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I’ve had Roku, FireTV, and Chromecast, and I have had hdcp and/or performance issues with everything but Apple TV. I hate that I’ve turned into something of an

by snoman 3y ago

I’ve had Roku, FireTV, and Chromecast, and I have had hdcp and/or performance issues with everything but Apple TV. I hate that I’ve turned into something of an fanboy but Apple TV follows the same old story from Apple: expensive but it consistently just works.

baq 3y ago
Same reason I've become an iPhone fanboy - the alternatives were simply unbearable at some point and the iPhone... was ok. Apparently, consistently ok is a high bar. Can't say that about macOS, though - it's consistently below expectations for me.
kkielhofner 3y ago
> same old story from Apple: expensive but it consistently just works. Not to mention at least you know where they're hitting you - up front, on the hardware. It's like the people that complain about a Macbook being 20% more (or whatever), buying a PC-something, and then coming back complaining that Windows is loaded with ads or Linux has all kinds of issues on it. I'm with you - I went from being a die-hard Linux desktop, Kodi, Android, etc, etc user to just saying "the hell with it" and plunking down for Apple products. They're expensive and they're not perfect either but my life is much less stressing and annoying as a result.
- mholm 3y ago
  Additionally, if you're willing to resell when you're done with them, you can often get that 'Apple tax' back on the resale price difference.
- codedokode 3y ago
  Macbook costs like 3x compared to competitors. For example, Apple M1 8 Core score on cpubenchmark is about 14000. If you look for non-Apple laptops with equivalent CPU score, they would cost around $450. And they support Linux. The only good thing in Macbook is display, which covers more than 100% of sRGB color space and has giantic resolution. I wish it could be bought separately and installed into a normal laptop.
  - Longlius 3y ago
    Apple Silicon Macbooks also support Linux.
    - codedokode 3y ago
      Oh, by the way in a $450 laptop you can upgrade memory and SSD.
  - Toutouxc 3y ago
    Most MacBooks feel like Pareto-optimal machines. There exist other laptops with better displays, faster CPUs, better speakers, or just cheaper, but I'm pretty sure there are no alternatives with better or equal everything.
    - Longlius 3y ago
      My experience buying laptops in 2023 was that most of what I found was cheap junk. Even when I was buying stuff in the $1800-$2500 price range, it was mostly junk with build quality problems, incomplete support for the hardware (USB-C especially being an issue), and terrible thermals. I don't really like Apple as a company but I just hand them money and they give me a laptop that works without any nonsense. Maybe I'm just too old and overpaid nowadays but I legitimately feel like laptop manufacturers other than Apple are in a self-destructive race-to-the-bottom with each other.
  - jdminhbg 3y ago
    > If you look for non-Apple laptops with equivalent CPU score, they would cost around $450. And they support Linux. And their battery lasts almost two hours.
    - babypuncher 3y ago
      And they're made of cheap plastic, have horrible keyboard flexing, and their trackpads suck. I am envious of gp though, I kind of miss being younger and thinking the only thing that mattered in a laptop was raw CPU/GPU performance.
- graphe 3y ago
  Apple works unless you need something specific that every other devices supports but apple doesn't. I've never had a great experience with any laptop but at least I can't say I didn't get screwed on the price most of the time (non apple times). Who remembers how apple didn't admit or fix the Nvidia GPU on their laptop for years but it was easy to just get a new ipod?
  - stalfosknight 3y ago
    That nVidia GPU issue was a design flaw on nVidia's part that nVidia refused to take responsibility for. The problem is that normal use and wear and tear over time would lead to the GPU physically failing, leading to a non-bootable system and necessitating a whole new logic board. Apple had a long standing special service program of covering (very expensive) logic board replacements for all of those MacBook Pros that were usually well out of of warranty¹ because Apple gave a damn about making it right whereas nVidia refused to even acknowledge the issue. Source: I was a Mac Genius at an Apple Store from 2008 to 2013. 1) https://www.macrumors.com/2017/05/20/apple-ends-2011-macbook-pro-repair-program/ https://www.macrumors.com/2017/05/20/apple-ends-2011-macbook...
    - graphe 3y ago
      Apple was supposed to vet them. I expect that answer from razer. Only took a few years for them to admit it failed under normal use, by that time it was long outdated. I don't pretend waiting at the apple store is a luxury anymore. The brand is tainted to me.
      - mastercheif 3y ago
        Dell, HP, and Compaq were also affected by the issue. The issue was with the die packaging, nearly impossible to catch post-production. https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2010/10/nvidia-settles-faulty-processor-suit-dell-hp-compaq-mac.html https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2010/10/nvidia-settle...
  - kkielhofner 3y ago
Consultant32452 3y ago
I was a Roku fanboy until they started installing new apps/channels or whatever on the device without prompting me. Now I simp for Apple TV.
MisterTea 3y ago
I just hook a nuc or similar sff Linux PC to my old 1080p Sony TV and I'm good. All the major streaming sites work in a browser. Best part is I can pause or open another tab and just surf the web in a normal up to date browser.
jwells89 3y ago
The other nice thing about Apple TVs is that their hardware isn’t so terribly underpowered compared to other streaming boxes, which is why my Apple TV 4K first gen from 2017 is still snappy running current tvOS, as well as why it can play back media encoded in formats that aren’t hardware accelerated without hiccups. So yes, it cost me more than a competing box would’ve in 2017, but it’s given me smooth problem free operation the entire time and there’s no sign of that changing any time soon.
brightball 3y ago
I'm using Roku everywhere at this point and haven't run into any issues. Big fan.
- phinnaeus 3y ago
  I've found the Roku UI to be pretty laggy every time I used it. It seems to be running at 10 FPS or something. Huge turn-off.
cultureswitch 3y ago
Try the Plex app on your TV.

by snoman 3y ago

baq 3y ago

Same reason I've become an iPhone fanboy - the alternatives were simply unbearable at some point and the iPhone... was ok. Apparently, consistently ok is a high bar. Can't say that about macOS, though - it's consistently below expectations for me.

kkielhofner 3y ago

> same old story from Apple: expensive but it consistently just works. Not to mention at least you know where they're hitting you - up front, on the hardware. It's like the people that complain about a Macbook being 20% more (or whatever), buying a PC-something, and then coming back complaining that Windows is loaded with ads or Linux has all kinds of issues on it. I'm with you - I went from being a die-hard Linux desktop, Kodi, Android, etc, etc user to just saying "the hell with it" and plunking down for Apple products. They're expensive and they're not perfect either but my life is much less stressing and annoying as a result.

mholm 3y ago
Additionally, if you're willing to resell when you're done with them, you can often get that 'Apple tax' back on the resale price difference.
codedokode 3y ago
Macbook costs like 3x compared to competitors. For example, Apple M1 8 Core score on cpubenchmark is about 14000. If you look for non-Apple laptops with equivalent CPU score, they would cost around $450. And they support Linux. The only good thing in Macbook is display, which covers more than 100% of sRGB color space and has giantic resolution. I wish it could be bought separately and installed into a normal laptop.
- Longlius 3y ago
  Apple Silicon Macbooks also support Linux.
  - codedokode 3y ago
    Oh, by the way in a $450 laptop you can upgrade memory and SSD.
- Toutouxc 3y ago
  Most MacBooks feel like Pareto-optimal machines. There exist other laptops with better displays, faster CPUs, better speakers, or just cheaper, but I'm pretty sure there are no alternatives with better or equal everything.
  - Longlius 3y ago
    My experience buying laptops in 2023 was that most of what I found was cheap junk. Even when I was buying stuff in the $1800-$2500 price range, it was mostly junk with build quality problems, incomplete support for the hardware (USB-C especially being an issue), and terrible thermals. I don't really like Apple as a company but I just hand them money and they give me a laptop that works without any nonsense. Maybe I'm just too old and overpaid nowadays but I legitimately feel like laptop manufacturers other than Apple are in a self-destructive race-to-the-bottom with each other.
- jdminhbg 3y ago
  > If you look for non-Apple laptops with equivalent CPU score, they would cost around $450. And they support Linux. And their battery lasts almost two hours.
  - babypuncher 3y ago
    And they're made of cheap plastic, have horrible keyboard flexing, and their trackpads suck. I am envious of gp though, I kind of miss being younger and thinking the only thing that mattered in a laptop was raw CPU/GPU performance.
graphe 3y ago
Apple works unless you need something specific that every other devices supports but apple doesn't. I've never had a great experience with any laptop but at least I can't say I didn't get screwed on the price most of the time (non apple times). Who remembers how apple didn't admit or fix the Nvidia GPU on their laptop for years but it was easy to just get a new ipod?
- stalfosknight 3y ago
  That nVidia GPU issue was a design flaw on nVidia's part that nVidia refused to take responsibility for. The problem is that normal use and wear and tear over time would lead to the GPU physically failing, leading to a non-bootable system and necessitating a whole new logic board. Apple had a long standing special service program of covering (very expensive) logic board replacements for all of those MacBook Pros that were usually well out of of warranty¹ because Apple gave a damn about making it right whereas nVidia refused to even acknowledge the issue. Source: I was a Mac Genius at an Apple Store from 2008 to 2013. 1) https://www.macrumors.com/2017/05/20/apple-ends-2011-macbook-pro-repair-program/ https://www.macrumors.com/2017/05/20/apple-ends-2011-macbook...
  - graphe 3y ago
    Apple was supposed to vet them. I expect that answer from razer. Only took a few years for them to admit it failed under normal use, by that time it was long outdated. I don't pretend waiting at the apple store is a luxury anymore. The brand is tainted to me.
    - mastercheif 3y ago
      Dell, HP, and Compaq were also affected by the issue. The issue was with the die packaging, nearly impossible to catch post-production. https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2010/10/nvidia-settles-faulty-processor-suit-dell-hp-compaq-mac.html https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2010/10/nvidia-settle...
- kkielhofner 3y ago

Consultant32452 3y ago

I was a Roku fanboy until they started installing new apps/channels or whatever on the device without prompting me. Now I simp for Apple TV.

MisterTea 3y ago

I just hook a nuc or similar sff Linux PC to my old 1080p Sony TV and I'm good. All the major streaming sites work in a browser. Best part is I can pause or open another tab and just surf the web in a normal up to date browser.

jwells89 3y ago

The other nice thing about Apple TVs is that their hardware isn’t so terribly underpowered compared to other streaming boxes, which is why my Apple TV 4K first gen from 2017 is still snappy running current tvOS, as well as why it can play back media encoded in formats that aren’t hardware accelerated without hiccups. So yes, it cost me more than a competing box would’ve in 2017, but it’s given me smooth problem free operation the entire time and there’s no sign of that changing any time soon.

brightball 3y ago

I'm using Roku everywhere at this point and haven't run into any issues. Big fan.

phinnaeus 3y ago
I've found the Roku UI to be pretty laggy every time I used it. It seems to be running at 10 FPS or something. Huge turn-off.

cultureswitch 3y ago

Try the Plex app on your TV.