Genius Recommendations for Movies and TV Shows Appearing on Apple TV

Several Apple TV users have reported a new addition to the menus of their devices, with the new option bringing Genius recommendations for movies and TV shows in their libraries. Curiously, early reports noted that rather than carrying a correct menu title, the movie option carried the name "ATV.Menu.MOVIE.GeniusItem", suggesting that the new feature may have appeared prematurely. Apple seems to have fixed the issue, however, with the menu option now showing properly as "Genius".

apple tv genius option combined
Improperly-displayed (left, via @cthielen) and properly-displayed Genius option for Movies on Apple TV

Despite the strange display of the menu option, the feature does appear to have been functional since its initial appearance yesterday, with users being able to access Genius recommendations for their content.

apple tv genius page
Genius movie recommendations on Apple TV (via @benfurneaux)

Genius recommendations for movies and TV shows have been offered for some time in iTunes itself through the iTunes Sidebar, but those recommendations have not been available on the second-generation Apple TV. Genius recommendations are also available through the iTunes app on iOS devices.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Caution)

Top Rated Comments

benspratling Avatar
158 months ago
"ATV.Menu.MOVIE.GeniusItem"
is a "key" used by developers to specify a text resource. The system would look up this unique "key" and find the correct text for the user's locale (language and location) preferences. By default, if the system can't find the text resource, it simply hands back the key that was passed in. If developers used readable text as their keys, that works fine, but since Apple's obviously using developer-centric keys, to more easily identify the exact resource, it displayed something not quite legible.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ipedro Avatar
158 months ago
In the meantime, Apple got rid of Genius where it's most important: music. If you have iTunes Match, you lose this feature (https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1280505). I hope they fix that, it's become one of my favourite things about the iTunes ecosystem.
Score: 0 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WestonHarvey1 Avatar
158 months ago
"ATV.Menu.MOVIE.GeniusItem"
is a "key" used by developers to specify a text resource. The system would look up this unique "key" and find the correct text for the user's locale (language and location) preferences. By default, if the system can't find the text resource, it simply hands back the key that was passed in. If developers used readable text as their keys, that works fine, but since Apple's obviously using developer-centric keys, to more easily identify the exact resource, it displayed something not quite legible.

The "strange appearance" of the key provides a namespace to differentiate similar keys used elsewhere. Had they used "Genius Item" as a key, they would run into collisions with other keys that would also be named "Genius Item", say for a Song Genius Item.
Score: 0 Votes (Like | Disagree)
VanMac Avatar
158 months ago
Interesting feature. Looking forward to them delivering the whole TV.
Score: 0 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dckcentaur Avatar
158 months ago
I noticed this last night and thought it was very bizarre. I thought my apple Tv had a glitch in it. HA HA:D
Score: 0 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Joe-Diver Avatar
158 months ago
I look forward to checking this out!
Score: 0 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 16 Camera Lozenge 2 Perspective Gray

Five Key Upgrades Coming to iPhone 16

Friday March 15, 2024 1:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone is Apple's top-selling product, and it gets an update every year. In 2024, we're expecting the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro lineup, with an arguably more interesting feature set than we got with the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Capture Button All four iPhone 16 models are set to get a whole new button, which will be...
When To Expect New iPads Feature 1

Apple to Announce New iPads on March 26, Rumors Claim

Monday March 18, 2024 4:02 am PDT by
Apple is widely expected to release new iPad Air and OLED iPad Pro models in the next few weeks. According to new rumors coming out of Asia, the company will announce its new iPads on Tuesday, March 26. Chinese leaker Instant Digital on Weibo this morning 日发布%23">claimed that the date will see some sort of announcement from Apple related to new iPads, but stopped short of calling it an...
airpods 3 orange

Two New AirPods 4 Models Expected to Launch in September or October

Sunday March 17, 2024 7:56 am PDT by
Apple suppliers will begin production of two new fourth-generation AirPods models in May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Based on this production timeframe, he expects the headphones to be released in September or October. Gurman expects both fourth-generation AirPods models to feature a new design with better fit, improved sound quality, and an updated charging case with a USB-C...
iphone se 4 modified flag edges

iPhone SE 4 Expected to Depreciate Heavily

Tuesday March 12, 2024 9:04 am PDT by
Resale value trends suggest the iPhone SE 4 may not hold its value as well as Apple's flagship models, according to SellCell. According to the report, Apple's iPhone SE models have historically depreciated much more rapidly than the company's more premium offerings. The third-generation iPhone SE, which launched in March 2022, experienced a significant drop in resale value, losing 42.6%...
General iOS 17 Feature Orange Purple

iOS 17.4.1 Update for iPhone is Imminent

Monday March 18, 2024 5:27 am PDT by
iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 should be released within the next few days, with a build number of 21E235, according to a source with a proven track record. MacRumors previously reported that Apple was internally testing iOS 17.4.1. As a minor update for the iPhone, it will likely address software bugs and/or security vulnerabilities. It is unclear if the update will include any other changes. ...
M3 iPad Feature 3

New iPads Likely to Begin Shipping in April

Monday March 18, 2024 9:52 am PDT by
Apple's new iPad Pro models with OLED displays will likely begin shipping to customers in April, according to information shared today by Ross Young, CEO of display industry research firm Display Supply Chain Consultants. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman also said the new iPad Pro models might not ship until "deeper" into April in his Power On newsletter on Sunday:I've repeatedly said that new...
iOS 17 Passkey With Apple ACCOUNT Feature

'Apple ID' Expected to Change to 'Apple Account' Starting With iOS 18

Sunday March 17, 2024 7:13 am PDT by
MacRumors was first to report that Apple was planning to rebrand "Apple ID" to "Apple Account" across its software platforms and websites like iCloud.com as early as this year, and now Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has corroborated this change. A mockup of the new Apple Account branding In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said the new "Apple Account" branding will start to be used later this...