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Thursday, 17 September 2020

Review: tvOS 14 may not look all that different, but there's a lot to love

tvOS 14 may not look all that different, but there's still plenty of changes that make it worth the upgrade.

Alongside the release of iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 today, tvOS 14 is now available for those who want to experience the future of the Apple TV, today. While it may not look all that different from what you are currently using, the latest release has some seriously great features that make it worth the upgrade — if you know where to look. Let's dive in!

tvOS 14: Compatibility

tvOS 14 runs on, you guessed it, all of Apple's TV set top boxes that come with the namesake OS included. This means that the Apple TV HD and the Apple TV 4K both get the latest and greatest, but older models without the App Store, like the Apple TV 3rd generation and earlier, are left out.

Here's the official list of supported devices although it is rather short:

  • Apple TV HD (4th generation)
  • Apple TV 4K

tvOS 14: The same, but different

The biggest thing that you will notice right off the bat in tvOS 14 is that it looks pretty much the same as it always has. No drastic changes like iOS 14's fancy new Home Screen Widgets and the App Library here, just small little tweaks sprinkled here and there. This means that you will be swiping around on the flawless Siri Remote or the Remote app to get to your favorite shows and movies, just like before, which is important for keeping things just a few clicks away.

My favorite visual change in tvOS 14 is a tiny little improvement to user profiles. While profiles are certainly under-utilized on tvOS, they are a crucial part of the Apple TV app experience with the Up Next feature. However, actually remembering to switch to a profile is something that everyone forgets, leading to all sorts of confusion and jumbled up queues.

This changes in tvOS 14 with a slick notification appearing each and every time you wake your Apple TV up from sleep. The notification welcomes back whoever was last signed-in, complete with the person's name and the profile picture, which makes identification quick and easy. Sure, it's not an automatic process based on time or habits, but, baby steps.

Another small change in tvOS 14 is how Apple's lovely screen savers are presented. Surprisingly, Apple did not use the WWDC keynote video back in June to announce new locations, or even mention the popular feature in general. Behind the scenes though, Apple has added a way to select which category of screen savers are shown.

Tucked away in screen saver settings, you can now filter out one or more of the four available categories: Landscape, Earth, Underwater, Cityscape. Upon discovering the feature, I immediately disabled Underwater, as the jelly fish definitely weren't a favorite in our household. It is a shame though that we have to say goodbye to all the aquatic theme screen savers though, as some of them were really nice. Here's to tvOS 15?

tvOS 14: Picture-in-Picture

Ok, ok, there is one one visual change in tvOS 14 that you will notice, Picture-in-Picture! Apple knows that its tv box is suited for more than just binge watching, with fitness apps, games, and more all being available for the platform. So, it has finally brought the once iPad exclusive feature to the big screen, and everything about it is great. PiP support isn't a free-for-all though, as the feature only works with apps that have been updated to support it.

Activating PiP in compatible apps, like the Apple TV app, isn't the easiest to feature to locate currently. Essentially, a little pop-up video box will appear when watching video, however, it isn't always on display. I have found that the most reliable method to get it to show is after pausing, then resuming a video. I would absolutely love to have the feature just activate whenever you hit the Home button while watching video, but I am sure that will introduce frustrations for those who just want to escape to the Home screen.

PiP also works great when AirPlaying video from your iOS devices, which will be handy for those times where your content doesn't have an Apple TV app. And for those that are wondering, yes, you can totally watch two of the same show on the big screen through this method if you really wanted to, because, why not?

tvOS 14: 4K all the things

Sticking with visuals, the Apple TV gets some new 4K experiences in tvOS 14, if you have happen to have a 4K TV. First and foremost, the YouTube app will finally, yes finally, support streaming video in 4K at some point this year, presumably with an app update. 4K ultra high-definition resolution has long been a sore spot for those of us caught in-between Apple and Google's feud over video codecs on all of our favorite devices. Long story short, Google uses the VP9 codec for its YouTube catalog, which Apple has refused to support in favor of the AV1 codec.

While we may never figure out who relented or what exactly was changed to bring this contentious feature to fruition, Apple dropped the announcement after the WWDC keynote video, as a minor bullet-point for tvOS 14. Needless, to say, the addition is huge for the platform, and is one that most users will actually use on a daily basis once it drops to get their funny cat videos.

Speaking of 4K, tvOS 14 also adds support for sharing videos recorded in the high definition format to the big screen via AirPlay. Of course, tvOS has always had the ability to show and play videos and photos directly from the Photos app via iCloud, but having the ability to share in 4K through AirPlay makes the Apple TV accessible to everyone in a household, or even guests.

tvOS 14: HomeKit

Despite it being on several of our wishlists, tvOS 14 does not bring the Home app to our TVs. tvOS does bring support for HomeKit cameras and favorite accessories and scenes though, in a surprisingly elegant way.

Available in the tvOS Control Center, which is accessible by a long press of the Home button on the Siri Remote, you can now swipe through all of your HomeKit cameras, with a full-screen view with sound another click away. Prior to tvOS 14, HomeKit cameras were only available through third-party apps, all of which lacked audio due to a limitation of the platform.

Aside from the default screen savers on the Apple TV, a live feed from one of my outdoor cameras is one of my favorite things to have on in the background during my day, and now with support for sound, it makes it so much better.

So far, the camera experience in tvOS 14 has been great, but I have seen a few bugs where the full screen view will just randomly quit, or the audio will stop playing. I am not sure if the feature is intended to have some kind of time limit, but I have seen it both ways, where the feed will stop after a minute or so, or not at all, which leads me to believe that it is a bug.

HomeKit doorbells will also support notifications in tvOS 14 whenever the day where one that supports HomeKit Secure Video actually becomes available. Combined with Face Recognition technology, tvOS will present a live view in a small window when a doorbell is rang, complete with the name of the person who is at the door.

This feature works with photo tagging that you may already be using on iOS and macOS, no training of the Home app or assigning names manually required. If you do want to put in a little work, you can access a log of all of the visitors to your home in the Home app on iOS, but you shouldn't need to, which is just how it should be.

Accessory controls are also available through the same Control Center screen, but are limited to those that are marked as favorites in the Home app. Scenes on the big screen look pretty much the same as they do over in the Control Center on iOS 14, complete with whatever custom icon that you have assigned them which makes them easier to track down.

While I absolutely love that Apple has brought over support scenes, I still yearn for the day where a full-blown Home app is available on the TV. This is mainly due to how I use HomeKit, which involves a small amount of scenes for specialized tasks as I tend to rely on automations and voice commands through the HomePod to do my dirty work.

tvOS 14: Gaming

The addition of Apple Arcade last year breathed new life into the gaming scene on Apple TV after years of stagnation and notable title departures. In tvOS 14, Apple is continuing to ramp up its gaming efforts by leveraging Game Center, another platform-specific feature that has been seemingly brought back from the dead.

Through user profiles, Arcade games on tvOS 14 will sync and resume progress across all of Apple's platforms. So the next time a member of your household wants to continue where they left off in Sneaky Sasquatch or Crossy Road Castle, they can do so without destroying your progress, or without spending all of your hard-earned coins. As you may have guessed, this has bitten me before, as I am quite the Sasquatch fan.

tvOS 14's Game Center functionality also introduces deeper social elements in-game and through the App Store and Arcade apps. User profiles will surface player specific friends lists for easier access to achievements, challenges, and invitations. Game Center suggestions will also appear in-line through each storefront, with titles that your friends have been playing recently and achievement progress to encourage engagement.

Finally, as much as I would like to see Apple drop their own take on game controllers to bolster the platform, tvOS 14 is expanding compatible options. Along with traditional Xbox One and PlayStation 4 controllers, tvOS 14 adds support for Microsoft's insanely-priced Xbox Elite 2, and the insanely-great, Xbox Adaptive Controller.

tvOS 14: Audio

In the lead up to the tvOS 14 reveal earlier this year, we were tantalized with visions of setting the HomePod as our permanent audio output for the Apple TV. Unfortunately, that did not materialize, but we did still manage to get a nice audio feature in its place.

Audio sharing is now baked into tvOS enabling the ability to set two pairs of AirPods or select Beats headphones as the audio output. As I am the only one in my household that has the iconic ear buds, I haven't been able to test this feature out as of yet, but I can easily see this being extremely helpful in situations where multiple people want to enjoy great sounding audio, but need to keep things quiet in the home.

tvOS 14: Privacy and Restrictions

When it comes to the TV, privacy isn't a subject that we often think about, except for those times where smart TV sets are caught sending everything that we do to data brokers or even sharing images from embedded cameras. Say what you want about the price tag and capabilities of the Apple TV when compared to cheaper alternatives, but I value the level of commitment that Apple makes to privacy for all of its platforms, which makes it worth it to me.

In iOS 14 and tvOS 14, Apple has introduced a new Tracking setting which now applies to third-party apps. Apps developed for tvOS 14 will now ask for a user's permission to track upon first launch, which uses an identifier that combines activity across certain apps.

Now, I am sure that there are some legitimately useful features that could be enabled through combining data across apps, but you better believe that I disabled this entirely upon discovering the feature. If you choose to disable it, you will be presented with the option to disable it for all apps, or to allow apps that you have granted permission to keep tracking and stop further requests.

Moving over to restrictions, changes in tvOS 14 are all about Game Center to go along with the emphasis on expanded user profiles. New settings are available for disabling Nearby Multiplayer, Private Messaging, Avatar and name changes, and profile privacy changes, all of which can help to provide a safe gaming experience for all.

tvOS 14: More to come

While tvOS 14 doesn't have a ton of flashy new features like iOS 14, it still represents an important step forward for the living room through features like Picture-in-Picture and HomeKit camera integration. I have really been enjoying the latest additions over the last few months, and surprisingly, it has been stable enough to deploy across the most used televisions in the home, so all-in-all, tvOS 14 is a solid release.

Plus, it will only get better over time, once the YouTube app gains 4K, Apple Fitness+ makes its debut, and as HomeKit Secure Video-enabled Doorbells actually make an appearance.

Are you upgrading to tvOS 14 on your Apple TV? If so, which feature is the one that pushed you over the edge? Already living that tvOS 14 life? What is your favorite feature so far? Let us know in the comments below!



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PS5 preorders now available, releases November 12

Preorder your PS5 console today before they sell out.

Sony's PS5 and PS5 Digital Edition are now available to preorder for $499 and $499, respectively, and will release on November 12. You'll want to preorder yours as soon as possible because they're sure to sell out lightning fast, and we've got a handy PS5 preorder guide to help you get started. Launching alongside the PS5 is a line of accessories including a PULSE 3D wireless headset, media remote, HD camera, DualSense charging station, and of course the DualSense controller itself.

We'll regularly update this as PS5 preorders go live at more retailers.

Holiday 2020

PlayStation 5

See PS5 at Target See PS5 Digital Edition at Target

Get your hands on it before it sells out

The PS5 and PS5 Digital Edition are now available to preorder from your favorite retailers. With two versions to choose from, you'll be able to pick which best suits your budget. PS5 is the place to be for next-gen exclusives like Spider-Man and Horizon Forbidden West. Get yours before they sell out.

The PS5 and PS5 Digital Edition are shipping with the same specs, meaning you're getting a 3.5GHz CPU, a 10.28 TFLOP GPU with 36 CUs at 2.23GHz, and an 825GB SSD. You can look forward to nearly non-existent load times, 4K at 60FPS gaming, and ray-tracing support. The DualSense controller is packed with adaptive triggers and features haptic feedback to make your gaming experience more immersive than ever. At least, that's the hope Sony has.

Microsoft recently revealed its Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S for $499 and $299, respectively. Both will be available for preorder starting on September 22 ahead of their November 10th release date. The company is offering a financing option called Xbox All Access that'll get you an Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S bundled with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for $35/month or $25/month over two years.

No matter which console you end up getting, next-gen is sure to be an exciting one.



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New Zealand's lessons from second lockdown after being 100 days COVID-free

'All-weather strategies,' being agile, and providing experiences that cater to student and employee needs are the lessons of the second lockdown for one New Zealand university.

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NAB Connect goes live out of the AWS cloud

Business banking platform now hosted on Amazon Web Services.

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WIRED25: Ghetto Gastro Sees Food as a Weapon

As part of a conversation with Gabriela Cámara at our virtual conference, the cofounders of the “Black Power Kitchen of Tomorrow” say that what we eat can both empower and oppress us.

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Director Nia DaCosta on the Real-World Horrors in 'Candyman'

At this year's WIRED25, the writer-director talked about rebooting the classic slasher and the future of filmmaking after the pandemic.

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Mark Zuckerberg on why he doesn’t want to “put an Apple Watch on your face”

Mark Zuckerberg Photo by Nick Statt / The Verge

Social networks contain multitudes. One day you’re writing about internal dissent over the company’s ability to uproot influence campaigns and election interference; the very next, you’re watching a live stream of the same company’s foray into virtual reality helmets and designer mixed reality glasses. At a company with as many interests as Facebook has, different days call for different kinds of stories. And so today’s edition will be a lot different from yesterday’s.

This is all a roundabout way of saying that I talked to Mark Zuckerberg about Facebook Connect. The event, which was previously called Oculus Connect, gives the company an annual opportunity to discuss the latest advances in next-generation computing platforms. Facebook...

Continue reading…



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iOS 14 totally changes your iPhone home screen: How you'll use it differently now - CNET

App Library, widgets and App Clips bring big changes to your iPhone home screen. Here's how you'll use the new features.

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The 30 best movies on Disney Plus - CNET

Looking for a movie outside Marvel and Star Wars? Here are some of the hidden gems on Disney Plus.

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The best coffee grinder for 2020: Oxo, Baratza, Breville, Cuisinart and more - CNET

To brew great coffee you not only need a quality coffee maker, an excellent coffee grinder is a must too. We tested a group of popular models from Breville, Bodum, Oxo, Cuisinart, Baratza and others to find out which is best.

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In a first, astronomers detect giant planet orbiting a dead star - CNET

The white dwarf, WD 1856, provides a snapshot of the fate that awaits our own solar system.

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Best coffee maker for 2020: Oxo, Ninja, Bonavita, Bunn and more - CNET

We rounded up many popular coffee makers from Oxo, Bunn, Technivorm Moccamaster, KitchenAid, Ninja and Bonavita to find out which ones are the best.

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The best kamado grills: Big Green Egg, Kamado Joe, Char-Griller and more - CNET

To learn which kamado grill is the best, we put a group of them to the test. We included models from Big Green Egg, Kamado Joe, Char-Griller and others.

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FAA, EU finish Boeing 737 Max recertification flights - CNET

More than a year after two crashes killed 346 people, the Boeing 737 Max is getting close to carrying passengers again. Plus: Everything you need to know about the plane's other issues.

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Stimulus check: Eligibility, fine print, income limit and how the first payment might impact the next relief package - CNET

The IRS may still send a second $1,200 check in 2020, but some big questions remain on how it will be authorized. The original CARES Act can offer clues about what a second round of payments would look like.

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Who's an adult? The IRS' definition for stimulus checks - CNET

Under the first stimulus bill, millions of young Americans were excluded from receiving stimulus money of any kind, but the rules might change if a second payment is approved. Here's what you need to know about age and eligibility.

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Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 vs. Galaxy Z Flip: Should you fold or flip?

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 has arrived to take some of the sheen out of the Galaxy Z Flip. We find out which foldable is the best in a head-to-head comparison.

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Sony prepares for war with PlayStation 5 showcase

PlayStation 5 launch will take a much different approach than Xbox Series X.

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Common Google Nest Hub Max problems and how to fix them

Here are common issues people tend to have with the Nest Hub Max, and troubleshooting tips to help fix them.

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Apple Watch Series 6 vs. Samsung Galaxy Watch 3

The Apple Watch Series 6 has taken its place as the best Apple smartwatch. But is it better than the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3? We find out in this comparison.

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The best fantasy movies on Netflix

Netflix doesn't have the widest selection of fantasy films, but there are some gems within its robust catalog. Here, we've rounded up the 13 worth watching.

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Put an end to nuisance camera notifications by creating an Activity Zone

Filter out those nuisance camera notifications by creating an activity zone.

If you have a security camera with HomeKit Secure Video support and have made the upgrade to iOS 14, then you definitely need to how to create HomeKit Activity Zones. This long-overdue feature finally allows users to put an end to nuisance HomeKit notifications by establishing boundaries on your camera's view. All it takes is a few taps in the Home app to get one set up, and you can even establish more than one zone per camera. Here's how to create HomeKit Activity Zones.

How to create an Activity Zone in the Home app on iOS 14 and iPadOS 14

For this example, we will be creating a simple four-point Activity Zone, such as a rectangle or square on our camera's view. You can create more complex designs to better suit your needs; it just involves additional steps for adding zone points.

  1. Launch the Home app.
  2. Tap on House icon (on iPad skip to the next step).
    • You can also tap directly on your camera from the Home tab if you have it set as a favorite.
  3. Tap on the name of the Room that your camera is located in.

  4. Tap on the Thumbnail image of your camera.
  5. Tap on the Settings icon located near the top of the app.
  6. Tap Select Activity Zones....

  7. Tap anywhere on the Camera view to set your first Activity Zone point.
  8. Tap in another spot on the Camera view to set a second zone point.
    • After setting your second point, a line will appear connecting your points
  9. Select a position on the Camera view to establish a third point.

  10. Tap again on the Camera view to set up a fourth point.
    • If you are making a more complex zone, continue adding points before moving to the next step.
  11. Tap on the first Activity Zone Point that you created to finish your zone.
    • All of your points should now be connected in the shape that you have created.
    • To create another zone before saving, tap Add Zone, then repeat this process to create any additional zones as needed.
    • To establish a zone for the entire area outside of the zone that you just created, tap on Invert Zone.
  12. Tap Done to save your Activity Zone.

How to edit an Activity Zone in the Home app on iOS 14 and iPadOS 14

  1. Launch the Home app.
  2. Tap on House icon (on iPad skip to the next step).
    • You can also tap directly on your camera from the Home tab if you have it set as a favorite.
  3. Tap on the name of the Room that your camera is located in.

  4. Tap on the Thumbnail image of your camera.
  5. Tap on the Settings icon located near the top of the app.
  6. Tap Select Activity Zones....

  7. Tap on your existing Activity zone.
  8. Tap and hold on an existing Activity Zone Point then drag it to a new position.
    • Repeat this process to move other points in your Activity Zone as needed.
  9. Tap Done to save your changes.

How to delete an Activity Zone in the Home app on iOS 14 and iPadOS 14

  1. Launch the Home app.
  2. Tap on House icon (on iPad skip to the next step).
    • You can also tap directly on your camera from the Home tab if you have it set as a favorite.
  3. Tap on the name of the Room that your camera is located in.

  4. Tap on the Thumbnail image of your camera.
  5. Tap on the Settings icon located near the top of the app.
  6. Tap Select Activity Zones....

  7. Tap on your existing Activity zone.
  8. Select Clear with a tap to delete the zone.
    • You are now free to create a new Activity Zone as needed before proceeding.
  9. Tap Done to save your changes.

Once you have established an Activity Zone, you will only receive HomeKit notifications when a motion event is picked up within your zone. For even smarter notifications, you can combine Activity Zones with Apple's HomeKit Secure Video local image processing to filter out animals or vehicles within your camera's view.

Another new HomeKit feature in iOS/iPadOS 14 and macOS Big Sur is Face Recognition, which can determine the name of the person and notify you of their presence when they arrive. That is just all sorts of awesome.

Questions?

Do you have any questions about how to create HomeKit Activity Zones? Have you seen a decrease in nuisance notifications since creating an Activity Zone? Let us know in the comments below or on our HomeKit forums!



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The Activity app on iPhone is now named Fitness — here's a breakdown

The Activity app has been renamed to the Fitness app in iOS 14, and it has a new look, but it's mostly the same as before.

For people who are obsessed with closing their Activity rings every day, your ears may have perked up when you heard Apple announce that iOS 14 would be renaming the Activity app on iPhone to the Fitness app. Along with everything you need to know about iOS 14, you should know that you don't have to worry; your rings aren't going anywhere, the Fitness app is just the new name for the place that houses all the activity that your Apple Watch tracks.

Along with the new name change, the Fitness app does have a different look, that's meant to be more streamlined and allows you to see more information at a glance than the Activity app in iOS 13. So far, the Fitness app appears to have only cosmetic differences from the Activity app, and there isn't any difference in the metrics it tracks or how it tracks them. Here's a quick breakdown of the differences between Activity in iOS 13 and Fitness in iOS 14.

Differences between Activity and Fitness

The Activity Trends tab in the Activity app in iOS 13

The main difference between the Activity app in iOS 13 and the Fitness app in iOS 14 is the look and how you navigate through the app.

As you can see in the image above, the Activity app in iOS 13 had five tabs — Activity, Trends, Workouts, Awards, Sharing. These five tabs were how you navigated to the different metrics and stats that the Apple Watch tracks. If you wanted a breakdown of your most recent workout, you would tab on the Workout tab. Looking to see how often you closed your rings this month? That info would be in the Activity tab; however, Fitness in iOs 14 handles things a bit differently.

Fitness in iOS 14

In the Fitness app, you only have two tabs — Summary and Sharing. The Summary tab is where you will find all the information that use to be across four different tabs all in one place.

When you open the app, your activity for the day (your rings) is right at the top, so you can easily see how far along you are. If you want more detailed information, you just tap on the rings, and more information will pop up, including the ability to look at your history on a monthly calendar.

Right below the Activity section is the Workouts section. You'll see the last few workouts you did, and you can tap on any of the workouts to get a detailed breakdown of the workout that shows all the metrics and stats you're used to seeing for your workouts. If you want to go back and see older workouts, you just have to tap Show More by the Workouts section on the Summary page.

Below that in the Summary tab is Trends. You'll see a quick readout of all the Trends that the Fitness app tracks, so you'll no if you're trending up or down, and you can get more detailed information by tapping on any of the trends.

Lastly, you have the Awards section. This will display the latest few awards you have earned, and you can get more information on each award by tapping them. You can also tap Show More to show all the awards you have earned throughout your Apple Watch wearing history, and see how far you are along to earning new awards just like you're used to in the Awards tab on iOS 13.

The last thing to mention is the Sharing tab in Fitness is pretty much the same as the Sharing tab in Activity. This is where you will go to see how you're doing against the people you have chosen to share your activity with.

Remember, you'll need to update your iPhone to iOS 14 to see all these changes — so make sure you have the best iPhone you can if you're in the market for a new one.

Apple Fitness+ coming by the end of the year

While it won't be out when iOS 14 launches, Apple's new fitness service, Apple Fitness+, will be coming to the Fitness app in the future.

It will be in its own tab, and this will be the place you can browse the classes offered, and also watch the class and follow along at home.

What do you think of the change to Fitness?

Let us know in the comments down below!



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