So, who else has given up?

[BODYBUILDERPAUL]

I'm glad it works for you and I truly wish I had the same experience with trying Fire TV.

My apple TV 4k has been ROCK Solid for a year now. I've only had to charge the remote once or twice (so little I can't actually remember) Also no need to search for or buy batteries. I guess the touch pad can be kind of a pain for some but it doesn't really bother me.
Plex & Infuse work amazing.

On the other hand of fire tv, several apps constantly break from bad updates, netflix service would go down a lot (for hours!) Slowness, Bad UI, Ads! I remember at first when you buy a firetv it works great but somehow it deteriorates and becomes slower or their shoddy software updates make it perform worse. Also the Plex app on firetv is god awful. The only thing I miss is being able to turn everything on by talking to my Alexa.

I think the reason I like the Apple TV more makes sense, it uses a more powerful CPU.

There's also another reason why the Apple TV works so well - it's researched, designed and made by the world's BEST computer company. They are experts with software, hardware and quality components. Of course it's going to be outstanding with a great user experience and longevity.
It's a quality product. It could quite easily be used in a professional environment - broadcasting studio etc 24/7 with no problems - just like all of Apple's product often are.

If something like the Amazon is cheap, then there's a reason that it's cheap and someone suffers along the line - whether it's the customer or the employees or the environment or all three!

 

[MattG]

There's also another reason why the Apple TV works so well - it's researched, designed and made by the world's BEST computer company. They are experts with software, hardware and quality components. Of course it's going to be outstanding with a great user experience and longevity.
It's a quality product. It could quite easily be used in a professional environment - broadcasting studio etc 24/7 with no problems - just like all of Apple's product often are.

If something like the Amazon is cheap, then there's a reason that it's cheap and someone suffers along the line - whether it's the customer or the employees or the environment or all three!

Oh jeezy-kableezy

"The world's BEST computer company." The same company selling MacBooks and iMacs that haven't been updated in a year and a half, running processors released six months before that, yet are still charging upwards of $1500 for most models. Come on. I love Apple's design and operating systems in general but I refuse to be an apologist anymore.

All of the computers, tablets and phones in my house are all Apple. I don't see that changing, however I'll still call BS when I see it. After seeing some of the responses, I'm not arguing the Apple TV may not work better for some than others, but it is certainly not a value at $179, and the Amazon alternative (I can't speak for Roku personally) is in no way "cheap" in appearance or performance. The fact that they cost less is meaningless. EVERYTHING costs less compared to Apple. To use the car analogy again, that's like saying "everything but a Porsche is trash because a Porsche costs more than other cars." It's like I stated in my original post, much of the time the cost difference is simply because you have to pay the "Apple Tax."

 

[Tech198]

I too absolutely love my two ATV4s. They have been solid for past 3 years. I have cut the cord for what seems like 5 years now, Roku3 and Chromecast were replaced by ATV4s. Roku3 still works and is used for kids TV.

Best part of the ATV experience for me is the remote, fast forwarding/rewinding is so intuitive to me, my favorite is the skipping 10 sec ahead/behind or hold longer for fast scroll. None of the other remotes (Roku) that I have tried provide that level control and also make it that easy.

In my experience the user input error rate is high for remote primarily because of user error, learning curve of a new interface. My mother refuses to touch that thing when she is visiting. My kids on the other hand, love the ease of use of the touch-pad.

My parent hate touch-remotes, that's why she stuck with her Apple TV 3 and she doesn't like all the fancy app store stuff you have. Neflix app just seems allot better. She got lost on Apple TV 4 trying to navigate around Netfix app, but for me i like Apple TV 4,, although now we have iTunes use only. I never really needed/use the 10 second skipping, i just got use to pausing everytime i'm not there..

more simpe..

 

[Michelasso]

I don't understand why people think that £179 is expensive for the Apple TV 4K.
The 10X chip is certainly not cheap, the lightning connector retails at £20, the beautifully made remote retails at £59. The top quality components - very very decent HD to 4K upscaler, power transformer etc etc etc etc.

Well, let me put it in this other way. £20 for a lightning connector is ridiculously overpriced and so it is £59 for the beautiful, but not completely user friendly, Siri remote. I bought a brand new PS4 Pro for €300 the last Christmas (which includes a beautiful - and very user friendly! - Dualshock 4 which retails at overpriced value of €70, 8GB of GDDR5 RAM, 4.2 TFLOPS, internal power transformer, etc. etc. etc.. ), while the ATV 4K is always at €199. Heck! Even the ATV4 still retails at €159!!! Which is disgustingly overpriced.

Indeed no way that I forked out that outrageous amount of money for the small 1080p TV I have in the kitchen while my basic needs are to watch Netflix, Prime video and sometime Plex (which works fine with 1080p x.264 videos) also with a remote. So I spent €29.99 for a Fire TV Stick 2nd gen. 1/5 of the cost of the ATV 4. Quite slow, and a pain to watch Prime Video, especially switching languages and subtitles (while cooking/eating I watch everything in Italian, in English on my 4K TV), but it does the job.

 

[andyp350]

Never experienced any of the issues you describe. If the fire stick has been better for you I’m glad you discovered it though.

 

[jole26]

I posted this in another thread but probably fits better here. It shows the ground that Apple need to make up on rivals in this space.

An interesting article from flatpanelshd.com shows just where Apple is compared to rival streaming devices.

Roku 41%
FireTV 18%
Xbox 11%
Apple TV 9%
Playstation 9%
Others 6%
Chromecast 5%
Samsung 1%

Overall picture quality of streaming increased by 23% from 2017 to 2018
Apple had the best streaming quality measured in bitrate (6.8 Mb/s)
Playstation had the least buffering (.21%)

Source: https://www.flatpanelshd.com/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1548918488

 

[steve62388]

I posted this in another thread but probably fits better here. It shows the ground that Apple need to make up on rivals in this space.

I'm surprised Xbox is so high. Does it support Movies Anywhere in the States? Because in the UK the prices to buy films are pretty bad (UK does not have MA).

 

[MacManTexas56]

(I'm hoping this thread can stimulate some actual conversation, not just people telling me "why are you b****ing, this is an Apple forum, go use whatever you want")

I've been an Apple user overall since around 2000 (and will continue to be), and I've been an Apple TV devotee since the first generation came out over a decade ago. With the exception of the 4K, I've upgraded to every new version of the Apple TV that Apple has put out over the years.

I had three Apple TV Gen4s in my house up until recently. The other night, while wrestling with the idiotically-designed ATV remote and dealing with this issue I constantly have where I'll be watching a show and I have to hit the menu button literally 20 times to get it to stop/go back to the menu, I decided maybe it was worth seeing what else is out there.

After reading numerous reviews, I placed an order and.....the Fire Stick 4K is SO MUCH BETTER. The remote is better (equal form AND function). The interface is better. It's fast, it's responsive. The voice control works well. My TVs don't turn on at random during the day like they did when they had Apple TV plugged into them. I haven't had them long enough to tell but, I suspect my streaming apps on the Fire Stick won't lose their logon information at random like they did on Apple TV, and I know (obviously) that I can look forward to not constantly being prompted for my iTunes password at random anymore even though my password hasn't changed. The only thing I'm missing is AirPlay/iTunes Store integration, and based on what came out of CES this year, AirPlay will be coming soon to a Samsung TV near me anyway.

(AND I'm just going to leave this here: while I realize buying anything Apple means you're going to have to pay the "Apple Tax," and so I probably shouldn't bring this into the equation...but, I bought three Fire Stick 4Ks for less than the cost of one Apple TV.)

So, with all that being said, what the hell is the allure of Apple TV anymore? I feel like I've been patient, waiting a long time for a truly significant improvement, and it feels like after 12 years it's still being treated as just a "hobby" to Apple.

besides iPhones and iPads, apple doesn't update their other products very often. but i can tell you from owning apple stuff since early 2000's that the stuff "just works" from my experience. I hate the new remote on my 5 apple 4k tv's, but it doesn't really matter because i use logitech harmony remotes on all my tv's. If I had to use the supplied apple remote, then i agree the experience wouldn't be that great, but i'd suggest to go find another remote, they work tons better. Even my new Vizio tv remote can be used with the apple tv, so there are cheap options out there.

I love all tech so i have tried out google chrome cast and fire tv's as well as amazon echo and google home's, i don't stick to just Apple when seemingly good technology is sold. With that said, there are tradeoffs and probably some annoyances with every product. Price on this stuff is not an issue to me, so i completely remove that from the equation. I can see how fire tv's and chrome casts are way cheaper, but in the long run they don't last as long and don't get the appropriate updates that apple gives their products.

I'm also a big homekit/smart home user so Apple TV and home pods make sense for me, but they aren't for everyone. I couldn't stand the interface on Roku or Firetv and thought it was ridiculous that i had to always stream from my phone to use chrome cast. I used to have 5 roku in the house to run the Time warner cable app so didn't have to pay for a box in every room. I've been waiting for the day to not have an apple tv and roku on every tv. That day has finally come that i can literally just have 1 streaming box on my tv and that's my entire setup. Again, if you're price sensitive, then Apple isn't for you. The only thing i'd say is reasonably priced is their iPads, even iPhones have become expensive, but i'll continue to pay bc they "just work".

 

[Mac 128]

Sorry but, I don't buy that. I'm an IT Professional of 16 years...no stranger to gadgets of every type, have either owned it or tried it all over the years, including too many TV-connected devices to mention (streaming devices or otherwise), all of which included remotes. I've had the Apple TVs with this style remote since 2015, and up until recently I used them every day. By this point, I've "learned" the remote. The error rate is because the remote is just poorly designed. It's basically a throwback to Apple and their one-button mice. "Let's make sure it looks slick, and functionality goes on the back-burner."

When you're fumbling around when the lights are dim, or if it falls between your sheets or whatever, there's barely any discernible difference between up, down, top, bottom on the remote when you go to pick it up, and when try to discern it, you end up pushing buttons by accident. I can't tell you how many times I've left this remote sitting by my side on the couch or the bed, then it slips down somewhere (which it does constantly, since it's made of all that slippery glass) and I don't see it and I end up accidentally hitting buttons because I barely grazed it with my side. Or, I pick the thing up thinking it's oriented one way and it's not, and I accidentally change something. I'm definitely not saying this isn't possible with other remotes, but due to the Apple TV remote's design, the effect is greatly amplified. It's a remote control...you shouldn't have to handle it with kid gloves all the time due to its over-sensitivity to everything.
[doublepost=1548782984][/doublepost]

Believe me, I've tried it all. Rebooting, factory resets, charging up the battery. Maybe the behavior is due to Hulu or Netflix or whatever (I can't remember offhand which app) but, it's been happening so long that at this point, I can't believe the app vendor wouldn't have fixed it.

I don’t buy your complaints. I have none of your problems, and never have since my first Apple TV 2nd Gen., and we use ATV daily at work without any issues. If you really are an IT professional, then you shouldn’t be having all these problems that you can’t figure out. I’m not an IT professional, and my ATV works great, no complaints about the remote, and zero problems troubleshooting when the occasional issue crops up. It really sounds like you have a lemon, and should have taken it to Apple to replace. Enjoy your fire stick, and I hope this thread helps you validate your decision and experiences. But I’ll keep enjoying my rock solid ATV 4K experience.

 

[MattG]

I don’t buy your complaints. I have none of your problems, and never have since my first Apple TV 2nd Gen., and we use ATV daily at work without any issues. If you really are an IT professional, then you shouldn’t be having all these problems that you can’t figure out. I’m not an IT professional, and my ATV works great, no complaints about the remote, and zero problems troubleshooting when the occasional issue crops up. It really sounds like you have a lemon, and should have taken it to Apple to replace. Enjoy your fire stick, and I hope this thread helps you validate your decision and experiences. But I’ll keep enjoying my rock solid ATV 4K experience.

I had three Apple TVs up until recently and all three had the same problems. Laggy remotes, apps that won't quit, etc. This has nothing to do with "not being able to figure it out," and my IT experience isn't going to make up for design flaws.

 

[Shanghaichica]

I'm glad it works for you and I truly wish I had the same experience with trying Fire TV.

My apple TV 4k has been ROCK Solid for a year now. I've only had to charge the remote once or twice (so little I can't actually remember) Also no need to search for or buy batteries. I guess the touch pad can be kind of a pain for some but it doesn't really bother me.
Plex & Infuse work amazing.

On the other hand of fire tv, several apps constantly break from bad updates, netflix service would go down a lot (for hours!) Slowness, Bad UI, Ads! I remember at first when you buy a firetv it works great but somehow it deteriorates and becomes slower or their shoddy software updates make it perform worse. Also the Plex app on firetv is god awful. The only thing I miss is being able to turn everything on by talking to my Alexa.

I think the reason I like the Apple TV more makes sense, it uses a more powerful CPU.

I don’t really use my fire TV stick much. It was a gift but I have 2 Apple TVs and a chromecast but I have had issues with it in the limited use I’ve had. Once it was stuck in a boot loop for a few weeks following a software update and occasionally it just won’t stream anything, even though it’s connected to the internet and a reboot doesn’t solve anything. My chromecast occasionally disconnects in the middle of a cast. My Apple TVs 1 a 3 and the other a 4 work really well. No real issues and any minor ones can be solved by a simple restart.

Edit: I’ve just switched the TV onto to the fire stick now and it was a black screen so I rebooted in and it went into an app and is frozen.

 

[se95dah]

Between my Apple TV and my fire stick, there’s no doubt I prefer the Apple TV. Every app is smoother, slicker and prettier. I like both remotes - personally I love the touch controls on the Apple remote but find the fire remote better ergonomically.

 

[Zooie123]

Between my Apple TV and my fire stick, there’s no doubt I prefer the Apple TV. Every app is smoother, slicker and prettier. I like both remotes - personally I love the touch controls on the Apple remote but find the fire remote better ergonomically.

I have had the Apple Tv 4k since day 1, run beta software, always updated, never had one lockup, not laggy. It is amazing.

 

[Uofmtiger]

Can't really speak for anyone else, but I like the AppleTV4. I have 3 of them. Got one of them for trying out the Directv internet streaming service.

I like Airplay 2 (awesome with the HomePod as the controller)
Podcasts ( I still watch podcasts like MacBreak Weekly)
Photos app
iTunes Movies (my own...which they converted several to 4k and renting rather than giving my CC# to multiple vendors)
The folders (nice to be able to set up folders rather than having pages of apps)
Screensavers (they are awesome)
Keyboard on my iPhone pops up when I need to type

I haven't had the issues like having my TV turn on or passwords randomly being lost like the OP. I mainly use my iPhone's app "Simple Control" for managing and controlling my system since everything runs through a receiver.

I also have 2 Rokus and an Nvidia TV. I rarely use either of them. I don't have a FireTV because I just don't need another player right now. The addition of Apple Music to the Echo may put it on my radar down the road, though.

I don't know if Airplay 2 and iTunes being on other platforms will make the AppleTV obsolete for me in the future. However, I have no plans to update any of my TVs right now, so I suspect I will be using my AppleTvs for a while longer.

 

[BellsWhistles]

(I'm hoping this thread can stimulate some actual conversation, not just people telling me "why are you b****ing, this is an Apple forum, go use whatever you want")

I've been an Apple user overall since around 2000 (and will continue to be), and I've been an Apple TV devotee since the first generation came out over a decade ago. With the exception of the 4K, I've upgraded to every new version of the Apple TV that Apple has put out over the years.

I had three Apple TV Gen4s in my house up until recently. The other night, while wrestling with the idiotically-designed ATV remote and dealing with this issue I constantly have where I'll be watching a show and I have to hit the menu button literally 20 times to get it to stop/go back to the menu, I decided maybe it was worth seeing what else is out there.

After reading numerous reviews, I placed an order and.....the Fire Stick 4K is SO MUCH BETTER. The remote is better (equal form AND function). The interface is better. It's fast, it's responsive. The voice control works well. My TVs don't turn on at random during the day like they did when they had Apple TV plugged into them. I haven't had them long enough to tell but, I suspect my streaming apps on the Fire Stick won't lose their logon information at random like they did on Apple TV, and I know (obviously) that I can look forward to not constantly being prompted for my iTunes password at random anymore even though my password hasn't changed. The only thing I'm missing is AirPlay/iTunes Store integration, and based on what came out of CES this year, AirPlay will be coming soon to a Samsung TV near me anyway.

(AND I'm just going to leave this here: while I realize buying anything Apple means you're going to have to pay the "Apple Tax," and so I probably shouldn't bring this into the equation...but, I bought three Fire Stick 4Ks for less than the cost of one Apple TV.)

So, with all that being said, what the hell is the allure of Apple TV anymore? I feel like I've been patient, waiting a long time for a truly significant improvement, and it feels like after 12 years it's still being treated as just a "hobby" to Apple.

It's obvious that you invested a lot of $$$ in the AppleTV and it's associated iTunes catalog, to simply walk away. Which would lead some to think you're not really a user at all.

I have no issues with any of my AppleTV's. The remote can be frustrating at times, but it has not been a point of contention. There has not been anything that would ruin the experience, now that Atmos A/V is working and linked properly through my receiver and Television.

Good luck to you ....

 

[BODYBUILDERPAUL]

Oh jeezy-kableezy

"The world's BEST computer company." The same company selling MacBooks and iMacs that haven't been updated in a year and a half, running processors released six months before that, yet are still charging upwards of $1500 for most models. Come on. I love Apple's design and operating systems in general but I refuse to be an apologist anymore.

All of the computers, tablets and phones in my house are all Apple. I don't see that changing, however I'll still call BS when I see it. After seeing some of the responses, I'm not arguing the Apple TV may not work better for some than others, but it is certainly not a value at $179, and the Amazon alternative (I can't speak for Roku personally) is in no way "cheap" in appearance or performance. The fact that they cost less is meaningless. EVERYTHING costs less compared to Apple. To use the car analogy again, that's like saying "everything but a Porsche is trash because a Porsche costs more than other cars." It's like I stated in my original post, much of the time the cost difference is simply because you have to pay the "Apple Tax."

It sounds as though you are a true Apple hater and have come to this site to promote inferior products. I've met many IT guys that hate Apple products only because they are so up themselves with the complications of Windows and secondly, you don't need IT guys when you have offices full of Macs - as my 10 years in radio proved.

Quit the hate and go and enjoy your Fire stick. How an IT guy can think that the Amazon has a decent interface, I really don't know.
Why waste your time bashing the ATV if you're so overwhelmed by the Amazon trash? Eight years of ATV for me and I can't find fault with it compared to the competition out there.
I wish you well.

 

[rbrian]

My Apple TV 4 has been gathering dust for more than a year. I bought an LG OLED TV, and the smart features are actually good, unlike those on the circa 2012 Samsung it replaced. The Netflix app is excellent, and though the Prime app has awful rewind, it's OK if you just let it play. Xray is good too, though I usually just use IMDB on my phone.

My Samsung S9, which replaced my iPhone 7, can stream directly to the TV without an extra box, as can my Windows PC. All that's left is playing purchased iTunes media. I don't have much of that, and the HTPC I built to replace my failing DVR can run iTunes.

The Apple TV interface is nice, and if the remote hasn't fallen down the back of the sofa, and is correctly orientated, it's good. The whole package though, simply isn't worth taking up an HDMI port - I only have 4!

 

[Michelasso]

I've met many IT guys that hate Apple products only because they are so up themselves with the complications of Windows and secondly, you don't need IT guys when you have offices full of Macs - as my 10 years in radio proved.

hey! I finally agree with you again!

I forgot to mention one thing about the so called "Apple tax". The reason I gladly pay it, is because with Apple we get superior OSes, Unix 03 certified (at least macOS, but I suppose it applies to all its younger brothers), regularly updated and with hotfixes (when there is need for) delivered in reasonable time to all devices globally.

Also the User Interface is generally consistent, even between apps, unless a developer decides to follow a different, proprietary way (like YouTube for example). And sure, all devices well integrate into the Apple eco-system.

Said that I still believe €159 for the ATV 4th generation is out of mind, though!

 

[priitv8]

I forgot to mention one thing about the so called "Apple tax". The reason I gladly pay it, is because with Apple we get superior OSes, Unix 03 certified (at least macOS, but I suppose it applies to all its younger brothers), regularly updated and with hotfixes (when there is need for) delivered in reasonable time to all devices globally.

Don't forget - any Apple computer comes with a full set of productivity software included in the price. Windows comes basically with Notepad.
And I've seen some people's faces, when they've learned how much the MS Office licence actually costs, compared to their cheap laptop.

 

[Michelasso]

Don't forget - any Apple computer comes with a full set of productivity software included in the price. Windows comes basically with Notepad.
And I've seen some people's faces, when they've learned how much the MS Office licence actually costs, compared to their cheap laptop.

That's also true. My issue is that I never used them, apart from few tests. I can't get a rid of MS Office. I don't know know, but there never was complete support for MS Office formats when I tried. And there is nothing in that field to have to re-edit all tables again.

Also Libre Office is getting more popular. I know it has been enforced by the EU, not sure if the policy stuck. Still, as an OS feature let's not forget iCloud. That has no rivals. And for developers Xcode for free is a great bonus as well (not so much the 100€/year extortion to subscribe as an Apple developer...).

Thinking about it.. Most of this unfortunately doesn't really apply to the Apple TV, though. Or does it? iCloud apart. Actually Android TV is much superior in terms of supported Codecs. When they work, sure. Like the still broken audio passthrough on Sony Bravia..

 

[tonyr6]

I have to agree with the OP I was using my 4K ATV a lot but lately it is so glitch full. The remote constantly freezes and yes I fully charged it. Also apps sometimes randomly slow down and crash. The most annoying is that some apps DC Universe (if it does not freeze and crash first forcing a remove and reinstall), Boomerang sometimes Amazon Prime video does not remember you watched the episode. DC Universe only remembers 58 seconds watched. Boomerang about 2 minutes watched and Amazon sometimes shows un-watched.

Since using the 4K FTV stick more lately I have not had any issues with apps slowing down and apps remember where I left off.

 

[Euroamerican]

Just found out that a coworker of mine really wants to get into the AppleTV and that his parents have one and want to ask him to support it.

My ATV 2 was just sitting there for the last couple of years, with me only using it occasionally to watch snowboarding videos or Apple product announcements.

Felt a pang of remorse in selling it, but I got 25 dollars for it and he is very happy. His TV only does 720P, so it's the perfect ATV for him!

If Netflix hadn't been so buggy on my ATV, we probably never would have bought the Fire Stick which replaced it for day to day use.

I may wish I kept the ATV for my iTunes music once I get better speakers for my TV. So far, I've never even thought of using iTunes on my TV.

Still love the ATV, but will go without for now!

 

[MattG]

It sounds as though you are a true Apple hater and have come to this site to promote inferior products. I've met many IT guys that hate Apple products only because they are so up themselves with the complications of Windows and secondly, you don't need IT guys when you have offices full of Macs - as my 10 years in radio proved.

Quit the hate and go and enjoy your Fire stick. How an IT guy can think that the Amazon has a decent interface, I really don't know.
Why waste your time bashing the ATV if you're so overwhelmed by the Amazon trash? Eight years of ATV for me and I can't find fault with it compared to the competition out there.
I wish you well.

Had you actually read anything I wrote before veering off into the same cult-like Apple-love-fest that you veer off into with every thread you reply to (yeah, I've read a bunch of them), you'd know all of this, but I'll go ahead repeat it all again anyway:

I'm an IT Professional of 16 years, and I've been using Apple products for about 20 years now. I've owned more Apple gadgets over the years than I can count. My wife and I both currently have MacBook Airs, iPhones, AirPods, and we have an iPad. That's not going to change, nobody in this house "hates" Apple products, and as an IT Professional, I know damn well how superior their hardware is, as well as Mac OS/iOS. I'm the guy in my department that gets made fun of by the type IT people you described above, for being the "Apple guy." In the near future my wife and I are actually planning on selling the MacBook Air and buying a MacBook Pro as well.

However, I'm not going to be one of these blind, cult-like Apple apologists like you who gives them a pass even when they put out a product that's a dud. Maybe using the word "dud" is a bit of a stretch when it comes to Apple TV, but as far as I'm concerned it sure still seems like a "hobby" to Apple, it's riddled with design flaws, and for a company that prides itself on design, the remote is utter trash.

Apple isn't the only technology company on the planet that makes a good product, and the "everything besides Apple is garbage" demeanor that you put forth in every thread you reply to is shortsighted and just plain dumb.



Also, glad to see you read this part of my post as well; clearly it had an impact :

(I'm hoping this thread can stimulate some actual conversation, not just people telling me "why are you b****ing, this is an Apple forum, go use whatever you want")

 

[Uofmtiger]

The only thing I'm missing is AirPlay/iTunes Store integration, and based on what came out of CES this year, AirPlay will be coming soon to a Samsung TV near me anyway.

For me, this is one of the main issues. I use my AppleTV4s with Airplay 2 almost on a daily basis. When I am in the living room, I can tell the HomePod to start playing music on my main system or on other systems and/or control everything from my iPhone/iPad. I just don't see that flexibility on the Firetv yet. When/if it gets Apple Music and Airplay2, it will be a more viable option.

As for the Samsung TV, it will get pretty expensive updating every TV in the house and then I wonder if it will be capable of the audio formats that I have on the AppleTV for movies? Most TVs connect back to the main system with optical out and it is limited. Anyway, because of the price and possible limitations, I am not doing that anytime soon.

 

[sracer]

(I'm hoping this thread can stimulate some actual conversation, not just people telling me "why are you b****ing, this is an Apple forum, go use whatever you want")

I've been an Apple user overall since around 2000 (and will continue to be), and I've been an Apple TV devotee since the first generation came out over a decade ago. With the exception of the 4K, I've upgraded to every new version of the Apple TV that Apple has put out over the years.

I had three Apple TV Gen4s in my house up until recently. The other night, while wrestling with the idiotically-designed ATV remote and dealing with this issue I constantly have where I'll be watching a show and I have to hit the menu button literally 20 times to get it to stop/go back to the menu, I decided maybe it was worth seeing what else is out there.

After reading numerous reviews, I placed an order and.....the Fire Stick 4K is SO MUCH BETTER. The remote is better (equal form AND function). The interface is better. It's fast, it's responsive. The voice control works well. My TVs don't turn on at random during the day like they did when they had Apple TV plugged into them. I haven't had them long enough to tell but, I suspect my streaming apps on the Fire Stick won't lose their logon information at random like they did on Apple TV, and I know (obviously) that I can look forward to not constantly being prompted for my iTunes password at random anymore even though my password hasn't changed. The only thing I'm missing is AirPlay/iTunes Store integration, and based on what came out of CES this year, AirPlay will be coming soon to a Samsung TV near me anyway.

(AND I'm just going to leave this here: while I realize buying anything Apple means you're going to have to pay the "Apple Tax," and so I probably shouldn't bring this into the equation...but, I bought three Fire Stick 4Ks for less than the cost of one Apple TV.)

So, with all that being said, what the hell is the allure of Apple TV anymore? I feel like I've been patient, waiting a long time for a truly significant improvement, and it feels like after 12 years it's still being treated as just a "hobby" to Apple.

After the promise of "it just works" failed to materialize in my (at the time) all-Apple household that included an ATV2, I slowly made my transition away from the Apple TV and toward alternatives. Not only did the ATV2 not play nicely with my iPhones, iPads, Macbooks, and iMacs, but the functionality was severely limited compared to the alternatives.

I won't bore everyone with the journey, but I'm now at a point where we have a Roku, ChromeCast, Fire TV, DVR for OTA TV, and repurposed an iMac as a dedicated Plex server. I've digitized my extensive DVD, BR, and CD collection and it is all accessible like any other "streaming" service.

Not all TVs in the house have each of those devices attached to them, but where it makes sense. The Guest Room has only a Roku (to access our home library and streaming services we subscribe to). Only the Living Room TV has all of them.

The results are far more functional, stable, and in the end less expensive.

What you'll find in many of the responses is a bit of misunderstanding as to what the Fire TV can do. I've seen that in my conversations regarding the Fire HD 10 tablet. From an "open the box, plug it in and go" perspective, I can understand, but with just a little simple tweaking, these devices can really shine.