
Disney Is Finally Getting That Apps Are the Future of TV - jaxondu
http://www.wired.com/2015/11/disney-is-finally-getting-that-apps-are-the-future-of-tv/
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glossyscr
Why are apps the future of TV?

Why should TVs have a future?

Why develop another ecosystem just for an larger output device?

The TV—or I would rather call it 'large screen' will have a future as a dumb
device which will be employed by other devices just for outputting content
(best example is Chromecast). Yes, there still will be TV apps from
manufacturers, from Apple and from whoever who needs to push new 'marktes' but
they won't be able to build relevant ecosystems. The TV with its limited
remote-control based UI patterns is too inflexible compared to a touch
interface like that from a smartphone. So why not just let the smartphone be
the TV's brain—and again we talk about Chromecast.

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interpol_p
Having used my phone to control my TV, I _vastly_ prefer the small aluminium
remote Apple shipped with the Apple TV. The new remote for the latest Apple TV
is quite good too (though it's hard to tell which way around it should be by
feel alone).

Unlike you, I _want_ a limited remote control based UI pattern for the TV.
Complexity, location of my phone, and battery life are not things I'd like to
worry about when I'm at home and want to navigate the TV. Nor do I want to be
staring at a little screen to setup which content to play next.

From an interaction perspective, what I disliked in a smartphone-as-remote was
the following:

* Not able to navigate by feel alone, in the dark

* Had to unlock phone to use it. Can't just pick it up and press a button without looking at the little screen

* Screen lights up and creates a distraction

* Battery life is measured in one or two days (and often, at night when you want to watch TV, is at its low point)

* Not good when you watch with a group of friends and like to navigate through shows, actors, directors on the big screen

* It just didn't feel good. I realise this is a vague point, but I didn't realise how much I valued the tactile sensation of a nice remote until its battery died and I was stuck with my phone for a while.

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seivan
I got some issues with the new Apple Remote.

    
    
      * It's far too easy to come across the touch surface and fast forward.
      * Several times we've accidentally hit the search button
     (Siri is disabled in Sweden) causing it to jump out of whatever we're watching on 

Netflix and go to the search view. * Needs better keyboard input.

I would prefer a circle and quick buttons for space/delete. Also would love
previous search terms or a T9 interface for alphabet input.

~~~
interpol_p
Yeah I have that first issue exactly. While the touch pad is a fun addition,
it's annoying when accidentally triggered. Might be good if they let you lock
and unlock the remove by giving it a little shake.

I also accidentally hit the Siri button, but it's enabled here so it just
triggers the Siri tutorial overlay. Which is less annoying than what you
experience.

On keyboard input, that's probably the only place where a smartphone becomes
valuable. The old Apple TV remote iOS app was good for entering usernames,
passwords and search terms.

~~~
seivan
Actually that's not a stupid idea. Why can't I use my iPhone as keyboard
input? We can already use the phone for other stuff.

Sounds like it's so obvious that Apple is probably planning it :)

~~~
digikata
The Roku remote app allows exactly that for their TV appliance.

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IBM
The best thing that could happen to the Apple TV was the small collapse in
media stocks over the summer. That was a turning point for media companies to
seriously consider new over the top services that bypass cable, until then
they weren't terribly worried about cord cutters. Apple's leverage has gone up
and just like with the music industry, they get to ride in as the white knight
rather than being feared as a barbarian at the gate.

I should add that you shouldn't expect to save much money from this, you'll
likely end up spending the same or more trying to recreate everything you
watch (the savings will only be to someone who watches a very small amount of
content). The economics of bundling are almost impossible to beat. The
difference will be improvements in user experience and enabling new
experiences entirely (see the QVC app).

This isn't necessarily bad for cable either, their content acquisition costs
will go down and the ISP business will only grow.

~~~
voltagex_
It's looking bad for me. In Australia we've got Netflix (with 1/10th the
content), Stan and Presto. It's quite likely that your three favourite shows
could cost you three subscriptions (~30AUD) instead of one. Pay TV is slowly
declining, but if you want sport in HD (and you do, the MPEG2 bitrate on FTA
is terrible), it's $50/month on a 12 month contract.

If I have to buy an Apple TV for some things, an XBox One for others and an
Amazon TV (if they ever release it) for Unnamed New Top Gear Show I'm just
gonna give up and use my extra time to learn Haskell.

(I did try IPTV, but my downstream speed is 8 megabit on a good day and it
wasn't enough).

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ps4fanboy
Foxtel really has a very poor HD offering, I would say compared to Foxtel
(Netflix/Stan/Presto) offers much more content and at better qualities. The
major limiting factor is bandwidth, hopeful the NBN makes it more viable. I
have the new apple TV and the app selection is much better,
Netflix/Stan/(Presto not yet) all on once device with others sure to follow.
Presto is garbage though the quality can barely be called SD.

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jamesmcq24
Can't happen soon enough. It's infinitely frustrating to load up a channel's
Apple TV app, only to have to sign-in with my cable provider. I'll watch ads!
I'd even pay a small subscription for certain channels. Just let me pick what
show to watch and when. I feel like it's just these old media deals that are
holding everything back.

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JustSomeNobody
Don't much care for Disney because of what they've done to Copyright laws.

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mark_l_watson
Since Disney owns ABC, and ABC is a co-owner of the Hulu web app for watching
TV and movies, it seems to me that Disney already has positive experience in
this space.

BTW, Hulu with no commercials for $12/month is really nice.

