DHAKA: Apple is planning to introduce a new Apple TV set-top box and is negotiating with Time Warner Cable and other potential partners to add video content, people with knowledge of the matter told Bloomberg.

Apple is aiming to unveil the device by April and have it available for sale by the Christmas holidays, the report said.

The new device, which plugs into a TV, will have a faster processor than the previous version and an upgraded interface to make it easier for customers to navigate between content providers.

Apple’s talks with Time Warner Cable have been going on since at least the middle of last year and are aimed at offering customers a wider array of TV channels.

At the moment, Apple TV only offers individual channel apps, including Disney, ABC, ESPN, HBO and PBS. Each different app requires a login and password to be entered.

Apple has been working to streamline the process with the new Apple TV and has run into problems with Comcast and DirecTV, the two largest pay-TV distributors, according to two people with knowledge of the matter.

Eddy Cue, the head of Apple’s iTunes, has been trying to convince the two companies to let customers use Apple IDs instead of credentials from Comcast and DirecTV.

The distributors would prefer keeping their customer information separate from Apple, according to the report, says telecompaper.com.

BDST: 1635 HRS, FEB 13, 2014