While some have suggested that this also has to do with hardware-based DRM encryption, the reality is that it was the Kaby Lake series that first introduced built-in support for hardware-based H.265 HEVC decoding used by most 4K HDR content.It’s not clear yet whether Big Sur users will face similar requirements to stream YouTube videos in 4K. Same here, but I've discovered that it doesn't happen when I'm using my laptop to use Netflix, so it's likely to be an Apple TV (bug) issue, or a problem with Netflix's Apple TV connection. I hope it gets sorted out soon - nothing kills tension (comic or dramatic) quicker than a monotonous descriptionIn other words, even if you had splurged for the most expensive 27-inch 5K Retina iMac or iMac Pro, you were still limited to watching your movies in 1080p HD, even if you had purchased them in 4K from iTunes, and the same limitations applied to streaming services like Netflix and even YouTube.If youre on a Mac with Apple Silicon and are experiencing errors when trying to watch Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Prime or another streaming service after installing Firefox 84+, you might need to install Rosetta.Rosetta is required on Mac with Apple silicon in order to run some apps.To connect your Apple TV to your Netflix account, make sure you are on the home screen and follow the steps below. From the home screen, select the App Store. In the App Store, search for Netflix to find the app, then select Get to start installation. After installation, the Netflix app will appear on the home screen.Theres no option to download Netflix movies and shows on Macs, so heres a handy workaround if you want to watch things offline.Subscribe: wasn’t until Apple split up iTunes with macOS Catalina last year that 4K streaming came to the Mac through Apple’s own TV app.We thought it was likely to be in the ten-buck-a-month range, putting it on a par with other streaming services. Best live TV streaming services for cord-cutters (CNET)When we last looked at the service, we didn't know pricing or distribution. Enter Big SurThe good news is that Apple has finally decided to address this in macOS Big Sur, which will introduce 4K support in Safari 14 and Apple’s WebKit frameworks, but sadly it looks like there’s still going to be a catch, at least when it comes to streaming services like Netflix.As noted under “Netflix in Ultra HD” on Netflix’s support page, along with macOS 11 Big Sur and other expected requirements such as a 4K display, playing back content in full 4K resolution also requires a “Select 2018 or later Mac computer with an Apple T2 Security chip“If you have a recent MacBook Air or MacBook Pro, this isn’t a huge problem, as Apple has been included the T2 chip in those models since at least 2018, and the same is also even true for Apple’s Mac mini.Unfortunately, however, a great many of the only Macs that actually have built-in 4K (or 5K) displays — Apple’s iMacs — are not included on this list.While Apple did add the T2 chip to the high-end iMac Pro released back in late 2017, the T2 chip didn’t come to the standard iMac lineup until two months ago.In other words, the vast majority of iMac users are still not going to be able to enjoy 4K UHD video content, even with Big Sur. Why Is a T2 Chip Required?While there’s a fair bit of speculation as to why this restriction exists, it actually shouldn’t be a big surprise when you consider that Apple has listed the exact same requirements for 4K iTunes content since macOS Catalina was released last year.Although Apple doesn’t specifically call out the T2 chip as the reason, the list of Mac models that support HDR is identical to those that include the T2 chip, suggesting that Apple’s coprocessor definitely plays a role in driving 4K content.Since the T2 chip is primarily marketed as a “Security Chip” a common theory seems to be that it’s about the movie and TV studios ensuring that strong copy-protection enforcements are in place, and while this certainly seems extremely plausible considering the clinical paranoia of many Hollywood execs, there’s actually more to the T2 chip than purely security.In fact, there’s a very good chance this has nothing to do with DRM at all. It’s unclear exactly what the T2 chip would add to copy protection for streaming content in the first place, since the security features are primarily designed for driving things like Touch ID and encrypted storage. It’s possible that it could also be used to store and manage DRM keys in the Secure Enclave to help harden them against reverse engineering by hackers, but the fact that such a requirement doesn’t exist on any other platform would seem to rule that out.However, the T2 chip also incorporates an image signal processor that’s already known to assist the FaceTime HD camera with enhanced tone mapping and exposure control, as well as built-in H.265 HEVC hardware decoder, so it wouldn’t be at all unreasonable to assume that Apple’s 4K HDR rendering engine in macOS Catalina and Big Sur simply requires the T2 chip to handle the heavy lifting and that it actually has nothing to do with DRM at all.
Everything to know about Apple's $5-a-month streaming service CNETThis, at the time, seemed like the usual Apple hyperbole. When she appeared onstage at the Apple TV Plus announcement, she declared her reasoning for being part of the project as, "'Cause they're in a billion pockets, y'all." She's hugely beloved, and, more to the point, has an amazing following. Oprah is an entertainer in a class all her own. But Apple isn't going to be able to pull in all those users. Now, if those iPhone users were all watching Apple TV Plus, that would be a tremendous viewing audience. Given the additional year since that statement, we can safely assume Apple has exceeded that number by some amount.So, when it comes to "in a billion pockets, y'all," Oprah is right, in that there are probably that many iPhones (plus or minus) in use. Let's look at some numbersA year ago, Tim Cook said that Apple sold nearly two billion iOS devices in the 11 years the iPhone had been on the market. The company clearly pitched this to Oprah back during the planning stages, and while her "in a billion pockets" may be more aspirational than actual, the potential is there. With just a few shows, and the fee in the way, not to mention the stupid and confusing name, how could Apple TV Plus reach even a few million viewers, not to mention a billion?As it turns out, Apple may have found a way. They all look great, but with a line-up of 10 episodes per season, subscribers might have a total of 100 episodes across the entire streaming service.Also: Will Apple TV Plus be worth it? Here are three full trailers to help you decideThird, let's look at Apple's iOS sales numbers. According to Variety, Netflix has 47,000 TV episodes and 4,000 movies in its catalog.Second, by contrast, Apple's Apple TV Plus page lists 10 shows. That was the highest-rated daytime TV show in history.Let's look at three other numbers, and then we'll have our base set of starting variables to unpack the Apple TV Plus strategy and opportunity.First, let's look at Netflix's content offerings. Her final show pulled in 16.4 million viewers. We'll get back to that later, too.Oprah herself is so famous, in part, due to the success of the 25-year run of The Oprah Winfrey Show, which went off the air in 2011. The two key concepts here, of "paying" and "subscribers," are not necessarily connected. Netflix has 139 million paying subscribers watching 47,000 TV episodes and 4,000 movies Apple has sold about 2 billion phones, and are currently selling about 160 million a year That's accurate, plus or minus 10 million or so. Sales in Q3 are always going to be less than Q1 sales, so let's give Apple a little benefit of the doubt and say that they sell 160 million units a year. That said, Apple did ship 36.3 million iPhones in Q3. And here's the thing: Apple may have the reach.Apple is making a very smart move when it comes to attracting talent. Even if Apple bought up Disney (and Disney Plus), the combined libraries would only reach approximately 20% of the size of Netflix' gargantuan selection.But what about audience size? For someone as famous (and wealthy) as Oprah, reach is what it's all about, even more than the cash. Obviously, that's not in terms of size of content library. Apple TV Plus has 10 shows and maybe - maybe - a hundred episodesIn the title of this article, I make the assertion that Apple TV Plus could be bigger than Netflix. By doing so, Apple is overcoming one of the biggest barriers of entry to audience-building: cost to consumer. But rather than just hope they can convince their customers to buy Apple TV Plus, Apple has thrown a nuke into the streaming services ring.Apple is giving away a free year of Apple TV Plus to everyone who buys a new iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Apple can do this because the company has an enormous user base. Sure, Apple wants to make Apple TV Plus into a profitable service. Some of Apple's shows seem as compelling, with See giving off a definite GoT-meets-Vikings vibe.That's why I said "paying" and "subscribers" are different things. Heck, I'd pay five bucks a month to any streaming service that offered new Stargate episodes. With 47,000 TV episodes, getting your show noticed on Netflix can be a challenge. That can make a big difference, if it's done right.Also: How Apple will crush Android with services, bundling, and cheap devices The discoverability challengeDiscoverability is also a big issue. Netflix has shows by people who would have wanted to be guests on Oprah. Now he's created the one thing Apple fans desperately need As a result, celebrities like Oprah, Steven Spielberg, Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, and Steve Carell have a much better chance of having their work actually seen by subscribers. Even after two or three years, there will probably be less than 50. iPadOS 15 hands-on review: What works and doesn't work I don't care what you say about the M1: the 2018 Intel Mac mini is still a beast How to safely run the iOS 15 public beta on your iPhone The iPhone 12 is not the only Apple device that can interfere with implanted medical devices Does Apple just put a flyer in the box? Or will Apple blitz the TV networks and YouTube with ads? Getting it rightThis is where Apple has to get everything right. For example, how exactly do new iPhone buyers find out about the Apple TV Plus service? Is Apple counting on customers opening the Apple TV app on their own? Apple doesn't put ads on the phone itself. The best iPad: Which iPad model should you buy?By reducing the friction of attracting subscribers by providing a free year, Apple is able to present the reach top celebrities crave.But even with a free offering, Apple has some challenges. In other words, from Apple's free program, they're likely to keep somewhere between 320,000 and eight million as paying subscribers.As for that two billion? Here, you're talking even smaller numbers. Five percent of 160 million is eight million. 0.2% of 160 million is 320,000. Usually, conversions range from about 0.2% to a wild best case of 5%. And, of course, after the year, Apple either has to extend its free offering or hope they can somehow convert the majority of watchers into paying subscribers.Statistically, that doesn't happen. Netflix For Apple Trial Subscribers IntoAt $4.99 per month per subscriber, that's about $800 million in revenue a month, or about $9.6 billion. Best case is they convert all 160 million trial subscribers into paying subscribers. Applied to Apple's two billion installed base, 0.02% is 400,000 - not a big number when it comes to the reach we've been talking about.Next, let's look at the revenue opportunity for Apple. Adoble flash player for macFor a company that made $265 billion in 2018, that's chump change.So here's the question Apple has to ask: Is it worth losing the initial reach of Apple TV Plus (and the attraction that offers top-tier entertainment producers) for the paltry best case revenue scenario? Or would it be far smarter to keep offering Apple TV Plus for free, or at least for free with purchase, and build a stellar content library and a huge audience?I don't think they can do both. Eight million subscribers, far fewer than Netflix has, would contribute a paltry $480 million to Apple's bottom line. The hard fact is, nothing converts at 100%.The more likely best case is the 5% conversion number, or eight million subscribers. ![]()
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