Apple TV 4K HDR?

[IcEWoLF]

I'm thinking about getting one to try out different TV streaming services on. I have an Xbox One X and a PS4 Pro, but it be nice to have one in the living room where the main TV is at without consoles or games there.

I think it looks good, I wonder how speedy it is.
I'm looking at the LG B7 65" TV OLED.

 

[lparsons21]

It is pretty quick in operation. Supports HDR and DolbyVision though I can't tell you how well as my 4K TV doesn't. It has most of the channel specific apps as well as Netflix, Hulu, YouTube. Amazon Prime is promised before the end of the year.

 

[harshness]

I'm thinking about getting one to try out different TV streaming services on.

At $180, that's a rather expensive experiment. For around half the money, you could try a Roku or Fire TV and not be upset when something new comes along shortly.

Of course if iTunes is your thing, the ATV is the only real option.

 

[IcEWoLF]

It is pretty quick in operation. Supports HDR and DolbyVision though I can't tell you how well as my 4K TV doesn't. It has most of the channel specific apps as well as Netflix, Hulu, YouTube. Amazon Prime is promised before the end of the year.

Can you access Directv now or ps vue on it?

 

[IcEWoLF]

At $180, that's a rather expensive experiment. For around half the money, you could try a Roku or Fire TV and not be upset when something new comes along shortly.

Of course if iTunes is your thing, the ATV is the only real option.

I’m heavily invest in the Apple eco system and like how the Apple UI just flows and works well vs Roku.

 

[lparsons21]

Can you access Directv now or ps vue on it?

PS Vue and DirecTV Now are available apps. I tried PSVue on mine and it worked as well as it did on the FireTV Box I also had at the time. At one time last year, AT&T was offering a free ATV with DirecTV Now but I don't think that offer is still available.

 

[Foxbat]

FYI. the 4K Apple TV does have active thermal management (i.e., a fan with cooling slots) so it requires a little more thought about placing it in an entertainment center than the previous Apple TVs.

 

[king3pj]

I was an Apple TV user for a long time. The Apple TV 3rd Gen was my go to streaming device when I first cut the cord for about two years. If the newer versions that supported the App Store would have come along sooner I would probably still be on their platform.

I ended up switching to Roku part way through my time as a cord cutter. I just found myself switching to the Xbox One for streaming far too often for Amazon Prime and other streaming services the Apple TV didn't support. I got sick of turning the controller back on every time I wanted to do something and I wanted one box that had all my streaming services in one place. They were just too slow to open up the platform for me.

It sounds like the current models would have fit my needs nicely once Amazon Prime is finally added in. The way I see it an Apple TV 4K HDR makes sense if you value things like AirPlay and Apple Music or you already own a large library of video in iTunes. Otherwise you might be better off getting a comparable Roku Ultra for $99. It saves you $80 and has more streaming options available.

 

[IcEWoLF]

Okay so I got the Apple TV latest gen tonight from Best Buy, it’s neat, but Jesus navigation on the menu guide is hideous. Like totally awful, having to resort using the iPhone to type stuff is a pita. The voice control works general stuff and saying the channel names. I think the ps Vue is a superior product imo.

 

[lparsons21]

I generally use my Harmony Elite remote with all things, including the ATV. The remote for the ATV is just too small to be handy for me though I like voice search.

 

[harshness]

Part of subscribing to an "ecosystem" is having to explore the entire system to find the least painful way of doing things so that Sir Ive can have his all-important aesthetics.

The remote has always been one of the big nits about the ATV. It is all about what third party tools you can bring to bear to circumnavigate the modern art and that's where Sony, Logitech and Universal Remote Control, Inc. comes in as Lloyd suggests.

 

[IcEWoLF]

I see, gonna return the Apple TV because it’s frustrating navigating the touchpad on the directv menu and half the times it does the wrong thing, otherwise the box is amazing. But I can’t see myself investing already $200 for this thing and another $100 some for a new remote...

 

[Foxbat]

I know I'm going come off as an Apple apologist (who, me?) but the 4th gen Apple TV remote struck me as awful considering how nice the previous Apple TV remote was. After using it for two years, I'm used to it but it still has a steep learning curve for most users. Now the the Apple TV remote app on the iPhone/iPad can be launched from the Control Center I find that's the better way to control the 4th Gen Apple TV, especially when it comes time for text input.

At least Apple took one criticism and changed the new remote to place the raised white ring round the Menu button. This allows you to know which way the remote is oriented in your hand, lights on or off. This would have not been an issue with the original 4th Gen remote had they stuck with the Aluminum body of the previous remotes, using the Gorilla Glass for the touch-sensitive screen area. Every other touch-sensitive Apple device has shiny glass for the touch screen, but not the 4th & 5th Gen Apple TV remotes. That's just inconsistent.

I see, gonna return the Apple TV because it’s frustrating navigating the touchpad on the directv menu and half the times it does the wrong thing, otherwise the box is amazing.

The trick to making the Apple TV Remote work for me was to reduce the touchscreen sensitivity (Settings :: Remote and Devices :: Touch Screen Tracking : Slow). Doing that, the swiping gestures to move around the screen works for me (once I'm holding the remote the right way) and even text input is "acceptable" once you learn a few tricks like holding the pad down (3D touch?) to bring up alternate characters for the character you're on.

One other thing you can do is if you have a Bluetooth keyboard, you could try pairing it to your Apple TV. I did that for mine but don't use it much. Before the new iOS it made entering the passwords for the different accounts much easier, but the TV App now "remembers" most of the account credentials for you.

It's not the most frustrating remote I own, but it's certainly far from the best!

 

[Foxbat]

Learn something new every day! Open QuickTime on your Mac running macOS High Sierra (this may also work on Sierra) and go to "File" "Open New Movie Recording". You will see a window with a Red Record button centered toward the bottom of the window with a little downward-facing "vee" to the right of the red record button.

Selecting the vee brings up a menu of input selections, and amazingly, your Apple TV(s) (4th gen or better) will appear. You will be prompted to enter an access code granting your Mac access to the video screen of your Apple TV, and you'll also be asked if you want to enable the Mac to have access to the Apple TV's screen any time you change the input setting. Now you can record screen savers and any non-copy-protected video and audio content from your Apple TV!

(HBO and Amazon Prime Video will give you either nothing or a pop-up saying the HDMI cable doesn't support Copy Protection, sorry.)

I have my Apple TVs connected via Gigabit Ethernet so I didn't experience any stuttering or capture issues, but YMMV if you have WiFi involved.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

Yeah, that does not surprise me. Apple TV has integrated very well into the Apple ecosystem. We now have three apple tv's. A 4k one in the bedroom, a latest-gen non-4k in my office, which I use with a computer monitor to watch stuff while I ride on my trainer, and the prior gen in the living room. I do wish they'd set it up so when you activate something like Epix or HBO Go, that the authorization spreads automatically to all Apple TV's on the same network, or tied to the same apple id. But s a streaming device it works very well.

I have gigabit internet in the house, so bandwidth is rarely an issue, if ever.

 

[harshness]

I do wish they'd set it up so when you activate something like Epix or HBO Go, that the authorization spreads automatically to all Apple TV's on the same network, or tied to the same apple id.

Authorization is done on a box-by-box basis by the streaming services. The streaming service doesn't have access to your Apple account (nor access to your LAN to figure out what else is behind your router) and Apple doesn't have access to your streaming service account. These are very good things.

There are serious downsides to sharing information in the way that you propose in this age of account information compromises. If you believe that Apple IDs cannot be compromised (some have on multiple occasions), you've partaken a little too much of the waters of the Apple ecosystem. Part of keeping up the joy-joy with Apple is not being entirely forthcoming with the issues as they happen. Such is not to say that it doesn't happen pretty much everywhere else, just that it does happen with Apple.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

Authorization is done on a box-by-box basis by the streaming services. The streaming service doesn't have access to your Apple account (nor access to your LAN to figure out what else is behind your router) and Apple doesn't have access to your streaming service account. These are very good things.

There are serious downsides to sharing information in the way that you propose in this age of account information compromises. If you believe that Apple IDs cannot be compromised (some have on multiple occasions), you've partaken a little too much of the waters of the Apple ecosystem. Part of keeping up the joy-joy with Apple is not being entirely forthcoming with the issues as they happen. Such is not to say that it doesn't happen pretty much everywhere else, just that it does happen with Apple.

You are right of course, but it still is annoying at times. .