$179 Apple TV 4K boasts high dynamic range support, free 4K upgrades to iTunes movie purch...

Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited December 2019
Apple has unveiled a 4K upgrade to its Apple TV streaming set-top box, giving users the ability to watch the high-resolution content through the device, and to update their existing iTunes HD movie library to 4K for free.




The new Apple TV 4K can output video at a resolution of 3840 by 2160 pixels, making it capable of displaying UHD content on a connected 4K television. The Apple TV 4K also adds support for high dynamic range (HDR) content, including Dolby Vision, which will allow users to see a more vivid picture when used with a suitably compatible TV screen.

In order to provide users with content to watch, Apple has also updated the iTunes Store to allow for some movies and TV shows to be offered to consumers in 4K with HDR. Originally spotted in July, the added 4K support is available for both owned and rented copies of films in the store, and requires at least a 15 megabit per second connection in order to stream.

Notably, agreements with major Hollywood studios has resulted in 4K movies being made available at the same cost as HD versions, with free automatic upgrades to 4K HDR for previous purchases.




Established services that offer 4K streams will also update their tvOS apps to enable 4K content on the new Apple TV. Netflix and Amazon Prime Instant Video will be bringing their extensive catalogs of 4K films and shows to the Apple TV 4K, content that has been available on other devices for some time.

The addition of 4K support to the Apple TV 4K brings it in line with a number of other major streaming devices on the market. Competitors including Amazon's Fire TV, Google's Chromecast, and streaming devices from Roku all tout 4K streaming, giving them a commercial advantage compared to the Apple TV in a market that is slowly adopting 4K as a standard.

In order to handle the high-resolution video, Apple has updated the internals of the Apple TV 4K to include the A10X Fusion processor, said to be twice as fast as in the fourth-generation Apple TV, with four times the graphical power. The six cores included in the A10X Fusion will be split up to work on apps and background processes, and will be bolstered by 3 gigabytes of memory.




The physical design of the Apple TV also hasn't changed from the previous generation, measuring 3.9 inches square and 1.4 inches tall, and weighing in at 15 ounces.

For connectivity, the front has the usual IR receiver at the front, while the rear includes a power connection, a USB-C port, Gigabit Ethernet, and a HDMI 2.0 port. While HDMI 1.4 was used in the fourth-generation model and could have been used for 4K, HDMI 2.0 offers more bandwidth, boosting the maximum possible frame rate from 24 frames per second to 60 frames per second.

Wireless connectivity extends to dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi with MIMO and Bluetooth 4.0.

The Apple TV 4K will be offered alongside the existing fourth-generation Apple TV from September 22, with pre-orders starting September 15. Two different capacities will be offered, with the 32-gigabyte model priced at $179, and the 64-gigabyte version at $199.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 65
    I have no plans to upgrade my TV to 4k anytime in the next couple of years. I wonder how much the fourth-gen AppleTV will drop to now. We have one in the family room. I'd like to upgrade the third-gen upstairs so we can have Plex in the bedroom.
    zroger73
  • Reply 2 of 65
    calicali Posts: 3,494member
    Ha I suggested they update our movies for free and no one (including myself) thought they would.

    Bravo Apple!!
    StrangeDaystechprod1gybrucemcsupadav03watto_cobrajony0
  • Reply 3 of 65
    sog35 said:
    I'm buying one of these bad boys on day 1

    4k movies will cost the same as HD.

    Plus all your HD movies purchased no iTunes will convert to 4k for FREE!!!!
    That was a big surprise to me. I don't know how Apple was able to work that out with the movie studios. Vudu is charging $30 for 4K movies. 
    doozydozencalisupadav03watto_cobrajony0
  • Reply 4 of 65
    $180 is double what the competition is charging and 20% more than the last generation of Apple TV.

    So, that HD->4K "free" upgrade really isn't free. Eddy baked the cost of the 4K content upgrade into the price of the unit.
    pulseimageswilliamlondoncali
  • Reply 5 of 65
    Astonished that they made NO changes to the remote. No way to know it's charging or is charged. No way to instantly tell the top from the bottom. And no way to "page" it, maybe with your phone, or via Siri to say "Here I am," because it's so tiny it can so easily vanish in bed covers. Just the most basic stuff. Frustrating.
    zroger73StrangeDaysOfereideardcecil444
  • Reply 6 of 65
    Considering I have no 4K-capable TVs (and can't see any REAL difference even between 720p and 1080p from 10' away on my 55" TV), I'll pass on this revision. I'm disappointed there's no much-improved remote.
    StrangeDays
  • Reply 7 of 65
    mac_128mac_128 Posts: 3,454member
    Anybody know if iOS/Mac OS 11 is going to support 4K streaming with the new Apple TV? That would make AirPlay perfect for my needs.
    edited September 2017 doozydozencali
  • Reply 8 of 65
    smaffei said:
    $180 is double what the competition is charging and 20% more than the last generation of Apple TV.

    So, that HD->4K "free" upgrade really isn't free. Eddy baked the cost of the 4K content upgrade into the price of the unit.
    Your math skills are pretty bad. The 4th Generation Apple TV with 64GB of storage is $199
    anantksundarambshankwatto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 65
    Why are they even releasing a 32GB ? Just make the one version - $20 difference ??
    zroger73cali
  • Reply 10 of 65
    ``In order to provide users with content to watch, Apple has also updated the iTunes Store to allow for some movies and TV shows to be offered to consumers in 4K with HDR. Originally spotted in July, the added 4K support is available for both owned and rented copies of films in the store, and requires at least a 15 megabit per second connection in order to stream.''

    That blocks me from streaming since CenturyLink has been dragging its feet to get 20Mbps downstream promise 4 years ago.

    The 32GB or 64GB are sad, but I don't care since I'll use a NAS connected and use the 55" LG 4K HDR ready tv and not bother with the streaming until CLink meets its goals. Of course, I'd buy FIOS but Verizon isn't available.
  • Reply 11 of 65
    cali said:
    Ha I suggested they update our movies for free and no one (including myself) thought they would.

    Bravo Apple!!
    I’ll be the first to admit to you. I was one that said no chance in heck they do that. I stand corrected and flabbergasted. 
    StrangeDayscaliwatto_cobra
  • Reply 12 of 65
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member
    frumious said:
    Astonished that they made NO changes to the remote. No way to know it's charging or is charged. No way to instantly tell the top from the bottom. And no way to "page" it, maybe with your phone, or via Siri to say "Here I am," because it's so tiny it can so easily vanish in bed covers. Just the most basic stuff. Frustrating.
    I'm thinking that since there are no apparent changes to the remote Apple knows that it is popular with the majority of users and could care less what the critics say. If the remote is a deal killer for you then so be it.
    tmaywatto_cobrajony0
  • Reply 13 of 65
    lkrupp said:
    frumious said:
    Astonished that they made NO changes to the remote. No way to know it's charging or is charged. No way to instantly tell the top from the bottom. And no way to "page" it, maybe with your phone, or via Siri to say "Here I am," because it's so tiny it can so easily vanish in bed covers. Just the most basic stuff. Frustrating.
    I'm thinking that since there are no apparent changes to the remote Apple knows that it is popular with the majority of users and could care less what the critics say. If the remote is a deal killer for you then so be it.
    It's not a deal killer, but it's got a problem when you have to put a rubber band on one end to be able to instantly feel the right-side-up in the dark (which I do). Even John Gruber feels it's a flawed remote. I love the touch surface and swipe-scrubbing, just wish they'd fix the symmetrical nature of it.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 14 of 65
    It's not a deal killer, but it's got a problem when you have to put a rubber band on one end to be able to instantly feel the right-side-up in the dark (which I do). Even John Gruber feels it's a flawed remote. I love the touch surface and swipe-scrubbing, just wish they'd fix the symmetrical nature of it.
    The larger, oblong volume button should be on the right. That's all you need to tell if it's oriented correctly. All the other buttons are circles. 
    techprod1gywatto_cobrajony0
  • Reply 15 of 65
    guyr said:
    Why are they even releasing a 32GB ? Just make the one version - $20 difference ??
    What a weird whine. Just get the one you want, or don't get one at all. Who cares. But please stop the whining (along with @smaffei).
    watto_cobrajony0
  • Reply 16 of 65

    I’ll be the first to admit to you. I was one that said no chance in heck they do that. I stand corrected and flabbergasted. 
    Yeah, I thought that $19.99 and free upgrades were pipe dreams as well. That's actually a pretty big deal. Of course, it also probably means that there's no price drop for HD for people not using 4K capable equipment. 
    supadav03
  • Reply 17 of 65
    lkrupp said:
    frumious said:
    Astonished that they made NO changes to the remote. No way to know it's charging or is charged. No way to instantly tell the top from the bottom. And no way to "page" it, maybe with your phone, or via Siri to say "Here I am," because it's so tiny it can so easily vanish in bed covers. Just the most basic stuff. Frustrating.
    I'm thinking that since there are no apparent changes to the remote Apple knows that it is popular with the majority of users and could care less what the critics say. If the remote is a deal killer for you then so be it.
    Not a "deal killer." I've had two of them. My extended family combined has five of them. That makes seven actual, daily users of it. ALL of us have had the same gripe over it. The identical gripe is reaffirmed by Apple Store employees who say countless users have also grumbled over it. We love the product. But even constant use doesn't blunt the design flaw of the remote. The AppleTV is "popular with the majority of users." Obviously, that's in spite of the remote's design deficiencies, and that is the actual interface people interact with. And Cook whizzed right past the presentation without even so much as a look or mention of the remote at all (aside from the Emmy for the Siri aspect).
    StrangeDays
  • Reply 18 of 65
    What's with the picture showing a white outlined menu button on the remote??
    cali
  • Reply 19 of 65
    What's with the picture showing a white outlined menu button on the remote??
    That appears on the product page at Apple's web site, so it's new to the 4K design. 
    doozydozencecil444
  • Reply 20 of 65
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,640member
    smaffei said:
    $180 is double what the competition is charging and 20% more than the last generation of Apple TV.

    So, that HD->4K "free" upgrade really isn't free. Eddy baked the cost of the 4K content upgrade into the price of the unit.

    Well, I’m surprised that they held the price to,what they did. Speculation, after we found out what would be inside, was that it could be as much as $249, even higher. So this is actually pretty good.

    and it is free. You can’t take increased hardware costs and use that to say that software costs have increased. That makes no sense. The costs of the hardware isn’t that much more. If Apple can get gaming to work on this, as a business, then the price is cheap, when compared to the competition, which would then be the PlayStation, and the XBox, both of which are being promoted as content boxes, and which cost far more.

    Oops, s hs been pointed out, the 64GB version is the same. I should know that. That makes your argument completely mute.
    edited September 2017 cali
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