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My Apple TV 4 Experience

madmaxmedia said:
There would seem to be no reason Apple couldn't significantly improve the OS and UX with the existing hardware, and not require a new ATV 5 to do so. If Apple comes out with their streaming TV service, I would expect that to go hand-in-hand with a major OS upgrade on the ATV 4.

None of these things were possible with the old ATV due to multiple hardware limitations.
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I realize my post wasn't clear. When I said a more fully featured ATV 5, I meant 4K and HEVC support (at the very least), and the release would coincide with the streaming TV service. I think the ATV 4 will support the streaming TV service, because why wouldn't Apple want the subscriptions, but I don't see the ATV 4 being the latest gen ATV for as long as the ATV 3 was.
 
Rigby said:
And we all know that Apple products never fail. Hence the raging successes of Ping, Mobile Me, iTunes Radio etc. :)
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Didn't say its products never failed but the successes were more overwhelm I thought people would learn to be "cautious" by now but no...
 
maxsix said:
Other than simply being present for accolades, I really wonder if J.Ive is doing anything at Apple these days.

Not only is ATV 4 a stale old design but so are MBP's.

With all the bragging, self congratulations, and "awards" this "designer" get's I think it's odd that nothing reflects his "Style" unless you call rectangular boxes like iPhone case, the MBP case the MB case and such... "stylish".

Come on Apple I'm sure you can do better than this... :eek:
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Please study iconic design and design philosophy more. You seem to be at a lost about the subject. Good design need to be regularly modified just because you're bored? What design school taught you that?
 
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Rigby said:
Uhm, OK. Just do me a favor and don't bet your life savings on that. :)
If Apple doesn't finally start to put a serious effort behind it, that is a very real possibility.
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Dude you're wrong. HomeKit now is actually pretty good. There are lots of great products that support it now. The Apple TV App Store will be more than successful as will the Apple TV sales since it's now a main product and not an accessory anymore.

You see Apple is a brilliant company. They know exactly when to revamp and release a product. For instance you think it's a coincidence that the Apple TV is being released just before the holidays? Wait till the new tv commercials come out. This is going to be on a lot of people's Christmas lists.
 
Supermallet said:
But what do I need in a set top box? Well, I'm a cord cutter, so I need Netflix, Hulu, Plex, Vudu, etc. I don't see the need to shop for a house or clothes through my TV. I don't see the need to play iOS games on my TV.
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What about Plex for accessing all my content that's not on Netflix, Hulu, etc? Or other content services that can now freely create apps and take advantage of the upcoming universal search API? "Apps" doesn't just mean games. It opens up a lot more content outside of Apple's current "invitation only" model on the current apple tv for cord cutters like you and I.
 
zawz said:
Granted, this could change based on software updates and the release of Apple's forthcoming TV subscription service and how new 3rd party apps leverage the platform, but this definitely doesn't feel like the leapfrog device I'd hoped for. For one, I was hoping that there would be a single, elegant content library on the home screen where you could browse through every show on every service. The reality is that only when you select a specific app that you place on your "home row" (5 available spots) will the highlighted content from that app be displayed above (independently of the other services). Universal search is nice, but not quite as frictionless of an experience as I'd hoped. If you search for a title, you can see the various services it's available on, but you still have to select each service's "tab" to see which seasons or episodes are available, rather than being indexed in one single listing. It also doesn't look like you can do any in-app queue management from tvOS, favoring Apple's "wish list" instead.
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Does the universal search include Home Shared iTunes content/movies?
 
After the keynote I was absolutely OUT, then over the last few weeks Ive been creeping back towards IN, but after this thread, no. I know, if Im honest, that buying this when I have an ATV3 is just a complete waste of money. Half assed games when I already have a PS4 and XBOne? Apps on my TV? What will they really truly offer? I just can't see anything essential. Plus its already outdated next to my 55" 4k TV. The TV's built in Netflix app is already giving me amazing shows like Daredevil in incredible quality.

Finally in the age of making everything thinner and smaller, they made the new one fatter with the same old boring design.
 
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I want to know if ATV 4 can connect to a NAS for play videos as system feature, or not. If not, there is an App to enable this feature or we know is coming soon?
 
Macintosh1984 said:
I want to know if ATV 4 can connect to a NAS for play videos as system feature, or not. If not, there is an App to enable this feature or we know is on track?
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I think Infuse is what you want. They have stated there will be an Apple TV version. Check out the iOS app to get an idea.
 
just an fyi on the OP, the trackpad provides a unique analog motion to interaction. While you can't 'hold down the down button" for continuous down cycling, you can flick just like on an iPhone screen (or the old remote app). Fast flick means spinning through long lists efficiently. Its one of the things that is an improvement.

I have almost 500 movies and trust me it is most welcome. Think of your apple music as well, this analog interaction is a sweet improvement.
 
mistame said:
What about Plex for accessing all my content that's not on Netflix, Hulu, etc? Or other content services that can now freely create apps and take advantage of the upcoming universal search API? "Apps" doesn't just mean games. It opens up a lot more content outside of Apple's current "invitation only" model on the current apple tv for cord cutters like you and I.
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Right, and Roku provides Plex and universal search for $30 less than the Apple TV. Plus it also offers Amazon Prime Video, which is currently a big question mark for the ATV.

My point is that any real big player in the marketplace isn't going to limit themselves to one set top box, unless that player is also producing the set top box. The ATV offers less than the new Amazon Fire or Roku 4, but if you need iTunes access, the ATV is your only option.
 
Supermallet said:
I have a PS4, Xbox One, and Wii U. Those more than serve all my gaming needs. I do play iOS games, but my iPhone and iPad are better interfaces for those games. I have an ATV 3 and have never even considered using Airplay to play an iOS game on my TV. I'm not saying there won't be good games for the ATV 4, I'm just saying that gaming is not something I want from a set top box.
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Same opinion for myself, I have a PS3 with 1TB HDD and a PS4 with 2TB HDD, games from the Apple TV 4 are of zero interest. 1080p video I can do on the Apple TV 3. I would have jumped in at 4k, as that is something the consoles cannot do and offers some element of 'future proofing'.

However I do think this will attract the same people as the Wii attracted and have a lot of success. I'll upgrade when it goes 4k and in the mean time start sourcing 4K content where possible.
 
Aluminum213 said:
from the very beginning it didn't look like anything more then a fresh coat of paint on the same UI with a couple small obvious updates here and there

They didn't even bother to change the look of the physical device after all these year, as if it was some perfect form lol
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But this isn't even my final form!
Apple-TV-Concept-Martin-Hajek.jpg
 
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StevenWalker said:
Has anyone installed the Gold yet??
What are the final looks/features like??
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Looks pretty much like what was shown off in Septemeber, a solid upgrade and a ton of future potential.

App Store isn't live yet so can't comment on 3rd party apps.
 
I understand the temptation to pre-order, but I don't really understand why anyone would. We still don't really know what we're getting. Apple are selling the device by focusing on apps, but what apps are going to be available on Day 1? BBC iPlayer? Amazon Prime? Which video services will be searchable via Siri? Netflix?

The unit is ugly -- certainly worse that ATV3 -- and it's expensive. What are you really getting over and above the ATV3? Crossy Road?!
 
profmatt said:
I understand the temptation to pre-order, but I don't really understand why anyone would. We still don't really know what we're getting. Apple are selling the device by focusing on apps, but what apps are going to be available on Day 1? BBC iPlayer? Amazon Prime? Which video services will be searchable via Siri? Netflix?
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profmatt said:
The unit is ugly -- certainly worse that ATV3 -- and it's expensive. What are you really getting over and above the ATV3? Crossy Road?!
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Relax. It'll be fun. It's cost just a little more than Magic Trackpad 2 but have App Store. What could go wrong? :D
 
Hope amazon prime will be there on launch as don't use any other film format like netflix which is a waste of money to me.
 
My needs are simply AirPlay and Plex. Catch up TV such as iPlayer, ITV Player etc. are a bonus. Are any of the AirPlay apps for the Amazon Fire TV robust and stable as I would be just as happy with one of them if AirPlay worked well on it?
Otherwise, this new Apple TV will be an instant order on Monday.
 
For the Devs with ATV4, how do the iCloud Photos work on it? On ATV3 everything is streamed, opening an album is slow and if you are trying to watch a video, it's painfully slow to buffer even on a 50mbps internet connection. I wonder if ATV4 actually stores maybe the latest album on disk?

If anyone can test this, I would appreciate it so much! :rolleyes:
 
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