Apple TV takes the idea of smart television to the next level
Apple TV isn't an actual television set. It's a streaming device similar to Roku and Amazon's Fire TV used to access streaming content from all your favorite TV and movie providers.
The little black box is an inch-and-a-half tall, less than four inches along its sides, and runs on a platform similar to the iPhone and iPad, which means you can download a whole host of apps and games including Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, and others.
What Is Apple TV?
Apple TV streams movies and TV shows to your HDTV, similar to Roku and Google's Chromecast, but that is only one feature. You can also listen to and watch podcasts on it, play games, stream music, and much more. It all depends on the apps you install. Some programs are free, some cost money, and some are free to download but have a service you have to buy to use it (e.g., HBO).
The only two things you will need to set up Apple TV (besides an actual TV) are an HDMI cable (not included) and an internet connection. Apple TV includes an Ethernet port for a hardwired Internet connection and also supports Wi-Fi. It also comes with a remote control.
Once you hook it up to your TV via the HDMI cable and turn it on, you'll run through a short setup program. This process includes entering your Apple ID, which is the same ID you use to sign in to iTunes and to download apps on your iPad. You'll also need to type in your Wi-Fi information if you're connecting wirelessly.
If you have an iPhone, you can use it to speed up this process. Apple TV and the iPhone will share some of this information for you, avoiding the painful process of inputting information using a remote.
What Can Apple TV Do?
Apple TV turns your television into a "smart" TV. You can rent movies or stream your collection from iTunes, stream movies and TV shows from apps like Netflix and Hulu Plus, stream music through Apple Music and Pandora, listen to podcasts, and even use it to replace your traditional cable TV subscription with services like Sling TV.
The newest version of the hardware, Apple TV 4K, has the same fast processor that powers the iPad Pro, which makes it as powerful as most laptop computers. It also has a graphics processor with enough power to turn it into a game console.
Apple's streaming box is also part of the Apple ecosystem, which means it works great alongside your iPhone, iPad, and Mac. You can view your iCloud Photo Library on your TV, including the "Memories" photo album videos the iPad and iPhone create automatically from your photo albums. You can also use Airplay to throw your iPhone or iPad screen to your TV, letting you interact with any app on your smartphone or tablet using your big-screen television.
Does Apple TV Work With HomeKit?
Apple TV also gives you access to Siri and can become a base station for Homekit. The remote includes a Siri button, allowing you to control your TV by voice. You can also use the Siri-like functionality for requests such as telling you the actors in a specific movie or asking it to display movies from a specific genre, actor, or director.
HomeKit works as the headquarters for your smart home. If you have smart appliances like a thermostat or lights, you can use HomeKit to control them. You can even use your iPhone away from home to communicate with Apple TV in your home to control your smart devices.
What Are the Differences Between the Apple TV Models?
There are currently two different models for sale and one model recently discontinued. And as you can expect, there are some big differences between them.
Apple TV 4K. This is the flagship Apple TV model; it supports 4K and HDR video and contains the same A10 processor as the iPad Pro. If you're looking to buy Apple TV, this is the top-shelf model.
Apple TV (4th Generation). This model supports 1080p HD video and has the A8 processor, which is the same processor as the iPhone 6. While you may be tempted to buy the 4th-generation if you don't have a television that supports 4K or HDR, this model not only buys you the ability to upgrade your television in the future, it also doubles the speed of the processor and quadruples the speed of the graphics.
- Apple TV (3rd Generation). This model is no longer available, but you may find one at auction sites like eBay or person-to-person sites like Craigslist. This version delivers video streaming capabilities without the processing power, and it doesn't have access to the App Store. It's cheaper than the other models because it's older, but you may be better off investing in another streaming device like a Roku or Amazon Fire TV.
What Is Apple TV 4K?
While priced higher than all of its competitors, Apple TV 4K may end up being the best bargain in streaming devices. Apple TV 4K is great for many reasons, the best of which being that if you own one, Apple will upgrade your iTunes movie library to 4K.
The average cost difference between an HD version of a movie and a 4K version of a movie is around $5-$10. If you have ten movies in your iTunes movie library, you are getting around a $75 value in the upgrade to 4K alone. If you have twenty-five movies, Apple TV 4K practically pays for itself.
If you don't already own a movie, Apple will let you pick up the 4K version for the same price as the HD. You won't have to pay a premium to get the same movie in its best format.
In terms of picture quality, Apple TV 4K supports both 4K resolution and HDR10. While 4K has all the buzz, High Dynamic Range (HDR) may be more important to picture quality. As Apple puts it, 4K gives you more pixels on your screen, while HDR gives you better pixels. Instead of just increasing the resolution, HDR gives you a higher range of colors that increases the quality and depth of the image. Apple TV 4K also supports Dolby Vision, which is a form of HDR with an even higher color range.
But Apple TV isn't just about streaming video. Its powerful processor makes it able to play games, and it has so much power that you might start seeing productivity apps like Numbers and Pages come to the Apple TV.
Apple TV 4K also shines with internet connectivity. Not only does it include a 1 Gigabit Ethernet port, but it also has the latest Wi-Fi technology including MIMO, which stands for multiple-in-multiple-out. If you have a dual-band router, Apple TV 4K essentially connects to it twice (once on each "band"). The doubled-up wireless connection can be faster than a single wired one, and it is especially helpful when dealing with 4K content.
What Is the Apple TV App?
Since we live in a world of streaming where lots of things are available at any time, it can be a bit paralyzing to figure out what to watch. And thanks to so many different services, where to watch it.
Apple's answer is a new app called "TV." In many ways, it is the same as what you get when you open Hulu Plus or another similar app. You'll see a variety of different shows and movies starting with those you've recently watched and expanding to suggested titles. The difference is that these videos are coming from a variety of sources, like Hulu Plus, HBO Now, and your movie collection in iTunes.
The TV app gathers this content in one place so you can easily browse through all of it. It even has a Sports channel that shows live events including the current scores. Unfortunately, Netflix isn't part of Apple's TV app, so you'll still need to check that app independently.
Is There Any Reason to Buy the Non-4K Apple TV?
Even if you never plan on upgrading to a 4K television, the upgrade in processing speed, graphics performance (which quadruples with Apple TV 4K), and internet speed are easily worth the $30 extra you will pay for the 4K version.
The main reason to consider the non-4K version is if you're not as interested in the various apps and games you can download from the App Store. But in this case, you may be better off looking into cheaper solutions such as a Roku stick.
You have two choices of storage levels in the Apple TV 4K: 32 GB and 64 GB. The difference is $20 and it seems silly to not spend the additional $20 to get more storage, but Apple has never given a compelling reason why you should spend the additional money.
What is Apple TV+?
Apple TV+ is a streaming service featuring Apple Originals — award-winning series, compelling dramas, groundbreaking documentaries, kids’ entertainment, comedies, and more — with new Apple Originals added every month.
LG’s smart TVs are the latest to add Apple TV, and you won’t have to buy a 2020 model to get it
LG is including the Apple TV app — not just on 2020 models but on 2018 and 2019 set
Even if it’s not a brand-new model, if you have an LG smart TV, you’ll soon have access to Apple’s original TV content. LG announced in a release that its OLED and NanoCell televisions will now support the Apple TV app — and not just the new 2020 models, but its 2019 and 2018 versions as well.
That means LG TV users won’t need a separate set-top box to get Apple TV Plus, iTunes, or other original Apple programming. LG’s release said only that those with 2018 and 2019 LG TV models would be able to “enjoy the Apple TV app this year.” The Verge has reached out to LG to find out when the older TVs will have access to the Apple TV app, and we will update when we hear back.
It’s smart for LG to make the Apple TV app available for its slightly older models. As 9to5Mac points out, LG originally restricted support for AirPlay 2 and HomeKit to 2019 and newer models of its TVs, leading annoyed users of older models to petition LG last January to provide the necessary firmware updates for their TVs. The petitioners pointed out that rival companies Samsung and Vizio offered support for AirPlay 2 and HomeKit for their older models via firmware updates, perhaps exerting some pressure on LG to make Apple TV available to its recent older models.
The Apple TV app was available on launch day for Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and recent Samsung TVs. The app is preinstalled in newer iPhones, iPads, and on devices running macOS Catalina or later. Once activated, Apple TV Plus is free for 12 months on those devices. For everyone else, the service is $4.99 per month after a seven-day free trial. Apple’s original programming, which includes the star-studded The Morning Show, has so far been met with mixed reviews. Apple was completely shut out at Sunday’s Golden Globe Awards, despite Best Actress nominations for stars Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon.
LG announced eight 8K TVs ahead of this week’s CES, and all have Alexa, Google Assistant, HomeKit, and AirPlay 2 included. The TVs range in size from 65 inches for its LCDs up to 88 inches for its new OLED model.
Apple’s TV App and Apple TV+ arrive on 2019 LG TVs
The Apple TV app, including access to the new streaming service Apple TV+, has now arrived on LG smart TVs. This week, LG announced the launch of the Apple TV app on compatible 2019 LG smart TVs in the U.S. and in more than 80 other countries worldwide. The app will also arrive on 2018 smart TVs later this year, and it’s available on 2020 TVs at launch.
Users are able to access the new app from the LG Home Launcher, and can then stream Apple TV+ shows, subscribe to Apple TV channels, access their iTunes video library and buy or rent more than 100,000 movies and TV shows from iTunes.
In addition, LG touts that Apple’s wide range of titles available in Dolby Vision — like most Apple TV+ content — will be supported on LG’s latest TVs. Apple’s AirPlay 2, which allows users to mirror content from their iPhone, iPad or Mac on their TV, is also available. So is Apple’s HomeKit, allowing the TV to be controlled with Apple’s Home app or by using Siri.
The Apple TV app, AirPlay 2 and HomeKit will now work on all of LG’s 2019 OLED TVs and NanoCell TVs (series SM9X and SM8X). Later this month, the app will arrive on select UHD TVs (series UM7X and UM6X). And later this year, support will be extended to LG’s 2018 TVs via an over-the-air firmware upgrade. However, anyone buying a 2020 LG TV will have the Apple TV app available at launch, the company says.
With the launch of Apple TV+ in November, Apple had no choice but to support a wider ecosystem in order to accommodate the variety of ways people today watch TV. Today, the TV app works on all Apple devices and the web, plus streaming media players like Fire TV and Roku. However, only Samsung was the first to have the TV app available across a wide number of smart TVs. According to Apple’s website, other TV manufacturers, including Sony and VIZIO, only offer AirPlay 2 support for now.
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