From what I’ve heard from users in this forum, I’m waiting for apple to improve the remote before I jump in. Can’t fathom why they have neglected that for so many iterations
The only real issue that I've had with the remote is orientation of the device in the dark. The newer versions have a raised Menu button in the upper left below the touch-sensitive pad. What had you heard?
The Siri button being “caved in” is how I use it to determine the orientation. It does exactly the same thing, feel for the Siri button and you automatically know it’s supposed to be on the left side of the device.
While that was the intent, it’s much too subtle to be effective.
So the only real major “miss” I can think of with the remote is.... Mute. Where is the mute button? Now I know that you could just simply hit pause… But seems to be one of the most basic functions of a remote. This usually just happens when I’m watching TV, maybe watching a live sports program… And the wife needs to take a phone call. I’m just really surprised that there isn’t that function built into the remote. I like the simplicity of the remote but it’s generally difficult to handle… And just seems rather lacking compared to various competitors.
I’ve never had a need for a mute button. As you say, pausing is the paradigm here with streamers. Otherwise the volume is easy to adjust.
My annoyance with the remote/UI is the lack of clarity around what the menu button will actually do. Sometimes it goes back by one level within the app, other times it will show the little top menu, and other times it'll exit the app and take you to the home screen. You can't hold it down to go to the top level within an app, you have to click-wait... click-wait... click-wait... until you're at the level you want. They've overloaded the menu button with too many actions. A few extra buttons on the remote wouldn't go amiss.
I'd much rather reassign the useless Siri button to something else, such as home. I know you can reassign the TV button, but it's fairly useful to take you directly to the TV app. I ask Siri to play something, and instead of presenting me with the free options first, it tries to route me to the iTunes Store. I have to hunt around for the free option. Why would I ever buy the show when it's on BBC iPlayer for free? Similarly, I've never had it work with Plex, so I just don't bother. It's unfortunate that Siri is really becoming a quite a joke. When on voice calls with my friends they sometimes shout out "Hey Siri" and try to get my HomePod it to play things. It's almost always wrong or "I can't do that on HomePod".
I found having the TV button go Home to be much more useful, since I don’t use the TV app (don’t have cable so few apps to integrate) and if I wanted to go to TV it’s just one additional swipe from home.
Siri button is useful for sure, especially to quickly turn on captions or ask “what did he say?”, as well as search for items by name. It’s always shown me the different apps that have the item and lets me choose where to stream it from, so I haven’t had your issue.
I find it hard to believe that anyone finds the ATV remote acceptable. For me it's horrible, by far the worst thing about ATV. It alternates between the swipe action not working at all to being oversensitive (seems to depend on moisture level fingerprint). It's also nearly impossible to click without swiping first (it swiping happens to be working) so using it for FF is a frustrating joke. I generally just use my harmony and leave the ATV remote in a drawer.
From what I’ve heard from users in this forum, I’m waiting for apple to improve the remote before I jump in. Can’t fathom why they have neglected that for so many iterations
Besides being way more sensitive to touch than it needs to be there really is no reason for you wait to jump in. They have also added a raised ring to the menu button that makes it much easier to tell where the menu button is and which way the remote is actually pointing.
If you own a 2nd or 3rd gen ATV this is a MUST upgrade in my opinion.
There are 4 versions of the ATV 4th Gen.... 32gb or 64gb non 4K or 32gb or 64gb 4K. I think saying that the siri remote has been neglected for so many iterations is a bit of a stretch.
still available ATV 4th gen (2015): 1080p/A8 processor, tvOS/apps, 32 GB or 64 GB (64 GB discontinued) ATV 5th gen (2017): (called Apple TV 4K), 2160p/A10X processor ...that is a huge jump in processing power... , tvOS/apps, 32 GB or 64 GB
From what I’ve heard from users in this forum, I’m waiting for apple to improve the remote before I jump in. Can’t fathom why they have neglected that for so many iterations
The most frustrating thing for me is the way most apps implement parental controls. 1st party apps like TV restrict individual shows by age rating. But most 3rd party apps either ignore parental controls (Netflix) or require a password to launch the app every time.
What I want, of course, is consistency. For an app like Amazon video the kids should be able to launch the app but not access shows above a certain level.
Is this an issue of lazy app developers or does Apple not make the correct APIs available?
The biggest gripes for me are the remote not being recognized until you swipe or press a button a few times and misplacing it.
We have eliminated those issues by using our phones instead. Plus it's a great way to force your significant other to go to bed by fast forwarding to the end of what they're watching. 😂
I love the functions available on the remote but it's so gosh darn hard to hold in your hand because it's so thin and slippery. Grab hold of it too tight and you'll accidentally press one of the buttons. I get that they they want minimalist but it's not for me. I use my Harmony universal remote or iOS app instead.
How lovely and useful is the ATV remote, with its lovely smooth surface and rounded edges .... this one dropped less than two feet from the coffee table to the floorboards ... and it's only $89 in my currency to buy a replacement, that's 45% of the cost of a same model replacement ATV, thanks Mr Cook.
The biggest gripes for me are the remote not being recognized until you swipe or press a button a few times and misplacing it.
We have eliminated those issues by using our phones instead. Plus it's a great way to force your significant other to go to bed by fast forwarding to the end of what they're watching. 😂
My Sony TV remote will do all of the functions of the AppleTv except siri and the TV button. Very handy and it has a mute button
The issue I have with the remote is that it is not very easy to scroll the video timeline with it. Going back and forward is pretty cumbersome, especially if you are trying to go back or forward by just a minute or so.
The general issue with digital video is the lack of chapter markers.
Actually, I just remembered - isn't there an option on the remote that shows the timeline and when you long press it shows equal divisions on the timeline so you can quickly go to that? Or am I thinking about something else?
From what I’ve heard from users in this forum, I’m waiting for apple to improve the remote before I jump in. Can’t fathom why they have neglected that for so many iterations
Besides being way more sensitive to touch than it needs to be there really is no reason for you wait to jump in. They have also added a raised ring to the menu button that makes it much easier to tell where the menu button is and which way the remote is actually pointing.
If you own a 2nd or 3rd gen ATV this is a MUST upgrade in my opinion.
There are 4 versions of the ATV 4th Gen.... 32gb or 64gb non 4K or 32gb or 64gb 4K. I think saying that the siri remote has been neglected for so many iterations is a bit of a stretch.
I agree with jcs2305, but perhaps for different reasons. I love my MacBookPro, iPhone and iPad, but they are mostly for work and the occasional game. Yes, they make my life easier and work more fun, but they are still mostly about work. The Apple TV is for entertainment and relaxation: what we want to watch when we want to watch it. It's so good I bought my mum one for Christmas, a few years back, she loves it too.
The only problem is with the remote. It is easy to pick it up upside down and accidentally press the wrong button. I haven't seen a suitable case yet, so I just wrap an elastic band around the lower half. It works fine and also helps to stop it sliding off the arm of the sofa. Most lounge rooms have carpet or rugs on the floor, so dropping it and breaking the glass is not a big risk.
Except for that one, very minor gripe, Apple TV is great, get one and enjoy!
The issue I have with the remote is that it is not very easy to scroll the video timeline with it. Going back and forward is pretty cumbersome, especially if you are trying to go back or forward by just a minute or so.
The general issue with digital video is the lack of chapter markers.
Actually, I just remembered - isn't there an option on the remote that shows the timeline and when you long press it shows equal divisions on the timeline so you can quickly go to that? Or am I thinking about something else?
Hold the Siri button and say, “go back one minute.”
I find it hard to believe that anyone finds the ATV remote acceptable. For me it's horrible, by far the worst thing about ATV. It alternates between the swipe action not working at all to being oversensitive (seems to depend on moisture level fingerprint). It's also nearly impossible to click without swiping first (it swiping happens to be working) so using it for FF is a frustrating joke. I generally just use my harmony and leave the ATV remote in a drawer.
Have never had any problems swiping on the touch surface. My Harmony One is now in the drawer.
The issue I have with the remote is that it is not very easy to scroll the video timeline with it. Going back and forward is pretty cumbersome, especially if you are trying to go back or forward by just a minute or so.
Scrubbing a video’s timeline is exactly what I love about the remote and touch surface. I’m sincerely perplexed that some of you have trouble with it.
FYI you can do short hops by clicking the left or right edges of the touch surface. If you want to navigate exactly a minute you can do so by voice via the siri button. Otherwise swipe scrubbing has been super useful and easy for us.
From what I’ve heard from users in this forum, I’m waiting for apple to improve the remote before I jump in. Can’t fathom why they have neglected that for so many iterations
The only real issue that I've had with the remote is orientation of the device in the dark. The newer versions have a raised Menu button in the upper left below the touch-sensitive pad. What had you heard?
He's heard people complaining as usual.
I can't believe Apple hasn't added a speaker to the remote for finding it because once it's lost, it's tough to find. Lost one years ago in my house.
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While that was the intent, it’s much too subtle to be effective.
I’ve never had a need for a mute button. As you say, pausing is the paradigm here with streamers. Otherwise the volume is easy to adjust.
Siri button is useful for sure, especially to quickly turn on captions or ask “what did he say?”, as well as search for items by name. It’s always shown me the different apps that have the item and lets me choose where to stream it from, so I haven’t had your issue.
Plex doesn’t offer Siri support.
old
ATV 2nd gen: 720p/A4 processor
ATV 3rd gen: 1080p/A5 processor
still available
ATV 4th gen (2015): 1080p/A8 processor, tvOS/apps, 32 GB or 64 GB (64 GB discontinued)
ATV 5th gen (2017): (called Apple TV 4K), 2160p/A10X processor ...that is a huge jump in processing power... , tvOS/apps, 32 GB or 64 GB
1) how is Dolby Atmos being implemented?
2) is it available on the ATV 4th gen (non-4K)?
We have eliminated those issues by using our phones instead. Plus it's a great way to force your significant other to go to bed by fast forwarding to the end of what they're watching.
😂
For now I keep everything in 1080p and only manually switch to 4K when it’s “event viewing”.
The issue I have with the remote is that it is not very easy to scroll the video timeline with it. Going back and forward is pretty cumbersome, especially if you are trying to go back or forward by just a minute or so.
The general issue with digital video is the lack of chapter markers.
Actually, I just remembered - isn't there an option on the remote that shows the timeline and when you long press it shows equal divisions on the timeline so you can quickly go to that? Or am I thinking about something else?
Scrubbing a video’s timeline is exactly what I love about the remote and touch surface. I’m sincerely perplexed that some of you have trouble with it.
FYI you can do short hops by clicking the left or right edges of the touch surface. If you want to navigate exactly a minute you can do so by voice via the siri button. Otherwise swipe scrubbing has been super useful and easy for us.
I can't believe Apple hasn't added a speaker to the remote for finding it because once it's lost, it's tough to find. Lost one years ago in my house.