I’ve already gone on the record, gushing about Apple TV when it first came out (proof) and the access it grants us to the wonderful world of podcasts.
Now, YouTube has joined in and upgraded its quality so that Apple TV denizens can be given the golden key of access to an ENDLESS stream of content online.
Already channels like BBC World News, PBS, CBS News, Al Jazeera and MTV have YouTube channels that make their content available to the world.
Like any big leap forward, critics abound, and some techies are saying that Apple TV has neglected the high-definition quality of HDTV (specially since the iTunes store doesn’t carry any high-quality video). CNN Money’s Brent Schlender is the harshest critic when he says (unjustifiably), “Apple TV is so Zune-like, you’d think Jobs was so busy with the iPhone that he outsourced the Apple TV project to the folks up in Redmond.”(source)
But The Unofficial Apple Weblog seems to sum up most of what is said about Apple TV, “I can safely say that, as an owner of an Apple TV, I have a mostly positive – though admittedly mixed – opinion on the Apple TV’s future.” (source)
I, myself, watch my Apple TV with no complaints since it is better than my computer screen and offers a number of possibilities that conventional cable doesn’t, namely instant access to a wide array of unconventional content…and soon, content otherwise banned from American cable systems (let’s not forget Al Jazeera was refused access to American cable subscribers).
In a short few weeks, millions of Apple TV users will be able to see DIY-channels that will now have the tools to take a big bite out of the mass media conglomerates. Let’s see what Fox News does when they can be quickly rebutted by Brave New Films’ YouTube channel, which makes sport of poking holes in the veneer of Fox’s “fair and balanced” slogan.
Here’s a good example—a behind the scenes look at how Brave New Films, MoveOn.org and the grassroots came together to help stop both Fox News Democratic presidential debates.
In this new YouTube/Apple partnership, there is the potential to sway more people than EVER before!
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