That iTunes Match music streaming video we saw yesterday might not be as simple as it first seemed. While the clip from Insanely Great Mac appeared to show the iTunes cloud service streaming songs directly from Apple’s servers, AllThingsD has heard from an Apple spokesperson that things are slightly more complicated. Apple says that what looks like streaming is really the ability to listen to the song while its downloading to local storage.
Apple is keeping its cards close to its chest about precisely how the iTunes Match service will work when it launches for real in the US later this year but it seems it will feature very limited caching for songs. A music industry source told All Things D that while Apple has streaming rights, it doesn’t trust mobile networks to effectively handle on-demand streaming. That’s a little odd since Spotify seems to be doing just fine.
Out TBC | £TBC | Apple (via AllThingsD)
The FA Cup is coming to Facebook this Friday with the first ever match to be broadcast live on the social network. Don’t expect to see Premiership stars though. The game, part of the extra-preliminary FA Cup round, pits Ascot United against Wembley F.C. Still, it’ll feature the very first kick of the 2011 FA Cup.
The match will be streamed live from Ascot United’s Racecourse Ground on the Budweiser Facebook page. Kick off is at 7.45pm on Friday with coverage beginning at 7.30pm. Mike Harrison, Ascot United’s Chairman, says: “To be involved in the first game of the FA Cup this season is an honour in itself but to be part of a world first and have our match broadcast to a massive global audience is fantastic for our club.”
How many of the vast potential audience will actually log on to see the two teams slog it out is up for debate but we’ll be tuning in to support them. Check out our guide to football live streaming to find out how to watch even more matches legally on your mobile.
Out Friday | £free | Facebook
The latest Apple TV update adds the ability to stream previously purchased TV shows directly from the cloud and buy shows directly from the box. It’s brilliant news but only if you’re in the US. The Apple TV 4.3 software update only adds the new feature if you’re on the correct side of the Atlantic.
One of the biggest complaints in our Apple TV review was that so many features were US-only and it doesn’t look like that’s set to change any time soon. Of course, you can still stream TV shows you’ve grabbed from the iTunes Store from your computer using Home Sharing or AirPlay but that’s not nearly as nifty.
Click the headline and jump into the comments to share your thoughts on the Apple TV. Are you annoyed that the UK always seems to lose out on features?
Out now | £99 | Apple
It’s over two years since Spotify announced that it was enabling 320kbps streaming for Spotify Premium subscribers but it looks like it still has a long way to go before every track is available in that higher quality form. An investigation by a blogger dedicated to seeking out classical tunes on Spotify suggests that more often than not the tracks are streaming at 160kbps. That includes new songs and Spotify Premium exclusives.
Though the original July 2009 announcement and the Spotify website make it clear that “not all tracks are currently available in high bitrate”, 320kbps streaming is still one of the headline features for Spotify Premium. The company hasn’t prominently indicated how many songs are available in that format which makes the blogger’s research and the company’s responses interesting reading…
Wimbledon is upon us again. It’s the time of year when everyone pretends to like Pimm’s, suddenly takes an interest in tennis and cheers for a sulky Brit who’d steal your gran’s overpriced strawberries and cream for a chance to win a major.
We kid. We do love tennis and we do love Wimbledon, and to prove it, we’ve served up an indispensable guide for watching the action live, wherever you are, regardless of phone, tablet, computer or resolution. Read on to get your fix on the go.
Hear that clock ticking? OnLive, the streaming gaming service, is set to hit the UK this autumn but you won’t have to wait until then to reserve your gamer tag and get in line. The OnLive.co.uk site is set to come online next Thursday as the service makes a series of announcements at E3. Click through for details and to see OnLive in action…
