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Looks like I'm switching to an Apple TV then if there is no way around this. I'm now kicking myself for recommending Fire TV to my parents as well years ago whe

Looks like I'm switching to an Apple TV then if there is no way around this. I'm now kicking myself for recommending Fire TV to my parents as well years ago when they decided to cut cable.

andsoitis 3y ago
Huge price difference between Apple TV and Fire TV (or Google TV). Amazon and Google are eating Apple’s lunch when it comes to the living room hardware.
- ska 3y ago
  Maybe that's because they are assuming a revenue stream from ads?
- gleenn 3y ago
  I just bought a new Apple TV and I love that thing. The quality is so much nicer, the remote control feels great, you get Dolby Vision, and no ads anywhere in the main app. It's my third one, they tend to last a long time IMHO, you get what you pay for.
  - apsurd 3y ago
    The first generation apple TV remote is comically bad though. Can't conceive how a team of professionals released it. it's intentionally built to not be touch-intuitive. it's a smooth rectangle with no obvious way to feel front/back. the touch pad is too sensitive and not precise so you're always always overshooting your intention. there's no back/forward button, they are "menu" and "screen" ? i have no fucking idea what they mean to this day. screen is "home" and if you press it you lose all navigation. "menu" is like select and back... but not really. i have never pressed the mic or play/pause, cuz that's what the big touch button does too. there's no mute... i can think of this remote and laugh on demand, it's just so impressive how bad it is. https://images.app.goo.gl/4AxqwdXJtfxsQPxb7 https://images.app.goo.gl/4AxqwdXJtfxsQPxb7
    - n8cpdx 3y ago
      But you don’t need to use the remote, iPhone or Apple Watch both do very well. I don’t bother with the remote at all anymore. And the first generation remote hasn’t been in use for a long while now, anyway.
      - dubyah 3y ago
        You do if you're using an android device, for which Apple has yet to release any sort of remote app or control scheme. The general layout for the remote the parent poster was talking about was discontinued in May of 2021 (last being the Siri 1st gen remote), so it wasn't that long ago.
        ska 3y ago
        > The general layout for the remote the parent poster And it seems to have been revived somewhat by samsung... at least my friends new remote from them has definite feel of apple TV remote v1.
    - baq 3y ago
      It was an epic battle between Jony Ive and common sense and Jony Ive won that one. On an unrelated note Jonny Ive is no longer with Apple and hasn't been for some time.
    - jondwillis 3y ago
      I got to build on the 4th gen Apple TV way back before it launched on some dev kits, and call me crazy or biased, but I always liked the remote. Ofc I was fully drinking the Kool-aid at the time, and I have seen many of my friends and colleagues fail at using the remote over the years. Making it out of glass was crazy though. I shattered one pre-launch from a light fall.
      - 10729287 3y ago
        Adding a rubber protection to it highly improve the experience. I love this remote too. So compact and inobstrusive. I love how I can startup my tv through hdmi and using only one, the most basic possible remote. KISS at its best and definitive life improvement. Apple in a nutshell. I used to love being nerd and doing/breaking DIY setups for my media players for years and years but now I just love the simplicity of things just working and making my life easier.
Corrado 3y ago
I'm in the same boat with my in-laws. I even went so far as to set them up with a FireTV Recast box to DVR OTA broadcasts. Only later did I find out that Amazon had canceled the Recast program.

Looks like I'm switching to an Apple TV then if there is no way around this. I'm now kicking myself for recommending Fire TV to my parents as well years ago when they decided to cut cable.

andsoitis 3y ago

Huge price difference between Apple TV and Fire TV (or Google TV). Amazon and Google are eating Apple’s lunch when it comes to the living room hardware.

ska 3y ago
Maybe that's because they are assuming a revenue stream from ads?
gleenn 3y ago
I just bought a new Apple TV and I love that thing. The quality is so much nicer, the remote control feels great, you get Dolby Vision, and no ads anywhere in the main app. It's my third one, they tend to last a long time IMHO, you get what you pay for.
- apsurd 3y ago
  The first generation apple TV remote is comically bad though. Can't conceive how a team of professionals released it. it's intentionally built to not be touch-intuitive. it's a smooth rectangle with no obvious way to feel front/back. the touch pad is too sensitive and not precise so you're always always overshooting your intention. there's no back/forward button, they are "menu" and "screen" ? i have no fucking idea what they mean to this day. screen is "home" and if you press it you lose all navigation. "menu" is like select and back... but not really. i have never pressed the mic or play/pause, cuz that's what the big touch button does too. there's no mute... i can think of this remote and laugh on demand, it's just so impressive how bad it is. https://images.app.goo.gl/4AxqwdXJtfxsQPxb7 https://images.app.goo.gl/4AxqwdXJtfxsQPxb7
  - n8cpdx 3y ago
    But you don’t need to use the remote, iPhone or Apple Watch both do very well. I don’t bother with the remote at all anymore. And the first generation remote hasn’t been in use for a long while now, anyway.
    - dubyah 3y ago
      You do if you're using an android device, for which Apple has yet to release any sort of remote app or control scheme. The general layout for the remote the parent poster was talking about was discontinued in May of 2021 (last being the Siri 1st gen remote), so it wasn't that long ago.
      - ska 3y ago
        > The general layout for the remote the parent poster And it seems to have been revived somewhat by samsung... at least my friends new remote from them has definite feel of apple TV remote v1.
  - baq 3y ago
    It was an epic battle between Jony Ive and common sense and Jony Ive won that one. On an unrelated note Jonny Ive is no longer with Apple and hasn't been for some time.
  - jondwillis 3y ago
    I got to build on the 4th gen Apple TV way back before it launched on some dev kits, and call me crazy or biased, but I always liked the remote. Ofc I was fully drinking the Kool-aid at the time, and I have seen many of my friends and colleagues fail at using the remote over the years. Making it out of glass was crazy though. I shattered one pre-launch from a light fall.
    - 10729287 3y ago
      Adding a rubber protection to it highly improve the experience. I love this remote too. So compact and inobstrusive. I love how I can startup my tv through hdmi and using only one, the most basic possible remote. KISS at its best and definitive life improvement. Apple in a nutshell. I used to love being nerd and doing/breaking DIY setups for my media players for years and years but now I just love the simplicity of things just working and making my life easier.

Corrado 3y ago

I'm in the same boat with my in-laws. I even went so far as to set them up with a FireTV Recast box to DVR OTA broadcasts. Only later did I find out that Amazon had canceled the Recast program.