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Apple Suggests Apple TV 4K Will Gain Dolby Atmos Support in Future tvOS Update
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I do seem to remember that. But the biggest impediments to 4K on the ATV4 were the lack of HDMI 2.0a (4K at 60fps anyway), and for content creators HDCP 2.2.
However from a business standpoint, a new hardware iteration with 4K, HDR10, HDMI 2.0a, Gigabit, Dolby Vision, HDCP 2.2, and last but not least, a significant processor upgrade from the A8 to the A10X (a boost for Apps and gaming), would give many users a more solid incentive to upgrade their unit(s).
The streaming will probably always have an issue when the encode breaks down during panning and tracking to some degree though it's going to be no where as bad as the MPEG2. If we could get to a point where all content is on the level of what Vudu is putting out for their UHD movies then i'd be very happy. Agreed disc is king but i'd be willing to settle for queen in quality if that was available across the board.
It just bums me out that the video and sound of say Game of Thrones is lacking so much through the HBO Go app(Cable is lacking too). The only option is to wait for the bluray AND shell out the money for the discs which is something i don't want to do at all. I'd pay extra money for a really high quality streaming option if they had it(as long as it was reasonable) . I do think eventually will be using very devent HEVC streams but it could be years before we see this across the board.
Which ones have DTS? Been trying to find one that supports it.
I see a note on the Plex website regarding DTS:
It's all good I rather save my money to get Xbox One X during the holidays I just don't care much about Apple TV they are so behind with their streaming device and the other problem I can not stand how Apple Apps like Apple Music is limited to only Apple products or just Microsoft Windows and Android. Time for Apple to think outside the box bad enough the newest iPhone X is way over priced while Xbox One X in its entirety should cost more than just $500 if Microsoft can do it why can't Apple?
I still enjoy Apple products but the pricing has to change heck we do not get wireless Apple headphones with the new iPhones which is another unneeded expense.
I still enjoy Apple products but the pricing has to change heck we do not get wireless Apple headphones with the new iPhones which is another unneeded expense.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
At the historical pace of major 
TV updates, you might look like your avatar photo by then 
TV updates, you might look like your avatar photo by then
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4K is not a gimmick, but regular HD is already so good that the difference is marginal on the sets most people own. I can tell the difference on my 75" but on my 65" I'm not sure I could. Either way, the difference is not a big deal with today's television technology and sizes and is certainly not worth paying extra for.
HDR and Dolby Vision are a game changer, however, and both of those are only available in 4K. The difference is far from minor, and even someone who has trouble seeing could tell the difference, even on a 42" bedroom set. The widened color gamut along with the extreme contrast between pitch black and bright areas has to be seen to believe. Which is precisely why they don't get the same press as 4K. Higher resolution is easy for the average Joe to understand, but HDR is considerably harder to explain without a demonstration.
On a side note, Dolby Atmos is pretty great for sound, too. I'm looking forward to their support of that format.
Yes! This is why I send everything through the mail instead of electronically. That's the only way to get the best quality.
I'm kidding, of course. Personally, I detest discs and have vowed never to buy another. The quality of the digital streams has generally gotten to the point where I either can't tell the difference or is so minor I don't care. Probably also doesn't hurt that my eyes aren't exactly getting better each year.
I totally understand your point, however. I'm extremely sensitive to both geometric distortion and blooming (small picture size changes due to the power supply not keeping up with the picture brightness). I had to buy expensive high-end Sony XBR sets because they were the only ones I could watch without being completely distracted. Meanwhile, nobody I showed it to could understand what I was even talking about. Fortunately for me, LCD and OLED sets are completely immune from both conditions, so I don't have to be quite so picky as before.
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Your television speakers are never going to support anything worthwhile. They are awful, and because sets are getting thinner and more people are getting good audio setups, the built-in sound is getting worse each year. I turned the built-in speakers off entirely on all my sets.
Atmos is an advancement over typical 5.1 surround systems. It requires a lot of processing power, and an external receiver with the appropriate speakers or high-end soundbar is required to experience it. I'll also add that current optical connections, unfortunately, do not support Atmos, so HDMI digital audio is the only way to get it.
Their lockdown? The Apple TV App Store has tons of "unofficial" channels, but maybe that depends on what you mean. What app developers make stuff you like but are locked out of the ATV? And no, Tim said more than a year ago that ATV was no longer classified as a hobby.
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Funny thing is... they don't need to do anything. They just need to not do certain things. The box needs to stop wanting to process the audio at all. Just let it pass-through (bitstream) on to the receivers. But that is something they've been refusing to allow ever since the term HD-Audio was coined. Even on OS X/macOS, bit streaming audio is a no-no. It's not about what we want, it's about what they want us to want.
Uh, that's weird... That's a post from a user named 'belvdr' not me. Not sure what's going on with the forum...
Very few people have Atmos disks or speakers right now including most of the people complaining about it.
Most people don't even own 4K TV's yet and many of the TV's that have built in apps provide a poor experience.
It is really uninformed to say Apple is always late on audio and visual since they proved far better than most.
Best to be ahead, than late. No reason not to implement it just because most may not have 4K o better audio in their homes either..... It'll be there when u need it,, *if*you need it...
That's why I'm not getting AppleTV 4k... because i don't need it. Perhaps Apple could be overly thinking way ahead of what most people will have in 2 to 3 years time..... *shrugs*
Apple prefer profit over paying licensing costs for codecs. That's why Apple devices are now just getting HEVC codec after people complained that the competition have had it for years.
Actually, it seems that Apple is trying to optimize for overall experience vs. some specific aspects of it. You may not agree with their choices, but that does not make them wrong (or right). By comparison, early DirecTiVo receivers had an option to enable Dolby Digital pass-thru, but that required disabling TiVo UI sounds. It meant that one received a better audio experience on certain programs, at a cost of a UI that required one to look at the screen for all feedback. Again, you may have liked the choice, but it is not a win across the board.
As far as I can tell, neither nVidia's ShieldTV nor any standalone Roku have DolbyVision - a superior HDR experience.
Your argument seems flawed. Apple chose to license DolbyVision rather than just using HDR10. They also chose to use HEVC, vs. the potentially license free VP9. Apple adopted HEVC at the point that it could be implemented in hardware and there were solid encoders available that could handle the quantity of video they need to process. I would bet that cost of the license is dwarfed by their savings in bandwidth for streaming. In both cases, Apple chose the more expensive, but (many argue) technically superior option.
Atmos is a hype, forget about it, there is no benefit to install additional speakers. Movies do not support Atmos and when they do, it is max couple of seconds. This will die out, maybe Auro 3d would make more sense, but studios do not support it either.
There is also no need. I use an upward firing atmos soundbar (hwk950) that is comprised of the main soundbar, two surrounds and a bass. While it may not completely replicate a traditional setup, those that have managed to listen to atmos content through it have reported impressive results.
I was at the iFA in Berlin, and we tested Sonos, Sony, Philips, Samsung, LG sound bars. I was not impressed, because when you have home cinema, you want immersive, clean and definitely not loud sound. Atmos makes it loud and when there is a scene you barely register it. Best experience you get only if you play atmos demo. but maybe apple will update it. Better to have it than not.
Are you for real ? Atmos is the biggest thing then DD5.1 released
I have a real setup not soundbar and play games Xbox one X in Atmos! Netflix movies in Atmos, Ultra HD 4K movies in Atmos so yes it’s a big thing
For you maybe it’s a hype but not for al of us that have the equipment.
If Apple go with DV, HDR and 4K that will need Atmos to be Number one media box. Several cheaper box do Atmos but not DV