Front Row
Encyclopedia
Front Row is a media center
software for Apple's Macintosh
computers and Apple TV for navigating and viewing video, photos, podcasts, and music from a computer, optical disc, or the Internet through a 10-foot user interface
(similar to Windows Media Center
and Boxee
). The software relies on iTunes and iPhoto and is controlled by an Apple Remote
. The first version was released October 2005, with two major revisions since. Front Row has been discontinued starting with Mac OS X 10.7
.
, and Photo Booth
). The software was billed as an alternative interface for playing and running iPhoto
, DVD Player
, and iTunes
(Internet radio
stations could play by adding the station into a playlist in iTunes).
video.
, version two of Front Row included the new features introduced with the Apple TV (except for the YouTube viewer), a different opening transition, ending AirTunes functionality, and a launcher application in addition to the Command+Escape keyboard shortcut
.
Front Row 2 has an undocumented plug-in architecture, for which various third-party plugins are now available, based on reverse-engineering the Front Row environment. Because it uses QuickTime
to render video, Front Row can utilize any codec installed in QuickTime, including DivX
, Xvid
, and WMV
, and play DVD images copied to the hard disk. However, because Front Row does not use Quicktime X, it lacks support for certain codec features like Sample Aspect Ratio.
, movie rentals, the ability for viewing online photos from Flickr
or MobileMe
(branded .Mac at the time), and the streaming of audio to AirTunes were added.
, Front Row has been discontinued. The software did not appear in the early Developer Previews, and is not present in the final version.
Though it was possible to reinstall it by copying frameworks and the Front Row application into OS X Lion., iTunes
10.4 broke compatibility for many people and the music will not show.
Home theater PC
A Home Theater PC or Media Center appliance is a convergence device that combines some or all the capabilities of a personal computer with a software application that supports video, photo, music playback, and sometimes video recording functionality...
software for Apple's Macintosh
Macintosh
The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
computers and Apple TV for navigating and viewing video, photos, podcasts, and music from a computer, optical disc, or the Internet through a 10-foot user interface
10-foot user interface
In computing a 10-foot user interface is a software GUI designed for display on a large television with interaction using a regular television-style remote control."10 foot" refers to the fact that the GUI's...
(similar to Windows Media Center
Windows Media Center
Windows Media Center is a digital video recorder and media player developed by Microsoft. It is an application that allows users to view and record live television, as well as organize and play music and videos...
and Boxee
BOXEE
Boxee is a cross-platform freeware HTPC software application with a 10-foot user interface and social networking features designed for the living-room TV...
). The software relies on iTunes and iPhoto and is controlled by an Apple Remote
Apple Remote
The Apple Remote is a remote control made for use with Apple products with infrared capabilities released after October 2005. The device was announced by Steve Jobs on October 12, 2005. The remote is largely based on the interface of the first generation iPod Shuffle and has only six buttons...
. The first version was released October 2005, with two major revisions since. Front Row has been discontinued starting with Mac OS X 10.7
Mac OS X Lion
Mac OS X Lion is the eighth and current major release of Mac OS X, Apple's desktop and server operating system for Macintosh computers....
.
Introduction
Front Row was first unveiled on October 12, 2005 with the new iMac G5 (along with the built-in iSight camera, the Apple RemoteApple Remote
The Apple Remote is a remote control made for use with Apple products with infrared capabilities released after October 2005. The device was announced by Steve Jobs on October 12, 2005. The remote is largely based on the interface of the first generation iPod Shuffle and has only six buttons...
, and Photo Booth
Photo Booth
Photo Booth is a small software application for taking photos and videos with an iSight camera by Apple Inc. for Mac OS X and iOS .-Photo Booth:...
). The software was billed as an alternative interface for playing and running iPhoto
IPhoto
iPhoto is a digital photograph manipulation software application developed by Apple Inc. and released with every Macintosh personal computer as part of the iLife suite of digital life management applications...
, DVD Player
DVD Player (software)
DVD Player is the default DVD player in Mac OS X. It supports all the standard DVD features such as multiple audio, video & subtitle tracks as well as Dolby audio, DVD@ccess URLs and closed captions. In some instances, users can choose which VOB file to open. It is found in /Applications/DVD...
, and iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
(Internet radio
Internet radio
Internet radio is an audio service transmitted via the Internet...
stations could play by adding the station into a playlist in iTunes).
Apple TV
The next incarnation, released in the original Apple TV software in March 2007, was a complete, stand alone application that played content directly from libraries. Among the features added were more prominent podcasts and TV show menus, trailer streaming, a settings menu, streaming content from computers on the local network, and album and video art for local media. In the summer of 2007, Apple released an update adding streaming of YouTubeYouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
video.
Version two
Released in November 2007 with Mac OS X v10.5 (Leopard)Mac OS X v10.5
Mac OS X Leopard is the sixth major release of Mac OS X, Apple's desktop and server operating system for Macintosh computers. Leopard was released on 26 October 2007 as the successor of Tiger , and is available in two variants: a desktop version suitable for personal computers, and a...
, version two of Front Row included the new features introduced with the Apple TV (except for the YouTube viewer), a different opening transition, ending AirTunes functionality, and a launcher application in addition to the Command+Escape keyboard shortcut
Keyboard shortcut
In computing, a keyboard shortcut is a finite set of one or more keys that invoke a software or operating system operation when triggered by the user. A meaning of term "keyboard shortcut" can vary depending on software manufacturer...
.
Front Row 2 has an undocumented plug-in architecture, for which various third-party plugins are now available, based on reverse-engineering the Front Row environment. Because it uses QuickTime
QuickTime
QuickTime is an extensible proprietary multimedia framework developed by Apple Inc., capable of handling various formats of digital video, picture, sound, panoramic images, and interactivity. The classic version of QuickTime is available for Windows XP and later, as well as Mac OS X Leopard and...
to render video, Front Row can utilize any codec installed in QuickTime, including DivX
DivX
DivX is a brand name of products created by DivX, Inc. , including the DivX Codec which has become popular due to its ability to compress lengthy video segments into small sizes while maintaining relatively high visual quality.There are two DivX codecs; the regular MPEG-4 Part 2 DivX codec and the...
, Xvid
XviD
Xvid is a video codec library following the MPEG-4 standard, specifically MPEG-4 Part 2 Advanced Simple Profile . It uses ASP features such as b-frames, global and quarter pixel motion compensation, lumi masking, trellis quantization, and H.263, MPEG and custom quantization matrices.Xvid is a...
, and WMV
Windows Media Video
'Windows Media Video is a video compression format for several proprietary codecs developed by Microsoft. The original video format, known as WMV, was originally designed for Internet streaming applications, as a competitor to RealVideo. The other formats, such as WMV Screen and WMV Image, cater...
, and play DVD images copied to the hard disk. However, because Front Row does not use Quicktime X, it lacks support for certain codec features like Sample Aspect Ratio.
"Take 2"
In February 2008, Apple announced a Front Row update branded "Apple TV Take Two." In addition to the prominent addition of direct downloads for movies, TV episodes, and podcasts via the iTunes StoreITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
, movie rentals, the ability for viewing online photos from Flickr
Flickr
Flickr is an image hosting and video hosting website, web services suite, and online community that was created by Ludicorp in 2004 and acquired by Yahoo! in 2005. In addition to being a popular website for users to share and embed personal photographs, the service is widely used by bloggers to...
or MobileMe
MobileMe
MobileMe was a subscription-based collection of online services and software offered by Apple Inc. Originally launched on January 5, 2000, as iTools, a free collection of Internet-based services for users of Mac OS 9, Apple relaunched it as .Mac on July 17, 2002, when it became a paid subscription...
(branded .Mac at the time), and the streaming of audio to AirTunes were added.
Discontinuation
With the July 2011 release of Mac OS X LionMac OS X Lion
Mac OS X Lion is the eighth and current major release of Mac OS X, Apple's desktop and server operating system for Macintosh computers....
, Front Row has been discontinued. The software did not appear in the early Developer Previews, and is not present in the final version.
Though it was possible to reinstall it by copying frameworks and the Front Row application into OS X Lion., iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
10.4 broke compatibility for many people and the music will not show.
See also
- Apple TV
- BoxeeBOXEEBoxee is a cross-platform freeware HTPC software application with a 10-foot user interface and social networking features designed for the living-room TV...
- CenterstageCenterstageCenterStage, now obsolete, was a media center software application with a 10-foot user interface design for the living-room TV that allows digital content stored on an Apple Macintosh computer running Mac OS X to be played on a standard television set....
- Google TVGoogle TVGoogle TV is a Smart TV platform from Google. It was announced on May 20, 2010, at Google’s Google I/O event and was co-developed by Google, Intel, Sony and Logitech...
- iTheaterITheateriTheater: Mac Media Center, now obsolete, was an open source media center application for Mac OS X.Active development and support of iTheater is no longer underway in lieu of other media application availability....
- MythTVMythTVMythTV is a free and open source home entertainment application with a simplified "10-foot user interface" design for the living-room TV, and turns a computer with the necessary hardware into a network streaming digital video recorder, a digital multimedia home entertainment system, or home theater...
- PlexPlexappPlex is a partially open-source freeware media player for Intel-based Apple Macintosh computers. It has a 10-foot user interface design for the living-room TV...
- SageTVSageTVSageTV Media Center was a proprietary, commercial DVR and HTPC software for Mac OS X, Windows and Linux. It requires that the host computer have a hardware based TV tuner card. The SageTV software has an integrated Electronic Programming Guide that is updated via the Internet...
- Windows Media CenterWindows Media CenterWindows Media Center is a digital video recorder and media player developed by Microsoft. It is an application that allows users to view and record live television, as well as organize and play music and videos...
- XBMC Media Center