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Apple TV 2015 Ethernet port
- Thread starter 3rdiguy
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Perhaps I missed something but they are both showing 10/100 ports, so no change.
And Ethernet isn't like USB where you have specific incompatibilities. It's more like thickness of jumper cables. Better is more, but better is not always needed. So a cat 5 will often work even when a cat 6 is recommended. Especially if it's a short cable.
And Ethernet isn't like USB where you have specific incompatibilities. It's more like thickness of jumper cables. Better is more, but better is not always needed. So a cat 5 will often work even when a cat 6 is recommended. Especially if it's a short cable.
Most people would normally agree with that view. Unfortunately Apple has made the wireless capability faster than the wired ethernet. You will probably be better off using wireless if your router can handle the latest AC spec.
This will only really apply to internal data transfer (itunes library), because as of now, most peoples bottle neck is not the lack of Gigabit ether speeds, it is their ISP, for example, I have 75/75 Fios, AC will not make that any faster. Also, my PC with my itunes library, really isn't fast enough to max out 100 MB ether speeds, so for me, wired is still fine.
I'm unaware of any video content the Apple TV can play that needs a faster connection than 100Mbps. It should make 0 difference unless your wifi is spotty, then the ethernet option will be more reliable.
JoeShades
macrumors 68000
d21mike
macrumors 68040
What about Games? When you install a Game it has a limit of 200mb. Once you open the Game it can download up to 2gb more. More and more Internet Connections exceed 100mb. My son has 200mb ($54.99/month). He is with TWC can could actually go to 300mb for $10 more. I am with FIOS and only have 75 but my office account is 150. My router has a GB WAN Port to support > 100mb connections. So, yes why not allow for a faster download of the additional parts of the Game? Also, while watching a movie would be nice for it to cache more of the movie faster. Of course you can use 802.11ac Wifi which is now faster then the Ethernet Port. But why not put in 10/100/1000 Ethernet? That has been the standard for many years on ALL of my computers (much longer then 802.11ac). Also, Wifi is used for more things then just 1 of my ATV's.
Games could indeed benefit from GigE in theory. However, in practice no game will download on-demand resources in large chunks. The developer guide recommends 64MB chunks.
As mentioned elsewhere, the reason for using 10/100 Ethernet could be power consumption. GigE typically consumes a few hundred mW per port in operation. That's a lot for a low-power always-on device like the Apple TV (the present model consumes about 2W when streaming and about 200mW in sleep mode). 10/100 ports typically use significantly less power than GigE (in one Broadcom PHY that I'm familiar with it's less than half).
As mentioned elsewhere, the reason for using 10/100 Ethernet could be power consumption. GigE typically consumes a few hundred mW per port in operation. That's a lot for a low-power always-on device like the Apple TV (the present model consumes about 2W when streaming and about 200mW in sleep mode). 10/100 ports typically use significantly less power than GigE (in one Broadcom PHY that I'm familiar with it's less than half).