Apple TV Take 2

January 15, 2008

Among announcements for the Macbook Air, the Time Capsule back-up device and iPhone updates, Apple's Steve Jobs has announced at Macworld '08 a series of changes to their poorly selling Apple TV product. The one I think most appropriate to Big Contact creators and audiences: it finally allows Apple TV owners to subscribe and/or view video and audio podcasts directly through the Apple TV device without requiring the management of podcast subscriptions on your Mac or PC and iTunes.

It also allows for HD content and Dolby 5.1. (You can also rent major studio movies directly through the device - no PC needed.) They've also reduced the price slightly: $229 for the 40gb model and $329 for the 160gb model.

As a fan of the ease-of-use of the device - but not a fan of its PC-reliance - especially for podcast management - I think this is good news.

So what does this mean?

It means media junkies can go out and buy a small, quiet Apple TV box and hook it up to their big screen tv. And without requiring a pc/Mac/iTunes they can move through the slick Apple TV menus and browse and search through a podcast directory in their living room. And upon finding something they like subscribe and/or begin to watch the individual content then and there. And if the creators of that video podcast published their videos in high definition, then the content will look just as sharp as anything out there.

For podcasters it means: a) you keep doing what you are doing, no changes required. It also means b) that video podcasters can also consider publishing higher definition versions of their podcasts for more and more use in the living room - as opposed to small screen iPods.

Something we've had here at Big Contact for a while: publish your media in multiple formats - including a "full-screen" version of your video podcast.

To view a short video demo of podcasts on an Apple Tv go to Apple's site.

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