Is Apple TV worth it?

[Bearygoodfries1]

Hey everyone!

So I recently bought an inexpensive LG 4K TV with HomeKit.

Ignorance on my part, but I assumed if a TV had HomeKit, I could use Siri on my phone to open Netflix on my TV, or have my TV play a video on Hulu. Also, be able to turn on the darn thing using my iPhone...

That doesn’t seem to be the case...

So I wanted to ask if I can do those things if I connect my TV with an Apple TV?

Could I also connect AirPods to the Apple TV?

Thanks for your help!

 

[HDFan]

I have an older (2018) LG. Doesn't seem to have Homekit yet so can't comment on Siri integration. Quickly tried some tests with Google integration.

There are 2 apps you can use to control the LG: Google Assistant and LG TV Plus. Once you have enabled google assistant you can say things like "open netflix" or "open hulu" into your LG remote. Don't see a way to enter in voice commands via any of the apps.

But if you turn it off, none of this will work. If it is off there is nobody listening for your commands. You have to turn on via the remote.

If you use an Apple TV you can say "open Netflix" or play a Hulu video in the remote or remote app. HomePods don't work to control the TV in my case. There may be a way to turn/off your TV via the Apple TV. Haven' tried.

Voice control/integration is in its early stages of development. My personal experience is that it isn't worth it, except for a few things like homekit automations. You have to learn the specific commands that the device requires, rather like the command line OS tools, rather than the other way around. Too much work. And it is not consistent. If I tell Siri "current AQI", sometimes it will work, other times it starts playing music. I have to say "current AQI" to consistently get it to work. For home scenes recently I've had to tell siri to activate the scene 3 times before it actually happens.

A ton of pain.

 

[jzuena]

I’m in the same situation with a new LG. I do also have a Raspberry Pi running homebridge which would allow me to run a more full-featured Homekit integration with the TV, but the processor in the TV is slow anyway. Streams take a bit to start, but I really notice the lag when fast forwarding through commercials on apps like Sling. I've decided to keep using our Roku 3 for some things that aren’t in UHD anyway until Black Friday and then see if there are deals on an Apple TV 4K or the new Roku Ultra. We will probably get a HomePod mini for the bedroom, and supposedly the new Rokus will be Homekit enabled.

 

[WebHead]

Re: AirPods, yes.

 

[waw74]

you should be able to turn it on via siri, you might need to adjust a setting especially if you are just using wifi on the TV, as I think the TV defaults to a "lower power - power off" which kills wifi.
In the TV's settings -- connection, mobile connection management, TV on with mobile. Make sure wifi is enabled. (your setting might be elsewhere, but look for similar words)

I've never been able to get siri to change the input directly, but you can record them into scenes.
There is a third party app called homebridge that makes non-homekit things work in homekit. With a plugin, it will control a lot of LG TVs. It allows you to set it up apps as inputs, so you could launch Netflix that way. You need a 24/7 computer and a bit of tech skills. (for what it's worth, homebridge on my older LG worked better than native my newer)

I'm not sure about the specifics of your TV, but you might be able to pair the AirPods with the TV, as most newer sets will let you pair bluetooth headphones. the paring process won't be as smooth as using the aTV, but it will work.
With the aTV, since your AirPods' paring settings are shared to all the devices signed on to your appleID, you just have to select them.



But no, you can't really control an appleTV with siri either.

On the siri remote, you can say "launch Netflix" but other than launching the app, there's not much to do. You can dictate searches instead of having to scroll-type them, but you have to manually navigate to the search field, then siri will convert your speech to text.
There is a "global search" that's available everywhere. You just have to press the siri button and dictate what you want to find. But Netflix is not included in that

In the shortcut app on iOS/iPadOS , there are appleTV actions, including power on/off, play/pause, and launch apps.
once again, for the most part you won't be able to control the app, once you've launched it.
So you could make a shortcut to launch Netflix. And if you setup a siri voice trigger, those would work from any apple device you have (not Mac though)

IF, the app has remote control functions, you might be able to do something besides just launching.
I have a couple apps (Plex, channels) that allow web control, so with both of those, I can use a shortcut to turn on the aTV, launch the app, then using web commands start certain media playing.

 

[weeesss]

I have a HomePod and an older circadian 2008 flat screen and I use the HomePod to turn the tv on and off as well as pause whatever I am watching on my Apple TV.

 

[Baron Thompson]

you should be able to turn it on via siri, you might need to adjust a setting especially if you are just using wifi on the TV, as I think the TV defaults to a "lower power - power off" which kills wifi.
In the TV's settings -- connection, mobile connection management, TV on with mobile. Make sure wifi is enabled. (your setting might be elsewhere, but look for similar words)

I've never been able to get siri to change the input directly, but you can record them into scenes.
There is a third party app called homebridge that makes non-homekit things work in homekit. With a plugin, it will control a lot of LG TVs. It allows you to set it up apps as inputs, so you could launch Netflix that way. You need a 24/7 computer and a bit of tech skills. (for what it's worth, homebridge on my older LG worked better than native my newer)

I'm not sure about the specifics of your TV, but you might be able to pair the AirPods with the TV, as most newer sets will let you pair bluetooth headphones. the paring process won't be as smooth as using the aTV, but it will work.
With the aTV, since your AirPods' paring settings are shared to all the devices signed on to your appleID, you just have to select them.



But no, you can't really control an appleTV with siri either.

On the siri remote, you can say "launch Netflix" but other than launching the app, there's not much to do. You can dictate searches instead of having to scroll-type them, but you have to manually navigate to the search field, then siri will convert your speech to text.
There is a "global search" that's available everywhere. You just have to press the siri button and dictate what you want to find. But Netflix is not included in that

In the shortcut app on iOS/iPadOS , there are appleTV actions, including power on/off, play/pause, and launch apps.
once again, for the most part you won't be able to control the app, once you've launched it.
So you could make a shortcut to launch Netflix. And if you setup a siri voice trigger, those would work from any apple device you have (not Mac though)

IF, the app has remote control functions, you might be able to do something besides just launching.
I have a couple apps (Plex, channels) that allow web control, so with both of those, I can use a shortcut to turn on the aTV, launch the app, then using web commands start certain media playing.

There is a “global search“ in my experience, if we’re talking about the same thing. From any Apple TV screen just press the siri button and say “search YouTube (or whatever app) for subject”. Much quicker than going into the app fiddling to find the search field and then typing or talking.

 

[nutmac]

So I recently bought an inexpensive LG 4K TV with HomeKit.

Ignorance on my part, but I assumed if a TV had HomeKit, I could use Siri on my phone to open Netflix on my TV, or have my TV play a video on Hulu. Also, be able to turn on the darn thing using my iPhone...

That doesn’t seem to be the case...

So I wanted to ask if I can do those things if I connect my TV with an Apple TV?

Could I also connect AirPods to the Apple TV?

First of all, I would wait for next gen Apple TV 4K as the current one is (1) long in the tooth (3+ years) without meaningful price cut, (2) it lacks HDMI 2.1 that your TV has, and (3) new one is rumored with faster processor and new remote control.

Having said that, here are my reasons for getting Apple TV 4K (I have 2019 LG OLED):

• Apple TV 4K is significantly faster and smoother than LG's webOS.
• webOS lacks many streaming apps, such as ESPN+ and HBO Max.
• webOS lacks most music apps.
• Using AirPlay 2 to stream contents from iPhone or iPad is laggy (especially higher bitrate contents), limited to 1080p HDR video and stereo sound.
• Apple TV 4K supports Apple Arcade.
• Apple TV 4K's Photos app supports iCloud Photos Library.
• Apple TV app for webOS is not fully featured, such as chapter access and extra contents.
• Using Siri to launch and interact with tvOS apps.
• Use AirPods Pro for surround sound, including Dolby Atmos.
• Use HomePod for surround sound, including Dolby Atmos. HomePod mini is stereo only.

As for LG TV's HomeKit integration, HomeKit actually offers pretty decent selection of control over your TV, such as turning on or off the TV, switching input, and cursor control. But launching webOS apps is a webOS feature that requires using LG's remote.

 

[jz0309]

First of all, I would wait for next gen Apple TV 4K as the current one is (1) long in the tooth (3+ years) without meaningful price cut, (2) it lacks HDMI 2.1 that your TV has, and (3) new one is rumored with faster processor and new remote control.

agree with everything, offering comment on the bolded: a refresh was first rumored for May 2020 launch and people had hoped it would have been announced during the past 2 events ... imho there is a very slim chance that next Tuesday will include an ATV upgrade but to OP I would wait at least for that ... my guess is we will not see a new ATV til spring 2021 ...

 

[nutmac]

agree with everything, offering comment on the bolded: a refresh was first rumored for May 2020 launch and people had hoped it would have been announced during the past 2 events ... imho there is a very slim chance that next Tuesday will include an ATV upgrade but to OP I would wait at least for that ... my guess is we will not see a new ATV til spring 2021 ...

Yes, that is disconcerting. New Apple TV has been rumored for nearly a year, ever since iOS 13.x beta builds referenced new Apple TV model and Siri Remote.

I give it about 20% chance of new Apple TV announced at next week's Apple event. But March 2021 is probably a safe bet.

If you must have one soon, Apple will probably offer Apple TV Black Friday special. I believe last year was $25 Apple gift card.

 

[HDFan]

(2) it lacks HDMI 2.1 that your TV has,

For most people that is irrelevant. HDM 2.1 is required for 8K video, and high frame rate gaming. There are no 8K video sources right now. XBox and Playstation might have titles than can use it. That's pretty much it.

Have to admit that I am waiting on a install date for a new receiver with 2.1. Since I'm not a gamer the issues with the chip used with all current 2.1 receivers not supporting some high speed 4k frame rates doesn't matter to me, but I will make sure that they commit to fix the problem before I buy. Over its 10 year or so lifespan I expect at some point I will need 2.1.

long in the tooth (3+ years) without meaningful price cut,

Does it meet your needs? If so, why wait, as no one knows when Apple will replace it. Apple does do price cuts, but they are rare for current models.

But I would wait until Tuesday. If it doesn't happen then the next opportunity would probably be March.

 

[waw74]

There is a “global search“ in my experience, if we’re talking about the same thing. From any Apple TV screen just press the siri button and say “search YouTube (or whatever app) for subject”. Much quicker than going into the app fiddling to find the search field and then typing or talking.

Yes, there is global search, but it doesn't work with all apps.

Netflix is one, it does seem to find Netflix only shows, but if a show is available on any other service Netflix doesn't show up as an option.

 

[nutmac]

For most people that is irrelevant. HDM 2.1 is required for 8K video, and high frame rate gaming. There are no 8K video sources right now. XBox and Playstation might have titles than can use it. That's pretty much it.

HDMI 2.1 is more than just 8K. It has a slew of game enhancements aimed at reducing lag and judder. Instant video mode switching could improve frame rate and dynamic range matching for both games and video streaming.

While current Apple TV 4K meets my needs, I very much want HDMI 2.1 and faster processor (for Apple Arcade) and I am intrigued with redesigned remote control. Some sources are reporting 6th generation Apple TV getting A14X processor (and maybe even a gaming controller), which supports AV1 codec and should be much better with 4K gaming.