Apple TV 4 Owners Thread - Now with App Store, Siri and tvOS

Why didnt they shove the new A9X in it, as that can obviously cope with 4K.
Very poor .

The interesting thing here is that it was found out that the A8 chipset sporting iPhone 6 actually could handle a 4K video just fine. So whether they have announced anything or not, HDMI 1.4 and the A8 chip is in theory at least capable in themselves of handling some variation of 4K content.

More immediately there are questions I'd like answered..

1. Can the new Apple TV actually output 1080p/24 now.

2. Does the "Universal search" function work for only "channel partners" such as Netflix, or will it work with App Store content providers who manage to tie in with Spotlight search.

3. How does Universal search and the newer UI handle "family purchases". If I search for say Mad Max Fury Road, will it highlight that somebody else in my family has already purchased it and just let me play it directly or will it just give me the straightforward purchase screen.

4. Now that the device is at least capable of Dolby Digital Plus, will the store itself start encoding releases to take advantage of the extra bitrate available to it or vanilla Dolby Digital.

5. Will Universal Search pick up on content that is connected via iTunes on a PC. Say I search for "inception", will it acknowledge that I already have that content on an available machine on the network. Basically will "computer" be tied into Spotlight search and be asked for its results along with Netflix and co.

6. Will the new Apple TV see content over a standard network share, or is it DLNA compliant.

Just a few things off the top of my head..
 
It's just surprising they release the 6S with 4K video recording capability, but no convenient way of getting it onto a 4K screen. Seems like a rather half-baked approach to me, but I suppose it gives them something to "invent" for the next version of the Apple TV that they can sell to the suckers that keep buying these things.
 
The interesting thing here is that it was found out that the A8 chipset sporting iPhone 6 actually could handle a 4K video just fine. So whether they have announced anything or not, HDMI 1.4 and the A8 chip is in theory at least capable in themselves of handling some variation of 4K content.

More immediately there are questions I'd like answered..

1. Can the new Apple TV actually output 1080p/24 now.

2. Does the "Universal search" function work for only "channel partners" such as Netflix, or will it work with App Store content providers who manage to tie in with Spotlight search.

3. How does Universal search and the newer UI handle "family purchases". If I search for say Mad Max Fury Road, will it highlight that somebody else in my family has already purchased it and just let me play it directly or will it just give me the straightforward purchase screen.

4. Now that the device is at least capable of Dolby Digital Plus, will the store itself start encoding releases to take advantage of the extra bitrate available to it or vanilla Dolby Digital.

5. Will Universal Search pick up on content that is connected via iTunes on a PC. Say I search for "inception", will it acknowledge that I already have that content on an available machine on the network. Basically will "computer" be tied into Spotlight search and be asked for its results along with Netflix and co.

6. Will the new Apple TV see content over a standard network share, or is it DLNA compliant.

Just a few things off the top of my head..
All good questions.

Nr. 5 is definitely no.

Nr. 6 I hope this is the case via apps like on ios. :)
 
All I want is a nicer (or customisable) front end for my Home Sharing content, or a dedicated Plex App. The rest of the announced features really aren't of interest to me. As a Harmony user, all the new remote features are worthless.
 
What if you want to stream that lovely 4K video you recorded on your shiny new iPhone 6s to your 4K TV?

A good point, except I wouldn't use the word "lovely" to anyone's amateur 4K video footage. As a professional photographer, I face-palm a lot when I see how bad many snapshots are. This is ok of course, as layman photographers or filmmakers are not pros - so I don't expect pro work.

But when I hear them go on about things like 4K but at the same time can't be bothered to learn the basics of shooting video, then I shake my head in disappointment.

Sure, while few television streaming services will bother with 4K for a while, the bulk of 4K video will be from home users and their phones, and 97% of that will be rubbish - probably from people who haven't figured out to turn the phone horizontally so that the aspect matches their TV!

So year, 4K home video from people who probably take terrible videos in the first place. I'm not really going to miss anything.
 
The interesting thing here is that it was found out that the A8 chipset sporting iPhone 6 actually could handle a 4K video just fine. So whether they have announced anything or not, HDMI 1.4 and the A8 chip is in theory at least capable in themselves of handling some variation of 4K content.

More immediately there are questions I'd like answered..

1. Can the new Apple TV actually output 1080p/24 now.

2. Does the "Universal search" function work for only "channel partners" such as Netflix, or will it work with App Store content providers who manage to tie in with Spotlight search.

3. How does Universal search and the newer UI handle "family purchases". If I search for say Mad Max Fury Road, will it highlight that somebody else in my family has already purchased it and just let me play it directly or will it just give me the straightforward purchase screen.

4. Now that the device is at least capable of Dolby Digital Plus, will the store itself start encoding releases to take advantage of the extra bitrate available to it or vanilla Dolby Digital.

5. Will Universal Search pick up on content that is connected via iTunes on a PC. Say I search for "inception", will it acknowledge that I already have that content on an available machine on the network. Basically will "computer" be tied into Spotlight search and be asked for its results along with Netflix and co.

6. Will the new Apple TV see content over a standard network share, or is it DLNA compliant.

Just a few things off the top of my head..
 
The interesting thing here is that it was found out that the A8 chipset sporting iPhone 6 actually could handle a 4K video just fine. So whether they have announced anything or not, HDMI 1.4 and the A8 chip is in theory at least capable in themselves of handling some variation of 4K content.

More immediately there are questions I'd like answered..

1. Can the new Apple TV actually output 1080p/24 now.

2. Does the "Universal search" function work for only "channel partners" such as Netflix, or will it work with App Store content providers who manage to tie in with Spotlight search.

3. How does Universal search and the newer UI handle "family purchases". If I search for say Mad Max Fury Road, will it highlight that somebody else in my family has already purchased it and just let me play it directly or will it just give me the straightforward purchase screen.

4. Now that the device is at least capable of Dolby Digital Plus, will the store itself start encoding releases to take advantage of the extra bitrate available to it or vanilla Dolby Digital.

5. Will Universal Search pick up on content that is connected via iTunes on a PC. Say I search for "inception", will it acknowledge that I already have that content on an available machine on the network. Basically will "computer" be tied into Spotlight search and be asked for its results along with Netflix and co.

6. Will the new Apple TV see content over a standard network share, or is it DLNA compliant.

Just a few things off the top of my head..

Quite frankly, the best questions I've yet read regarding the new ATV4.
 
So year, 4K home video from people who probably take terrible videos in the first place. I'm not really going to miss anything.
Sure, maybe YOU won't, but I'm sure a lot of other people will ;-)

The ATV is a very lackluster device from Apple. Usually they're leading the charge in terms of tech with the latest and greatest screens, connectivity etc , but this is just poor and is the weakest link in the chain. It would have been good in 2010 perhaps, but 2015...?
 
Weakest link in the chain? It always has been. The step up to acknowledge what could be and open up ATV to developers is something I've been campaigning about for years. I fail to see what they've been working on for so long, possibly deliberating at what level the product should be at now yes, but not engineering. Apple's been a me too company for a while now and that's clearly going to continue. How great and innovative their products are is just marketing rubbish; but we all know this. I for one like the integration, I like the simplicity. If I can still operate their kit after a couple of beers (I'm a lightweight!) then I'm really happy, and Apple gives me that experience.

Lets wait and see if the killer apps come. We haven't really seen HomeKit yet, and the rumour is that one of these babies will be the hub of the HA system. Looking forward to it, but I'm nothing but patient on this right now, and I recommend to others to keep an open mind too. It's very early days yet.
 
^^ I think their problem was that they were focused on the new live TV/on-demand service which was rumoured. The launched Apple TV was just to be the vessel for this. It was this service that many people think Jobs was talking about when he said he had "cracked it", but they couldn't get all the licenses in time.

They knew they still had to release the updated Apple TV, but without the "service" it is just another box (be it a good one).

I think they should have released a streaming service for some European countries first. It would have been a lot easier to do so with UK or German broadcasters, as agreements have already been made with other simulcasters (Zattoo, TVPlayer, MagineTV etc). But alas, this being an American company, they seem to be far too focused on that.
 
People should remember this is Apple. They like to give the fanboys just a little bit but not too much. I bet my last quid they give 4k and new processor and hdmi 2.0 in next years version.
 
Random question, but I figured that AVF members are the best chaps to ask...

Does anybody know which display Apple was using to demo the new Apple TV to the press back stage?

It can be seen in this video, I know it's not really important at the end of the day but the geek in me wants to know which display the worlds most valuable company uses to demo their new product. :D

 
People should remember this is Apple. They like to give the fanboys just a little bit but not too much. I bet my last quid they give 4k and new processor and hdmi 2.0 in next years version.

Year, it's not like all of the other major competitors went out of their way to introduce 4K. Roku also disappointed everyone with their latest updated devices by doing little more than updating the remote with no 4K.

The new Amazon Fire TV due out soon will most likely have 4K, but only because Apple didn't.

I always laugh about the fanboy thing anti-Apple people go on about. Because yes, there really are Apple fanboys who will defend Apple regardless of what happens and they can be really annoying.

But those anti-Apple comments are usually made by fanboys themselves. Either Android fanboys or MS fanboys etc. The difference is, because their favourite devices rarely are any better either, they spend most of their time deriding Apple instead - when someone spends more time putting the opposition down instead of promoting their own, it is almost always because deep down they know their own favourite is not better.

This new Apple TV is certainly not revolutionary. It was not what Apple wanted to release alone as they wanted to include the new streaming service that they haven't been able to finish. All this box is, is a new updated coffee mug, but without the coffee.

Year, it is a pretty good coffee mug. And if they had included the new coffee they wanted to, it may have been revolutionary (who knows until we see what their new streaming service will be).

But without it, it is just a really nice coffee mug. Granted, it is not really that much better than the competition, but how much do you want a bet that within 6months there will be more official streaming apps for all the major television services around the world than any of the competition. And that is where Apple's strength usually lies.

By the way. Currently my favourite STB is not Apple, but the Amazon Fire TV which certainly makes me not an Apple fanboy. I have pretty much every streaming platform that exists, but the one I go to by choice when it has the service I want is the AFTV.

Will that change when the new ATV comes out? I don't know. Will the new AFTV be so much better? I don't think so either. I think the new AFTV will be pretty much the same as the existing one but with Alexa (which is great) and 4K which is pointless - unless you have Amazon Prime in which case they will let you watch one of the small handful of TV shows they have in 4K. But don't expect any other non-Amazon service to support 4K on the new box.

Still, until the new ATV does have more apps than the AFTV, I'll probably keep using the AFTV for another few months.
 
I'm not anti- or pro-Apple - I try to buy or use the right tool for the job (I use a MacBook Air, but have an Android phone, PCs for work etc). Doesn't stop me looking expectantly at Apple to do something innovative, but over the last few years what they've produced has just garnered a "meh, seen it before" response (I'm guessing it's hard to top something game-changing like the iPhone).

These days I get more excited about what Microsoft announces. Strange times.
 
No HD audio codec or the apparent lack of MKV support renders this so called media player useless for local media streaming, which is a fundamental feature in my view. Especially if you've backed up all your BD's and DVD's in full quality as I and a growing number of AVF members have done.
Netflix and Amazon Instant are the only 2 apps I'm interested in and they already feature on 3 pieces of kit I own.
I love and own their phones and tablets, but there are so many better media player alternatives to the Apple TV IMO.
 
Plex and VLC have stated that they will be launching apps on the new ATV.
 
A good point, except I wouldn't use the word "lovely" to anyone's amateur 4K video footage. As a professional photographer, I face-palm a lot when I see how bad many snapshots are. This is ok of course, as layman photographers or filmmakers are not pros - so I don't expect pro work.

But when I hear them go on about things like 4K but at the same time can't be bothered to learn the basics of shooting video, then I shake my head in disappointment.

Sure, while few television streaming services will bother with 4K for a while, the bulk of 4K video will be from home users and their phones, and 97% of that will be rubbish - probably from people who haven't figured out to turn the phone horizontally so that the aspect matches their TV!

So year, 4K home video from people who probably take terrible videos in the first place. I'm not really going to miss anything.
People's home videos have always been crap but there's nothing wrong with them wanting it be crap in a higher resolution. Your comment came across as a little arrogant
 
People's home videos have always been crap but there's nothing wrong with them wanting it be crap in a higher resolution. Your comment came across as a little arrogant

There is absolutely nothing wrong with people who want more out of the VHS tapes. My point was directed at those in the past who believed an increased recording space would mean VHS was so infinitely superior to DVD that VHS was there to stay - and people really said that sort of stuff then.

If not agreeing with that frame of mind comes across as arrogant, then I apologise, but it doesn't change anything. VHS was surpassed by DVD (despite improvements). DVD was surpassed by BluRay (despite improvements there as well) and BluRay is making way for streaming and downloading, and no amount of improvements will change that.

And I'll be honest here. Streaming and downloading will most likely be surpassed by something else eventually, or completely different in the near future.
 
There is absolutely nothing wrong with people who want more out of the VHS tapes. My point was directed at those in the past who believed an increased recording space would mean VHS was so infinitely superior to DVD that VHS was there to stay - and people really said that sort of stuff then.

If not agreeing with that frame of mind comes across as arrogant, then I apologise, but it doesn't change anything. VHS was surpassed by DVD (despite improvements). DVD was surpassed by BluRay (despite improvements there as well) and BluRay is making way for streaming and downloading, and no amount of improvements will change that.

And I'll be honest here. Streaming and downloading will most likely be surpassed by something else eventually, or completely different in the near future.
I just think it's no bad thing to offer laymen (of which I am most definitely one) better equipment as they need all the help they can get. Maybe I misconstrued your point.
 
I just think it's no bad thing to offer laymen (of which I am most definitely one) better equipment as they need all the help they can get. Maybe I misconstrued your point.

Actually, I agree with you 100%. Which is why I am very fond of streaming. It is so easy to use, and the perfect mix of ease + quality.

True, video quality even from an iTunes download is not (quite) as good as BluRay, but most laymen won't notice the difference.

But the ease of choosing a title, and instantly playing couldn't be easier. Netflix have of course taken this to a whole new level with their recommendations as well.

And ease of use is where Apple do things really well also. This is one thing so many normal people say about Apple products. The last time I set up my Apple TV, all I did was tap my iPhone onto it (seriously, tap the iPhone) and it transfered my Wi-Fi network and password, iTunes Store account and my language and region format preferences - now that's easy.
 
I was hoping for good local media support including mkv, but knew in my heart it wouldn't likely happen. That's not what Apple is about. That makes Apple no money.

Apple provide you with all you need to rent and buy from iTunes and then stream from iTunes or an app. And they do this in a very easy to use product.

Remember Apple focus upon ease of use and quality products for 80% of the population. The primary reason some people knock Apple is because they don't have a particular feature that they in the remaining 20% want.

No Apple product has ever done everything that a combination of competing products can do, but they always make sure the user experience is the best (this has been confirmed in user satisfaction surveys over and over).

I tend to agree that the future of TV is apps given that I already don't use a TV but use a monitor attached to an ATV3 for NetFlix & iTunes.

Apps provide channels with the ability to expand their service provision so that their app can provide extra services such as buying the same tie that James Bond is wearing for example.

I can see the gaming aspect working okay too in time. The problem with Smart TV software is it's rubbish and different across product ranges let alone across manufacturers. An AppleTV will provide an easy to use, accessible and familiar interface across TV/Monitor display devices. If they can get the streaming service launched it will get the boxes into peoples houses and succeed.

Imho.

So, what is the best companion product for an ATV4 for local media streaming? Still Mede8er?
 
I was hoping for good local media support including mkv, but knew in my heart it wouldn't likely happen. That's not what Apple is about. That makes Apple no money.

Apple provide you with all you need to rent and buy from iTunes and then stream from iTunes or an app. And they do this in a very easy to use product.

Remember Apple focus upon ease of use and quality products for 80% of the population. The primary reason some people knock Apple is because they don't have a particular feature that they in the remaining 20% want.

No Apple product has ever done everything that a combination of competing products can do, but they always make sure the user experience is the best (this has been confirmed in user satisfaction surveys over and over).

I tend to agree that the future of TV is apps given that I already don't use a TV but use a monitor attached to an ATV3 for NetFlix & iTunes.

Apps provide channels with the ability to expand their service provision so that their app can provide extra services such as buying the same tie that James Bond is wearing for example.

I can see the gaming aspect working okay too in time. The problem with Smart TV software is it's rubbish and different across product ranges let alone across manufacturers. An AppleTV will provide an easy to use, accessible and familiar interface across TV/Monitor display devices. If they can get the streaming service launched it will get the boxes into peoples houses and succeed.

Imho.

So, what is the best companion product for an ATV4 for local media streaming? Still Mede8er?
If they're opening the app store up then presumably there would be third party video players available that could handle mkv?
 
Of course every app would be vetted by Apple so if they don't want to encourage people using local media as they want to push iTunes then they could stop it. Be a bit mean though lol
 

The latest video from AVForums

Is 4K Blu-ray Worth It?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom