I don't know if this was already a feature previously since I don't really keep tabs on the Apple TV, but I find it incredibly cool that you can use your iPhone to color calibrate the TV. This is the level of product integration I wish every company had, but recently I've only seen this with Apple. Granted I don't know how well the feature works in reality.
Apple TV 4K Gets A12 Bionic
201–210 of 349 posts
Re: Apple TV 4K Gets A12 Bionic
#202[deleted]
Re: Apple TV 4K Gets A12 Bionic
#203Earlier quoted context omitted.
You're the second person to say this, but for what it's worth: the iPhone remote app is literally the only way I control the volume on my AV system.
Me too mostly but it's annoying that it's in a weird place not directly accessible from the remote widget in control center.
For me, using both the "built-in" remote app on the control panel and the "real" remote app launched as a proper app, the volume is controlled simply with the iPhone's volume buttons. I'm not sure how it could get any more ergonomic.
Re: Apple TV 4K Gets A12 Bionic
#204Earlier quoted context omitted.
If you have an iPhone I absolutely love the Apple TV remote app. Feels like the remote design was made for the phone. I wish other apps or console also let you use your phone to type or control
I agree wholeheartedly, the only downside I would see is that volume cannot be controlled through the iPhone app if you're controlling the volume through the TV. When I have a bluetooth speaker paired to apple TV, i'm able to control that volume using the rocker switches on my phone, it's the weirdest thing. It feels like magic to have my TV turn on by a touch of my phone, and to also be able to control the TV when t…
I built a raspberry pi IR blaster to solve this very problem. I have shortcuts on the home screen that talk to the pi when I want to control the TV volume from my iPhone.
Re: Apple TV 4K Gets A12 Bionic
#205Earlier quoted context omitted.
It’s insane they don’t package a first party controller and just take the video console space over with it.
Wireless Xbox controllers work fine with Apple TV. The bigger problem is that the games simply are not designed with a TV and console controller in mind. Even the Apple Arcade titles, which are generally very polished on iPhone and iPad, are pretty janky with a controller, and nearly unusable with the Apple TV Siri Remote (even though they claim to be designed for these input devices). But yes, it's very frustrating…
This is the classic chicken-egg problem inherent in starting up a new game platform. Why invest in your game's controller experience and compromise the touch experience when billions of players have touch and a negligible amount have controllers?
The only way to bootstrap the ecosystem is to prime the pump with large investments from the platform holder. Pay devs directly to add support. Give hardware to users way below cost.
Re: Apple TV 4K Gets A12 Bionic
#206Earlier quoted context omitted.
Apple TV 3rd Gen.
So the one released almost 10 years ago.
Exactly, the one that still works if I revert some software updates, but still always tries to update itself when connected to the internet.
You know what replaced it?
A white macbook from ~2008, which back then had a remote ! It still works.
The EU law to make breaking hardware with software updates illegal can't come soon enough.
Re: Apple TV 4K Gets A12 Bionic
#207Earlier quoted context omitted.
I use my phone often too, but you cannot control the volume from your phone so you need another remote too. My Samsung TV remote works pretty well as the Apple TV remote though too. The DirecTV remote control was also programmable and worked OK. They both just lack the Home button but you can use the Back button enough times to do without it.
You're the second person to say this, but for what it's worth: the iPhone remote app is literally the only way I control the volume on my AV system.
I have a specific annoyance about that: I have an Apple TV HD that I bought second hand that had no remote; it's connected to a monitor so there's no TV remote or HDMI-CEC or anything of the sort; when using AirPods with the Apple TV the only means I have to adjust volume is that iOS App, the universal remote I have for otherwise controlling the Apple TV can't adjust it. Oh well. I'm thinking about buying that new remote and taking one of the other siri remotes I already have and putting it on that one.
Re: Apple TV 4K Gets A12 Bionic
#208I'm happy that they ditched the old, confusing 'touch' Siri remote for a traditional four button (up/down/left/right) one. The old Siri remote was pretty frustrating. I know some people love it, but there's so many ways it didn't. work well: 1. You breath on the thing, and it does something. It's extremely sensitive 2. It's really hard to fast fwd/rewind just a little bit. Its good at scrubbing through a whole movie,…
The Apple TV touch remote is frustrating even if you are tech savvy. It is just bad, period.
Re: Apple TV 4K Gets A12 Bionic
#209I'm happy that they ditched the old, confusing 'touch' Siri remote for a traditional four button (up/down/left/right) one. The old Siri remote was pretty frustrating. I know some people love it, but there's so many ways it didn't. work well: 1. You breath on the thing, and it does something. It's extremely sensitive 2. It's really hard to fast fwd/rewind just a little bit. Its good at scrubbing through a whole movie,…
I'm always a little surprised when people talk about the Apple TV remote, since I always just use my phone as the remote, and assume that everyone else would too; you always have your phone and often don't have the remote on-hand.
Using a real remote (Apple remotes don’t count) is so much better. There are some things a smartphone is better for, such as entering in passwords. But for regular usage there’s no comparison.
Besides, if I just wanted to use my smartphone I would simply stick to my chrome cast devices. If I’m gonna be using the phone to control my entertainment center then the chrome cast provides by far the best interface because you have access to the entire app.
Re: Apple TV 4K Gets A12 Bionic
#210As a current AppleTV 4K owner, I have no idea how any of this is different from the previous version. I don't any any discernible difference. I already have HDR, Dolby Atmos, etc. What I really want is the ability to make my remote control beep so I can find it. That's literally the only feature that I want at this point.
I diff'd the technical specs for the old and new ATV 4K! https://gist.github.com/varenc/88f3253764fa7782602de2a812af4...
There are more wording tweaks than actual capability differences. The real changes boil down to:
- New Siri Remote
- Support for 4K HDR content at 60fps vs 30fps
- HDMI 2.1 vs 2.0
- 802.11ax Wi‑Fi 6 vs 802.11ac