When to Expect a New Apple TV to Launch

[JSDK]

How to fix a problem like Apple TV.

The reality is with TV's now coming with built in streaming software and the proliferation of cheap streaming sticks it makes less sense to be getting an Apple TV. It needs to offer more and two obvious routes are:

1. Bundle or offer as an accessory a camera to attach and place below or above your TV to use for FaceTime
2. Produce an Apple designed game controller to use with Apple Arcade. There's no point trying to compete with Sony or Microsoft here with AAA games, but more casual gaming is a big thing and could be a big draw if Apple actually gave a damn. The current arrangement of using PS5 controllers with half of the buttons not working doesn't sell the experience well, maybe something similar to the Wiimote would be an interesting approach.

Maybe these accessories could then help subsidise a cheaper price for the main device. Getting a sub $99 price would really help shift these.

The problem with the software the TV manufacturers put in their TV is that they don't keep it up to date + there is no guarantee that all the streaming services are available for the TV you have bought, it depends on which operating system is used. Of course, with Google's system it's no problem, but then we have Samsung with their Tizen or whatever they call it.

I have a Samsung 65" top model from 2021, and there are several "local" apps I can download for it, which in addition to the fact that it was the top model, the software is stuttering, and poor and impossible to type quickly on .Apple TV is faster, fluid, and has all the apps I need, so I never use my TV's built-in software. But if the TV manufacturers get it under control, I agree - then Apple TV will be redundant.

Maybe Apple should make a TV interface for the TV manufacturers, just as they make CarPlay for the cars.

 

[Remy149]

"Apple said the A15 Bionic chip's increased power efficiency allowed for the fan to be removed in the current Apple TV, resulting in the device having a more compact design that is around 12% thinner and around 50% lighter than the previous model."

Yeah, and it now consistently throttles due to excess heat. Hoping the new one will be better in this area.

What are you doing that causes your Apple TV to throttle? I’ve never experienced any of that behavior. It’s vastly overpowered then most media streaming devices.

 

[Remy149]

How to fix a problem like Apple TV.

The reality is with TV's now coming with built in streaming software and the proliferation of cheap streaming sticks it makes less sense to be getting an Apple TV. It needs to offer more and two obvious routes are:

1. Bundle or offer as an accessory a camera to attach and place below or above your TV to use for FaceTime
2. Produce an Apple designed game controller to use with Apple Arcade. There's no point trying to compete with Sony or Microsoft here with AAA games, but more casual gaming is a big thing and could be a big draw if Apple actually gave a damn. The current arrangement of using PS5 controllers with half of the buttons not working doesn't sell the experience well, maybe something similar to the Wiimote would be an interesting approach.

Maybe these accessories could then help subsidise a cheaper price for the main device. Getting a sub $99 price would really help shift these.even the most expensive TVs have poor ui are full of intrusive adds and stop getting updates within 2 years of ownership. I love my expensive lg oled tv but it’s not a good streaming device.

 

[Remy149]

When does it throttle? I haven't noticed this.

I bet you their issues is network related and have nothing to do with the device itself.

 

[Oreb]

The Siri button needs to be recessed in its current placement or moved back to the keypad. It’s frustratingly easy to activate Siri when I just need to pick up the remote to rewind/pause/etc. I should have to put some effort into activating it, instead of being presented with it on accident 90% of the time.

Are you sure you are using the latest generation remote? If yes, are you sure yours is not broken? I have literally _never_ had this button activate by accident. Pressing it requires sufficient force that I can't even imagine how it could be activated just by picking up the remote.

 

[AppleFanBoyCAN]

I really love my Apple TV. If I didn't use my MacBook for work, it would easily be my most used Apple device.

ARC (Audio Return Channel) support added in the fourth-generation took it to another level for me. PS5 audio through the HomePods is top-notch.

Yep! I upgraded to it as well just for the ARC support and it works really well!

 

[bodonnell202]

The fact that it has been 1.5 years since the last upgrade means nothing. The 1st gen Apple TV 4K was the latest Apple TV for 3.5 years. I really don't see a new Apple TV coming anytime soon as the current Apple TV is already overpowered as a streaming device (which I suspect is what the majority of people use it for) and it has never taken off as a gaming device so putting in a more powerful chip to make it a better gaming device for a pretty niche market doesn't really make sense for Apple. In addition, the A16 and A17 can't be cheaper to produce than the A15 so putting one of those in won't allow them to make it cheaper. I don't really see much happening here until it makes sense to release an Apple TV 8K.

 

[InauguralHobbit]

If it has AV1 support sign me up. Switching all my apple products to ones that support AV1 decode so i can switch my plex to AV1 for the file size savings.

PleX is old & inefficient to the point it throttled my A2843 to the point movies were stuttering, de-pixelating, and the app would crash.

I use Infuse, as should you. Infuse will play nearly every single video & audio codec under the sun; AV1 included.

 

[Remy149]

PleX is old & inefficient to the point it throttled my A2843 to the point movies were stuttering, de-pixelating, and the app would crash.

I use Infuse, as should you. Infuse will play nearly every single video & audio codec under the sun; AV1 included.

I love infuse. I especially love how you can connect it to a cloud storage service and stream files directly from there.

 

[InauguralHobbit]

My A12 powered deviced was choking on 4K content in Infuse, so I just upgraded. Wish I'd seen these rumors earlier, as the latest one is also causing me some issues. It randomly freezes during playback and I have had a lot of apps crashing.

Which model do you currently have A2843, or the A2737 (both A15 Bionic)? I ask b/c I have the A2843, connected via Ethernet. PleX was making my ATV run hot, leading to throttling--overheating--stuttering, de-pixelation, & app crashes.

Infuse doesn't do this for me. Wifi uses more energy than ethernet. So that may be--not the sole reason--but a contributing factor.

I was also experiencing stutters & de-pixelation with Infuse while connected via PleX, but since I switched to external storage via SMB file sharing, no such video corruption has occurred.

In addition, where have you placed your ATV, does it sit atop your media console in free space? Inside an enclosure? On one of those mounts to place it behind your TV? Sans fan, I'd only let mine sit in open space to let it breathe.

It's possible you may be confusing one thing with another. No way to say for sure, without copious details.

 

[InauguralHobbit]

The A17 Pro has AV1 hardware on chip; so I would bet they'll include it in the next update.

Question though - storage is cheap. Why bother reencoding to save a bit of space? The time-value doesn't seem to be there. I personally prefer remuxes to keep everything as close to original as possible, and let Plex transcode as needed. Yea they take up a ton of space and it's arguably inefficient, but storage is cheaper than ever and a good NAS + Plex Server can use less power combined than a lightbulb.

Why use PleX instead of Infuse? Honest question.

 

[7thson]

Are you sure you are using the latest generation remote? If yes, are you sure yours is not broken? I have literally _never_ had this button activate by accident. Pressing it requires sufficient force that I can't even imagine how it could be activated just by picking up the remote.

It’s the lightning version but otherwise the same. I’m glad you’ve never experienced this, but the button on mine is sensitive enough to be pressed just by picking it up without consciously avoiding the button. I don’t think it’s broken as it came this way and otherwise works as expected. Maybe Apple adjusted the pressure sensitivity in the usb c version? I haven’t heard anything to that effect in the reviews but it’s possible.

 

[InauguralHobbit]

The Siri button needs to be recessed in its current placement or moved back to the keypad. It’s frustratingly easy to activate Siri when I just need to pick up the remote to rewind/pause/etc. I should have to put some effort into activating it, instead of being presented with it on accident 90% of the time.

YEP! This is the accidental screenshot on iPhone dilemma. I HATE it.

The Siri Button should be top left corner, same shape & size as the Power Button--which I never use--with a little Microphone logo matching the F5 key on newer Macs (M1, etc).

 

[InauguralHobbit]

I just want Digital Bitstream Audio support & Dolby TrueHD support.

 

[JordanCautious]

I absolutely LOVE my Apple TV 4K. It's so much better than FireTV and Roku it's not even close. I think another commenter said it's not a hardware issue, but a software issue. I agree 1000%. I don't really see a need for them to change the hardware that much. Just keep improving the software. Although, I wouldn't mind the ability to play real games on the Apple TV though. But that would probably cost too much. And be a bit pointless if you have a M1 and above iPad or Mac

 

[tkaravou]

The only thing I want from a new Apple TV is a better siri remote.

1. Add proper ”Find My” with an actual speaker in the remote
2. Move the play button to the bottom left. I keep pressing “mute” all the time

 

[chachawpi]

using mine less and less with Vision Pro quickly becoming my main media device

Do you not watch things with other people?

 

[IGI2]

When does it throttle? I haven't noticed this.

When you play Wreckfest longer than 5 minutes on settings looking at least decent.

 

[Dorv]

Why use PleX instead of Infuse? Honest question.

You didn't ask me, but I'll chime in: Because I've been using it for years with a problem, and there's no reason to change. Plus I know how to spell it without a capital X

Edit: and while I don't need it right now because I'm borrowing a YouTubeTV account, it's nice to have a fallback DVR with an antenna in my attic.

 

[chachawpi]

The Apple TV 4K was the first Apple device I bought in over 10 years, after the 2012 iMac, and it's a fantastic value. I'm hoping a new one comes out so I can replace the Chromecast with Google TV we have on the secondary TV with the 3rd gen unit and get the new one for our primary TV.

 

[centauratlas]

8k with the ability to play back 3D (e.g. AVP video) would be a nice upgrade.

 

[crsh1976]

Give it an M chip, or don't even bother at all. For a device that is touted for its gaming "capabilities", it has an extremely limited catalog.

I think Apple would need a serious gaming strategy first, the iOS games bundled as the Arcade service won't benefit much from more powerful hardware (save for the handful of RE remakes that run like dirt on the A17 Pro).

 

[gk_brown]

TVOS is way way way better than my first AppleTV.

Me too (I had the original from 2007, which was based on OS X and Front Row). 😄

 

[mwinterr]

I love my Apple TV and have been an ardent user for many years now. That said, I have one idea on how to to make the Apple TV better. I am using it more and more for videoconferencing with Continuity Camera on my iPhone (little kids + long distance grandma = lots of FaceTime). Most of the time it works without issue, but since my iPhone camera/mic is typically placed somewhere near my TV (and I am not), the person I am talking to has difficulty hearing me many times unless I raise my voice. Not to mention issues when multiple people try to talk at once/background noise, etc.

My solution would be to activate the microphone in the remote during videoconference sessions so the remote can remain near you (like a lavalier lapel mic) to assist in voice clarity. Doesn't seem like a heavy lift since there already is a mic in the remote. Food for thought!

 

[Crow_Servo]

While I won't need it any time soon, I wonder if it'll support 8K TVs? The camera sounds cool, but I have to wonder how many people have the ATV in place where a camera makes sense? My TV stands are low enough where if I put the ATV with a camera on that, I'll see nothing but crotches. If I angle it up, bottoms of chins. If I put it at a decent height, I'll need a shelf with the ATV on it, which seems weird.

I’m sure it’ll have the Center Stage feature that centers the subject in frame, even if the device isn’t angled in the best spot.