Interface
overhaul
The
first time you start up an Apple TV running Software Update 5.0, it’s obvious
that Apple has revamped the user interface considerably. There’s still a row of
images across the top of the screen, representing whatever content you’ve
selected below, but the previous drop-down, textual menus -- Movies, TV Shows,
Music, Internet, Computers, and Settings -- have been replaced by large,
iOS-app-like icons, one for each content source: Here in the U.S., those are
Movies, TV Shows, Music, Computers, Netflix, NBA, NHL, Trailers, MLB.TV, WSJ
Live, YouTube, Vimeo, Podcasts, Radio, Photo Stream, MobileMe, and Flickr. There’s
also a Settings icon.
You
navigate these icons, using the Apple Remote or Remote iOS app, just as you did
the previous menus, using the arrow buttons (on the Apple Remote) or swiping
your iOS device’s screen (using the app) to move the selection up, down, left,
or right, and then pressing Select (on the Apple Remote) or tapping the screen
(using the app) to open the selected item. Pressing Menu takes you back up a
level or, in some screens, brings up the poster/cover row at the top of the
screen. (For the latter, another press of Menu takes you up a level in the
menus.)
You'll
find all the same options and sub-menus as in Apple TV 4.4.4 (the last software
update prior to Wednesday), but most things are easier to access. For example,
instead of having to navigate to the Internet menu to access Netflix, NBA, NHL,
WSJ Live, YouTube, Vimeo, Podcasts, Photo Stream, MobileMe, Flickr, or Radio,
each of those items is accessible with a single click from the home screen.
Similarly, whereas movie trailers were buried at the bottom of the Movies menu,
there’s now a big Trailers button -- that looks exactly like the Apple’s
Trailers app for iOS -- right on the home screen.
The
new Movies screen
For
most of these content channels -- sorry, Roku, it’s the best word here—the
experience is similar, if not exactly the same, as it was under Apple TV 4.4.4.
However, the Movies and TV Shows items have each lost their home-screen menu of
options, with each menu item leading to a different screen. Instead, each of
these two channels has combined its various screens into a single one, with the
menu of options -- Purchased, Top, Wish List, Genius, Genres, Networks (for TV
shows), and Search -- across the top of the screen.
This
makes it easier to switch between options, as you no longer have to back out
of, say, the Top Movies screen to get to the Search screen; instead, you just
scroll to the top of the screen and select Search. Selecting an item from this
horizontal menu, or scrolling down the Movies or TV Shows screen, hides the
menu; pressing Menu or scrolling back to the top of the screen displays it
again.
The
new interface is already inspiring debate among users -- I’ve seen plenty of
online praise and complaints. But overall, I think it’s an improvement, as it
makes particular content easier to find -- you don’t have to remember which
top-level menu hosts the content you want to access -- and it makes previously
buried content more discoverable. (Didn’t realize the Wall Street Journal has
its own video channel on the Apple TV? Now you can’t miss it. And my family
loves that Radio is now a top-level item.) And when viewing the home screen, a
down-arrow press hides the poster row to show just the 18 content icons. In
fact, my biggest complaint is that whenever you return to the home screen, the
poster/image area at the top of the screen is visible. I’d prefer to always see
the all-icon view.
I
also find that the new interface makes using the Apple Remote -- one of the
Apple TV’s biggest weaknesses -- a slightly better experience, thanks to the
large icons and reduced menu navigation. And a change that appeared in a
previous version of the Apple TV software is just as useful now: Pressing and
holding the Menu button at any time takes you all the way back to the home
(top-level) screen, saving you from having to press Menu, Menu, Menu, Menu when
you’re deep in a particular menu branch.
The
Apple TV's new home screen, showing just icons
Opening
the door?
Of
course, one look at the new iOS-home-screen-like layout, and your mind starts
imagining other icons -- like, say, one for Hulu, and another for HBO - filling
up spaces in the grid. Indeed, this new UI seems to me like an obvious first
step towards allowing content-provider-specific apps, as well as perhaps other
types of apps.
That
said, the new home screen already feels a bit crowded, and if Apple does
eventually allow additional content sources or apps, it’s only going to get
more cramped. The company will eventually have to let users manage those
sources and apps -- which ones appear, which are hidden, and how they’re
arranged -- the way Roku did when it introduced channels to its media players.
Otherwise, you’ll end up navigating endless screens of icons. (Wait, this is
starting to sound familiar…)
Movies
in the Cloud, Easier Account Setup
One
new addition to the Movies menu is a Purchased option. This option debuted on
Wednesday for both Apple TV 5.0 and 4.4.4, and it provides quick access to a
list of movies you’ve purchased, letting you stream previously purchased movies
directly over the Internet, rather than requiring you to stream those movies
from a computer on your local network running iTunes. You can also now purchase
movies directly from your Apple TV. (These features have been around for TV
shows and music for a while.) One hitch here is that movies from Fox and
Universal aren’t currently eligible.
Another
new feature relating to online accounts is that you can now sign up for an
account for some third-party content providers -- such as Netflix -- directly
from the Apple TV, and pay for those subscriptions using your Apple ID (iTunes
account). For those setting up a new account for use primarily with the Apple
TV, this is likely more convenient than having to use your computer and the
provider’s own setup and billing system.
Other Changes
Going
through the Apple TV Software Update with a fine-toothed comb, there are a few
other changes and improvements that aren’t immediately obvious. Here’s a quick
list:
Music:
When browsing your iTunes Match music, you now get options for Genius Playlists
and Genius Mixes. These were previously options only when streaming music from
a computer on your local network. (These iTunes Match options came to iOS
devices with the iOS 5.1 update.)
Photo
Stream: You can now delete photos from Photo Stream.
Settings
-> General -> iTunes Store has been moved to Settings ->
iTunes Store, reflecting the increasing emphasis Apple is placing on a direct
connection to the iTunes Store, rather than connecting to iTunes on a computer.
The
options in Settings -> iTunes Store -> Video Resolution, which
determines what the Apple TV downloads when you purchase or rent video, have
changed from Standard Definition/HD to Standard Definition/720p HD/1080p HD
(although 1080p HD will appear only on third-generation Apple TVs).
Under
Settings -> General -> Language, there are now 13 additional
languages.
A
new Settings -> General -> Troubleshooting option displays a few
suggestions for troubleshooting problems, including checking your network
connection, making sure you’re in range of your Wi-Fi base station, restarting
the Apple TV, and reducing your video resolution if your Internet connection is
slow.
A
new Settings -> General -> Restart option -- a welcome addition
-- means you no longer have to unplug your Apple TV, or remember a special
Apple Remote button combination, to restart it.
Under
Settings -> Screen Saver -> Photos, there’s a new National
Geographic set of nature photos.
Note
that although Apple lists Genius recommendations for movies and TV shows --
based only on previous iTunes rentals and purchases—as a new feature in Apple
TV software 5.0, that feature actually appeared under Apple TV software 4 back
in February. Similarly, although Apple noted during Wednesday’s event that
Photo Stream photos are automatically pushed to the Apple TV, that feature
debuted with iCloud, not with Apple TV 5.0. Finally, a number of other
interface changes, such as those to the Netflix channel and movie-trailers
screen, are handled on the server side and are thus being pushed out to both
the previous and new Apple TV software versions.
source
from PCWorld
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