Steve Jobs’ Final Gift? An Apple TV Set Could be on the Way
Posted by Yidio.com in Uncategorized on October 28, 2011
The Steve Jobs authorized biography by writer Walter Isaacson was released yesterday, and one little tidbit from the book has the technology universe and cord-cutters around the world completely riveted.
Before he died, Jobs told Isaacson he had been working on one final game-changing invention – a wirelessly synched Apple TV set with “the simplest user interface you could imagine.”
Sure, sure. We know, we know. Apple already has Apple TV, the small, convenient set-top box that allows you to access all kinds of streaming content by hooking it up to your TV or a monitor.
At $99, it gives you great limited access to Netflix, iTunes and YouTube in a cheap stylish little box. But Jobs reportedly referred to that as like “a hobby” for the company, and the company has reportedly invested far more time and serious engineering resources into an actual wireless TV set.
According to Mashable, “the TV set could be accompanied by a cloud-based system that would allow users to access and search for content obtained through Apple and third-party services such as Netflix.”
The idea, according to a Bloomberg source, “is to let users more seamlessly search for a show or movie…For example, instead of having to separately check to see if a movie or show is available through Netflix or a cable service, all the material could be integrated.”
Hmmm…one easy source for finding and watching all your streaming television in one spot? Why does that sound so familiar?
Beyond Apple TV
Apple has reportedly put real engineering talent behind taking a more serious approach to evolving the wireless streaming television universe. Bloomberg reported today that the company “is turning to the software engineer (Jeff Robbin) who built iTunes to help lead its development of a television set, according to three people with knowledge of the project.”
Not only is Apple lining up talent for the project, but according to Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster, “Apple has a prototype TV in the works.” The same analyst said that the company is investing in enhancing manufacturing capabilities and procuring LCD screens to accomplish Jobs’ final vision.
While it’s fundamentally difficult to assess the impact a true Apple television set might have on the market, it almost seems inevitable.
As we here at Yidio have certainly realized, television as we know it has already been fundamentally altered by streaming video providers like Netflix and Hulu, iTunes, DVRs, mobile applications and social media.
As both wired and wireless broadband has become a reality for consumers globally, they’ve begun to whole-heartedly embrace the possibilities of legitimately watching the television they desire when they want, where they want and on whatever device they choose.
And then there’s the cost savings. While it’s still not easy to get access to the whole gamut of the television world without having an actual cable subscription, it’s getting easier and is certainly way, way cheaper than receiving a monthly cable bill.
Screens for Every Occasion
With all of this change, one thing has remained constant. Friends and families still like to huddle around a large screen, kick back on the sectional with a bowl of popcorn and watch their show du jour.
Since Apple has already succeeded at owning the tiny screen market (iPod Nano), the small (handheld) screen market (iPhone), the middle sized screen market (iPad) and the large screen market (MacBook), why not aim at the extra-large-screen market?
Of course, in all those cases, Apple brought remarkable design innovation and seamless integration with the other products, applications and markets in the Apple universe, and you can expect more of the same should an honest-to-God Apple TV set come to fruition.
As Brad Spirrision, Managing Editor for mobile app discovery service Appolicious told us, an Apple TV could provide a whole new exciting playground for application developers.
“I’m intrigued with what kind of apps developers will ultimately create for the product. We’ve been seeing interesting TV titles for Google and Opera, but neither will have the distribution or sizzle of a real Apple TV that will have Steve Jobs’ DNA.”
One of the more intriguing Apple app-based innovations that could make an Apple TV set particularly interesting is Siri, the cool new futuristic voice-guided artificial-intelligence-like system embedded in the new iPhones.
Could an Apple TV set serve as the virtual nerve center for a voice-guided computer sytem that runs your home? Was Steve Jobs leaving us with our own personal home-based Hal 9000 before he died? Gulp.
I Know It’s Not Built Yet but When Can I Buy One?
So when will this alleged Apple TV set come to market?
Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster predicted a release sometime in late 2012 or 2013, though Apple hasn’t released any public information on the subject whatsoever.
Either way, there should be plenty of time to save up for one after blowing all that cash on a new iPhone 4s.
Originally posted in News by Richard Sharp, Managing Editor
Whats New? Link Your Netflix Account and a Personalized Feed
Posted by Yidio.com in Uncategorized on October 10, 2011
In the past week Yidio has enabled some great new features on our website and in the Yidio Alerts platform, all of which are designed bring to TV you. Now, all your favorite TV shows can be configured, managed and viewed in the MyYidio section of the website. Start adding favorites by linking your Netflix account and connecting with Facebook. Then visit My Feed for a real-time stream of TV episodes, news and airing information on the shows you’ve selected as your favorites. Enable personalized alerts by selecting your channels — email, Facebook feed or Twitter feed. Here’s a quick slideshow of the new and improved MyYidio:
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Introducing the Daily Personalized TV Reminder
Posted by Yidio.com in Announcements, Feature Update, Fun on October 3, 2011
Whether you’re a TV addict with hundreds of shows queued up on your DVR, a cord-cutter who only streams one or two shows as they appear on Hulu, or somewhere in-between mixing and matching American Idol live with the Daily Show on your DVR there are more ways than ever to watch your favorite TV shows.
Yidio has rolled out a new way to bring TV to you, in the form of a daily digest of your top TV today via email. Customized strictly to your favorite shows, you’ll know what’s on that day and night by checking your inbox. Yidio emails you the only customized daily digest of what and where to watch on-air and online.
More Personalized
- Only your favorite shows
- Only the latest news and gossip on your shows
More Prioritized
- Only whats airing tonight
- Only first-run episodes as they are streaming online
Your personalized daily TV reminder
Here’s how to set up and try the alerts digest for yourself. First, login and update your favorite shows for the Fall season. Then you can go to your Settings from the right top corner, and check the list for Daily Digest. Then check your email and start watching!
Aggregating TV and Movies Across Platforms and Devices
Posted by Yidio.com in Uncategorized on September 28, 2011
Brandon Eatros talks about what is ahead for Yidio in an interview with Oobly at SFBeta.
This Week in TV Startups: SF Edition
With TechCrunch Disrupt drawing entrepreneurs and angels from afar by day, Yidio presented at two local video/connected TV events this week by night. Starting with a demo of the new Yidio Alerts platform and our Facebook Connect integration at SFBeta we were in good company 
alongside YuMe, VidCaster and Squrl, among others, at 111 Minna. Then we offered a sneak peek of our upcoming mobile apps at the LeanBack Meetup by AdRise, as always an engaging crowd of video advertising, social TV and connected television entrepreneurs. This week underscored that SF is home to some of the most exciting start-ups and game-changing ideas in disrupting the traditional television experience.
Whats New on Yidio for the Fall TV Season
Posted by Yidio.com in Feature Update, Fun on September 7, 2011
With the launch of Yidio Alerts, we’ve been adding new social features, more popular content and creating services to help you customize your viewing experience online. Make sure you signup then set up favorite TV shows and movies to take advantage of our advanced personalization and recommendations. Here are a few new reasons to find your shows with Yidio:
See who likes your shows.
1. More social features like “Faces” for show pages, where you can see the friends that like the shows you are looking for on Yidio. You can also set up alerts for favorites directly from the show pages that will provide updates on show airing, episodes available on line and news stories in your Twitter, Facebook newsfeed or via email.
2. Tons of extra footage, interviews, trailers, sneak peeks for the Fall season and other clips for your favorite shows are being added daily.
3. Yidio News provides the latest breaking stories centered on actors, TV show celebrities and red carpet events. For all the hottest entertainment stories check the Yidio homepage.
Make sure to login and visit the “MyYidio” section to see a personalized activity Feed that allows you to browse airing episodes, recent clips, and news customized by the shows you select as your favorites. Now you can see only the most recent and most relevant TV content for you.
Check Us Out! Hot Video and Photo Startups September 13th @ SFBeta 6.0.0
Posted by Yidio.com in Announcements, Fun on August 15, 2011
Come out and to see us show off our latest platform updates including improvements to our recently released Yidio Alerts. A great new TV guide alerts service to keep you up to the minute on all your favorite shows, just in time for Fall TV lineup. The SF Beta 6.0.0 demo theme features startups building creative and innovative approaches to video and photography, on September 13th at 111 Minna.
Sign up to attend now for what’s certain to be another sell-out event.
View Along the TV App Landscape: The Early Innovators
Anyone developing mobile apps for TV should check out George Winslow’s excellent piece at CableBroadcasting, View Along the App Landscape, surveying TV apps from interviews with 25 TV executives. While networks have had early successes launching second-screen apps that accompany TV shows, like the ABC Grey’s Anatomy app and The Royal Wedding by NBC News App for iPad, iPhone and Android that surpassed 200,000 downloads, executives in digital and mobile admitted to still refining the business cases for companion apps. TV Everywhere apps are now taking the stage for networks like ESPN, CNN, and Turner, all of which continues to emphasize the complexity of TV offerings that fans need to navigate to access content and watch their favorite shows.
Programming Discovery and Personalization at TV of Tomorrow
In this panel at the May TV of Tomorrow conference top innovators in TV programming discovery and technology talk about helping users navigate the fragmentation of rights, new devices, subscription services, and the impulsivity of TV anywhere. Finding new shows to watch has been determined largely by recommendations by friends and trusted sources and yes, the onscreen programming guide. Discovery is further complicated now to decide when and where to watch – on air, time shifted on DVR, catch-up streaming, premium on-demand viewing.
Moving forward, personalized recommendations, the personal TV guide, the personal “what to watch, now” will be how we find and watch. As we like to say “Bringing TV to You.”
Programming Discovery, Personalization, and the TV of Tomorrow from Tracy Swedlow on Vimeo.
Bringing TV to You, Yidio Alerts Launches
Posted by Yidio.com in Announcements, Feature Update, Fun, Press Release on June 23, 2011
Just because TV is everywhere doesn’t mean you should have to look all over to find it. Yidio Alerts bring all your TV to you, leveraging the pre-eminent social channels to deliver a personalized, prioritized TV guide.
TV fans can now sign up to get push notifications for new episode broadcast airings, new online streaming episode availability, and new articles published on their favorite TV shows & movies. The alerts can be delivered by email, Facebook, Twitter, or viewed on the Yidio website.
The public beta launch of Yidio Alerts services for Facebook, email and Twitter is a demonstration of the scalability and flexibility of the core Yidio API and program guide to aggregate, normalize and broadcast complex entertainment information. Yidio Alerts makes it easy to find, watch and share TV and movies.
Try it today to get your personalized TV notifications. Then let us know what you think!
