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This is what the Apple TV could have been
- Thread starter nebo1ss
- Start date
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For me, the two things I want from the Roku is:
- Tracking shows and movies on Netflix.
- Connecting headphones to the remote.
- Tracking shows and movies on Netflix.
- Connecting headphones to the remote.
Looks pretty nice. Cool that it supports 60fps 4k, unlike the FireTV.
The remote looks to be still awful. Dedicated buttons and plasticky. Maybe it will feel better irl, but I doubt it.
Roku's have always been solid devices. They offer the most content and a ton of channels. They were first to have cool features like the headphone jack in the remote, universal search, and now the find my remote feature. That being said, I'll probably still go with the new Apple TV. Roku's downfall has always been software. The UI has always looked outdated. Apple's tvOS looks much more polished and now we will also have an App Store and universal search with Siri. Plus from the demos it looks blazing fast. I'm not really worried about the lack of 4K. I have a Panasonic 60" plasma tv and have no intention of upgrading it anytime soon. A TV is a big expense and there's not a ton of 4K content as it is. Not to mention it will use a lot of bandwidth to stream 4K.
I will finally be happy with my tv situation once I can use a native Plex app on the new Apple TV. It'll be a bonus if Plex can get added to the Siri search. AirPlay is a nice bonus too if you use Apple products. I've been using a Chromecast for the past two years.
I will finally be happy with my tv situation once I can use a native Plex app on the new Apple TV. It'll be a bonus if Plex can get added to the Siri search. AirPlay is a nice bonus too if you use Apple products. I've been using a Chromecast for the past two years.
Good to see the comments on that site show Roku's weaknesses, just like the ones here do for AppleTV.
As they point out there, Apple's advantage, by far, will be the app store, even from Roku Fan Boys.
Which apps other than video streaming providers (of which Roku has many more then the Apple TV) are really useful to run on a TV, especially given the very limited controller? I guess I just don't see the attraction.
I will be getting the ATV 4 but I do like this feature. Hopefully something like it comes to ATV. I.E. Global Watchlist, not just notifications.
TV shows and actors. Now when something that's been tracked is available in a channel, the My Feed section displays a notification.
TV shows and actors. Now when something that's been tracked is available in a channel, the My Feed section displays a notification.
There are only so many streaming services available so while the App Store will bring things that have not been available previously there is only so much benefit there. I use Netflix, Amazon Prime and Plex mainly. They are all available on Roku today while Plex will come to Apple TV Amazon Prime will never see the light of day. The App Store I suspect will see a lot of games but this will not be of interest to those who are focused on streaming. If you get your Video from Apple you really have no option but the Apple TV.
Surely by now people understand how Apple works? The ATV4 this year with 1080p and an app store and then in 12-18 months the new ATV5 supporting 4k with an A9X chip for console-quality gaming...
Best to ask KODI if they plan to create an App for the ATV. As you may know, Plex already announced they are creating an App for ATV. If KODI is already on the iPad then likely they will port it to the ATV. But again, best to ask them.
I'm more interested in casual gaming than what these boxes bring to tv viewing. A PlayStation won't pass the wife acceptance factor. Too expensive (new) and viewed as a more dedicated gaming unit. If I can play a couple of my preferred iPhone games on the tv occasionally that would be an Apple TV system seller for me.
The App Store will allow the platform to evolve in ways that neither you nor I can imagine. That is what is exciting about the new Apple TV. The Roku is nice but will be viewed as relatively static. Amazon, Google and Apple have a very big advantage over Roku because of their developers.
I admit that it's not obvious at this time but an App Store turns the Apple TV into a real platform that will grow or die according to the wishes of users and the imagination of developers.
So true. Most people forget that the reason the iPhone is so popular is due in large part to devs and the apps they come up with.
Though not exactly the same - the new AppleTV will output to a bluetooth source so you could use bluetooth headphones and (in a round-about way) accomplish the same.
I preordered the Roku 4 today. We just received our new FireTV and they currently have a HUGE bug where no 3rd party apps are outputting surround sound, even for 4K sources that have surround.
I am finding less and less reasons to upgrade my Apple TV, honestly. I am not excited about the app store, and Roku already has universal search. What I want is 4K.
I am finding less and less reasons to upgrade my Apple TV, honestly. I am not excited about the app store, and Roku already has universal search. What I want is 4K.
They will on the 4 according to this: http://wtvpc.com/2015/08/18/hbo-now-is-coming-soon-to-roku-players/
"It’s possible Roku and HBO will still wait until the Roku 4"
That doesn't sound like anything =/
The nice thing about the Roku is they are releasing the same OS 7 (I think is the number) for some older devices. So on the HBO Now question I would see no reason it would not be released on older Roku's. I understand Apple wants tvOS for the NEW ATV 4 but I am really disappointed they are pretty much dropping support for the the ATV 3. I would think they could have done a "slim" version of tvOS for the ATV 3. I may end up just buying all ATV 4's anyway but I wouldn't mind getting more use from some of my ATV 3's.
I don't think anyone has forgotten that apps make the iPhone and iPad so popular. I think some of us simply question how useful apps really can be on a TV. I recall when the App Store was released for the iPhone, I was so excited and could not wait to see what devs could come up with. For the Apple TV announcement, the Siri integration was far more exciting to me than the apps. I don't need to shop for houses or clothes on my TV.
Now it's possible that some devs will come up with apps that make the ATV a must have device, with killer features that simply wipe the floor with the Amazon, Roku, and Google/Android offerings. But that still leaves us with the fact that the ATV handles less file formats and doesn't handle any 4K at all in this iteration. For some people, those things alone will be dealbreakers.
At this point the Roku 4 has me the most excited of all the new boxes. It's got a clean interface, works well, and has some solid tech inside. The voice search is included in the remote on the new Roku, which AFAIK has true universal search, and it still has the headphone plug in the remote which is very useful to a lot of family households. Also the Roku has an unbelievable amount of channels. Roku seems like a small player compared to Apple or Google, but they really are the leaders in streaming content at this time.
However I'm not so in dire need of a new streaming box so I'm going to wait and see what becomes of the apps on the ATV. If it seems clear that the ATV isn't bringing anything significant to the table, then I'll buy a Roku 4 on sale. If it looks like the ATV is really taking off and adding apps that bring new and exciting functionality to the TV realm, I'll wait for the version that handles 4K, HEVC, and hopefully MKV. Honestly I'm a little shocked they didn't include MKV functionality in this one, it's not like the A8 can't handle it.
While better than nothing, it means I can use my running headphones for watching movies rather than my expensive ones :/
If people want mkv support, more codecs, 4K now then you don't get the new Apple TV. It's as simple as that and no amount of second guessing will change that. Every media player has its pros and cons. Apple products are not for everyone. Heck a Kodi unofficial Android TV will give you every possible codec possible if that is what you are looking for. A Roku will give you certain things but not access to iTunes. If you want a multiple codec player then the ATV market not be for you. This constant request for the mkv container is so strange coming from people in an Apple forum. There's nothing wrong with MP4, etc... except perhaps it doesn't appear as the container of choice in HD torrent sites.
As I've said previously, the Roku is a fine player. It has a poor warranty, generally underpowered hardware ( at least the Rokus I had up to the Roku 3- can't say about the 4) and a bunch of channels that are hardly stellar. It does not have the developer support of Apple, Google or even Amazon. In my opinion, and this is just speculation, it has no future. It's a quick fix for now with a really weak evolutionary path.
As far as 4K it is still evolving. In particular streaming and wireless casting for it are not ready. Apple doesn't carry any and other streaming sites have next to no content for it, none with HDR as far as I know ( could be wrong here as that seems to be yet another issue with 4K).
I doubt Apple will ever support mkv, xvid, avi, divx or other containers. They have settled on a very good standard and really have no need to. It's not as though there is a shortage of players for iDevices that can handle these containers with no loss of quality. Good riddance to all these crazy containers and codecs. The world should be settling on fewer and whatever the standard ends up being it won't be mkv for many of the same reasons you will never see Kodi on an iDevice ( unless altered).
As I've said previously, the Roku is a fine player. It has a poor warranty, generally underpowered hardware ( at least the Rokus I had up to the Roku 3- can't say about the 4) and a bunch of channels that are hardly stellar. It does not have the developer support of Apple, Google or even Amazon. In my opinion, and this is just speculation, it has no future. It's a quick fix for now with a really weak evolutionary path.
As far as 4K it is still evolving. In particular streaming and wireless casting for it are not ready. Apple doesn't carry any and other streaming sites have next to no content for it, none with HDR as far as I know ( could be wrong here as that seems to be yet another issue with 4K).
I doubt Apple will ever support mkv, xvid, avi, divx or other containers. They have settled on a very good standard and really have no need to. It's not as though there is a shortage of players for iDevices that can handle these containers with no loss of quality. Good riddance to all these crazy containers and codecs. The world should be settling on fewer and whatever the standard ends up being it won't be mkv for many of the same reasons you will never see Kodi on an iDevice ( unless altered).
Plex is already making an app for the new appletv. Plex handles all of those codecs and containers. Problem solved.
Interesting that Roku added optical, Apple takes it away. Is optical new for Roku? Kind of nice of them to support something that seems to be on its way out.
I suspect Apple will kill the ethernet port on the next version of the Apple Tv
I suspect Apple will kill the ethernet port on the next version of the Apple Tv