Conference Extras (Release Candidate 2)

Timing is everything.

Just as I was getting ready to publish the Conference Extras (née “Conference LP”) Release Candidate 1, Apple released version 3.0 of the AppleTV software, with support for iTunes Extras. With a couple tweaks, I was able to get RC1 loaded on AppleTV. One problem – it didn’t work very well. The design looked good in iTunes, but was unnavigable on AppleTV. You couldn’t scroll, the background gradient looked like the Target logo, and most importantly – you couldn’t actually play anything. Back to the drawing board.

The new design works on AppleTV and still works in iTunes. Videos will now play full-screen or full-window. The content is still streamed from lds.org, so you’ll need a broadband internet connection. The one caveat is that you’ll need to use the keyboard to navigate in iTunes (arrow keys, enter, and escape). The mouse isn’t supported yet. Why not?

Well, it’s that timing thing. I started out designing this from the ground-up for AppleTV because it seems to be the more finicky platform to target. Adding mouse support was the last thing on the list, and the only thing remaining when Apple released actual documentation for developing iTunes LPs and Extras.

Instead of delaying the next release until I’ve had a chance to incorporate best-practices from the documentation, I figured I’d release it as-is – everything except the mouse support – so you can try it out.

Instructions:

1. Download ConferenceExtras2009Oct-1.0rc2.zip.


2. Double-click the resulting 179th Semiannual General Conference.ite file. iTunes will import the Extras to the Movies section of iTunes.


3. In iTunes, double-click 179th Semiannual General Conference. Use the arrows to navigate, Enter to select, and ESC to exit.