Along with the expected iTunes LP album artwork, iTunes Extras arrived on Wednesday to take down the DVD extra features format, but it struck us as a little odd that Extras wouldn’t work on Apple TV, just Mac and PC. But new snooping has shown that that restriction could soon be chucked, as Apple appears to have designed Extras with its set top box in mind.
Cordoning iTunes Extras into computers only seemed like a strange move when it was announced. Don’t people like to watch films on their TV? Their Apple TVs? That may well be the plan: AppleInsider’s laid out the evidence that iTunes Extras are aimed at the Apple TV first and foremost.
iTunes Extras: Apple takes down the DVD
The main persuading point is that the iTunes Extras format has been designed for 720p resolution screens (the ouput definition of an Apple TV), but the references to “hdtv” in HTML metatags within iTunes Extras files are telling too.
When we spoke to Apple about the new iPods and iTunes 9, it was clear that the iTunes Extras and LP features would only run on PCs and Macs, but with no major Apple TV update since January 2008, it seems like a likely candidate for inclusion at some point soon. Don’t be too surprised if an Apple TV upgrade for iTunes Extras rolls out in the near future.
Out TBC | £TBC | Apple (Via AppleInsider)
[...] features bolted on to movie downloads on Apple’s online store, could finally land on the Apple TV, the destination they were surely meant for in the first place. That’s if the new fineprint [...]