Apple TV 4K lets you watch shows and movies in stunning 4K Dolby Vision and HDR10+.
- 4K Dolby Vision and HDR10+ for vivid picture quality
- A15 Bionic chip
- Dolby Atmos
- Siri Remote brings precise control
- AirPlay
Whens the new Apple TV due out?
There are rumours of a new one post September to before Christmas.
But that rumour happens every year anyway. So….
In more detail https://buyersguide.macrumors.com/#Apple_TV rates “caution”
Average days between releases: 738 days
Days since last release: 615 days
Shortest: 231 days (ouch)
Longest period between releases: 1323 days.
Personally, this price is a bargain, and if you need one, get.
Thanks - i currently have a Google Chromecast 4k - but have an iPhone - would it be an improvement?
Yes.
@wellzi: I have exactly the same setup, What would the improvements be over Chromecast 4K? I also use Plex
@Mick83: Look it does depend on which Chromecast you're talking about.
Non-remote - yeah, absolutely clear upgrade. Setting up a Cast session on whatever App you have on your phone, and then throwing media to it is an outdated user experience.
Remote / Google TV - I bought a couple of these to have my Google Homes control my TV (before I realised I could just ask Siri on my Phone/Watch), and had a play with the remote and Google's TV OS. Man, I was sorely disappointed at the performance and lag. The remote experience was woeful - such a poorly designed product.
The Apple TV is, as you expect, pretty refined. The experience overall feels smooth. The Apple TV supports HEAPS of media file types. Even setting up the colour profiles for your TV is effortless. And the remote feels premium with a built-in rechargeable battery.
Then, of course, you have the advantages of being in the Apple ecosystem. Screen mirroring, using the remote control app baked into the phone's iOS, voice control, etc.
Yeah, ATV is the clear winner in my books.
@wellzi: Apart from the usual streaming apps e.g. Netflix, Stan, Kayo etc - what other apps can you use on your TV through the ATV?
I'm using the Chromecast (non-remote) and casting off my phone.
@Deal-Sniper: There’s a bunch of games, but otherwise we mostly use it for the media experience. Plex, YouTube, FTA streaming, etc.
We have UniFi Protect as well, and there’s a native App that’s quite useful.
As for anything else - I’m not sure.
Huge improvement.
I have both.
Apple TV is so nice.
In truth, it depends what you want it for.
If you Tv is quite new and you only stream, just use the apps teh Tv comes with or you can download.
If your TV is getting on and the TV’s OS is no longer getting updates (this can be as little as two years, although some longer eg LG WebOS 7 years guarantee) than use case needs to be considered:
If just streaming then a chromecast or firestick might be all you need.
If you want to do more such as the varieties of apps available through the AppStore (insert feature or use case here), or just want a snappy, easy to use ad free interface, then ATV.
And of course, if you have a Hisense in Australia, you want to change your UI straight away
I'm also in a similar situation and thinking to buy one for TCL c855. I don't have any apple products. This or the cheaper Chromecast?
You dont even need it. Their current firmware is quick enough to ignore apple.
I have apple tv and dont even touch it at all
@Steven123: My TCL C835 is lagging and crashing sometimes if I press the buttons too quickly. Where can I see the details of the firmware update?
@Dr-Bargain: You can search Whirlpool with tcl 2024 and find a telegram group for new firmware upgrade. It is quite easy to install new firmware
I'll try that. Hopefully flashing the new firmware won't fry the TV
Plenty of reported success on WP - I've done it 4 or 5 times without trouble for our 835 (I think we are on the latest - 615? maybe). That said, aside from the first upgrade, I haven't seen anything notable.
Also use it with and ATV, and never look at the apps on the TV aside from FTA. Do everything else with the Apple TV.
That’s new. Shouldn’t need it. After a couple of years I think I would get one though.
im still deciding between this or a homepod mini as a hub… because apparently i need one to have more control on things like the doorbell camera.
An AppleTV is far better as a hub. It has an A15 Bionic processor, versus the S5 chip in the HomePod mini which is equivalent to about an A9 chip.
No idea. Last rumours were wrong so maybe not this year.
I can't imagine what needs to be added to a new one.
Probably a cheaper model
Lol
I think some people are hoping for a pro chipset in the next one to use it as a gaming console.
The GPU in the current model is 3x faster than a Nintendo Switch and about equivalent to a PS4 so it already has everything it needs to be a gaming console except games.
Potentially an M series chip?
Audio passthrough could (should) be added. But seems unlikely at this point.
There's a lot of functionality that relies upon the audio being mixed by the OS. Including new features in tvOS 18 such as boosting dialogue. I don't expect passthrough ever being available on the Apple TV.
If we're lucky we might get an enhancement that allows third party audio decoders to tap into the Dolby MAT process that's used for transporting Atmos from lossy DD+ sources.
Unlikely to be a new one, not much to upgrade at the moment at least, honestly this is a great price and then if a new one comes out you can just wait and see if it’s worth the upgrade and sell the old one if you see fit.
I’m loving mine
AV1 decode would be the logical upgrade, but only A17 Pro and M3 have that, so seems unlikely anytime soon.
Apart from the usual streaming apps e.g. Netflix, Stan, Kayo etc - what other apps can you use on your TV through the ATV?
I'm using the Chromecast (non-remote) and casting off my phone.
why we need another one? 4k is already here, next stop 8k
this device working without apple TV plus membership. Work with apple
TV plus is optional function of this device
Any similar deals for the wifi only model? I checked the same store and the code wouldn’t apply.
same , no need for ethernet
The ethernet model also has Thread support which may be useful at some point
Only if you don’t own a HomePod mini. You don’t really benefit from this unless you’re going to use the Ethernet and setting as primary home hub coming in ios18. Thread is a slow 2.4ghz standard for home devices.
One thing to be aware of is the ethernet model supports Thread. Only you know whether this matters in your circumstances
If I don’t know what thread is, probably don’t matter haha! But good to know !
I assume it'll have to do with the ability to run multiple things at once and switching between different things.
@ahappysloth: No thread is a new smart home connection tech like zigby or zwave. It’s what all the big players are standardising on so everything will work with any assistant
@ahappysloth: It’s like a mesh system for home devices, it for 2.4ghz. This can setup a thread router. A HomePod mini can also so not needed if you have other thread routers.
I've had such a better time with this than my nvidia shield
+1. Returned my Shield pro for this and never looked back
Trouble with the shield is it is very long in the tooth.
The price has gone up to $243.
I've heard these are pretty decent, but as someone who is very much not in the Apple ecosystem and constantly gets frustrated with my Fire Stick 4k Max (or whatever its called) - is this a good buy? really just need it for Plex, Netflix, Prime, YouTube and occasionally (for the F1) Kayo
Yes you won't regret it. Plex app is good but you can also use Infuse which is a fantastic player for Plex. Kayo F1 in 4k works well.
thanks, i'll give it a shot… was going to get a Fire Cube to see if it would be better, but I think I'd rather try this
Also infuse 7
have managed to play around with it for a little bit this afternoon and so far I'm pretty impressed, it certainly feels far snappier than the fire stick, managed to get it to control my receiver volume too which is very nice
just trying to fine tune my setup so it powers on and off my tv and receiver which is something the fire stick did very nicely
Should handle TV power easily with HDMI CEC, and receiver volume with IR. Or if your receiver is ARC I guess it may handle volume and power of the whole setup through HDMI.
I have an older receiver without ARC, so the tv outputs to it via optical. Mapped the mute button on the ATV remote to the receivers power by tricking it in the setup
@OzBerghainer: yeah i've never actually bothered to properly enable CEC before and every time i've tried i haven't been happy with the results vs a universal remote, but I think I've got it where I want it for now… my TV is 1 generation behind my receiver (dn1080) I believe, so it doesn't play as nicely as it should, but with a bit of tweaking I think this will work out nicely… currently letting Infuse download metadata for my library, may as well make use of all that space!
will probably buy another one of these tomorrow if tonight goes well!
I have both (Firestick 4K Max that I paid ~$75 for 2, and a previous gen Apple TV)
If I have my time again I’ll get 2 Apple TVs instead. A much better user experience. I find the Firesticks quite buggy, slow and unresponsive to use in comparison. Even included remote is nicer to use so you won’t miss out much by not having other ios devices. Obviously one is much more expensive but I reckon it’s worth it. My older Apple TV is still plenty fast so this current one won’t need upgrading in a while.
yeah I've got a couple of Firesticks around the house and find myself having to force close apps (mainly Plex) quite often… I think I managed to get them for $49 each or something and they've been mostly OK but Kayo is absolutely useless on it and like I say Plex dies on me at least 1 a fortnight or potentially more frequently… saw someone on reddit saying how good the apple tv is for plex recently so was keen to grab one… if its good i'll grab another at some point
Do you had to sign up to Apple TV? I have firestick too and never considered Apple tv
No not at all - completely separate but named exactly the same, so the confusion is justified.
@RDY4ME: I think they meant do you need an iCloud account. Yes you do.
You do not have to pay for any subscription service, all up to the owner.
Apple has its own subscription service ATV+ which has been a bit boutique TBH since only original content is on it, but over time has got pretty good. I haven’t subscribed to that for a couple of years now, but a plan to take up the three months free on offer soon.
You don't have to sign up for AppleTV+ streaming service, but take the 3 month trial, there are some great shows on there and you can binge most of them before the trial expires. You need to setup an iCloud login, but there is no subscription or fees, it's only used to download any apps you might want.
Can I use Stremio with this?
Nope, which is the only thing I dislike about this device.
You could use apps like Infuse or VidHub which can play videos directly from Real Debrid. However they don't have the search/index functions like Stremio so you will have to add links to RD manually. Any video you have started watching on Stremio on a different device will have been added to your RD so you can continue streaming those on Infuse/VidHub.
Showing as $243.00 for me.
Use eBay Plus Code 'FFD20'
Would have got one but one app I use is only for android so I will stick with Shield.
Incredibly good device, the only downside is that the foxtel app isn't available on it yet.
What benefits does this have over the TV's in-built apps? I'm using an LG C1
Once you get one. You will know why. I thought the same despite having a high end tv. I’ve logged out of the internal apps even.
I dont bother to use apple tv as it always takes more than 15-20 second for TV to recognise apple tv via hdmi. The internal app should do a decent job.
Good idea logging out. I'll do the same 👍
Same boat but looking to buy appleTV to try it out.
AirPlay from my c1 been great except for NBA league pass, it's buggy but other than this, everything work perfectly and I dont see why you would want to spend $150+ to buy another device that does basically the same thing.
Happy to be told otherwise.
As silly as it sounds, it's the absence of advertising on my homescreen that sold it to me.
LG OS, Sony OS, Firestick OS all plaster my screen with shit from services that I don't even subscribe too.
lol I get what you mean. I use Youtube, Netflix and Amazon and the only thing I need to click through Home screen is Youtube and the other two there's a dedicated button on the controller.
Just on the above, is there a $200 worth difference with in-built TV apps? Really considering getting one if the quality is worth it.
Buy the wifi only one. Regularly on sale. It’s better I all aspects, usability, apps, and video quality improvements are noticeable.
Umm, the wifi version is more limited, not better. It the essentially same as the Wifi+Ethernet version, just without the additional Ethernet connectivity, thread support (relevant if you have an up to date smart home), and half the storage on board (only relevant for some apps, not if used only for streaming).
The question was asking vs inbuilt TV apps
Depends on how old your Tv is. Over time the TV company stops supporting the hardware, and this can lead to apps no longer working, not working properly, or worse, security vulnerabilities.
An Apple TV is a cheaper option than a new TV, and its UI is generally easier to navigate. It is also ad free.
That said, if all you do is stream and you don’t care about UI, just get a chromecast or firestick, which are about half the price of this, although much less capable.
Even my friend’s relatively new tv gets slow already. I think it’s a good solution.
Purchased one two weeks ago. This is much better price. My main revelation is that it will run a VPN app (NordVPN) and could connect to UK TV.
You can do this without using a VPN app and having to be turning it on and off each time, just use smart DNS. I’ve been doing it for years. Search for ControlD or DNS4me
Bought one, thank you. I've been looking for a good price for a while.
Is this better than Nvidia shield for upscaling old pre-HD content?
It's better for everyday use, but if you want Dolby Atmos or any of the other HD codecs go the Nvidia Shield.
Apple TV has Atmos but only via official apps, Disney, Netflix etc
So Dolby Atmos wouldn't work for Plex content?
Apple TV will passthrough any Atmos audio encoded with Dolby Digital Plus/EAC3 using MAT 2.0. This is the format that is used for all streaming and web content.
Apps that are able to decode lossless Atmos from TrueHD sources (eg: Plex) will decode to 7.1 lossless PCM. This type of Atmos is only found on Blu-Rays.
@Mick83: That includes Plex or Infuse as well as all the streaming apps. Any content you have that uses lossy Atmos will passthrough as Atmos to a TV, receiver or soundbar.
Upscaling is something that should be done with a light touch so in that sense, yes, the Apple TV is better at upscaling.
Thanks OP. I bought for the sole reason that ATV doesn't have ads so I REALLLLY hope they don't change. I'm so over the crap on my Fire TV home screen.
The closest thing the Apple TV has, and likely ever will have, is the suggested content in the top shelf. When you highlight the TV or Music apps by default it'll show trailers and music videos.
Thankfully you can change both to more useful views. The Apple TV app can show Up Next in the top shelf and the Music app can show recently added.
The only ads on Apple TV is via the actual Apple TV app - if you’re not subscribed to their service it will suggest you may want to. I don’t personally use the Apple TV app however.
Says out of stock, must have just missed it
gooOORRrrnn
@jbird84 @Gebb back in stock.
Thank you!!
![[eBay Plus] Apple TV 4K Wi-Fi + Ethernet 128GB (3rd Gen) MN893X/A $194.40 Delivered @ Techciti eBay](https://files.ozbargain.com.au/n/87/853087.jpg?h=c16d82de)
Good price, bought one.