Apple announced at this year’s WWDC  they are working on a new version of the Remote app for iPhone and iPad that will get all the features of the Apple TV Siri Remote, including touch navigation, Siri and game play support. According to CNET, the redesigned app will be released to the public this summer but the beta version is now available for testing and can be accessed by registered developers.

After downloading the Apple TV Remote IPA, you will be able to install the app directly to your iPhone or iPad via iTunes. The app requires an iPhone or iPad running iOS 9.3.2 or later, and the Apple TV running tvOS 9.2.1 or later.

9to5Mac’s Jeff Benjamin has already got his hands on the new app. Taka a look at his video walkthrough:

As noted by 9to5Mac, the new Apple TV Remote will allow you to:

• Navigate Apple TV with touch gestures
• Ask Siri to find something great to watch, listen to, or play
• Dictate text, including usernames and passwords
• Enter text with the keyboard
• Play games using the accelerometer and gyroscope on your iOS device
• Game Mode with simplified game controls, available while holding your iOS device in a landscape orientation
• Controll the movie, TV show, or song that’s currently playing in the Now Playing screen

Learn more about everything Apple announced at WWDC 2016.

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Reuters has released a major update to its Reuters TV app for iOS and tvOS. Version 2.0 introduces new featured programs – thematic programs curated and hosted by Reuters journalists – alongside live feeds of global events and personalized video newscasts.

The update also includes a major redesign on both Apple TV and the Web versions.

Reuters TV 2.0 features three ways to watch for most users:

Reuters Now

An algorithmically assembled but editorially curated news program that is:

• On-demand
• Up-to-date
• Any duration (between 5 and 30 minutes)
• Customized to each viewer’s interests and location
• Downloadable for offline viewing

Featured Programs:

• Thematic, editorially-curated programs, on topics from Zika to Brexit to the battle to retake Mosul
• Offers a more in-depth understanding of a major issue in the news
• Hosted by a Reuters journalist to provide context around the topic
• Multiple new programs added each week

Live feeds:

• Real-time coverage of global events, from protests to Presidential speeches
• Unfiltered and uninterrupted
• Available live and on-demand
• Currently available on all platforms except Android, with support for that platform coming soon

Editorial content from Reuters TV is produced exclusively for the service and draws upon Reuters extraordinary reach from 2,500 journalists in over 160 countries. In order to deliver the service’s variable program lengths, all content is produced in multiple versions and organized by editorial teams in London, Hong Kong, New York and Washington DC, providing 24/7 coverage for viewers.

Search for “Reuters TV” on your Apple TV’s App Store to download the free app.

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The official NASA app turned out to be a very popular piece of software that has been downloaded more than 17 million times across all platforms (iOS, Android, Fire OS). Today the agency released its app for a new platform, the 4th gen. Apple TV.

The NASA app for Apple TV offers the following features:

• Watch live streaming NASA TV, and get a real-time view of the Earth from the International Space Station
• View more than 15,000 images individually or as a continuous slideshow
• Play on demand NASA videos
• Find the next opportunity to view the International Space Station and other NASA satellites pass overhead, based on your location.
• Display 2-D and 3-D satellite tracking maps
• Discover the latest NASA mission information
• Listen to Third Rock internet streaming radio
• View the Earth as Art image gallery

Search for “NASA” on your Apple TV’s App Store to download the free app.

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Tablo has finally released a native Apple TV app that was unveiled and previewed at this year’s CES. The free app lets Tablo customers record and stream both live and recorded broadcast TV programs on their big screen TVs via the 4th gen. Apple TV.

The app works in conjunction with the networked Tablo DVR, a small $200 box that plugs into a digital TV antenna to capture free, local HDTV broadcast programs including news and sports within the US and Canada.

Unlike traditional DVRs that are connected to one TV, Tablo does not feature an HDMI connection – it connects to your home network using WiFi or Ethernet to stream content to any connected device inside your home or anywhere you have internet.

With version 1.0 of the Tablo App for Apple TV, customers can get access to their favorite network shows via both a Live TV guide and Recordings screens. One-time and series recordings can also be scheduled for programs airing within the next 24 hours.

Thanks to integration with Apple TV Siri Remote, Tablo users can easily skip commercials simply by asking Siri to jump ahead in the stream.

The app is said to provide “exceptionally fast performance during in-app navigation, as well as launching both live TV and recorded playback streams” thanks to the “superior processing power” of Apple TV 4.

Tablo also announced that the additional screens and features will be rolled out “over the coming months”.

Tablo app for Apple TV 4 is available for download now through the Apple TV App Store.

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In cooperation with The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), IBM has developed an Apple TV app for Wimbledon. Users will be able to browse real-time scores, watch the Live Wimbledon studio show, listen to three live radio channels, and delve through all of Wimbledon’s video and photo content.

The companies will also release a new Wimbledon app for iOS, responsive to all screen sizes, that will provide “multi-content personalized feeds for fans at home and on the move.”

Both apps will benefit from a new Cognitive Command Center, built using IBM’s Watson and hybrid cloud technologies. The solution will ingest feeds across multiple social media channels to automatically understand, reason and learn the most relevant and emerging topics of conversation as they relate to Wimbledon.

For example, the Cognitive Command Center could identify emerging conversations around a Swiss football game at the same time as a peak in interest around a moment in a Roger Federer match. Using these insights, Wimbledon will be able to make rapid content decisions to engage and inform sports fans during a summer filled with numerous major sporting events.

During The Championships, IBM typically captures 3.2 million data points from 19 courts across 13 days with an accuracy target of 100% and a sub-second response time. It does this using highly trained tennis analysts and transforms that data in near real time to provide insights to commentators and media helping to bring The Championships to life for TV fans globally.

In under four seconds, the match insights IBM captures are also used to update millions of digital devices around the world.

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On Monday, at the WWDC 2016 opening session, Apple announced that they are working on a new version of the Remote app. The Apple TV Remote App for iPhone and iPad will get a redesigned now playing screen with playback controls and, most importantly, all the features of the Apple TV Siri Remote, including touch navigation, Siri and game play support (the app will use the accelerometer or gyroscope for game play).

During the keynote, Apple didn’t give any details on when the new version of the app will be released. CNET has today learned that the redesigned app will be available this summer:

The all-new Remote app will be available this summer, according to an Apple representative who spoke with CNET and filled us in on some of the details.

Apple’s spokesperson told CNET that the new app will feature a microphone button, just like the one on the Siri remote and will supports most of the Siri remote features.

That means you can speak into your phone to search Apple TV and use other Siri features like “What did he say?”

Like the current Remote app, the new version will have a large swiping area similar to the Siri remote’s touchpad for navigation and selection. It will also have a Now Playing window that shows artwork and playback controls.

And of course, there’s a keyboard for text entry, complete with dictation if you don’t feel like typing on your phone.

According to CNET, the new Apple TV Remote App will control both the new (2015) and the old (2012) Apple TV.

Learn more about everything Apple announced at WWDC 2016.

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Sling TV announced the debut of its live and on-demand multichannel pay-TV service on Apple TV. Sling’s suite of services, including its single-stream, beta multi-stream, Sling Latino and Sling International offerings, are available to Sling TV customers once they download the app from the App Store on 4th generation Apple TV.

Sling TV lets Apple TV users watch live and on-demand content, including some of the most popular sporting events, breaking news, TV series, movies and more.

Subscriptions start at $20 per month.

New Sling TV customers have access to an exclusive offer to purchase a 32GB Apple TV for $89 (originally $149) when they pre-pay for three months of Sling TV’s single-stream service or beta multi-stream service.

New UI

Also debuting on Apple TV is Sling TV’s new user interface. The updated UI is said to offer a more customizable and personalized viewing experience and to improve content discovery “of the thousands of hours of programming available on Sling TV.”

In the first phase of the new UI roll-out, Sling TV customers gain access to a new personalization feature called “My TV,” which allows customers to select their favorite channels, resume watching where they left off on select programs and set favorite shows and movies for easy, one-click access.

Additionally, the new UI includes enhanced content discovery, improved navigation and the ability to easily access content based on genres.

Programming updates

Sling TV also launched 12 Viacom channels across its beta multi-stream and single-stream services, including Comedy Central, BET, Spike, MTV, Nick Jr. and many others.

Sling also added new content from FOX to its beta multi-stream service.

Current Sling TV customers can download the Sling TV app directly from the Apple TV App Store on Apple TV. Similarly, new customers can sign up for a Sling TV account at www.sling.com and then download the Sling TV app on your iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV.

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Apple today announced a major update to its tvOS operating system for Apple TV 4. New features include expanded Siri capabilities, single sign-on for Apple TV, dark mode, HomeKit suport, redesigned Apple Music, app badging and many more.

New Siri features and functionality

• Topic search for movies: the ability to ask Siri for a movie by topic or theme (e.g. “Show movies about baseball”)
• YouTube search: users can ask Siri to search YouTube (coming later this month)
• Live tune-in: ask Siri to go directly to a live channel inside a supported app, such as “Watch CBS News” or “Watch ESPN.”
• Manage HomeKit accessories: Apple TV gives users control of HomeKit-enabled accessories. It also allows users to control HomeKit accessories when they are away from home or use it for home automation with the Home app on their iOS device.

Single sign-on for pay-TV apps

Customers in the US will have a simplified way of enjoying pay-TV video channels by using single sign-on. Starting this fall, users only have to sign in once on Apple TV to get immediate access to their favorite video channels that are included as part of their pay-TV subscription.

Once a user is signed into one network app, any other app on Apple TV from participating pay-TV providers will automatically log the user into all other supported apps requiring authentication.

Single sign-on will be available on both Apple TV and iOS.

New tvOS APIs and tools available for developers include:

• ReplayKit to enable developers to record and live broadcast from their apps;
• PhotoKit to allow third-party app access to photos and videos in iCloud Photo Library and iCloud Shared Stream;
• HomeKit to create apps to control HomeKit devices from Apple TV;
• App badging on the Home screen, to make it easier for users to know something new for them is available inside an app; and,
• Game Center enhancements and support for up to four game controllers at a time.

Additional features and updates

• iOS users can download the new Apple TV Remote app with touch navigation, Siri and game play support.
• Apple Music has an all-new design. The Library, For You, Browse and Radio tabs have been completely redesigned, and a Search tab has been added “to make finding music even easier.”
• Photos for Apple TV now supports the new Memories feature.
• Users can now select a dark background for Apple TV.
• Universal apps will now automatically download on Apple TV and show up on the Home screen when an app has been added to a user’s iOS device.
• When a keyboard appears on Apple TV, one will also appear on nearby iOS devices that are logged into the same iCloud account, making entering text more convenient.

The new tvOS will be available this fall as a free software update for Apple TV.

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CiderTV is a great alternative for Apple’s own Remote app as well as for the Siri Remote. It works perfectly with non-jailbroken 2nd, 3rd and 4th generation Apple TVs letting you to easily navigate menus with gestures, quickly send text queries with built-in keyboard and control your TV volume from your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch or Mac.

The best part is that it lets you do all of this from your iPhone’s/iPad’s Lock screen (Notification Center widget), so there is no need to unlock your device every single time you need to use the app.

Just swipe down to open the widgets pane and control Apple TV even if iPhone/iPad is locked.

(Note: to control Apple TV box from widget you need to pair it from the CiderTV app first and then add CiderTV widget to your Notification Center.)

The app also lets you connect to more than one Apple TV and access them all from one screen.

CiderTV is also available for Mac and Apple Watch, so you can control your Apple TV from your computer or even from your wrist.

Some of the basic gestures include:
– TAP to Select (Play/Pause)
– DOUBLE-TAP to go back
– LONG-TAP (press for a second) – go back to Home Screen
– SWIPE LEFT/RIGHT/UP/DOWN – move between menu items
– SWIPE LEFT/RIGHT – rewind or fast-forward. Further swipes will increase rewind/fast-forward speed.

CiderTV is available from the App Store for free.

The app is also available in Google Play Store.

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Apple TV took the third place position in 2015, based on revenue in the overall global set-top market, according to the recent research by IHS. That’s up from ninth place in 2014.

The research finds that more than 10 million Apple TVs were shipped in 2015 — the fifth largest volume in the world — following Arris, Technicolor, and Skyworth and ZTE.

According to Daniel Simmons, director of connected home for IHS Technology, “Apple TV’s particular success is a result of translating consumption habits from across Apple’s wider device ecosystem onto the TV screen.”

In 2015, global set-top box shipments grew 4.8 percent, year over year, to reach 353 million units, according to IHS

This growth was driven by internet-protocol television (IPTV) in China, where telecommunications companies are pushing IPTV services to generate returns on their investments in fiber to the home (FTTH), which connects buildings with high-speed internet access.

Revenue increased by 3.4 percent to reach $5.7 billion in the fourth quarter of 2015, compared to the previous quarter, partially driven by next generation device launches of Apple, Amazon, and Roku. Revenue for 2015 fell 5.4 percent to $22.2 billion, due to reduced demand for high value STBs in North America, primarily caused by poor pay-TV performance in the region.

Simmons said that the new positioning of Apple at the top of the set-top box market reflects several trends:

1. Pay-TV specific set-top boxes are becoming less important for consumers to access premium content, because Netflix, HBO Go and other OTT video platforms now offer top-tier content to retail OTT STBs.
2. As retail STBs have grown in the market, traditional pay-TV set-top vendors have been forced to re-position themselves, with significant consolidation at the top of the market, diversification toward software and services in the middle, and low-end vendors moving toward broader volume.

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