The ToyBox

Ricardo Bilton & Gloria Sin
Home / News & Blogs / The ToyBox

Apple TV update adds NBA, MLB streaming; upgrades Netflix

By | March 9, 2011, 12:50pm PST

Summary: iOS 4.3 wasn’t Apple’s only update issued today (even if it was the biggest). Apple TV has also been updated with some new streaming content and improvements for Netflix.

iOS 4.3 wasn’t Apple’s only update issued today (even if it was the biggest). Apple TV has also been updated with some new streaming content and improvements for Netflix.

Software update version 4.2 has added MLB.TV and NBA Game Time to the content lineup along with 5.1 Dolby audio for Netflix video streaming. Accessing these sports channels won’t be free, of course, and will require separate monthly subscriptions.

Apple TV is a tad behind other video streaming boxes like Roku and Sony’s PlayStation 3 when it comes to sports offerings, but at least Apple TV got some baseball action up and running before the end of spring training.

However, it doesn’t look like Apple TV boxes are getting any of the rumored features attached to iOS 4.3. At least not yet. Has anyone with an Apple TV box tried these new features yet?

[via TUAW]

Kick off your day with ZDNet's daily e-mail newsletter. It's the freshest tech news and opinion, served hot. Get it.

More from “The ToyBox”

Topics

NetFlix Inc., MLB, Apple Inc., NBA, Apple TV, TK TK, TVs, Tv & Home Theater, Personal Technology, Home Entertainment, Rachel King

Rachel King is a staff writer for ZDNet based in San Francisco.

Disclosure

Rachel King

Rachel King has no business relationships, affiliations, investments, or other potential conflicts of interest relating to the content posted in this blog.

Biography

Rachel King

Rachel King is a staff writer for CBS Interactive in San Francisco. Before serving as a contributing editor at ZDNet in New York City for two years, she previously worked for The Business Insider, FastCompany.com, CNN's San Francisco bureau and the U.S. Department of State. Rachel has also written for MainStreet.com, Irish America Magazine and the New York Daily News, among others. Rachel has a B.A. in Mass Communications and History from the University of California, Berkeley and a M.S. in Journalism from Columbia University, where she served as art director for the student magazine, Plated.

Related Discussions on TechRepublic

Did you know you can take part in these discussions with your ZDNet membership?
Ask a Question Start a Discussion
5
Comments
Add Your Opinion

Join the conversation!

Just In

RE: Apple TV update adds NBA, MLB streaming; upgrades Netflix
bbartle 10th Mar 2011
@smulji No need to wait. 720p looks great and is "good enough" for 99% of the folks who are watching content today. DVD rips start at 480p so 720 is actually an upconvert if you ripping software supports it. I find that I'm fine with straight 480p streaming from iTunes to Apple TV2 via Airplay. It awesome and just works. I'm not an Apple fanboy. The iPad was the first Apple product I've purchased since 1998. I'm now onboard because stuff just works. I spent a few hours trying to stream from Windows7 to an Xbox and PS3 before throwing in the towel and getting AppleTV.
View in thread
0 Votes
+ -
Nice
Hasam1991 9th Mar 2011
This box would take over my WD TV and Asus Oplay if it would do 1080p. Most people are impressed to see 20,000 songs on my LED and how fast the system responds... another hit by Apple!
0 Votes
+ -
are you streaming blueRay rips?
doctorSpoc 9th Mar 2011
@Hasam1991
0 Votes
+ -
ATV 3 for 1080p
smulji 9th Mar 2011
@Hasam1991

My suggestion is wait for ATV version 3 which may come this fall. If past actions are anything to go by, Apple will implement their new A5 SOC, which does 1080p output very well, in the ATV 3.
0 Votes
+ -
but why?
doctorSpoc 9th Mar 2011
@smulji the only reason anyone would need 1080p output is if they were streaming blueRay rips..

given the data rates if streamed media today (how much compressed) would not benefit from 1080p output and might actually look worse in many cases especially when video scenes have lots of movement.

don't fall for the marketing bs.. 1080p is just a resolution number.. it's basically the potential.. but if you don't know data rate, codec, and frame rate you know absolutely nothing about real actual picture quality.. the only media that would actually benefit from 1080p output would be if you had blueRay rips sitting on drive on you home network..
0 Votes
+ -
RE: Apple TV update adds NBA, MLB streaming; upgrades Netflix
bbartle 10th Mar 2011
@smulji No need to wait. 720p looks great and is "good enough" for 99% of the folks who are watching content today. DVD rips start at 480p so 720 is actually an upconvert if you ripping software supports it. I find that I'm fine with straight 480p streaming from iTunes to Apple TV2 via Airplay. It awesome and just works. I'm not an Apple fanboy. The iPad was the first Apple product I've purchased since 1998. I'm now onboard because stuff just works. I spent a few hours trying to stream from Windows7 to an Xbox and PS3 before throwing in the towel and getting AppleTV.

Join the conversation!

Formatting +
BB Codes - Note: HTML is not supported in forums
  • [b] Bold [/b]
  • [i] Italic [/i]
  • [u] Underline [/u]
  • [s] Strikethrough [/s]
  • [q] "Quote" [/q]
  • [ol][*] 1. Ordered List [/ol]
  • [ul][*] · Unordered List [/ul]
  • [pre] Preformat [/pre]
  • [quote] "Blockquote" [/quote]
ie8 fix

The best of ZDNet, delivered

ZDNet Newsletters

Get the best of ZDNet delivered straight to your inbox

Facebook Activity

Blog Roll

Blog Archive

White Papers, Webcasts, & Resources
ie8 fix