3 ms·

Apple TV 4K is the most essential product Apple makes

14 points by yannikyeo 8y ago

strict9 8y ago
Apple TV is nice, but this is a weird piece. The gist of this article is that Apple TV is Apple's best product because of voice assistance and screensavers. Maybe it's because I don't watch enough of it, but a device that makes TV watching better is the last thing on my list of important products from any company.
- wodenokoto 8y ago
  The take home message is supposed to be that Apple TV is the most essential (not necessarily their best product), because there is no competitor that comes close to its quality. So in a sense, Apple TV is not better than an iPhone, but an iPhone is only slightly better than a Samsung S9 making the iPhone not very "essential".
  - r00fus 8y ago
    It’s a fairly easy argument to rebut as Samsung doesn’t have the same privacy stance as Apple. Just like with MacOS vs Windows it’s an easy choice if you’re convinced the alternative is not privacy conscious.
slysf 8y ago
What's a shame is they didn't compare it to far superior devices in the same price range like the Nvidia Shield or the OSMC Vero 4k. The fact that you can't stream all 4k HDR content on a device billed as 4k is pretty unforgivable (you have to create specific files tuned for the AppleTV). Add to that a lack of native support for standard lossless audio formats that have existed for 12 years(DTS-HD/MA) and it just isn't viable for a home theater.
- tinus_hn 8y ago
  You don’t have to create files at all if you’re streaming content from services like Hulu, Netflix or the iTunes Store, as the writer is doing. He, like many people, doesn’t care about lossless file formats that have existed forever. In fact, he doesn’t care about file formats at all. The service you pay for makes sure they stream a format the device can decode, that’s what you pay them for.
NoPicklez 8y ago
"No other streaming device comes close to looking this good" Hang on, what about all the other streaming devices that support 4K? 4K isn't a proprietary Apple resolution.
ksec 8y ago
Is this one of those paid ads? You will need a Decent 4K Screen for your Apple TV 4K to perform, your Apple TV 4K didn't magically made everything better, you are still limited by the quality of your screen. I kind of wish Apple would work with Terrestrial TV ( I think they are called broadcast TV in US ) around the world and offers them a solution to Stream their TV Real time via IP on Apple TV without an STB. It might have been better if Apple could decode ATSC and DMB-T as well as other standard in Japan Korea or China I can't remember, but that doesn't seems possible at the moment within a single receiver. Or an actual Apple TV Set ( Still don't understand about the argument on Margins, aren't they the same on Phones ) Or Apple TV with Router integrated. ( You will surely need decent QoS for IP Steaming ) Or License the whole Apple TV as a Single chip and let the TV manufacturer fight for it. Because right now it still feels like a hobby.

14 points by yannikyeo 8y ago

Apple TV is nice, but this is a weird piece. The gist of this article is that Apple TV is Apple's best product because of voice assistance and screensavers. Maybe it's because I don't watch enough of it, but a device that makes TV watching better is the last thing on my list of important products from any company.

wodenokoto 8y ago
The take home message is supposed to be that Apple TV is the most essential (not necessarily their best product), because there is no competitor that comes close to its quality. So in a sense, Apple TV is not better than an iPhone, but an iPhone is only slightly better than a Samsung S9 making the iPhone not very "essential".
- r00fus 8y ago
  It’s a fairly easy argument to rebut as Samsung doesn’t have the same privacy stance as Apple. Just like with MacOS vs Windows it’s an easy choice if you’re convinced the alternative is not privacy conscious.

slysf 8y ago

What's a shame is they didn't compare it to far superior devices in the same price range like the Nvidia Shield or the OSMC Vero 4k. The fact that you can't stream all 4k HDR content on a device billed as 4k is pretty unforgivable (you have to create specific files tuned for the AppleTV). Add to that a lack of native support for standard lossless audio formats that have existed for 12 years(DTS-HD/MA) and it just isn't viable for a home theater.

tinus_hn 8y ago
You don’t have to create files at all if you’re streaming content from services like Hulu, Netflix or the iTunes Store, as the writer is doing. He, like many people, doesn’t care about lossless file formats that have existed forever. In fact, he doesn’t care about file formats at all. The service you pay for makes sure they stream a format the device can decode, that’s what you pay them for.

NoPicklez 8y ago

"No other streaming device comes close to looking this good" Hang on, what about all the other streaming devices that support 4K? 4K isn't a proprietary Apple resolution.

ksec 8y ago

Is this one of those paid ads? You will need a Decent 4K Screen for your Apple TV 4K to perform, your Apple TV 4K didn't magically made everything better, you are still limited by the quality of your screen. I kind of wish Apple would work with Terrestrial TV ( I think they are called broadcast TV in US ) around the world and offers them a solution to Stream their TV Real time via IP on Apple TV without an STB. It might have been better if Apple could decode ATSC and DMB-T as well as other standard in Japan Korea or China I can't remember, but that doesn't seems possible at the moment within a single receiver. Or an actual Apple TV Set ( Still don't understand about the argument on Margins, aren't they the same on Phones ) Or Apple TV with Router integrated. ( You will surely need decent QoS for IP Steaming ) Or License the whole Apple TV as a Single chip and let the TV manufacturer fight for it. Because right now it still feels like a hobby.