Apple TV = iTunes + YouTube + IPTV?
I’m a little slow at getting caught up on everything while traveling, but it appears that the Apple TV is transforming into something that will likely be even more useful for churches to use.
- You can already bring publish a video podcast of your messages/services/worship for the Apple TV.
- This week apple announced that they will release a software update in June making it possible to stream YouTube videos directly to the device without a computer or iTunes.
- It is also rumored that AT&T is working on an IPTV solution that uses the Apple TV.
While the new announcement and rumor do not necessarily directly benefit churches today, it is a significant sign that the Apple TV is transforming into a set-top box that will be a conduit for content providers (churches) to connect directly to the living room television.
The good news is that the Apple TV is not the only device that’s transforming. The PS3, Xbox360 and Wii are also becoming options. Not only will all of us be able to cost effectively broadcast to the television, but it will be able to be interactive since it exists in a two-way medium.
On a related note…you can now get 4x the storage (160GB) on the Apple TV for $399 in addition to the $299 40 GB version.
Visit 
This is really cool! I think that soon Apple will be bigger than Microsoft!!
In some ways they already are.
Bobby, I think we are just scraping the surface on IPTV. This is only the beginning of some pretty incredible stuff. Not even counting the Apple TV, but I think we are getting ready to see some pretty stikin cool stuff!
You are now officially my favorite church blog…. You have just successfully integrated APPLE into your church growth strategy!
Since you are already thinking ahead…. what about this? the macbook has isight and ichat that allow you to video conference….The iphone has a camera and the base operating system is Mac osx! It also has a a wifi chip and is working with a company that is in the works to deliver content to the living room via broadband internet…. Any ideas on where future builds of the iphone may be headed?
I still think that the Apple TV is missing the mark, and YouTube is not helping.
The problem with YouTube is that there is too much bad content that you have to wade through to get to the good content. I think most people feel comfortable with this on the internet when they’re just looking to waste some time or find cheap entertainment. However, when people step in their living room them demand high quality and dependable entertainment which is why I think that YouTube has no place in the living room.
What this can become is a tool for other resources. If other online distributors of content that mediate the quality for their content with user ratings or editors can use this technology to distribute their content to the living room that may be the beginning of IPTV as we dream it to be.
Joshua,
I think that could certainly happen. I imagine the team at Apple is focused right now on a successful launch after the hype as risen beyond reason.
Mike,
I see the YouTube deal as something that helps move the Apple TV the right direction…away from iTunes only.
I personally don’t want an editor to decide what I want to watch. I’d rather have effective filters (user ratings are one that YouTube uses) that still allow me to see or access anything that exists. The YouTube model will impact our living room, and the quality gap you are referencing will largely disappear in time. It is increasingly less expensive and difficult to create quality content…something the film industry is just now realizing. The filters will improve with companies like YouTube…just as Google radically improved the filters of accessing text content.
[...] YouTube continues to expand its platform and reach. I previously discussed how YouTube has partnered with Apple to deliver videos on the Apple TV and most recently the iPhone.A couple of days ago, YouTube started to offer the ability to customize its player. Now you can select from multiple color schemes, choose from two different layouts, and customize the title of the player. Additionally, you can choose your own playlist of videos to be displayed in the custom player. [...]