Anyone else uninterested in a 4K Apple TV at this point?

[ErikGrim]

Was this the easiest upgrade ever? Literally unplugged the cords to the old Apple TV, plugged them into my new box, and had replicated the setup of my old down to every home screen icon five minutes later, with the only interaction being tapping my phone at setup.

 

[400]

Seeing as it was my first Apple TV, easy set up. Now do I take it back? I have seen some excellent streamed 4k. However, that was a 4k demo with hdr. That is HDR as sold on Blu-ray.

The need to faff around with formats to get a good picture on good set grates. This is a gnats hair from superb. Unfortunately the box at the moment is functionally inept, that gnats hair of functionality is the key.

Part of me hopes this will be addressed, keep it. The other part says return it.

Need more time to play with the settings.

Edit.
Got to say I am coming around to it. I hope that futures updates address certain issues. 4K is coming across really well, however mixed results with HD and that is after messing with the settings to remove HDR. Some are just as good on 4K HDR (forced) or 1080p and letting my set upscale, other not so.

 

[Mac 128]

Seeing as it was my first Apple TV, easy set up. Now do I take it back? I have seen some excellent streamed 4k. However, that was a 4k demo with hdr. That is HDR as sold on Blu-ray.

The need to faff around with formats to get a good picture on good set grates. This is a gnats hair from superb. Unfortunately the box at the moment is functionally inept, that gnats hair of functionality is the key.

Part of me hopes this will be addressed, keep it. The other part says return it.

Need more time to play with the settings.

Edit.
Got to say I am coming around to it. I hope that futures updates address certain issues. 4K is coming across really well, however mixed results with HD and that is after messing with the settings to remove HDR. Some are just as good on 4K HDR (forced) or 1080p and letting my set upscale, other not so.

I'm equally as conflicted. The fact that my Sony remote was automatically set up to use it makes it even easier to use with one remote. And the picture can be fantastic when properly setup. I'm just going to have to keep playing with it for the next couple of weeks. But having to constantly change my picture settings manually is not acceptable. Siri helps with this to some extent, but it's still a lot of extra steps:

1) So I tell Siri to go to settings, then I have to scroll down and manually click on Video and Audio, as Siri doesn't seem to be able to do that.
2) then I have to scroll down to Format, and select it, again because Siri can't.
3) If I'm already on 1080p 60Hz SDR, I have to first scroll to the next page of settings.
4) Then to scroll to and select 4K 24Hz HDR.
5) Then I have to confirm the switch in case the selection is incompatible with my TV.
6) Only then can I go to my movie.
7, 8, 9, 10, 11) after the movie, I have to repeat those first 3-5 steps to return it to the standard setting, before going to the next non-HDR movie thing.

I'll live with it for the next two weeks, and maybe I'll find that tolerable. But the real problem is that I have to know what to set it to, and often I don't know what the source of something is. Is it 720p, 1080p, 4K, HDR, 24Hz, 30Hz, 60Hz? And then there's YouTube with SD 480, and lower res. At a certain point, I'll have to just let the ATV upscale it, but that's not my preference.

Again, I'm not hopeful Apple will ever update this for a native output so that the TV can just provide whatever's needed. Indeed this is likely Apple's first step toward an integrated Apple TV and display, in which case, Apple will be doing all the upscaling, and probably perfecting its ability to impose fake HDR/DV on SDR programs, so the customer will never have to sit and wait for the TV to switch formats.

 

[400]

A good option would be on the fly video adjustment. Pop up the menu when something is playing, there will be glitches as the formats just with the TV.

One oddy, Unforgiven, Bluray reviews are good, the 4k offering on Apple TV is dire.

 

[chukronos]

Come on...

The netflix app on the apple tv is very clunky. Waaaaaaayy better on the samsung.

 

[danny842003]

The netflix app on the apple tv is very clunky. Waaaaaaayy better on the samsung.

I think you’re right but the smart tv app crashes constantly and I haven’t found a way to close apps without unplugging the tv once they die.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

This isnt a very informative post, but I think apple blew it dragging their feet on the tv scene, and hyping up a set top box with decent hardware, and potential, but never any pay out since the 2015 model came out

It would be more forgivable if ATV 4K was more automatic and less expensive. At its ultra premium price of the 4K (compared to competitors) it really needed to be perfect and from reviews it’s far from that and even a rush job. Usually when Apple is last to market its product is also best. Unfortunately not here.

 

[scouser75]

With the assumption that a lot of the issues may be software related, would it be a good idea for someone who is still on a 1080p television to buy the 4k box to future proof? Or is the 1080p quality on the 4k box really bad?

 

[Mac 128]

With the assumption that a lot of the issues may be software related, would it be a good idea for someone who is still on a 1080p television to buy the 4k box to future proof? Or is the 1080p quality on the 4k box really bad?

If you still have a 1080p TV and already have a 1080p ATV then I wouldn't upgrade until you upgrade your TV. Apple will likely offer something new by that time. If you don't have an Apple TV currently, then the 1080p output is excellent.

 

[JackieInCo]

I'm still extremely happy using my ATV2. Maybe in a few years I'll replace it but I see no need to do so now.

 

[boltjames]

I'm still extremely happy using my ATV2. Maybe in a few years I'll replace it but I see no need to do so now.

Same here. There just isn't any must-see 4K or HDR content to justify the ATV4K over the 4K apps that were included for free in my smart TV. Boils down to iTunes movies and the current state of the movie industry is weak at best.

 

[Mac 128]

I'm still extremely happy using my ATV2. Maybe in a few years I'll replace it but I see no need to do so now.

The ATV 2 is great. It only outputs 720p, something I particularly notice on my 1080p TV, especially when I zoom any 4:3 or letterbox content. And it requires a network connection for AirPlay. But it's still pretty robust. That said, I've noticed that Netflix will often crash in the middle of a movie, often restarting the ATV. The Hulu app does handle my commercial subscription, so it's useless, unless I want to pay more and go commercial free. Signing into my Apple accounts with two-factor authentication is something of an ordeal, for certain the forthcoming Amazon app won't support it.

So it really depends on what you use it for. As Apple drops support for older devices, I'm not sure you've got a few more years of useful life unfortunately.

 

[Deliro]

I had an ATV4 but was disappointed in the fact that it didn’t have 4K. Returned it and purchased a Fire tv and haven’t looked back. Voice commands as good as Siri and the ability to side load apps makes it a win for me. I do have some iTunes purchases but my ATV3 can fill in for that.

So to answer the OP question no not interested, especially with the high price tag.

 

[nongsung]

Owner of a ATV4 and attached to a nice 4K 65" curved Samsung so an ATV 4K was in order I thought. Upon reading that Youtube 4K is not supported and all the other teething problems I've ordered a Nvidia Shield. Android, I know, and the interface might be a step back but I'm slowly moving away from Apple anyway. Replaced my iMac 27" with a Ryzen 8 core Linux machine with Windows 10 in a VM for these
things that Linux isn't good at (or compatible with). Don't fancy the iPhone X either and that seems to be the future... iPhone 7 Plus will be replaced soon with the new Pixel XL I guess...

I would never have thought that I would ever say 'I'm moving away from Apple' but here you go...

 

[eyeseeyou]

More interested in apples tv app being able to produce search results from ALL media apps.

Also interested in an xfinity app to view my dvrs

 

[ErikGrim]

More interested in apples tv app being able to produce search results from ALL media apps.

Two years and a device upgrade later and we still don’t have true universal search. Why isn’t anyone talking about that?

 

[nongsung]

Two years and a device upgrade later and we still don’t have true universal search. Why isn’t anyone talking about that?

I have given up on that one; Siri (for me) is kind of useless. Same phrases, Siri understands 50% and exactly the same phrases with Google Assistant 100%...

Siri is only good to set the timer on my iPhone...

 

[vipergts2207]

Two years and a device upgrade later and we still don’t have true universal search. Why isn’t anyone talking about that?

Doesn’t that require cooperation of the app developers?

 

[scouser75]

If you still have a 1080p TV and already have a 1080p ATV then I wouldn't upgrade until you upgrade your TV. Apple will likely offer something new by that time. If you don't have an Apple TV currently, then the 1080p output is excellent.

Nope. Right now I have no ATV. I was thinking about buying the 4K version but have read a lot of bad feedback regarding 1080p output. But in a way, I'm hoping/assuming that the bad 1080p output can and will be addressed in future FW updates.

My other option is to spend about £100 on the last ATV and then spens again when eventually I get a 4k screen... Which most likely is a year to 2 years away! And by then, who knows what format we'll be on ;-)

 

[Mac 128]

Nope. Right now I have no ATV. I was thinking about buying the 4K version but have read a lot of bad feedback regarding 1080p output. But in a way, I'm hoping/assuming that the bad 1080p output can and will be addressed in future FW updates.

My other option is to spend about £100 on the last ATV and then spens again when eventually I get a 4k screen... Which most likely is a year to 2 years away! And by then, who knows what format we'll be on ;-)

I haven't read anything about bad 1080p output. What happens is that by default all content on the 4K ATV is upscaled to 4K. I think that's what people are complaining about. I have it manually set to 1080p SDR right now and the picture is fantastic. Other than 720p streaming programs, the 1080p SDR should be native stream outputs straight to my TV which does the upscaling to 4K.

But again, I'm not sure you need to spend the extra money now on the 4K model, if you have no intention of upgrading your TV for the next two years. I expect Apple to launch the ATV 5 in less time than that. Of course, if you think there's a possibility you may buy a 4K TV in the next year then it would be worth it to get the ATV 4K now. Again, absent any 1080p issues, which I have not seen myself, nor really read about outside of the forced upscaling issue.

 

[Zetaprime]

The whole 4K thing seems like overkill to me. My TV isn’t even big enough for my eyes to tell 720 from 1080. My eyes definitely can’t tell the diff. Would have to be a huge screen real close even for that to matter. 4K is nuts. And eats vast amounts of bandwidth for no visible diff to my eyes.

 

[hank moody]

I bought 3.
They are amazing

 

[Mac 128]

The whole 4K thing seems like overkill to me. My TV isn’t even big enough for my eyes to tell 720 from 1080. My eyes definitely can’t tell the diff. Would have to be a huge screen real close even for that to matter. 4K is nuts. And eats vast amounts of bandwidth for no visible diff to my eyes.

Again everybody has different needs. I have a 65" screen I sit 8 feet from. The difference between 1080p and 4K is dramatic. And as prices fall, and size increases that's going to become a reality for everyone to some degree. Also, it's less about 4K than the technology that comes with it -- HDR. And that's really what Apple is marketing to. So much so that they essentially default the ATV to fake HDR all the time, whenever there's no native signal.

So with apologies to your eyes, my eyes love it, and so will millions of others who can see the difference. Then there's people like my mom, who like having the soap opera effect on, and wants the screen stretched to get rid of the "black bars". So 4K HDR is wasted on her too.

 

[Zetaprime]

I’m 65 and I know my eyes aren’t like those of someone younger. My tv is 42 inches and about 7 feet away. 720 is enough for me. Anything more is wasted. Even on my computer or tablet at reading distance 1080 is more than adequate. Increasing res on phones is also lost on me. For videos I download only the 720 versions. I’m happy with that and anything more just doesn’t seem worth paying extra for.

 

[b25boxer]

BTW, how do like the 900E? Seriously considering the 65" model (65X900E) as our next set. Originally I was looking at the 850E, since I couldn't get a good comparison (in person, they looked the same with the terrible display setups/lighting), but at least in more controlled review environments, it sounds like the 900E is notably better (probably justifying the ~$500 difference).

I just bought the 900E after a serious comparison with the 850E. It is by far worth every extra $$$. The picture is nothing short of amazing, and the best contrast you can get without going OLED. IMHO the best 4k HDR LED TV on the market.