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.
Eddy does not listen. I put a case on all my remotes and friends did so to. If you are a cord cutter and watch direct tv now for example, the touch surface is so sensitive a slight brush of a sleeve/blanket or a misdirection of a touch while fumbling for the up/down in the dark scrolls the channel. Its a PITA. Also the TV and Menu buttons are on the touch surface so that a slight miss of the finger can cut off the feed.
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.
No matter what hardware has 4K resolution, my old, senior citizen eyes will forever remain at 720p or even less in the future. It must be good to have strong, young eyes that can see everything so clearly. I'm more of a content guy, anyway. I would get absolutely no joy out of watching crappy content just because it's in 4K resolution.
I'm really interested in whether they'll upgrade the Digital Copy versions of movies. Right now you buy a Blu-ray and many come with a Digital Copy for iTunes, which you redeem and the HD version is unlocked. However, upgrading these to 4K versions would mean you could go out and buy a $10 (CAN) copy of Deadpool, get the BD, and the 4K version from the iTunes store, and it'd be way cheaper than buying the 4K disc, or the 4K iTunes copy. I can't see the studios going along with that (though I really hope they do, as I have TON of Digital Copies unlocked in iTunes).
Does anyone know if the Digital Copy movies in your iTunes library are eligible for the free 4K upgrade?
Does anyone know if the Digital Copy movies in your iTunes library are eligible for the free 4K upgrade? Digital Copy as in the movies that come from the Digital Copy codes included in most Blu-rays. Or does the 4K upgrade only apply to movies purchased through the iTunes store?
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.
No matter what hardware has 4K resolution, my old, senior citizen eyes will forever remain at 720p or even less in the future. It must be good to have strong, young eyes that can see everything so clearly. I'm more of a content guy, anyway. I would get absolutely no joy out of watching crappy content just because it's in 4K resolution.
4K is for larger screens. Your eyes wouldn't see a difference on smaller displays.
I would classify the hardware as a "solid" update for sure. Top of the line 4K specs, with significant performance boost. The 4K content upgrades and pricing are industry leading.
It it was a lost opportunity on the Siri remote though. It isn't a deal killer, but Apple could do so much better: - feel in the hand - asymmetric - backlit buttons - find the remote with something simple like emitting a sound - wireless charging of remote on top of ATV unit (might not be feasible within price point though) - less sensitive to accidental touches (might be addressable in s/w, but so far no indication they are looking at it)
Was really hoping to see that AirPods would work seamlessly with ATV as with other devices (rather than standard BT pairing). That should be s/w only, so still holding out hope.
Great news on the 4K content being priced at the same price as HD content, and the free upgrades.
However, just a question on the video formats on the new product page for ATV 4K
Says H.264, I thought the whole reason for macOs (and assumed tvOs) going to HEVC and H.265 was to use the compression to deliver smaller file sizes meaning the streaming would be easier?
Video Formats
H.264/HEVC SDR video up to 2160p, 60 fps, Main/Main 10 profile
HEVC. The new standard for video.
With the rising popularity of 4K video, a new industry standard arrives on Mac — HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding, also known as H.265).1 It can compress video up to 40 percent more than H.264, the current standard for video compression. Using HEVC, videos stream better and take up less space on your Mac, while preserving the same visual quality.
But with a non symmetrical remote (or a rubberband hack) you can instantly sense which side is up and rotate it as you pick it up so that it’s always the right side up by the time you start to use it for the desired buttons.
I like to use the put-down-the-remote-facing-up hack. Works every time.
You don't need backlit buttons when there are only five total buttons. For example, the buttons on console video game controllers aren't backlit and those typically require the user to memorize 10 or more button/trigger positions and their functions when in use.
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.
Eddy does not listen. I put a case on all my remotes and friends did so to. If you are a cord cutter and watch direct tv now for example, the touch surface is so sensitive a slight brush of a sleeve/blanket or a misdirection of a touch while fumbling for the up/down in the dark scrolls the channel. Its a PITA. Also the TV and Menu buttons are on the touch surface so that a slight miss of the finger can cut off the feed.
This... maybe someone can build a Nano-style aTV remote
That said - today's presentation of products was truly inspiring, as only Apple can do, including in the Steve Jobs Theatre.
Apple should have added HD audios, DTS HD MA, TrueHD, Dolby Atmos. 4K video and no HD audio!
That's because the studios aren't really pushing to have those formats available on a widespread basis for digital downloads right now. There's only a tiny amount of films that offer those audio formats for download right now, and most people aren't going to have speaker systems that are high-end enough to hear the difference anyway.
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.
No matter what hardware has 4K resolution, my old, senior citizen eyes will forever remain at 720p or even less in the future. It must be good to have strong, young eyes that can see everything so clearly. I'm more of a content guy, anyway. I would get absolutely no joy out of watching crappy content just because it's in 4K resolution.
4K is for larger screens. Your eyes wouldn't see a difference on smaller displays.
I have a 43” 4K HDR TV. The 4K is overkill on such a small screen but the HDR is amazing. Don’t buy a new 4K TV without HDR or you will be missing out.
Still no Siri support in most countries that don't happen to have English as their main language. Apple is releasing everything for the US first, which wouldn't be a problem, but it's becoming increasingly US only. Will be interesting to see just how bad the TV app is in the new countries that will be supported.
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).
I will get the one I want, but to release a device for minor cost differential and RAM seems pointless - even after doing it on the previous generation. If it was $200 it would make sense. It would also remove stock issues. But I guess that's not an issue for you.
Comments
It it was a lost opportunity on the Siri remote though. It isn't a deal killer, but Apple could do so much better:
- feel in the hand
- asymmetric
- backlit buttons
- find the remote with something simple like emitting a sound
- wireless charging of remote on top of ATV unit (might not be feasible within price point though)
- less sensitive to accidental touches (might be addressable in s/w, but so far no indication they are looking at it)
Was really hoping to see that AirPods would work seamlessly with ATV as with other devices (rather than standard BT pairing). That should be s/w only, so still holding out hope.
However, just a question on the video formats on the new product page for ATV 4K
Says H.264, I thought the whole reason for macOs (and assumed tvOs) going to HEVC and H.265 was to use the compression to deliver smaller file sizes meaning the streaming would be easier?
Video Formats
H.264/HEVC SDR video up to 2160p, 60 fps, Main/Main 10 profile
HEVC. The new standard for video.
With the rising popularity of 4K video, a new industry standard arrives on Mac — HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding, also known as H.265).1 It can compress video up to 40 percent more than H.264, the current standard for video compression. Using HEVC, videos stream better and take up less space on your Mac, while preserving the same visual quality.
That said - today's presentation of products was truly inspiring, as only Apple can do, including in the Steve Jobs Theatre.
Apple is releasing everything for the US first, which wouldn't be a problem, but it's becoming increasingly US only. Will be interesting to see just how bad the TV app is in the new countries that will be supported.