Apple Introduces the Powerful Next-Generation Apple TV 4K

[TheLostSwede]

Apple today announced the next generation of Apple TV 4K—more powerful, entertaining, and affordable than ever, and offering impressive cinematic quality. Driven by the A15 Bionic chip that delivers faster performance and more fluid gameplay, the new Apple TV 4K features endless entertainment options for everyone to enjoy on the biggest screen in the home. HDR10+ support joins Dolby Vision on Apple TV 4K, so users can watch their favorite movies and TV shows in the best quality possible across more TVs. Running tvOS, the powerful and intuitive OS for the living room, and featuring the popular Siri Remote, Apple TV 4K simplifies the way users discover and enjoy their favorite content. Its seamless integration with other Apple devices and services magically transforms the living room in different ways for the entire family, while also adding convenience as a smart home hub.

The new Apple TV 4K is available in two configurations: Apple TV 4K (Wi-Fi), which offers 64 GB of storage; and Apple TV 4K (Wi-Fi + Ethernet), which offers support for Gigabit Ethernet for fast networking and streaming, Thread mesh networking protocol to connect even more smart home accessories, and twice the storage for apps and games (128 GB). Customers can order the new Apple TV 4K with Siri Remote today at a new starting price of $129, with availability beginning Friday, November 4.




"Apple TV 4K is the ultimate way for Apple users to enjoy their favorite entertainment on the biggest screen in the home, and now it is more powerful than ever," said Bob Borchers, Apple's vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. "The new Apple TV 4K is unlike anything else out there, given its seamless connection to other Apple devices, ease of use, and access to amazing Apple content. It offers something for everyone in the family to love."

A Cinematic Home Theater Experience
The next generation of Apple TV 4K is an entertainment powerhouse, bringing the best video and audio capabilities to the biggest screen in the home. At the heart of the new Apple TV 4K is A15 Bionic, making the device even more powerful and energy efficient. CPU performance is now up to 50 percent faster than the previous generation, delivering greater responsiveness, faster navigation, and snappier UI animations. GPU performance is now up to 30 percent faster than the previous generation for even smoother gameplay.

Apple TV 4K now supports HDR10+, in addition to Dolby Vision, expanding rich visual quality across more TVs, producing the eye-popping details and vibrant colors intended by content creators. Users can also enjoy a home theater experience with Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital 7.1, or Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound for immersive audio.

With the Siri Remote, users enjoy a touch-enabled clickpad that provides speed, fluidity, and precise control to easily navigate the simple, elegant user interface of Apple TV. On the Apple TV app, customers can access award-winning series and films on Apple TV+, as well as over 100,000 movies and series to buy or rent, and direct premium subscriptions to popular streaming services.

Seamless Integration with the Apple Ecosystem
Apple TV 4K works seamlessly with other Apple devices, starting with a magical setup process with iPhone and effortless control at any time with the Apple TV Remote in Control Center. The deep integration of Apple hardware, software, and services with Apple TV 4K unlocks an unparalleled experience that brings the best of the Apple ecosystem to the living room.

• Apple Music offers access to a catalog of over 100 million songs, expertly curated playlists, and music videos through Apple TV 4K. With original content from the most respected and beloved people in music, autoplay, time-synced lyrics, lossless audio, and immersive Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos, Apple Music offers the world's best listening experience.
• Apple TV+ is the home of premium drama and comedy series, feature films, documentaries, and kids and family entertainment, including this year's Oscar Best Picture winner, "CODA"; record-breaking Emmy Award winner "Ted Lasso"; hit drama "Severance"; "Shantaram," based on the bestselling novel; and acclaimed series "Bad Sisters," "Mythic Quest," "Pachinko," and many more. Viewers can also enjoy films such as "Sidney," a documentary honoring the legendary Sidney Poitier; "Causeway," starring and produced by Academy Award winner Jennifer Lawrence; and the holiday story "Spirited," starring Will Ferrell, Ryan Reynolds, and Octavia Spencer. Apple TV+ also offers live sports, including "Friday Night Baseball," and Major League Soccer matches coming in early 2023.
• Apple Arcade on Apple TV 4K features award-winning premium games, with new titles and major content updates added weekly, all without ads or in-app purchases. Players can pair popular game controllers to enjoy hit titles like "NBA 2K23 Arcade Edition" and "Jetpack Joyride 2," along with longtime favorites like "Sneaky Sasquatch," as well as "Warped Kart Racers" with a new multiuser mode.
• Apple Fitness+ is an award-winning fitness and wellness service designed to be welcoming to all users, wherever they are on their journey, and help them live a healthier day. Apple TV 4K users can enjoy the largest library of workout content in 4K Ultra High Definition with over 3,000 studio-style workouts and meditations, all led by a diverse and inclusive team of trainers. This fall, iPhone users can subscribe to and enjoy Fitness+ in the 21 countries and regions where it is available, even if they don't have an Apple Watch. Users only need an iPhone to sign up, and can then experience Fitness+ on Apple TV, iPhone, and iPad with onscreen trainer guidance and interval timing, and estimated calories burned will be used to make progress on their Move ring. Fitness+ users with Apple Watch can take their motivation to the next level with personalized real-time metrics that display on Apple TV, iPhone, and iPad.

tvOS
This fall, new features coming to the Apple TV experience with tvOS 16 include updates to Siri that will make it even easier for customers to use their voice to control Apple TV and interact with the results. Siri on Apple TV features a complete redesign, and will be able to recognize each user's voice, so they can easily access their movies, shows, music, games, and apps, and pick up where they left off. By using the Siri Remote and asking "What should I watch?" users can get tailored recommendations.

When wearing AirPods, users can say "Hey Siri" to search and enjoy a hands-free way to control Apple TV. Siri support on Apple TV has expanded to Chile, Finland, and South Africa, and will launch in Denmark, Luxembourg, and Singapore later this year, bringing Siri on Apple TV to 30 countries and regions.
With iCloud Shared Photo Library on Apple TV, everyone in the family will be able to enjoy everyone's photos together on the big screen. Cross-device connectivity on Apple TV 4K will enable developers to integrate personalized experiences between their iPhone and Apple Watch apps with Apple TV.

Users can continue to enjoy SharePlay by starting a FaceTime session on iPhone or iPad and watching a TV show or movie on Apple TV to stay completely in sync—ensuring everyone catches a movie's dramatic reveal or a show's punchline at the same moment. With shared playback controls, including using the Siri Remote, anyone in the SharePlay session can play, pause, or jump ahead.

Apple TV 4K as a Smart Home Hub
As a home hub, Apple TV 4K securely connects to compatible smart home accessories, including HomeKit cameras, lights, shades, and more; allows the user to set scenes and control their smart home while away; and ensures that accessories can run automatically. Apple TV 4K is also an essential building block for Matter, the new smart home connectivity standard that enables a wide variety of accessories to work together seamlessly across platforms, helping to fulfill the true vision of a smart home.

When viewing a HomeKit camera, Apple TV users can control nearby accessories—such as turning on the outdoor lights—or display multiple cameras at the same time on the TV screen for a more complete view. In addition, HomeKit Secure Video uses the on-device intelligence of Apple TV 4K to privately analyze the video to detect people, animals, cars, and package deliveries.

With Thread networking support, Apple TV 4K (Wi-Fi + Ethernet) connects compatible Thread-based smart home accessories reliably and securely.

Apple TV 4K and the Environment
The new Apple TV 4K is designed to minimize its impact on the environment, using nearly 30 percent less power than the previous generation while achieving more powerful performance. The efficiency gains of A15 Bionic eliminate the need for an internal fan, resulting in a more compact design and contributing to a 25 percent reduction in carbon footprint over the previous generation.
aluminium
In a first for Apple TV, Apple TV 4K features 100 percent recycled gold in the plating of multiple printed circuit boards, which also include 100 percent recycled tin in the solder. The thermal module is made with 80 percent recycled aluminium, while the enclosure of the Siri Remote includes 100 percent recycled aluminium. Redesigned packaging removes the outer plastic wrap, and over 90 percent of packaging is fiber based, bringing Apple closer to its goal of completely removing plastic from all packaging by 2025. The Apple TV 4K lineup is free of mercury, BFRs, PVC, and beryllium.

Today, Apple is carbon neutral for global corporate operations, and by 2030, plans to be 100 percent carbon neutral across the entire manufacturing supply chains and all product life cycles. This means that every Apple device sold, from component manufacturing, assembly, transport, customer use, charging, all the way through recycling and material recovery, will have net-zero climate impact.

Pricing and Availability

• The new Apple TV 4K with Siri Remote will be available starting at $129 (US) from apple.com/store, in the Apple Store app, and at Apple Store locations. Apple TV 4K is also available through Apple Authorized Resellers and select pay TV providers.
• Customers can order the new Apple TV 4K beginning today, with availability starting Friday, November 4, in more than 30 countries and regions, including the US.
• The Siri Remote has the same beloved design and functionality as the previous generation, and adopts USB-C for charging. It is included with the new Apple TV 4K, or can be purchased separately for $59 (US) starting today, and is compatible with all generations of Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site | Source

 

[SOAREVERSOR]

Will probably get this.

 

[RegaeRevaeb]

It's remarkable/good the remote will use USB-C to charge.

Does anybody know by the way whether the non-replaceable batteries are better for the environment than having a user-replacable one, like in the original Apple TV? What I mean is does the current deal (pun unintended) last the average usable life of an Apple TV box before degradation becomes annoyingly demonstrable?

And on another note, I'm keen to hear whether I'm the only one put off there isn't 2.5GbE in the ethernet-enabled version? I know video streams don't even saturate 100Mbit connection, but it would help with downloads, no?

 

[Tek-Check]

Crucially, does this TV gadget finally have HDMI 2.1 FRL output higher than 18 Gbps?

 

[cvaldes]

Crucially, does this TV gadget finally have HDMI 2.1 FRL output higher than 18 Gbps?

Absolutely not.

Apple has a very, Very, VERY long track record of waiting to adopt newer standards. Hell, their first iPhone (2007) didn't even have 3G.

And how many television sets on the market have HDMI 2.1 FRL inputs anyhow? And does the new device host content that would use that level (>18 Gbps) of video bandwidth?

I know some people are unhealthily obsessed in seeing every new product use up every single byte of available capacity in a new standard but that's just not commercially viable.

As far as I can discern, this is a device that primarily streams audio and video (1080p and 2160p) content, can download some content for local playback as well as some more casual games. It's not placed to be the sort of thing that would use up >18 Gbps of video bandwidth.

If the device can't use all of that HDMI 2.1 FRL bandwidth, including the feature would be pointless and wasteful (in terms of cost).

It would be like putting a 600 hp supercharged V12 engine in a Honda FIT.

 

[Tek-Check]

I know some people are unhealthily obsessed in seeing every new product use up every single byte of available capacity in a new standard but that's just not commercially viable.

Possibly. And AV1 decoding?

 

[TheLostSwede]

Crucially, does this TV gadget finally have HDMI 2.1 FRL output higher than 18 Gbps?

3. Support for up to 4K 60-fps HDR video output and Audio Return Channel (ARC or eARC) only. Requires HDCP when playing protected content and compatible TV or receiver.

 

[cvaldes]

Possibly. And AV1 decoding?

Check their website. Apple has a long established practice of listing compatible media formats, back to the iPod days (twenty years ago).

EDIT: Actually, probably not. This new Apple TV uses the A15 Bionic SoC which does not have support of AV1 hardware decoding.

Maybe the next generation device will have it.

But do check the website. I might have gotten something wrong.

 

[Tek-Check]

Requires HDCP when playing protected content and compatible TV or receiver.

Does it support HDCP?

 

[windwhirl]

When I opened this article, I was expecting an actual TV (display and all), not a set-top box for TVs

 

[cvaldes]

When I opened this article, I was expecting an actual TV (display and all), not a set-top box for TVs

Why?

Apple has always called this set-top box Apple TV since its debut in 2007.

Besides, had this been an actual display with the Apple TV, it would have been launched differently, with an event presentation, not via a press release.

Perhaps more importantly, savvy Apple followers don't really believe Apple is going to market a television set with Apple TV functionality.

Television sets are pretty low margin and competition is fierce. Apple can make higher margins on a set-top box which can be upgraded more frequently than the average consumer will buy a new TV.

Somewhere in a lab in Cupertino, there's probably a prototype TV with Apple TV functionality. Clearly Apple has not seen any reason to bring one to market. Why should they? I have the Apple TV+ app running on my LG OLED set.

 

[windwhirl]

Why?

Apple has always called this set-top box Apple TV since its debut in 2007.

For two reasons:
First, it's called Apple TV. Second, I don't follow Apple much, so I guess my expectations were completely different. /shrug

 

[Tek-Check]

EDIT: Actually, probably not. This new Apple TV uses the A15 Bionic SoC which does not have support of AV1 hardware decoding.

Exactly. This is an older mobility chip. The first two mobile chips that will support AV1 hardware encoding will be A16 Bionic and Snapdragon 8 Gen2.

 

[cvaldes]

Exactly. This is an older mobility chip. The first two mobile chips that will support AV1 hardware encoding will be A16 Bionic and Snapdragon 8 Gen2.

I think we have been over this before but historically Apple is not an early adopter of new technology standards.

When they do adopt a new standard, it typically debuts on premium/flagship SKUs then trickles down through the stack.

The Apple TV streaming box has never been at the top of the stack. It will likely get AV1 hardware decoding support at its next refresh in 2-3 years. By then the standard will be more widely accepted and used. Deployment at that time will make more sense for a consumer-grade device like Apple TV.

For two reasons:
First, it's called Apple TV. Second, I don't follow Apple much, so I guess my expectations were completely different. /shrug

That's fine, I don't expect everyone to have Apple's product line memorized. I certainly don't.

However if one uses streaming video services, there is no doubt that one will have been exposed to the fact that Apple has a device and service called Apple TV that does this. They actually used the Apple TV name on the hardware (starting in 2007) before later applying the same name to the service (which was just stuff you got from the iTunes Store).

If you know about Roku, Google Chromecast, Amazon Fire, Slingbox, no doubt you should be aware of the Apple TV device.

And if you have ever visited the Apple website and clicked on the iPod category (or now TV & Home) category, it would have been clear that the Apple TV is a box not a display.

Apple has been marketing this product for 15 years. It's not like it's a new product or category. And this is the seventh generation product which means the previous six launches somehow got by you unnoticed. This probably isn't the first appearance of Apple TV on TPU and if you read other tech sites, Apple TV hardware has certainly been mentioned before elsewhere.

 

[TheLostSwede]

Exactly. This is an older mobility chip. The first two mobile chips that will support AV1 hardware encoding will be A16 Bionic and Snapdragon 8 Gen2.

No, MediaTek already supports AV1.

MediaTek to Enable Cutting-edge AV1 Video Codec Technology on Android…

MediaTek to Enable Cutting-edge AV1 Video Codec Technology on Android Smartphones

corp.mediatek.com

 

[Tek-Check]

No, MediaTek already supports AV1.

MediaTek to Enable Cutting-edge AV1 Video Codec Technology on Android…

MediaTek to Enable Cutting-edge AV1 Video Codec Technology on Android Smartphones

corp.mediatek.com

True for MT Dimensity chips. Also, Google's Tensor on Pixel 6 and Samsung's Exynos 2200.
I did not word that properly. Meant to say the first chips from those two companies that are still lacking behind.

 

[SOAREVERSOR]

When I opened this article, I was expecting an actual TV (display and all), not a set-top box for TVs

TVs are a shit margin item where most companies are just sourcing panels. Fire TV and Google TV are just software really that's integrated into some other brands stuff. That's not how apple rolls. They'll make a TV when they can make a panel.

 

[zaku49]

It doesn't even have Ai upscaling like the Nvidia shield does...