Apple TV Getting New Video Player Features and More With tvOS 15.4

Duncan-UK said:
I've encountered these problems in the past, so abandoned the ATV and used the Apple TV app on a Firestick when staying at hotels - less bulky and the ability to side load and use Kodi for playback off an SSD or USB drive is also very helpful on the Firestick.
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I should look into this idea of using the app more and airplay on my smart TVs. This might be easier in some ways. Hmm.
 
Apologies if I'm being dense, but I don't understand what that tweet is showing in the Up Next queue in the video player. How do you trigger it, and what's different from before?
 
We need a Apple TV Pro with A15 and 6GB Ram. It already has Game Controller support so all we need is a powerful box to play those poorly optimised but enjoyable Apple Arcade games.
 
DFZD said:
We need a Apple TV Pro with A15 and 6GB Ram. It already has Game Controller support so all we need is a powerful box to play those poorly optimised but enjoyable Apple Arcade games.
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I agree, but additionally they need to go downmarket also (and make a stick)

The current models are in the middle and are either way too powerful or not powerful enough, depending upon the user.

I don't play games on ATV (and never will) and would really enjoy a much smaller and less expensive option
 
As a former AppleCare employee that specialized in Apple TV products, items unreal to me that it took this long to get Captive Network support, holy ****.
 
I like the idea of the next up queue, sounds good.

One issue I've had on my new model 4K Apple TVnis I can't sign into Kapang TV on it, I can enter my username and password but it just crashes back to the home page when I go to log in with my credentials? Anyone had this issue with the app?
 
turbineseaplane said:
I agree, but additionally they need to go downmarket also (and make a stick)

The current models are in the middle and are either way too powerful or not powerful enough, depending upon the user.

I don't play games on ATV (and never will) and would really enjoy a much smaller and less expensive option
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I am sure there's a market for that but Apple being Apple has rarely tried to woo the budget market because they have found very hard to compete outside their comfort zone.

Remember iPhone 5c?

And it's not just that, Apple would rather allow you to buy a last year model instead of spend R&D resources to design a budget product. Just see what they do with the iPad Classic. It's 2 years behind in terms of spec and half a decade behind in design, but it sells a lot so Apple keep its alive without putting any kind of visible effort to make it feel fresh.
 
zorinlynx said:
Captive portal support is big for travelers! Makes the ATV useful in a lot more places. It's about time Apple figured out people need that.
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As someone who travels a lot of business, I used to throw an AppleTV in the suitcase so that I could watch my content on the road. The lack of captive portal support became a big problem. I discovered that Roku had figured it out and I could use a Roku streaming stick. Honestly, at this point there is no incentive to use the AppleTV. The Roku 4K Streaming Stick+ is only about $40, it is very small and lightweight, it supports an AppleTV app for all my Apple content, since last year I can even AirPlay to it, it plugs directly into an HDMI port so I don't need to carry a cable, and it draws power from a standard USB port (which is on most TVs), so I don't need to even find a power outlet for it. It's really the perfect travel solution. Some content from some channels is geolocked, but all original programming (from Netflix, Apple and Hulu) seems to be available anywhere in the world.
 
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DFZD said:
I am sure there's a market for that but Apple being Apple has rarely tried to woo the budget market because they have found very hard to compete outside their comfort zone.
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That may be, but they are nearing the limit on what they can keep getting away with.
At some point the free/cheap offerings get so good that people stop buying the incredibly overpriced ATV units

Edit: case in point - see the post just above this...


Much smarter to nuke this themselves and make a $79 stick and a $249 gaming version
 
Duncan-UK said:
You rarely need it these days due to the increasing ubiquity of the ATV app

The sign in for hotel networks etc is a welcome addition however.
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I’ve read that often the built-in Apple TV app on tvs is not as good as the one that comes with the actual Apple TV box.
 
turbineseaplane said:
I agree, but additionally they need to go downmarket also (and make a stick)

The current models are in the middle and are either way too powerful or not powerful enough, depending upon the user.

I don't play games on ATV (and never will) and would really enjoy a much smaller and less expensive option
Click to expand...
Can't see them ever doing a stick given the existence of the app for smart TVs, and other devices such as the Firestick.
 
Duncan-UK said:
Can't see them ever doing a stick given the existence of the app for smart TVs, and other devices such as the Firestick.
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For sure..

Up to Apple..
Just pure profit lost, as many folks would buy a stick at a slight premium simply to have the interface/remote from ATV
 
ceraz said:
Totally agree. I don't need 100 apps for subcription services that I never use. I'd love to easily access my locally stored home videos on a network storage device (VLC works but the UI isn' great).

Homesharing is also pain when dealing with large photo libraries - neverstood why it's so slow/unstable on a wired network.
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markfc said:
Pah, thought we we’re getting native NAS / SMB support for a minute.
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Try the FileBrowser app. It is great for SMB access, and it's only $4 or something. I am using it to display photos from my NAS. I haven't tried videos though.
 
GregoriusM said:
I’ve read that often the built-in Apple TV app on tvs is not as good as the one that comes with the actual Apple TV box.
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The main difference (for me) is that the TV app on the AppleTV serves as a central portal to content on many of the other apps. On a Roku or smart TV, it is only the Apple content.
 
GregoriusM said:
I’ve read that often the built-in Apple TV app on tvs is not as good as the one that comes with the actual Apple TV box.
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The only real difference is you can't access iTunes extras from the app. I've got ATV 4Ks for my lounge and office systems but the other TVs in the house just use the App and its perfect for that. I can live without the iTunes extras as opposed to spending silly money on very over-priced physical boxes.
 
ridgezin said:
The main difference (for me) is that the TV app on the AppleTV serves as a central portal to content on many of the other apps. On a Roku or smart TV, it is only the Apple content.
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Personally I can't stand the way the TV app offers content from other sources. It is unintelligent and often offers me content to buy again rather than recognising that I have it in my iTunes library.
 
turbineseaplane said:
For sure..

Up to Apple..
Just pure profit lost, as many folks would buy a stick at a slight premium simply to have the interface/remote from ATV
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Maybe - but Apple aren't generally interested in making a product that doesn't sell in the millions. Given a price of say $79 (cannot see them going below that, and more realistically $99) or a free app (which gives you the interface) - what are people going to choose?

It also then cannibalises the main box.
 
DHagan4755 said:
There have been times where I wanted to throw my Apple TV in the trash. With the way TVs have gone with their built-in "smart" capabilities, it has occasionally felt unnecessary or cumbersome. On the other hand, if you have a bunch of different branded TVs around the house, having an Apple TV on each one as a unified interface is nice if the people using said TVs aren't technically minded. This feature wouldn't necessarily sway me but I'd need to use it to see if it's much of an improvement.
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I might sound paranoid, but I have two Samsung TVs, I disconnected them from my network after I realized the amount of times they connect to Samsung servers per day, it is too frequent . They also upload a few GB of data to Samsung ever 1-2m (even if I was out of home). Maybe I have some kind of virus or maybe is just data collection/tracking. Apple TV definitively does not “call home” (connect to apple servers) as my Samsung TVs
 
turbineseaplane said:
That may be, but they are nearing the limit on what they can keep getting away with.
At some point the free/cheap offerings get so good that people stop buying the incredibly overpriced ATV units

Edit: case in point - see the post just above this...


Much smarter to nuke this themselves and make a $79 stick and a $249 gaming version
Click to expand...
Well that is a business logic that Apple has always applied and honestly it has somehow worked very well for them. So don't keep waiting for a $99 Apple TV Stick.

The only way it could ever happen was if Apple feels that they are not able to get enough traction on Apple TV+ and they need a cheaper device to get to a larger market. Even then I'm not sure what benefit they would see in creating a completely new product, compared to just reducing the price on older models and releasing a new Apple TV every two years.

IMHO if you are really waiting for a stick, it seems highly unlikely that would happen anytime soon.
 
Duncan-UK said:
The only real difference is you can't access iTunes extras from the app. I've got ATV 4Ks for my lounge and office systems but the other TVs in the house just use the App and its perfect for that. I can live without the iTunes extras as opposed to spending silly money on very over-priced physical boxes.
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Yes, for features. But so many have said that the performance of the app is subpar, often buggy, and prone to quit on some tvs. Just something to be aware of.
 
DFZD said:
Well that is a business logic that Apple has always applied and honestly it has somehow worked very well for them. So don't keep waiting for a $99 Apple TV Stick.

The only way it could ever happen was if Apple feels that they are not able to get enough traction on Apple TV+ and they need a cheaper device to get to a larger market. Even then I'm not sure what benefit they would see in creating a completely new product, compared to just reducing the price on older models and releasing a new Apple TV every two years.

IMHO if you are really waiting for a stick, it seems highly unlikely that would happen anytime soon.
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Don't get me wrong, I'm not "waiting" for anything
(we have many ATVs)

Simply discussing why I'd like the product and hopeful for it at some point

I'm good for a while, but I can't say I'd buy all ATVs again if doing it from scratch right now.
That's the type of decision and concern Apple has to be worried about moving forward as this all evolves.
 
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