Apps How's the Video Quality of Streaming Apps? (Including iPhone Apps Over AirPlay)

[MICHAELSD]

My main gripe with streaming apps is the inconsistent streaming quality. Netflix has nailed it with practically perfect compression that's superior to cable but I find myself generally dissatisfied with the quality of other streaming apps especially as compared to the quality on cable. On my Xbox One at least, HBO Go is spotty as it works well with movies but some shows look noticeably degraded. Fox Now frequently switches around from extremely low to high quality on a perfect connection, and with a lower frame-rate than cable.

My TiVo Premiere box died and though I was considering a new TiVo or an Xfinity X1 box they're both overpriced. Is quality on the Apple TV box more than watchable with all main network apps? I would use the Xfinity app over AirPlay but I also have quality concerns with that.

No reason to run my Ferrari of a TV with low-quality gasoline -- it has to beat or exceed On Demand streaming for me to consider it.

Even the HBO Go app on Xbox One looks noticeably inferior to On Demand streaming. All these apps could really take a lesson from Netflix. No way I can cut the cord when quality isn't comparable.

 

[John_Hagan]

Keep in mind that your "Ferrari of a TV" is really fueled by the speed of your internet connection and your router. I haven't had any problems watching streamed video on my ATV 4. I have not actually used AirPlay much so I can't actually comment on that.

 

[i hate phones]

I haven't had any issues with quality, it usually just takes a second or two for it to switch from poor to high quality when I first start streaming something (certain apps). To me, the quality doesn't seem any worse than cable. All depends on your internet connection. I was pleasantly surprised to see I couldn't even tell a difference when air playing something from my iphone. My only gripe is the ads in the AMC app (when air playing walking dead) cause air play to stop working so I have to turn it off to watch the ads and then back on when the show resumes. Wish they'd come out with an ATV app

 

[MICHAELSD]

Keep in mind that your "Ferrari of a TV" is really fueled by the speed of your internet connection and your router. I haven't had any problems watching streamed video on my ATV 4. I have not actually used AirPlay much so I can't actually comment on that.

My internet connection is perfectly capable of high-bitrate 1080p. Suffice to say the highest quality available in many apps I've tried is inferior to cable. That makes sense since top cable programs usually take up around ~4GB+/hour on a DVR.