Apple TV 4K Review (2022) | Third gen's a charm!

Two new Apple TV 4K boxes have been unleashed in 2022. Pricing for both has come down, while internal horsepower has gone up. On paper, it might not look like Apple has added a bunch of new features, but perhaps it isn't what the new Apple TV 4K can do right now that's important, it's what it will be able to do in the future that's worth getting excited about.
You can buy the Apple TV 4K on Amazon: amzn.to/3WrxyZ8
Make sure to also watch Apple TV 4K Features You Aren't Using (but should): • Apple TV 4K Features Y...
Read our full Apple TV 4K (2022) review: www.digitaltrends.com/home-th...
00:00 Intro
02:17 What's New?
05:14 Gaming on Apple TV?
06:36 Smart home experience
07:40 HDR10+ support
08:45 What's new recap
09:14 Pros of the Apple TV platform
10:20 Spatial audio
11:05 Verdict
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#appletv4k #apple #streaming

[@Caleb_Denison]

Hey everyone! Love the comments! Keep ‘em coming. The new ATV 4K is going to replace a Chromecast at home for a longer term eval. Anyone interested in a full-on flagship streamer battle? Also, for anyone wondering why get a streaming box when Smart TVs exist, maybe go check out my video on why I think Smart TVs are dumb. Or should be dumb!

[@lamar310]

This video didn't mention being able to play lossless music from the Apple TV. I bought a Sonos Arc surround sound system with subwoofer for my living room and bedroom...music is studio quality and so clean. The Apple TV is the best streaming box at not only video and audio but music too.

[@MeMyselfI_69]

@@lamar310 Video? How so? Definitely not the best for movie audio codecs.

[@sekaf4125]

In my opinion with the tv makers just make a awesome tv with no apps. Use the pros for that hence Apple TV. Maybe you can answer this, I heard that when you use Apple TV all information goes through apples servers which are top quality. Any truth in that?

[@MeMyselfI_69]

Does it still not support DTS or True-HD? From what I hear the previous model compressed Dolby Atmos as well.

[@davidmmuench]

I agree. We have a 2019 Vizio M7 series and navigating through "Smart cast" is horrible. We've been using the Firestick for awhile now. Sooo much better than the TV interface.

[@Anhedonis]

No ads in the UI? I’m sold!

[@chuck7415]

The combination of using your AirPods Pro/Max with transparency mode and head tracking is just UNREAL. It's like being in the room and using your surround sound speakers on full blast all while someone can sleep in silence right next to you. The way it follows your head as you stand up and move is next level.

[@genxtechguy]

I totally agree. I live in a condo and with the AirPods Max headphones it sounds like I have a very expensive home theater setup except there aren’t physical speakers everywhere and I don’t piss off my neighbors at night. It’s truly an underrated experience.

[@ExcelsiorTech]

It freaked me out the other night when the head tracking was turned on, and I suddenly noticed it! Lol.

[@danisflying]

as an audio engineer I honestly think it makes the soundstage sound absolutely terrible, that is just my opinion though

[@amitandutube]

My previous gen Apple TV 4K gets plugged into a Denon AVR. If I upgraded is there a way the AirPods Pro could “override” the output into the AVR and surround speakers? Thanks in advance.

[@kingtrance307]

@@amitandutube - Nope

[@dongoggine]

From an Android user, hands down Apple tv 4k is the best.

[@noneofyourbuisness7]

I must say having a pair of AirPods Max with spacial audio connected to an Apple TV is seriously impressive. Living in an apartment I can't have a fancy surround sound system without getting some complaints. This is a perfect alternative that I don't think is talked about enough. thanks for bringing it up

[@Bug13]

I've used Firesticks, Rokus and now the Apple TV for the last 2 years and I'm definitely most impressed with the Apple TV. My main issue was the ads that are present in the first two and the thing that impresses me the most about the Apple TV is how it just works with my iPhone and the rest of my Apple products. Also, when getting more than one apple tv, the second or third ones are set up automatically the same way you already have the first one set up, which is a time saver. Any and all streaming apps are present, they don't block one because it's a competitor to their streaming platform and they all just seem to work like they should. The design is as simple as it can get. I get home, tell Siri to turn on my Apple Tv and play music and she does just that, it works great.

[@Spike-qh2bb]

Massive Apple fan boys then, don't have any Apple products myself.

[@slob5041]

The Apple TV feels slick but semi enthusiast to me. You have to be really into specs and stuff to be willing to blow the amount of money on what’s essentially a cpu upgrade.

[@arnab482]

Please do a comparison between most popular streaming devices. It will be much appreciated. Thanks ❤️

[@almightyblue3744]

Caleb since you are someone that regularly configures and optimizes TV pictures, how accurate is the Apple TV’s tool compared to what you normally change??

[@richroggio]

Great review Caleb, I have the previous gen Apple 4K TV connected to my old Sony XBR5 and it works great and the picture is beautiful 💯

[@musictheory4u153]

I’m having issues with it not responding to remote input for seconds. It happens quite often???

[@rafacq]

Thanks Caleb. Can you clone your 2nd gen AppleTV to the new one so you don’t have to reinstall all your apps?

[@rynev3392]

What would I notice by using this over streaming through the apps built in to my Sony A8H OLED?

[@1981brjo]

Just recently moved over Appletv from fire cube and I love Apple TV waaaay more especially because I’m in the Apple atmosphere with all other devices.

[@FunnnyVideosToday]

I really love the HomeKit how I can see my cameras when someone is approaching is a game changer

[@hbhavsi]

Hi Caleb, love your videos. I have a novice question - what does it mean when you say that Apple TV supports HDR 10+ in addition to Dolby Vision? Isn't that just a property of the content video and if the TV itself supports it, whether you play it from the apps on the TV itself or from Apple TV (or Roku, etc.)?

[@BookClubDisaster]

Is there any difference in picture quality or is it exactly the same?

[@kwelitysoul]

The personal home theatre experience Caleb mentioned is really underrated. Especially for people like me whose family hates loud speakers/subs, getting that experience all to myself (and pretty impressive) is awesome!

[@craigosterberg5045]

Scsm

[@kwelitysoul]

@@craigosterberg5045 System Center Service Manager?

[@stevedonovan]

Looking forward to the 128 GB version arriving soon. Great review!

[@m4nc1n1]

7.3.4 :)

[@rileyw7162]

Does the virtual surround with head tracking with AirPods Max work by Bluetooth or wifi. Really interested in investing in this at my home.

[@jasonwong7674]

Depends on what audio experience you want streaming home videos. Shield pro can do bitstream while ATV will do all transcoding and send out as PCM, so not native…

[@MrPopo-bd1ix]

Shield Pro can send-out as PCM as well. I own a Shield Pro but haven't tried an ATV4k. I don't see much of a difference bet. the 3rd Gen. and 2nd Gen. to justify the price difference. I don't have a Samsung television so I don't care about HDR10+.

[@JeffersonSoaresSP]

Hello, dude! In Settings is it possible to change the sample rate on this new model to more than 48 kHz?

[@TheTCOLL]

Did they fix the problem where KZbin adds mess up the video feed and skip around when in match frame rate?

[@nitesh-maharaj]

There's so much more to the Apple TV than just streaming apps. There's Share Play, which I think is an awesome idea, although I haven't used it as yet. The fact that AirPods are automatically detected and so seamless to connect, and now you can connect multiple pairs simultaneously is awesome. Also hooking up a game controller to play games is why you have that A15 in there. I just wish Apple Arcade got some actual triple-A titles, or if Apple did a deal with Nintendo to bring some of their games to the platform, which would be revolutionary. Right now I can't think of any feature I'd like to have other than more high quality gaming content. Oh and a better game controller API which knows which controller I have hooked up and shows the correct mappings. I have a PS5 controller, but there are so many games that show Xbox button mappings and then I need to try and remember which button maps to which on the PS controller. However, this is also something that developers need to be more cognisant about.

[@TristanTheVRGamecat]

Or you could get a real console and stop supporting greedy apple and they bs over priced garbage

[@nitesh-maharaj]

@@TristanTheVRGamecat I do have a real console (PS, Xbox and Switch) and a gaming PC. I don’t think that the Apple TV is over priced. You’re entitled to your financial and ethical views, so you do you.

[@RobertK1993]

Apple 4K TV no HDMI 2.1 no sale

[@moto-rambler]

From what I see, this is a very limited streamer. For example, you can't even install your own media player app (Kodi, Emby, Jellyfish, etc.) to play your own media. /fail

[@nitesh-maharaj]

@@moto-rambler Yes you can. I have Plex installed on my Apple TV and I’m running my own Plex server with my own media. Although I barely use it, because there are so many streaming services to choose from.

[@adampekar9999]

I would love a comparison to Shield Pro 2019. In terms of supported codecs and playing back high bitrate 4K content on Plex for example.

[@BFArch0n]

No audio pass through means no lossless atmos so no go for me

[@Zzues]

Is HDR10+ the same as Dolby Vision? I have a projector that supports Dolby Vision, so I am wondering if I should get the Shield, since I do a lot of gaming. If a show supports HDR10+, does it also support Dolby Vision? Just wondering if I will regret not getting the Apple TV and miss out on the HDR10+, or if the Shield will be fine since my projector has Dolby Vision support.

[@switchunboxing]

Can I turn it on with my Google home? Is it easy to cast my android to this gif web browsing?

[@n123896]

I just got the LG C2 which produces an amazing picture and a 10/10 gaming experience. However, I wish LG would make the user interface more like the Apple TV. I like the little clutter big tiles that are easy to scroll through on the Apple TV. I always find myself reaching for the Apple TV remote instead of using LG’s built in interface when I want to watch content. It isn’t a huge issue because when I turn on my Xbox or Apple TV the LG automatically opens those inputs, but when I have to scroll the LGs Home Screen it can be overwhelming and annoying to find what I want. Great video.

[@luisenrique510]

Samsungs UI makes LG feel like a dream… it sucks that in 2022 we’re paying over 2k for a tv and we can’t get a good UI😭

[@juliankowatsch7023]

@@luisenrique510 yes you’re right. Samsungs tizen is on their tvs is straight garbage. I’ve bought the new S95B 2 weeks ago and returned it after 3 days. Not specifically because of the os but I had a dead pixel in the oled panel. I’ve now bought the Sony A95K instead and oh boy this google tv os feels like it’s 5 years ahead of Samsungs os 😂.

[@chrislopez5301]

@@luisenrique510 lg is just as bad

[@Spike-qh2bb]

Never had any problems with LG Oled TV UI but just use it to watch KZbin have Nvidia shield Pro 2015 for everything else.

[@Alextraz]

No issues with my lg c9. I wonder if apple tv will be an update i need when i only have iphone and nothing else from apple. Havent felt any significant slowdown in the lg UI

[@JasonFoxLCB]

I've used an Apple TV since the first iterations (the white boxes) that used old-school hard drives. Now have an old HD hooked up to our gaming TV (an older 4K LG), a 2nd gen 4K on our TCL 6 series, and another 2nd gen on our AWOL UST. I've also always bought them on sale as, yes, they've always been more than a bit overpriced. But they also just work. And I like the consistent UI between TVs. Will I upgrade to the new one? Probably. At least for the projector as it supports HDR10+. Then that 4K can migrate to the LG.

[@RDR479]

A usb port would be nice.. as ATV OS has vlc in the app store, but how can we add or play any video files if we dont have a usb c port. Also it doesn’t have a browser, most of the Smart TVs have inbuilt internet browsers

[@el4real]

Please review the Samsung Q990B. I want your in depth review and comparison before purchasing.

[@bruhwhotheheck]

Can it do 2160p, 60Hz, 10 bit colour and 4:4:4 chroma at the same time?

[@syoung20001]

How about 120hz would be nice

[@juraj_b]

Great review and summarising why I don't need to upgrade from my current, old 4k Apple TV: - no HDR10 TV - got XsX and PS5 for gaming - still overpowered - still super fast

[@ndimageryanddownoutproduct1071]

Overpowered?

[@juraj_b]

@@ndimageryanddownoutproduct1071 I mean.. haven't found anything that wouldn't work or that would be slower than my smart TV.. so yeah, overpowered. Perhaps I'm missing a side-by-side reference but it's still pretty quick in my eyes

[@Category5]

Thanks for clearing it all up! Good review.

[@petersvenn1511]

is it better picture quality in movies / tv shows than the 2021 version?

[@greggchaffin1596]

I have pretty expensive TV from Sony. Am I really going to get a better picture with an Apple TV vs. TV native apps?

[@LL-94]

Wondering this too

[@jarboer]

My favourite stream device is definitely the Apple TV. The thing is so smooth and works so well with the Apple ecosystem. Even the 4th gen HD model still runs great for just streaming services tho I did find it didn’t work good for streaming from a PC using moonlight, going to the 1st gen 4K model fixed this (note the chrome cast is also no good for PC streaming). But I just love the UI and smoothness of the Apple TV, I’ve tried the chrome cast and there’s a bunch of things I don’t like including lag, ads and a worse UI in some areas imo.

[@RobertK1993]

Sony Bravia Google TV powers by Android is much better smart TV

[@kparks8183]

Can Apple TV 4K start up in the Home Screen directly rather than in a recent location just before power off?

[@PackFan2323]

Excellent review - didn't realize all of the current features and benefits as well future potential baked into the 2022 Apple TV. Great insight provided!

[@juanchiroca-paisley4390]

Excellent review as always, Caleb. I’m going to be upgrading from a 2017 4K Apple TV on Friday and couldn’t be more excited. The one thing that I’d love for the Apple TV to solve (and I know this is an HDMI and panel issue more than anything) is handshake between devices. From black screens when switching frame rates or HDR modes to just completely messed up sound, I would love for Apple to work on common standards so that when you plug in your top box…”it just works.” Can’t wait to see this new Apple TV in action!

[@spacecadet2172]

That is the HDMI Forums’ job and sadly they are hopelessly incompetent and corrupt. On the bright side, there is a new tech called QMS which will eliminate the delay and black screen when switching framerates and formats, but no TVs support it yet.

[@Spike-qh2bb]

Need to get out more 😂

[@craigosterberg5045]

I have Apple 4K tv from a couple of years ago. I also have the shield. Both are very good for picture quality. I like you can watch the World Series in 4K UD H . For me I would pick apple 4 k tv.

[@JOMORAK]

I loved my chrome cast with GTV but recently it’s been ultra slow and it’s had some hdmi handshake issues that are not worth buying a new one just to have these issues in a year again.

[@claudiopeiro6077]

What are some of the apps that are a must to get the most of the appletv ?

[@SlotHits777]

💯 agree on spacial audio, its fantastic. Late night when I switch to Airpod 3’s, the spacial audio is damn near same as the full home theater sound I have setup too. Its impressively good.

[@aqhan]

I bought a TV with inbuilt Chromecast, as well as Android TV and although it worked good, I decided to get the Apple TV 4K (not the 2022 version, although I'll be getting one). I was shocked that it made a marked difference in pcture quality as it was able to use all the bells and whistles this new TV came with. I cannot overstate how much of a difference in terms of picture quality (I reckon something to do with scaling and compression), but more so with colours and the HDR.

[@freespeach99]

Same. Such a huge game changer for streaming quality.

[@ryanm2084]

That doesn't sound right. If you were using your built in apps they should have all supported 4k and all the HDR formats. If the Apple tv looks way better then your apps must not have been working properly

[@ryanm2084]

The built in apps on my LG C2 work great and the picture quality is amazing. I know there won't be any quality upgrade for me but I want everything to go through my yamaha receiver so I may get an apple tv or a nvidia shield tv pro

[@jed2055]

Agree!

[@pritam_kaushik]

What is the life of the apple tv remote as the batteries are non replaceable? will the TV be useless without the remote? Also will all features work with a monitor, specially volume control?

[@rileyw7162]

Does the virtual surround with head tracking with AirPods Max work by Bluetooth or wifi? Really interested in investing in this for late night movie watching

[@JoeGsPizza]

Totally agree on the wonders of Spatial Audio. I recently purchased a gen 2 Apple TV 4K and AirPods Max, and I just packed up a bunch of my expensive audio gear because I'm just never going to use it again. It is truly the best audio experience I've had in my home, and it blows away my previous solution of running audio off the Roku app to my earbuds during late night listening.

[@techsamurai11]

Does it work with any headphones?

[@JoeGsPizza]

You can connect any Bluetooth headphones, but you need AirPods to get spatial audio. The AirPods Pro sound good, but the AirPods Max are on another level entirely.

[@user-hb1ve6mc6f]

Focal Utopia headphones + DCS Bartok

[@simhawk3986]

I've had an Apple Tv since gen 2 before they added 4k. I now own 3 Apple Tv's all over my house, I have always loved the interface the power and speed of the device. And I have been saying this forever.. The picture quality to me always seems to look better on Apple Tv than any other streaming device out there. I'm glad you have finally come to your senses @Digital Trends .. lol great vid buddy. I'm gonna go pick up the new 4K version

[@jed2055]

Beat ya K! Read my post. With 128Gb I am confident the new ATV will now NOT delete my Infuse metadata. Actually the newest ATV removes a hardware fault in and around the YCbCr green tint issue so that's a positive.

[@slob5041]

It’s a product I like and don’t fully understand why. It doesn’t do anything that unique other than great touch controls

[@panicfan1250]

Only thing that apple tv misses for me is a tv guide built into the apple tv app. So when you connect apps to apple tv it auto shows what shows are available to stream currently in a tv guide.

[@BenDMitchell]

Does this A15 chip make the apps load and act faster than the previous model?

[@donberry]

I currently have the AppleTV 4K (last version) and I am on the fence if I need to upgrade. I have an LG TV to HDR10+ is not a big deal

[@EssenceOfVanity]

Did you upgrade

[@donberry]

@@EssenceOfVanity I still have not upgraded, I am skipping this version.

[@BruceRichwineJr]

Two favorites are Apple TV 4K and Chromecast with Google TV. Apple TV has a lot of bells and whistles that are better for the movie watching experience. The Chromecast with Google TV is better for the sports enthusiast. Google device offers more apps that are actually useful in the sports department while the Apple TV 4K is better with streaming especially if you have your own home media server.

[@jayanthjas1572]

One question if your tv doesn't support Dolby vision and if we play Dolby vision video using apple tv box then what happens

[@firdaushbhadha2597]

Did you know that pressing the TV/Control Center button and the Volume Down (5 seconds) will reboot your remote? Also, I have had issues with my remote not IR controlling my receiver and this is how I fixed it.

[@tomdavis2010]

I just got a 77” Sony A80K, paired with the HT-A7000. Do you think I would get any improvement on picture or audio quality by using a new ATV 4K?

[@iCrackr]

no

[@brandonadams7837]

Not at all in your case, it would just be a preference for using a different OS to browse and play what you're watching.

[@musictheory4u153]

2 problems with this thing: 1: Quite often it doesn’t respond to remote input for a few seconds. 2: In settings you can choose a default and temporary audio output. Why can I only choose TV Speakers as the default audio output? I can choose others for the temporary audio output, but they keep switching off. I.e. it goes back to the TV Speakers.

[@gilles111]

If it is to connect the default speakers to your home sound system (i.e. soundbar), there is a workaround by running the HDMI from your ATV tot your soundsystem and a HDMI cable from your system to your tv. You can also put an HDMI audio extractor between your ATV and tv to get the possibility to connect your ATV with i.e. a stereo receiver. For changing your default speakers just by your ATV, as far as I can find it is only possible for devices that are part of your Apple home network.

[@musictheory4u153]

So I’m being forced to buy a soundbar or HomePods? I have a Mac over the same Wi-Fi network with great speakers, but I can only set them (or the Mac) to the temporary audio output. It should play though the Mac all the time.

[@gilles111]

@@musictheory4u153 As far as I can find it has to be reachable via airplay to be set as default. Hope they fix it in an update...

[@musictheory4u153]

@@gilles111 I have set up my Mac as a AirPlay receiver. That’s why it can be set to the temporary audio output. Apparently, you have to buy something (a soundbar or HomePods I suppose) directly connected to the TV that can create sound to always have GREAT audio from that device (TV Speakers as the default). Otherwise great sound will always switch off and instead coming from the bad TV speakers. It’s obvious that it should only be temporary for AirPods. But not from a Mac with great speakers. Maybe there’s not a solution as AirPlay functions in that way. Though, HomePods can do it without being connected to the TV???

[@Felix01999]

So at this time of the year should I wait for the next Apple TV or buy this one?

[@darnellhenderson2170]

Thanks for the video. I just ordered mine.

[@gymzilla12]

I’m mad at apple for taking out plans to include hdr10 on second generation and that the new sing feature will not be available on the second generation either.

[@lousekoya1803]

You mean that if we go buy a new one , it won't support HDR10 ?

[@LoveStallion]

Shield Pro is still a bit more versatile and can work as a Plex server, but Apple is now less intrusive with ads compared to the Google Discovery landing page. Mostly an ecosystem choice.

[@prestonfernandes2071]

@Scott Sneddon Even though i personally own the shield pro. It is starting to get outdated. It doesn't HDR10+, nor can it play HDR in youtube, and even though it has a tegra x chip for gaming, it's already gettiing beaten by the last 2 years of snapdragon chips and that doesn't even compares to the performance apple is giving with their A15. Yet I still am rooting for the sheild as it still has the best support for Plex especially for audio passthrough, it also is the best android TV box you can get and it's also least annoying when it comes to google tv supported devices. Also personally i find apple tv OS to be quite limiting as I do with every single apple product. Android still has alot more versitlity than apple TV if you use it to the fullest. But right now Nvidia really needs to release and update for the shield, which unfortuntely is very unlikely since the shield was never Nvidia's biggest priority and they only made it to use more of the tegra x chips.

[@DC-bn8px]

I’m waiting for version 2! Can we get this Q1 2023 lol I don’t want to get an outdated shield pro to be hit with a new version release. Also, worst case I’ll buy the new apple 4K or older shield. Need a side by side comparison for AI upscaling. Don’t care for other functionality. Show me the resolution performance period

[@prestonfernandes2071]

@Scott Sneddon Actually for apple it's quite the opposite. Now more than ever they have more interest in the apple tv as they have been introducing new services like Apple TV +, Arcade, and fitness. These new services will just work with better on the apple tv and they need the apple tv to be updated to take advantage of their new services

[@jospdcunha]

Shield pro is the best if you want to use Plex, Kodi or syncler. There is no device that can do what shield pro does..

[@clotheman]

Yeah Apple TV 4k doesn't have direct pass through for lossless audio so hard pass no matter what the ecosystem from my point of view. What were they thinking?? Shield has had it since like 2016

[@moto-rambler]

Is this a suitable device for consuming your own media via apps like Emby or Kodi or Jellyfin?

[@uberandreman]

If I use the Apple TV app on the Samsung, will it still play HDR10+? Or is there added benefit to the Apple TV device?

[@AleksanderHoff]

I have the last gen Apple TV 4K, as well as the one without 4K on one of our older TVs. They both work superbly well after a few years of usage, which also means I probably won’t upgrade right now. However, I agree with you on every point… and having a girlfriend that likes to sleep early, the AirPods functionality is just amazing. It makes me feel like I am watching a TV with a hifi system, instead of just regular headphones. It also syncs perfectly, so no lag in the audio either.

[@amitandutube]

My previous gen Apple TV 4K gets plugged into a Denon AVR. If I upgraded is there a way the AirPods Pro could “override” the output into the AVR and surround speakers? Thanks in advance.

[@michaelwright9101]

I have an Apple TV in every room. We use them more than anything else. The interface is fantastic and the universal search feature using Siri is super helpful.

[@deman19901]

The interface is the main reason why my Apple Tv's are nothing more than glorified paperweights.

[@michaelwright9101]

@@deman19901 you don’t like them but you bought more than one?

[@deman19901]

@@michaelwright9101 Yes,I brought my first one because I needed it for Ecobee thermostat geofencing to work with my iPhone. Geofencing works natively in the Android app. I bought the second one for the remote upgrade. Refused to pay $60 for the stand alone remote. I own pretty much every streaming device minus the Nvidia Shield. I own about 12 -15 streaming devices. About 2 of each minimum. With all of that being said. TVOS and Roku interface sucks. RoKu has made major improvements in OS11. Live TV integration in TVOS is pathetic.

[@christianbrindamour6826]

For the little change everything sounds good, always liked apple tv found if a bit pricey in the past so i defaulted to the fire stick whitch i think is one of the best.

[@renekuhn2116]

Will this be ok for samsung s95b 65 inch or the firecube or Nvidia I have the okd firecube want to upgrade

[@bweber9468]

Can we please get a shoot out for the best streaming devices? (cube, ultra, shield & Apple) Each of these are the best in their respective categories and all have support for Windows, Mac, iOS and Android.

[@bweber9468]

@Rich Perez I agree with you but Apple TV is less buggy, and thats a factor to consider IMO

[@bweber9468]

@Rich Perez I love my shield had it for over 2 years now but I have to reboot it about every 2 weeks

[@KrizSykx]

I just bought the new Roku Ultra which I love, but honestly the sound issues are really bugging me more than they should but besides that, pretty solid streaming box! Never owned an Apple TV I was thinking about get it before the Roku Ultra but the price was what ultimately drove me to Roku again (long time roku user)

[@bravowhiskeysierra6944]

Roku is great. Best bang for the buck.

[@KrizSykx]

@@bravowhiskeysierra6944 yeah it is! Ease of use and good quality. The only thing that is bothering me right now (and I thought I was alone) is that for some reason the ultra is quite than the express+ I was replacing it. For some reason hb max and KZbin especially while listening to music it's waaaaaaay quieter and Roku help does not seem to respond to this issue since last year xD but aside from that excellent streaming box and faster than the previous model

[@beng4647]

Roku is 100 times better.

[@fredmanteghian5913]

@@beng4647 do you have KZbin TV on your Roku? The image is really poor. I suspect KZbin Tv not roku but not sure. I may try this.

[@beng4647]

@@fredmanteghian5913 I don't. I tried it. It seemed really expensive for what you got.

[@iampuzzleman282]

Does this improve sound coming out of KZbin better than the other version?

[@marcusturner5291]

Nice review keep up the good work

[@trustbuster23]

I think I have or had all of the various streaming boxes except the Shield. Among the ones I've used, the Apple TV is easily the nicest streaming box, and it is well worth the premium. It is an appliance you use every day and never want to think much about, which is exactly the kind of thing Apple does really well. Honestly, it is not so much that the AppleTV is some amazing thing, it is more that the competition is so terrible/weak. Amazon's FireTV is basically a deal where you pay less for the hardware in exchange for being constantly marketed to and pushed into the Amazon ecosystem. It works, but the UI is about marketing first and user experience last. My Fire stick lives in the TV in the guest room, where I essentially never have to use it. Chromecast is Google's version of the Fire stick, with similar drawbacks coupled with slightly less polished and stable software, so it is basically hot garbage. If you are going for the cheapest possible streamer, at least the Fire stick rarely crashes. Roku is a noticeable step up from both of those options. It is not a complete Trojan horse of advertising, the interface is stable and simple, and it isn't going to constantly annoy you day-to-day. Less advertising doesn't mean none and Roku is still a bit too ad-heavy, particularly the junky screen saver, but it is probably the best choice if you are on a budget. I upgraded from a Roku to the Apple TV when I bought a 4k/Dolby Vision capable TV, and I was worried at the time that I was spending too much to get trivial upgrades vs. the Roku. If you are on the fence, pull the trigger, you won't regret the upgrade.

[@rodmunch69]

Well the Shield is the only one that supports Dolby TrueHD audio, which is used on most blu-ray's - so if you run something like a Plex server, and want rip all your fully uncompressed blu-rays to hard drive, and have a collection of hundreds (or in my case thousands) of movies on demand, all at full quality, the stupid 2015 Shield is still the only option. Thankfully, Nvidia has continued to update it, and it still runs everything, and is still pretty fast. But if all you're doing is streaming, then they're all basically the same. The AppleTV is by far the fastest thing out there, but if you're a welfare slob, the FireTV will work just fine, just with a much uglier and slower interface (not that it's slow, it's just slower).

[@clotheman]

This is so sad. The shield is the best console ever to be released and still hasn't been surpassed since 2016. You don't know what you're missing!

[@rodmunch69]

@@clotheman actually 2015, I got mine in Nov 2015 - I always upgrade to the latest and greatest and I've bought every new Apple TV and Fire Cube, whatever is the "best", and yet all of them have been a letdown. With the Shield, it's not quite as fast as the latest Firestick, but it's like 92% as fast, it's not slow by any means. Meanwhile Apple has the best hardware, but they lock it down so much, that most of the power goes to waste. The Shield is still chugging along, never has an issue running anything I throw at it. If/when they ever release a new Shield, I'll be getting one.

[@TristanTheVRGamecat]

Ah so your the clown audience they aiming for

[@jaycorbin]

I’ve had the SHIELD before, and unless you pirate everything you watch, the only benefit is the “AI Upscaling” which is just a gimmick. The Apple TV gives you fat more bang for your buck in my opinion.

[@merciless41582]

I really don't get what goals Apple is trying to accomplish here. They're basically charging a $20 dollar difference between wi-fi and ethernet. Plus HDR-10+? Not ever 4K TV has HDR-10+. Also, they added gigabit support I get that, but not every consumer has gigabit as its not available in all areas yet. I get gigabit speeds on my current Apple TV 4K. The Apple TV is the only product Apple adds minimal upgrades to.

[@charismalifecoach5439]

Do ya guys think it's worth pointing a tall fan at an oled? Thinking s95b lots of oled have no heatsink an dont want to diminish viewing experience any with *smart* settings. Pc source even harder on panels hum

[@iamthehippychannel]

I have an Apple TV - I Love it, but I wish they would fix the Nest App to where I can sign-in with my Google Acct.

[@DeaconGoss]

I love the Nvidia Shield Pro more than any player since it not only my player for my streaming apps but it also doubles up as my Plex media server with 40TB of storage attached to it.

[@jrgq]

Can you save the files directly in the Nvidia so Plex needs no computer acting as a server?

[@simtheory7894]

Its great, but the red push in dolby vision makes it a no go for me :(

[@jrgq]

@Rich Perez awesome!

[@JFLTX]

No refresh rate matching for something that expensive. Gross.

[@bayern1806]

And what's your media player? Kodi? All these 3rd party Software are not usable, KZbin App is always broken. Who supports the KZbin app on Nvidia Shield?

[@RichardServello]

I was all about google. I had a chromecast with google tv. When the Apple TV 4K came out last year I decided to grab one and return it if I was no update. It was so damn good I ditched my cc. Apple TV picture quality is second to none! Also the front page curation actually works as it should. I hated that ccwgtv front page was trash.

[@TheEpiCool]

So many ads on the CC home page it genuinely was so irritating

[@jed2055]

Mines in the shed in a box. But it has company, a Chromecast, a Firestick and a Roku all live in that box and get along fine.

[@batman200]

How long until compression will no longer be an issue with streaming services?

[@Lowkey_nxthxn]

Does the Beats Solo pro even support dolby atmos because I hear that it does but I don't see the atmos logo when using the headset

[@draegus0072]

My only complaint on the new box is that it didn't include Wifi 6e like they did on the new iPad Pro's. Other than that, it looks great and definitely picking it up!

[@tim3172]

@@wojtek-33 It's... not, though. It uses exclusive band free from the traffic of 5 and 2.4GHz of your neighbors and other devices. It's also faster for things like using Plex and dramatically improves responsiveness to close to that of wired.

[@MeMyselfI_69]

Shield Pro has my vote especially for home theaters. I have it connected to my OLED in the livingroom. My other tv's in the house all have Rokus. As I understand AppleTv doesn't support Dolby Atmos, DTS, True-HD lossless codecs.

[@dolivper]

Yeah I think the audience for this device only stream as none of the streaming services available uses DTS. Same goes for apple headphones which are not meant for audiophiles.

[@edotresnjic3694]

I had 2 shield pros and ended up selling them because i got fed up with their bs so called updates that messed up my plex on numerous occasions

[@christianj606]

Bro you are mentioning streaming hubs, everything is compressed. Apple tv in my opinion offers the best experience, seamless and zero errors. I mostly use netflix hbo max, via play and ziggo (tv) on it. It is pretty costly but its worth it in my opinion.

[@spacecadet2172]

Actually it does support DTS and TrueHD (via Plex, infuse etc) and actually upconverts it from lossless compression to fully uncompressed LPCM. The one thing it doesn’t support audio wise is Atmos via TrueHD. It only supports Atmos via DD+. It also doesn’t support passthrough. Everything is processed on device and output as fully uncompressed raw LPCM. This is necessary to support certain unique features of the AppleTV.

[@Johak1982]

I have a lg c1 and the Apple TV 4K second gen. Will I notice an upgrade?

[@kingyogesh441]

Can this one pass 4:4:4 in hdr 60fps ? Or is “hdmi 2.1” on this one still gimped ?

[@BrandonBaecker]

The Shield Pro is the best streaming box because of codec support, something that reviews don't talk about enough. If you want to run your own Plex server you can direct stream everything without transcoding on the Shield Pro. Plus at the time it supported all the most popular hi-res audio and video formats out of the box (looking at you Roku). The only downside now is the lack of HDR KZbin support or next gen AV1 codec support, and no HDR10+ IF you have a Samsung TV. They don't just leave it out in the cold after a year or 2 either. They've been constantly updating it, fixing bugs, and improving it which is nice. The AI upscaling is great. Not to mention the backlit remote is great since I like to watch movies and shows in a very dark room. It's still very fast with everything, but it's due for a hardware refresh with increased codec support, HDR10+, and an even more powerful processor. If they offered a hardware refresh I'd buy it today.

[@tim3172]

Using Infuse on Apple TV requires *quite literally* zero files to be transcoded, ever and it connects right into Plex to support the full library experience. I'd take my 2021 (and 20...17(?)) Apple TV 4Ks any day over my Shield Pro. They've been "constantly fixing bugs" while introducing TONS and TONS of new ones with each release. Seriously, look at the release notes and bug tracking of what Nvidia has broken, fixed. half-fixed, denied breaking, and refuse to fix. The upscaling is nice, though.

[@BrandonBaecker]

@@tim3172 as far as I know, even the new Apple TV still only outputs LPCM and doesn't bitstream, which causes issues with Dolby Atmos and other uncompressed audio formats. I'm unsure if Infuse fixes this as I've never used it. I've read it doesn't support uncompressed Atmos from 4K Blu-rays, only the compressed streaming version, unless something changed recently. So even with Infuse it seems you're losing audio quality. Plus, I'd rather my expensive receiver handle it and pass it to my 7.1.4 speaker setup, rather than a software decode on the streaming device messing with it. Infuse can't get around the LPCM limitation of the Apple TV, and still won't bitstream.

[@cosmicheretic8129]

As usual, I learn more from the comments section than I do from the KZbin video. I have no dislike for the Apple product, but I know my shield pro is amazing as a Plex server as well as watching Apple TV and Netflix in Dolby vision and Atmos. It may be missing a couple codecs, but there's no rush. We could go another year or two without an ugraded model of the shield pro.

[@andrewmaich4172]

Hi, Do you know if the new Apple TV 4K can now play Dolby atmos to two pairs of headphones? Thanks

[@jed2055]

@@tim3172 That's my setup Tim and Infuse lifetime (or monthly) has all the audio codecs you currently need. I don't have audio glitches, skips, sound gaps, nada, nothing zero, simply good audio to go with great vision all from my NAS. @Brandon. PCM from Atmos is an Apple thing not Infuse. When Apple let full Atmos come through from a local server it will wipe the competition from the floor. Meanwhile I'm happy enough with the current limitations.

[@popularzero]

Best streaming device is tricky, but I've got 3 categories. Shield TV Pro for absolute best with the AI upscaling that makes older content look much higher res than it is. Apple TV for simplicity, and those in the Apple ecosystem that want a seamless experience. Chromecast with Google TV for budget device that still does most of what you want. I am going to get a new Apple TV 4K to try it out, but I have a feeling I'll be continuing to use my Shield TV Pro and upgrading a friend or family member's streaming experience with the Apple TV if the upscaling experience isn't as good since I watch a lot of Anime and short of a hand full of movies and some Netflix series most Anime is 1080P or lower resolution.

[@normanrobson9957]

Can I use the new 4K AppleTV with a HD television?

[@rabbithole3021]

If there any difference in quality in picture and sound quality over the built in apps on my LG C2?

[@farzadjahanfard]

That’s my question tooo

[@andreasb4kken]

I love the Thread-hype. In reality it’s just another Zigbee or Z-wave alternative, that hopefully manages to beat both and become a standard. Not because it’s necessarily different or even better, but because we need a standard that companies can rally behind.

[@eliyang]

Agreed!

[@spacecadet2172]

Not really. All the major players have committed to thread. The same can’t be said for the others

[@andreasb4kken]

@@spacecadet2172 You’re not wrong. And that’s a great advantage for Thread which seems great. But it’s not a technical advantage, as the same would be true for Zigbee if the major companies followed Amazons example. I’m excited for thread, but it requires a hub.

[@spacecadet2172]

@@andreasb4kken Nobody said it was a technical advantage. You yourself said you hope it becomes a standard and that companies rally behind it. That has literally already come true. I'm not sure where this "hopefully" and all this future tense is coming from. Every major ecosystem has rallied behind it. Apple, Google, Amazon, Samsung. Everyone. Maybe you are not familiar with Thread's background? The fact that these 4 companies that despise each other were able to come together on anything is already a gargantuan achievement. Of course it would be true for Zigbee IF IF IF they achieved that. But they didn't and Thread did. That's like saying things would have turned out way differently for Hitler if the Axis powers won WWII. Well of course they would have, but that's not how it played out. Was Bluray better than HD DVD? Was VHS better than BetaMAX? No, but guess what? They didn't get support and thus lost the format wars. It's never been about superior technology.

[@spacecadet2172]

Anyway, sorry I didn't mean that to come off as harsh as it probably sounded. I think you will be really happy with Thread. It is basically fulfilling the wish that you (and we all) have which is to have one standard that finally all the companies can agree on and rally behind. It's a small miracle that we have Thread and Matter, especially given how acrimonious the relationship is between the major players involved. We have a lot to look forward to and the skies are rosy on the horizon :)

[@EuropeAfricaTrip]

I have the original Apple TV 4K - while I do love it, I find the TV OS software kinda glitchy. Screensavers that won’t load, black screens when opening apps at times & slow response times on button clicks. It sounds like i don’t like it, but I actually do love it. This new update has me thinking about an upgrade (if they release any decent Apple Arcade games)

[@RiccardoMerloVegan]

Have you tried to reset it? I use AppleTV since the first and this issue should be rare not standard use. There are many Apple Arcade games which are awesome in tvOS

[@iron_recluse]

Recently got a new tv and I’m picking this up so that I can set up a pair of OG HomePods to use with eArc for sound. Bass is 🤤 Hopefully they bring back an updated jumbo homepod soon.

[@MrGoranrice]

Love the Apple TV 3rd gen for over a year now... BUT, I'm experiencing many remote control issues. On KZbin/Netflix it suddenly starts scrolling right after one click and it is stuck like that even without you pressing anything on the remote. I disabled the sensitivity scrolling and made it work only on click but it still does that. Annoying as hell

[@rawrj]

My Shield Pro still works just fine but I wish Nvidia would update it.

[@nelsonmendes7551]

Want features do you need for the upgrade?

[@joseluislopes3956]

Mine isn't showing its age at all. Better they keep support for the current models

[@christiankansichi6622]

But does it support Dolby Atmos now?

[@Fraden7]

Yes

[@joseluislopes3956]

Not TrueHD

[@tim3172]

@@joseluislopes3956 TrueHD isn't Atmos...

[@joseluislopes3956]

@@tim3172 Dolby Atmos is object-bases position metadata to create surround sound, and is implemented on Dolby Digital+ format (compressed) and Dolvy TrueHD (uncompressed). When you are using Dolby Atmos, you are using one of those formats

[@scotttild]

Is there anyway you can get all your movies to start from the beginning each time or in the alternative can you clear all your play history so they all start from the begging again ? I stied clear play history and the movies still start in the middle. I can only restart everything from the being if I go to the computer and hit unwatched.

[@iampuzzleman282]

Does HDR 10+ allow use of PCM? Want to change to HDR 10+ on the current version of Apple TV box it did not allow uncompressed audio feeds. The settings was very confused in this area. Does this thing make it any better?

[@zbawiony]

Appletv far surpasses any other streaming boxes and operating systems on any tv. I had so many issues with my Samsung not opening apps I went out and bought the new 4k Appletv. So fast and responsive and everything streams in 4k. I had issues with the Samsung os having issues processing the incoming feed and it often results in low quality streams.

[@amp_cackl]

I'd buy an Apply TV tomorrow if it supported TrueHD passthrough. Because it doesn't I have to go with the Shield even though I think in general it's otherwise a strictly inferior product

[@stijnvannuffelen2405]

I use the Infuse app to play all my blu ray rips with True HD and DTS MA, it plays the sound as PCM, so it just shows PCM on my surround receiver instead of True HD or DTS MA, but the sound quality is exactly the same.

[@JRBeckford]

Caledb, thanks for the explanation. I just watched CNET's video and they definitely did not go into detail regarding the mesh and tv integration you shared. I might have to get this to go along with my NVIDIA shield for the iPhone users in the house!

[@joeg.5669]

Another awesome video Caleb. I do have a question for you or anyone else out there. I just picked up this Apple TV 4K device. Replacing Roku 4k streaming stick because I wanted the GB Ethernet option. It's connected to Samsung QN90B using solely TV speakers. No soundbar or external audio setup. I'm finding the audio quality is significantly softer than what the Roku provided and I'm guessing this is due to the fact that Roku uses DTS Digital while Apple uses Dolby Atmos? is there is a way to improve this on the Apple device? I am using a CAT6 Ethernet cable and HDMI 2.1. I really prefer not to have to use any external speakers or soundbar.

[@JeffJacquesmd]

I have the 1st Gen AppleTV 4K hooked up to a LG C1, the video is gorgeous and the sound out of the Sonos Beam plus Play 1 surrounds is quite nice. At night I use AirPods Pro 2 or AirPods Max and the person al audio is beautiful as well. Will probably swap out the Gen 1 on my family room TV for a Gen 2 and repurpose that one for my personal office system

[@farzadjahanfard]

Hi do you think its better than native apps on c1 quality wise speaking

[@Birmingham_racing]

I use to have a gen 1 sonos it sounds much better with Apple Music than it airplay 2

[@JeffJacquesmd]

@@farzadjahanfard the apps on the C1 are slower, longer loading times and at least for me they crashed some early on when we first got the TV. Hope that helps.

[@TuFacez]

Although if I had to chose the overall best streaming box, I think by far the Xbox Series S/X is the best platform. Extremely performant, fluid, instant and supports true Dolby Atmos, Vision, DTSX, IMAX Enhanced. For AV fanatics this is a dream streaming box. It supports all of the streaming app including Kodi. Additionally it can be controlled with Google Assistant, including turning it off and on and adding it to your Google routines. Plus it can be controlled from your phone or tablet if you don't have a standalone remote controller for it. With regards to gaming, I dont't think much needs to be added here with Xbox Game Pass and Cloud Gaming as well as streaming games from your console to your phone, tablet or PC. Currently it seems the most fleshed out and market leading gaming subscription out there. If you want something portable then it's also a no brainer to get the Chromecast with Google TV.

[@Stormbrise]

I do not have a streaming box, I use my old Mac mini for this. When I am at my parents in the States, or use the TV streaming from our Samsung television that is from like 2014ish? As for spatial audio, I am deaf in one year, and if I turn that ear toward the tv, and the other away then how is this going to work with my hearing, say to look out the window to see the weather.

[@manuelmena5077]

Can you make a video on what picture settings you’d use for an LG oled with this Apple tv?