Apple no longer selling 2015 Apple TV HD

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV
Apple has discontinued sales of its fourth-generation Apple TV after unveiling the new Apple TV 4K at its Take Note event on Tuesday.




Apple announced two versions of the Apple TV 4K on Tuesday, which feature an A15 processor and varying network and storage options.

The introduction of the new device has seemingly bumped off the Apple TV HD, which was introduced seven years prior. The 2015 Apple TV HD was the first Apple TV to run tvOS and the first that came with the Siri Remote.

While the Apple TV HD was priced at $149, the new Apple TV 4K starts at $129.

As 9to5Mac points out, Apple will still provide software updates for the fourth-generation Apple TV, but it's possible that the device may not be supported much longer.

Read on AppleInsider
curtis hannah

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 8
    curtis hannahcurtis hannah Posts: 1,833member
    Considering the new pricing tiers, this makes perfect sense to finally have a replacement to the base model.

    Too bad it means the 2015 models probably only have 2 years of software support left.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 8
    tokyojimutokyojimu Posts: 529member
    That explains the recent fire sales.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 8
    entropysentropys Posts: 4,166member
    Trouble is the HD equivalents of chromecast and firestick are about USD$30. Can’t  imagine building an ATV HD for even twice that, and then you might as well get the 4K versions of the competing products. I doubt anyone would buy an ATV HD for anything but steaming after all.  You would just get the cheaper chromecast  4K with Google TV or firestick 4K max for that. 

    Otherwise if you more than stream you would be going for ATV 4K or Shield.

    on longevity, Apple still updates my ATV 3 every now and again. The problem is that apps are no longer supported, updated, or even ever arrive, even for major streaming services,  I think I bought it ten years ago.
    edited October 2022 watto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 8
    dewmedewme Posts: 5,368member
    The biggest benefit of the Apple TV HD for me is the optical audio port. I have a DAC plugged into the optical audio port so I can listen to my Apple Music collection on my old analog receiver and speakers. It works great. I know you can buy an HDMI audio extractor to get back to optical audio but I always wonder whether those devices muck with the HDMI video signal in any way. I suppose Apple doesn’t worry about supporting these offbeat scenarios with 40 year old analog HiFi systems, but I’ll keep enjoying it for as long as I can and for as long as my ATV HD is around to serve my needs.
    appleinsideruserwatto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 8
    mike1mike1 Posts: 3,286member
    curtis hannah said:
    Considering the new pricing tiers, this makes perfect sense to finally have a replacement to the base model.

    Too bad it means the 2015 models probably only have 2 years of software support left.

    Probably more than that. Still get updates for the ATV3. Problem with ATV is the closed nature of the apps, so the apps themselves have stopped trying to support the ATV3. I've had mine for 10+ years. Doesn't get much use nowadays, but Apple has kept it functional.

    watto_cobracurtis hannah
  • Reply 6 of 8
    williamhwilliamh Posts: 1,034member
    We have Roku, Fire, and AppleTV 4k in the house.  I've used Chromecast as well.  The main advantage of the AppleTV, for me, is that it is MUCH nicer to use even with the not excellent remote.  It's worth it for me.  I also like how the AppleTV works with the Homepod Minis. 

    That said, my wife doesn't like the AppleTV interface so it's on a TV she doesn't use. She prefers Roku.  She didn't give it much chance but then you don't get a second chance to make a first impression.
    appleinsideruserwatto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 8
    roundaboutnowroundaboutnow Posts: 735member
    dewme said:
    The biggest benefit of the Apple TV HD for me is the optical audio port. I have a DAC plugged into the optical audio port so I can listen to my Apple Music collection on my old analog receiver and speakers. It works great. I know you can buy an HDMI audio extractor to get back to optical audio but I always wonder whether those devices muck with the HDMI video signal in any way. I suppose Apple doesn’t worry about supporting these offbeat scenarios with 40 year old analog HiFi systems, but I’ll keep enjoying it for as long as I can and for as long as my ATV HD is around to serve my needs.
    If one has an ATV with no optical output, I would suggest getting an HDMI audio extractor that has the analog outputs needed to connect to an old receiver. They're typically ~$20 on Amazon (unless you want 5.1/7.1 analog outputs--those are ~$130+). No reason to go from HDMI to optical to analog. The digital audio from either optical or the embedded HDMI audio is essentially the same format. The only "mucking" possible would be at the DACs themselves, which you have regardless. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 8
    dewmedewme Posts: 5,368member
    roundaboutnow said:
    dewme said:
    The biggest benefit of the Apple TV HD for me is the optical audio port. I have a DAC plugged into the optical audio port so I can listen to my Apple Music collection on my old analog receiver and speakers. It works great. I know you can buy an HDMI audio extractor to get back to optical audio but I always wonder whether those devices muck with the HDMI video signal in any way. I suppose Apple doesn’t worry about supporting these offbeat scenarios with 40 year old analog HiFi systems, but I’ll keep enjoying it for as long as I can and for as long as my ATV HD is around to serve my needs.
    If one has an ATV with no optical output, I would suggest getting an HDMI audio extractor that has the analog outputs needed to connect to an old receiver. They're typically ~$20 on Amazon (unless you want 5.1/7.1 analog outputs--those are ~$130+). No reason to go from HDMI to optical to analog. The digital audio from either optical or the embedded HDMI audio is essentially the same format. The only "mucking" possible would be at the DACs themselves, which you have regardless. 
    Yes, HDMI audio extractors are a viable option but looking through Amazon reviews for some of them I see a fair number of people running into problems with the lower priced ones. One “mucking” issue in particular is the extractor not supporting the same HDCP version on the output as on the source, which can create issues with 4K content. In my case this limitation doesn’t matter because I only need 1080p, as evidenced by my use of the ATV HD for one particular use case.

    In the past I’ve tried to shy away from products that had more than 5% 1-star reviews on Amazon but I now believe the Amazon review system is quite unreliable due to bot and paid reviewers. I tend to look at the details of what buyers are saying rather than their emotional reaction. Same thing with forum comments on product reviews. 

    This is simply another case of Apple moving costs from their end to a subset of affected customers on the other end. Whether it’s USB dongles, audio dongles, or HDMI extractors (which are basically dongles) the end result is that the subset of customers who count on an existing capability now have to pay more to continue to use it. It’s simply a byproduct of product evolution, not a huge financial deal, and in many cases it’s only affecting a small minority of Apple’s customer base. 
    watto_cobra
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