A combination of leaks and amateur sleuthing may have made it the worse kept secret since, well, the new iPhones, but it’s still good to now have official confirmation from Apple’s launch event today that a new Apple TV really is here. And you know what? It looks pretty promising.
The stand out features of the new TV box are its support for 4K and high dynamic range - two critical picture technologies currently taking the TV world by storm. Not supporting either of these picture-improving features was an issue with the previous Apple TV when it launched two years ago, so it would have been borderline unthinkable for Apple not to have included them this time round. Even if it was a bit amusing to see Apple talking about 4K during the launch event as if they’d just invented it…pple isn’t just offering support for the industry standard HDR10 format, either; the new Apple TV will also support the premium Dolby Vision format, which adds a layer of extra scene by scene information TVs can use to improve the way they present Dolby Vision-encoded HDR content.
When it comes to 4K HDR content, Apple stated Netflix 4K HDR streaming would be available from launch, with Amazon Video TV’s 4K HDR streams coming on line when Amazon’s app launches for Apple TV later in the year.
It’s also confirmed that it’s done 4K HDR deals for its own iTunes store with 20th Century Fox, Lionsgate, Paramount, Universal, Warner Bros, and Sony Pictures.
The biggest surprise during the content section of the Apple TV 4K presentation, though, was the revelation that retail iTunes 4K movies won’t cost any more than their HD versions - typically around $9.99. This really is a ground-breaking announcement in an industry where rival platforms currently charge as much as $25-$30 for their 4K titles.It wasn’t made clear if Apple’s rental pricing for 4K will also be the same as its HD rental pricing, but there doesn’t seem any reason to suppose that it won’t.
As if this pricing news wasn’t already cool enough, Apple confirmed that any movies you own in HD on iTunes will automatically update, free of charge, to 4K HDR if such a version of the film is available.
Delving into the Apple TV 4K’s hardware, it’s driven by the same A10X Fusion chip used in the iPad Pro. This delivers four times the graphical processing power of the previous Apple TV - something which has helped Apple remaster its tvOS interface into 4K for a gorgeously crisp-looking finish.
An industry contact I know who’s already had the chance to try out an Apple TV also tells me that its HDMI appears to use a Silicon Image processor, resulting, so I’m told, in outstanding picture quality with both HD and 4K/HDR streams. And trust me when I say that this impression is coming from someone who seriously knows his picture quality.Apple also reiterated the ease with which you can use the Apple TV to share content - including movies - from other Apple devices via AirPlay onto your TV screen. It’s worth bearing in mind, too, that the new Apple TV will support AirPlay 2 later this year, enabling it to control multiple AirPlay 2-enabled speakers as well as, potentially, your home theater speakers.
Other neat tricks of the Apple TV 4K showcased during the event were Apple famously lovely video screen savers remastered in glorious 4K HDR for the new box, and a new Live Sports streaming feature available through Apple’s TV App.
It’s unclear at this stage how useful Live Sports will be outside the US, but if you live there the way the service combines live streaming of key matches with such sports fan enablers as advance notifications of upcoming games, stats, highlights, and customization options looked very promising.
The new Apple TV 4K will be open for pre-order on September 15, ahead of a September 22 on-sale date. Two versions will be available: a 32GB model costing $179, and a 64GB one costing $199. The current 4th-gen Apple TV, meanwhile, will continue to be available in its 32GB iteration for $149.
The stand out features of the new TV box are its support for 4K and high dynamic range - two critical picture technologies currently taking the TV world by storm. Not supporting either of these picture-improving features was an issue with the previous Apple TV when it launched two years ago, so it would have been borderline unthinkable for Apple not to have included them this time round. Even if it was a bit amusing to see Apple talking about 4K during the launch event as if they’d just invented it…pple isn’t just offering support for the industry standard HDR10 format, either; the new Apple TV will also support the premium Dolby Vision format, which adds a layer of extra scene by scene information TVs can use to improve the way they present Dolby Vision-encoded HDR content.
When it comes to 4K HDR content, Apple stated Netflix 4K HDR streaming would be available from launch, with Amazon Video TV’s 4K HDR streams coming on line when Amazon’s app launches for Apple TV later in the year.
It’s also confirmed that it’s done 4K HDR deals for its own iTunes store with 20th Century Fox, Lionsgate, Paramount, Universal, Warner Bros, and Sony Pictures.
The biggest surprise during the content section of the Apple TV 4K presentation, though, was the revelation that retail iTunes 4K movies won’t cost any more than their HD versions - typically around $9.99. This really is a ground-breaking announcement in an industry where rival platforms currently charge as much as $25-$30 for their 4K titles.It wasn’t made clear if Apple’s rental pricing for 4K will also be the same as its HD rental pricing, but there doesn’t seem any reason to suppose that it won’t.
As if this pricing news wasn’t already cool enough, Apple confirmed that any movies you own in HD on iTunes will automatically update, free of charge, to 4K HDR if such a version of the film is available.
Delving into the Apple TV 4K’s hardware, it’s driven by the same A10X Fusion chip used in the iPad Pro. This delivers four times the graphical processing power of the previous Apple TV - something which has helped Apple remaster its tvOS interface into 4K for a gorgeously crisp-looking finish.
An industry contact I know who’s already had the chance to try out an Apple TV also tells me that its HDMI appears to use a Silicon Image processor, resulting, so I’m told, in outstanding picture quality with both HD and 4K/HDR streams. And trust me when I say that this impression is coming from someone who seriously knows his picture quality.Apple also reiterated the ease with which you can use the Apple TV to share content - including movies - from other Apple devices via AirPlay onto your TV screen. It’s worth bearing in mind, too, that the new Apple TV will support AirPlay 2 later this year, enabling it to control multiple AirPlay 2-enabled speakers as well as, potentially, your home theater speakers.
Other neat tricks of the Apple TV 4K showcased during the event were Apple famously lovely video screen savers remastered in glorious 4K HDR for the new box, and a new Live Sports streaming feature available through Apple’s TV App.
It’s unclear at this stage how useful Live Sports will be outside the US, but if you live there the way the service combines live streaming of key matches with such sports fan enablers as advance notifications of upcoming games, stats, highlights, and customization options looked very promising.
The new Apple TV 4K will be open for pre-order on September 15, ahead of a September 22 on-sale date. Two versions will be available: a 32GB model costing $179, and a 64GB one costing $199. The current 4th-gen Apple TV, meanwhile, will continue to be available in its 32GB iteration for $149.
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