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Apple TV HD vs. Apple TV 4K Buyer's Guide
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New Siri remote with descriptive labels.
This is an excerpt from a detailed FAQ for the new Siri Remote (2nd generation) 2021 model on AVSforum.
This is an excerpt from a detailed FAQ for the new Siri Remote (2nd generation) 2021 model on AVSforum.
For Apple TV programing, my Xbox Series X has the Apple TV app for movies, shows, etc. I don't feel like I'm missing anything as far as streaming content. Whatever my Xbox doesn't do, my Sony Android TV should pick up the slack.
My 3rd generation Apple TV or whatever generation it is still works.
My 3rd generation Apple TV or whatever generation it is still works.
I suspect the main reason why the AppleTV HD is still hanging around is because they're mostly used as conference room and lecture hall AirPlay devices.
Nonetheless, it is a shame that the price difference is so small between the AppleTV HD and the current gen. This makes the current gen a no brainer for most people.
Nonetheless, it is a shame that the price difference is so small between the AppleTV HD and the current gen. This makes the current gen a no brainer for most people.
The article is overthinking it. It’s $30, buy the 4K model.
Because AppleTV supports more apps. It has Discovery+, for example, which is not available on my smart TV (LG 4K OLED CX65).
I’m sorry but this article is absolutely pointless to me. 30$ is no money to talk about. The Apple TV4K is future proof.
I was actually surprised that in the 3 and a half years since the first ATV 4K came out the only thing they changed was adding an A12 chip over the A10X which isn’t a large difference overall. They should have added the A12Z or A13 at least. Weird move by Apple.
Surprised HD is not being sold for 100$
wish the comparison was for the previous 4K vs the new 4K
part of me wish it had USBC so we can dream of future FaceTime Cam
wish the comparison was for the previous 4K vs the new 4K
part of me wish it had USBC so we can dream of future FaceTime Cam
Great points. I thought about this too. It's hard to put another $150-200 box on my Smart TV. But, yes, I feel Apple TV is just much better to use with accessing content over the Smart TV.
And, yeah, I agree that it's redundant at times. HomeKit is big one for me. I use the video feature for games all the time. It's great cams right from the Apple TV. And, swishing accounts on content is nice on Apple TV. I don't think I can easily switch to different Apple IDs on my Smart TV.
Apple is most likely waiting to enable the 120hz support, that they mentioned at the show, for a later time? Maybe when functional HDMI2.1 receivers are actually available?
Apple Employee here who worked a few years in the department that supports the Apple TV. There was not a lot of huge demand for optical port so I am going to venture out on a limb that was why it was removed. However, you have been able to get these below that will take the hdmi and break the audio and video out. Video into hdmi and audio into whatever you need. They start at about 25$.
Attachments
Hopefully an article is coming this week, but the major differences are the upgrade of an A10X to A12, and newly-included hdmi 2.1 to now support 4K HDR 60fps. Also nice is one generation newer antennas for wifi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0.
The current Apple TV hdmi 2.0 has max bandwith of 4K 30fps. Meanwhile, HMDI 2.1 supports up to 4K 120hz. Apple announced 4k 60fps, but we are hoping 120hz is software unlocked in the future (maybe WWDC?).
I haven’t looked at benchmarks for the A10X vs A12, but I assume the interface will feel a bit snappier and Apple Arcade games will run better. As far as video content, that’s where the inclusion of hdmi 2.1 comes in.
If you have a newer tv with hdmi 2.1 (within the last couple of years), this is a nice upgrade to take advantage of high frame rate HDR. Those TVs aren’t cheap, so upgrading to this Apple TV is a good investment to get your money’s worth out of your TV. If you don’t have a tv with hdmi 2.1, there is no rush to upgrade.
iPhones can record 4K 60fps HDR, so this Apple TV will be needed for that playback (the current model will play back in 30 just fine ). It may take some time for other content providers to have content in 4K 60. Once Apple throws themselves in, features tend to become mainstream.
Making it more enticing is with the remote already being $60 on its own, that’s already 1/3 the cost of the whole package.
tl;dr - Own a TV with hdmi 2.1 from the last couple of years? I’d say go for the upgrade.
Have a current Apple TV, but no hdmi 2.1 capable tv? No rush to upgrade.
Don’t own an Apple TV yet, but ready to join the ecosystem? Get the newest one to future proof.
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Why, oh why did they decide to keep the HD model. I already feel sorry for the buyers.
This and the Dual-Core 21.5-inch iMac are the two biggest shame in their actual lineup. I think the iMac is worse though.
Is Eddy Cue still the one behind the Apple TV decisions !?
This and the Dual-Core 21.5-inch iMac are the two biggest shame in their actual lineup. I think the iMac is worse though.
Is Eddy Cue still the one behind the Apple TV decisions !?
I expected a $99 price with the new remote for 1080p, to get people in the ecosystem over a Roku or Chromecast. Feels out of touch.
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Ive never had a a good experience with built in smart features. My tv was over $4k au, I don’t see myself ditching Apple TV any time soon.
safari on a tv sounds like an awful experience.
My last two smart TVs displayed ads if I connected them to the Internet without any way to disable them. I believe they also do content recognition on what I'm watching for ad targeting. For this reason, I don't connect my TV to the Internet unless absolutely necessary. (My newest TV supports offline firmware updates via USB.)
If I had one, I would trust Apple TV not to use my viewing habits to target advertising and keep my account and usage information secure.
I also expect that the Apple TV is less likely to have disputes with streaming service providers that result in apps or services being removed from my device.
You forgot to mention that WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 now are supported on the new Apple TV 4K.
Also, HDMI has been bumped up from 2.0 to 2.1, resulting in more than doubling the bandwidth from 18 Gb/s to 48 Gb/s. Today that supports 8K res at 60 fps, and 4K at 120 fps, along with Dolby Vision/HDR at 60 fps. There's bandwidth leftover for potential further increases via future firmware updates.
Also... there's the greatly improved remote.
The only button missing for me is the “switch input” button which I’ll have to occasionally have to do when a gaming system doesn’t switch over properly. Really close to being the only remote I need.
That is true. Unfortunately most of the new specs don’t translate to much more most people that already have a 2017 ATV 4K. I actually cancelled my ATV 4K 2021 order and did order the remote.
I have seen a few of these buyers guides recently, and the "differences" section really needs to be lined up in a grid. Its very difficult to compare with just two random lists.