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The part of Apple TV experience that really sucks

<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p><a href='http://www.imore.com/nsfw-part-apple-tv-really-sucks' title="The part of Apple TV experience that really sucks"><img src='http://www.imore.com/sites/imore.com/files/styles/large_wm_brw/public/field/image/2014/08/showtime_apple_tv_hero.jpg?itok=XVWnG8ny' />[/url]</p> <p class="intro">The Apple TV channel authorization experience is horrible, and it's all the content providers' fault.</p> <p>Setting up an Apple TV (http://www.imore.com/apple-tv) for basic streaming and iTunes access is ridiculously easy: Plug it in, turn it on, then hold your iPhone or iPad to the top of the Apple TV. The Apple TV copies Wi-Fi and iTunes account information (http://www.imore.com/how-wirelessly-set-3rd-gen-apple-tv-any-ios-7-enabled-device) from the iOS device and you're off and running. When it comes time to watch stuff from cable channels, however, the setup process becomes a nightmare.</p> <!--break--> <p>Apple's recent price cut on the Apple TV to $69 caused me to go out and get a second one. It replaces a second-generation Apple TV I've had for years, which is now relegated to my bedroom. To be fair, the problems I had setting it up really aren't Apple's fault. Netflix, Crunchyroll and other premium services were about what I expected: I had to sign in using account credentials before I could access content.</p> <p>The cable and dish content providers who have created Apple TV channels are a different story. They use a validation system to make sure that you're actually paying someone — your local cable or dish provider — to watch their stuff. Over and over again I'd access the settings of each channel, get a validation code, then have to go to my Mac or Safari on my iPhone and type often cryptic URLs into the address bar, then verify to unlock.</p> <p>In fairness to the content providers, Apple and the Apple TV itself, I didn't run into any show-stoppers doing this: Each time I visited a validation URL, I'd enter a code and then be told the content was then mine to watch. But after a half an hour I realized I'd only unlocked about two or three rows of Apple TV channels, and decided I was done for the moment. It was repetitive, it was boring, and it was so...un-Apple-like.</p> <p>Clearly that's not the ideal user experience for Apple. I'm sure they'd like to do something very different.</p> <p>We've heard rumors about a new Apple TV (http://www.imore.com/apple-tv-4) for a while. Maybe we'll even see such a device make an appearance (http://www.imore.com/new-apple-tv-will-reportedly-debut-june-its-own-app-store) at WWDC in June. I don't know. I don't have the faintest clue.</p> <p>But one thing's for sure: Whatever Apple brings to home televisions next has to have a better gatekeeping system than the current version does. Because what's happening now just sucks. While that may not be Apple's fault, it's definitely Apple's problem to solve.</p> </div></div></div><img width='1' height='1' src='(http://tipb.com.feedsportal.com/c/33998/f/616881/s/44dee2c0/sc/15/mf.gif)' border='0'/><br clear='all'/>

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