Apple TV 4K

Apple has again surprised us by introducing the 4k TV. It’s almost perfect. Like all Apple’s Products, this is also very expensive but equally extraordinary and attractive. It’s similar to the 4th-generation Apple TV with its touchpad-equipped Siri remote, but with a far more powerful processor. With a starting price of $179, this is also one of the most costly streaming media boxes you can buy, as highlighted earlier.

Apple Is In The Game:
With the Apple TV 4K, Apple is trying to do more than just provide you with a gadget that can stream Netflix or iTunes Store movies in 4K. This gadget seeks to solve a certain difficulty: the digital TV watching experience is split and bad, particularly if you want to use the types of TV network apps that open episodes or live transmissions.

Using the Apple TV 4K, you can see and appreciate Apple’s vision for a better TV experience. On the other hand, the authenticities of the entertainment business have barred that idea from being fully valued—the Apple TV 4K might still be a bit too fast of this era.

Attempted renovation of the overall TV browsing and viewing experience aside, this device still aims to be the best, most advanced TV streaming device on the market. Generally, it succeeds, but it has a few flaws which we will explain later.

Design And Specs:
The Apple TV is a neat little black box. It’s the same size as the previous model and even looks almost identical, bar a small circular vent at the bottom. An opening often means a fan, and certainly, the Apple TV 4K comes with an entity to keep it cool when it’s hard-pressed.

Don’t worry, though: no matter what we did put the 4K Apple TV through it continued effortlessly whisper-free-and-quiet. Though, we didn’t hear the faintest buzz or screech. It does indicate that you should consider its location, though, away from mats or dusty areas to safeguard that the vents stay unpolluted and flawless.

Power-Packed Performance:
The need for a fan comes down to the Apple TV 4K’s impressive performance. It’s powered by the company’s A10X Fusion chip, the same one found in the fantastic 10.5-inch iPad Pro and latest 12.9-inch model.

These are computing powerhouses in a compact form – as is the Apple TV 4K. It needs that grunt to upscale all content, which it does with aplomb. It also streams apps and games easily and is highly approachable, whether it’s starting apps or enacting games.

In a different place, this robust box sports an HDMI out and Ethernet in. Of course, you don’t need to connect it to the internet via a cable; the 4K Apple TV supports dual-band Wi-Fi, which we found to be coping well, even when streaming 4K HDR content.

Whether this works for you will depend on the distance the Apple TV 4K sits from the router, the setup of your network, and even the design of your house.

However, we did find the Apple TV to be more reliable than a Chromecast 2 at a distance of 15m from the router. Apple’s little black box comes in 32GB and 64GB storage configurations.

Since it’s likely that you’ll be streaming most content, we don’t see much point in paying the extra £20/$20 for the larger option. Unless you intend to download dozens of games at a time, then maybe you should go for the other option.

4K And HDR Supported Standards:
In the Ultra HD standard, 4K is a resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels or 2160p. That amounts to four times as many pixels as the 1080p standard. A sharper image is always nice to see, but most people will experience diminishing returns as the resolution rises.

Image Quality Is Extraordinary: 
We’re quite impressed with the image quality of 4K and HDR content on the Apple TV in most cases. In Pacific Rim, the contrast between the neon computer console lights and the dark and rainy nights were just as striking as they would be on an Ultra HD Blu-ray disc.

However, die-hard connoisseurs won’t be lured away from Ultra HD Blu-ray. To deliver 4K HDR video to your Apple TV, Apple says it uses the relatively new HEVC codec to pack as much visual information as possible into a limited bitrate. For most visuals, it looks great; unfortunately, it buckles under pressure in others.

In most cases, the Apple TV offers 4K and HDR image quality that rivals or beats anything we’ve seen on other streaming devices. Both Apple’s content and Netflix’s look excellent. 1080p content is not the best we’ve seen, but it’s good enough for the vast majority of viewers.

There Are Some Problems Though :
The problem with 1080p is that Apple has chosen to maintain a consistent experience by always outputting everything at 4K and HDR if supported by your TV. We can see why Apple went this way. It means that you never have pauses or flickering when switching between content types, and the menus benefit from the same stuff that the movies do—high resolution, great contrast, and lovely, subtle colors.

Unfortunately, it also means that the Apple TV 4K does upscale from 1080p for you. In some cases, you might prefer your TV’s approach to that—especially if you’re the type of home theater geek who has carefully crafted an end-to-end system that gives you total control of the picture.

You can force the issue by digging into the Apple TV 4K’s settings app and making the whole thing output at 1080p and then switching back to 4K when you need it, but that’s a pain. Like us, you’ll probably just leave it on 4K and HDR all the time, but you’ll be giving up some control in doing so.

Siri Remote Is Awesome: 
Apple has invested a lot of thought in the Apple TV 4K’s remote. This proved an excellent accompaniment to the first model and is just as good now. The only small change from the original is the white band on the Menu key, which makes it more noticeable and simpler to tell the buttons separately by touch only. Overall, there isn’t much to it. It’s slim and light and has six buttons as well as a clickable touchpad.

It also has an accelerometer and gyroscope to control it via twisting and swinging, but these will mainly be used for gaming – it has similar functionality to a Nintendo Wiimote.

It charges via a Lightning cable and lasts for around six months on a single charge. It’s a piece of cake to pilot the menus via the remote, and Siri is more beneficial here than she’s ever been on any of the iPhone series. Press the dedicated Siri button and you can ask her a bevy of questions from “what’s the weather like tomorrow” to the more contextual “who is that actress” when watching a movie.  An edge slides up so you can remain to watch while fulfilling your interest.

Setting Up You TV Is Easy TOO!
Setting up the 4K Apple TV couldn’t be easier – if you’re an iPhone user, that is. Simply enable Bluetooth and place your iPhone near the little black box and off you go. Wi-Fi settings and Apple ID are automatically synced, so you can start firing up apps within a couple of minutes. You can then also use your iPhone as a second remote or keyboard for typing.

Everyone else will have to fiddle with the remote to input usernames and passwords using an annoying on-screen keyboard. You can also interlude them out phonetically using the Siri remote, but we aren’t a big fan of signifying our passwords out loud, even if it’s in the solitude of our own house or office. In the final stage of setup, you’ll be asked whether or not you want to turn on HDR, assuming you have an HDR-compatible TV.

The Apple TV 4K knows what adaptation of HDR your TV can operate and spontaneously tunes the right one. Turn it on and the whole thing – from the list of options to the apps and videos – sways with additional shade and distinction. 4K is always on, meaning content that isn’t in ultra-high-definition is automatically upscaled. This isn’t always for the best.

Drawbacks:
The new Apple TV doesn’t support Atmos. And it doesn’t support YouTube in 4K HDR. Furthermore, it doesn’t have Disney or Marvel movies in 4K HDR. Moreover, it makes some 1080p content look less than great. This might be a bit disappointing for all the Marvel fans out there.

For paying so much money if you can’t get Marvel movies in 4K HDR then it’s no use of buying it in the first place. Furthermore, we all use YouTube on a daily basis and this is a major drawback on Apple’s side.

Is The Price Worth It? 
If you’ve got a 4K HDR TV and aren’t impressed with its smartness then the Apple TV 4K is an obvious upgrade for under £200. It’s efficient, easy to use and will soon come with all the apps that a fully-fledged entertainment system needs.

The Siri remote is great for navigating, and the voice commands with cross-app content search are intuitive. If you worry about gaming on your Apple TV 4K then get an appropriate third-party regulator.

Furthermore, if your smart TV is a bit thick and you’re an Apple user then the Apple TV 4K is an essential addition to your entertainment arsenal. But, if you are a Marvel/Disney fan then you must consider other choices.

Let us know if you have already bought one or considering to buy one?