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Bluetoot-

macrumors 6502
Apr 16, 2020
413
576
It’s a shame Apple has no solution similar to Nvidia’s AI upscaling on the Shield. That alone is enough for me to never look at an ATV, given how well it works on older media.

It does upscale, but only 1080P content AFAIK, and not nearly as well. The Shield upscales all content and has tuning abilities to change the degree/aggressiveness of the upscaler.

An M1 ATV would have been perfect for that, with its ML cores and GPU.
It is very disappointing as I think Apple has a really good opportunity to seize on the fact that nobody can buy PS5s and grab some of that market. It's not going to steal "hardcore" console gamers, but probably a few kids.

Just a FYI but Youtube supports 4K HDR with ATV4K gen 2. Otherwise you got a good deal.
I don't even have a 4K tv... yet! lol
 

JMaille

macrumors newbie
Jun 2, 2021
4
7
The internal changes that aren’t user obvious might also be a reason to upgrade. With one of my TVs, when I connected an older model Apple TV 4K to it the TV would, after a while, stop accepting input from the Apple TV 4K at all, just showing a black screen with no audio and a message saying there was no input. This was the case with 3 different Apple TV 4Ks. It worked fine with an older model Apple TV HD. This would occur at least once or twice every day. So far with the new model Apple TV 4K this has not happened (yet).
 
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GuruZac

macrumors 68040
Sep 9, 2015
3,600
11,488
⛰️🏕️🏔️
Not worth the upgrade in my opinion. I just purchased the remote through Verizon for $49.99 and feel like that's all the upgrade I need. Will wait until the next gen to upgrade. Just not enough difference in the 2017 and 2021 ATV4K.
 
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Deliro

macrumors 65816
Sep 20, 2011
1,142
1,336
I upgraded a couple of mine. The new one is faster and the remote feels better. Don't regret it. I'm pretty happy with the new ones.

Is it faster because you’re on a fresh install? The A12 is slightly faster than a A10X. In gaming the A10X actually does more GFLOPS in benchmarks. I have both and did a fresh reset on the older model. The performance appears identical to me.

I found that remote latency/range made me perceive that the old model was lagging.

Since I needed an AppleTV for the bedroom I bought the latest. The remote is the biggest upgrade for me.
 

Schnooder

macrumors newbie
Oct 30, 2018
20
9
One really glaring error in the new remote is the inability for it to LEARN IR signals for volume control (when controled only by IR). Me and many others in apple and reddit forums have experienced the same issue whereby the new remote appears to 'learn' an IR signal from another remote (like the one that controls a soundbar), but in actuality, it does nothing to control it.

Anyone else experienced this? I bought the remote as a stand alone to replace my old ATV remote. The old remote still controls the volume, the new one doesn't. :-(
 

BWhaler

macrumors 68040
Jan 8, 2003
3,788
6,244
Library tab still doesn’t work. Still a dumpster fire. Even with more memory and A12 chip.

Hardware doesn’t matter at all if the software is so buggy it stops basic functionality. Apple needs to learn from the fall of Sony—amazing hardware that the software couldn’t keep up with.

What’s so amazing is this functionality works elsewhere in the Purchase tabs in the Movies and TV apps and it works in AppleTV app on smart TVs. It’s just a code branch that doesn’t work on Apple’s own hardware.

Clearly nobody at Apple and on the AppleTV team cares about quality and customers who buy lots of content to play onApple hardware.
 

Ipadlover29

macrumors 6502a
May 28, 2011
973
316
Just returned mine today. I have the 1st gen 4K Apple TV, I couldn’t notice a noticable difference. The new one was slightly faster. My 4K tv does not support HDMI 2.1 and I was using the Ethernet connection, so I dont really benefit that much with the newer model. Got the new remote and I’m happy. If the pricing was lower or I find a deal locally then I’ll definitely pickup the newer model down the line.
 
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BarrettF77

macrumors 6502a
May 24, 2015
805
1,095
I'd give real money if these reviewers would simply present the facts rather than telling me what my opinion should be.

Perhaps, the old version does A, B, & C while the new version does those same things and this better. The price and x number of differences, does this make it worth enough of an upgrade, you decide. But in. culture where no one can seemingly make their own decision, this is annoying. Oh well..
 

bilbo--baggins

macrumors 6502a
Jan 6, 2006
766
109
UK
My 2017 Apple TV 4K would slow down tremendously when I had 4-5 apps open. E.g., Hulu, Movies, HBO, Netflix, Etc... It would stutter and take a while to shutdown apps. The storage was barely half full and we were not playing any games. Not sure what was up. But with the 2021 Apple TV 4K, it's been extremely speedy.

Maybe I was the only one seeing a real slowdown with just day-to-day activities on the 2017 Apple TV 4K?
Mine stutters opening apps, to the point where it effects the sound effects (2017 Apple TV 4K 64GB with little on it)
 
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Killbynumbers

macrumors 6502a
May 29, 2019
557
549
I'm keeping my 2017 4K ATV. No reason to upgrade that I can see. I don't play games and all I do is watch purchases and my own downloaded content from the net on it. I don't even use external speakers. I can't even tell what's 4K or not because I don't wear my glasses other than to drive.
 

centauratlas

macrumors 68000
Jan 29, 2003
1,824
3,771
Florida
I would have to say it is definitely worth upgrading if you use the Photos from the computer feature at all. It is significantly faster and more reliable. That alone is well worth the upgrade. Albums that would sit there or not work reliably do now.

As far as the overall speed of the UI, that is noticeable also.

I upgraded both of our Apple TVs and am quite happy that we did.
 

Just sayin...

macrumors 6502
Jan 8, 2008
386
624
I wonder why they just didn’t put the current A14 in the ATV 4K…. After all, it‘s the currently produced phone chip and is a lot faster. Cost likely the main driving factor?
 
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vipergts2207

macrumors 601
Apr 7, 2009
4,323
9,642
Columbus, OH
I bought one of the new 4K models to add to the collection of older ATVs, two previous 4K models and a gen 3. The older ATVs have all been deprecated down one notch, with the gen 3 going into a room where it will rarely get used. Since I use a Harmony Elite on my primary setup, I was able to take the new remote and pair it with the old 4K model for use in the bedroom instead. No buyers remorse over the upgrade, especially since it will probably be another 2-3 years until the next ATV model and the new remote is nice as well.
 

xalea

macrumors 6502
Jan 12, 2017
362
1,031
I am SO glad I upgraded to the new 4K. I enjoy playing games on my Apple TV, have the Nimbus controller, the whole bit. What a difference in graphics and speed. I thought it would just make stuff load a bit faster. I had no idea it would look so much better. Gaming is still a hugely untapped resource for Apple. I have a high-end gaming PC, a Switch, and an XBOX and I have only played on the Apple TV the past month or so. I feel strange even saying it.. but it's true.
 
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GregoriusM

macrumors regular
Jun 28, 2008
167
123
Library tab still doesn’t work. Still a dumpster fire. Even with more memory and A12 chip.

Hardware doesn’t matter at all if the software is so buggy it stops basic functionality. Apple needs to learn from the fall of Sony—amazing hardware that the software couldn’t keep up with.

What’s so amazing is this functionality works elsewhere in the Purchase tabs in the Movies and TV apps and it works in AppleTV app on smart TVs. It’s just a code branch that doesn’t work on Apple’s own hardware.

Clearly nobody at Apple and on the AppleTV team cares about quality and customers who buy lots of content to play onApple hardware.
Library tab works fine for me on 1st gen Apple TV 4K.
 

Apple_Robert

Contributor
Sep 21, 2012
34,416
49,888
In the middle of several books.
I didn't upgrade from my OG 4K Apple TV. I didn't see anything feature wise that would be a clear benefit. I did get the remote. I am happy my current Apple TV. It does a fine job streaming the content I watch.
 

kring

macrumors regular
Oct 12, 2011
217
98
Connecticut
Without removing the software limit of 2 Bluetooth devices, it's still a failed device for cyclists who use fitness apps. this is actually a fairly significant user base of buyers who come to find out the can't use all their sensors on an ATV (but can on an ipad and iphone - but are unable to put on the big screen since no iOS devices have video out)
 

jamiemcd

macrumors newbie
Oct 13, 2010
25
30
I upgraded the bedroom Apple TV HD (got from the developer program back in 2015 for $1). I did it for one feature – the ability to have two sets of AirPods connected at once. Now bass heavy ’splosions don’t wake the kids when we watch late at night and I can understand the dialogue.
 
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Lemon Olive

Suspended
Nov 30, 2020
1,208
1,324
Truly insane that they didn't add webcam/Facetime support ??‍♂️
That's going to require an entirely new product. Not something you just "add lol face palm".

1. The Apple TV is something you bury, not something you put on display. Even if it weirdly had a webcam crammed into it, placement would be a nightmare.

2. It would also then need very high quality beam forming mic array, and again, placement, in order for the audio to work.

3. No such product fits into the ideal home theater setup. Their best bet is to build it all into a Soundbar, so that it is something that people would be willing to put up front where it would need to be.
 
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