Apple TV & LoveFilm - UK Streaming Service

MAC MANUK wrote:
Does anyone know if LoveFilm is to come to Apple TV in the UK

Only LoveFilm would be able to tell you if they wished to be made available on the appeltv. Maybe email them and ask them.

In addition, where are our 99p rentals?

There were never 99p rentals. TV Show rentals are US only (and this was stated when they announced TV Show rentals).

I think in the UK appleTV wont set off as it does nothing really but stream and movies cost a fortune. I think i'll send mine back!

chrisduk wrote:
I think in the UK appleTV wont set off as it does nothing really but stream and movies cost a fortune.

if you think £99 is a fortune then you should have seen the price of the original appletv.

Lovefilm streaming (which is included as part of my Lovefilm subscription) is also available on newer Sony Bravia TVs and Sony Blu-ray players.

My £119 Sony Blu-ray player supports BBC iPlayer - inc HD, Demand Five, Lovefilm, Eurosport and quite a few other streaming services. It also streams video and audio content using DLNA/UPnp from my PC. It also plays Blu-rays and DVDs rather well.

My £99 AppleTV v2 does a MUCH better job of streaming locally stored content than the Blu-ray player - but doesn't play Blu-rays... Or access BBC iPlayer or Lovefilm. The UI is great, the implementation of the iTunes store is great. The set-up experience was massively better (Sony make you go to websites and register your device and then do all sorts of password stuff...)

At the moment the Sony Blu-ray player does look better value. And it does 1080p. But the Apple TV is so much more user friendly.

If Apple added iPlayer support to the Apple TV it would fly off the shelves in the UK. But wouldn't make any money for Apple in rentals I guess, and the BBC wouldn't (and shouldn't) pay Apple for this... (AIUI the BBC now have a standard API for accessing iPlayer - though you may have to do some approval stuff?) Lovefilm would be nice - though their video quality is still far from great. (iPlayer looks much better than Lovefilm on my Sony player)

Message was edited by: Steve Neal

I think there's a real problem with appletv 2 - apart from dispensing with storage and direct iTunes purchases - outside of the US and maybe Canada there is little apart from the reasonable (though retrograde compared to appletv 1) interface to entice anyone who does not intend to buy from iTunes or painstakingly convert their own content to h264

We can't rent cheap tv shows, HD movies are not cheap to rent. We still can't buy HD movies.

Airplay is presumably the killer feature that will make the device an iPad/iPodbtouch/iPhone accessory rather than a standalone media player.

Apps if they come may also be a boost.

Your Sony Bluray player sounds like a bargain....and there's the problem, with all these features coming to TVs, STBs, and disc players, devices like AppleTV may be left out in the cold by the average consumer.

Hi

I contacted LoveFilm, they said they will not be releasing LoveFilm for apple TV 😟

I may send mine back, 2 weeks old tomorrow. the airplay is ok, ie watching a video on my ipad/iPhone i've clicked the airplay button and its went straight over to my tv which is kinder cool.

I hope things like iPlayer, 4OD etc come to appleTV. I guess Apple's primary Market for the product is the US.

You're already using airplay? I thought I had to wait for a new app to be released in November- the main reason I bought ATV2 was to stream from my ipad, so if I can do it today, please tell all!

I can see 'airplay' on the ATV2 menu, but can't see how I can set my ipad up to stream to it.

Any advice gratefully received...

inroomdining wrote:
You're already using airplay? I thought I had to wait for a new app to be released in November- the main reason I bought ATV2 was to stream from my ipad, so if I can do it today, please tell all!

I can see 'airplay' on the ATV2 menu, but can't see how I can set my ipad up to stream to it.

Any advice gratefully received...

only beta versions of iOS4.2 (for iphone and ipad) have airplay functions. there is no public release for this yet.

Chenks wrote:

inroomdining wrote:
You're already using airplay? I thought I had to wait for a new app to be released in November- the main reason I bought ATV2 was to stream from my ipad, so if I can do it today, please tell all!

I can see 'airplay' on the ATV2 menu, but can't see how I can set my ipad up to stream to it.

Any advice gratefully received...

only beta versions of iOS4.2 (for iphone and ipad) have airplay functions. there is no public release for this yet.

Correct, I am using iOS 4.2 for iPad and iPhone 4 both Beta.

I don't really understand this because Apple are claiming that Netflix will be available through the Apple TV in the States and Netflix and Love Film are the same company. If you have an ATV, I'd hang on to it for now and wait for the inevitable upgrades that may well include access to other video sources.

Ash

400 Bristol wrote:
and Netflix and Love Film are the same company.

are they? that's news to me if they are (and quick companies check would suggest they aren't).

Sorry about that but I assumed it was from this: http://www.appleitunes.co.uk/film/film-industry-news/61-apple-tv-to-get-an-upgra de-allowing-you-to-stream-films-from-netflix-love-film-in-the-uk.html

Ash

Hi Steve.

Can you tell me which model of Blu-Ray player you have and where you got it? I'm considering an Apple TV but that sounds like it's a better option. Presumably it would also stream content from Macs?

LoveFilm have absolutely no connection to Netflix, other than they are following the same route of moving from DVD to blu-ray rentals, and then to SD streaming and then HD streaming. (Lovefilm have sadly yet to take that last step, but will do in early 2011 apparently)

Netflix have done a great job in being on just about every streaming device available in the US. So far LoveFilm are just on a few Sony and Samsung TVs and BD players, and the PS3. One would imagine they are talking to Microsoft and Apple, but nothing has been announced yet.