An (Almost) Perfect Streaming Box: Apple 4K TV Review

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The Apple TV 4K, not to be confused with the Apple TV+ streaming service, is Apple’s little black streaming box with an iphone chip inside. There’s so much crammed into this tiny thing. Let’s talk about it
Affiliate Links to Products Mentioned:
Apple TV 4K: go.magik.ly/ml/23eym/
Chromecast with Google TV: go.magik.ly/ml/23eyn/
0:00 Introduction
0:18 Why A Streaming Box?
1:28 Smart Home Features
5:30 UI Smoothness
6:25 Remote
6:48 Integration with Apple Devices
7:45 Not Great Non-Apple Integration
8:14 App Store Experience
10:14 Lack of “Guest” Mode
11:02 Conclusion
As a streaming device, it’s a bit more expensive than a lot of options out there. However it has a lot of features packed in it, it’s more powerful than your average streaming box with an A15 chip inside. So it’s got the processing power of an iphone 13, crammed into this little black box dedicated to just streaming and playing games. The Apple TV, to me, is underrated because it’s so much more than a streaming box. If you have the 128gb version, it has an ethernet port and opens the Apple TV up to be a homekit hub, when there’s a homekit hub device in your home like an apple tv or homepod, you can control homekit devices away from home, and setup automations. And both versions of the Apple TV still let you control your smart home if set up in Homekit. So I like this because if I want to, I can view my cameras around the house from my TV, or get a notification when someone rings the door so I can see if it's a package or a door to door salesman. I can tell Siri to dim the lights, close the blinds, Whatever. I’m a huge smart home guy so having this functionality whenever I need it comes in clutch, especially when I’m laying in bed, watching TV and don’t want to move.
The worst part about TVs has got to be remotes. The good news is that the Siri remote that comes with the Apple TV remote is pretty decent, with clicky buttons, usb-c port for charging, and built-in find my functionality. So you can search for the remote with your iphone. Don’t like the remote? You can also pair 3rd party remotes to it and use those instead. You can also control the Apple TV from your iphone. The Apple TV really does feel like an extension of your iphone too because a lot of things that we find annoying about streaming devices are fixed thanks to the integration between the iPhone and Apple TV. Want to purchase something on the app store? Instead of typing in a password, use your iphone’s Face or Touch ID. Don’t want to manually type in the search bar using the terrible Apple TV keyboard? You can type it up on your phone instead. Don’t want to walk over to the other side of the bed to grab the remote off your significant other’s nightstand cause they’re sleeping and you don’t want to disturb them because you just know they had a rough week and you don’t want to contribute to it? You can control the Apple TV right from your phone. Want to watch something loud but your significant other is asleep? You can pop in airpods and route the audio from the TV directly to them, so people around you don’t have to hear you watch your spicy dramas or Fast and Furious 32
But being an extension of an iphone and the apple ecosystem has some downsides too. The features I just said, maybe in a little too much detail, are exclusively on iOS. You don’t get access to these features if you own an android device you’re forced to use this terrible keyboard interface on the Apple TV and you can’t “cast” from it because android devices don’t have AirPlay. This device is truly for the Apple users out there.
Let's talk App Store. Obviously this device syncs with your Apple Account giving you access to all the music, movies and apps you’ve purchased with your Apple Account but it also lets you download TV OS versions of your favorite apps and streaming services that just aren’t available on the default smart TV UI. Just for example. I watch a decent amount of anime, and while everyone knows Crunchyroll is the largest and typically the go-to for most anime, there’s also HIDIVE, which is a little more niche but has some shows Crunchyroll doesn’t have. And on Samsung/LG smart TVs, there’s no app for it with really, only mobile, tablet, game console, and streaming device support. So a streaming box gives you more flexibility there. But the same can’t be said about non-streaming apps on the Apple TV. Besides some of the good mobile game titles available on Apple TV, the Apple TV has a very weak library of apps. And some of the most useful ones aren't being updated anymore. So I don’t recommend you get this if you were thinking about using it for apps, which is tragic because I could see a really cool use for it, like a dashboard view of your home, upcoming appointments on your calendar, whatever.

[@xWeaponOfChoicex]

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[@danielosawaru9045]

Thanks

[@udaysampath1]

If your ps5 is heating up your room when it’s just streaming Netflix, your ps5 is broken bruh

[@JimmyTriesWorld]

That thing CHUGS power. Used it all day to watch YT/Netflix when I was out sick, that thing is loud, and hot.

[@JeskidoYT]

​@@JimmyTriesWorld it sounds like it needs a cleaning. Very common when dust accumulates in the fans

[@Jay___855]

@@JimmyTriesWorldhave a ps5 day 1 edition that thing is quiet asf and has never gotten hot I think you have a bad unit

[@fulllifeadventure5195]

PlayStations always chug power. That’s why they have fans, dude. If they didn’t chug power they wouldn’t have fans. Chugging power equates to heat being released into your room. I use a PlayStation in the tropics and I literally don’t turn it on because the temperature in the room goes up several degrees just sitting on the menu… not even playing anything. The Apple TV literally has no fans. I’ve NEVER heard it running. NEVER. It’s literally no contest, the Apple TV is almost infinitely better than the PlayStation for streaming movies and videos. Period.

[@haydenfgood]

I never considered the idea of Apple TV due to my Vizio tv just having the apps. But I kinda got tired of how Vizio tv runs so I decided to try an Apple TV out. Turns out I really did love it and it doesn’t have a lag to it like the tv does when loading or using apps.

[@fr3ddy1461]

I have a Vizio OLED and was in the same situation. But the fact that AppleTV improves the picture quality on its own is huge!

[@Total-Solutions]

I’ve had the Apple TV for many many years. I do not understand why people don’t buy them and they’re not used or popular. I have several connected to different TVs in the house. The guest account, press hold the home button and you can add multiple users. There is so much built-in even connecting to your network computers as well. You have to go in and be quite highly technical to use everything but it is a joy to use.

[@JimmyTriesWorld]

Think they might be too costly when most folks can use the TV OS options for free. Good call on the multi-user! Think I'm looking more for like a dedicated guest account though, that auto-wipes once they leave the user account or something similar.

[@mercurialmeee]

@@JimmyTriesWorld yeah having different accounts but they all use the same app logins is weird. Should have their own per account.

[@nelinjo]

Cuz it's apple ffs.

[@Quiselott]

They cost 3x the price of an average streaming device. There's the answer

[@R8V10]

Because of the price, when you can pick up a Google Chromecast 4K for 30 dollars which does the same thing.

[@jamesm7498]

To change the keyboard layout: Go to Settings>General > Keyboard Layout > Grid

[@toddcastaldi6536]

I just wish it had a Safari app. It would be a no-brainer for me with a browser.

[@GravityVT]

You forgot to mention it’s the best way to stream due to Dolby vision and atmos support. Developers also optimize their iOS apps better than the built in tv apps

[@Ventus7777]

Not Disney+ unfortunately. I bought it 2 days ago and never knew there's an issue with hdr content played in sdr on Disney+. I learned that it's been a problem for months looking at reddit posts but there's still no fix from Disney. The tvos work incredibly well tho and Siri integration is a game changer

[@James-uv7zt]

@@Ventus7777 wait hey sorry so i use disney+ and am thinking about buying apple tv to stream it.. i have 4k tv.. are you saying disney+ content wont be hdr via apple tv?

[@Ventus7777]

@@James-uv7zt they fixed the issue a few days ago after 8 months. Everything works perfectly fine now!

[@Ventus7777]

@@James-uv7zt they fixed it few days ago. Works perfectly fine now

[@thejasontlewis]

Since the AppleYV allows multiple users now, couldn't you set up a "guest" mode if you don't want guests having full access? I haven't tried it, but was just thinking. Also, I lost my 2nd AppleTV remote in my couch weeks ago and have been suffering with Sony's implementation of Android TV since then. It's no better than any of the rest. I didn't know about the "find your remote" feature. Thanks!

[@JimmyTriesWorld]

You're right! You could go that route if the goal is to just have a separate account. I was thinking more of an account that wipes once it's done being used, similar to how some hotels will let you sign in and it automatically wipes once you leave. That's a shame about Sony's UI. Was hoping since it uses Android TV it'd at least be better than the others.

[@TofDonato]

What security cam do you recommend for apple homekit?

[@MobiusGT]

i have 2 apple tv 4k 3rd gen just because of how great they are as jellyfin clients, specifically through infuse. honestly i would put it a step ahead of the nvidia shield just because of how great infuse is.

[@giacintorenta7579]

How does AirPods Pro with Apple TV 4K compare with Tv audio swap on Sonos Ace / Arc? Which one you like best? Which one has got the best height channels? Thank you!

[@LLM9027]

Having a few old Apple keyboards connected making search keying easy. Sometimes I also use AppleTV as my monitor when testing/editing presentations.

[@anderskarlsson5441]

which version of iPhone do you have to have in order to be able to search for remote control on apple tv? I have been waiting for this function to search for the remote control. Thanks for a great KZbin video.

[@johnhui33]

I think iPhone 12 series or newer.

[@kyleh6984]

tvOS wishlist: Customizable Home Screen. Widgets and Dark mode icons. Hardware: M1 chip or later(For Console level gaming) Wi-Fi 6E.

[@peat381low8]

It's been underrated since 2021. For a while now. I love mine.

[@brillantesdv1]

Can you watch MKV or MP4 files from a home server on VLC or KODI? My Nvidia Shield is going on 9 years old. Looking at replacements if it ever just stops working.

[@mistergurr]

VLC is on the App Store, Kodi you’d have to side load which is a more involved process than it is on a shield.

[@milospavic]

Can you tell me if the series Harlots is available in 2160p HDR or dolby vision?

[@DoctorVadarWho]

You can change the keyboard layout in settings on the Apple TV

[@EchoAce04]

I’m defo getting 1

[@quadsnipershotp1lvl4]

I see my man uses Crunchyroll. Kaiju no 8 so good right?

[@That_Sasha_Bee]

I have an old plasma TV that used to belong to my grandad so no TV os so the Apple TV makes it more in keeping with modern times also the speakers in the TV sound a bit muddy so I linked a small Bluetooth speaker to the Apple TV and that’s generally how I consume a lot of media I think it would be nice if it have a USB connection so you can connect external drives or even an option for a SD card as some of the games get a bit big

[@centermass4552]

The reason I’ve went to Apple TVs is because the built in streaming devices in some tvs just don’t work anymore because they’re too laggy. The KZbin app on one of my Roku TV literally won’t load some videos. If you’re in the Apple system this is a nobrainer. Your movies, Apple Music, AirPod support and screen mirroring more than justifies it.

[@Ventus7777]

Apple music app is incredible. Being able to play music videos in Dolby Atmos is such a superior experience compared to playing it on KZbin. One thing that it's missing tho it's a hi-res lossless audio support. Long overdue but hopefully they will add it at some point

[@yofiesetiawan]

My apple tv box probably i bought like 10-15 years ago, back then i try it so clunky and difficult to use the remote. Not sure how it is right now...

[@bryans8656]

Not at all clunky, and the remote is very easy to use. I really like mine.

[@purrlumen]

i still use the nvidia shield tv pro, just because its one of the stronger tv boxes android has and just feels the most stable and fastest. also the 4k support feels more nice, using stremio mostly and browser search for some anime websites. it even can host its own plex server which is nice, as i connect it to my nas since then i can also use its hard drive. its a nice but old device, but its so flexible i like it. i feel like apple tv lacks to much features overal like browser support and airplay doesnt cut it for me, since it will degrade streaming website performance. its not the same at that point i rather connect a hdmi to my laptop much rather and use my laptop as a home cinema/gaming device, makes no sense to buy anything if its lacking too much features

[@YannickReid]

Dope but meanwhile the shield TV is years old and doesn’t have as much bells and whistles but Is still super fast chrome cast and has every app one can want… including the 🏴‍☠️

[@lukasfekiac7254]

You can change the keyboard layout 😊

[@TheSonyExperience]

The new LG interface is awful. My 77inch C9 has a apple tv because of it. All my TVs but one have apple tv boxes. Waiting for a new one so I can upgrade the one on my C9 and move that to my lviign tv that is struggling with android TVs updates that makes sense it slower and slower

[@mrjamesmay3548]

My LG tv built in apps work great, even the Apple TV app for it. I find those easier for less tech savvy family members.. my wife can never figure out how to change hdmi for Apple TV

[@ZK-APA]

You don't need to change HDMI. Most TV now have CEC, so if they detect that you are trying to use your apple tv (or any device with CEC), itll switch to that source.

[@LinkedHero]

I would like a usb port on the next model

[@debojitmandal8670]

can in use it any android tv from chinese vendors like hisense or xiaomi or tcl

[@RamonMcNally]

Yes

[@heelbeavans01]

Apple TV 4K rules. I have the 2017,2021 and 2 2022 ones.

[@bruceweese8558]

I have an Nvidia Shield and it is Amazing. I am not a gamer other than a board gamer but I know there are killer games available. The Nvidia Shield is about the same price as Apple TV but I like it's layout use cases and ability to interact with iPhones and Google pixels as well. It can also serve as a home device for a Google home.

[@ZK-APA]

I have both, and both are great at what they do. The apple TV is better in being a pure content consumption device, whereas the shield is best if you want more niche stuff out of your device. Although yes if nvidia does bring out a new shield model, it will be superior to the apple tv.

[@patrickb.3179]

Great video! Just Subscribed to your Channel… i have recently purchased a mini led Samsung and a QD- OLED Samsung…. Picture on both are phenomenal…. But TIZEN their OS is complete trash…. Purchased Apple TV for both and now they’re complete. I absolutely love them and their userbility… i also love that my AirPods connect to them and Spatial Audio works very well with them!

[@johnwiiu7005]

I would instantly get one (and I'm not even in the apple ecosystem) if this darn thing had a Web browser.

[@joshuakolton9955]

Just the UI by itself is worth it. Fire tv sucks and the tv native OS isn’t great either.

[@carnage4907]

This title is grammatically incorrect. The words in parentages are supposed to exist outside of the sentence structure. 😂

[@bryans8656]

I've had the Apple 4K TV for a while now, the model with the ethernet port. I have it paired with an Echo Studio speaker for sound, and use the Echo for managing the smart devices in my home. It's a very good combination.

[@RandomnesssE]

There are like six appple tvs in my house, very nice to use

[@illhaveawtrplz]

Good lord, why do you have that many TVs let alone that many Apple TVs???

[@RandomnesssE]

@@illhaveawtrplz only like three are plugged in, we have some just sitting in drawers and stuff.

[@sp-vt4je]

All TVs. No matter how fancy or expensive they are, they all have a crappy, laggy smart tv "os".

[@illhaveawtrplz]

I do like my Apple TV 4K a lot, but the user profile implementation is all jacked up and KZbin is horribly optimized for tvOS. It would be great to have different app pages and auto-user selections on Netflix/Hulu/etc. when you change the user profile in tvOS. That way, when Becky selects her tvOS profile, her own custom page appears on the Apple TV home screen and Becky’s Spotify account, Apple Music account, Netflix profile, etc. are defaulted when she’s on her profile. When Dion selects his user profile, then the same happens for him.

[@justinbookout9166]

This alone cost double my tv

[@cemeteryguestrob9745]

The apple TV is now “old tech”! Apple needs to keep up. I will keep with my Roku 4k for the present as it is a superior streaming device for half the price. Apple now needs a bridge device to kill its opposition. I think a device that streams, facetime, a true homekit controller or even a mac mini hybrid. Thanks for the video. Regards Rob.

[@fr3ddy1461]

That Roku soundbar is such a great idea!

[@johnm7882]

I still don't see how spending $200 plus on a Apple TV box is worth it. I guess it's just me 🤔

[@ZK-APA]

Its not. It depends on what setup you have as well. If its an entry level 4K TV, then might as well skip the apple tv, and use that money to increase your TV budget. But if you have a decent setup (a 4K TV with genuine HDR support and speakers/soundbar with dolby/DTS) and are in the apple ecosystem, then even at this price its actually decent value.

[@ypark2877]

Not 200$ from what I can see on stores pages

[@ypark2877]

Keyoboard on interface can be switched to grid for a preference setting

[@arthaschen4701]

Dude maybe if you’d just rely on these smart home stuff a little less, you could actually get in shape

[@dncewzrd]

Damn dude

[@chriszeedyk]

Damn bro who hurt you. You sit here and say that from behind a keyboard.

[@MrEnEffet]

Please stop.

[@anyproblemsonu55]

Do you speak any other language? just curious