Apple Discontinues Third-Generation Apple TV

[btbeme]

The AppleTV 4 is so poorly designed and executed that I went back to my AppleTV 3. The new remote is infuriatingly difficult to use (try scrolling through a long list of movies) and very poorly designed. The fact that Apple willfully disables simplified, rapid scrolling via older Apple remotes or 3rd party remotes is inexcusable. There is a much longer list of gripes, but Apple seems not to care - their attention to form over function is now the driving force behind their products, much to my chagrin.

Fix the remote. Fix the menus. Fix the scrolling.

 

[deputy_doofy]

I questioned why I even bought the ATV 4 when it's so locked down and side-loading kodi once a week just to watch other files types.

Apple isn't being very customer service friendly, your customers obviously want to download files and watch them.

They're gonna start to jump ship, which I'll be doing.

Infuse 4. Free to download. Plays ANY file type from any device on the network.
[doublepost=1475689750][/doublepost]

Yeah. I'm pretty mad that the Apple TV and iTunes no longer displays subtitles on my ripped files. Even though earlier versions of the OS did. I bought Infuse 4... it was $10 but is supposed to play pretty much anything. It claims mkv support. I haven't checked it out in full yet. But it would be a good alternative to Kodi, it seems. I just wish they'd let kodi on the App Store and be done with it.

There is (or was) a FREE Infuse 4 that plays MKV, AVI, etc. It also has access to a ton of CC files, though some are poorly made or don't quite match up.

 

[robotica]

i would want to upgrade. But I need optical audio for my home cinema setup. I wish apple would have streaming for movies similar to Netflix.

You can get an adapter that get optical from hdmi out. Not ideal I know.

 

[JoeShades]

The remote works fine, but most of the people that complain on forums like these are just Trolls with no lives. Anyone that actually uses the Apple tv would know you can use any remote you want, so there is no point in complaining about something you don't even need

 

[Swazaloo]

<puke>

Why puke? Do you not like it?

 

[zephonic]

If the 3rd-gen's discontinuation means that a new one is imminent and the 4th-gen will come down in price, I think it'll be all good.
[doublepost=1475695248][/doublepost]

...but Apple seems not to care - their attention to form over function is now the driving force behind their products, much to my chagrin.

This is what concerns me the most. The majority of their products have compromised functionality because of their form factor. That wasn't always the case.

 

[omenatarhuri]

But the Netflix UI on the new Apple TV is so much better

I have the Apple TV 4th Gen in a drawer and 3rd is in use. Dislike the remote and Netflix UI in the new one.

 

[Juicy Box]

But the Netflix UI on the new Apple TV is so much better

I have the Apple TV 4th Gen in a drawer and 3rd is in use. Dislike the remote and Netflix UI in the new one.

I think that post was supposed to be sarcastic.

Visually, the Netflix app is prettier on the ATV4. But everything else about the ATV4 version is horrible. Why remove genres?

All the video apps are better on the ATV3.

I just hope the ATV3 apps still work for a while, I might disable auto updates to prevent Apple from secretly killing it.

 

[Fishticks]

Still waiting for the MacRumors's famous "Apple TV" set, as well as the famous "Apple car" !
Ahahahahaha. Some people are so LOL !

 

[MagnusVonMagnum]

Yeah. I'm pretty mad that the Apple TV and iTunes no longer displays subtitles on my ripped files. Even though earlier versions of the OS did. I bought Infuse 4... it was $10 but is supposed to play pretty much anything. It claims mkv support. I haven't checked it out in full yet. But it would be a good alternative to Kodi, it seems. I just wish they'd let kodi on the App Store and be done with it.

There is supposedly MrMC on the iTunes store (version of Kodi with objectionable things removed from it plus better support for AppleTV integration supposedly). I don't have an AppleTV4 so I can't comment directly on it, but I know it's like $5 but then you don't have to sideload anymore.

 

[GrumpyTrucker]

The 4th gen is too expensive for the marginal extra functionality anyone outside the US can get from it, with so much of it being linked to apps for TV channels which I don't think has any support anywhere else. I've got Plex and when I had it Netflix built into the TV so those apps have no draw being on the TV.

 

[Feenician]

The AppleTV 4 is so poorly designed and executed that I went back to my AppleTV 3. The new remote is infuriatingly difficult to use (try scrolling through a long list of movies) and very poorly designed. The fact that Apple willfully disables simplified, rapid scrolling via older Apple remotes or 3rd party remotes is inexcusable. There is a much longer list of gripes, but Apple seems not to care - their attention to form over function is now the driving force behind their products, much to my chagrin.

Fix the remote. Fix the menus. Fix the scrolling.

Honestly I went to the Apple Store with the specific intent of buying an ATV4 to replace one my ATV3's, tried it, could not scroll accurately even after several minutes playing with it and just walked out. I don't doubt I'd learn to cope but "coping" is not a sign of a good controller frankly. I'll stick with the 3's until the apps stop working (and I guess they probably will at some point) and evaluate my options then.

 

[ErikGrim]

Does Plex play isos?

ISOs as in dvd/br image files? No, that functionality was phased out years ago.

 

[QquegChristian]

Holy cow, I can't believe ATV4 Netflix still doesn't have genres. I bought and returned it the week it came out, going back to ATV3, specifically because of this.

My TiVo Bolt has the new Netflix interface, but it has the genres and tons of sub-genres for each. Figured Netflix must've pushed that out to ATV by NOW.

 

[kcamfork]

Honestly I went to the Apple Store with the specific intent of buying an ATV4 to replace one my ATV3's, tried it, could not scroll accurately even after several minutes playing with it and just walked out. I don't doubt I'd learn to cope but "coping" is not a sign of a good controller frankly. I'll stick with the 3's until the apps stop working (and I guess they probably will at some point) and evaluate my options then.

Even though the fire tv is very Amazon prime-focused (and has a crappy UI), it's a very capable little machine. I like the fact that I can side load Kodi on it.

 

[Feenician]

Even though the fire tv is very Amazon prime-focused (and has a crappy UI), it's a very capable little machine. I like the fact that I can side load Kodi on it.

Thanks. I have Prime and in fact I'm just about to catch up on season 4 of Blacklist by airplaying from the Amazon app on iPad to ATV so an Amazon box is certainly not out of the question. I'm hoping not to have to deal with a switch for a while but Amazon is quite a contender for ny money there.

 

[kcamfork]

The remote works fine, but most of the people that complain on forums like these are just Trolls with no lives. Anyone that actually uses the Apple tv would know you can use any remote you want, so there is no point in complaining about something you don't even need

No. The Apple TV 4 does NOT treat my 3rd party remote the same way the Apple TV 3 treated it. I seriously feel it is as if apple is purposefully trying to gimp anything else than their crappy, overpriced hardware (they are known for doing this).

Can I delete an app with my 3rd party remote? I don't know. But it doesn't let me push and hold select than press play/pause like on the official remote. If I pause a video and come back and press play to continue, 5 times out of 10, it does nothing. If I press play on the official remote it works.

I hate the Apple TV 4. The UI is garbage. The Netflix app is garbage. Navigating the UI with the trackpad is garbage.

I would have preferred a Siri-remote-free version of the 4 with an OS similar to the 3's with an App Store.

I seriously don't understand how the most valuable company on earth can't get this right. It's inexcusable, especially since their box is bigger, uglier, and more expensive than the others.
[doublepost=1475729612][/doublepost]

Thanks. I have Prime and in fact I'm just about to catch up on season 4 of Blacklist by airplaying from the Amazon app on iPad to ATV so an Amazon box is certainly not out of the question. I'm hoping not to have to deal with a switch for a while but Amazon is quite a contender for ny money there.

I don't think you could go wrong with their fire tv stick. It's $40. I got the original when it was first released to prime customers for $15 (I should have bought two...). While it's not the fastest when it comes to naviagating the UI, it's become quite stable since it was released. I like how the remote is Bluetooth and not touch based.

The fact it's $40 and is much faster, has AC wifi support, and an alexa remote, you can't lose. And no I don't work for Amazon.
[doublepost=1475729674][/doublepost]

Holy cow, I can't believe ATV4 Netflix still doesn't have genres. I bought and returned it the week it came out, going back to ATV3, specifically because of this.

My TiVo Bolt has the new Netflix interface, but it has the genres and tons of sub-genres for each. Figured Netflix must've pushed that out to ATV by NOW.

This aggravates me to no end.

 

[The Mad Hatter]

ISOs as in dvd/br image files? No, that functionality was phased out years ago.

...and that is why side-loading KODI is advantageous (at least for myself).

 

[allanfries]

What ever, I'll use mine until it dies. Don't use or need apps, as I airplay all content from my iPad. Yes, It's that good!

 

[omenatarhuri]

I think that post was supposed to be sarcastic.

Visually, the Netflix app is prettier on the ATV4. But everything else about the ATV4 version is horrible. Why remove genres?

All the video apps are better on the ATV3.

I just hope the ATV3 apps still work for a while, I might disable auto updates to prevent Apple from secretly killing it.

Removing genres is pretty amazingly stupid. Even the iPhone Netflix has them.

 

[Roy Biggins]

I'm really happy with the ATV3. We have 4 of them throughout the house. I love the clean, attractive interface. It's nice to be able to hide "apps" you don't want to see/use, as it keeps the home screen clutter-free. I like the ATV4 too. We have one 32 GB, and one 64 GB. I think each device (3 & 4) has a clear advantage over the other.

ATV3 better:

- Apps are better. People have mentioned Netflix having genres on the ATV3 and not on the ATV4. HBOGO & Showtime Anytime suck on the ATV4 too. They don't offer autoplay. If I want to binge a show I have to go back out to the menu after every episode and select the next episode. They offer autoplay on the ATV3. I also like to fall asleep to shows. If I'm using HGBOGO or Showtime Anytime and I want to keep playing one episode after another until my sleep timer shuts things down, I either have to airplay from an iDevice or use the ATV3 (or another device, like the Amazon Fire TV). ATV4 will play one episode, and then retreat to the show's menu. I know this is the app developer and not Apple, but still. No autoplay is lame.

- Optical audio out. I know there are workarounds for not having it on the ATV4. I'd prefer the ATV4 just included the port.

ATV4 better:

- Having Siri voice search really helps find a show or movie more quickly. If I know I want to watch something, I can get it started much more quickly using that. It's great that the voice search works across providers (iTunes, Netflix, Hulu, etc...) too. We have Amazon devices with voice search, and their devices only search through Amazon's content (although their new devices coming out this month are supposed to work across different providers).

- Siri allows you to go to a specific part of the movie/show very quickly and efficiently. If I want to skip the credits on "The West Wing" (or whatever), I just say "fast forward 45 seconds." You can also fast forward using the touch screen remote very efficiently. It shows you the scenes you're scrolling through on a little box. With the ATV3 you have to hit fast forward like you're ffd'ing through a DVD. It shows you what you're skipping, but not very efficiently. It's more labor intensive and less precise.

- With more power under the hood than the ATV3, I can pull up & search through my iTunes owned content much more quickly. If you have a lot of movies or tv shows, it takes a while for the ATV3 to show all movies/shows. The ATV4 pulls up the entire list quickly.

Both devices have a much more attractive interface than the Amazon devices, for example. Amazon is bunched up and fugly. I suppose it can be cleaned up by rooting/hacking the device, but I really don't like it out of the box. I have 229 videos purchased through Amazon (movies & tv shows combined). When I look at "Your Video Library," it literally lays them all out in a single line in order of date of purchase, from left to right (with the most recent purchase being the first one on the left). It's maddening to scroll through all of your content that way.

I own a bunch of devices.

ATV4 - 2 (one 32 GB, one 64 GB)
ATV3 - 4
ATV2 - 1 (still in the box)
Amazon Fire TV - 1
Amazon Fire TV Stick - 3 (two with regular remotes, one with voice remote)
Roku 2 XS - 1
Google Chromecast - 1
Vizio Smart TV - 1 (not crazy about the apps on smart tv's)

I've never rooted/hacked anything or side loaded anything. I use them all "stock." Apple are my favorite devices. I just wish you could get Amazon (and Vudu, etc...) on Apple devices and iTunes on Amazon (and Roku, etc...) devices. At least you can watch Amazon content on ATV's through airplay via iPhone/iPad.

I wish Apple had future-proofed the ATV4 with 4K. The last time I checked (a couple months ago), there was very little content on Amazon & Netflix in 4K. I suppose it's going to grow exponentially, but having to pay extra (Netflix) for very little content...eh. I still wish Apple had included the ability to watch things in 4K.

 

[Glassed Silver]

Except that they are not doing it.
[doublepost=1475668064][/doublepost]

Are you talking about AirPlay music now? Because, as far as I know, AirPlay video only works on the Apple TV, and I stream a lot of YouTube videos that way from my iPhone - very convenient.

There's plenty of apps to cover video.

Hell sometimes I'll AirPlay (video and audio) to my iMac as well. (screen's on more often)

Glassed Silver:ios

 

[brianvictor7]

I have 4 in use in my home. They work just fine. Plus, they still have the optical out which comes in handy.

Actually, I misspoke. I actually have an ATV2 that is still working

 

[Juicy Box]

Actually, I misspoke. I actually have an ATV2 that is still working

For the ATV, I have one ATV1, one ATV2, four ATV3, And 1 ATV 4.

The ATV2 is still working fine, except there You Tube is gone. The ATV3s are great.

 

[Abazigal]

Another problem with the Atv 4 is that many developers don't seem to be releasing apps for it. I would love to be able to play console-level games such as implosion on the big screen but game support so far has been fairly poor. Heck, batman was recently released for ios as well.