Hey everyone! Love the comments! Keep ‘em coming. The new ATV 4K is going to replace a Chromecast at home for a longer term eval. Anyone interested in a full-on flagship streamer battle? Also, for anyone wondering why get a streaming box when Smart TVs exist, maybe go check out my video on why I think Smart TVs are dumb. Or should be dumb!
This video didn't mention being able to play lossless music from the Apple TV. I bought a Sonos Arc surround sound system with subwoofer for my living room and bedroom...music is studio quality and so clean. The Apple TV is the best streaming box at not only video and audio but music too.
In my opinion with the tv makers just make a awesome tv with no apps. Use the pros for that hence Apple TV. Maybe you can answer this, I heard that when you use Apple TV all information goes through apples servers which are top quality. Any truth in that?
I agree. We have a 2019 Vizio M7 series and navigating through "Smart cast" is horrible. We've been using the Firestick for awhile now. Sooo much better than the TV interface.
The combination of using your AirPods Pro/Max with transparency mode and head tracking is just UNREAL. It's like being in the room and using your surround sound speakers on full blast all while someone can sleep in silence right next to you. The way it follows your head as you stand up and move is next level.
I totally agree. I live in a condo and with the AirPods Max headphones it sounds like I have a very expensive home theater setup except there aren’t physical speakers everywhere and I don’t piss off my neighbors at night. It’s truly an underrated experience.
My previous gen Apple TV 4K gets plugged into a Denon AVR. If I upgraded is there a way the AirPods Pro could “override” the output into the AVR and surround speakers? Thanks in advance.
I must say having a pair of AirPods Max with spacial audio connected to an Apple TV is seriously impressive. Living in an apartment I can't have a fancy surround sound system without getting some complaints. This is a perfect alternative that I don't think is talked about enough. thanks for bringing it up
There's so much more to the Apple TV than just streaming apps. There's Share Play, which I think is an awesome idea, although I haven't used it as yet. The fact that AirPods are automatically detected and so seamless to connect, and now you can connect multiple pairs simultaneously is awesome. Also hooking up a game controller to play games is why you have that A15 in there. I just wish Apple Arcade got some actual triple-A titles, or if Apple did a deal with Nintendo to bring some of their games to the platform, which would be revolutionary. Right now I can't think of any feature I'd like to have other than more high quality gaming content. Oh and a better game controller API which knows which controller I have hooked up and shows the correct mappings. I have a PS5 controller, but there are so many games that show Xbox button mappings and then I need to try and remember which button maps to which on the PS controller. However, this is also something that developers need to be more cognisant about.
@@TristanTheVRGamecat I do have a real console (PS, Xbox and Switch) and a gaming PC. I don’t think that the Apple TV is over priced. You’re entitled to your financial and ethical views, so you do you.
From what I see, this is a very limited streamer. For example, you can't even install your own media player app (Kodi, Emby, Jellyfish, etc.) to play your own media. /fail
@@moto-rambler Yes you can. I have Plex installed on my Apple TV and I’m running my own Plex server with my own media. Although I barely use it, because there are so many streaming services to choose from.
The personal home theatre experience Caleb mentioned is really underrated. Especially for people like me whose family hates loud speakers/subs, getting that experience all to myself (and pretty impressive) is awesome!
Caleb since you are someone that regularly configures and optimizes TV pictures, how accurate is the Apple TV’s tool compared to what you normally change??
Totally agree on the wonders of Spatial Audio. I recently purchased a gen 2 Apple TV 4K and AirPods Max, and I just packed up a bunch of my expensive audio gear because I'm just never going to use it again. It is truly the best audio experience I've had in my home, and it blows away my previous solution of running audio off the Roku app to my earbuds during late night listening.
You can connect any Bluetooth headphones, but you need AirPods to get spatial audio. The AirPods Pro sound good, but the AirPods Max are on another level entirely.
I think I have or had all of the various streaming boxes except the Shield. Among the ones I've used, the Apple TV is easily the nicest streaming box, and it is well worth the premium. It is an appliance you use every day and never want to think much about, which is exactly the kind of thing Apple does really well. Honestly, it is not so much that the AppleTV is some amazing thing, it is more that the competition is so terrible/weak. Amazon's FireTV is basically a deal where you pay less for the hardware in exchange for being constantly marketed to and pushed into the Amazon ecosystem. It works, but the UI is about marketing first and user experience last. My Fire stick lives in the TV in the guest room, where I essentially never have to use it. Chromecast is Google's version of the Fire stick, with similar drawbacks coupled with slightly less polished and stable software, so it is basically hot garbage. If you are going for the cheapest possible streamer, at least the Fire stick rarely crashes. Roku is a noticeable step up from both of those options. It is not a complete Trojan horse of advertising, the interface is stable and simple, and it isn't going to constantly annoy you day-to-day. Less advertising doesn't mean none and Roku is still a bit too ad-heavy, particularly the junky screen saver, but it is probably the best choice if you are on a budget. I upgraded from a Roku to the Apple TV when I bought a 4k/Dolby Vision capable TV, and I was worried at the time that I was spending too much to get trivial upgrades vs. the Roku. If you are on the fence, pull the trigger, you won't regret the upgrade.
Well the Shield is the only one that supports Dolby TrueHD audio, which is used on most blu-ray's - so if you run something like a Plex server, and want rip all your fully uncompressed blu-rays to hard drive, and have a collection of hundreds (or in my case thousands) of movies on demand, all at full quality, the stupid 2015 Shield is still the only option. Thankfully, Nvidia has continued to update it, and it still runs everything, and is still pretty fast. But if all you're doing is streaming, then they're all basically the same. The AppleTV is by far the fastest thing out there, but if you're a welfare slob, the FireTV will work just fine, just with a much uglier and slower interface (not that it's slow, it's just slower).
@@clotheman actually 2015, I got mine in Nov 2015 - I always upgrade to the latest and greatest and I've bought every new Apple TV and Fire Cube, whatever is the "best", and yet all of them have been a letdown. With the Shield, it's not quite as fast as the latest Firestick, but it's like 92% as fast, it's not slow by any means. Meanwhile Apple has the best hardware, but they lock it down so much, that most of the power goes to waste. The Shield is still chugging along, never has an issue running anything I throw at it. If/when they ever release a new Shield, I'll be getting one.
I’ve had the SHIELD before, and unless you pirate everything you watch, the only benefit is the “AI Upscaling” which is just a gimmick. The Apple TV gives you fat more bang for your buck in my opinion.
I have an Apple TV in every room. We use them more than anything else. The interface is fantastic and the universal search feature using Siri is super helpful.
@@michaelwright9101 Yes,I brought my first one because I needed it for Ecobee thermostat geofencing to work with my iPhone. Geofencing works natively in the Android app. I bought the second one for the remote upgrade. Refused to pay $60 for the stand alone remote. I own pretty much every streaming device minus the Nvidia Shield. I own about 12 -15 streaming devices. About 2 of each minimum. With all of that being said. TVOS and Roku interface sucks. RoKu has made major improvements in OS11. Live TV integration in TVOS is pathetic.
I really don't get what goals Apple is trying to accomplish here. They're basically charging a $20 dollar difference between wi-fi and ethernet. Plus HDR-10+? Not ever 4K TV has HDR-10+. Also, they added gigabit support I get that, but not every consumer has gigabit as its not available in all areas yet. I get gigabit speeds on my current Apple TV 4K. The Apple TV is the only product Apple adds minimal upgrades to.
I have the 2022 Samsung NEOQLED and watching anything from TV’s integrated apps does not compare to Apple 4k 3rd gen quality. On Apple TV the images are sharper, brighter and sound quality is better as well.
If they would just add good parental controls to this similar to the firestick/firetvs these devices would be perfect. Honestly really dissapointing that the parental controls are so limited and poor.
Only thing that apple tv misses for me is a tv guide built into the apple tv app. So when you connect apps to apple tv it auto shows what shows are available to stream currently in a tv guide.
My favourite stream device is definitely the Apple TV. The thing is so smooth and works so well with the Apple ecosystem. Even the 4th gen HD model still runs great for just streaming services tho I did find it didn’t work good for streaming from a PC using moonlight, going to the 1st gen 4K model fixed this (note the chrome cast is also no good for PC streaming). But I just love the UI and smoothness of the Apple TV, I’ve tried the chrome cast and there’s a bunch of things I don’t like including lag, ads and a worse UI in some areas imo.
I was all about google. I had a chromecast with google tv. When the Apple TV 4K came out last year I decided to grab one and return it if I was no update. It was so damn good I ditched my cc. Apple TV picture quality is second to none! Also the front page curation actually works as it should. I hated that ccwgtv front page was trash.
I think the Apple TV is by far my favorite device. I have one “Roku” Hisense 4K TV that I absolutely hated! But before I threw it out, I tried adding it to the Apple TV… all of a sudden, the TV became pretty good. I still HATE Hisense brightness control… but, it at least makes the TV good enough for my home office.
I have Apple 4K tv from a couple of years ago. I also have the shield. Both are very good for picture quality. I like you can watch the World Series in 4K UD H . For me I would pick apple 4 k tv.
Excellent review as always, Caleb. I’m going to be upgrading from a 2017 4K Apple TV on Friday and couldn’t be more excited. The one thing that I’d love for the Apple TV to solve (and I know this is an HDMI and panel issue more than anything) is handshake between devices. From black screens when switching frame rates or HDR modes to just completely messed up sound, I would love for Apple to work on common standards so that when you plug in your top box…”it just works.” Can’t wait to see this new Apple TV in action!
That is the HDMI Forums’ job and sadly they are hopelessly incompetent and corrupt. On the bright side, there is a new tech called QMS which will eliminate the delay and black screen when switching framerates and formats, but no TVs support it yet.
Is it time that we go back to dumb TVs and manufacturers can just add another HDMI input so that we can connect our favorite TV box? It just doesn't make sense to have LG's own OS, TCL to have Roku, Sony to have Google and Samsung to have Tizen. Save the money or use it for processing for the picture and let us buy our own box. Just assign a starting input in the TV settings so that you can always tune to the smart UI. My old Sony's UI was horrible, my Samsung's Tizen leaves a lot to be desired and the LG's pointer makes life difficult.
I just bought the new Roku Ultra which I love, but honestly the sound issues are really bugging me more than they should but besides that, pretty solid streaming box! Never owned an Apple TV I was thinking about get it before the Roku Ultra but the price was what ultimately drove me to Roku again (long time roku user)
@@bravowhiskeysierra6944 yeah it is! Ease of use and good quality. The only thing that is bothering me right now (and I thought I was alone) is that for some reason the ultra is quite than the express+ I was replacing it. For some reason hb max and UA-cam especially while listening to music it's waaaaaaay quieter and Roku help does not seem to respond to this issue since last year xD but aside from that excellent streaming box and faster than the previous model
I just got an Apple TV 4k. Running some of my best recordings and UA-cam the audio is better. Instruments of an orchestra appear that did not with my previous Apple TV
I loved my chrome cast with GTV but recently it’s been ultra slow and it’s had some hdmi handshake issues that are not worth buying a new one just to have these issues in a year again.
Appletv far surpasses any other streaming boxes and operating systems on any tv. I had so many issues with my Samsung not opening apps I went out and bought the new 4k Appletv. So fast and responsive and everything streams in 4k. I had issues with the Samsung os having issues processing the incoming feed and it often results in low quality streams.
Recently got a new tv and I’m picking this up so that I can set up a pair of OG HomePods to use with eArc for sound. Bass is 🤤 Hopefully they bring back an updated jumbo homepod soon.
I've used an Apple TV since the first iterations (the white boxes) that used old-school hard drives. Now have an old HD hooked up to our gaming TV (an older 4K LG), a 2nd gen 4K on our TCL 6 series, and another 2nd gen on our AWOL UST. I've also always bought them on sale as, yes, they've always been more than a bit overpriced. But they also just work. And I like the consistent UI between TVs. Will I upgrade to the new one? Probably. At least for the projector as it supports HDR10+. Then that 4K can migrate to the LG.
I love my 2nd Gen AppleTV, we changed from Dish w/4K to Hulu, and the difference in picture quality is night and day. Hulu on AppleTV is fantastic, on Dish, 4k was really like 1080p. In fact, as time goes on, the other streaming apps on AppleTV have improved too. I am now convinced to add the new top-tier AppleTV to the living room and move the older version down to the next TV in the house. Thank you, enjoy all your videos.
That's what people don't understand...Apple has done thr best video calibration of any streaming device. Everyone who watches a movie or sports at my house is blown away by the video quality and sharpness. The Apple TV also streams at 120fps so it looks smoother than TV apps which stream at 60fps.
I just got the new AppleTV 4K (3rd Gen) for my home Theater setup and it's amazing guys, i can fill the drastic change between 2017 and 2022 models , it provides the powerful output of image and sound dolby atmos experience is out of the world kinda, i really like to play my iPhone videos through AirPlay and today i have realized the how good iPhone captures dolby atmos sound.
I think the Chromecast with google TV is the best however they should add a premium version with more memory and better processor. Google needs a tensor powered Google TV device that has HDMI 2.1 with support for 8k. Just a thought 🧐
CCwGTV is fine for the price, but it isn't the best Android TV box and doesn't really compete with the Apple TV. If you want a competitor for the Apple TV it will be the Shield TV or the new Fire Cube
@@joseluislopes3956 agreed. The shield tv pro is the closest in performance however it is not as up to date as the Chromecast w Google TV. Even the Amazon devices are simply running older android software. I want Google to step up with their own premium device, that would get the most current updates. They need to at least match the apple tv in performance and price.
@@micker9830 CCwGTV is sluggish to start with low RAM. It doesn't support lossless audio (TrueHD or DTS-X), no good AI upscaling like the Shield (one of the best features). I repeat, the CCwGTV is FINE as a Netflix/UA-cam box or to plug into a old non Smart TV, but it doesn't do everything the others do. The Shield TV might be a few years old but still gets updates and it's processor (tegra X1) runs laps around the Chromecast
I agree My samsung smart tv bought two years ago now feels sluggish and slow when opening apps. A15 does future propf the apple tv so its built to last
I have the 1st Gen AppleTV 4K hooked up to a LG C1, the video is gorgeous and the sound out of the Sonos Beam plus Play 1 surrounds is quite nice. At night I use AirPods Pro 2 or AirPods Max and the person al audio is beautiful as well. Will probably swap out the Gen 1 on my family room TV for a Gen 2 and repurpose that one for my personal office system
@@farzadjahanfard the apps on the C1 are slower, longer loading times and at least for me they crashed some early on when we first got the TV. Hope that helps.
As a Plex user with 4K UHD Blu-ray rips, the Apple TV 4K isn't even a consideration as it doesn't support Dolby TrueHD, DTS, DTS-HD, or DTS-X. If you're only watching content from streaming services which is usually only DD 5.1 or DD+ with Atmos, then I'm sure the Apple TV 4K like Caleb said will be great for most people.
It will passthrough Atmos to an Atmos receiver. DV is a pain across the board as it needs to be in the right profiles. Apparently Infuse will play DV Rips by reading a Plex library. I think it needs more time to mature / get adopted. Also as someone that owns a 5.1 set up with B&W 802D + HTMD2 + Linn Akurate. Running E-AC3 640kbps tracks is barely distinguishable as your brain is taking on screen images going mad.
@@SimplySketchyGT Ya, I think it can passthrough as LPCM to receivers. I still use the Nvidia Shield Pro as it can natively play and passthrough all the audio formats as well as play DV Blu-ray rips in Plex.
@@SimplySketchyGT it won't pass-through Dolby TrueHD. IIRC it converts to multichannel PCM with no vertical channels or object based metadata. Defeats the purpose of having lossless rips/remuxes
What do you suggest to use? My TV is a high end 2022 model so the inbuilt google OS is pretty decent but if I wanted the best of the best what’s your suggestion?
@@Lachlan_McDougall if you don't have problems with your TV performance, and you don't have any niche use case (lile a plex server with Hi-Res audio) just use your TV OS
Can you store your purchased movies in the Apple TV’s memory, then take the device on vacation and watch the movies while not connected to the internet ?
Great info and I would definitely consider the new Apple TV if something would happen to my Roku Ultra. I have used the Ultra for 2 years and it just works for movies or playing music from my NAS device. Other factor is that our smart devices are all Google Home integrated so no advantage to be gained there. Still a compelling alternative.
I'm glad your Roku Ultra is doing fine i gave up on mine a year ago, i kept having to restart it to get the screen to show so i just went with the apple tv 4k. one thing i miss from my roku ultra is the find remote function haha
@@walter2695 Same here with the Ultra, I think their update killed the HDMI CEC wake function, total pain in the ass to restart the device to get my screen to diaplay, or you wait 30mins to retry waking the display again. I've used Roku Ultra, Fire HD Tvs, and Chromecast.... by miles ahead...Apple TV 4k is the best experience. Roku is great for cheap, it still lags, has less versitility and the display issues. I would say even if you had no issues with a Roku, you will still have a better experience with Apple
Yes. Been using this combo for normal TV viewing since it was called "AT&T U-verse Now." Apple TV has been supported since launch and often gets feature updates before others.
A usb port would be nice.. as ATV OS has vlc in the app store, but how can we add or play any video files if we dont have a usb c port. Also it doesn’t have a browser, most of the Smart TVs have inbuilt internet browsers
I mostly love the previous gen ATV 4K. But if you enable content matching it's great for Netflix, but on UA-cam the mode switching for each advertisement is absolute torture. It causes the first few seconds of each ad *and* of the resumed video to be dropped. (Not sure if my 2021 Sony TV has any part of that.)
For the little change everything sounds good, always liked apple tv found if a bit pricey in the past so i defaulted to the fire stick whitch i think is one of the best.
My issue with Apple TV is apps don't automatically close out. If I'm watching a show on Netflix on my Tv and go to my computer the show doesn't sync when I go back to the TV. I have to find the original remote which I don't use to swipe off the app to refresh Netflix. Right now I use the LG built in app, I feel the PQ is better anyway.
I was the same as you. I recommended Shield Pro on the high end or Firestick 4k on the low end. The Apple TV 4K was just not worth the premium. But for the last year almost, I have been using the 2nd gen here and there (especially for Apple Music in Dolby Atmos), and I, too, changed my tune. Now with the gen 3 being better in every way AND cheaper, people should absolutely pick one up. I ordered one (I will put the gen 2 in the bedroom). If you are a big Plex user you should still use the Shield Pro.
This can do Apple Music karaoke while projecting lyrics on the TV and you can smoothly turn up or down vocals (using the built-in music app), enuff said
As first gen apple 4k owner I don’t see any difference with Xiaomi 4k. No browser, no airplay from PC. I’m not sure if there is even an app for windows airplay.
We love our Apple TVs, and have them for each of our TVs and cannot live without them. Am I going to buy another 4K Apple TV the new one? No our old 4K is working just fine.
What is the life of the apple tv remote as the batteries are non replaceable? will the TV be useless without the remote? Also will all features work with a monitor, specially volume control?
Another objective review, thanks. I am in Australia and we don’t have access (without VPN hacks) to a lot of your streaming services and devices. I just upgraded my Apple TV and got the 128G version to use with a new Sony oled. The picture is noticeably better via the Apple TV than the inbuilt tv apps. Also can get ATMOS audio from Disney+ and it was worth every cent to get the vastly improved remote control.
Yo, about the VPN hacks, I'm really struggling to get my apps to work on my ATV. What did you do to get it to work? I'm using ExpressVPN and just adding the DNS doesn't seem to do anything at all. Spent like a day or 2 trying to configure and ended up with intense buyer's remorse
Hey everyone! Love the comments! Keep ‘em coming. The new ATV 4K is going to replace a Chromecast at home for a longer term eval. Anyone interested in a full-on flagship streamer battle? Also, for anyone wondering why get a streaming box when Smart TVs exist, maybe go check out my video on why I think Smart TVs are dumb. Or should be dumb!
This video didn't mention being able to play lossless music from the Apple TV. I bought a Sonos Arc surround sound system with subwoofer for my living room and bedroom...music is studio quality and so clean. The Apple TV is the best streaming box at not only video and audio but music too.
@@lamar310 Video? How so? Definitely not the best for movie audio codecs.
In my opinion with the tv makers just make a awesome tv with no apps. Use the pros for that hence Apple TV. Maybe you can answer this, I heard that when you use Apple TV all information goes through apples servers which are top quality. Any truth in that?
Does it still not support DTS or True-HD? From what I hear the previous model compressed Dolby Atmos as well.
I agree. We have a 2019 Vizio M7 series and navigating through "Smart cast" is horrible. We've been using the Firestick for awhile now. Sooo much better than the TV interface.
No ads in the UI? I’m sold!
LOL when did apple tv EVER have ads in the us? as a matter of fact ANY apple operating system? it’s not disgusting ass android
The combination of using your AirPods Pro/Max with transparency mode and head tracking is just UNREAL. It's like being in the room and using your surround sound speakers on full blast all while someone can sleep in silence right next to you. The way it follows your head as you stand up and move is next level.
I totally agree. I live in a condo and with the AirPods Max headphones it sounds like I have a very expensive home theater setup except there aren’t physical speakers everywhere and I don’t piss off my neighbors at night. It’s truly an underrated experience.
It freaked me out the other night when the head tracking was turned on, and I suddenly noticed it! Lol.
as an audio engineer I honestly think it makes the soundstage sound absolutely terrible, that is just my opinion though
My previous gen Apple TV 4K gets plugged into a Denon AVR. If I upgraded is there a way the AirPods Pro could “override” the output into the AVR and surround speakers? Thanks in advance.
@@amitandutube - Nope
I must say having a pair of AirPods Max with spacial audio connected to an Apple TV is seriously impressive. Living in an apartment I can't have a fancy surround sound system without getting some complaints. This is a perfect alternative that I don't think is talked about enough. thanks for bringing it up
There's so much more to the Apple TV than just streaming apps. There's Share Play, which I think is an awesome idea, although I haven't used it as yet. The fact that AirPods are automatically detected and so seamless to connect, and now you can connect multiple pairs simultaneously is awesome. Also hooking up a game controller to play games is why you have that A15 in there. I just wish Apple Arcade got some actual triple-A titles, or if Apple did a deal with Nintendo to bring some of their games to the platform, which would be revolutionary.
Right now I can't think of any feature I'd like to have other than more high quality gaming content. Oh and a better game controller API which knows which controller I have hooked up and shows the correct mappings. I have a PS5 controller, but there are so many games that show Xbox button mappings and then I need to try and remember which button maps to which on the PS controller. However, this is also something that developers need to be more cognisant about.
Or you could get a real console and stop supporting greedy apple and they bs over priced garbage
@@TristanTheVRGamecat I do have a real console (PS, Xbox and Switch) and a gaming PC. I don’t think that the Apple TV is over priced. You’re entitled to your financial and ethical views, so you do you.
Apple 4K TV no HDMI 2.1 no sale
From what I see, this is a very limited streamer. For example, you can't even install your own media player app (Kodi, Emby, Jellyfish, etc.) to play your own media. /fail
@@moto-rambler Yes you can. I have Plex installed on my Apple TV and I’m running my own Plex server with my own media. Although I barely use it, because there are so many streaming services to choose from.
The personal home theatre experience Caleb mentioned is really underrated. Especially for people like me whose family hates loud speakers/subs, getting that experience all to myself (and pretty impressive) is awesome!
Scsm
@@craigosterberg5045 System Center Service Manager?
Looking forward to the 128 GB version arriving soon. Great review!
7.3.4 :)
Does the virtual surround with head tracking with AirPods Max work by Bluetooth or wifi. Really interested in investing in this at my home.
Caleb since you are someone that regularly configures and optimizes TV pictures, how accurate is the Apple TV’s tool compared to what you normally change??
I really love the HomeKit how I can see my cameras when someone is approaching is a game changer
Totally agree on the wonders of Spatial Audio. I recently purchased a gen 2 Apple TV 4K and AirPods Max, and I just packed up a bunch of my expensive audio gear because I'm just never going to use it again. It is truly the best audio experience I've had in my home, and it blows away my previous solution of running audio off the Roku app to my earbuds during late night listening.
Does it work with any headphones?
You can connect any Bluetooth headphones, but you need AirPods to get spatial audio. The AirPods Pro sound good, but the AirPods Max are on another level entirely.
Focal Utopia headphones + DCS Bartok
I think I have or had all of the various streaming boxes except the Shield. Among the ones I've used, the Apple TV is easily the nicest streaming box, and it is well worth the premium. It is an appliance you use every day and never want to think much about, which is exactly the kind of thing Apple does really well. Honestly, it is not so much that the AppleTV is some amazing thing, it is more that the competition is so terrible/weak. Amazon's FireTV is basically a deal where you pay less for the hardware in exchange for being constantly marketed to and pushed into the Amazon ecosystem. It works, but the UI is about marketing first and user experience last. My Fire stick lives in the TV in the guest room, where I essentially never have to use it. Chromecast is Google's version of the Fire stick, with similar drawbacks coupled with slightly less polished and stable software, so it is basically hot garbage. If you are going for the cheapest possible streamer, at least the Fire stick rarely crashes. Roku is a noticeable step up from both of those options. It is not a complete Trojan horse of advertising, the interface is stable and simple, and it isn't going to constantly annoy you day-to-day. Less advertising doesn't mean none and Roku is still a bit too ad-heavy, particularly the junky screen saver, but it is probably the best choice if you are on a budget. I upgraded from a Roku to the Apple TV when I bought a 4k/Dolby Vision capable TV, and I was worried at the time that I was spending too much to get trivial upgrades vs. the Roku. If you are on the fence, pull the trigger, you won't regret the upgrade.
Well the Shield is the only one that supports Dolby TrueHD audio, which is used on most blu-ray's - so if you run something like a Plex server, and want rip all your fully uncompressed blu-rays to hard drive, and have a collection of hundreds (or in my case thousands) of movies on demand, all at full quality, the stupid 2015 Shield is still the only option. Thankfully, Nvidia has continued to update it, and it still runs everything, and is still pretty fast.
But if all you're doing is streaming, then they're all basically the same. The AppleTV is by far the fastest thing out there, but if you're a welfare slob, the FireTV will work just fine, just with a much uglier and slower interface (not that it's slow, it's just slower).
This is so sad. The shield is the best console ever to be released and still hasn't been surpassed since 2016. You don't know what you're missing!
@@clotheman actually 2015, I got mine in Nov 2015 - I always upgrade to the latest and greatest and I've bought every new Apple TV and Fire Cube, whatever is the "best", and yet all of them have been a letdown. With the Shield, it's not quite as fast as the latest Firestick, but it's like 92% as fast, it's not slow by any means. Meanwhile Apple has the best hardware, but they lock it down so much, that most of the power goes to waste. The Shield is still chugging along, never has an issue running anything I throw at it. If/when they ever release a new Shield, I'll be getting one.
Ah so your the clown audience they aiming for
I’ve had the SHIELD before, and unless you pirate everything you watch, the only benefit is the “AI Upscaling” which is just a gimmick. The Apple TV gives you fat more bang for your buck in my opinion.
I have an Apple TV in every room. We use them more than anything else. The interface is fantastic and the universal search feature using Siri is super helpful.
The interface is the main reason why my Apple Tv's are nothing more than glorified paperweights.
@@deman19901 you don’t like them but you bought more than one?
@@michaelwright9101 Yes,I brought my first one because I needed it for Ecobee thermostat geofencing to work with my iPhone. Geofencing works natively in the Android app. I bought the second one for the remote upgrade. Refused to pay $60 for the stand alone remote. I own pretty much every streaming device minus the Nvidia Shield. I own about 12 -15 streaming devices. About 2 of each minimum. With all of that being said. TVOS and Roku interface sucks. RoKu has made major improvements in OS11. Live TV integration in TVOS is pathetic.
Apple TV is still the best option for me. I haven’t found an app as good as Infuse on other platforms.
I really don't get what goals Apple is trying to accomplish here. They're basically charging a $20 dollar difference between wi-fi and ethernet. Plus HDR-10+? Not ever 4K TV has HDR-10+. Also, they added gigabit support I get that, but not every consumer has gigabit as its not available in all areas yet. I get gigabit speeds on my current Apple TV 4K. The Apple TV is the only product Apple adds minimal upgrades to.
If you have an older apple tv box and really want the new remote. You can just buy the remote. Just a heads up.
I’m having issues with it not responding to remote input for seconds. It happens quite often???
I have the 2022 Samsung NEOQLED and watching anything from TV’s integrated apps does not compare to Apple 4k 3rd gen quality. On Apple TV the images are sharper, brighter and sound quality is better as well.
Great review Caleb, I have the previous gen Apple 4K TV connected to my old Sony XBR5 and it works great and the picture is beautiful 💯
If they would just add good parental controls to this similar to the firestick/firetvs these devices would be perfect. Honestly really dissapointing that the parental controls are so limited and poor.
From an Android user, hands down Apple tv 4k is the best.
Only thing that apple tv misses for me is a tv guide built into the apple tv app. So when you connect apps to apple tv it auto shows what shows are available to stream currently in a tv guide.
My favourite stream device is definitely the Apple TV. The thing is so smooth and works so well with the Apple ecosystem. Even the 4th gen HD model still runs great for just streaming services tho I did find it didn’t work good for streaming from a PC using moonlight, going to the 1st gen 4K model fixed this (note the chrome cast is also no good for PC streaming). But I just love the UI and smoothness of the Apple TV, I’ve tried the chrome cast and there’s a bunch of things I don’t like including lag, ads and a worse UI in some areas imo.
Sony Bravia Google TV powers by Android is much better smart TV
Everyone in my house loves our 2nd gen AppleTV. Can’t wait to upgrade to 3rd gen. My dad will be getting my 2nd gen.
My Shield Pro still works just fine but I wish Nvidia would update it.
Want features do you need for the upgrade?
Mine isn't showing its age at all. Better they keep support for the current models
Is there any difference in picture quality or is it exactly the same?
I was all about google. I had a chromecast with google tv. When the Apple TV 4K came out last year I decided to grab one and return it if I was no update. It was so damn good I ditched my cc. Apple TV picture quality is second to none! Also the front page curation actually works as it should. I hated that ccwgtv front page was trash.
So many ads on the CC home page it genuinely was so irritating
Mines in the shed in a box. But it has company, a Chromecast, a Firestick and a Roku all live in that box and get along fine.
I think the Apple TV is by far my favorite device. I have one “Roku” Hisense 4K TV that I absolutely hated! But before I threw it out, I tried adding it to the Apple TV… all of a sudden, the TV became pretty good. I still HATE Hisense brightness control… but, it at least makes the TV good enough for my home office.
I just got a Samung OLED and need this for Dolby Vision support, hope it isn't too painful being Apple.
I have Apple 4K tv from a couple of years ago. I also have the shield. Both are very good for picture quality. I like you can watch the World Series in 4K UD H . For me I would pick apple 4 k tv.
I want one but I read on internet that a New Apple TV will come this year.
I don't understand the purpose of streaming tv boxes. Don't TVs come with streaming apps in them?
Excellent review as always, Caleb. I’m going to be upgrading from a 2017 4K Apple TV on Friday and couldn’t be more excited.
The one thing that I’d love for the Apple TV to solve (and I know this is an HDMI and panel issue more than anything) is handshake between devices. From black screens when switching frame rates or HDR modes to just completely messed up sound, I would love for Apple to work on common standards so that when you plug in your top box…”it just works.” Can’t wait to see this new Apple TV in action!
That is the HDMI Forums’ job and sadly they are hopelessly incompetent and corrupt. On the bright side, there is a new tech called QMS which will eliminate the delay and black screen when switching framerates and formats, but no TVs support it yet.
Need to get out more 😂
Is it time that we go back to dumb TVs and manufacturers can just add another HDMI input so that we can connect our favorite TV box? It just doesn't make sense to have LG's own OS, TCL to have Roku, Sony to have Google and Samsung to have Tizen. Save the money or use it for processing for the picture and let us buy our own box. Just assign a starting input in the TV settings so that you can always tune to the smart UI.
My old Sony's UI was horrible, my Samsung's Tizen leaves a lot to be desired and the LG's pointer makes life difficult.
I just bought the new Roku Ultra which I love, but honestly the sound issues are really bugging me more than they should but besides that, pretty solid streaming box! Never owned an Apple TV I was thinking about get it before the Roku Ultra but the price was what ultimately drove me to Roku again (long time roku user)
Roku is great. Best bang for the buck.
@@bravowhiskeysierra6944 yeah it is! Ease of use and good quality. The only thing that is bothering me right now (and I thought I was alone) is that for some reason the ultra is quite than the express+ I was replacing it. For some reason hb max and UA-cam especially while listening to music it's waaaaaaay quieter and Roku help does not seem to respond to this issue since last year xD but aside from that excellent streaming box and faster than the previous model
Roku is 100 times better.
@@beng4647 do you have UA-cam TV on your Roku? The image is really poor. I suspect UA-cam Tv not roku but not sure. I may try this.
@@fredmanteghian5913 I don't. I tried it. It seemed really expensive for what you got.
I just got an Apple TV 4k. Running some of my best recordings and UA-cam the audio is better. Instruments of an orchestra appear that did not with my previous Apple TV
I currently have the AppleTV 4K (last version) and I am on the fence if I need to upgrade. I have an LG TV to HDR10+ is not a big deal
Did you upgrade
@@EssenceOfVanity I still have not upgraded, I am skipping this version.
I loved my chrome cast with GTV but recently it’s been ultra slow and it’s had some hdmi handshake issues that are not worth buying a new one just to have these issues in a year again.
Appletv far surpasses any other streaming boxes and operating systems on any tv. I had so many issues with my Samsung not opening apps I went out and bought the new 4k Appletv. So fast and responsive and everything streams in 4k. I had issues with the Samsung os having issues processing the incoming feed and it often results in low quality streams.
Recently got a new tv and I’m picking this up so that I can set up a pair of OG HomePods to use with eArc for sound. Bass is 🤤
Hopefully they bring back an updated jumbo homepod soon.
I've used an Apple TV since the first iterations (the white boxes) that used old-school hard drives. Now have an old HD hooked up to our gaming TV (an older 4K LG), a 2nd gen 4K on our TCL 6 series, and another 2nd gen on our AWOL UST. I've also always bought them on sale as, yes, they've always been more than a bit overpriced. But they also just work. And I like the consistent UI between TVs. Will I upgrade to the new one? Probably. At least for the projector as it supports HDR10+. Then that 4K can migrate to the LG.
Unfortunately, no audio pass through and does not support DTS:X or Dolby Atmos in TrueHD. Something for Plex users with 4K video to be aware of.
You use the built-in apps on your Smart TV? That's very Myspace.
I love my 2nd Gen AppleTV, we changed from Dish w/4K to Hulu, and the difference in picture quality is night and day. Hulu on AppleTV is fantastic, on Dish, 4k was really like 1080p. In fact, as time goes on, the other streaming apps on AppleTV have improved too. I am now convinced to add the new top-tier AppleTV to the living room and move the older version down to the next TV in the house. Thank you, enjoy all your videos.
Scam
That's what people don't understand...Apple has done thr best video calibration of any streaming device. Everyone who watches a movie or sports at my house is blown away by the video quality and sharpness. The Apple TV also streams at 120fps so it looks smoother than TV apps which stream at 60fps.
I just got the new AppleTV 4K (3rd Gen) for my home Theater setup and it's amazing guys, i can fill the drastic change between 2017 and 2022 models , it provides the powerful output of image and sound dolby atmos experience is out of the world kinda, i really like to play my iPhone videos through AirPlay and today i have realized the how good iPhone captures dolby atmos sound.
I think the Chromecast with google TV is the best however they should add a premium version with more memory and better processor. Google needs a tensor powered Google TV device that has HDMI 2.1 with support for 8k. Just a thought 🧐
Great idea
I’m a big fan of Chromecast w Google tV as well. Gonna have to pull one to out an ATV 4K in its spot for a long term eval. I’ll miss it.
CCwGTV is fine for the price, but it isn't the best Android TV box and doesn't really compete with the Apple TV. If you want a competitor for the Apple TV it will be the Shield TV or the new Fire Cube
@@joseluislopes3956 agreed. The shield tv pro is the closest in performance however it is not as up to date as the Chromecast w Google TV. Even the Amazon devices are simply running older android software. I want Google to step up with their own premium device, that would get the most current updates. They need to at least match the apple tv in performance and price.
@@micker9830 CCwGTV is sluggish to start with low RAM. It doesn't support lossless audio (TrueHD or DTS-X), no good AI upscaling like the Shield (one of the best features).
I repeat, the CCwGTV is FINE as a Netflix/UA-cam box or to plug into a old non Smart TV, but it doesn't do everything the others do.
The Shield TV might be a few years old but still gets updates and it's processor (tegra X1) runs laps around the Chromecast
What are some of the apps that are a must to get the most of the appletv ?
Bought a Apple TV 4K 2022. Replacing a Series 1 Apple TV 4K. On our new OLED 4K tv. The difference is very significant
wow, this was the best review on youtube by a mile
I agree
My samsung smart tv bought two years ago now feels sluggish and slow when opening apps. A15 does future propf the apple tv so its built to last
Could you please tell us what's the point to buy an Apple TV device meanwhile you can use the Apple TV app on your smart TV?
I have the 1st Gen AppleTV 4K hooked up to a LG C1, the video is gorgeous and the sound out of the Sonos Beam plus Play 1 surrounds is quite nice. At night I use AirPods Pro 2 or AirPods Max and the person al audio is beautiful as well.
Will probably swap out the Gen 1 on my family room TV for a Gen 2 and repurpose that one for my personal office system
Hi do you think its better than native apps on c1 quality wise speaking
I use to have a gen 1 sonos it sounds much better with Apple Music than it airplay 2
@@farzadjahanfard the apps on the C1 are slower, longer loading times and at least for me they crashed some early on when we first got the TV. Hope that helps.
uh, what? Advantage over Roku Ultra?
As a Plex user with 4K UHD Blu-ray rips, the Apple TV 4K isn't even a consideration as it doesn't support Dolby TrueHD, DTS, DTS-HD, or DTS-X. If you're only watching content from streaming services which is usually only DD 5.1 or DD+ with Atmos, then I'm sure the Apple TV 4K like Caleb said will be great for most people.
It will passthrough Atmos to an Atmos receiver. DV is a pain across the board as it needs to be in the right profiles. Apparently Infuse will play DV Rips by reading a Plex library. I think it needs more time to mature / get adopted. Also as someone that owns a 5.1 set up with B&W 802D + HTMD2 + Linn Akurate. Running E-AC3 640kbps tracks is barely distinguishable as your brain is taking on screen images going mad.
@@SimplySketchyGT Ya, I think it can passthrough as LPCM to receivers. I still use the Nvidia Shield Pro as it can natively play and passthrough all the audio formats as well as play DV Blu-ray rips in Plex.
@@SimplySketchyGT it won't pass-through Dolby TrueHD. IIRC it converts to multichannel PCM with no vertical channels or object based metadata. Defeats the purpose of having lossless rips/remuxes
What do you suggest to use? My TV is a high end 2022 model so the inbuilt google OS is pretty decent but if I wanted the best of the best what’s your suggestion?
@@Lachlan_McDougall if you don't have problems with your TV performance, and you don't have any niche use case (lile a plex server with Hi-Res audio) just use your TV OS
my best tip is to choose 4K SDR for Format, with Dynamic Range & Frame Rate On in Match Content, then set HDMI Output to RGB Low
You can connect it to Steam with Apple 4K Works really nice!
is it better picture quality in movies / tv shows than the 2021 version?
It doesn't support AV1, so its a pass from me.
Why haven't they done audio passthrough yet? It's been on the Nvidia Shield forever now and is the Apple store ever getting Kodi?
Can you store your purchased movies in the Apple TV’s memory, then take the device on vacation and watch the movies while not connected to the internet ?
Can the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth be disabled in this model?
I was one of the suckers who bought the 2021 before I knew about the 2022. 😕
Still a great device this just has more storage on
The higher model and a A15 chip instead of a A12 but the A12 is still pretty powerful.
You made a great purchase for the next 2-5 years instead of 5-8. And got what you wanted when you wanted it. You’re fine.
I am a big Apple fan, and have all Apple devices but why no WiFi 6E!!
Great info and I would definitely consider the new Apple TV if something would happen to my Roku Ultra. I have used the Ultra for 2 years and it just works for movies or playing music from my NAS device. Other factor is that our smart devices are all Google Home integrated so no advantage to be gained there. Still a compelling alternative.
I'm glad your Roku Ultra is doing fine i gave up on mine a year ago, i kept having to restart it to get the screen to show so i just went with the apple tv 4k. one thing i miss from my roku ultra is the find remote function haha
@@walter2695 Same here with the Ultra, I think their update killed the HDMI CEC wake function, total pain in the ass to restart the device to get my screen to diaplay, or you wait 30mins to retry waking the display again.
I've used Roku Ultra, Fire HD Tvs, and Chromecast.... by miles ahead...Apple TV 4k is the best experience. Roku is great for cheap, it still lags, has less versitility and the display issues. I would say even if you had no issues with a Roku, you will still have a better experience with Apple
@Smudge no buffering? No lag and no bs hoops to jump through?
@Smudge I have gigabyte internet. So sounds promising. Thanks man.
Is the Roku controllable through Google home? Is it easy to cast from android for web browsing? Does the remote have a Netflix button? Thank u
I have an Apple TV - I Love it, but I wish they would fix the Nest App to where I can sign-in with my Google Acct.
Does Apple TV support Directv Stream app?
Yes. Been using this combo for normal TV viewing since it was called "AT&T U-verse Now." Apple TV has been supported since launch and often gets feature updates before others.
Selling my old first gen 4K so this one wouldn't be that expensive. People still pays pretty good for used Apple TVs.
A usb port would be nice.. as ATV OS has vlc in the app store, but how can we add or play any video files if we dont have a usb c port. Also it doesn’t have a browser, most of the Smart TVs have inbuilt internet browsers
If you're in their ecosystem it looks great. If not, just get any of the agnostic platforms for 30% the cost.
So I had a chromecast and yeah it burnt out. I finally got an Apple TV and the home loves it.
I mostly love the previous gen ATV 4K. But if you enable content matching it's great for Netflix, but on UA-cam the mode switching for each advertisement is absolute torture. It causes the first few seconds of each ad *and* of the resumed video to be dropped. (Not sure if my 2021 Sony TV has any part of that.)
Can I jailbreak it or stream movies?
is it worth the upgrade if I already have a 3rd gen one
For the little change everything sounds good, always liked apple tv found if a bit pricey in the past so i defaulted to the fire stick whitch i think is one of the best.
Where can I find the tv stand that you have?
My issue with Apple TV is apps don't automatically close out. If I'm watching a show on Netflix on my Tv and go to my computer the show doesn't sync when I go back to the TV. I have to find the original remote which I don't use to swipe off the app to refresh Netflix. Right now I use the LG built in app, I feel the PQ is better anyway.
Conflicted with getting one or not. I have Apple everything but using Vizio smart cast and hate the interface.
Cheers much, what about Sony's 3d sound?
I was the same as you. I recommended Shield Pro on the high end or Firestick 4k on the low end. The Apple TV 4K was just not worth the premium. But for the last year almost, I have been using the 2nd gen here and there (especially for Apple Music in Dolby Atmos), and I, too, changed my tune. Now with the gen 3 being better in every way AND cheaper, people should absolutely pick one up. I ordered one (I will put the gen 2 in the bedroom). If you are a big Plex user you should still use the Shield Pro.
does apple tv support plex?
You can stream Plex content onto it, but not run it as a server. Works well enough in my experience-no need to transcode HEVC.
If I use the Apple TV app on the Samsung, will it still play HDR10+? Or is there added benefit to the Apple TV device?
Well then guess I’ll have to get me a Apple TV 4K
I've had the first 4K version since it launched, I think it is time to upgrade.
This can do Apple Music karaoke while projecting lyrics on the TV and you can smoothly turn up or down vocals (using the built-in music app), enuff said
How long until compression will no longer be an issue with streaming services?
I have an ATV 4K that sadly gathers dust due to it having severe banding with Plex, and no support for TrueHD or DTS-HD MA audio formats.
I can’t Amazon prime to work on it, any ideas
I just picked up the new Apple TV 4K 3rd gen and upgrade from 2017 well worth the $150
As first gen apple 4k owner I don’t see any difference with Xiaomi 4k. No browser, no airplay from PC. I’m not sure if there is even an app for windows airplay.
Is anyone having issues with your remote becoming unpaired?
We love our Apple TVs, and have them for each of our TVs and cannot live without them. Am I going to buy another 4K Apple TV the new one? No our old 4K is working just fine.
What is the life of the apple tv remote as the batteries are non replaceable? will the TV be useless without the remote? Also will all features work with a monitor, specially volume control?
4K 60 Hz or 4K 120 Hz?
Excited I just won one of these devices at work in a raffle. Can’t wait to set it up.
Hi Caleb. Does the box straight through Apple Music Hi-Res lossless?
So this seems to be a straight ad and not a personal experience!
I finally got the Apple TV 4K a month agoe and I love it I can’t believe how much I was missing out on before on my LG C1 Tv
Can the LG C1 utilize the Apple TVs 4K said features?
I’ll be happy when all live sporting events are broadcasted in 4k, and 4k 120hz content is on every platform
Still kinda bummed there is no high res lossless playback from Apple Music.
Another objective review, thanks. I am in Australia and we don’t have access (without VPN hacks) to a lot of your streaming services and devices. I just upgraded my Apple TV and got the 128G version to use with a new Sony oled. The picture is noticeably better via the Apple TV than the inbuilt tv apps. Also can get ATMOS audio from Disney+ and it was worth every cent to get the vastly improved remote control.
Yo, about the VPN hacks, I'm really struggling to get my apps to work on my ATV. What did you do to get it to work? I'm using ExpressVPN and just adding the DNS doesn't seem to do anything at all. Spent like a day or 2 trying to configure and ended up with intense buyer's remorse
Really is it better than native apps for oled? I really want to know if it’s better get one but i am not sure no one knows apparently
i’ve been holding off on getting an apple tv (and a 4k tv) till it got a bit cheaper. this one is cheaper, therefore i will be getting it
Whats the difference between hdr plus and dolby v?