Apple Announces New Apple TV With Siri, App Store, New User Interface and Remote

[MistrSynistr]

I still can't get over how all this design effort went into the remote, but they looked at the set top box and said "eh, just make it bigger and clunkier, and color/style it the same!"

The two don't seem to go together, and with Apple's desire to make everything thin, I seriously expected this to be super minimal.

 

[darknite]

The fact that Siri will only work (so far) with apps like Netflix, iTunes, Hulu etc may mean this will work like Fire TV and Plex searching will never work... I hope i'm wrong as that's what i want, but so far it doesn't look good.

So far isn't very long since the APIs and SDK just became available to developers today.
PLEX wants to be on TV, I'm hoping they will be much sooner than later.

 

[arkmannj]

This is not a gaming console it is just a device that plays some games, The dreadful New york times are the ones that were making this out to be some gaming revolution device

You know, with an A9 clocked a bit higher it probably could have taken on the Wii(u).
With an A8 it still will in many ways. I think Apple is testing the waters. This may be AppleTV 4 for us, but in many respects this is a new Apple TV 1, I wonder if TVos has it's own team now instead of hobbiest iOS side work? why else would they rebrand it? just a thought.

anyone know if Bluetooth on this can be used for wireless headphones?

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

There is a COMPUTER section just like on previous Apple Tvs

Well, there's an icon for an app that MAY be the equivalent of the computer section (and probably is).

However, previous TVs included access to "my movies", "my TV shows" etc in the main menu, not in a separate app. The first generation even stored "my movies" in a menu called "Movies" and "my TV shows" in a menu called "TV Shows"... only to be replaced by the much more intuitive "Computers" menu... and now... maybe.. the "Computers" menu might have been spun off to become a separate app.

We don't know yet so I'll be hopeful. I'll also be hopeful that Siri search includes "My Movies" and "My TV Shows" etc in search results rather than only being able to search for movies & videos for sale/rent or via subscription streaming services. While not as profitable, that would be the better "just works" option for us consumers.

 

[Edd.Dantes]

It's not possible... yet.

1. The iPhone 6S only got 4K this year. The guts of this AppleTV is similar to the 6.
2. It has one USB-C port. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say the port is likely to plug in an external hard drive a-la game console/PVR. Otherwise there isn't enough storage to store a 4K video, and streaming one isn't possible yet because "broadband" is defined as 25Mbps as of Jan 2015, and the average ISP isn't offering 25Mbps as baseline. 4K requires 25Mbps (Netflix requires 25Mbps for UHD)
3. HDMI 1.4 can't do 4K @ 60fps, and Everyone who bought a UHD television before HDMI 2.0a has this, which only came out this year (HDMI 2.0 was 2013 but TV's have a slow production pipe.) 4K@60fps requires HDMI 2.0(a) or Displayport.

Source: http://www.avsforum.com/forum/168-hdmi-q-one-connector-world/1523994-hdmi-2-0-cedia-webinar.html

Even devices like the GoPro can't do 4Kp60

So a "30fps" experience on a TV is miserable when an iPhone or iPad app/game runs at the screen's native resolution and refresh rate (60fps.) It's a poor experience to switch between 4K UHD and 1080p, and we know the ARM parts aren't really capable of rendering software at 4K. Sure you "might" playback 4K video with the existing ARM parts using the dedicated decoder/encoder, but that does nothing for

Don't go out on any limbs. Apple could have made it 4k but they didn't. Simple as that. They catered to the majority (1080p), without any future-proofing. If they make this a yearly refresh, next year will be the year. Just as the 6S is what the 6 should, and could, have been... This apple TV is a year behind.

It's not that they don't have the chips to accomplish 4k, it's just that they are Apple... They make you upgrade each year.

And Rockchip has had HECV/H.265 decode since 2013. That was at 1080p but it proves a certain point. Also, I believe the Nvidia Shield TV is outputting 4k@30fps. I would have to double check.

Apple is using Samsung's 14nm fab... They could have added another graphics core or cache. They could have designed a chip especially for the TV but again... They didn't. They made a choice and due to this choice, will suffer with poor sales, just as the Apple Watch has been suffering.

They are largely out of touch with what people want. Not to mention they have no clue how to lead anymore.

Let's make a 5k iMac but continue with 1080p until September 2016 (if we're lucky). Let's allow the iPhone to record 4k but not allow our new Apple TV to render it.

Awesome job Apple! You have too much money and no incentive to innovate. Bravo. You have now become Microsoft.

 

[virduk]

Well, my enthusiasm has cooled given some of the revelations around app size limits/local storage and the limits apple is placing on siri integration for apps.

 

[JoeShades]

Well, there's an icon for an app that MAY be the equivalent of the computer section (and probably is).

However, previous TVs included access to "my movies", "my TV shows" etc in the main menu, not in a separate app. The first generation even stored "my movies" in a menu called "Movies" and "my TV shows" in a menu called "TV Shows"... only to be replaced by the much more intuitive "Computers" menu... and now... maybe.. the "Computers" menu might have been spun off to become a separate app.

We don't know yet so I'll be hopeful. I'll also be hopeful that Siri search includes "My Movies" and "My TV Shows" etc in search results rather than only being able to search for movies & videos for sale/rent or via subscription streaming services. While not as profitable, that would be the better "just works" option for us consumers.

The computers menu has been a seperate App, you access your photos and music through the computers app since Apple tv 2

 

[MagnusVonMagnum]

I cant for the life of me understand why folks don't get this. 4k is tiny...very tiny part of the market...true 4k will come and it will surely be everywhere including ATV.

Right now you have mostly "faux-k" (pixel splitting) TVs in homes and very little 4k content. With all teh 4k whining I read I wonder how many of those folks have true 4k TVs and somehow find lots of real 4k content...

I can't for the life of me understand why people like YOU don't get it. WTF should I have to buy ANOTHER AppleTV three years from now to get what this one SHOULD have had today? The new iPhone records 4K, but I can't watch it on my brand spanking new AppleTV??? WHY NOT? I don't have a 4K set at the moment, but I'm planning to replace my projector for my 93" home theatre (and thinking about a 2:35-1 replacement screen for the same height, but to fill the width of the room for ultra-wide movies and a 4K projector would be PERFECT for that. Even line-doubled, it would be better than 1080P at that size. Now if/when I get that projector later this year or next year, why on earth would I want to buy a media playback box that CANNOT AND WILL NOT play ANY 4K content when Roku is planning a 4K model and clearly will beat Apple to the market by 2-3 YEARS? How much extra effort would have it cost Apple to make a 4K playback model? The tech sites all claim the A8 is capable of 4K video already so you'd think they'd at least support 4K Netflix, but no, they want you to take your business to ROKU. Hello ROKU, you clearly want my business more than Crapple.

 

[darknite]

Both Amazon and Netflix offer 4k. Limited at this time but still available. In addition there is a hugh amount of 4K video on Utube.

Huge amount of 4K on YouTube.... Thats funny. Doesn't matter if its shot in 480 or 4K, cat videos, stupid people doing stupid things, and other dreck just isn't worth watching.

 

[Dub1ous]

Second, 4K is neither expensive nor niche. Have people been to a Best Buy or such store recently?

Yes.

That's all you find are 4K TVs.

Unless they took them all out within the last couple of months, I don't think this is true.. I was helping a friend look into buying a TV a few months ago and there were more 1080p than 4k.

I admit it's silly to buy a 65" set and sit 20 feet away...

This is why it doesn't seem like it would be worth it to me, right now..

 

[TheRemix18]

-New remote? Meh. I use a logitech universal remote anyway to control my TV, Apple TV, BD player and Channelmaster DVR. A new Apple TV remote will go into a drawer and never be seen again, in favor of my universal remote. (Except for the first few times I'd try out Siri, figure out it doesn't work as well as just using buttons, and then put it down.)

This new ATV won't work with your logitech unless you have their bluetooth adapter. Another negative point about the new ATV.

 

[z31fanatic]

Two good things, 32GB and 64GB storage (I'm shocked because I was expecting 8 and 16) and app store.
The rest is meh and not worth the price of admission unless you're heavily invested in the Apple ecosystem.

 

[Bevz]

So far isn't very long since the APIs and SDK just became available to developers today.
PLEX wants to be on TV, I'm hoping they will be much sooner than later.

Plex have said in their twitter account that they are doing one, so like you said hopefully sooner than later!
I've also been thinking about the whole Siri search thing; If ATV4 connects to iTunes, then iTunes can pre-process the tag strings into a searchable hierarchy for Siri (for bought content as well as locally ripped DVD's etc) so i really can't see why Siri wouldn't be able to search ALL content held in your iTunes library irrespective of whether it's DRM'd or not... I've got everything crossed!

 

[Edd.Dantes]

Great then why are you here and not on the Roku forums discussion how great it is there?

They already know how much I like them

 

[MagnusVonMagnum]

Basically apple have been two years behind the competition and have only just caught up. Only there are better devices already on the market ( Nvidia shield) , similar devices in the nexus player, Amazon etc

And I'm willing to bet the completion will start releasing 4k Support far quicker than apple.

That's EXACTLY the problem. Apple has stopped INNOVATING and LEADING with cutting edge products and instead now plays CATCH UP to the competition instead and then often charges premium prices to boot. For what? Steve Jobs released the iPhone when no such phone existed. He released the original AppleTV when no such thing existed. WTF is Apple releasing EVERYTHING now 2-3 years after everyone else already has a similar product out? That includes the Apple Watch (which is NOT the first smart watch by a long shot and isn't very useful or popular even so). This isn't how Steve ran Apple!

 

[Jimmy James]

I better not have to buy a new unit to get these features. I'm fine with the old remote. Don't care for Apple logging all my voice commands.

The old unit has iphone 4 type performance. For the demands that new apps are going to place upon it, it's slow as a dog. I'd be very surprised if they supported it. If so, it'll be a terrible experience. Ever try using an iPhone 4 recently?

 

[picollus]

Two good things, 32GB and 64GB storage (I'm shocked because I was expecting 8 and 16) and app store.
The rest is meh and not worth the price of admission unless you're heavily invested in the Apple ecosystem.

Yes but with app of only 200 mb max !

 

[sfwalter]

Shall we take bets on how close to Oct 31?

 

[brentsg]

What UNIVERSE are YOU living in? There has been 4K content for sale from day one (admittedly only a small number of titles to start) but now Samsung has just released the first 4K Blu-Ray player

Samsung has announced that they'll release a 4k disk player in 2016. Yep, that's it.

I have a 4k TV and very rarely watch any 4k content on it. There is some, but not much. There's a bit on Netflix and a bit on Amazon for the most part.

 

[MagnusVonMagnum]

For all you people that love Roku and NVidia, why are you here? go to their forums, don't see the point in coming here

Hey, why don't YOU go there? I sure as HELL don't particularly want to hear YOUR opinions so as far as I'm concerned, you can take your own advice.

I own three AppleTVs and two Macs and three iPod Touches. That's why I'm here. You seem to be here to drink Apple juice and then lecture us for not doing the same.

 

[McScooby]

Yes, serious, I've actually seen the diff between native 4K and those crap streams and its not even funny how far they are from each other! Most people don'T have the bandwith, latency and data caps to stream 4K at a decent compression level and 4K is uselss on those idiotic cheap 50 inchers you sit at 8 feet and more from unless you got superhuman eyes... And then your more likely to see the compression artefacts anyway...

I was asking op about knowing no-one who had a 4K tv!

 

[Jimmy James]

That's EXACTLY the problem. Apple has stopped INNOVATING and LEADING with cutting edge products and instead now plays CATCH UP to the competition instead and then often charges premium prices to boot. For what? Steve Jobs released the iPhone when no such phone existed. He released the original AppleTV when no such thing existed. WTF is Apple releasing EVERYTHING now 2-3 years after everyone else already has a similar product out? That includes the Apple Watch (which is NOT the first smart watch by a long shot and isn't very useful or popular even so). This isn't how Steve ran Apple!

Smart phones were available from multiple manufacturers well before the iPhone. I played with some back in the 90's. The first iPhone was even more limited than the current offerings of the day. From a launch date perspective the iPhone was even further behind the competition. The difference was user experience. I don't think that history is actually as you remember it.

 

[Dub1ous]

Steve Jobs released the iPhone when no such phone existed.
...
That includes the Apple Watch (which is NOT the first smart watch by a long shot and isn't very useful or popular even so). This isn't how Steve ran Apple!

I'm sure you already know this, but this logic falls apart based on the fact that the iPhone was also far from the first smartphone.

 

[iReality85]

Well, don't buy it then... See if the competition offers more of the useless and less of the useful (as usual...).
Also, if I have to hear "inexcusable" ... One more time......

You're right, I won't be buying it. Which is unfortunate, because I'd love to give Apple my money. If they don't want it, well, I can't force them, but the attitude of, "Well, don't buy it then" isn't exactly the best of business strategies. And we are talking about Apple's customers, right? The same people who have no problem paying handsomely for tech products? I'd wager they are also the same people who are likely to have such things as 4K TVs right now. Which are neither expensive nor niche, which I said previosly.

The presentation was all about how the Apple TV will change TV. Hard to do that, or convince people, when you don't even offer the latest HDMI connection (which has been out for awhile). Seriously, they can offer up a USB-C port (which is very niche at the moment), but no HDMI 2.0?

/SMH

 

[dgalvan123]

This new ATV won't work with your logitech unless you have their bluetooth adapter. Another negative point about the new ATV.

Why not? The new ATV still has an IR receiver. . .
http://www.apple.com/tv/compare/