I bought an Apple TV recently solely for HBO Now. I'm still within the return period and wanted some advice on if its worth keeping around. Here are my gripes:
- Unlike my Chromecast or PS4, the AppleTV takes some seconds to 'boot' when switching to its HDMI input.
- The remote and even remote app are crummy in terms of UI compared to my Chromecast which has amazingly slick streaming from my phone. I can easily access what I need using my phone and then cast it instead of having to use my phone as a literal remote.
- Its taking up my TV's second HDMI port so I usually need to switch back and forth with my PS4
These are minor gripes and I can live with them...my biggest reason is that the reason I bought the AppleTV: HBO Now. I find that I can stream HBO Now from my browser window with my chrome cast. the quality seems to be a little inferior but with some informal testing not so much worse than the Apple TV. Can anyone chime in to confirm? Given that the AppleTV doesn't seem to have much of a value add, is it worth keeping around?
Are there any other killer features? Is streaming from my browser with Chromecast really compromising on picture quality? My TV is 39" and 1080p so it's not like I'm trying to stream in 4k or anything.
Appreciate any advice. I'm not sure if it's worth keeping this around or saving the money and maybe putting it into the next iteration of AppleTV that supposed to launch soon. I hear that the HBOnow deal only lasts 3 months so I might just be able to use my PS4 in the future for it.
Still AirPlay seems like I nice feature since our house only has macs, but that on its own doesn't seem worth the price of purchase since Chromecast already offers similar features.
Appreciate any advice.
- Unlike my Chromecast or PS4, the AppleTV takes some seconds to 'boot' when switching to its HDMI input.
- The remote and even remote app are crummy in terms of UI compared to my Chromecast which has amazingly slick streaming from my phone. I can easily access what I need using my phone and then cast it instead of having to use my phone as a literal remote.
- Its taking up my TV's second HDMI port so I usually need to switch back and forth with my PS4
These are minor gripes and I can live with them...my biggest reason is that the reason I bought the AppleTV: HBO Now. I find that I can stream HBO Now from my browser window with my chrome cast. the quality seems to be a little inferior but with some informal testing not so much worse than the Apple TV. Can anyone chime in to confirm? Given that the AppleTV doesn't seem to have much of a value add, is it worth keeping around?
Are there any other killer features? Is streaming from my browser with Chromecast really compromising on picture quality? My TV is 39" and 1080p so it's not like I'm trying to stream in 4k or anything.
Appreciate any advice. I'm not sure if it's worth keeping this around or saving the money and maybe putting it into the next iteration of AppleTV that supposed to launch soon. I hear that the HBOnow deal only lasts 3 months so I might just be able to use my PS4 in the future for it.
Still AirPlay seems like I nice feature since our house only has macs, but that on its own doesn't seem worth the price of purchase since Chromecast already offers similar features.
Appreciate any advice.