Next TV appreciates Black Friday for its brutal, black-hearted honesty — it’s not trying to sell itself as a holiday themed around tradition, family, giving, good food, compassion and spirituality. 

It is what it is — all id, consumerism and late-stage capitalism. 

And this year, we're in. Not all in. But in enough to find five great deals on streaming gadgets and services, befitting the busy, modern media consumer. 

How about a little more digital storage for all those streaming apps? How about a little more processing power for all that 4K you've been streaming? How about a little break on that monthly subscriptions bill, that now exceeds what you were shelling out for pay TV in the first place?

Just close your eyes. Give them your credit card number. The expiration date. The three-digit code on the back of the card. And your address. They'll ship it out to you nice in an oversized cardboard box, full of packing materials that will be around long after you're gone. Hopefully, your big shopping prize doesn't get swiped at your front door before you can claim it. 

Happy Black Friday! 

Apple TV 4K (2nd Generation, 2021 Edition, 32GB Model) - $80

In May 2021, Apple released the first major refresh in four years for its pricey Apple TV 4K device, capturing rave reviews from tech pubs. 

The second-generation Apple TV 4K included a Siri remote lauded for its elegance and ease-of-use, a powerful A12 Bionic semiconductor and digital storage allotments (32 gigabyte and 64GB models) that are four times more spacious than the average streaming device. 

The problem with the Cadillac of Streaming Gadgets has always been the price, with the MSRP for the base 32GB model coming in at $180. 

Apple reduced that hurdle quite a bit in October, with the introduction of the third-generation Apple TV 4K -- priced at $129, it delivers 50% faster processing speed than the Gen-2 model, using 30% less electrical power, via an A15 Bionic chip. It supports HDR10+, Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital 7.1 and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound,  and it includes the more popular USB-C charging interface. Notably, the base model includes 64GB of storage. 

Still, the second-gen 32GB Apple TV 4K device remains more robust than 99% of the streaming devices on the market today. 

And it's available on Amazon and Walmart.com for under $80 this Black Friday. 

Roku Ultra 2022 - $70

Back in May, Roku started bundling its high-end Ultra streaming box with its rechargeable Roku Voice Remote Pro for $99.99. 

Introduced as a standalone accessory two years, Next TV has enjoyed the Voice Remote Pro simply because of the USB-C charging capability. Previously, the device would get stuck in the couch cushions, or our untrainable, lazy but sweet lab/pitbull Bohdi would lie on top of it. The buttons would get inadvertently activated. And we'd have to keep replacing AAA batteries. 

As for Roku's latest Ultra device, it's equipped with a quad-core processor, 4GB of SSD storage (spacious by Roku standards), Dolby Vision, 4K, HDR10+ and Dolby Atmos support, as well as the most primo Wi-Fi reception tech you can get from Roku. 

This Black Friday, you can find this bundle on Amazon for $70 with free Prime shipping, a 30% savings. 

Samsung 85-Inch  Class 4K Crystal UHD Smart TV - $997

When it comes to Black Friday, let's just say the ol' North America-based B2B division of Future PLC, home of Next TV, merely dabbles in the business. It's our sister pubs in the U.K., including Tom's Guide, that have the real search authority here, laying out dozens of great purchase options for, just for the smart TV category alone.

Visiting Tom's Guide this morning, one item caught our eye — the Samsung 85-inch Class 4K Crystal UHD smart TV, powered by the Tizen TVOS,  available on Walmart.com today for $998. 

Samsung is a prestige manufacturer — even its lower-priced sets have outstanding picture quality. And you'll be hard-pressed to find a better deal on such a large 4K display. 

Hulu (Basic with Ads) - $1.99 a Month for a Year

Just departed Disney CEO Bob Chapek has certainly taken his lumps this week, but we here at Next TV have had fine respect for his overall streaming strategy, unsustainably high as it might have ultimately been for shareholders and the Disney board. 

This included the difficult-to-get-right tonal differentiation between Hulu and Disney Plus. This year in particular, we've enjoyed a steady diet of adult-targeted, limited-series biographical dramas on Hulu — Dopesick, Under the Banner of Heaven, Pam & Tommy, Pistol, The Dropout, Mike.

The acting in dark miniseries including The Old Man and The Patient was best-in-class, as were the comedic performances in the second season of Only Murders in the Building. (And we haven't yet watched The Handmaid's Tale, which says nothing good about us.)

We also tuned into Legacy: The True Story of the L.A. Lakers just to see how many times Jeanie Buss started sentences with, "My dad always..." 

Suffice it to say, we've gotten just about as much value out of our Hulu subscription as we have those more expensive Netflix or HBO Max monthly bills. 

For Black Friday, Hulu is offering its $7.99 base service, for $1.99 a month for 12 months. You have to watch some advertising. And it doesn't look like the deal carries into the Disney Bundle. 

But this is a heck of a price for a streaming service that always seems to have the goods. Hopefully, Bob Iger does nothing to change that. 

HBO Max (with Ads) - $1.99 a Month for Three Months

As Next TV feels the bite of global inflation and bad career choices, we're finding fewer and fewer reasons to pay $14.99 a month for HBO Max in the David Zaslav era. 

Zaslav has told us what he's ditching from the HBO Max for tax write-offs and arms dealership are shows we won't miss. But we do seem to notice that endless well of new series hits that debuted all throughout 2021 — Hacks, Mare of Easttown, The White Lotus — has suddenly run a little dry. (Although, we're currently enjoying season 2 of The White Lotus.)

Sure, we could try to economize with the advertising-subsidized $9.99 HBO Max tier ... and risk the wrath of the commercial-loathing Mrs. Next TV,  and her brutal, profanity fueled tirades that often wake the neighbors and might even provide Susie Essman with character notes. (What can we say? We married strong.)

But with HBO Max offering its ad tier at $1.99 a month for three months? Shoooot. We might have to consider living in the doghouse for a while.

The Cadillac of connected TV gadgets just got an upgrade ... and a decidedly more affordable suggested retail price.

Released amid a flurry of new Apple hardware, the third generation of the Apple TV 4K now comes with an entry-level $129 price tag, which is 50 bucks cheaper than the second generation Apple TV 4K.

For the lesser money, purchasers get a device that's 50% faster than the 2G model, but uses 30% less power, according to Apple, all thanks to a A15 Bionic CPU.

Apple has ditched its fussy Lightning charging interface in favor of the far more accessible USB-C. The gadget supports HDR10+, Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital 7.1 and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound for immersive audio, comes with a Siri voice-enabled remote, and includes a spacious 64 gigabytes of storage -- which is about four times as much as you'll find in most competitor's grande-sized boxes.

The premium version, which retails for $149, adds Ethernet connectivity to Wi-Fi support, and it includes a cavernous 128 GB of storage. ■

Revealing its increasing dialogue with Apple, Comcast has fixed a key missing connected TV link for its Xfinity Stream app, forging support for it on Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD devices. 

The Xfinity Stream app enables subscribers to Xfinity TV/video and internet services to use their pay TV subscription on popular off-the-shelf streaming devices and smart phones in lieu of Comcast customer-premises equipment. 

Xfinity Stream has been supported by Roku and Amazon Fire TV, as well as smart TVs powered by Samsung and LG TVOS, but the addition of Apple TV adds the “Cadillac” of connected TV devices to the device support portfolio. 

Notably, Comcast and Apple already forged an alliance to put the Apple TV Plus SVOD service on the TVOS powering Comcast's Xfinity X1, Flex and XClass TV devices. 

Will support for Xfinity Stream follow on Android TV/Google TV? We're not holding our breath. But never say never. 

“With today’s launch of the Stream app on Apple TV, our customers now have a new device option for accessing their Xfinity TV subscription in the home, and they will be the first to enjoy a new, streamlined UI designed to make it easier to find something to watch -- whether that means getting back to a favorite show or movie, or finding something new," said Michael Delciello, senior VP of strategic development at Comcast. ▪️

Amazon has finally launched a standalone Apple TV device app for its ad-supported Freevee video streaming service. 

Users of Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD devices have had access to the service, which was recently rebranded from IMDb TV, through the Amazon Prime Video app. 

But they'll now also be able to use the standalone Freevee app to stream free Amazon Studios shows including Bosch: Legacy and Pretty Hard Cases. 

The pricey Apple TV remained one of the few device ecosystems unavailable to Freevee, which in addition to Amazon Fire TV has already deployed to Roku, Google TV and Android TV; Samsung and LG smart TV sets; Xbox and PlayStation game consoles and Comcast Xfinity Flex and X1 pay TV systems. 

Freevee is also supported by both major mobile platforms, iOS and Android. ■

Micro-chips remain scarce and pricey worldwide, and the cost of producing streaming gadgets has never been higher. But for connected TV device makers, it makes no sense to pass the hurt onto the consumer -- they still want to get as many new users on their platforms as possible. 

For its part, Roku, which saw revenue from gadget sales decline 19% in the first quarter, is trying to hold the line on consumer pricing. And that results in some good deals on the latest streaming hardware. 

For starters, Roku is now bundling its premium "Roku Ultra" player with its Voice Rechargeable Voice Remote Pro in a bundle priced at $99.99. Equipped with a quad-core processor, 4GB of SSD storage (spacious by Roku standards), Dolby Vision, 4K, HDR10+ and Dolby Atmos support, as well as the most primo Wi-Fi reception tech, the Ultra had been packaged with the Roku Voice Remote and available for a sale price of $89.99.

Also read: For Fast-Aging Streaming Devices, 8GB Is Not Enough

Last year, Roku introduced a rechargeable version of its voice remote, which includes other nifty features like "lost remote finder" and a "private listening" headphone port, for $30. 

With its latest bundle,  which hits retail shelves May 15, Roku is including those remote control innovations, but only upping the price by $10. You'd spend 10 bucks on AAA batteries over the next few months, so it's not a bad price point. 

Certainly, a bulk of retail attention has been focused on the under-$30 streaming stick/dongle race, but there are consumers who appreciate the benefit of having a powerful computer device that's less likely to buffer, and run out of storage and random access memory. 

With that in mind, you can now pick up the 32GB version of the latest Apple TV 4K device on Amazon for $149.99, which is $30 off the regular MSRP. The 64GB version, which will let you store as many SVOD and AVOD apps as you can find on the internet, is discounted on Amazon by $10 to $189.99. 

Introduced last year, the Apple TV 4K includes the fastest processor you can find in a streaming gadget, Apples A12 Bionic chip, as well as four times as the usual amount of SSD storage you find in most sticks, pucks and smart TVs. 

In September, WarnerMedia announced a much-needed overhaul of the HBO Max app for the top U.S. connected TV device platform, Roku, addressing a range of bugs and UX issues associated with legacy software not up to the task of serving a new SVOD service with a massive catalog and international focus. 

The new and improved HBO Max, which was developed by WarnerMedia's You.i TV team, now an internal working group following WB's purchase of the eponymous Canadian start-up in 2020, subsequently rolled out to Playstation, Android, Samsung, LG, Vizio, Vodafone, Comcast and Cox video platforms. 

Seven months later, WarnerMedia has finally announced the same fix for frustrated Apple TV 4K users. 

In addition to addressing core issues, like unexpected crashes, the new, more stable app -- like earlier fixes for other platforms -- looks basically the same as the legacy HBO Max app, which built on a coding infrastructure written nearly a decade ago for HBO's much simpler TV Everywhere/Go era. 

WarnerMedia does promises easier sign-in and sign-up protocols, as well as an "enhanced" homepage and an improved "binge mode" experience that lets users skip credits. There are also improvement on how users create and maintain curation lists. 

Notably, the computer processing horsepower of the latest Apple TV 4K device, superior to most other OTT gadgets in the market, will also be specifically utilized for things like interface animations. 

WarnerMedia said the rollout of the new HBO Max app for Apple TV is ongoing and should culminate next week. 

Verizon said Wednesday that its Fios TV app is now supported by Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV 4K connected TV devices.

The Fios TV service still requires subscribers to lease at least one proprietary set-top, the charge for which is built into the core service offering. Currently, the linear pay TV service includes one voice-remote-enabled Fios TV One box. The Fire TV and Apple TV support, however, expand the app's usage beyond mobile devices--it was previously only available for iOS and Android smart phones and tablets. Notably, it's still not supported in the top OTT device ecosystem, Roku. 

"Now you can Mix & Match how you watch your favorite shows, too. The Fios TV Home App will be available on Apple TV 4K, Apple TV HD and Amazon Fire TV beginning July 22, 2021, creating new ways to watch live television with Verizon Fios," Verizon said in a statement.  

"With the voice-powered Fios TV One, now included in new Fios TV packages, customers get the first Fios TV box included at no additional charge, and can now watch live television on compatible devices throughout their home," Verizon added. 

Verizon reported another 62,000 lost linear Fios TV subscribers in the second quarter, which was actually a deceleration from the 81,000 who cut the Fios TV cord in the second quarter of 2020. 

But with Verizon focused on its "Mix & Match" strategy, which lets Fios Internet customers choose to bundle third-party live-streaming bundles like Google's YouTube TV instead of Verizon's linear TV product, if they so choose, the company's wireline internet business is expanding. 

Verizon reported the addition of 92,000 Fios Internet customers in Q2, a quarter that culminated its best 12-month period for Fios Internet growth since 2015. In the second quarter of last year, Verizon only added around 10,000 Fios Internet customers. 

Verizon reported total Q2 revenue of $7.8 billion, up 3.7% year over year. Fios revenue reached $2.9 billion in the quarter, up 5.4% year over year. 

The initial reviews are in for Apple’s first upgrade in four years to its Apple TV 4K streaming device, and it's the pricey OTT player's rejiggered Siri voice-enabled remote control that seems to be stealing the show. 

“The Siri Remote is the star here, and it’s the best remote we’ve ever tested,” wrote CNN. “It’s simple, minimalistic and, most importantly, intuitive to use. It’s a serious upgrade over the original …”

“The revamped Siri remote is a pleasure to use,” added Next TV sibling publication Tech Radar. 

Priced at $179 for the 32GB base model and $199 for the premium 64GB version, the Apple TV  4K remains the priciest connected TV player on the market. It’s now equipped with the Apple’s own A12 Bionic semiconductor, making it faster than rival high end streaming devices, such as the Roku Ultra (MSRP $99). 

At least until computer horsepower demands for streaming devices increase--and that could happen soon, if for example, Google's quest to get the AV1 codec widely adopted is successful--the new Apple TV 4K is faster, but it's just not a revolution, according to the folks who've test-driven it so far.

You can get support for core resolution standards like 4K and HDR with other popular OTT devices in the $40-$50 range, such as Chromecast with Google TV and the new Roku Express 4K+. 

And as CNN also noted, the new A12-equipped Apple TV 4K is probably faster than any OTT device on the market, but it isn’t necessarily a vast computational improvement over Apple's 2017 just-as-pricey iteration. 

“Those with the previous Apple TV 4K won’t see drastic performance improvements, even with gaming,” the pub wrote. 

And while the remote definitely seems to be an upgrade over the last iteration, which drew plenty of criticism, it is also available as a $59.99 standalone accessory. 

"If you’re currently happy with your previous-gen Apple TV 4K, we’d pay $59.99 and get the new remote,” CNN added.

Apple announced beefed-up iPad Pros and Apple TV 4K streaming devices, a colorful new iMac family, a revamped podcast offering, a second season of Golden Globe winner Ted Lasso, and the long-delayed AirTag tracking devices, among other news in a pre-recorded, kitchen-sink-style online event today. 

The new Apple TVs, iMacs and iPads will leverage the company’s powerful home-brewed CPUs, which include M1 chips that first appeared in low-end versions of its MacBook Air and MacBook Pro last November to excellent reviews. 

The iMacs will come in seven candy-coated colors (with matching keyboards, mice and track pads), an homage to the original, far more bulbous iMacs of a quarter century ago that helped undergird the company’s return from near death in the 1990s. 

Also Read: Apple Developing Gadget that Combines Apple TV and HomePod Speaker and Camera

The new iMacs in profile are vanishingly slender, resembling nothing so much as very large, very thin iPads on an even thinner aluminum base. 

But face on, the lower-end offering will feature much bigger 24-inch screens, compared to older models’ 21.5-inch size. 

They will include up to four USB-C connectors, including two with high-speed Thunderbolt functionality, and the ability to drive an external 6K-resolution screen such as the company’s pricey Pro XDR monitors. 

In a bow to pandemic-driven #WFH realities, the iMacs will feature much better cameras, microphones and speakers, including 1080P-resolution streams that use computational photography technologies used heavily in iPhones to improve streaming video on the fly. The 12-megapixel cameras will capture 122 degrees of view. 

In similar fashion, the new iPad Pros have been goosed up with much better cameras, including an ultrawide front-facing lens that will be a boon to video journalists and vloggers. 

Paired with a new CenterScreen technology that pans and refocuses as a subject moves or other people join the conversation, it could be a boon for one-man-band video operators on the go.

The devices also get LiDAR scanners that will improve camera focusing in low light, and help power more accurate augmented-reality experiences. 

The iPad Pros also will offer 5G capability, including in the United States so-called millimeter-wave 5G. That’s in line with the latest generation of iPhones, and Thunderbolt connectivity to super fast storage or even those high-end external monitors. 

The next generation of the Apple TV 4K, meanwhile, will get a different kind of Apple Silicon, the A12 Bionic, which will provide what Apple execs called “a massive upgrade to your TV.”

Most notably, it will add the ability to play back not only High Dynamic Range (HDR) video at 4K resolution and 60 frames per second, it’ll also add High Frame Rate playback, to further smooth video especially in sports and other action video. 

The company said it is working with “leading providers” around the globe to encourage them to stream in HDR and HFR. 

More beneficially for many Apple TV users who’ve ground down their teeth in frustration, the new model will come with a revamped and more capable remote control that also can turn off the TV screen and other devices. It will retain a touchpad and Siri voice control, but adds new buttons that are similar to Apple TV remotes of a couple of generations back. 

The new design enables a jog-wheel gesture to make it easier to scrub back and forth across a video onscreen. 

Most of the new hardware will be available for order on April 30, with deliveries in mid-May.

A revamped Apple Podcasts app will give creators more ways to make money, with subscriptions to individual streams, additional content, ad-free listening, early access and other tactics that have become standard-issue moneymakers elsewhere in the burgeoning sector. 

But the monetization options mark the first notable addition to Apple’s podcasting efforts since it created the genre (and gave it a name) 15 years ago. 

It comes amid intense interest across the tech giants in audio of all kinds: Amazon bought podcast powerhouse Wondery, and year-old social-audio startup Clubhouse recently raised $100 million on a $1.4 billion valuation, while spawning a herd of copycats. 

The biggest of those copycats, Facebook, on Monday announced a slew of planned audio-focused services, including podcast discovery, Clubhouse-style audio rooms, and an audio shorts function.    

Spotify, Apple’s biggest streaming-music competitor, has bought a string of podcasting companies in recent years and splashed out $100 million in an exclusive deal with top podcaster Joe Rogan. 

The moves were seen as efforts by Spotify to gain exclusive access to a swathe of popular audio content, rather than just paying out licensing fees to music companies for access to the same 70 million or so tracks available on all the major services.

Other announcements included: 

> A second season of Apple TV Plus hit Ted Lasso, the biggest hit so far for the SVOD service. Star and co-creator Jason Sudeikis won Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards for his fish-out-of-water portrayal of a homespun American football coach hired to run an underachieving English soccer (or their version of football) team. The second-season renewal wasn’t a surprise, but the air date is, July 23. Apple also ran a lengthy trailer for Season 2 at today’s event.

> The long-awaited AirTags, which can be attached to devices such as luggage and keys and tracked down using the Apple Find My app in recent iPhones and other devices with Apple’s U1 chip. Third-party companies are creating add-ons, including Hermes, which already sells a special-edition Apple Watch and wristbands.

Apple used its spring product refresh Tuesday to unveil the first update of its Apple TV 4K device since September 2017.

The OTT gadget is based on Apple silicon-- the company's own A12 Bionic semiconductor, a 64-bit ARM-based system on a chip that also powers the tech giant's iPhones and iPads. This gives the device the power to become a hub for extracurricular services like Apple Arcade. 

The powerful chip also enables the device to support advanced display standards, including 4K/HDR video at higher frame rates, as well as 60 frames-per-second Dolby Vision playback over AirPlay from a compatible iPhone. 

It's still the most pricey OTT device on the market--the iteration with 32 gigabytes of native storage retails for $180, while the 64 GB version sells for $200.

Apple said it will begin selling the device in mid-May, but it's taking pre-orders starting April 30. 

What's Upgraded

The legacy Apple TV 4K has been Apple's flagship connected TV device for the last four years. It also supports HDR, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos sound codecs. However, the older device doesn't support 120Hz refresh rates, giving the upgrade an advantage for video-gaming. 

The biggest improvement for the sixth-generation of Apple TV is perhaps the redesigned remote control. The new iteration is more robust in profile and includes a five-way touch controller vs. the legacy model's unpopular swipe pad. It also includes a dedicated on/off button for the TV, and the Siri search button has been moved to the side of the remote, accessible by thumb. 

Notably, Apple is selling its legacy Apple TV HD device, with the redesigned remote, for $150. Apple is also selling the remote as a separate accessory for $60. It's not only compatible with Apple TV HD, but the older Apple TV 4K. 

“Why Apple doesn’t create a streaming stick is beyond me,” tweeted Kirby Grines, author of The Streaming Wars newsletter, responding to a new Roku product announcement featuring another low-priced OTT player.

“Agreed. It is indeed baffling given that they had the Shuffle and the Nano when it became apparent that the iPod was too expensive for many people,” responded TV[REV] analyst Alan Wolk.

Apple TV’s influence is certainly on the wane— it controlled only 2% of global streaming device market share in 2020, according to Strategy Analytics.

On Walmart.com, where Roku, Amazon and Google battle it out for gate control of the streaming video business with inexpensive sticks and dongles, Apple is a non-factor. It’s latest streaming device, the fifth-generation Apple TV 4K—launched all the way back in September 2017--retails for $170. The company’s fourth-generation HD-only Apple TV is still selling for $144, while the third generation of the device—launched all the way back at the dawn of the second Obama Administration—is still buyable at $69.96.

But baffling or not, don’t look for Apple to suddenly change course at its just announced April 20 product showcase event, and start battling Roku, Amazon and Google in the realm of sub-$20 streaming sticks and cheapo OS-powered smart TVs. Apple has built a market capitalization of more than $2.25 trillion on premium technology experiences, which have justified the minds of consumers willing to pay more than $1,000 for an iPhone, or $180 for three-year-old streaming device tech.

However, when Apple kicks off its event from its Cupertino, Calif. headquarters a week from today, a long-awaited refresh of Apple TV is expected by some. 

Macworld said Tuesday that there is “plenty of evidence that a new Apple TV is due to launch in 2021."

A sixth generation device would upgrade 2017’s Apple TV 4K, which run on A10 processors that were put into iPhones as early as 2016.

And Bloomberg reported Monday that Apple is in the early stages of product development on a new device merging Apple TV with the company’s HomePod smart speaker. 

Then again, it wouldn’t be entirely surprising for Apple to stand pat on streaming hardware, a business that Roku admits is break-even for it at this point. 

Notably, Apple has proliferated the Apple TV app—and the SVOD service housed within it, Apple TV Plus—beyond its own device ecosystem, gaining support for it within not only Roku and Amazon Fire TV, but also device consoles Xbox and PlayStation. 

Apple hasn’t given up on its Apple TV streaming device. And it still has ambitions of competing with Amazon and Google in the area of smart home.

That’s the takeaway from a Bloomberg report, which details early product development of two gadgets that would integrate the functionality of the Cupertino, Calif. tech giant’s HomePod smart speaker with devices like Apple TV and iPad. 

One product iteration would combine the Apple TV streaming device HomePod speaker, similar to how Roku integrates its Ultra OTT streaming device with sound bar. The Apple device, however, would also feature a camera for video calls. 

Another gadget would combine a smart display with a HomePod speaker, delivering  functionality similar to Amazon’s Echo Show and Google’s Nest Hub. 

The products would ostensibly help Apple gain a foothold on device categories it’s currently lagging in. 

According to Strategy Analytics data, the Apple TV controlled only 2% of the TV streaming market in 2020. HomePod, which was discontinued last year in favor of the cheaper HomePod Mini, owned less than 10% of the smart speaker market throughout its lifespan. 

Apple hasn’t introduced a new iteration of Apple TV since the arrival of the Apple TV 4K in 2017, which continues to carry a hefty $179 MSRP.

Universal Electronics said it is introducing a remote control for Apple TV developed and designs for multichannel video program distributors.

Unlike Apple’s minimalist remote, Universal Electronics' device is optimized for live TV experiences, including quick access to electronic program guides and channel control buttons.

“We’re excited that customers worldwide will soon be able to enjoy this new remote, designed specifically for the growing number of MVPDs offering Apple TV 4K to their subscribers,” said Paul Arling, CEO of Universal Electronics Inc. “This remote offers convenient features to quickly access the EPG or channel surf live programming available through the MVPD’s app on Apple TV 4K.”

Universal’s new remote combines Bluetooth Low Energy connectivity together with Infrared to provide universal control.

MVPDs that offer Apple TV 4K can begin placing orders for this remote in late December. MVPDs will be able to introduce the new remote together with Apple TV 4K as they roll it out.

In addition to integrating with MVPD offerings, the new Apple TV accessory features:

Search & Control: Customers can ask Siri to find and access content across live TV and streaming apps

Controls for Live TV: Dedicated program guide and channel keys provide easy and instant access to key live TV viewing functions

Entertainment System Control: Modeless support and universal control of Apple TV, as well as televisions and audio devices from any brand or manufacturer

Reliable and Secure Communication: Integrated design with UE878, UEI’s reliable and highly integrated BLE chipset optimized for voice control, and Apple’s MFi authentication chip for secure connectivity with Apple TV

Automated Backlit Keys: Accelerometer and ambient light sensor to automatically backlight keys in low light environments when the remote is picked up or moved

MVPD Branding: Service providers can add their own company brand on the remote

Apple has released tvOS 14, the latest iteration of the operating system found in Apple TV connected TV devices, as well as smart TVs from Vizio and other electronics brands. 

Like most OS upgrades, the improvements are in the fine details. For example, Apple’s $179 Apple TV 4K debuted back in 2017 with support for HDR10, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. But due to a dispute with Google over 4K video codecs, tvOS didn’t support 4K videos on YouTube … until now, with the launch of tvOS 14, which supports the VP9 codec.

Also read: Apple TV Upgrade to Include Gaming-capable CPU, Set for 2021 Debut (Report)

The new OS offers expanded support for picture-in-picture, which was previously available only within the Apple TV app. Now it’s enabled on pretty much any app you use on tvOS devices, meaning you can keep watching what you’re watching while moving around the Apple TV interface. 

There’s new multi-user support for Apple Arcade—all games save in progress now for every member of a family, for example. 

Perhaps most notable is support for devices powered by HomeKit, Apple’s home automation platform. Apple TV users will see a live video feed from a HomeKit-enabled smart doorbell, in the form of a floating thumbnail, when someone’s at the door, for instance. 

The upgrade is available for fourth-generation Apple TV devices, including the Apple TV 4K.

Apple is expected to release the next iteration of Apple TV hardware next year. 

Apple is getting set to debut the next iteration of its Apple TV connected-TV device, equipped with a faster gaming-ready processor, but the gadget is likely slated for a 2021 release.

That news comes courtesy of the B-roll material in a Bloomberg story focused on the larger news of Apple’s quest to deploy 75 million 5G-capable iPhones by the end of
this year. 

With Apple ranking third in the second quarter in global smartphone shipments, trailing Huawei and Samsung with only 38 million units, there’s certainly urgency for Apple to get in the game in terms of 5G handset compatibility.

Pressure to Keep Up

But with Google set to deploy an Android TV-capable dongle, and chase U.S. connected TV device market leaders Roku and Amazon, there’s also pressure on Apple to stay in the connected-TV game.

It would be Apple’s first upgrade in the product category since 2017’s release of the Apple TV 4K.

For starters, the device will improve upon the legacy A10X CPU with a chip that’s more compatible with what’s being released by the Apple Arcade service. Tech blog 9to5 Google reported in April that the new Apple TV will likely come with the same Apple-made A14 processor that will be included in the new iPhone 12. The new Apple TV will also come with 6 gigs of RAM, the blog said. 

There will also be remote control improvements. Beyond addressing some of the usability complaints rendered by Apple TV users in recent years — a fussy touchpad among them — the remote will reportedly come with a Find My iPhone-like feature that will help the bewildered more easily track down their lost controller. 

Look for the next generation of Apple TV to keep the Cadillac price: the current Apple TV 4K has an MSRP of $179, ranking it among the most-expensive connected TV devices on the market. 

Apple is getting set to debut the next iteration of its Apple TV connected TV device, with a faster gaming-ready processor. But the gadget is likely slated for a 2021 release.

That news comes courtesy of the B-roll material in a Bloomberg story published earlier this week, focused on the larger news of Apple’s quest to deploy 75 million 5G-capable iPhones by the end of this year. 

With Apple ranking third in the second quarter in global smart phone shipments, trailing Huawei and Samsung with only 38 million units, there’s certainly urgency for Apple to get in the game in terms of 5G handset compatibility.

But with Google set to deploy an Android TV-capable dongle, and chase market leaders Roku and Amazon in the OTT device business, there’s also pressure on Apple to stay in the connected TV game.

It would be the first upgrade for Apple in the product category since 2017’s release of the Apple TV 4K.

For starters, the device will improve upon the legacy A10X CPU with a chip that’s more compatible with what’s being released by the Apple Arcade service.

There will be remote control improvements, as well. Beyond addressing some of the usability complaints rendered by Apple TV users in recent years—a fussy touchpad among them—the remote will reportedly come with a Find My iPhone-like feature that will help the bewildered more easily track down their lost controller. 

Altice USA has announced that it now has app support for Apple TV 4K.

And in addition to letting subscribers to its Altice One video platform use the service on their Apple OTT device, the cable operator is also providing financing for the gadget ($180 MSRP). 

For Apple, such an arrangement with a U.S. cable operator isn’t new. The technology giant formed a similar partnership with Charter Communications in 2018 that embedded the operator’s Spectrum TV service into the Apple TV 4K, and also had Charter peddling the OTT device in its retail stores. 

As for Altice One subscribers, they’ll be able to access their live TV, on demand programming and cloud DVR recordings on their Apple TV 4K device, and they’ll be able to use Siri voice commands to do it. 

The New York-based cable company’s customers will also be able to restart select programming that’s already in progress.

Additionally, Altice USA will let customers pay $10 a month in installments, plus tax, for the Apple TV 4K hardware. 

The integration benefits users who prefer using off-the-shelf OTT devices over proprietary leased set-tops. It also is of particular interest to those who don’t want to lease a secondary Altice One set-top for other rooms in their home.

"With Altice One on Apple TV 4K, we are providing another innovative yet simple way for customers to view all of the high-quality content they love," said Hakim Boubazine, Altice USA chief operating officer and president of telecommunications, in a statement. "Powered by Altice's powerful broadband and WiFi network and leveraging the advanced features of Apple TV 4K, the Altice One app for Apple TV extends our services even further into the home and brings customers more choice and flexibility in how and where they watch their favorite content.”