Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Is there any use buying this if you:

A) Already have an Apple TV HD? and;
B) Don’t have a 4k TV (but have plans to get one eventually)?

I only use it to watch shows on Netflix or Amazon Prime. I don’t play music on it much, nor do I game on it. I think that’s because I know that trying to do so will be painful given the old A8 (?) chip in it. If I had more performance behind it I might be tempted to do more with it.
Everything is a lot smoother and faster on the 4K models. There are small advantages too. 4K 1st gen adds support for HomePods as speakers. 4K 2nd gen adds support to send TV and game system audio to HomePods. 4K 3rd gen adds HDR10+, which is great if you have a newer TV without DolbyVision. 4K 2nd/3rd gen greatly reduce network latency which is great for game streaming (such as Steam Link).
 
The thing is though a streaming box doesn't really need more than the 100Mb currently so the faster wifi doesn't really matter. Even when 8K streaming comes it won't saturate that. There isn't really a benefit to faster wifi (or faster ethernet port) right now. It's not like a PC where you will have tasks that can exceed 100mb ethernet so faster wifi is worthwhile.

The benefit of Ethernet is stability as obviously wifi can and does have interference issues to varying degrees which can see some people require a wired connection for a more consistent experience
Theory aside, I initially used the Ethernet to both my ATVs, but experienced buffering. Switching to WiFi resolved the issue.
 
Storage for what? I stream stuff off the internet. (serious question...not being rude)
Apps.

Even when ‘just streaming’, you are still using an app and some of them are getting fairly large.

Then, there are standalone games that are not part of Arcade (I am not sure how much is downloaded for Arcade games).
 
The main reason to buy this Apple TV is for HDR10+ if you own Samsung TV's. I have two of them, so I might update the ones I have. Other than that, the only other reason to buy this would be if you didn't have a HomePod mini or prior Apple TV 2021 to support having a Matter hub.
I just upgraded to a 4K TV downstairs this year and was waiting for this release before upgrading my ATV. This sounds like yet-anothe-reason I am glad a waited a bit.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Argoduck
Gosh, I wonder why Apple would be working on making a 4K device that’s fanless and light as possible? Why would they do that? They couldn’t be working on something else that needs these properties could they? No, never! Can’t think of a darn thing!

oh gosh, wait…no, never mind :p
 
  • Haha
Reactions: Phil1975
50% less weight is a very important feature for a device that is 100% of its lifetime sitting on a sideboard, totally worth to mention it prominently on the headline.

lol, I mostly agree with you, but I'm actually an outlier who's glad it's lighter. Both of my Apple TVs are mounted to the walls behind my TVs using those velcro-like Command Strips. They're never fallen off the wall, but I've always felt a little uneasy about it because the Apple TVs are so heavy.
 
  • Haha
Reactions: Wildkraut
Will they support two connected AirPods for headtracking feature?
So far it was only supported for one AirPod.
 
Wrong, air intake/exit on the bottom, large cutouts.
1666225633814.jpeg


Oh snap you’re correct. I thought they all where the same as the ATV 4
 
I hear you, the fan actually kicks in 4K 30min+ playback but the design is so good that you won’t hear it
I’m one of those who noticed the air holes on the bottom but it never occurred to me that there was a fan inside since I’d never heard one. It should have been obvious there was one. Now I have this desire to take one apart. LOL
 
  • Haha
Reactions: Benjamin Nabulsi
Unless you have a Samsung TV, no. Samsung doesn’t support Dolby Vision and only supports HDR10+. Otherwise, you already have every other feature the new one has. I have two Samsungs, myself.
Thanks! ours is LV & Vizio which both have Dolby I believe.

I guess I’ll sit out this update then. But good to know it has updates that other people can make good use of!
 
Gosh, I wonder why Apple would be working on making a 4K device that’s fanless and light as possible? Why would they do that? They couldn’t be working on something else that needs these properties could they? No, never! Can’t think of a darn thing!

oh gosh, wait…no, never mind :p
Cheaper and easier to ship, perhaps?
 
Kinda bummed about the weight change. I always love how the Apple TV was heavy because most set top boxes can get lifted up by the weight/pull of the HDMI cables slightly. Guess I gotta get out the trusty museum putty again!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Argoduck
If you have Samsung TV's, Samsung being the largest TV vendor on the planet, they only support HDR10+ and not Dolby Vision. If you like Samsung TV's, this is a decent choice.
Which is bizarre given that there's virtually no HDR10+ content out there. Samsung backed the wrong horse. HDR10+ isn't even the modern day HD-DVD, it's more like DIVX, VHD, or HitClips. It's the very definition of dead on arrival.

Samsung's pig headedness costs them amongst the home cinema community. If you're serious about AV who in their right mind would buy a panel which for no logical reason doesn't support the industry standard HDR format? Samsung are the biggest TV retailer because they make cheap junk, and when they do go high end they're laughed out of town.

It's too bad because now that they've finally joined the OLED club (being stubborn is evidently Samsung's specialty) their screens are actually quite nice. If only they supported DV.
 
  • Like
Reactions: x-evil-x
Dolby [Vision] is much better
Yeah, it wasn't my choice. Funny enough, I tried watching it on my Nvidia Shield Pro and it actually looked worse than the TV's own Amazon Prime video app. The TV and the Shield Pro both support Dolby Vision, but only the TV supports HDR10+. When I watched it on the Shield the show stepped back to plain HDR10 but the colors looked cooler and highlights seemed a little blown out.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.