New Apple TV Expected Later This Year With These New Features

[Baseiseough]

At what point? HDMI 2.1 supports TrueHD audio, 4K/120Hz video (more actually), along with lanes for speaker-positioning (ATMOS) and dynamic HDR (Dolby Vision). The HDMI 2.1a spec is slightly better with the same bandwidth, but I’m not sure of hardware support for that. That’s not talking about the HDMI 2.2 spec that has only just been finalized and won’t see consumer hardware for years (outside of somewhat questionable cables).

With my LG C4 and Sonos ARC system I can use the full range of TrueHD ATMOS and 4K/120Hz Dolby Vision but currently only via BluRay or a PC.

If you mean internet bandwidth, I’d largely agree but there is a push for better fibre in North America (and honestly we lag behind quite a few places in Europe and Asia). That also doesn’t account for a) people who are streaming their own media within a LAN, and b) that either the better audio or video would both be beneficial on their own never mind together. Think F1 or sports streaming for example - 4K/120 with Dolby Vision would be AMAZINGLY immersive with buttery-smooth replays but you don’t need any better audio than we already have. On the flip side, a true lossless multitrack audio master of an orchestra would be jaw-dropping, but doesn’t need any video data at all.


Edit to add: but again, hypothetically this is all for an AppleTV Pro with the premium price point. This isn’t the device that grandma will be picking up for Christmas, or come as a “gift with two-year subscription” from your ISP.

I meant more of internet bandwidth and storage for Apple and streamers like Nerflix. Not a lot of people
really want Dolby True HD. Heck, I wouldn’t be surprised if streamers choose the 2:35 aspect ratio for their shows to save 30% on bandwith under the premise that it’s more « cinematic ». It’s just my opinion, but I think that, at the time of huge 4k tvs, 1:90 should be the new « cinematic » standard. But that’s just my opinion and it’s correct if I’m the only person on Earth to think that!

 

[Asclepiadae]

I suppose they might be able to come up with a WiFi connected camera, for those that wanted it, that could be positioned either above or below an existing TV, while the ATV box is hidden per usual.

… it’s called an iPhone/iPad with some kind of mount (anything from a simple slide-in pocket, a MagSafe pad with 3M tape on the back or a wall-mounted MagSafe arm). Not sure there’d be any benefit to a standalone camera, especially with HomePad supposedly coming.

Although, that gives me a terrible thought. What if the HDMI output gets added to the HomePad as-is, and the AppleTV is killed entirely. 😱 The on-TV view would be a CarPlay-esque second screen for the HomePad and the hardware would be forced to live in plain sight near the TV.

Why don’t they throw the M1 chip in there and get it over with?

M1 production has ended, M2 will likely be ending soon. If they went with an M-series SoC it would most likely be the M3 as it’s using the current TSMC production process (3nm, like the M4). Would certainly be powerful enough, and already used on an iOS-branch system with the iPad.

I meant more of internet bandwidth and storage for Apple and streamers like Nerflix. Not a lot of people
really want Dolby True HD. Heck, I wouldn’t be surprised if streamers choose the 2:35 aspect ratio for their shows to save 30% on bandwith under the premise that it’s more « cinematic ». It’s just my opinion, but I think that, at the time of huge 4k tvs, 1:90 should be the new « cinematic » standard. But that’s just my opinion and it’s correct if I’m the only person on Earth to think that!

😂 Assuming you mean 1.9:1 - 1:90 is a little extreme even for my fondness of widescreen landscape shots!!

I do agree with you - this would be easily a piece of hardware for the true enthusiast / those of audiophile-pedigree. I wouldn’t suggest that Apple as a business looked at this for their standard consumer device, but they have a history of having Pro lines that pack a heck of a punch.

 

[bozzykid]

My Apple TV 4K already supports 4k Dolby Vision and Atmos. It also sends 5.1 and 7.1 in LPCM to my avr. If it’s not for competing with game consoles, what is the faster chip for?? Apple Arcade games are Sega Master System level and already play as bad as they can with the remote.

The last 2 Apple TV 4k releases happened because they no longer produced the chip being used in the device. I suspect the next Apple TV will be released for the same reason.

 

[Juicy Box]

I am hoping that Apple brings back an active cooled version.

The A15 in the 2022 ATV4K3 thermal throttles, and gaming performance tends to be better on the 2021 ATV4K2 with the much older A12 due to it having a fan.

A new ATV vase model could be $79, passively cooled, 64GB, no ethernet, no Matter/Thread, pretty much the same as the base ATV4K3, just with an updated A18 chip. This would be great for most users.

And the higher tier one being $179, active cooled, 256GB, ethernet, Matter/Thread support, with an A18 Pro or A19 Pro Chip.

 

[ifxf]

I would find a camera on anything sitting with my TV creepy.

 

[JohnC1959]

I would find a camera on anything sitting with my TV creepy.

more so than the one on any laptop? Either with TV or laptop you of course could always cover the lens if concerned about the camera being used without your knowledge.

 

[HaHaRich!]

Ya’ll are missing the obvious from factor upgrade: an upside-down U-shaped device. camera on the front, ports on the back, hangs over the top of your screen. Your TV set can have a notch, just like your (last) iphone. The next gen 8K Pro model will have an Apple Vision Pro style front screen, and a TV-facing camera inside the U shape, so you can have the camera floating on the TV like a Dynamic Island

 

[danny842003]

The camera positioning doesn’t matter much with the new wide-angle FaceTime cameras. Like on the M4 Macs, the camera can follow you around the room regardless of positioning.

Nobody wants a USB webcam with extra wires etc laying about. Yuck.

I personally don’t want a camera anyway but no matter how wide angle the camera is it’s not going to work with my current set ups.
A USB web cam would be a better option in many cases.

 

[michaelscarn]

The search/Siri/mic button should be moved from the remote's side. It's too easy to press just by rubbing against something. There's no way to disable the search, even with Siri disabled.

 

[tranceme]

Crazy how my 4th Gen ATVs are still working great. Had 2 Firesticks that died on me that are half as old.

However, getting a new TV soon. So, would like a 4K version. Good timing if they release this fall.

 

[Apple MessagePad]

Highly doubt FaceTime camera. No one sets their Apple TV right atop their TV (especially with today's thin TVs). Many have them tucked away.

If they wanted to put an M1 or M2 in it, then they could have a nice little games console on their hands.

Yeah, and they'd be charging $500 for it and have no games available for it. Why wouldn't someone just buy a PS5 or XBOX?

 

[tornadowrangler]

Do you watch any Apple TV+ content?

I suppose I have. Why?

 

[Cayden]

I think the only thing that would push me to upgrade is 120 Hz support. Without that, I don’t really see any of these any features being a benefit to me.

 

[Luuthian]

Just give me an Apple TV that can handle the Resident Evil games at decent settings Apple. Get those Mac games ported to it. It’s a dream but if they can make it happen…

 

[kerr]

Apple TV 4K (3rd generation): October 2022
Apple TV 4K (2nd generation): April 2021
Apple TV 4K (1st generation): September 2017
Apple TV HD: September 2015

Really wish Apple had semi-consistent timelines. There was absolutely no need to release the 4K 3rd Gen just 18 months after the 2nd Gen model. I have the 4K 1st Gen and it works perfectly fine, I don't need to upgrade but I will be buying the 4th Gen. Will finally have a USB-C remote, I won't say no to a faster chip and wi-fi, and I'm not looking for any new features specifically.

 

[matsan]

For a long time we were Apple TV users with three sets hooked up to home-theater systems (remember those big things before the tiny soundbars started ruling the world? 🦕) + projectors and 120” white screens. The Apple TVs were connected to the HDMI-inputs of the home-theater systems and then projectors and 42” LCD connected to the HDMI-outputs.
Due to renovation we had to scrap one setup and replaced it with Samsung TV 75” (2020) + Sonos Arc, surround and sub. We couldn’t get the sound to work well from the Apple TV to Sonos through the TV but found out that the app support in the Samsungs and AirPlay was sufficient for our needs (Netflix, Prime, Viaplay and Swedish TV).

All setups are now replaced with Samsung TVs and either Arc or Beam from Sonos and all Apple TVs retired and sold off.

Great technology at the time, but maybe it’s time for Apple to move away from the TV space?

 

[janwerbinski]

I'm using ATV less than before. Youtube experience is bad because of longer ads on ATV/IOS comparing to PC/Mac. Customisation of some apps is very basic with limited options. I miss the old remote control on older 4K version - it was more ergonomical for me. And now I can't change volume level on my TV from ATV remote which was working for years until few week ago. Some free or already paid apps for Mac/IOS need to be bought or paid again on ATV. I'm considering replacing ATV with quiet PC or my Mac mini M4 with wireless keyboard and touchpad. Tests will begin soon...
What is still good? ATV is cheap and easy. Clean UI. Quiet. Low power. Good image and sound quality. IOS/Mac integration.

 

[ChrisA]

I like the lower prices but see no compelling reason to replace my Apple TV.

Upgrades are not what Apple sells.

Think about Kohler. Kohler sells toilets. No one upgrades their toilet unless they are forced to or they build a new house but yet Kohler sells quite a lot. That market is 100% saturated. By now the cell phone market and ATV market is that way too but even when prople see no need to upgrade you can still sell a lot if only becaue the human population on Earth gets larger and some ATVs break and need to be replaced.

Kohler makes products that every person on Earth already owns and rarely upgrades

 

[macduke]

I buy every new Apple TV because they trickle down from the most used to least used TVs in my house each time. Keeps everything reasonably up to date. The newest goes in the home theater, the next goes in the living room, and the last goes in my workshop, which I really only use with AirPods to watch YouTube while building something.

I just want a USB-C port with support for plugging in a webcam. We use FaceTime on the TV quite a bit for my family to talk with family across the state and country as we can all sit on the couch and chat on a huge screen. But it always runs down my iPhone battery so quickly and is fiddly to setup at the proper angle. Would much rather have a fixed solution that I can mount. Would be cool if the Apple TV had a microphone even half as good as the HomePod mini for playing music. I’ve got a nice Sonos hooked up downstairs and it would be great if I could just control it easily like my HomePod mini.

I also want them to figure out how to switch between Dolby Vision and standard HDR without the display blacking out.

What I really want is for Apple to enforce apps using the remote properly for touchscreen circle tracking use. Some apps work great when you wind your finger around the circle to control the playback head. Others start to go and then go back the other direction, requiring a bunch of rapid swipes instead. Why is this so inconsistent? Pretty sure that should be in the Apple HIG. I’ve only made a game on Apple TV so unsure.

 

[AdamHarbour]

The app is built into most smart TVs so fairly pointless , home hub just use a HomePod .

 

[testcard]

Putting a camera on the device is useless. Not only due to "why would I use it?", but also due to the devices not exactly being positioned to give good/any picture from a built in camera. A better suggestion would be to enable usb connected webcams.

I would need to get on my hands and knees and peer through the slats in my TV stand/sideboard to see the camera. Fairly creepy for anyone at the other end of the conversation.

 

[Paddle1]

The latest gen apple tv 4k is too slow at switching frame rate and dynamic range format that I have match content turned off. I don’t like the momentary black screen when it switches, which is often. An update that makes this snappy would be great

I also want them to figure out how to switch between Dolby Vision and standard HDR without the display blacking out.

Doesn't this have more to do with your TV itself?

(For frame rate specifically the Apple TV 3rd gen added support for Quick Media Switching but your TV needs to support it as well.)

 

[aliea13]

I'm still waiting for bit perfect audio for listening to Hi-res Lossless Apple Music

 

[Abazigal]

The current Apple TV is powered by the A15 Bionic chip, which debuted in all iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro models in 2022. It is very likely that the next Apple TV will have a newer chip, such as an A18 or A19 chip, and this would result in faster overall performance and potentially even Apple Intelligence support on tvOS.

Minor typo, but I believe the iPhone 13 was released in 2021 (since I am currently using the 13 pro max, so it's a time frame I am more familiar with). 😛

 

[uacd]

Maybe it will be 8k version to match the hypothetical 8k30 resolution of new iPhone 17.

Anyway I am waiting for a newer version for my 2nd TV, don’t want to be in a situation when I get 2022 device and then a new one comes out. I thought they would update it in 2024 tho