Update Now TV app for apple TV

[Anonymous User]

Will the Now TV app for Apple TV ever get an update?

The current version is complete rubbish and makes me regret ever getting a Now TV pass.

Unless there is an update my Now TV experience will be very short indeed.

[nst]

I know its an annoying and repetitive topic in this thread..

But.. 5.1.    OK so how long has it been now since we "discovered" that the live TV feed via the AppleTV app was delivering 5.1?.... a couple of months?

So... as we've known now for a while that the app is technically capable of a 5.1 sound stream.... what on earth is the problem here for on demand content??  Why is it still stuck at 2.0 stereo??

Back to my theory... I mean.. its now October... just 2 months away from the app's rather inauspicious first birthday on the AppleTV platform.... and suspiciously that of the Firestick app too via the clandestine agreement between Sky and Amazon to share content etc...

Feels more like what ive been thinking all along.  The restriction of 5.1 is an artificial one.. and one that will miraculously be fixed after a contractually pre-determined time.... lets say 1 year.

5.1 incoming in December I think.  Oh what a coincidence that will be when we all celebrate the monumental technical achievement of the Now development team to crack the near impossible task of providing a 5.1 stream on their app ..... (as all the others have been doing for years).

[nfrend]

I have tried this many times and works every time. Open live tv and you get 5.1 track. Then go to on demand and you will still get 5.1. 

if you close app and go straight to on demand only stereo. But switch to live tv and you will change back to 5.1. 

[Enapace]

I noticed as well that Sky has finally updated there Sky News app for Apple TV as well that thing hadn't been changed in years and was still more like a Apple TV 3rd Gen app then anything made in last few years. So clearly they have developers now unlike before haha.

[Samuel71]

Is anyone thinking the reason they haven’t is something to do with the new Sky Glass announcement.

A all in one solution that brings everything together without any other devices. All in large to stop the flow from its user base. It also supports Dolby atmos out of the box without another sound bar and I imagine Dolby vision?

I mean sounds like Apple TV but with a tv screen?

Just some food for thought.

[Enapace]

@Samuel71 

I think it might be down to fact Apple won't make a TV App for Sky Q/Sky Glass to be honest. I am very interested in Sky Glass though I may end up getting in fact.

[nst]

@Samuel71 

An interesting announcement as was expected for a long time..... Sky without a dish.

The future for Sky is Dish-less and as all of us who use NowTV can attest... streaming is fine.

As we have guessed before... Sky can, and now will imminently be streaming their content in Atmos.

Where does this leave the Now product.  Come to think of it where does that leave SkyQ?

Now will always be as it is, the lower cost no commitment lower quality service.

How does this bode going forward?  will we end up getting Atmos and 4K in Now?  seriously doubt that as im sure they will try to get as many as they can on the new Sky Glass platform and will only do so if its a better option.

Im sure Now is stuck at 1080p and 5.1 for the foreseeable future.

However lets hope that AppleTV finally catches up with the rest of Now's platforms and provides that 5.1 service.

[Samuel71]

If only they worked together : with apples tv provider feature within iPhones that then gives you access to whatever apps are part of your package I honestly think sky are missing a trick. They’re so intent on hardware rather than looking after their content subs.

I would never go back to i sky now but I probably wouldn’t have left if they’d done this to begin with. Does anyone know what Comcast are like with Apple stuff in the states?

[nst]

@Enapace 

It looks interesting but sadly its currently stuck with their own screen.

On the face of it the cost seems reasonable for what you get...

However many im sure are quite happy with their current TV and won't be interested in 'renting' a TV.

They will for sure release the product as a stand alone product eventually.

[Enapace]

@nst 

You don't rent the TV you buy the TV from them it's totally yours. You can either choose to buy it upfront or you can pay it off over 24 or 48 Months. I'm probably going for it as I was going get a 4K TV screen for my bedroom anyway and then I can buy one of there Pucks to connect my main TV. I already pay £5 for boost so i don't mind extra £5 for another box. Sky Glass looks like a solid step up over Now though with 4K and HDR. 

[nst]

@Enapace 

Sure, you can buy outright and you have an interest free option for 4 years..

However bear in mind you have to have a minimum of £26 per month sky package for the glass service.

Shaping up to be considerably more expensive than Now is.

[Enapace]

@nst True entertainment is more but you get far more channels in fairness but Cinema is same price and Sky Sports is actually less.

[nst]

@Enapace 

Thats fair..

Though I just can't see myself going back to expensive contract TV having used Now for a few years.

As I said earlier, Now .. realistically will never progress over 1080p and 5.1 as otherwise it will take away sales of glass.

I just hope that the AppleTV app is fixed for 5.1 by year end (as per my previous conspiracy theory)..

And its a shame that Now won't end up with Atmos and 4K but this glass announcement just confirms the long swirling rumours regarding Sky's direction on streamed dish-less content.

[Anonymous User]

Hi sorry if this has been said before but has anyone’s Apple TV integration now and nxt stopped working since iOS 15 release I just can’t seem to get it to show anything from now Tv ?? 

[Samuel71]

I had to redo it but shows my latest episodes fine

[nst]

Small, but ultimately no-news kinda update for the 5.1 saga.

I tweeted NowHelp again as I think its a good idea to keep up the impression that people are indeed using the AppleTV app and are waiting for the 5.1 situation to be resolved.

My tweet:

Can we please have an update on appletv now app for 5.1 sound. It’s been many weeks since we discovered the app is capable of 5.1 via live stream yet on demand remains at 2.0 for boost subscribers. Almost 1 year on from launch and still not fixed. Why please?

Their reply:

This is totally understandable and this feedback has been raised to the team recently. Especially with the addition of our latest app we hope this can come to fruition. Thank you for getting in touch. - TD

As noted the Now app was relatively recently updated with a slightly updated interface - and still that opportunity wasn't taken to resolve this.

It really does continually add to my theory that this 5.1 situation is artificial - especially as we know the app can do 5.1 on the live streams...

It will be fixed... one year in... so its nearly November now - almost 11 months after launch.  Just one more month to go till this gets miraculously fixed.  Do I get a prize? 🙂 

[Anonymous User]

I’m done with NowTV. There is still no native support for the Apple remote
(I’ve purchased the new one) I don’t think there will either. I refuse to
pay £9.99 and have adverts. Most of the fox content is on Disney+ now.
Regarding Sky exclusive content a friend has helped out via a vpn and a
couple of sites that get me that content.

[nst]

@Anonymous User 

I agree in that Now's offering seems increasingly un-competitive.

Disney+ in particular since taking on the Stars content (Fox) has more and more exclusive content in high quality with 4K and Atmos streams too - and no ads.

Any paid streaming service should not contain ads although im not sure how Sky have ever justified the ads on Sky1 when thats been a paid service forever.

Your comment about the remote is true but to be fair a lot of the other apps on AppleTV have yet to natively support it.  Now are no different and the least likely to do so.  Thats a lost cause.

I find it interesting to see where Now are headed.  It seems like they have their head in the sand really and are making moves that seem to forget the competition.  For Movies and Entertainment... charging way more than any other streaming service... and their content is increasingly less compelling and different... and including ads, and charging £5 a month more for the privilege of a video and sound experience 10 years out of date and far behind the others... all told this seems insane.

They simply wont last.  Maybe they will disappear and become part of Sky Glass in one way or another eventually.  Who knows.

Right now they have to pull their socks up and realise that customer experience and cost are key and their customer base is not guaranteed just because of the content.

[waldopepper]

Agreed about streaming services adding Adverts despite you already paying for the service.

On a related note, I started watching Control on Amazon Prime the other day, when I looked up online if it was on Amazon it said 'Watch now: free with Ads" and assumed  this was for non-Prime members (maybe I wasn't logged in on that browser), but low and behold, about a third of the way through the film without any warning (that you might get when watching on terrestrial TV) ADVERTS. As this is a black and white film and the ads were loud colourful ones it really ruined watching the film. Nice one Amazon.

[nst]

@waldopepper 

Interesting with 'control' ... however this is a new, and separate type of 'offering' seemingly.

Its not a Prime movie.  Its not Prime content....

It can be purchased... it can be rented... but also watchable 'free with ads'.

Doesn't seem bad to me to be fair.

IF they started to put ads in the middle of PRIME content.. then id be mad.  But they havent.  Yet.... just those annoying pre-show amazon content ads which aren't long to be fair.

[Enapace]

@nst 

Sky Glass is going be a huge huge flop look at the sky community forum there recording functionality is far worse version of Apple's Continue Watching List. It records nothing whatso ever it just links you to iplayer all4 etc. So many people are cancelling it's a glorified NowTV with live BBC/ITV but nothing else basically the same as you could of got with the NowTV Freeview Boxes really. 

I'm happy i didn't go for it and waited see proper reviews i did wonder why no reviewer TVs were handed out last week now I know because it's a terrible experience. There talking system they boasted about doesn't work with netflix and on amazon prime it misses entire seasons. Some of this could be fixed with software updates but a lot of it can't be specially the playlist which Sky have do no expense what so ever into and just linking you to apps.

[nst]

@Enapace 

Interesting observation.

I wondered how sky glass would work.

So, its basically just an attempt to create what we in this forum thread already have... i.e. the AppleTV TV app which aggregates content from other streaming services.

The TV app is great and its the reason I use the AppleTV and its the reason I left the very expensive SkyQ behind.

AppleTV TV app and its ability to sync across your phone and iPad etc is a far superior solution to a physical recording on a skyQ box.

Its not flawless however.  its a huge shame that Netflix don't play ball - but all the others do - even so sometimes the catchup services inexplicably don't upload their shows in a timely manner and in some cases it can take days which is quite frustrating.  If Sky Glass relies on this too then there are about to be some very dissatisfied customers.  My rationale is that Id rather wait a few days in rare instances than pay £55 a month for a SkyQ service.

Im not surprised at all that there is no recording facility - to be honest that's quite an old fashioned need when all content is coming from streaming however I admit that some platforms keep things longer than others.  I find that at worst they are available for a month and a best a year.... even the month ones are long enough for me to be able to watch before they disappear.

The first reviews are going to be interesting.