Podcast #1194: Twenty Years of the HDTV and Home Theater Podcast

On this week’s show we talk about 20 years of the HDTV and Home Theater Podcast! We also read your emails and take a look at the week’s news.

News:

• A Software Update Is Killing Samsung Soundbars
• Apple TV+ loses $1 billion every year, according to new report
• ESPN might pay up to $2 billion for NFL Network, RedZone
• Netflix announces it is adding HDR10+ support for videos

Apple to Launch HomeOS Later This Year

Apple is set to have an exciting year in software development with significant updates planned for iOS 19, macOS 16, and iPadOS 19. However, the tech giant is also preparing to introduce a completely new operating system called ‘homeOS.’ This new platform will accompany the launch of a novel device dubbed the ‘HomePad,’ a smart display that blends features of the iPad and HomePod. 

The homeOS is anticipated to share many characteristics with Apple’s existing platforms, yet it will be uniquely adapted for home use. It will feature a customizable Home Screen akin to those on iOS and iPadOS, allowing users to add widgets for weather, stocks, and reminders, launch apps from a grid, maintain a dock for favorite apps, and manage smart home controls. This familiarity should make it intuitive for current iPhone and iPad users. Additionally, Siri will play a pivotal role in homeOS, enhancing the integration of Apple Intelligence to provide a more context-aware and action-oriented voice experience, building on its capabilities from the HomePod and forthcoming iOS enhancements.

In terms of applications, homeOS might not launch with a full App Store but it will come equipped with a robust suite of built-in Apple apps. Users can expect essentials like FaceTime, Notes, Calendar, Reminders, Home, Safari, Settings, News, Music, TV, Podcasts, Weather, and Photos. These apps will support the HomePad’s function as a central home device, offering both productivity and entertainment options right out of the box, with the potential for more apps to be added in the future.

A distinctive feature of homeOS will be its dynamic responsiveness to user proximity, enabled by sensors in the HomePad that adjust the display based on how close a person is. For instance, when a user is far from the device, it might showcase a slideshow of photos via the Photos app or display StandBy-like widgets as a screensaver. As the user approaches, the system will seamlessly transition to the Home Screen. This adaptive functionality underscores homeOS’s design philosophy of “iOS, but for your home,” aiming to extend Apple’s ecosystem cohesively into home environments and potentially appealing to the vast iPhone user base when the HomePad debuts later this year.

Twenty Years of the HDTV and Home Theater Podcast

• 2,567,649 Downloads ~128K per year or 10600 a month.
• Our Peak listenership was 2010 - 2015 with a blip in 2020 - 2021

Top ten countries for the current year:

1. United States
2. Canada
3. Australia
4. United Kingdom
5. Sweden
6. Germany
7. Cambodia
8. Spain
9. New Zealand
10. Netherlands