New Brit to Apple TV

[sjleworthy]

Hi guys

I'm from the UK and pretty traditional in my UK TV watching habits. Been an Apple consumer for years, but never TV. I have a Sky+ box for all my needs, and watch new and current UK TV, ie, BBC and ITV.
All i see Apple TV useful for is wireless ipad streaming.

Here's my question.......

I'm not into games and such (too old ), so in relation to watching TV and being in the UK, what realistically can the Apple TV service offer me? also considering I'm not into American TV and more obscure or re-run television, and we dont watch movies every 5 minutes.
Also I'm not part of the USA only club, meaning UK people aren't anywhere near catered for in the same way when it comes to Apple Radio, News, TV etc.

As i say, BBC, ITV and mainstream telly does it for me and the wife.

So, is it worth my while? what will it give me?

thanks

 

[Doz007]

As a fellow Brit it seems like you're more than happy with traditional TV.

Without being locked into the Apple ecosystem with iTunes movies and TV shows etc I think you'll be ok sticking with Sky. The TV shows that you currently love will more than likely be available on iTunes but each episode tends to be £2.49.

If you're an Apple Music subscriber then maybe that would be a good selling point? Listening to all your music on the main speakers in the house rather than your phone.

On the odd occasion when you do watch a newly released movie, do you buy from Sky Store at the moment?

Do you subscribe to Neflix at all? The Siri search integration allows you to search for any movies by genre, year, director etc using only your voice.

I'm extremely excited for the new Apple TV because we love the current one and the upgrade looks incredible. The kids use theirs to watch Netflix and YouTube while me and the Mrs are both locked in to the Apple ecosystem and all our Movies are in iCloud so it just fits nicely into our lifestyle.

 

[sjleworthy]

thanks mate.

movies? yes, i do use sky store when needed. and no, my nephew is glued to Netflix. something that has no interest to me.

so thinking about it the only reason would be to stream my ipad to the tv. seems a bit overkill really.

what are my other wireless ipad-tv options?

 

[Blujelly]

thanks mate.

movies? yes, i do use sky store when needed. and no, my nephew is glued to Netflix. something that has no interest to me.

so thinking about it the only reason would be to stream my ipad to the tv. seems a bit overkill really.

what are my other wireless ipad-tv options?

From what you have said, if I was you I'd pass on ATV, Sky will have what you want.

Movies are all rolled into iTunes or like you said Netflix etc, but iTunes normally does the odd early release but I don't think as early as Sky Movies etc

 

[filscotfree]

I'm pretty much in the same position - except I ditched Sky a few months ago for Freesat! I have a lot of Apple gear including a 2nd Gen ATV which I've had for a few years. Frankly, it is my least used piece of Apple kit. I have it plumbed into my viewing system and keep checking it every so often but find it too US-centric for general use here in the UK (baseball, etc). Maybe that will change but until it gets things like iPlayer and other UK on-demand services I can't see me making much use of it. I am trialing Now TV but even that is a bit disappointing to date.

I'll reserve judgement until the new ATV comes out and see what it actually offers!

 

[BingoBlue]

So I've taken this a step further with Roku hardware as the sole way of watching 'TV'; but very much looking forward to switching over to Apple TV once the relevant apps are available. I'm wanting to switch because i'd like to tie in further with the Apple eco system but primarily because I need to re-buy Roku hardware anyway so I can convert to ethernet (the streaming sticks are wifi only).

Using Roku Streaming sticks for each TV in the house I can watch catch up TV across BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5. I can also access NowTV and Netflix if I wanted... Roku blocked the Amazon Prime Video app due to their tie in with SKY which is a little frustrating. I also use Plex to stream content I have stored locally to my TVs. Apps from Spotify, Google Play and Sky Store are also available along with others.

I have no TV aerial or satellite dish attached to the house and because I DO NOT watch live broadcast TV I pay no TV Licence... £145 saving per year! The apps on the Roku are capable of streaming live broadcast TV but as long as you don't use them no licence fee required!

And the best bit? With Apple's brand power the apps i've mentioned above SHOULD turn up on the Apple TV quickly. I know the BBC have already said they have no plans but i'm sure it will arrive in time.

 

[Longkeg]

I'm a Yank but share recorded shows with UK friends via shared Plex servers. I agree with filscotfree: it's all about the apps. We probably won't grasp the ATV4s full potential until the App Store has been up and running for a few months. In the meantime keep watching these forums and enjoy your current setup.