Latest tvOS 11 beta points to HDR-equipped 'J105a' model for Apple TV

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in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV
Further backing the impending arrival of a new Apple TV, the seventh tvOS 11 beta -- released on Monday -- makes references to a "J105a" model with support for HDR (high dynamic range).




Both the model name and "HDR" appear in several graphics assets related to the tvOS Settings app, iOS developer Guilherme Rambo noted via Twitter. The "J105" codename first manifested in a report from February.




Earlier this month, code in Apple's HomePod firmware indicated that a future set-top will support multiple HDR standards, such as Dolby Vision. The device's key feature though should be 4K resolution, catching up with other TV streamers like the Roku Ultra, Chromecast Ultra, and Amazon Fire TV.

Apple likewise appears to be upgrading videos on the iTunes Store -- a necessity if the company doesn't want people viewing movies and TV solely through third-party services like Netflix or Vudu.

An Apple TV announcement will most likely take place at Apple's usual September press event, even if the focus is expected to be on the "iPhone 8" and "iPhone 7s." No date has been set for this year.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 21
    mac_128mac_128 Posts: 3,454member
    I'll be upgrading to the 4K HDR ATV as soon as it's available. Can't wait. The Android TV OS on my Sony set is the worst piece of crap I've ever seen. Google hasn't even updated their YouTube App to support HDR on it. With any luck, I'll never have to touch my TV remote again, or use the Android TV OS except for simple adjustments.
    edited August 2017
  • Reply 3 of 21
    zoetmbzoetmb Posts: 2,654member
    The hardware is not really relevant.  It's the content that counts.   And even when released on 4K Blu-ray, most movies are finished as a 2K Digital Intermediate, so everyone is fooling themselves a bit.   Having said that, if Apple releases a 4K, Dolby Vision equipped, HDR TV streaming box at a reasonable price, I'll certainly buy it.  I was using my Blu-ray player for Netflix and VUDU streaming up until now, but I sold that player and the UI on my old Sony player is so bad, it's almost unusable as is the UI on my 5(?) year old Sony TV.  
    tmay
  • Reply 4 of 21
    zoetmb said:
    The hardware is not really relevant.  It's the content that counts.   And even when released on 4K Blu-ray, most movies are finished as a 2K Digital Intermediate, so everyone is fooling themselves a bit.   Having said that, if Apple releases a 4K, Dolby Vision equipped, HDR TV streaming box at a reasonable price, I'll certainly buy it.  I was using my Blu-ray player for Netflix and VUDU streaming up until now, but I sold that player and the UI on my old Sony player is so bad, it's almost unusable as is the UI on my 5(?) year old Sony TV.  
    I hope you noticed my "sarcasm tag"?
  • Reply 5 of 21
    sog35 said:
    This holiday season will kill my Wallet:

    2. Two iPhone X
    One for each ear?
    SpamSandwich
  • Reply 6 of 21
    bluefire1bluefire1 Posts: 1,301member
    sog35 said:
    hopefully Tim Cook decides to turn on the 4k feature for the ATV4. 

    if not? oh well.  Guess it will help the stock price. Which means I have more money to buy Apple stuff.

    Right now I have 3 ATV4 and 1 ATV3.  But only one 4k set.  So then I could buy an ATV5 and replace the ATV3.

    Why the hell do I have so many ATV's?  Because they replaced my cable box DVR's.  The money I saved not paying 'rent' for cable DVR's has already paid for my ATV4's.

    This holiday season will kill my Wallet:

    1. ATV5

    2. Two iPhone X

    3. Bought 2 iPad 2017 earlier this year

    So Glad Apple is up big this year. And my Shopify stock is up huge also.
    Apparently we're running neck and neck for new 2017 Apple products. I already bought the 13" MacBook Pro with TouchBar and the 10.5" iPad Pro with pencil,  and, as soon as they're available, will purchase the iPhone X/Pro/8, AW3 (LTE version), ATV if it has 4K, and HomePod.
    Kudos to Tim for continuing platforms of excellence; he would make Steve proud.
  • Reply 7 of 21
    gilly33gilly33 Posts: 433member
    mac_128 said:
    I'll be upgrading to the 4K HDR ATV as soon as it's available. Can't wait. The Android TV OS on my Sony set is the worst piece of crap I've ever seen. Google hasn't even updated their YouTube App to support HDR on it. With any luck, I'll never have to touch my TV remote again, or use the Android TV OS except for simple adjustments.
    Yep many reviewers say the Android OS is clunky even on sets as sweet and expensive as the A1E. Apple TV has incredible color accuracy to me. I only watch Netflix using ATV. The tv's built in app meh. 
  • Reply 8 of 21
    I'd really love to see Apple get serious about allowing games on the Apple TV to be really compelling. More and more game developers will be writing code that can run on a good ARM processor due to working on Nintendo Switch titles. If Apple began allowing the Apple TV to use external HDDs for large games the Apple TV could become a major gaming platform!
  • Reply 9 of 21
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    I've not checked recently but I am certain a lot of 8K acquisition is already well underway.  It's known as 'Future Proofing' in the industry.  One of my companies was capturing and editing  shows in 1080p long before it was even possible for Joe public to see it.  In fact Luddites were claiming it wasn't necessary and they couldn't see the difference lol.  The same with 4K, tons of shows were shot in 4K long before the consumers were buying 4K televisions.  So there has to be some technology available for the industry, cameras and monitors at new standards are aimed at the industry for several years in advance of the masses for obvious reasons. 8K is inevitable. 16K I've yet to hear of but I wouldn't say never.  ;)

    I'm wondering if Apple waited this long for 4K so as to include HVEC hardware in the next TV?
    edited August 2017 edred
  • Reply 10 of 21
    tmaytmay Posts: 6,309member
    MacPro said:
    I've not checked recently but I am certain a lot of 8K acquisition is already well underway.  It's known as 'Future Proofing' in the industry.  One of my companies was capturing and editing  shows in 1080p long before it was even possible for Joe public to see it.  In fact Luddites were claiming it wasn't necessary and they couldn't see the difference lol.  The same with 4K, tons of shows were shot in 4K long before the consumers were buying 4K televisions.  So there has to be some technology available for the industry, cameras and monitors at new standards are aimed at the industry for several years in advance of the masses for obvious reasons. 8K is inevitable. 16K I've yet to hear of but I wouldn't say never.  ;)

    I'm wondering if Apple waited this long for 4K so as to include HVEC hardware in the next TV?
    Apple likely waited until there was some sort of standard for HDR, but I'm guessing HVEC in silicon is happening.

    So, are we expecting HVEC and HDR at 24P/30P video capture from iPhones/iPad's? I'm thinking that shooting 60P with every other frame at a high EV would work for that.
  • Reply 11 of 21
    smaffeismaffei Posts: 237member
    I'd really love to see Apple get serious about allowing games on the Apple TV to be really compelling. More and more game developers will be writing code that can run on a good ARM processor due to working on Nintendo Switch titles. If Apple began allowing the Apple TV to use external HDDs for large games the Apple TV could become a major gaming platform!
    Processor has very little to do with it. It's the SDK that accesses the underlying hardware (like specialized GPU) that makes the platform. Many great consoles died untimely deaths because the SDK was crap (I'm looking at you Sega Saturn).
    edited August 2017
  • Reply 12 of 21
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    MacPro said:
    I've not checked recently but I am certain a lot of 8K acquisition is already well underway.  It's known as 'Future Proofing' in the industry.  One of my companies was capturing and editing  shows in 1080p long before it was even possible for Joe public to see it.  In fact Luddites were claiming it wasn't necessary and they couldn't see the difference lol.  The same with 4K, tons of shows were shot in 4K long before the consumers were buying 4K televisions.  So there has to be some technology available for the industry, cameras and monitors at new standards are aimed at the industry for several years in advance of the masses for obvious reasons. 8K is inevitable. 16K I've yet to hear of but I wouldn't say never.  ;)

    I'm wondering if Apple waited this long for 4K so as to include HVEC hardware in the next TV?
    If you're going to shoot a movie or TV series, start here.  ;)

    http://www.red.com/products
  • Reply 13 of 21
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    MacPro said:
    I've not checked recently but I am certain a lot of 8K acquisition is already well underway.  It's known as 'Future Proofing' in the industry.  One of my companies was capturing and editing  shows in 1080p long before it was even possible for Joe public to see it.  In fact Luddites were claiming it wasn't necessary and they couldn't see the difference lol.  The same with 4K, tons of shows were shot in 4K long before the consumers were buying 4K televisions.  So there has to be some technology available for the industry, cameras and monitors at new standards are aimed at the industry for several years in advance of the masses for obvious reasons. 8K is inevitable. 16K I've yet to hear of but I wouldn't say never.  ;)

    I'm wondering if Apple waited this long for 4K so as to include HVEC hardware in the next TV?
    If you're going to shoot a movie or TV series, start here.  ;)

    http://www.red.com/products
    I've followed RED for years, had I still been in the business I am sure i would had a few and would definitely be shooting 8K by now. Just for a mental cost reset, in the days we went digital for the first time our then current analog Betacam SP cameras cost over $60,000 per camera and shot 640 x 480 video on tape.  
  • Reply 14 of 21
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    sog35 said:
    hopefully Tim Cook decides to turn on the 4k feature for the ATV4. 

    if not? oh well.  Guess it will help the stock price. Which means I have more money to buy Apple stuff.
    A few weeks ago you said you sold all your Apple stock. :/
  • Reply 15 of 21
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member

    tmay said:
    MacPro said:
    I've not checked recently but I am certain a lot of 8K acquisition is already well underway.  It's known as 'Future Proofing' in the industry.  One of my companies was capturing and editing  shows in 1080p long before it was even possible for Joe public to see it.  In fact Luddites were claiming it wasn't necessary and they couldn't see the difference lol.  The same with 4K, tons of shows were shot in 4K long before the consumers were buying 4K televisions.  So there has to be some technology available for the industry, cameras and monitors at new standards are aimed at the industry for several years in advance of the masses for obvious reasons. 8K is inevitable. 16K I've yet to hear of but I wouldn't say never.  ;)

    I'm wondering if Apple waited this long for 4K so as to include HVEC hardware in the next TV?
    Apple likely waited until there was some sort of standard for HDR, but I'm guessing HVEC in silicon is happening.

    So, are we expecting HVEC and HDR at 24P/30P video capture from iPhones/iPad's? I'm thinking that shooting 60P with every other frame at a high EV would work for that.
    It's going to be a transition over a year or two I suspect but I do expect HVEC hardware throughout Apple's line up, iPhones and iPads included probably at normal speeds and perhaps 1080p at 60 FPS initially. So making 30 FPS by taking every other frame from 60 FPS ... as I say  it's more than likely any 60 FPS will be 1080p for the near future.  I've put my Canon gear down for a while and been playing with a Lumix FZ2500 for 4K and the horrible thing is once you use it there is no going back to 1080p so I've not used the slow mo for that same reason as it is limited to 1080p.  Now when I can shoot 4K at 60 and 120 FPS at a reasonable price it will be fun.  So I hope I am wrong and we can get higher rates at 4K with HVEC hardware.
    edited August 2017
  • Reply 16 of 21
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    gatorguy said:
    sog35 said:
    hopefully Tim Cook decides to turn on the 4k feature for the ATV4. 

    if not? oh well.  Guess it will help the stock price. Which means I have more money to buy Apple stuff.
    A few weeks ago you said you sold all your Apple stock. :/
    Wow, I missed that!  Must say I saw AAPL at +160 and did sell just a few to buy some photography toys ... but he sold 'all'!   :#
  • Reply 17 of 21
    thrangthrang Posts: 1,007member
    MacPro said:
    I've not checked recently but I am certain a lot of 8K acquisition is already well underway.  It's known as 'Future Proofing' in the industry.  One of my companies was capturing and editing  shows in 1080p long before it was even possible for Joe public to see it.  In fact Luddites were claiming it wasn't necessary and they couldn't see the difference lol.  The same with 4K, tons of shows were shot in 4K long before the consumers were buying 4K televisions.  So there has to be some technology available for the industry, cameras and monitors at new standards are aimed at the industry for several years in advance of the masses for obvious reasons. 8K is inevitable. 16K I've yet to hear of but I wouldn't say never.  ;)

    I'm wondering if Apple waited this long for 4K so as to include HVEC hardware in the next TV?

    Greater than 4k may make some sense for theatrical presentations, given the enormous screen sizes they are projecting to.

    But for home, 4k is of little use outside larger home theaters. The resolving capability of the eye requires you to sit at a distance about 2x the screen height to fully resolve 4k resolution. I happen to have a 60" high 2.35 ratio projection screen (11 feet wide), and can't sit 120" away - I'm more like 155." So I get about 60-70% of the benefit. But if you have a 60" flat screen and you're sitting on your couch at 12 feet away, forget it...

    What's been much more valuable is HDR and wide color gamut - and from and audio perspective, immersive audio... so I wonder, will we see Atmos/DTS:X streams as well with a 4k ATV? The bandwidth needs will be very large however...

    edited August 2017 brucemc
  • Reply 18 of 21
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    thrang said:
    MacPro said:
    I've not checked recently but I am certain a lot of 8K acquisition is already well underway.  It's known as 'Future Proofing' in the industry.  One of my companies was capturing and editing  shows in 1080p long before it was even possible for Joe public to see it.  In fact Luddites were claiming it wasn't necessary and they couldn't see the difference lol.  The same with 4K, tons of shows were shot in 4K long before the consumers were buying 4K televisions.  So there has to be some technology available for the industry, cameras and monitors at new standards are aimed at the industry for several years in advance of the masses for obvious reasons. 8K is inevitable. 16K I've yet to hear of but I wouldn't say never.  ;)

    I'm wondering if Apple waited this long for 4K so as to include HVEC hardware in the next TV?

    Greater than 4k may make some sense for theatrical presentations, given the enormous screen sizes they are projecting to.

    But for home, 4k is of little use outside larger home theaters. The resolving capability of the eye requires you to sit at a distance about 2x the screen height to fully resolve 4k resolution. I happen to have a 60" high 2.35 ratio projection screen (11 feet wide), and can't sit 120" away - I'm more like 155." So I get about 60-70% of the benefit. But if you have a 60" flat screen and you're sitting on your couch at 12 feet away, forget it...

    What's been much more valuable is HDR and wide color gamut - and from and audio perspective, immersive audio... so I wonder, will we see Atmos/DTS:X streams as well with a 4k ATV? The bandwidth needs will be very large however...

    Yep, I had all the same chats about going from 640 x 480 to 720P then to 1080p.  Believe me if you can't see the difference on a 60" between 1080p and 4K even at 12' the problem isn't the material or the TV.  However my point was about the Dell 8K monitor's existence and not requiring a sarcasm tag.  Future Proofing means the industry needs to be several years ahead of the public hence this over the top equipment showing up at trade shows.  No serious film / video maker wants to make something that will be obsolete in a few years if they can help it and afford not to.  Yes HDR sounds very interesting.  Bandwidth will be taken care of, remember the initial issues with HD?  We had to use OA antennas initially!  The matrix we live in will come through have no fear ;)
    edited August 2017
  • Reply 19 of 21
    brucemcbrucemc Posts: 1,541member
    MacPro said:
    I've not checked recently but I am certain a lot of 8K acquisition is already well underway.  It's known as 'Future Proofing' in the industry.  One of my companies was capturing and editing  shows in 1080p long before it was even possible for Joe public to see it.  In fact Luddites were claiming it wasn't necessary and they couldn't see the difference lol.  The same with 4K, tons of shows were shot in 4K long before the consumers were buying 4K televisions.  So there has to be some technology available for the industry, cameras and monitors at new standards are aimed at the industry for several years in advance of the masses for obvious reasons. 8K is inevitable. 16K I've yet to hear of but I wouldn't say never.  ;)

    I'm wondering if Apple waited this long for 4K so as to include HVEC hardware in the next TV?
    To your last question - in my opinion - absolutely (as well as waiting for HDR).  Apple is rarely first, but they often do it the best, and I expect this to be the case with this rumoured update to ATV.  HEVC is absolutely required for "mainstream" to get the best quality at the lowest possible bitrate.  HEVC licensing was riddled with unknowns even a couple of years ago when ATV4 came out.  Clearly must be settled for Apple now given they talked up HEVC at WWDC.

    HEVC could also benefit HD 1080p content as well - almost reducing by half the bitrate (and storage if downloaded) for this content, if Apple chooses to update their iTunes content in this regard as well.  Alternatively they could provide better quality 1080p with HEVC (less compression), but given the 4K push I doubt they would go that direction.

    Despite all of the criticism of Apple not bringing in 4K with the ATV5, I think Apple is (as usual) getting the timing right.  4K TVs have come down in price a lot in last two years and are starting to move.  4K content is available, although still limited.  The next-gen codecs are getting licensing sorted and embedded into silicon.  Home broadband access speeds have continued to improve, on average.  This ATV5 is hitting 4K at that bottom part of the S-curve where it moves from early adopters to be beginning of mainstream adoption.
  • Reply 20 of 21
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    MacPro said:
    gatorguy said:
    sog35 said:
    hopefully Tim Cook decides to turn on the 4k feature for the ATV4. 

    if not? oh well.  Guess it will help the stock price. Which means I have more money to buy Apple stuff.
    A few weeks ago you said you sold all your Apple stock. :/
    Wow, I missed that!  Must say I saw AAPL at +160 and did sell just a few to buy some photography toys ... but he sold 'all'!   :#
    I had to cool the photography tools for a bit. I ended up spending just a bit more than I planned on the studio. Well not necessarily ON the studio, but because studio turned out so nice i also upgraded a few lenses. And a better computer for image processing. And a dedicated photo printer for the studio instead of using my commercial stuff at work. And a studio monitor. Never ends does it? 
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