It’s a big year for Apple TV and tvOS

Apple launched several public betas on iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS today. But I’m here to tell you that you shouldn’t sleep in bed Other New beta released today: it’s for tvOS 17. After setting it up, your first impression might be, “Hmmm… is that it?” There aren’t any obvious interface changes or game-changing redesigns.

But the more you look at the latest software release for the Apple TV, the more it becomes clear that this is one of the more significant updates Apple’s streaming box has received in many years. It brings FaceTime to the big screen. is the control center Therefore Much better than before. And there are many new features that demonstrate the unmatched cohesion of Apple’s ecosystem across all platforms.

If you’re going to risk testing an early beta, a TV streaming box in your living room is a very low-risk option for seeing what’s new. I feel more comfortable throwing tvOS 17 on my Apple TV 4K than diving into iOS 17 or iPadOS 17 on a primary device — at least until a few more releases come out. In the unlikely event that everything goes sideways, you will need to contact Apple for customer support. But I’ve never had that level of headache with any tvOS beta in the past.

It appears that Apple is happy with where the Apple TV’s software currently stands for general entertainment purposes. The homescreen, as always, remains a grid of apps — and like Roku, the company seems reluctant to stray from such a simple interface. If the content-forward experience is more your speed, you can always head over to the Apple TV app for access your next in line Spanning the various streaming services, watch Apple TV Plus originals, or rent something for movie night.

tvOS 17 isn’t trying to reinvent either of these. There are now six icons in each row, so you can add one more app to your main “dock” at the top of the screen, but that’s about as exciting as the big interface changes go. Apple doesn’t seem too busy becoming the ubiquitous gathering center for streaming entertainment anymore. Netflix denies any attempt to create a universal watchlist outside the confines of its own apps – be it from Apple, Google or anyone else – so what does this mean? Things are more fragmented now than I expected, but it is the content owners and streaming services that are putting up those walls for their own selfish reasons.

So instead, Apple is improving and tweaking areas of the Apple TV experience can do Totally control. And it’s starting with one of the first major ecosystem tips of the iPhone.

Let’s just say it: Yes, it would have been perfectly fine to say it two or three years ago when we were all stuck in pandemic lockdown isolation. Better late than never, I believe – especially when the implementation is so simple.

FaceTime on the Apple TV seamlessly uses your iPhone as a Continuity camera (as is possible on a Mac), so you can set it up with the camera on your TV stand, and you can see what appears on the screen with you. Chatting with Denge. You get the standard range of FaceTime gimmicks like Center Stage and even on-screen effects like hearts or fireworks that can be triggered with certain gestures.

And this iPhone-like-camera setup goes far beyond FaceTime and traditional video chat. You can also use it for karaoke sessions with Apple Music’s Sing feature, which removes vocals from songs and displays the lyrics on the screen. You can now enable the Continuity Camera function to show a video feed of anyone performing and apply visual filters.

silly? For some people, sure. But it’s hard for me to imagine something like the low-powered Chromecast with Google TV offering some of these features so easily. Apple is slowly starting to ramp up its silicon power and put more distance between its streaming boxes and anything that costs less than $100.

Continuity Camera on tvOS is also open to developers, with Zoom and WebEx already planning to release apps on the platform. Again, it’s late, but I’m sure these apps will still prove useful sometimes.

The thing about Control Center on the Apple TV is that in most cases you can always ignore it. It’s there for those who want it (or if you need to quickly switch user profiles), but using the Siri Remote to navigate tvOS and enjoy content without pulling up a collection of toggles and shortcuts isn’t easy for you. There is nothing bad for.

This year, Apple is making Control Center which I would consider indispensable and far more useful. The layout is tighter but more dense with information: AirPods and audio settings get prime positions, there are plenty of buttons and switches for your smart home gadgets, and even a few “how it wasn’t there already”. ?” Features like the sleep timer have been placed, among other controls. You won’t need to fall asleep when your Apple TV stays on all night.

I was last seen frantically searching under my sofa for the Apple TV remote. And it feels great to say this. tvOS 17 Finally Adds a Remote Finder feature that will let iPhone owners track down the tiny aluminum clicker in no time. It’s not as precise as the AirTag, and I’d certainly prefer that level of accuracy, but the “hot, hot, it’s got to be right here somewhere” animation on the iPhone is easy enough to understand and definitely beats without any help. .

If you’re deeply involved in the Apple ecosystem and are one of those people using second-generation HomePods as speakers for their Apple TV 4K, speech in the shows and movies you watch will be supported by tvOS 17. With will become very clear. An optional “Enhance Dialogue” setting will better separate what is being said from all other activity and bring it even further into the center channel mix.

Sound enhancement modes are nothing new to soundbars and home theater gear, but we’re increasingly seeing companies use the “What did they just say?” trying to solve. dilemma with software tricks; Amazon’s Prime Video service rolled out the Dialog Boost feature for select content in April.

There’s something mesmerizing about the Apple TV’s 4K screensavers. Before I realize it, I’ll find myself staring into a Zen-like state for several minutes at a time. Apple has said that the final release of tvOS 17 will include “a collection of stunning new locations, including Arizona’s Monument Valley and California’s Coastal Redwoods.” These weren’t present in the early beta, but are expected to be added soon. You will also be able to display memories from your personal photo library as a screensaver if you get tired of beautiful aerial views.

The tvOS 17 update also brings with it several minor quality-of-life improvements. These include behind-the-scenes improvements like support for third-party VPN apps and an upgrade to Dolby Vision to version 8.1 to support a wider network of HDR content.

You can start using the tvOS 17 beta today, and the final public version will be released this autumn along with the rest of Apple’s major software updates. There are still big changes I’d love to see: Apple is woefully behind on natively integrating live TV services like YouTube TV or Sling TV into its tvOS software; A live guide somewhere will really help make everything feel less serene. Amazon, Google, and even Roku are doing a better job of making live TV a core part of the streaming device experience. Apple isn’t going to launch some live TV subscription package anytime soon, so it just needs to bite the bullet and extend an olive branch to those who are already doing it well.

But if nothing else, it’s clear that Apple didn’t forget about tvOS this year. Quite the opposite. The Apple TV is growing into much more than just a Netflix box. If You’re Paying More for It Than Other Streaming Players, This Should Be It Doing More – and now it’s starting to get there.