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Apple Updates Apple TV Update

No, that's not redundant. Apple yesterday released Apple TV update 2.0.2, which according to my research fixes the 5GHz network connectivity issues introduced by the previous 2.0.1 update.

To recapitulate events, on Friday, March 28th Apple released Apple TV update 2.0.1. This update to Apple TV "Take 2" supposedly "improved stability" and added a few minor features, like a Genres option under My Movies.

In addition, this update also pretty much bricked the Apple TV for video playback.

Apple TV Update Brings New Problems - UPDATED

In the motion picture industry, a "take" refers to each filmed "version" of a particular shot. Let someone flub a line or miss a cue, and on you go to the next take.

This process continues until everyone gets it right

That being the case, it would seem that Apple TV's "Take Two" monicker is appropriate. Especially when we consider Friday's latest 2.0.1 update.

After installing 2.0.1, my Apple TV constantly loses its 802.11n network connection. I've had my Apple TV permanently drop off the network at least a half-dozen times while in the middle of streaming movies, and twice while browsing titles.

That particular "Take Two" 160GB Apple TV exhibited none of those symptoms immediately prior to the update, nor does a second, version 2.0 Apple TV I tried moving to the same location.

Apple TV Update Brings New Features

Apple released software update 2.01 for the Apple TV Friday, which was reported as fixing bugs and adding new features to the interface.

Although, to be precise, it appears to add one new feature, the addition of a "Genres" option when browsing your own movie titles.

Those of you with large movie libraries (you know who you are) will no doubt welcome this, as it lets you break down your monolithic list of movies into much more manageable sections, which in turn makes it more likely that you'll find something to watch based on your mood (action, horror, romance, whatever).

But while welcome, and long overdue, the Apple TV interface is still lacking in needed functionality.

The Blu-Ray/HD DVD War: Retail Revolutions

In our last installment of The Blu-Ray/HD DVD War, we discussed how Warner dumping the HD DVD format in favor of Blu-Ray could quickly lead to additional defections from Toshiba's HD DVD camp.

Which occurred, right on cue.

But instead of more studios following Warner as we originally surmised, these defections came in the guise of NetFlix and Best Buy and Wal-Mart, dealing HD DVD a fatal blow to its retail channel.

A surprise, perhaps, but such is the nature of betrayal.

And as such,Toshiba, with no chance to win, sued for peace, and ceded the battlefield to Blu-Ray.

But what triggered this new wave of betrayals?

Apple TV And The Long Tail

In his book The Long Tail, Chris Anderson enumerated several key components needed when making online distribution systems work.

One of them is "findability". Or to put it simply, if you can't find it, you can't buy it.

And while the Apple TV's new interface is adequate given the currently limited selection of titles, it's going to need yet another overhaul once Apple adds more content.

It simply won't scale.

Apple TV's Magical Mystery Tour

Is anyone else confused by the movie categorization system on the Apple TV?

I was browsing titles and jumped into Pieces of April to read the description. While there, I noticed a title in the "other people have rented" section called Stage Beauty. Not only did I not recognize the film, but I didn't remember seeing it anywhere else.

Stage Beauty is listed as a drama, but go to Genres > Drama and try to find it. Not listed. Go to Genres > All Movies, however, and it's there.

Weird. And there's more.

How To Watch Rentals More Than Once

It's common knowledge that you can only watch a downloaded rental on your Apple TV once before it goes poof. In fact, it's a major complaint on many blogs.

But last night I noticed that 2010 was still in my rental list, even though I'd downloaded and watched it the night before. So deciding to conduct an experiment, I waited and then hit "Play" a second time with only an hour left in my 24-hour "you've started it, now you have to finish it" cycle.

When I did so, my Apple TV politely asked if I wanted to resume from where I'd left off (the closing credits), or start over from the beginning. I chose to start over. And it did.

Further, it let me continue past the 24-hour deadline to finish the film.

So how do you watch rentals more than once?

Just hit play.

Apple TV Take Two - Take One

My brand new Apple TV arrived today, in the form of the software update Steve Jobs promised during this year's MacWorld keynote address.

So was it worth the wait? Is renting all it could be?

The answer is a definite... maybe.

Apple vs NetFlix vs Everyone Else

Existing attempts to provide downloadable "on-demand" services have foundered in the marketplace, suffering from high prices, overly excessive DRM systems, lack of content, and in general, lack of convenience.

Further, most consumers already have access to some form of on-demand service via their existing digital cable/satellite set-top-boxes (STB), making it a three-legged race between competitive offerings.

Or four, if you consider the "pressure" placed on buyers to upgrade to Blu-Ray/HD DVD, or five, if we also toss streaming services like NBC Universal's Hulu into the mix.

So with eveyone attempting to grab market share and with existing competive services already in place, how will relative newcomers like Apple and NetFlix fare? What's their competitive advantage?

Three Easy Ways To Make Rentals More Popular

It's given that version one of any product will have a few problems and rough spots, and Apple's new movie rental program is no exception to the rule.

So with that in mind, here are three ways that Apple could improve their new service right now, making it a lot more valuable to all concerned.