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Hands-On With the New Apple TV 4K

SFjohn said:
Content viewing with VLC app on Apple TV… we use it quite a bit.
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How do you upload media files to the tvOS VLC app, since the Apple TV doesn't have USB port? Do you need a computer for it? If so, then why not just use the computer alone to play the media files, with no Apple TV?
 
My AppleTVs are literally the most used electronics in my house (except maybe my desktop) but I still can't justify the upgrade on this one. USB-C charging remote sounds nice (I have tons of cables, since I use an Android phone) but any changes to the form/weight of the box are meaningless to me, as I literally never touch the unit after installation. Increased storage capabilities and even faster processor also mean very little, as I don't game on it and mostly use it for streaming apps.

A bit disappointed. This round of upgrade seems like it is meant for someone who hasn't bought a new one since before the device went 4K.
 
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I keep getting a message to update my Apple ID settings and every time I try to set it up with the iPhone it never works. Anyone else?
 
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fbr$ said:
How do you upload media files to the tvOS VLC app, since the Apple TV doesn't have USB port? Do you need a computer for it? If so, then why not just use the computer alone to play the media files, with no Apple TV?
Click to expand...
Because you would need to directly connect a computer to the TV with HDMI and that’s less convenient than doing it wirelessly.
 
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mrj101 said:
I keep getting a message to update my Apple ID settings and every time I try to set it up with the iPhone it never works. Anyone else?
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I noticed this to be buggy in the past.

That and One Home Screen. I had to turn it off because it never works right, and screws up every Apple TV I have.
 
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AmazingTechGeek said:
I wonder why Apple said the A15 gpu is only 30% faster when even the 4-core A15 more than 50% faster than A12 Bionic.
Click to expand...

Just speculation... perhaps it runs at a lower clock rate to reduce heat in order to get rid of the fan.

Frankly, I didn't know my previous generation AppleTV had a fan and is something I never heard.
 
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cmChimera said:
Because you would need to directly connect a computer to the TV with HDMI and that’s less convenient than doing it wirelessly.
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My Apple TV is my M1 iPad Pro connected to the TV via HDMI cable.

I can:
- download movies/series on streaming apps (YouTube Premium, HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+ etc) for offline viewing
- connect an external HDD for MKV/MP4 files
- use Safari for Xbox Cloud Gaming

The only disadvantage of it is the lack of an IR remote.

I tried an Xbox Series S, it has 500GB of storage and lots of USB-A ports, it seemed the ideal device for entertainment (games, streaming, offline media files). An Xbox Series X is even better because it has a blu-ray player. It doesn't come with an IR remote, but there are cheap Xbox remotes on sale on Aliexpress and Amazon. But Xbox lacks bluetooth for bluetooth headphones.

Unfortunately, there's no perfect solution.
 
I find that the extra 1 GB of RAM is very noticeable on the 2022 ATV over the 2021 ATV - it just does so much better of a job in keeping streaming apps in memory and preventing them from needing to be loaded. I was able to have Netflix, YouTube, Prime Video, Disney+, Discovery+, AppleTV+ all in memory at once with a video playing and no reload/relaunch needed going back to them. The CPU speed is also very noticable when using the task switcher.

In the 2021 version, it would start reloading after maybe 3 apps. With the Nvidia Shield, you're lucky to be able to hold 2 apps in memory lol.
 
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fbr$ said:
My Apple TV is my M1 iPad Pro connected to the TV via HDMI cable.

I can:
- download movies/series on streaming apps (YouTube Premium, HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+ etc) for offline viewing
- connect an external HDD for MKV/MP4 files
- use Safari for Xbox Cloud Gaming

The only disadvantage of it is the lack of an IR remote.

I tried an Xbox Series S, it has 500GB of storage and lots of USB-A ports, it seemed the ideal device for entertainment (games, streaming, offline media files). It doesn't come with an IR remote, but there are cheap Xbox remotes on sale on Aliexpress and Amazon. But Xbox lacks bluetooth for bluetooth headphones.

Unfortunately, there's no perfect solution.
Click to expand...
This all seems infinitely less convenient than an Apple TV, and I don’t think those apps steam in 4k to an iPad (except YouTube) I could be wrong on that though.
 
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I have a different view from folks who are disappointed that the new Apple TV doesn't offer enough new things to warrant an upgrade.

The new model is essentially a spec bump over the early 2021 model, just like the Watch Series 8 and the 2022 iPad Pros are spec bumps over their predecessors. Like the 2019 MB Air was a spec bump over the 2018 redesigned MB Air.

Most Apple products get a major redesign and then a series of minor spec bumps for some years before the next redesign. That means your 2-year-old Apple TV or iPad Pro or Apple Watch doesn't have the latest processor but it does most everything the newer one does, so you can use your Apple gear for years before feeling like you're really missing out by not purchasing the latest and greatest model.
 
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citysnaps said:
Just speculation... perhaps it runs at a lower clock rate to reduce heat in order to get rid of the fan.
Click to expand...
But, other devices with the A15 do not have a fan.

It is speculation from myself, but I think that maybe there actually isn't a performance difference between the A15 in the ATV4K3 and the other Apple devices with the A15.
 
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cmChimera said:
This all seems infinitely less convenient than an Apple TV.
Click to expand...
An Apple TV is not more convenient on downloading movies/series for offline viewing, using an external HDD to play MKV files, and Xbox Cloud Gaming than my M1 iPad Pro connected via HDMI to a TV simply because the Apple TV is absolutely uncapable of those tasks. An uncapable device is not more convenient.
 
fbr$ said:
An Apple TV is not more convenient on downloading movies/series for offline viewing, using an external HDD to play MKV files, and Xbox Cloud Gaming than my M1 iPad Pro connected via HDMI to a TV simply because the Apple TV is absolutely uncapable of those tasks. An uncapable device is not more convenient.
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Apple tv can stream mkvs off an internal server which is a lot more convenient than plugging in hdds though. Plus you don’t have to keep plugging and unplugging your tablet.
 
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Gator5000e said:
So if a show or movie is available in Dolby Vision and HDR10+, what takes preference? Any idea of how that works?
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In all the discussions I seen with a Panasonic 4K TV that was capable of both DV and HDR10+ it always went to DV.

www.rtings.com

HDR10 vs HDR10+ vs Dolby Vision: What's the Difference?

After content is color-graded in HDR during the final steps of the post-production process, colorists have three primary HDR formats to choose from to deliver their final vision to consumers: HDR10, Dolby Vision, and HDR10+.
www.rtings.com www.rtings.com
Between Dolby Vision and HDR10+, there's no clear winner from a technical standpoint because they both use dynamic metadata to help improve the overall quality. HDR10+ almost matches the capabilities of Dolby Vision but is lacking in content, and not as many TVs support HDR10+ as Dolby Vision. HDR10 has the distinct advantage of having more content available and being supported by every 4k TV.
Click to expand...
 
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fbr$ said:
An Apple TV is not more convenient on downloading movies/series for offline viewing, using an external HDD to play MKV files, and Xbox Cloud Gaming than my M1 iPad Pro connected via HDMI to a TV simply because the Apple TV is absolutely uncapable of those tasks. An uncapable device is not more convenient.
Click to expand...
I don’t have to have to do any of that to simply stream MKV files on my Apple TV. I also want to watch movies/series in 4k which I can’t do on an iPad.
 
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fbr$ said:
How do you upload media files to the tvOS VLC app, since the Apple TV doesn't have USB port? Do you need a computer for it? If so, then why not just use the computer alone to play the media files, with no Apple TV?
Click to expand...
Yeah, we use a computer to upload files. We have multiple Apple TVs that all get different content that can be played on the different TVs at the same time. It’s nice not to need a computer to do the all the streaming everywhere in the house.
 
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SFjohn said:
Yeah, we use a computer to upload files. We have multiple Apple TVs that all get different content that can be played on the different TVs at the same time. It’s nice not to need a computer to do the all the streaming everywhere in the house.
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Yes, now I see a good reason for using an Apple TV for external files. Lots of people streaming different files at same time from a server to watch them on different TVs on the house.
 
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Juicy Box said:
Just speaking from my own personal experience, I literally have no USB-C charging cables.

The closest I have is one TB3 cable that is currently in use.

I wished there was a charging cable in the box.
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Yeah...and even if we did have tons of USB-C cables, they would likely be all frayed and split at the connector.
 
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