Apple TV+ has had its share of hits, but the service nonetheless continues to struggle to gain widespread success. Now, according to a new report, Apple will start licensing some of its content elsewhere in an effort to save money and spread its reach.
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If you are an Apple TV+ subscriber, you have access to the full roster of Apple originals, none of which are going away any time soon. Examples include shows like Ted Lasso, Severance, and the Best Picture-winning film CODA.
As a subscriber, you also gain free access to an assortment of TV+ movies from other film studios that will come and go on a rotating basis. Every month, Apple adds new films to its roster for subscribers and some existing films become unavailable.
Here is the full list of limited-time titles that Apple TV+ currently offers subscribers at no additional cost.
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In the last year, Apple has significantly ramped up its movie offerings with a string of high-budget, big-name films receiving wide theatrical releases and long exclusivity windows before hitting Apple TV+.
While the earlier days of Apple-funded movies focused on smaller-budget indie films, like the Oscar-winning CODA, over the past half a year or so, Apple has turbocharged its offerings.
The company recently debuted massive projects like Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, Ridley Scott’s Napoleon, and most recently, Matthew Vaughn’s Argylle. All three films came not only with prestigious directors behind them, but also massive financial backing to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars.
Now, according to a new report, it sounds like Apple’s leadership is reassessing its ambitions for film, including the role of theatrical releases as part of its strategy.
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Ultraviolet, the service which first offered a convenient way for you to access your digitally-purchased movies across multiple retailers, is closing …
One of the most common gifts every year is an iTunes gift card. For the techie that already has everything, it’s often the gift that many give out of a lack of other options. Nevertheless, it’s a gift that any iOS user will certainly put to use. iTunes gift cards can be used for basically anything, including music, movies, apps, TV shows, and subscriptions. If you’ve got some money to spend on iTunes now thanks to a gift card, keep reading for some of the best things on which to spend it…
[Update: VLC incorrectly included Apple TV support in today’s release notes. That release is coming “very soon” but not available today. The iOS/watchOS updates are out today.]
[Update 1/12/2016: VLC for Apple TV is now available.]
The popular VLC app for playing a variety of media formats not supported by iTunes has now made its way to the new Apple TV. We heard in September that VLC for Apple TV was in the works, and last month the team started accepting beta testers. Today VLC for Mobile delivered a major update that includes the first Apple TV version as well as a handful of new features on iPhones and iPads.
Infuse, a popular video library and playback application for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, is making its way to tvOS on the new Apple TV today. As with its iOS counterpart, Infuse on the Apple TV will serve as a way for users to store multiple video file types in a single library.
The application can stream video content from a computer, external wireless storage drives as well as apps like Plex, Kodi, and Servioo. This differentiating feature is handy for users who want a single view of all their video content stored across numerous devices and services.
Because the tvOS version of Infuse is tied to the iOS counterpart, the download is free for users of Infuse 3 on iOS devices. The tvOS version is labeled as Infuse 4.0, and the iOS client will be upgraded to the new version later this year, the developers tell us.
Infuse 4.0 on tvOS (and in the upcoming iOS version) adds automatically downloaded artwork and movie ratings, support for syncing how far along a user is into a video between devices, and support for downloadable subtitles.
I don’t plan on subscribing to Apple Music when my free trial of the service runs out. It’s not really something I care to pay $10 a month for. I’m not an avid music listener; I sometimes put some hip hop on in the car, but that’s about it. For me, paying $10 every month for access to a large library of music that I don’t plan to use to the fullest extent just isn’t worth it, and I prefer to own what music I do listen to.
I also hate the idea of subscription software, like Adobe’s current Creative Cloud offering. Like my music, I’d rather own my software outright than pay a monthly fee to have access to it. The same is true for just about every other subscription service that’s out there.
So it might surprise you to find out that I think Apple should get into the TV and movie subscription business. What’s more, I’d be willing to pay every single month for access to that service. Why the difference of opinion on this topic? Keep reading and find out.
Disney today announced it’s expanding the number of devices that can access its Disney Movies Anywhere service for viewing digital copies of Disney movies online and through various apps. Among the new additions, the company is making its movies available through the Amazon Video apps for users in the US.
In addition to the Amazon Video apps, which is available for various smart TVs, set top boxes, and mobile devices including iPhone and iPad, the Disney Movie Anywhere content is now accessible through the new Disney Movie Anywhere apps on Xbox 360 and Amazon Fire devices. To access the content through Amazon Video, you’ll first have to authenticate your Amazon account in your Disney Movies Anywhere account settings.
While the Disney Anywhere content is already available through iTunes on the Apple TV, Disney is planning to bring a dedicated app to competing platforms, Roku and Android TV on September 15th. No word on Apple TV, but with Apple planning the introduction a new model tomorrow, it’s possible the device could get the same treatment in the near future.
The Amazon Video app is available for iPhone and iPad on the App Store. For a limited time, Disney is giving away a free copy of Pixar’s Monsters, Inc movie to those that connect a new iTunes, Amazon Video, VUDU, Microsoft Movies & TV or Google Play
According to a new report out of Variety, Apple is looking to enter the TV and movie production industry in a way similar to how Netflix has recently done. The report claims that Apple has been looking to hire both actors and directors to create production divisions that would produce exclusive long-form content in-house.
Plex, the popular media service that offers apps on nearly every platform, has today revealed the latest iteration of its iOS application. With the latest update, the app has gained several new features.
The Amazon Instant Video app for iOS is getting a nice update today that brings streaming of content in HD as well as the ability to stream over a cellular connection. Previously users were only able to stream over WiFi, but will now be able to stream movies and TV shows on their LTE connection while on the go.
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As announced, Disney has today released all six Star Wars movies as digital downloads on iTunes. The collection is priced at $89 as a bundle. Each movie can be downloaded separately for $20 a piece.
As part of the promotion, Apple has also launched a special collection featuring films, apps, TV shows, music and books from the franchise. Although iTunes is obviously a convenient option for users in the Apple ecosystem, it is not the cheapest way to buy the series. Other vendors, like Google Play, are offering much heavier discounts, so shop around for better deals.
HBO’s new standalone streaming service called HBO NOW has officially launched on Apple TV, iPhone, and iPad. HBO NOW allows subscribers to watch the premium network’s movies and TV shows online. The service is similar to Netflix as it’s delivered over a high-speed Internet connection rather than cable or satellite and doesn’t require long-term committments through contracts. Here’s how to get HBO NOW works:
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It’s no secret that Final Cut Pro X, the overhauled follow up to Apple’s widely used video editing software, wasn’t exactly a hit with its users when the app was first released in 2011.
A comprehensive change in the way the software functioned and a lack of legacy features from the prior version gave the app a reputation for being “iMovie Pro” rather than a true professional desktop video editor. Soon after its launch, Apple addressed the flood of criticism with an FAQ site and a promise that more features would slowly become available in the new version.
Nearly four years later, the first Hollywood film edited in Final Cut Pro X is set to be released. To showcase the movie debut and FCPX’s role in the film, Apple has launched a microsite detailing the production.
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The Yahoo app for iPhone is getting a new look today that the company says puts a bigger focus on magazine content with “beautiful images and engaging features that make content from our ten digital magazines even more fun.”
New features included in the redesigned app to make the magazine experience more interactive include the ability to vote on Yahoo Style, swipe to see Yahoo Movies info including reviews and analysis, and content from Yahoo Food.
You’ll notice the new features mentioned above in all the magazine categories in the app and Yahoo also notes that it now has “Yahoo Weather and Yahoo News Digest content above the stream for your two favorite categories, All Stories and News.”
The updated Yahoo app for iPhone is arriving on the App Store today for users in the United States.
Infuse has been updated to version 3.0 and introduced a host of changes and upgrades. The app is now fully compatible with iOS 8 and the newer iPhone models and features several design tweaks such as improvements to browsing TV shows and an all-new dark mode.
Functional improvements include the ability to download videos in the background and stream synced files over HTTP from wireless external hard drive and more. You can mark movies and shows as watched or unwatched and the app now features 2-way sync for your Trakt.tv viewing history. You can also now use your own folder artwork in the file fiewer and quickly access your favorite streamed folders.
Infuse 3 is a free app with a $9.99 in-app purchase to upgrade to Infuse Pro. The extensive list of changes is below:
- Optimized for iOS 8, iPhone 6, and iPhone 6 Plus
- Streaming is now available to free users
- Share synced files via AirDrop
- Create favorites for quick access to streamed folders
- Download content from the main ticket view
- Huge improvements for browsing TV show collections
- Dark mode theme
- Download/stream synced files via HTTP
- Download videos in the background
- Use your own folder artwork (folder.png or folder.jpg)
- Default language options for audio, subtitles, and metadata
- Sync/stream over 4G/LTE cellular
- Manual artwork for folders (use folder.jpg or folder.png)
- Mark movies and shows as watched/unwatched
- 2-way trakt watched history sync
- Sort files by name or date
- Tap ticket artwork to start video playback
- Manual movie/show title search
- Transfer files via Wi-Fi when iPhone is acting as a hotspot
- Initial URL scheme for video streaming
- Better support for subtitle encoding types
- Better support for some TV series
- Better handling of new and past In-App purchases
- Improved AirPlay reliability
- Improved subtitle support for Arabic languages
- Improved playback of some h.264 content
- Resolved issues with missing synced iTunes content
- Various UI updates
- Many other reliability and performance improvements
Following a report in July that Apple was planning on adding a new FX Now channel to Apple TV within 12 months, today the channel has officially arrived for users in the US. Like the FX Now app that was already available on iOS devices via an app for iPhone and iPad, the channel offers on-demand video streaming with content from the FX, FXX, and FXM networks.
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Be sure to follow 9to5Toys to keep up with the best gear and deals on the web: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.
Today’s can’t miss deals:
Last Call updates:
Seiki 39-inch 4K UltraHD 120Hz LED TV $350 shipped (Reg. $700) http://t.co/e0NdzohM9F pic.twitter.com/8OvFdfiY95
— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) June 25, 2014
4-port high power 20W USB Wall Charger: $10 Prime shipped ($15 off)
Kensington AbsolutePower Lightning iPhone charge & sync dock $12 shipped (orig. $50)
Harman Kardon 5.1-channel, 70-Watt Audio/Video Receiver refurb $119 (Orig. $479)
Speck MacBook Pro and Air laptop cases in multiple colors: $24 shipped (Reg. $50)
Apple iPad mini w/ Retina display 16GB WiFi (silver or space gray): $330 shipped (Reg. $399) http://t.co/nD2TMy6HFE pic.twitter.com/Ip0H1MC2JC
— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) June 25, 2014
Other new deals:
Get $14 in credit to be used towards a Fandango movie ticket for just $7 http://t.co/WWTtLh3Bn6 pic.twitter.com/f3AEKaIOg8
— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) June 25, 2014
More deals still alive:
New products/ongoing promotions:
Microsoft/Google/Android:
Last night Apple TV users started seeing a new channel icon for Netflix as the company recently updated its logo, and today both the iPhone and iPad versions of the Netflix apps were updated to version 6.0 which includes the new design.
The updates to both Apple TV and the iPhone and iPad apps don’t bring much else aside from the new logo and slight design tweaks, but the iOS apps do include bug fixes and faster video playback according to Netflix.
The Netflix channel update on Apple TV should be available without any software updates, and the latest version of Netflix for iPhone and iPad is available today on the App Store.
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Speaking at Code Conference Wednesday night, Apple’s head of online services Eddy Cue took a swipe at the current state of television and presented his take on where the future of that industry lies. According to Cue, Apple TV sales have risen in recent years and over 20 million of the set-top box have been sold to date. Cue says that the device is billion-dollar business now and is expected to continue growing.
However, the Apple TV isn’t a true TV replacement. Cue took a few moments to point out just how much using TV “sucks” and bemoan the current range of DVR devices. He even went so far as to compare current technology with the VCRs of a bygone era—and he’s not wrong. Cue cited drawbacks such as having to remember to set a recording or trying to manage storage on the recorder as reasons on-demand streaming through the Apple TV is growing in popularity.
That’s not to say he’s especially fond of today’s on-demand systems either, though. Not only did Cue have sharp criticisms for modern recording tech, he even jabbed at the streaming experience on the iPad, noting that the process of authenticating with a cable provider to access streaming content is less-than-ideal. So what’s his solution?
Taphive GmbH has recently released a major update to their movie management and discovery app, TodoMovies 3. TodoMovies 3 is a to-do app focused on movies. It has a gorgeous layout, and does a superb job managing a movie related to-do list with a robust set of features.
In this article, I will provide some examples of how the app could be used to aggregate a list of movies you want to watch, explore a vast amount of information about those movies, and discover movies you may not know about.
At Hulu’s Upfront event in New York today, the streaming media company announced some interesting news for cable cutters and entertainment indulgers. Beginning this summer, viewers without paid Hulu Plus accounts will be able to view full episodes of TV shows via the Hulu mobile apps at no cost. The content will still be ad-supported, of course, as even paid members are exposed to advertising, but content will include full TV episodes. Currently, only Hulu members with a paid subscription can access content on mobile devices like the iPhone and iPad and free viewing is restricted to the web. Additionally, Hulu says the company will release “the next generation” of its Hulu Plus app for iPhone around the same time this summer.
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Adding to the catalog of Chromecast-supported content, Rdio and Crackle are both adding the ability to play more content from your smartphone, tablet, or browser to your TV today.
Crackle has refreshed its Android and iOS apps with support for Chromecast streaming. The Sony-backed content provider serves up a number of movies and TV shows for free including comedian Jerry Seinfield’s “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” original.
Video streaming service Vudu has also added Chromecast support in the latest versions of its Android and iOS apps. The Walmart-owned service includes HD movies and TV shows with no subscription.
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