CES 2020: Apple TV App Debuting on 2020 LG OLED TVs, Coming to 2019 and 2018 Models Later This Year

[MacRumors]

LG today expanded on last week's announcement of new 8K OLED TVs with new details on the full lineup of 13 new OLED models, including a new 48-inch size.

Most notably for Apple fans, LG says the new lineup of OLED TVs will include an Apple TV app, letting users access Apple TV+, Apple TV channels, and iTunes video content. In addition to the new 2020 models, LG says the app will also be coming to 2019 and 2018 models later this year, although exact details on which models will be getting the app have yet to be shared.

New for 2020, the Apple TV app allows customers to subscribe and watch Apple TV+ and Apple TV channels as well as access their iTunes video library and buy or rent more than 100,000 films and TV shows. Customers with 2018 and 2019 LG TV models will also be able to enjoy the Apple TV app this year.

While AirPlay 2 and HomeKit support have rolled out to a number of TV models from LG, Samsung, Sony, and Vizio, the Apple TV app has until now been exclusive to certain 2018 and 2019 Samsung models. The Apple TV app is also available on certain Roku and Amazon Fire TV devices, providing owners of non-Samsung TVs with some alternatives beyond the Apple TV set-top box, but native integration with Apple TV on additional TV brands will be a welcome addition.

Article Link: CES 2020: Apple TV App Debuting on 2020 LG OLED TVs, Coming to 2019 and 2018 Models Later This Year

 

[NinjaHERO]

I'm very happy with my new roku for my AppleTV app. But always good to have options. Hope every TV has every app at some point.

 

[smaffei]

Love my LG OLED TV. Bought it when my new 55" Samsung was showing premature backlight bleed. Should had bough the LG first.

 

[FaustsHausUK]

Side by side, the Apple TV version of the app starts up much faster and has fewer buffering issues than the same for Roku TV devices. I hope these LG models don't have similar performance discrepancies.

 

[DCstewieG]

LG continues with non-existent support for TVs more than a couple years old. I can kind of but not really understand not adding HomeKit/AirPlay support, but an app? If I can get Netflix and Disney+ there’s no reason I shouldn’t be able to get the Apple TV app.

Bring on microLED because the only reason to buy LG is the top-notch quality of OLED.

 

[Chicagoblah]

Im on my 2nd panel since 2017

Love my LG OLED TV. Bought it when my new 55" Samsung was showing premature backlight bleed. Should had bough the LG first.

hope you got a long warranty, my oled has already been replaced due to burn in and now the replacement is starting to have issues after a year

 

[konqerror]

If I can get Netflix and Disney+ there’s no reason I shouldn’t be able to get the Apple TV app.

It's down to how much the streaming services want to pay LG. The subscription services pay to get their apps included, and pay extra for the remote button.

The entire point of Smart TVs: to subsidize the cost of the TV by taking in commissions from Netflix and similar, by selling your viewing data to advertisers via automated content recognition, and by selling ads in the main menu and UI.

 

[nutmac]

This is a great move to include 2018 models.

While AirPlay 2 is a great bandage fix, webOS Apple TV would be far more useful. Judging by Apple TV app on other platforms (Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Samsung), it may only support HDR10 and stereo sound. And Apple TV app is limited to Apple TV+ and Apple TV Channels, sometimes iTunes purchases and rentals, and definitely no Home Sharing/Shared Libraries. It's good that LG version will support all Apple contents excluding Home Sharing/Shared Libraries.

Between 3 TVs at home, I have only 1 Apple TV 4K, hooked up to LG C8. My other 2 TVs have AirPlay 2 and HomeKit (LG B9 and Sony X950G). I may eventually get Apple TV 4K for at least one of these 2 TVs, but only after new model is released.

 

[BODYBUILDERPAUL]

Side by side, the Apple TV version of the app starts up much faster and has fewer buffering issues than the same for Roku TV devices. I hope these LG models don't have similar performance discrepancies.

Yes, the Apple TV 4K has the beast of the A10X chip in it along with proper Apple OS so my opinion is that the Apple TV box from Apple will always give a far better user experience in terms of performance and reliability. Don't forget the Apple TV OS gets updated every 4 weeks or so and has the extremely important frame rate matching etc.
This will always outperform a smart TV app with its basic CPU/GPU etc.

 

[WWPD]

I wonder if this means the end is near for Apple TV hardware wise.

I hope not, I'm still waiting on the Apple TV stick.

 

[npmacuser5]

Not sold on smart TV’s. Rather TV manufactures put maximum smarts into the video, interfaces and leave the rest to sticks or boxes. So far not one of the TV OS has been impressive. Lag behind the sticks and boxes getting new and or updated features. More complexity for essentially no gain.

 

[Anonymous Freak]

Glad they're finally adding support to 2018 models, that annoyed me as the owner of a 2018 model...

 

[BWhaler]

Great news.

Was the minsicule bump in sales with people upgrading really worth pissing off the entire installed customer base? Big companies are so stupid.

 

[Classie]

They are sitting way to close to that sized screen!

 

[spinedoc77]

I have to say FU to LG for leaving earlier TV's out. I have 3 nice LG TV's in my house from late 2018 and they are not getting the Apple updates, kind of crappy. I have a 2018 Vizio (actually a 2017 model) in my guest bedroom that is getting the Apple updates. Remind me again not to support freakin LG.

Oh well, I guess I'm keeping my 2 Apple 4k boxes.

 

[happygodavid]

I wonder if this means the end is near for Apple TV hardware wise.

I hope not, I'm still waiting on the Apple TV stick.

Same here. ATV is far superior to any Airplay options I've seen or tried.

Not sold on smart TV’s. Rather TV manufactures put maximum smarts into the video, interfaces and leave the rest to sticks or boxes. So far not one of the TV OS has been impressive. Lag behind the sticks and boxes getting new and or updated features. More complexity for essentially no gain.

Have a 2018 LG with ATV4K, and a 2019 Samsung with Airplay built in. Bar none, hands down, my wife and I prefer the Apple TV interface to using Airplay and/or the Apple TV app on the Samsung. Sure, we'd rather not have to deal with the delicate hatchling that is the ATV remote, but other than that, it's no contest; Apple TV is so much easier and less of a hassle to use than Airplay. So much so that we've considered just spending the money on another ATV for the Samsung. Which sucks, because the reason we bought it in the first place was to have built in Airplay and not have to deal with another device/remote. Oh well, lesson learned. Unsolicited advice given to anyone who happens to read this: save your money on a TV with Airplay built in. Get an Apple TV instead. Not even close on the advantages of an ATV. Edit: Totally agree with you that TV manufacturers should stay in their lane. Let Apple, Roku, Google, etc. design their UIs in the form of external sticks/boxes. Exactly the same thing with car manufacturers. My gosh, I wish car manufacturers would just stop. Stop burying temperature controls, audio controls, etc. in a freaking touch screen... Give us Carplay, Android Auto, and the screen either does one of those or the radio. That's it. Leave UI stuff to the folks who know it. Okay, end of rant.

 

[Kagio]

Glad they're finally adding support to 2018 models, that annoyed me as the owner of a 2018 model...

Haha .. this is NOT Airplay 2. No TV has support for Apple TV app as of now, 2020 will soon but the point is; 2018 LG TVs will get Apple TV APP, not Airplay (which is the one they left behind for those of us on LG C8 for example).
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Just give us Airplay 2 on LG TV's older than 2019. I'm on C8.

 

[theman510]

Wish there was an Apple TV app for the PS4

 

[cube]

G-SYNC. FAIL.

 

[nutmac]

Im on my 2nd panel since 2017

hope you got a long warranty, my oled has already been replaced due to burn in and now the replacement is starting to have issues after a year

Certain usage definitely risks burn in, most notably:

• Using TV as computer monitor or kiosk
• Playing many hours of games a day with static elements (e.g., HUD)
• Watching the same TV channel many hours a day with network logo or scrolling banner (e.g., CNBC)

Beyond these and similar scenarios, it's extremely unlikely for modern OLED to be damaged with permanent burn in images.

 

[DevNull0]

Certain usage definitely risks burn in, most notably:

• Using TV as computer monitor or kiosk
• Playing many hours of games a day with static elements (e.g., HUD)
• Watching the same TV channel many hours a day with network logo or scrolling banner (e.g., CNBC)

I don't know what the rest of the world is like, but in Canada, every single cable/broadcast channel has the network logo up non-stop except during commercials or when they turn animated and start jumping around the screen.

I guess Canadians can't have OLEDs until they cut the cord.

 

[agffth]

Im on my 2nd panel since 2017

hope you got a long warranty, my oled has already been replaced due to burn in and now the replacement is starting to have issues after a year

What kind of issues? Half of my screen is a tad darker than the other half.

 

[smaffei]

Im on my 2nd panel since 2017

hope you got a long warranty, my oled has already been replaced due to burn in and now the replacement is starting to have issues after a year

Yep. Got a outside warranty. What are you watching that you got burn in?
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Certain usage definitely risks burn in, most notably:

• Using TV as computer monitor or kiosk
• Playing many hours of games a day with static elements (e.g., HUD)
• Watching the same TV channel many hours a day with network logo or scrolling banner (e.g., CNBC)

Beyond these and similar scenarios, it's extremely unlikely for modern OLED to be damaged with permanent burn in images.

I don't play games on mine. I use that aforementioned Samsung LED To do that.
[automerge]1578337027[/automerge]

I wonder if this means the end is near for Apple TV hardware wise.

I hope not, I'm still waiting on the Apple TV stick.

Yeah, that's not going to happen.

 

[chewbaka]

not sure why this is such a big deal. Aren’t most people buying $3,000 TVs also setting up surround sound with an AV receiver, in which case you’d want a top-set streaming device connected to the receiver for sound?

 

[IVYHILL]

This is not Homekit/Airplay 2 support for 2018 OLEDs, which is what most people were wanting. I won't be buying another LG product again.