Apple Movie Junkie » Editorial

The State Of AMJ & Cinemira

Eddie V. — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 15:40:55 +0000

Long time no post. Things have been getting progressively quiet around here lately. Posts have been becoming few and far between. Life has a funny way of changing when you least expect it. But as things are stabilizing again I think it’s time to get back to all things Apple entertainment related.

First and foremost, expect more quick fire posts, similar to what John Gruber does at Daring Fireball, if your familiar with his stuff. Expect more tweets if you follow us on twitter. Expect a more consistent release of posts regarding new movies added to the iTunes Store. With rumors ramping up about this supposed new Apple TV, and Apple’s cloud based service, expect more thoughts on those subjects. We’re also open to suggestions from our readers on what you all want to see covered.

And last but not least is Cinemira. We still believe Cinemira is the most convenient way to find movies in the iTunes Store from the web. We just need help in spreading the word. We have a few updates up our sleeve for Cinemira, and if all goes well a proper solution for at least iPad users.

Ultimately we are doing this for all our fellow Apple Movie and TV Junkies. Until Apple decides to stop offering video content, we’ll be here to cover it.

A Week Later……So Close Yet So Far…..Cinemira Still No Go

Eddie V. — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 13:32:41 +0000

Dear Site Visitors,

To say this outage has been an embarrassment would be an understatement. Yes this is a beta service which we charge no fee to use, but it’s still a bothersome problem for all concerned non the less. Whats the point of offering a service when it’s not reliable. Chalk this up to one more learning experience for a small team.

In the mean time, until we can get Cinemira fully armed and operational again I will be posting updates old school until that is no longer needed.

Again sorry for the inconvenience.

Apple TV Strike 3.0

BrianE — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:39:07 +0000

Let me preface this artlice by warning everyone upfront not to upgrade to Apple TV 3.0.

I can’t even claim to have used Apple TV 3.0 so why should I be such an alarmist? Not surprisingly, installing any Apple TV update will wipe out non-Apple features you may have installed like Boxee. The Apple TV without Boxee is just pointless. I suspect many Apple TV junkies rely on Boxee for fundamental media player functionality like the ability to stream from ubiquitous network attached storage (NAS) devices (a must for even modest media libraries) or support fo additional video codecs like DivX.

After reading all the underwhelming reviews of Apple TV 3.0 the most visible of changes is in the user interface. According to reports on the Boxee community forum this new UI appears to be causing problems with the Launcher menu items required for Boxee. Until a new ATV patch stick is available, when you upgrade to Apple TV 3.0 you cannot reinstall Boxee.

Its been over 2.5 years and the Apple TV still doesn’t support streaming from a NAS or additional codecs like DivX. Apple, when are you going to open the platform up for third-party developers to fill the gaps? Updates like Apple TV 3.0 only serves to irritate and frustrate Apple TV junkies as their beloved Apple TV suffers a long slow death into obsurity.

We can only hold solice in the fact that Apple TV junkies are a resourceful group of people determined not to give up. They’ll find a way to update Launcher so Boxee can live, yet again, on our Apple TVs. It’s too bad this coincides with the highly anticipated November release of a new version of Boxee. Regardleas, expect Boxee to continue to impress while ressurecting the Apple TV once again.

ATVJ Apple TV 3.0 Postmortem

Eddie V. — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 05:30:43 +0000

You can get the official description here at Apple.com, you can get screen shots and reviews here, and here, but at ATVJ you’re going to get one users reaction….mine.

Lets begin with my overall reaction after using the 3.0 update for a few hours, and it’s one of being underwhelmed. Let’s start with the most obvious change, the interface. I feel as though Apple took a step backwards at the very least concerning aesthetics. For a company which prides itself on UI and UX excellence they must of thrown the interns on the Apple TV interface redo project. From a usability standpoint the new UI is probably easier to use, for instance moving the “My” menu selections to the top was a welcomed change, but I think Apple can take a few lessons about creative media player UI design from the creators of Boxee, Flex, and even Microsoft and the Zune Store.

Fine, so the interface isn’t all that, surely the new features make up for that right? Ehh, iTunes LP/Extras and Internet Radio, with Internet Radio not necessarily even being a new feature to the Apple TV. I suppose that if you were one of the lucky ones to have been chosen as iTunes LP/Extra upgrade worthy, or the 3.0 update inspired you to purchase an album or movie with the extra content, then the update was worth it. I on the other hand am still waiting for my notice to upgrade my version of Iron Man to view the extra content on my HD TV, so I will withhold judgement on that upgraded feature. Then there is Internet Radio. As I said before, this was available in the previous version of the Apple TV software by creating a playlist in iTunes, adding radio stations, and then syncing. It’s just a little easier to access now.

That pretty much sums up this 3.0 update for me. As I’ve read throughout the day, 3.0 just doesn’t feel worthy of the point update. Of course we are talking about the Apple TV, where any update is practically worthy of a party. I think Apple has larger plans for the Apple TV in some form or another, but I think their focus is elsewhere right now, which is why they keep the Apple TV limping along. So what do you think? Could Apple have rolled this out with a 2.5 update and left room for something bigger at 3.0? Lets hear what you have to say Apple TV Junkies of the world.

Is it time to give up hope on the current Apple TV as we know it?

Eddie V. — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:10:45 +0000

It’s been about 4 months, June 24th to be exact, since Apple last updated the Apple TV. The iPod & iPhone got their love about a month ago, and the rest of the Mac line up pretty much got theirs this past Tuesday. So why no Apple TV update you ask? I have no idea. Is Apple ready to drop the ax on its hobby media center? I don’t think so, let me tell you why.

Let me state that I have no insider knowledge of why Apple is ignoring the Apple TV or what its future plans are, this is all purely speculation. The first reason why I think the Apple TV isn’t going anywhere quite yet, Apple TV specific content. And what I mean by Apple TV specific content is the Apple TV HD rentals. Every day Apple, or the studios, are adding new HD rental titles to its list. These are titles which can only be viewed on the Apple TV. Whats the point of adding new content for a doomed product? Second, I don’t think the new iMac is an Apple TV in disguise. It’s bad enough that Apple segregates a large portion of the movie renting population by requiring an HD TV to work with the Apple TV, what portion of the population is going to buy a $2000 computer to hang on their wall to watch movies? My point being is that this would kind of screw the segment of the population who already own a perfectly fine HD TV and just want a box to watch and rent movies. Third, would Apple wait this late in the year to kill their only media center solution without a complete replacement? If Apple would have added HDMI out to the updated Mac mini, yeah then maybe, but not yet.

So what do I think Apple’s future plans are for the Apple TV? I think there are two features which scream to be added to the Apple TV to help bring a little legitimacy to this hobby box of theirs. One, Apple needs to bring subscription TV Shows and Movies to the Apple TV. I think we are well beyond the point of Netflix proving that for TV Shows and Movies, a subscription model would be a hit. Lets face it, Blu-ray is a stop gap until the bandwidth is available to handle high quality HD streaming for everyone. Until then, Netflix is becoming a feature on every last Blu-ray player and media center box on the planet, while Apple sits back and does nothing. The second featured I want to see are iPhone style apps. Maybe a true web browser app, a few social media apps, and of course games. All though I don’t think the addition of apps and games would make the current Apple TV a serious threat to the Wii or Xbox 360, apps and games would go a long way to making the Apple TV a player again in the entertainment/media center space. And, if adding a subscription service or apps to the Apple TV requires a whole new box, so be it. The current Apple TV is 3 years old, it’s about time for an update to the hardware.

Those would be my hopes dreams and predictions for the current or future Apple TV, and I don’t think I’m expecting much. Ultimately whats most important for me as a consumer is that Apple offer the largest selection of content, movies or otherwise, in the highest quality possible, delivered to me in the easiest way possible. If it’s through the Apple TV so be it, if not, rest in piece Apple TV we hardly knew your potential.

Should the iTunes Store Be More Like The Zune Marketplace?

Eddie V. — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 12:15:33 +0000

By putting Apple TV HD content on the back burner this past week it gave me a little more time to spend with the new iTunes 9. After all the goal of ATVJ is to discover new HD content in the iTunes Store, either TV or Movie, and list it in an easy to read manner for you all. This brings me to the point of this post. Have the changes to the iTunes Store in version 9 actually made it harder to discover new content? And has the iTunes Store become to big for iTunes?

Let me make one thing clear, I like the changes to iTunes 9 the Media Player. Is it perfect, no, but the changes are welcome. When it comes to iTunes 9 “The Store” and discovering new media to play, thats another story. Let me start with the one positive I see in the Store. I like the main navigation across the top. It’s much more prominent and easier to navigate to the different sections of the store. For me it stops there. All though the style of the store layout has changed, it seems harder then ever to discover “new” content. For the purpose of this post I will specifically keep to the Movies and TV Shows sections. It feels as though even more content has been shoe horned into the same amount of space. There’s bright colorful artwork and text everywhere. On a black background it’s as though everything is screaming at you at once. Especially when most of the artwork is the same size. Except that main animated banner at the top of that page, it feels as though everything has the same priority or weight, and it all blends together. And don’t get me started on whats considered a “New” Release. Take the movie section and the “New This Week” listing. The first three movies listed as of this writing are Twilight, Office Space and Quantum of Solace. All movies which have been available for weeks if not months. Ok, so two of those three titles are part of the new iTunes Extras group. That fact might make them new, but thats if you hadn’t already missed the huge rotating banner at the top of the movie section, which they are a part of. At least the “New This Week” for rentals lists new release titles, maybe not from this week, but they are newer. The TV show section seems to suffer from the same cluttered feel as the movie section.

The thing is, I see new content in the iTunes Store from a unique perspective, I know new content is added every day. I suppose the purpose of ATVJ, to discover and list newly available HD content, is in no danger of being replaced by version 9 of the iTunes Store. But, Apple could have taken this opportunity to improve the ease of discovering new content, not make it harder. I’m tempted to say that even the less then perfect Apple TV interface makes it a bit easier to find newly added content.

So how do I think Apple can solve this newly cluttered iTunes Store experience? I have three suggestions. First, make the entire iTunes Store browser based. This might allow a bit more screen real estate for the display of content. This would also leave iTunes to being a media player only. As a matter of fact Apple might find new customers, ones who are averse to using iTunes for anything, discovering and even purchasing content if it was browser based. My second suggestion would be to offer “Rental only” & “Newley Added” sections to the Movie Store. I understand that Apple wants to push sales, but I think Netflix proves there are a few of us that just want to rent. This also goes for the TV Show section. Its fine to offer TV content you can purchase, but why not offer content that you can subscribe to or rent. I’m not the first or the last to suggest a subscription model for TV Shows. Third, why not play up the social nature of Movies, TV Shows and Music. Let users share and discover what others are watching or listening to. More then just the after thought addition of adding a “Share on Twitter” or “Share on Facebook” link to the buy now buttons currently used in iTunes 9. Those are but a few of my suggestions. Ultimately I just want it easier to discover newly added Movie and TV Show content, and not just what the studios want us to find. I know it’s there, I find it every day. Wait, did I just describe the Zune Experience? As iTunes/Apple TV users are these changes you would like to see? What more would you like to see Apple do with the iTunes Store experience?

Apple TV HD Updates For This Week

Eddie V. — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 17:03:41 +0000

Hi All, being as it’s Wednesday this note comes a little late, but there will be no Apple TV HD updates this week. We are taking a week off as we are cleaning up behind the scenes here. Specifically we were one of the sites hit this past weekend with the WordPress hack. Apple TV HD updates will be back starting Monday the 14th. In the mean time we’ll continue to cover other things in the world Apple TV and the iTunes Movie Store. We’re for any inconvenience.

Apple TV predictions for “It’s only rock and roll, but we like it” event

BrianE — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 21:02:50 +0000

Tomorrow (September 9, 2009) is the big day… yet another Apple event.

You’ve read all the rumours, gossip and speculation:

Oct. 2008. Apple declares the Apple TV “still a hobby in 2009″ during quarterly conference call.
Feb. 2009. Bernstein Research analyst Toni Sacconaghi sparked rumours of Apple TV becoming the digital media hub for cable TV.
Sept. 2009. Apple CFO says cable set-top box functionality doesn’t fit with Apple’s business model
Piper Jaffray’s senior research analyst predicts Apple TV news on September 9.
The Loop’s Jim Dalyrymple predicts no Apple TV news on September 9.

What’s an Apple TV Junkie to expect?

Yes, I believe it will be a music-centric event. It is called ”It’s only rock and roll, but we like it”, however, the Apple TV still falls within the iPod and iTunes product lines so an update should be expected. Good or bad.

Prediction (Good): Apple TV will get a price drop and larger capacities.

Prediction (Bad): Apple TV wont receive any CPU or BluRay updgrades.

I like the idea of a TV tuner and DVR functionality for the Apple TV, however, I can’t imagine Apple distracting users away from the iTunes Store for content. The iTunes store accounts for $1 billion in revenue each quarter!

Prediction (Good): More studios and networks signing deals to release content on iTunes. Introduction of a Rhapsody-like subscription model for unlimited music.

Prediction (Good): iTunes to support the ability to re-download previously purchased movies and TV shows.

Prediction (Good): For my “one-last thing” I’ll go out on a limb and suggest announcement of an App Store for Apple TV.

Prediction (Bad): Movies and TV shows from iTunes Store will still contain digital rights management (DRM).

Prediction (Bad): Still unable to import my DVD collection so I can watch on Apple TV (maybe they’ll try to compromise with a lame DVD sharing feature from PC/Mac).

Prediction (Bad): Still unable to stream content to Apple TV from my network attached storage (NAS) devices.

Prediction (Bad): Still unable to play non H.264 content (like DivX/Xvid) on Apple TV.

As much as I love the Apple TV, the last two predictions are why I will continue to use Boxee. I fear the Apple TV is reaching the end of it’s life. Another Apple event that comes and goes without acknowledging Apple TV Junkies. Considering the crumbling of brick and mortar video rental outlets, I hope Apple can find a way to keep the Apple TV relevant and worthwhile for future Apple TV Junkies.

iTunes Movie Rentals in New Zealand – What’s the point?

DarrenD — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 09:50:31 +0000

On those long, cold winter nights in New Zealand, there is nothing more satisfying than being able to curl up in front of the TV and watch a rented movie…Renting, as opposed to buying, means you can secretly watch that B-grade schlock you’ve been wanting to watch for ages, without ever having your friends discover the aforementioned movie sitting on your shelf (What’s this? Kevin Costner in Waterworld? Oh the shame!)

Now online movie rentals, that’s another thing entirely. It’s one of the selling points of the Apple TV. It should be a seamless, empowering experience.. freeing you up from having to venture out into the dark, cold night; weave through the suicidal traffic and converse in grunting noises with some spotty-faced video store clerk. You can also browse the movie catalogue at your leisure, view trailers as you go and there’s always a copy to rent…Bliss.

However; renting movies from the iTunes store in New Zealand just leaves me feeling ripped off… No, it’s not Apple’s pricing. NZD$4.99 for a rental is OK (I can get a new release with a coupon for NZD$4.00 from a video store). The problem lies with the NZ ISP’s.

Take, for instance, my service provider. I get a pretty good speed (10Mb/s) from my cable connection.. and all for the princely sum of NZD$79.95. Sounds pretty reasonable… except I have a data cap of 20Gb/month.

Let’s explore this theme. If I were to rent, the Lord of the Rings: Return of the King from the iTunes store it would cost me $4.99. But LOTR is a 2.17Gb download (for the SD version!) That’s almost 11 per cent of my monthly download allowance, or $8.67. Add that to my rental cost and we have a rental that is going to cost me NZD$13.66. But, to add insult to injury, I have chewed through 3 days worth of data in a day… that is likely to leave me short at the end of the month.

My ISP charges me an additional $2.95 per Gb over my allowance… that extra 2.17Gb means my bill will increase by 3 Units or NZD$8.85..

As I said in the headline… What’s the point?

Snow Leopard and the Apple TV

DarrenD — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 07:47:54 +0000

One of the advantages of living in New Zealand is that we are a full day ahead of the USA. So, tomorrow for me is the day after tomorrow for the USA. That means tomorrow is the 28th and I will be taking delivery of my shiny new copy of Snow Leopard…

This version of OSX should solve one of my biggest bugbears with the Apple TV… in order to access all of my media (far greater than 160Gb) I need to leave my synchronised computer switched on. According to the Apple blurb, with Snow Leopard and a compatible AirPort Extreme or Time Capsule base station, my iMac can go to sleep yet continue to share its files with my Apple TV, waking when I need it and sleeping when I don’t.

That’s got to be a good thing.. for my iMac, my power bill and the environment. I’ll let you know how it goes…

G’Day from an Apple TV Junkie in Zealand

DarrenD — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 08:35:06 +0000

Ever wondered what it would be like to live outside of the Apple friendly ecosystem that is the USA? Well, living in New Zealand at the end of one very small, narrow internet pipe; I know.. My name is Darren Dumble and I live in Christchurch, New Zealand. I am a technical instructor and writer and am the newest member of the expanded ATVJ contribution team.

I love my Apple TV. I have owned one since the 160Gb model was introduced; and have rejoiced as every update made it better and better. However; as much as I love the functionality, the elegance, the simplicity; every update seemed to highlight the inadequacies with the NZ media/ISP infrastructure.

My contributions will be about living with an Apple TV in New Zealand. I will write about how we, the Apple TV Junkies of New Zealand, make the most of our lot.. I will also post about any changes to the NZ iTunes Music Store and maybe even review some NZ specific content.

So, put yourself in my shoes and imagine hideously expensive internet, data-capped downloads and next-to-no video content available for (legitimate) download… This is a world without Hulu, TV.com, SYFI or Netflix. A world where HDTV has only just begun to take off , digital radio is just a dream, TIVO has been hobbled and the majority of TV content is ruled by one satellite pay TV provider…

Enjoy; and don’t pity us too much.

New ATVJ Contributor From NYC

LiamW — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 19:54:32 +0000

Hi – my name is Liam Walsh, and I’m the latest contributor to Apple TV Junkie. I’m based out of New York City where I work in finance. I’ve always been a fan of technology, and consider myself a recent convert to Apple products (4 years).

I plan on contributing pieces on the current state of the Apple TV, the modifications community, ideas on future ATV developments, and other related industry news.

I also look forward to gaining insights from you on how exactly you use your Apple TV, and possibly conduct surveys aimed at providing us with a more complete picture of our community.

Finally, let me extend my sincere gratitude to Eddie V. for allowing to contribute to this trailblazing site.

Mad Men Season 3 Eliminates The Middle Man with Download-Only Distribution in Canada

BrianE — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 02:28:00 +0000

In Canada, Apple TV Junkies and Mad Men fans are at a crossroads. No one there is broadcasting Mad Men Season 3, however, it is available as a digital download from iTunes Canada. Could this be a trend towards download-only distribution?

I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand it shows that producers are willing to explore digital-only distribution in a particular market and cut out the middle man (i.e. cable TV providers) all together. I’d love to eliminate my cable bill and pay for only the quality programming I want. I like this trend. There are only a few shows I find worth watching anyways. Eliminating cable, I could purchase 16 to 48 episodes per month (depending on cable TV package). Unlike my cable service, I’d have something to show for it!

This brings us to the other hand. What am I left with? Protected video that can only be played via iTunes or Apple devices. Many of you may be an Apple TV Junkie and proclaim “So?” However, digital rights management (DRM) is evil and not cool. The Apple TV is still a hobby and I’m not prepared to lock myself into the technology “du jour”. The Apple TV hardware platform hasn’t seen any improvements (aside from storage) since it debuted over two years ago. As big as iTunes is now, it wont be around forever (see Yahoo! Music and MSN Music) and nor will the Apple TV.

I want to support digital distribution and purchase content, however, the built-in obsolescence costs of DRM are just too high. Alternate download sites are looking more attractive and it has everything to do with freedom of choice to use Apple TV, Boxee or any media player I want to.

New Junkie on the Block

BrianE — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 20:16:58 +0000

Hi, my name is Brian Erdelyi and I’m an Apple TV Junkie based out of Toronto, Canada. There, I said it.

You may remember me from such places as the Boxee community forums, Boxee video tutorials I’ve created on Youtube, Clearware or any number of online projects I get involved with.

I happen to be an information security professional with interests that include digital media and it’s social implications (such as digital rights management, fair use and copyright legislation).

I’ve got a few ideas ripe for sharing and expect to see you all actively posting your comments.

I Want You!: Looking For A Few Good Contributors

Eddie V. — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 16:30:13 +0000

As we put more time toward our ATVJ 2.0 project, we find that we are having less and less time to post about Apple TV and Industry news in general. We know that visitors to ATVJ would like to see more of these posts, and frankly so would we, so we’re putting the call out for a few good volunteers. If you feel as though you have something to say about the current state of the Apple TV, or you have related industry news to share, we would love for you to join the team. If you are interested please email us at feedback at appletvjunkie dot com.

The More You Know: Why New Release Movies Have Limited Rental Runs In The iTMS And Apple TV

Eddie V. — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 00:53:26 +0000

If I had nickel for every time I was asked this question I would quit my wonderful day job and run ATVJ full time. I figured it was time to give my poor mans theory as to why movies have a limited rental run in the iTunes Movie Store and Apple TV.

On a DVD release date movies go out to vendors such as Netflix, Blockbuster and the iTunes Movie Store/Apple TV to be distributed as rentals. The big difference between the iTMS and say Netflix is that the studios treat the iTMS more like a TV Broadcast Channel by allowing only a limited run license for any new rental release. This is much in the same way you might see The Godfather Trilogy run on say the cable channel Spike for a month or so and then go away. Haven’t you ever wondered why titles such as the Godfather Trilogy or even the Star Wars series has never been available in the iTMS? The studios seem to be giving exclusive licensing rights to cable channels such as Spike. I would hope that at some point these licensing deals end which would allow some of these movies to end up as rentals in the iTMS.

Once a particular new release title ends its initial rental run in the iTMS, the rights seem to revert over to premium pay cable channels such as HBO or Showtime. The run on the premium channels seem to run about 12 months at which point the exclusivity of the particular title ends and studios seem to license the title back to Apple and the iTMS as a rental. You can see evidence of this with the recent re-release of Live Free and Die Hard as a rental. It seems as though either the studios or the premium pay cable channels see the iTMS as some sort of competition. Why they don’t see Netflix or Blockbuster with their traditional disc rental service as competition I have no idea.

Again, notice when these premium cable channels start the movie viewing run, this is usually a year from the theatrical release. Keeping that general idea in mind you can guess at a new release title rental run in the iTMS. This is usually from the DVD release date to about the year anniversary mark of the theatrical release. Give or take a week or so.

Ultimately if there is a gripe to be made it’s not with Apple but with the Movie Studios and the way they license these rentals to Apple. I have a feeling that if it were up to Apple they would want to be treated as equals with Netflix and Blockbuster in how they rent old school disc media. This is my theory and I am sticking to it. If anyone else has a more informed and educated response I would love to hear it.

A Post From The Editor: The Future or ATVJ

Eddie V. — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 02:14:01 +0000

Hi All,

It’s been a little more then a year now since I created ATVJ, and it has been and continues to be a fun labor of love for me, and all who have contributed to the site. But, as anyone who has contributed to the site will tell you, it can be time consuming. What does this mean? It means that I am officially going to be cutting back my contribution time on the site. Ultimately what this means for the site is that for the foreseeable future the site will no longer have either an active HD rental page or an active SD rental page. Even though the SD Rental page has been gone for some time now. What’s behind this decision? Not the reasons you might think.

You are all among the first to know that a “sort of” ATVJ 2.0 is in the works. I say a “sort of” because all though this new…….site, web app, tool…..will contain very similar content to ATVJ, it will be so much more. One of the goals is to open up the usefulness of this tool to all iTunes Movie renters, not just Apple TV users. Think of this new site or web app as containing features we wish Apple offered as a part of iTunes or the Apple TV. We could have just tacked some features on to ATVJ as it is today, but we felt that starting from scratch was the best way to go. This means to do it right this new tool will take some time to develop.

For now, as I said, the main change to ATVJ is we will be without an HD or SD page. All other daily or weekly posts stay the same. Daily Apple TV HD rentals, weekly new releases, weekly $.99 movies and so on. And with the help of my friends from Canada and the UK, we should keep up with announcements from their respective countries. Along with that ongoing content, and with the help of some very talented people, we hope to add some video content in the near future.

I am sorry if the loss of this content is an inconvenience in any way, but the ultimate goal is to provide you with access to iTunes Movie content in the best possible manner. I think with what we have planned you all will agree it will be worth the temporary inconvenience.

Thanks again for all your support!

Eddie V.

A Note About The HD Listing On The Apple TV

Eddie V. — Fri, 29 May 2009 13:44:40 +0000

It seems as though, as of this morning anyway, that Apple has removed the A to Z listing of all of the HD rentals on the Apple TV. I’m not exactly sure what Apple might be trying to achieve here other then to make it as hard as possible to find HD rentals. My guess is that some sort of maintenance is happening. This list is just one of the ways we here at ATVJ gather the daily list of new movies. If anyone else sees a change to this listing on the Apple TV please pass the word along.

ATVJ: Amazon Affiliate

Eddie V. — Thu, 14 May 2009 01:11:30 +0000

As of today ATVJ is officially an Amazon affiliate allowing us to sell products such as the Apple TV on our site, with us getting a small percentage, which helps support the site. So if you’ve considered purchasing a second Apple TV or you’ve been wanting to make the leap and grab your first one, or you know someone ready to buy, now you can purchase an Apple TV through Amazon and support ATVJ at the same time. Just direct them to the banner in the right hand column. Thanks!

The Future Of Internet TV And The Apple TV

Eddie V. — Thu, 07 May 2009 04:04:59 +0000

The one question i’ve been getting a lot lately is what my opinion is on the future of the Apple TV and if I see streaming content in it’s future. The question usually stems from someone who had just discovered the combination of Boxee and of course Hulu on the Apple TV. Even I began to think that the natural progression for Apple would be to include some sort of streaming content, such as Hulu, or Hulu itself on the Apple TV. But it wasn’t until a few days ago when I read a blog post by Robert X. Cringely, and his thoughts on this very subject, that a new interesting point of view came to light.

To summarize Cringely’s blog post, he thought that all though Hulu is the popular choice right now, it’s ultimately not a money maker where the iTunes store is. He also makes the point that Hulu is under the tight grip of it’s content provides, which seem to be tightening more and more every day. Ultimately Cringely thinks that Apple, and it’s billions it’s been saving, will go after exclusive internet rights for new more recent broadcast or cable TV content.

I personally think he may actually be on to something, because until Hulu’s content providers allows Hulu’s content to be viewed on an HD TV, it won’t be adopted by the mainstream public. Even though you may not agree with this point of view, I suggest you head over to Robert Cringely’s blog and read his thoughts on this subject. It may open up a whole new point of view for you.