With Apple’s iTunes in the Cloud service in over 115 countries, the Cupertino, California based company is consistently looking to expand. On Wednesday, Apple added movie support to the iTunes in the Cloud service for 11 new European countries.

The new countries include, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden. Users in these countries who previously downloaded content from the iTunes Store will be able to re-download all of it.

Other updates to the service include the availability of TV shows in France, as reported by French site iGen. TV show availability on iTunes in the Cloud has seen a very limited rollout, with France becoming only the fifth country to have the feature after the U.S, Australia, Canada, and the U.K. Apple’s iTunes in the Cloud service was launched in the United States in June of 2011, followed by the addition of TV shows and movies in March 2012.

Apple has gradually added the availability of movies in a number of countries, bringing it to above 100 countries. Apple’s iTunes in the Cloud is very similar to its other services and even its products, in the sense that it is not open sourced for storing any type of file and that it stays within the Apple ecosystem.

{Via MacRumors}

According to The Next Web, Apple has added yet another service to its Apple TV device, a movie streaming and TV service called Watchever. Watchever is a Hulu Plus type streaming service that requires a subscription and allows users to log into the application on their Apple TV and stream movies and TV shows on their HD televisions. The service costs €8.99 a month and carries both international and local television series and movies.

Key features include the ability to choose between a German dubbed version of international movies, or the original. There is also a personal recommendation algorithm à la Netflix.

Apple has also updated its second and third generation Apple TV support page which shows all of the services currently available for use on the device. Watchever is the latest addition and mentions Germany on the bottom to note that it is only available in that country. Watchever announced during its launch that it would be compatible with the Apple TV and has now officially released it.

With more services being added to the Apple TV, the Cupertino company is continuously building relationships with different companies that may also hash out deals if Apple was to release a television set in the near future.

{Via MacRumors}

During this year’s September iPhone and iPod event, Apple also introduced iTunes 11. The Cupertino, Calif. based company released the newest update on Thursday, with a number of new features, such as a redesigned App Store, a mini player, and playback syncing. Other features include:

– Completely Redesigned. iTunes makes it more fun to explore and enjoy your music, movies, and TV shows. You’ll love the beautiful edge-to-edge design, custom designs for each album, movie, or TV show in your library, and getting personal recommendations any time you click in the Store.

– A New Store. The iTunes Store has been completely redesigned and now features a clean look that makes it simpler than ever to see what’s hot and discover new favorites.

– Play purchases from iCloud. Your music, movie, and TV show purchases in iCloud now appear inside your library. Just sign-in with your Apple ID to see them. Double-click to play them directly from iCloud or download a copy you can sync to a device or play while offline.

– Up Next. It’s now simple to see which songs are playing next, all from a single place. Just click the Up Next icon in the center display and they’ll instantly appear. You can even reorder, add, or skip songs whenever you like.

– New MiniPlayer. You can now do a whole lot more with a lot less space. In addition to showing what’s playing, MiniPlayer now includes album art, adds Up Next, and makes it easy to search for something new to play – all from a smaller and more elegant design.

– Improved search. It’s never been easier to find what you’re looking for in iTunes. Just type in the search field and you’ll instantly see results from across your entire library. Select any result and iTunes takes you right to it.

– Playback syncing. iCloud now remembers your place in a movie or TV show for you. Whenever you play the same movie or episode from your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Apple TV, it will continue right where you left off.

Apple delayed iTunes 11 because of engineering issues, and The Wall Street Journal’s Jessica E. Lessin commented, mentioning that parts of the new iTunes had to be rebuilt.

The new iTunes has been delayed a month by engineering issues that required parts to be rebuilt, according to people who have seen it.

Following the major management shake up at Apple, and the departure of iOS chief Scott Forstall, senior vice president of internet services, Eddy Cue took over all projects related to iCloud alongside his existing projects with iTunes, iTunes Store, and the App Store. Cue also took over Maps and Siri, after both failed to function as advertised and Apple received numerous complaints from customers.

With Cue running all of these services more strictly now, it is no wonder that iTunes 11 is delayed unless it can be guaranteed to operate the way it is expected to. The newest version of iTunes, iTunes 11 is now available for download on the Mac App Store and on the iTunes page as well.

{Via iMore}

Netflix recently updated their iOS app for iOS 6 and the new 4-inch widescreen display on the iPhone 5. According to the details in the App Store release notes, the update also improves the browsing, searching and watching experience.

The last time the Netflix iOS app received a major update was following the release of the new iPad, when the company updated it to support the Retina Display. The support for the widescreen display on the iPhone allows users to watch movies and TV shows in their native aspect ratio and runs the videos full screen, instead of letterboxed as it has been since the release of the iPhone 5.

More and more apps are being upgraded to support the iPhone 5 and iOS 6, many of which are placed under the “Amazing Apps on iPhone 5” section of the App Store. Netflix will likely be added to the section and is now available for users to download in the App Store. The app is available for free but requires a Netflix account for use.

{Via MacRumors — Image Credit: Mashable}

Hulu Plus, the popular streaming television service was introduced a little more than two years ago, making primetime television shows from popular US channels available for streaming on a number of mobile devices, including game systems and Apple Inc. (AAPL) iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

On Tuesday, the streaming giant brought their service over to the Apple TV, for users to stream on their HDTV. Hulu made an official announcement of the arrival of the service on the Apple TV on their Hulu Blog.

Keeping up with the latest episode of Family Guy, MasterChef and New Girl on Hulu Plus just got a little easier. And my living room just got a whole lot happier.

Hulu Plus arrives on Apple TV today.

Hulu Plus is available for $7.99 / month subscription and requires an account for use on the Apple TV. It has numerous categories for movies and TV shows such as popular, favorite, and recent which can be navigated with the physical Apple TV remote or the Apple Remote app.

For those of you who are new to the service, Hulu Plus is the only online premium video subscription that streams current and classic TV programming on demand from hundreds of content partners, including top broadcast networks ABC, NBC, FOX, The CW and Univision. Hulu Plus subscribers can watch on any enabled devices for $7.99/month with limited advertising. For many popular shows on our service, Hulu Plus offers every episode of the current season.

Hulu Plus on Apple TV is currently only available in the United States and is subscription based with limited ads.

{via iMore}

Earlier in the week, Apple released iOS 5.1.1 for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch and now the company has updated the Apple TV to version 5.0.1. The update doesn’t bring any major features to the set top box, but now allows previews of movies and TV shows to be viewed in HD. Previously, the TV shows and movies could only be viewed in HD after the customer purchased it. In addition to this new feature, the update also brings a few minor bug fixes to the 2nd and 3rd generation Apple TV models. Other minor updates for the Apple TV include:

iTunes previews – Previews for movies and TV shows from the iTunes Store can now be viewed in HD.
AirPlay – Fixes an issue that caused some iOS apps to have trouble connecting via AirPlay.
Home Sharing – Improves the reliability of Home Sharing connections.
Netflix – Addresses an issue affecting Netflix login and navigation.
Stability and performance – Includes fixes for issues affecting stability and performance.

The update is now available directly on the Apple TV and can be downloaded by going to Settings>General>Update Software. Apple, with this latest update, is likely stabilizing the minor bug fixes and patching up issues in iOS 5 before the company releases iOS 6, the next version of its mobile software.

{via MacRumors}

Streaming abilities on the iPad have increased over the past few months with many cable providers such as Time Warner Cable and Verizon FIOS allowing customers to download specific applications for their iOS devices and stream shows. Currently, some of the top applications include TBS, ABC, and HBO’s GO application.

All of these applications allow users to view their favorite shows from these channels on their iPad. On Tuesday, Showtime announced that they will be releasing an app for the iPad as well, allowing users to watch their top series like Homeland, Dexter and Weeds, and other content such as boxing and movies running on other Showtime networks.

Get unlimited access to full length versions of your favorite SHOWTIME® programs – acclaimed Original Series, uncut hit movies, hard hitting sports, comedy, reality/documentaries and much more, right at your fingertips.

The Showtime app, similar to the HBO GO app is only available through select providers only, and works with AT&T U-Verse and Verizon FiOS at this point. Comcast subscribers can get access to Showtime through their Xfinity application, but Showtime has pointed out that the app will support Comcast subscribers “soon”.

Showtime has not released an iPhone application, but has mentioned that one will be arriving during the first half of 2012. As with all other applications, the Showtime Anytime app is available for the iPad on the Apple App Store.

iTunes customers have shown they overwhelmingly prefer buying TV shows. iTunes in the Cloud lets customers download and watch their past TV purchases from their iOS devices, Apple TV, Mac or PC allowing them to enjoy their programming whenever and however they choose.

FOX also confirmed that Apple had taken such actions after seeing that it was a failing attempt to sell TV Shows and that Apple’s Cloud seemed like a much more reasonable outlet for content.

After carefully considering the results of the rental trial, it became clear that content ownership is a more attractive long-term value proposition both for iTunes customers and for our business. To further enhance the value of ownership, we are working with Apple to make content available within their new cloud-based service.

Apple revealed $0.99 TV Show Rentals with the introduction of their all new streaming Apple TV and failed to roll out the service to other countries beyond the US. Apple also failed to strike deals with other major US networks and could not expand the content within its service. Apple’s choice to shut it down makes more sense for its business model and could possibly lead to a better streaming service.

Perhaps, Apple’s goal with their Subscription model, with an addition of iCloud could help them achieve this. At this point, it is unclear what Apple is going to propose, but whatever it may be, something could definitely be in the works.

Would you buy a subscription if Apple offered content through iCloud? Do you think this is a good move? Did you ever rent $0.99 movies?

{via TiPb}

The web is abuzz this week about Apple planning a subscription based video streaming service to take on Netflix and Amazon. With that information already put, Jeffries analyst Peter Misek revealed today that Apple has already laid plans and set deals for such a service as well as iTunes Replay.

As part of Apple’s roll-out of cloud video services (and eventually an iTV), we believe Apple has unannounced deals with all/most of the studios/TV networks that are similar to the subscription streaming deal between Amazon and CBS.

On Monday, Apple released an iCloud beta, allowing users to re-download TV Shows and movies as well as stream them directly from the cloud using Apple TV. Redownloading is set to launch through iTunes Replay. Apple already has the groundwork laid out for a service similar to Netflix with the iTunes framework. With rumors swirling that Apple is planning to release an HDTV , and that they have already worked out deals, it is almost likely that Apple is planning something big.

Apple has not revealed any products or services as of yet but will likely do so in the sense that the market had yet to be dominated. Apple’s iTunes is popular enough to attract its existing customer base.

Would you subscribe to a video streaming service from Apple? Sound off in the comments below!

One of my favorite features about the Peel application is that it allows you do away with your provider’s clunky menu and replaces it with an intuitive and sharp looking guide. The app took me about 10 minutes to set up to work with my TV, home theater, Apple TV and DirecTV box. The mere fact that it replaces all those remotes was awesome but then add in the fact that I don’t have to use the slow and clunky DirecTV guide anymore I was ecstatic. Don’t get me wrong, I love my DirecTV but the guide can be slow and tough to use. I don’t like sifting through all 400 channels only to find that in my haste I passed up the show I wanted to see. This is where the Peel app flourishes in telling me the shows that I like that are on at that time and also shows similar to those shows.

When you launch the Peel app it shows the following sections: Top Picks, TV Shows, Movies, Sports and Search. Each section has groupings by genre such as: Comedy, Drama, etc. When you begin using Peel you will see that most shows are there. As you click the “Star” for the shows you like, that show and shows like it will be displayed more. As you click the “X” for the shows that you don’t like, those shows won’t appear anymore. This is a really cool method making it less painful to browse through the suggested shows. If you aren’t sure what a show is, you can click on it and a brief description of the show or movie will be displayed along with the channel, duration and a picture for most. You can also “Watch on TV” to easily browse to the channel. A feature that has recently been added was the ability to set reminders for a show. There is also a share button that allows you to share via Twitter and Facebook. This adds a little bit of a social feature that is pretty much a must have these days. Overall the app is very robust and simply makes viewing and controlling your devices a better experience.

With the release of the Peel Fruit more functionality came to an already impressive app. The Fruit is simple to set up. You connect an adapter via power and Ethernet into your router and then you put a battery in the Peel Fruit itself and place it somewhere that it has a clear line of sight to the adapter and you are done with the hardware set up. This is awesome because I did not have to put the Fruit on my always crowded coffee table but instead on a lamp stand in the far back corner of our living room. This kept it up and out of the way and has been working nicely. The Fruit has lasted a long time, well over a month on a single battery and is still going strong. After being connected to my DirecTV box the app was able to mimic all of the controls that are found on my DirecTV remote like record and menu. There is one downfall which is the fact that it doesn’t have a mute but to avoid this I simply hit pause on whatever I am watching and it instantly mutes and I don’t miss any of my show.

The Peel Fruit and app combine to make my TV viewing experience awesome and allows me to put away all my stinking remotes that I have come to despise. It is incredibly easy to control which is nice because I don’t have to teach my wife how to use all the remotes. The one downside I have seen is that when my brother-in-law stops by and wants to watch TV, he can’t use the Peel Fruit if my wife and I are gone. The resolution to that is going to be my iPhone 4 when I buy the new iPhone this year but for most this won’t be an option or at least not an option they like and I can hardly blame them. Short of that the device and app are amazing. They have changed the way I watch TV and interact with all of my devices.

Pros

• Awesome and Sleek Interface
• Smooth Controls
• Combines all my remotes
• Remembers my shows and discards those I don’t like

Cons

• Must have an iOS present
• No Mute but easily resolved by pause

Free (View in iTunes)
Category: Entertainment
Updated: Mar 11, 2011
Current Version: 1.1
1.1 (iOS 4.0 Tested)
Size: 12.2 MB
Language: English
Seller: Peel Technologies, Inc.
©2011 Peel
Rated 4+
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later

We were not convinced of all the Apple TV rumors. We knew it was coming, but very obviously not in the way that the much hyped rumors about Apple TV said it would revolutionize the way we watch our shows and movies.

Instead Apple have kept the Apple TV as a hobby. But made it one quarter of its original size, and stuck an Apple A4 chip inside. Yes, the same chip as you have inside your iPhone 4. So it is, to some degree, now an iOS based device.

Apple also made the new Apple TV black (always a good move), and blindingly simple to use with a cosmetically revamped remote. Most of the simplification is in the user interface on the Apple TV itself where there are some tiny signs of iOS bits and bobs floating around. Most notably little dots with numbers in them to tell you how many episodes of your favourite drama you have available to watch.

There was also a half hearted introduction of some price point changes for shows and movies. And the rumored 99 cents to rent TV shows is now a reality. Even that is not enough to make some take the plunge though and Apple realize that.

Steve was upfront about it too, and said that only Fox and ABC had committed as TV content providers at the moment. But he expected more in future. I think he is right. In many ways the Apple TV is where the original iPod and iTunes were when they first impacted the music industry.

Apple, rightly see this as an important market place to cultivate as it is surely a tech battleground coming to all of our living rooms in the near future.

So Apple also dropped the price of the Apple TV to $99. At that price my first reaction was that the Apple TV is now less money to buy than an AirPort Express was a few years ago. And that entire device’s functionality is just one of the bullet point features of the Apple TV with its new AirPlay capability.

The new Apple TV is said to be available next month. And I might just pick one up at that price. Along with my “iWatch” (iPod Nano!)

Current models of Apple TV will continue to be supported, but will not get the new functionality of this latest Apple TV. Not surprising as they now run very different operating systems. Obviously that is something Apple could relatively easily address. But that is very unlikely given their past form on supporting anything they consider to be a legacy device. And boy don’t devices get old quickly these days!

Are you tempted by the new Apple TV? Or are you already an Apple TV addict? Have your say in the comments…

iSkysoft are offering their iPhone Video Converter for OS X (Intel and PowerPC), as well as for Windows completely free for 12 days.

The software allows you to convert videos, movies and TV shows for your iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS or iPhone 4. It supports video formats such as WMV, AVI, MKV and FLV. And also allows merging of multiple files into one continuous video.

I’ve given it a quick try out and it seems to do what it says on the box!

Download link : [iskysoft.com]

Do let us know how it works out for you in the comments.

iTunes 9.0.3 update is now available for download so hit the update option and check out what’s new!

Details:

iTunes 9.0.3 provides a number of important bug fixes, including:

• iTunes no longer ignores your “Remember password for purchases” setting.

• Addresses problems with syncing some Smart Playlists and Podcasts with iPod.

• Resolves a problem recognizing when iPod is connected.

• Addresses issues that affect stability and performance.

iTunes 9 comes with many new features and improvements, including:

• An improved look and feel, including a new Column Browser for easily browsing your artists or albums, movies, TV shows, and more.

• iTunes Store has a brand new look, with improved navigation for quick and easy exploration.

• iTunes LP and iTunes Extras create unique experiences that feature exclusive interviews, videos, photos, and more — available with select album and movie purchases on the iTunes Store.

• Home Sharing helps you manage your family’s iTunes collection between computers in your home. iTunes can automatically transfer new purchases, or you can choose just the items you want.

• Genius Mixes are created for you by iTunes and play songs from your library that go great together.

• iPod and iPhone syncing now allows you to organize your iPhone and iPod touch home screens directly in iTunes. Syncing is now also more flexible, allowing you to sync individual artists, genres, or TV show and Podcast episodes.

• iTunes U items are now organized into their own section in your iTunes library.

• Sync with iPod nano (5th generation), iPod classic (Fall 2009), and iPod touch (Fall 2009).

• iTunes 9 also includes many other improvements, such as HE-AAC encoding and playback, more flexibility with Smart Playlists rules, simpler organization of your media files inside an iTunes Media folder, and more.