There's one more reason for me, and thats the privacy factor. I was told by a Netflix employee that their company can't track the viewing habits of Apple TV subscribers. They know that a paying customer is receiving authorized service, and thats it. If you use a smart tv app, or Android, or a browser window, they can nail down your IP, but not if you're watching over Apple TV.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Amazon Launches New $69 Fire TV Dongle With 4K HDR Support
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
There's one more reason for me, and thats the privacy factor. I was told by a Netflix employee that their company can't track the viewing habits of Apple TV subscribers. They know that a paying customer is receiving authorized service, and thats it. If you use a smart tv app, or Android, or a browser window, they can nail down your IP, but not if you're watching over Apple TV.
I know too much about Amazon to endorse the company. The device is nice. But, as it's typically the case, you get what you pay for and this is no exception. I do not like the interface.
The price is right... but I am willing to pay an extra $110 to get the operating system I like, access to all the content I buy natively on my Macs and iOS devices, airplay and Apple Music all on the stream box. Seems like a bargain for $100 bill.
The price is right... but I am willing to pay an extra $110 to get the operating system I like, access to all the content I buy natively on my Macs and iOS devices, airplay and Apple Music all on the stream box. Seems like a bargain for $100 bill.
The base and the slim PS4 don’t have 4K support and none of the PS4 models have a 4K Blu Ray Player.
I think many enthusiasts already have a surround system, so you can get a entry level atmos receiver from USD 300 and up, you likely need two extra speakers as well but you could cost you from around 100 per pair.
Plus the Amazon Fire devices have the crappiest UI ever. The top 3 TV UIs for me are Roku, Kodi and AppleTV.
[doublepost=1506569349][/doublepost]
Yeah at $20 that device is on my HDMI switch just for the Prime content.
If Atmos works in Plex on this it's more than worth it over the 4K Apple TV for me. The only thing Atv 4k has that is remotely interesting to me is the 4K streaming ability of my iTunes purchases... most of which were "free" with blurays. I bought 1 movie my buddy made.
[doublepost=1506570569][/doublepost]
HDR10 is the standard now, pretty much safe to assume that when anything advertises HDR it's HDR10.
Dolby Vision might catch up but with all of a handful of BDs and Netflix titles I don't think it will catch up unless Dolby drops their licensing fee on it. Nobody wants to pay that fee when there is a free alternative.
They don’t have to justify it. If you buy Apple’s setup you also get data privacy. If you go with Amazon or Google you’re also buying into having all your activity sold to people for money. It’s a subsidy. The only question is how much is your privacy worth to you?
And yet again something that could be good is severely compromised
1. Why such a short HDMI lead already attached to the device? May TVs have their ports pointing side ways and this become cluttered, but even more people with a home cinema setup will have a single HDMi cable to their display panel and switch route everything via their AVR for the best sound quality and a neat installation. So why can't I place this on a shelf but have to try and stuff it at the back of the AVR where it is warm and a bundle of speaker cables?
2. Dolby Atmos - Yay great, but ahem Dolby Atmos via ARC when you connect it directly to a TV. Have you done any research on this Amazon...
Jeez what a blunder, at least with Apple it isn't a hardware blunder and I hope they update the software to output Atmos and fix the stupid fix HDR mode issue.
1. Why such a short HDMI lead already attached to the device? May TVs have their ports pointing side ways and this become cluttered, but even more people with a home cinema setup will have a single HDMi cable to their display panel and switch route everything via their AVR for the best sound quality and a neat installation. So why can't I place this on a shelf but have to try and stuff it at the back of the AVR where it is warm and a bundle of speaker cables?
2. Dolby Atmos - Yay great, but ahem Dolby Atmos via ARC when you connect it directly to a TV. Have you done any research on this Amazon...
Jeez what a blunder, at least with Apple it isn't a hardware blunder and I hope they update the software to output Atmos and fix the stupid fix HDR mode issue.
To apples credit, I’m glad they waited. It’s the only box right now that supports Dolby Vision which is a hardware chip, and once they get YouTube 4K and Atmos support it’s gonna blow the other boxes out of the water, especially with the free 4K upgrades and cheaper 4K content.
Besides, in 2015 there was barely any 4K content. There’s not much now.
Slight correction, Dolby Vision can be implemented in software only, but only if it has appropriate power. Something evidenced as part of UHD players where Oppo and LG were able to add it afterwards through firmware upgrades, yet Panasonic and Sony simply didn’t have the right processing power for this.
So whilst it needs to have the right “chip” it isn’t a specific Dolby Vision chip.
yes, but you have to install them in your ceiling!
That is definitely for "enthusiasts"
I just dont think Apple "anything" is for people looking for a specific set of flexible or cutting edge scenarios. Apple is a very "opinionated" company and always promotes simplicity over flexibility.
I'm sure thats a core company value.
Like Amazon values price before aesthetics. Thats a company value.
Just roll with the company that matches your values and your good.
The Apple TV experience is so far ahead of Amazon and Google it is embarrassing. Better hardware, better software, more content, more exclusives, free 4K upgrades, a thriving App Store experience, I could go on and on and on. Apple is winning.
believe it or not the ATV is more Open than Amazon FireTV. I tried FireTV and it's a gimped version of an already terrible OS - AndroidTV and it has a horrible interface. Not only that shoves Amazon Prime content and advertising in your face. Where at least with ATV, once I install my apps, I can easily not see iTunes content if I want to.
[doublepost=1506598672][/doublepost]
same. not only that but the dongle takes up extra space and makes it harder to access your other HDMI Ports. Since there generally isn't enough space between ports to use a stupid dongle.
[doublepost=1506598831][/doublepost]
and the PS4 isn't designed to be a media player, has poor App support, a horrible remote (and it's hard to even find a universal remote that will work with it), etc.
[doublepost=1506598981][/doublepost]
4K Streaming capabilities are free with your Blu-rays? What ARE you talking about?
[doublepost=1506598672][/doublepost]
same. not only that but the dongle takes up extra space and makes it harder to access your other HDMI Ports. Since there generally isn't enough space between ports to use a stupid dongle.
[doublepost=1506598831][/doublepost]
and the PS4 isn't designed to be a media player, has poor App support, a horrible remote (and it's hard to even find a universal remote that will work with it), etc.
[doublepost=1506598981][/doublepost]
4K Streaming capabilities are free with your Blu-rays? What ARE you talking about?
Last edited:
I don't think the tvOS interface is any much better than that of the Fire TV, although the Fire TV does seem to place ads in between their UI which is annoying. The Apple TV is more of an attraction to those who have invested a lot into iTunes movies and content, so it has limited appeal. Many users these days are streaming through a subscription model from Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, BBC iPlayer etc so iTunes integration isn't as important as it used to be. The real competition lies in the hardware and it's support for these streaming services, together with the apps that it supports. I don't see the apps on the Apple TV being any better than those offered on the Amazon Fire TV or other streaming devices either, with most major apps being supported on all these devices (though the ATV lacks Amazon Video support presently).
You get cheap speakers who points up and reflects to create similar effect. Point was anyway that Dolby Atmos is becoming widely available. But I don’t doubt your assessment of Apple and simplicity, and Amazon and cheapness.
1. Dolby Vision - Huge licensing fees for a format that is barely available anywhere and most people don't know about. Plus most streaming services don't even support it.
2. The amount of people relying on ethernet is very small. Majority use wifi.
3. That is a plus, but most people still stream their movies, instead of purchasing them. There are more titles in 4K available to stream than to buy.
4. Not directly, but there are a few apps that let you (Youtube, Directv Now, etc).
5. This is a media playing dongle - why do you need storage? For that just buy a console or connect your computer.
6. Pretty much the majority of apps that Apple has on their tv platform, plus they get updated more often.
7. Extra: LESS than half the price of an Apple TV.
Is PS4 not more expensive? Not sure of the 4K standards of it either. Anyway competing these 2 devices is like competing trailers to a mini.
Storage is pretty pointless in boxes like these. Even with the Apple TV, the 4k content is only streamable, not downloadable
Ah yeah you’re right about that, as another example my Denon x2200w from 2015 is going to get support for it sometime in the new year. The TV obviously still needs to support it though. I just want my B6 oled to do Dolby Vision at 60hz and my home cinema will be perfect...probably won’t though