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Apple TV 4K Discussion Thread

TrackZ

Well-known member
FYI, Apple just announced the new AppleTV units this morning and they are removing the ethernet port from the base model. I know files are getting smaller but that doesn't sound like a move from a company considering streaming TrueHD and HD-MA in the future, unless it's a ploy to make it an upcharge and to sell more of the higher end box.

The new Wi‑Fi 6 (802.11ax) with 2x2 MIMO is basically 1.2 Gbps Wi-Fi, so it's plenty quick for carrying higher/lossless audio/video bit rates without a port. I'm still buying and will be using the wired port version though.

I kind of wish they had just made a single box at $139 given $20 isn't much separation, but I'm really happy with this announcement. I have my take on it up on the YT channel from last night.
 
I kind of wish they had just made a single box at $139 given $20 isn't much separation, but I'm really happy with this announcement. I have my take on it up on the YT channel from last night.
Yeah, really strange to differentiate by 20 bucks. Just give everyone the full hardware and get Thread support in everyone's home and let's get Matter going strong.
 
The new Wi‑Fi 6 (802.11ax) with 2x2 MIMO is basically 1.2 Gbps Wi-Fi, so it's plenty quick for carrying higher/lossless audio/video bit rates without a port. I'm still buying and will be using the wired port version though.

I kind of wish they had just made a single box at $139 given $20 isn't much separation, but I'm really happy with this announcement. I have my take on it up on the YT channel from last night.
I always prefer hardwired over wireless. If you live in a condo or small-lot development, you'll have interference from neighbors. Plus so many other radiation from electronics. If you're spending 10K on a K system like we all do, you care about getting the most of out your equipment, so having the version WITH ethernet port, and then using that, is a no-brainer to me.
 
Best Buy is having the $149 Apple TV on sale for $135 but I think you need a BB credit card to get it.

Save 10% Off using discount code SEP23CCSAVE10 (apply during checkout and select your Best Buy Credit Card as your payment method)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I'm saying this as a call to action vs. being a naysayer and maybe should start another thread, but I want to call attention to the fact that Apple, with their home theater device, just:

- Boosted CPU/GPU power considerably
- Added 33% more RAM
- Doubled storage
- Improved networking
- Enhanced the powerful, voice-integrated, well-built, included remote control
- Added support for another dynamic HDR standard with HDR10+
- Slimmed the chassis
- Removed the fan
- Announced additional voice control software features coming soon
- Dropped the price
- Released the first rev of their yearly, major software revision (well, a couple weeks ago they did this one)

When you look at that list, it's clear why I feel wanting from K out of CEDIA. I want K to win, it's sweet they had an amazing presence at CEDIA, and I'll still continue to sing the praises and virtues of the platform. At the same time, I really want to see active, regular advancement, features, and so on start rolling.
 
I'm saying this as a call to action vs. being a naysayer and maybe should start another thread, but I want to call attention to the fact that Apple, with their home theater device, just:

- Boosted CPU/GPU power considerably
- Added 33% more RAM
- Doubled storage
- Improved networking
- Enhanced the powerful, voice-integrated, well-built, included remote control
- Added support for another dynamic HDR standard with HDR10+
- Slimmed the chassis
- Removed the fan
- Announced additional voice control software features coming soon
- Dropped the price
- Released the first rev of their yearly, major software revision (well, a couple weeks ago they did this one)

When you look at that list, it's clear why I feel wanting from K out of CEDIA. I want K to win, it's sweet they had an amazing presence at CEDIA, and I'll still continue to sing the praises and virtues of the platform. At the same time, I really want to see active, regular advancement, features, and so on start rolling.
- Doubled storage
- Announced additional voice control software features coming soon

You could say that K did these two, and most of the other features are designed to simply upgrade hardware because in that price point, an AppleTV is more of a disposable device than a long-term investment.

I hoped for more at CEDIA as well, but I'm glad K doesn't announce new hardware with largely negligible improvements for the typical user every year. I have three AppleTV 4K devices. All the original 4K versions. I upgraded the remote for the living room device last year. Other than that, they have not offered any improvements that I feel a need to upgrade to, and this announcement is nothing different - except perhaps Thread.

I appreciate K not upgrading hardware just for the sake of upgrading it and tempting people with FOMO for unnecessary upgrades.
 
- Doubled storage
- Announced additional voice control software features coming soon

You could say that K did these two, and most of the other features are designed to simply upgrade hardware because in that price point, an AppleTV is more of a disposable device than a long-term investment.

I hoped for more at CEDIA as well, but I'm glad K doesn't announce new hardware with largely negligible improvements for the typical user every year. I have three AppleTV 4K devices. All the original 4K versions. I upgraded the remote for the living room device last year. Other than that, they have not offered any improvements that I feel a need to upgrade to, and this announcement is nothing different - except perhaps Thread.

I appreciate K not upgrading hardware just for the sake of upgrading it and tempting people with FOMO for unnecessary upgrades.
Yeah, I don't want new K hardware every year, I agree. It's a difference device economy for sure given the disparate price points. The K ramp up needs to be in the software and platform features area.
 
Apple TV is a popular device and it along with Apple in general, iTunes movies, and so on crops up on the forums. So, figured I'd make a dedicated discussion thread in the "Other" area here to concentrate the conversation. Thanks!
 
New features in the November 2022 model Apple TV 4K.

  • A15 Bionic chip: The new Apple TV is equipped with the A15 Bionic chip for up to 50% faster performance than the previous model with the A12 Bionic chip. Apple says this results in improved responsiveness and faster navigation. Apple adds that graphics performance is up to 30% faster for smoother gaming.
  • 4GB of RAM: The new Apple TV is equipped with 4GB of RAM, compared to 3GB in the previous model, for improved responsiveness.
  • 128GB storage option: The new Apple TV is available with up to 128GB of storage, compared to a max of 64GB for the previous model.
  • HDR10+ support: In addition to Dolby Vision, the new Apple TV now supports HDR10+ content in supported apps.
  • Siri Remote with USB-C port: The new Siri Remote is equipped with a USB-C portinstead of Lightning for charging.
  • Thinner and lighter design: Apple says the A15 Bionic chip's increased power efficiency allowed for the internal fan to be removed in the new Apple TV, resulting in the device having a more compact design that is around 12% thinner and around 50% lighter than the previous model.
  • No more "TV" branding on top: The new Apple TV no longer has "TV" imprinted on the top of the device and instead simply has a centered Apple logo.
  • Lower pricing: The new Apple TV starts at $129 with 64GB of storage, while the previous model started at $179 with 32GB of storage. While you need to spend $149 to get an Ethernet port, Thread support, and 128GB of storage, that's still cheaper than any of last year's models.
  • No charging cable in the box: The new Apple TV ships without a charging cable in the box for the Siri Remote, except in Brazil. Apple sells a new woven USB-C cableseparately for $19.
  • Packaging changes: The new Apple TV comes in a slightly more rectangular box that no longer has outer plastic wrap.
 
  • New features in the November 2022 model Apple TV 4K.

  • A15 Bionic chip: The new Apple TV is equipped with the A15 Bionic chip for up to 50% faster performance than the previous model with the A12 Bionic chip. Apple says this results in improved responsiveness and faster navigation. Apple adds that graphics performance is up to 30% faster for smoother gaming. Sure. Why not? But I doubt I will feel the improved responsiveness and faster navigation.
  • 4GB of RAM: The new Apple TV is equipped with 4GB of RAM, compared to 3GB in the previous model, for improved responsiveness. Again sure.
  • 128GB storage option: The new Apple TV is available with up to 128GB of storage, compared to a max of 64GB for the previous model. Don’t need.
  • HDR10+ support: In addition to Dolby Vision, the new Apple TV now supports HDR10+ content in supported apps. Don’t care.
  • Siri Remote with USB-C port: The new Siri Remote is equipped with a USB-C portinstead of Lightning for charging. Until a USB-C iPhone, Lighting cord will be around anyway.
  • Thinner and lighter design: Apple says the A15 Bionic chip's increased power efficiency allowed for the internal fan to be removed in the new Apple TV, resulting in the device having a more compact design that is around 12% thinner and around 50% lighter than the previous model. Don’t care.
  • No more "TV" branding on top: The new Apple TV no longer has "TV" imprinted on the top of the device and instead simply has a centered Apple logo. Don’t care.
  • Lower pricing: The new Apple TV starts at $129 with 64GB of storage, while the previous model started at $179 with 32GB of storage. While you need to spend $149 to get an Ethernet port, Thread support, and 128GB of storage, that's still cheaper than any of last year's models. Don’t care.
  • No charging cable in the box: The new Apple TV ships without a charging cable in the box for the Siri Remote, except in Brazil. Apple sells a new woven USB-C cableseparately for $19. Don’t care.
  • Packaging changes: The new Apple TV comes in a slightly more rectangular box that no longer has outer plastic wrap. Don’t care.

This is typical Apple. Excellent hardware with more processing power than you need for the next 5 years but ditching more and more i/o with each generation. I can’t argue with the even better hardware, especially since the price is lower now. Hinting the next generation might not have an ethernet port is concerning.

This is my dream Apple TV 4K Pro.
  • A15 Bionic chip.
  • 4GB RAM.
  • 128GB storage.
  • 2.5GbE with POE.
  • Audiophile grade digital coax + optical outputs.
  • Audiophile grade USB output.
  • DC power input for (optional) audiophile grade power supply.
  • Brushed aluminum enclosure.
Out of all, I would really love POE over anything.
 
With Wi-Fi 6 speeds these days, not sure wired is a real necessity. I feel K made a mistake by removing a Wi-Fi option out of their current offerings. SJ
 
This is typical Apple. Excellent hardware with more processing power than you need for the next 5 years but ditching more and more i/o with each generation. I can’t argue with the even better hardware, especially since the price is lower now. Hinting the next generation might not have an ethernet port is concerning.

This is my dream Apple TV 4K Pro.
  • A15 Bionic chip.
  • 4GB RAM.
  • 128GB storage.
  • 2.5GbE with POE.
  • Audiophile grade digital coax + optical outputs.
  • Audiophile grade USB output.
  • DC power input for (optional) audiophile grade power supply.
  • Brushed aluminum enclosure.
Out of all, I would really love POE over anything.

The audiophile grade outputs would be the most interesting to me just because I have Apple Music lossless as part of our family plan, but no real component to send it to. The thought of paying for Roon, just to coin flip between Tidal and Qobuz seemed silly, but so is having to play lossless through airplay.

That, and finding a way for appletv to wake up when I select it through harmony. My process right now is "watch appletv" then find the appletv remote and button mash until the screen appears on my tv/projector.
 
The audiophile grade outputs would be the most interesting to me just because I have Apple Music lossless as part of our family plan, but no real component to send it to. The thought of paying for Roon, just to coin flip between Tidal and Qobuz seemed silly, but so is having to play lossless through airplay.

That, and finding a way for appletv to wake up when I select it through harmony. My process right now is "watch appletv" then find the appletv remote and button mash until the screen appears on my tv/projector.
Perhaps I am missing something, but my reaction to your post is that airplay is unnecessary to play lossless material from Apple Music.

I play Apple Lossless via the Music App on the ATV4K, which is connected via HDMI to my surround processor. Thus, all lossless (including ATMOS encoded) music is played without the need for airplay.
 
Screen Shot 2022-10-20 at 2.53.30 PM.png
Perhaps I am missing something, but my reaction to your post is that airplay is unnecessary to play lossless material from Apple Music.

I play Apple Lossless via the Music App on the ATV4K, which is connected via HDMI to my surround processor. Thus, all lossless (including ATMOS encoded) music is played without the need for airplay.

My typical music-listening experience is to use an iPad mini to navigate and control selections. If ATV4K could handle higher resolutions, I am not a fan of leaving the OLED screen on album art for an extended period, but I can see your point for "CD-quality lossless."

High-Res Source + High-Res Dac+Ipad control is my goal.
 
With Wi-Fi 6 speeds these days, not sure wired is a real necessity. I feel K made a mistake by removing a Wi-Fi option out of their current offerings. SJ
Wi-Fi 6 speeds are theoretical and unlikely to be achieved in real world. This is especially true if your access point is fighting your adjacent access points for bandwidth channels. Furthermore, RF theory in GigaHertz doesn’t favor longer distances over 20ft and obstacles like walls and doors. It would be very difficult to support claims like 10 simultaneous 4K playback over Wi-Fi.
Perhaps I am missing something, but my reaction to your post is that airplay is unnecessary to play lossless material from Apple Music.

I play Apple Lossless via the Music App on the ATV4K, which is connected via HDMI to my surround processor. Thus, all lossless (including ATMOS encoded) music is played without the need for airplay.

HDMI isn’t the most ideal for audiophile grade audio. There are lower jitter SPDIF transmitters in digital coax.
 
My point not made clearly lol, is that K used to have Stratos that worked with Wi-Fi (just to download movies). Playing the movies was direct from the Strato to the display. Sure, Wi-Fi takes longer to download, but was an option. Not everyone has wired Ethernet handy. SJ
 
That, and finding a way for appletv to wake up when I select it through harmony. My process right now is "watch appletv" then find the appletv remote and button mash until the screen appears on my tv/projector.

Just add a "Menu" button press to the beginning of your watch appletv script. Mine has no problems at all. It wakes up the AppleTV before it sends any of the other commands so there is a good signal coming out of the ATV before the processor is fully powered up and looking for it.
 
Just add a "Menu" button press to the beginning of your watch appletv script. Mine has no problems at all. It wakes up the AppleTV before it sends any of the other commands so there is a good signal coming out of the ATV before the processor is fully powered up and looking for it.
I have mine set to never turn off.
 
There may be many reasons why the harmony setup (up/remote) is not communicating. I have tried sending Home and Menu commands to wake it up, but I think it's a bluetooth headache. Even scanning for wifi only detects an appletv Gen 1(not even sure where that would be, maybe a ghost of an older configuration). Leaving it on all the time at least helps me bypass the LG artwork placeholder. Thanks! I have the apple remote and various pads/phone for controlling so the switching part was just annoying. :)
 
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