me with an Apple TV. I had mentioned it a few times, but not with the breathless anticipation I typically reserve for Apple products and baked goods. Still, I set it up and have enjoyed renting movies, listening to music and delighting the kids with enormous pictures of themselves.

While the Apple TV isn't a flop, it isn't the type of runaway hit we've come to expect from Cupertino. When Tim Cook shared Apple's first quarter financial results last month, he referred to the Apple TV as "...a hobby." He also noted that sales tripled since they added movie rentals, but didn't share specific numbers. After a month of playing with it, I think I know why.

First, let me share what I love about the Apple TV, lest you think I'm a Negative Nellie. To start, it's tiny and unobtrusive. While I like owning fun gadgets, I dislike looking at a stack of ugly hardware.

The UI is extremely easy to navigate and the learning curve is nil. A 6-year-old could operate this with no instruction. I'm also quite pleased with the quality of the content. HD programming -- both TV shows and movies -- are ready to view just seconds after purchase, and look great on my TV. Additionally, I never thought I'd listen to music with my television, but I've been doing just that.

Finally, it "just works." All you need to do to get an Apple TV working is connect it to your TV (a single HDMI cable in my case) and plug it in. There isn't even a power button to flip. iTunes saw it immediately and began to synchronize media.

Speaking of the media, that's where we run into trouble.

Continue reading “One month with Apple TV”

Tags: appletv, features, hulu, itunes, itunes store, ItunesStore

Filed under: Hardware, Rumors, Mac mini, Apple TV

Mac mini, Apple TV to use new Ion platform?

by Robert Palmer on Jan 16th 2009 at 12:30PM

Tom's Hardware says that Apple will use NVIDIA's Ion platform in an updated Mac mini, and AppleInsider says it could also be used in an updated Apple TV.

NVIDIA's Ion platform is a low-cost, small-form-factor logic board that includes both an NVIDIA graphics processor and Intel CPU (among other things). According to AppleInsider, Ion uses the same 9400M chipset used in the new MacBook and MacBook Pro models. We knew that existing iMac and Mac mini models are already using the 9400M as part of the NVIDIA MCP79 platform. Either way, with the 9400M, full-screen HD decoding is built-in.

According to Tom's Hardware, the Ion package slated for use with the Mac mini includes an Intel Atom 330 processor. AppleInsider says that performance gains for a new Mac mini based on this platform could require OpenCL, a technology only available so far in builds of Snow Leopard.

Tom's expects the new Mac mini to arrive in March, while AppleInsider, says that it could arrive "this month." Fingers crossed.

The Apple TV, on the other hand, with its 1GHz CPU, would see a significant boost with Ion. The margins on the Apple TV are already tight, though, and adding more power could break the bank on Apple's "hobby" project. But what if the next-generation Apple TV and Mac mini were one and the same?

It's a floor wax! It's a dessert topping! Stop, you're both right.

Tags: 9400m, apple tv, appleinsider, AppleTv, atom 330, Atom330, intel, ion, mac mini, MacMini, mcp79, nvidia, opencl, toms hardware, TomsHardware

Filed under: Software, Apple TV

Boxee opens up alpha, adds iPlayer support for UK users

by Christina Warren on Jan 8th 2009 at 8:00PM

It isn't just about Macworld; shockingly there is some other tech news happening this week as well. Our pals over at boxee have just announced a new version, some love for UK users and some great news: no more invites needed!

Instead of hounding me (I kid, I never minded) for a boxee invite, you can sign-up yourself at boxee.tv/join and get downloads for the Mac, Apple TV and Ubuntu. The Windows alphas are still in closed testing, but progress is moving quickly.

Here's a run-down on what's new and improved:

  • iPlayer support for UK users -- no more crying over the lack of overseas Hulu; you can now get the iPlayer via boxee
  • Joost support
  • MTV Music support
  • dual-screen support
  • Netflix improvements
  • search in Hulu
  • updates to the SMB library

Netflix is still only working on the Mac and not on the Apple TV, but this is a great update. I've been seeing some of the private builds and the improvements are nice. A reminder, boxee is still in alpha, but the development process is on a tear!

Tags: apple tv, AppleTv, boxee, iplayer, media player, MediaPlayer

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