Maybe the next Apple TV will not be Apple TV at all

Maybe.
But I don't think so.
I hope I'm wrong.

 

Apple seem to have settled into a series of underwhelming incremental improvements to their existing products.

So if there was to be an update to the Apple TV hardware, it will most likely be some but not all of the wish list items discussed here many times.

App Store, Homekit, faster chip, smaller footprint, maybe an hdmi plug in device like Chromecast.

That's it, yawn and move on.

 

Yes, we need more shiny objects While Apple can make incremental improvements to their hardware, there is very little need for new devices. Apple is focused on what it should be doing, integrating Apple products with other types of products.

 

I have also been thinking that a new device might be introduced to link an Apple house - I would be a prime target. Perhaps it will look like a cross between an ATV and a Mac mini, having the ability to talk to and control iOS-driven third party devices, but also act as a home server that can store media for access elsewhere on the network.

 

If all the Apple Tv 4 was, was an ATV3 that you can install iOS apps, that would be great in itself. That will add a huge amount of functionality, which would grow if they added USB3. Add a drive, install one of the many PVR app's, that removes yet another STB.

 

The Apple TV, even with the current hardware and a software update has the potential to be the the best set top box out there. Can't understand Apple's reluctance to update. Biggest missed opportunity ever. Could have been huge.

 

Im confused, what more exactly do people want it to do?

It mirrors my computer display fine, plays netflix and any other streaming service, connects to all our itunes accounts easy enough...

If I needed more, there is a mac mini (which I CAN understand why they should update)??

 

In the rest of the world ATV is little more than a device for playing content purchased through iTunes. If Apple did this then it would be a game changer for TV viewing in the UK. It may not be pretty but it does have loads of UK content - why can't Apple do this? Because it's stupidly got itself stuck negotiating with US content providers and are unwilling to provide a decent content outside the US first. They'd make (?tr)billions in Europe, S. America, Asia selling ATVs with local channels.

Rant over.

 

The new Apple One

 

I just want an official Plex app.

 

1) Act as an iTunes client without requiring a computer or iOS device in the mix to play locally-stored content from an external drive or network share.

2) Have an Apple TV "app store" that 3rd party developers could write apps for. For example, if you have a Silicon Dust "Homerun" device to capture OTA signals and make them available as network streams, Silicon Dust could publish an app to allow an Apple TV to display these streams. Or an XMBC, Plex, or MythTV client. Or QNAP/Synology to play from and manage NAS devices. Lots of other stuff I can't even think of.

3) Unified search. Each channel and app would support a search API to allow you to search all content from one place and then select from the list of possible matches.

4) Single sign-on for cable/satellite authorization. Until the hopeful day when cable/satellite authorization is no longer necessary, having to sign in for each channel is not user-friendly.

5) UI overhaul. The current UI design is not scaling up to large amounts of channels (or apps if #2 is put in play) nor larger libraries within each channel/app.

 

I generally agree, but high bitrate audio support (i.e., Dolby Digital Plus, DTS Master Audio, Dolby TrueHD, etc.) would be nice. Dolby Digital is DVD-grade.

 

How about 1080p encodes that actually look good? Whether they use H.265 or just bump up the bitrate they need to do something. The quality on their itunes videos are extremely poor. Why would I pay $3 an episode to watch bitstarved garbage?