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Apple is about to launch a major new product: a TV experience with a dizzying reach and unparalleled in the market. Much more than just a streaming service, Apple's new vision hopes to encompass both live and video-on-demand, and be accessible on virtually any screen. The goal is to be deeply personalized and provide recommendations based on a variety of factors, including what you have watched, where you live, and where you are when you use the service. It will be a competitor – and in some cases a partner – of existing streaming services. And it could already be integrated into your TV.
If no one can say for sure what Apple will launch or launch, here's a description of what we believe to be Apple's long-term television strategy. It relies heavily on the content of a 113-page patent issued to Apple under the title "User Interface of Television Screens," published on February 5, 2019. Some elements may seem odd, and we sometimes recognize just one patent and not a road map of the product. Nevertheless, the level of detail of this patent is remarkable and a large part of this patent seems logical, even totally practical.
Below is a speculative overview of Apple's ambitious new television service.
Apple TV, the subscription service
To date, you have read rumors that Apple would create a streaming service with original content that would compete with Netflix, Amazon and others. Apple's ambitions, however, seem to go far beyond simply transforming into a production studio. If he had to launch a "me-too" service, with a mix of licensed content and original content, the profits of other companies could be reduced, but the fight would be tough. Instead, Apple hopes to do what it has always done: create a better way to interact with the technology used – and make this experience the basis of its product.
The service should be called simply "Apple TV". Yes, Apple calls its decoders, but as we will see later, the demarcation between video hardware and Apple software is about to become very blurred.
Virtual decoder, unlimited DVR
The new Apple service aims to become the ultimate video aggregator by pulling content from a wide variety of sources. Although its ambitions in this area are limited by the agreements it can reach with players such as cable, satellite, streaming video and live TV companies, Apple should build an infrastructure capable of hosting everything. In theory, even free local live broadcasts (OTA) could be captured. By using an extensive collection of content servers – strategically positioned nationwide – as a base, Apple could theoretically become the largest licensed video content warehouse, period. Apple's servers acting as a repository for all this content, its network becomes the latest digital recorder.
This immediately raises many questions about the license fees and regulations of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Nevertheless, if Apple can conclude the agreements, there is no reason why all this content can not reside in the infrastructure of the company. A parallel database containing the license information for each program, film and sports event is placed next to all this content. Game of thrones, for example, will only be made available to viewers who have demonstrated that they already own (or are willing to pay for) HBO.
Apple TV subscribers will be asked to provide login credentials for all their subscriptions. It may be necessary to re-authenticate them periodically, but we believe that Apple will find a way to make it as simple as possible. Apple's goal is to make redundant other set-top boxes, whether it's to receive cable, satellite or streaming media content, leaving the device behind. Apple TV as a unique and unifying experience.
More than a collection of content
One of the goals of the constitution of this huge content store is to provide viewers with more options than any other source. Netflix has been criticized for its recommendations, with viewers saying it was burying too much of its catalog to benefit Netflix Originals. The intention here is that you watch everything you have through the Apple TV interface, giving Apple more information about your likes and dislikes.
Through the Apple TV interface, you look at everything you have at your disposal, giving Apple more information about your likes and dislikes.
As in iTunes, these personalized recommendations will be under the Genius brand and will work in the same way. But instead of being limited to iTunes, Genius will show you the best games among all you have the right to watch. You'll also control the content: Apple plans to allow viewers to create filters based on SD or HD quality, free or paid content, ad-supported or ad-free content, or any combination of these. this.
The cost of doing business
One of the biggest hurdles to overcome is the acquisition of these great partnerships. According to rumors, the service will cost $ 15 per month to viewers, while Apple plans to reduce by 30% the revenue generated by third-party content. It might not appeal to big players like Hulu, Netflix and HBO Now, all of whom would have hesitated to join Apple's new service.
Could such a service survive without a partner as big as Netflix? Even if it is too early to say, we think Apple is counting on the realization of this partnership and will do everything in its power to do so, even if Apple can not get the largest share of revenues 'she wishes. It is also quite possible that Netflix, HBO and others are not participating in the launch, which could significantly reduce the appetite of users for their registration.
An EPG on steroids
The Apple TV Electronic Program Guide (EPG) will look a lot like the ones you know well, but it will have some distinctive features. It will group all the channels you have access to, whether it's cable, satellite, live streaming TV, or even potentially local OTA, if Apple is more likely than other companies to comply with the rules. of the FCC. If Apple determines that you have access to an episode aired later in the day, you can view it through one of your on-demand subscriptions.
Similarly, if you look on the West Coast and this episode has already aired in the East, you can watch it immediately via Apple's servers. Satellite customers already know this feature as lag, but it will now be available on a much larger basis. If there is no watch-now option for a show, you may be presented with a subscription, rental or purchase option. Live events, such as awards or sports, will be broadcast in real time, although there may be a slight lag when the broadcast moves from its origin on the Apple network.
Follow me
Conventional cable or satellite subscriptions usually only allow you to watch some of their content on mobile apps outside of your home. Apple TV subscriptions will be subscriber-centric, which means that in theory, your content can follow you wherever you are. You can see it on your iPhone, but if you go to a friend with a compatible device, your subscriptions may also be available there. Your iPhone or even your Apple Watch could serve as an authorization device, wirelessly communicating your presence (and your subscription profile).
Your iPhone or even your Apple Watch can act as an authorization device, communicating wirelessly with your presence.
If you are both an Apple subscriber, you may see a video from your two specific subscriptions. This Follow Me feature will also work in hotels if they have the necessary equipment and can be turned off completely. If your family members who are still at home want to watch TV, you can give your home television priority over any conflict that may result from multiple feeds if they are not allowed as part of your package. .
Apple's patent does not specify the need for an Apple product, such as an iPhone, to activate the Follow Me feature. Instead, it only requires one form of authentication, which could be biometric, or just a password entered via the remote control. This means that in theory, a Samsung phone with the Apple TV app could authenticate via Bluetooth using the phone's fingerprint scanner.
Very social
With the Apple Friends feature, you'll be able to extract your friends' profiles from social network accounts such as Facebook or Twitter and see what they're watching. Friends can set their own privacy level to share all or nothing of their activity. "Close friends" will have their own Apple TV landing pages on which you can view more complete profile information, as well as options for text, audio and video calls.
Your friends' viewing activity can even play a role in which shows and movies are recommended to you through the Genius feature, allowing you to automatically subscribe to new services if you see a show you like from a new service. Actors will also have their own landing pages, which will give them the ability to share content as simple as the programs they currently enjoy, to the YouTube-style videos they broadcast. You will be able to add actors to your friend list to influence your Genius recommendations, although the interactions are obviously more limited.
However, Apple may find itself in a difficult situation if it does not really explain how it intends to monitor your television habits and obtain your consent in advance.
Deep dive
TV shows and movies will also have landing pages, which will serve as hubs for such things as the list of actors and crews, programs and related films, and even additional content such as director's commentary. behind-the-scenes videos and interviews. Even individual episodes of an issue can have this level of detail.
The service can also automatically create highlighted videos for a given show, movie, or sporting event, based on the behavior of other viewers of the service. If many people double-check a specific section of a show – such as a particularly notable moment of a Super Bowl half-time show or a Saturday Night Live skit – this could generate a nail or clip.
Sports fans will benefit from a particularly rich experience, with a variety of game-related statistics presented on-screen, including player lineups, highlights and team schedules. Athletes, like actors, will have their own landing page, which will give them the same opportunity to interact with fans. You can even create filters that will prevent the game from being ruined if you can not watch it live. This includes eliminating highlights as well as "do not disturb" mode to prevent your friends from spoiling the game for you.
Your videos too
In the past, your personal videos were only accessible on an Apple TV containing certain types of files or through a third-party application such as Plex. The new Apple TV service may be able to extract and catalog your videos from any source, with or without iTunes help, regardless of format. Apple TV will acquire metadata from your personal video collection and offer the same Genius recommendations and associated content, such as distribution, team, and so on.
Equipment
Apple is expected to release a new version of the Apple TV decoder that will support external drives for increased storage capacity. This could possibly be used to add personal videos to the Apple TV service, without the need for a computer or NAS drive. In addition to Wi-Fi and Ethernet connections, the box should include a MoCA cable connection, which will increase the number of scenarios to use, including hotels and cruise ships. The subscription service will probably also be compatible with Apple TV 4K and the old Apple TV 4th generation, although older hardware is unlikely to support it.
Apple's own boxes may only be part of the image. Earlier this year, Samsung became the first TV manufacturer to integrate with its AirPlay 2 smart TVs and Apple's iTunes Video store. This is only the beginning. We anticipate that Apple will create partnership programs – perhaps under the label "Made for Apple TV" – in order to give participating manufacturers the opportunity to integrate the full Apple TV subscriber experience to their products. This could take the form of a partnership with Roku TV, in which Apple's software becomes the de facto operating system, or simply function as a native application, in the same way that Netflix appears on most TVs intelligent.
When will this launch?
According to rumors, Apple will announce the new Apple TV service at its next event, March 25, where it will be presented side by side with the news subscription service of the company. The services themselves will probably not be put online until the autumn of 2019, although it is possible to perform beta testing before this period.
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