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Apple TV Subscribers Can Soon Enjoy Amazon Video Streaming

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For Apple TV owners, the announcement of HomePod, the company's connected wireless home speaker, wasn't the big news out of this year's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). Instead, they're probably thrilled that their favorite set-top box will soon get an Amazon Prime Video app. Tensions between Apple and Amazon have kept the Apple TV Amazon-free and stopped Amazon from selling Apple TVs, but there seems to be a thaw as Apple confirmed rumors that its set-top box is finally getting an Amazon Prime app. It should arrive for the tvOS platform later this year.

Apple's Safari browser will soon be able to stop videos from auto-playing. The improved version will be a part of the upcoming macOS High Sierra operating system, expected as a public beta in June and a full release in the fall. A recent survey by the Coalition for Better Ads found auto-play video ads with sound among the ad types consumers hate the most, so this should win the browser some new fans. Safari isn't the only browser cracking down: The next version of Google Chrome will block ads on sites with poor ad experiences. Apple didn’t say whether or not the mobile version of Safari will also get auto-play video blocking.

The High Sierra OS will support HEVC (H.265) video streaming. Apple says that will mean 4K video files up to 40 percent smaller than with H.264.

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