UPDATED: iTunes LP and Extras support coming to Apple TV

It's been more than a year and a half since Apple's self-proclaimed "hobby," Apple TV, has seen a major software update, but a newly revised section of the iTunes "terms of service" hints that software 3.0 for Apple TV—complete with support for iTunes LP and Extras content—could be coming soon.

Update: Apple has now confirmed Apple TV software 3.0, which comes (as predicted) with iTunes LP and Extras support, access to Internet radio stations, Genius Mixes support, and access to iPhoto Events (an existing iPhoto feature that groups snapshots according to the day/time they were taken) and Faces (which groups pictures using iPhoto's touch-and-go facial recognition features). No streaming videos, though.

AppleInsider found a recent change in the iTunes Store terms of service, including this key sentence: "The Terms of Sale have been revised to clarify that you can now use iTunes LPs and iTunes Extras on Apple TV with software version 3.0 or higher."

That seems a pretty clear indication that a major revamp of the Apple TV software—which hasn't gotten a serious overhaul since January 2008's "Take Two" update, which added the ability to browse for and purchase movies (or movie rentals), TV shows, music, and podcasts directly to the box—is on tap, although it's not clear exactly when the update could arrive.

iTunes LP is Apple's new digital album format, which delivers album art, dynamic menus, photos, videos, lyrics, and other extras for given albums, while iTunes Extras brings DVD-like special features to purchased movie downloads.

Both iTunes LP and Extras seem perfectly suited to Apple TV, and as others have noticed in the past, the iTunes LP format is tailored specifically for Apple TV's 1280 by 720 native resolution.

Meanwhile, there's also been chatter that the next big software update for Apple TV could add support for Snow Leopard's QuickTime X and HTML Live Streaming, a feature included in the iPhone 3.0 software that might—pretty please!—finally allow for instant streaming of iTunes movies and TV shows. That's just a rumor, though, and the iTunes TOS changes spotted by AppleInsider don't make any mention of HTTP Live Streaming, so don't get too excited just yet.

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Apple TV 3.0 software update to support iTunes LP, Extras [AppleInsider]