According to a new report from DigiTimes today, Apple has been trying to buy OLED panels from Samsung and LG, and have not met with much success. Both companies debuted remarkable new OLED and AMOLED based HDTVs at this year’s CES conference. Though it may be disappointing to Apple, it’s not all that surprising that they wouldn’t be eager to share. Apple’s iTV has been generating massive amounts of buzz despite still being little more than a rumor. If Apple really is working on it, as seems likely, it would be a major competitor to Samsung’s and LG’s newest and best products. It stands to reason that they would want to keep the core technology of those products under wraps, at least for a little while.

While rumors of a release date for an iTV have been vague at best, many have suggested that the device would launch in the second half of 2012. If Apple is indeed having difficulty securing display panels, that could be a significant setback that could push any release date into 2013 or later.

Though Munster believes Apple could be ready to release the iTV by late 2012, the question of content still remains. In December there were reports that Apple was meeting with executives from major content providers to discuss Apple’s plans for entering the TV market. Shortly after, there were reports that Apple wanted to offer users access to custom channel lineups, rather than the package-based options currently offered by cable companies. While Apple could easily have an iTV ready by the end of the year, the kind of agreements necessary to implement such a programming model would likely take considerably longer.

Munster’s report noted Apple’s tendency to revolutionize the markets it enters, and believes that if Apple is entering the already quite well-established television market, it must be planning to offer a “revamped TV content solution.”

Munster suggested three alternatives for such a content solution. First, Apple could offer a TV that managed users’ live TV service as provided by their cable company. Rather like TiVo, such an iTV would would integrate users’ pre-existing cable or dish service with Apple’s own software solutions (and maybe DVR). While Munster believes this solution to be “easiest and most likely,” he also says it would be “the least revolutionary.” Such a TV would have much the same functionality as the currently existing Apple TV. While integrating such functionality more deeply with the actual television would be a major step, it is not quite meet the standard of revolution Apple set for itself with previous devices like the iPhone and iPad.

The second option Munster sees involves Apple offering access to live TV from network channels as well as other web-based video options like Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon, and others. He also speculates that under this scenario the iTV would get something that Apple TV users have wanted for ages: the App Store. Under this scenario, the iTV integrates Apple TV functionality into the TV, as before, but presents the user with a wider array of content options.

The third scenario is what Apple reportedly wants to do: offer a monthly subscription that allows users to choose live TV channels a la carte from the content providers. This is the option that would require Apple to secure deals with the networks, no small task considering how much they currently make on the traditional cable TV package model.

Though Munster sees the first option as most likely, I’m guessing that Apple will follow a plan similar to what the one that made the iTunes Music Store such a success. Apple will do what it has to to get an iTV into the hands – or onto the walls – of users. Once the device has been available for awhile and is popular with users, Apple will leverage its success to get the kind of content deals it really wants.

[Image Credit: Guilherme Schasiepen]

The update, which brings the software to version 1.2, brings with it a host of new features. Some are obvious, some are not, but all together they represent a major upgrade to the software. New features include more zoom options, watched/unwatched indicators in grid view, as well as memory management and UI improvements. The update is free for users already running aTV Flash (black), and can be downloaded from within the app. The video below gives an overview of the software. Check it out and let us know what you think in the comments.

[Source: FireCore]

With this app Boxee combines two popular services that have been separate until now. Devices – Roku and Apple TV, most notably – offer a similar array of internet streaming options, and services like GetGlue allow you to share what you’re watching with your friends. Boxee’s Facebook app, though, marks the first time these two activities have been integrated. While GetGlue provides a “second screen” experience for users who want to share their viewing preferences, Boxee now allows them to do so in one smooth process.

Here’s a video from Boxee’s blog showing how the posts will show up on Facebook. Friends who click the links Boxee posts will be taken to a page giving more information about the show you’re watching.

It is unclear whether this will work with all video viewing on Boxee, or just their new Live TV device (set to ship later this month). The Live TV serves as a bridge between users’ HD antenna or cable box, and lets them watch live broadcast content through their Boxee box. Boxee’s announcement on the Facebook app only mentions it working with Live TV, suggesting it may not work with ordinary streaming content. Several commenters on the blog post asked whether the app would post the content they stream via the internet, but have not yet received a response. An email sent to Boxee PR along those lines has also not been answered.

Of course, Boxee is aware of privacy concerns regarding Facebook, and has made the sharing feature opt-in, meaning that it is turned off by default, and users have the choice of whether to enable it.

[Source: Boxee Blog]

Ubuntu TV promises to simplify and streamline users’ entertainment experience, providing them with a one-stop shop for broadcast TV, cable, streaming applications, and online services. The goal is to do away with the staggering array of remotes and set-top boxes that clutter so many living rooms by integrating everything into the TV itself. Users only have one TV, and Ubuntu TV promises that they’ll only need one remote. Users will also have the option of using their smartphones or tablets as remotes.

Ubuntu TV also promises users the ability to share content between their computers and their TV, as well as between the TV and their mobile devices via the Ubuntu One cloud service. Ubunty TV will also run apps from third party developers, giving the platform tremendous growth and expansion potential.

Unfortunately, Ubuntu TV is still in the early stages of development. The version showcased at Canonical’s CES booth is apparently just a demo version. The technology looks promising, though. Look for more news in the coming months as developers and TV manufacturers get on board with Ubuntu TV. Meanwhile, check out the video below, and let us know what you think in the comments.

[Source: Canonical Blog]

The concept behind Internet TV is fascinating but many of the early offerings lacked luster. The products that have taken off are the Internet video boxes such as Roku, Boxee, and Apple TV.

Do you currently use an Internet TV device? If so, are you happy with it?

This year, the opportunity is said to lie in TV sets with built-in Internet connectivity. The reason for this is largely a result of the shift in consumer behavior. The trend has gone from viewing online entertainment through a desktop to viewing it through mobile and tablet devices. From all indications, the next shift will be to the living room.

At this time, Samsung, Sony, Sharp, LG, and Panasonic all have connected TVs on the market, but there are reports that Apple will release a TV set later this year. In addition, based on what Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt said at the Le Web conference, Google TV will be integrated into the majority of televisions by this summer.

(He begins talking about Google TV around 38 minutes in)

In order for 2012 to be the year for Web TVs to become mainstream, consumers will have to be educated on what they are. For this to happen, the consumer electronics companies will have to use effective marketing strategies to create a need for consumers to want connected TVs.

If this happens, it will, no doubt, open many doors for hardware makers, content providers, and others. However, there are questions that remain such as, what will happen to the Internet video boxes that have been, up to this point, primarily responsible for the success of Internet? While this could be a very real concern, it appears that companies such as Roku have already taken this into consideration.

Earlier this week, the company announced the Roku Streaming Stick that plugs directly into a TV and transforms it into a Smart TV. Users will be able to purchase the Roku Streaming Stick later this year, but it will also be available as a bundle with Best Buy’s Insignia TV. According to the company blog, Roku is working to secure more partnerships with other TV manufacturers.

While only time will tell if 2012 is, in fact, the year that connected TVs take off, hopefully, we’ll have a better idea of what to expect after next week’s Consumer Electronics Show.

Would you be willing to buy a connected TV this year? Let us know.

Other rumored features of the device include Siri integration, the iOS operating system with access to App Store apps (a feature currently lacking with the Apple TV). AirPlay, iCloud, and other means of integrating the television with users’ other Apple devices are likely as well.

Meanwhile, Apple appears to be in negotiations with various entertainment companies to bring customized content to the iTV. According to rumors, Apple wants to offer customers access to customized channel lineups. Unfortunately – but alas, not unexpectedly – the entertainment companies are reluctant to enter into any such arrangement, given the money they make from their current business model.

Assuming that Apple really is working on an iTV, which seems likely at this point, this report about the larger sizes makes sense. However revolutionary the streaming technology, the television market is very much one in which size matters, and Apple has to know that. If Apple intends for the iTV to replace people’s living room TVs, they will have to account for the fact that some of us have very large TVs in our living rooms.

[Source: USA Today]

Now it seems there’s a new wrinkle to the story. The current round of rumors came about on reports that Apple had been meeting with executives from entertainment companies, to advise them on Apple’s direction in the television market. Now it appears that some of those meetings may have involved the kind of content Apple wants to offer on the iTV. Citing a note to investors by industry analyst Shaw Wu, Apple Insider is reporting that Apple wants to offer consumers their choice of channels and programs for a monthly subscription fee.

The obstacle to any such arrangement would, of course, be the entertainment companies themselves. They have historically been very picky about allowing content to stream over the internet, and have repeatedly sought to stifle both Hulu and Netflix. The kind of programming Apple reportedly wants to offer would require a great deal of negotiation with a wide variety of companies. If Apple holds out for those deals to all be in place before launching an iTV, you can bet that we won’t be seeing one next year. On the other hand, they may choose to do with television programming what they did with the iTunes Music Store: proceed with what they have in place, and get the deals in place as they go. That method certainly served them well: Apple ultimately managed to more or less revolutionize the music industry. If this report is correct, it looks as though they may be trying to do the same thing with the rest of the entertainment industry. It’s an exciting thought, and it will be interesting to see how it plays out over the next couple of years.

Would you get an iTV if it meant you could pay a monthly fee for programming a la carte? Do you think Apple can pull it off? Sound off in the comments.

Now, however, an app called Airtight will allow Google TV users to receive content via AirPlay from their iOS devices. The app, which is $.99 in the Android App Market, allows the Google TV to become an AirPlay receiver. With the app installed on their Google TV, users will be able to stream content from their iOS devices to their television. The app is not without its limitations, however. It does not currently support streaming music, nor does it support DRM-protected content, which means that any movies you get from the iTunes Store will not play on your Google TV. The app also does not support mirroring, a process that allows users to send the screen view from their iPad to their Apple TV.

Reviews of the app have tended to be positive, and the developers say they are looking into bringing music streaming to the app. However, mirroring and DRM playback are not likely to ever be added. Look for more interesting developments on this in the future.

Do you have a Google TV? If so, give Airtight a try and let us know what you think in the comments.

Citing “industry sources” in the supply chain for Apple’s products, DigiTimes is reporting that Apple’s suppliers are going to be preparing to manufacture iTVs in the first quarter of 2012. On that production schedule, the TVs would probably be ready for release sometime during the summer of 2012. Not to be confused with the Apple TV, Apple’s popular set-top boxes, the iTV would be an actual television, with the same functionality as the Apple TV built in.

Rumors of an Apple-branded television have swirled since the launch of the Apple TV several years ago – the original Apple TV released in 2006, the current generation model in the fall of 2012. This time, however, it is starting to look like the rumors may actually amount to something, and there may be an Apple-branded TV in the works.

What do you think? Should we expect an iTV next year? Will you buy one? Sound off in the comments.