APPLE TV 4K REVIEW.
The fifth generation Apple TV 4K was introduced to the world in September 2017. This is the first update since 2015, there are two outstanding technologies at the centre of this TV.
● 4K.
● HDR.
They bring the cinematic quality to every picture and the 4K supports offers incredible detail, the number of pixels is four times more in comparison to HD.
● The resolution of 4K is 3840 x 2160.
● The resolution for HD is 1920 x 1080.
APPLE TV 4K REVIEW. – FEATURES.
● A10x fusion processor.
● The remote is touch based.
● 32 or 64GB options.
● Deep Siri integration.
● Better quality resolution.
● HDR produces a richer and vibrant colour.
● Supports wide range of colours.
● Better pixels.
● Works with both Dolby vision and industry standard HDR10.
● It must be paired with TVs that supports 4K and HDR technology.
● The TVOS interface comes with sharper text in 4K.
● Videos captured in iPhone can be viewed via 4K.
● Animated video screen savers have been upgraded in 4K.
● Compatible with Apple music.
● Home kit hub to Apple TV.
● Controls connected devices in the house.
● Equipped with A10X fusion used in IPAD pro models.
● CPU performance is twice as fast.
● GPU performance is four times faster.
There are no major changes regarding the design, still maintains the simple black box that you will plug into the back of a telly with an HDMI cable. A new gigabit ethernet port has been included and USB – C port that was previously on the device has been removed. It comes with a Siri remote for control purposes, there have been slight changes to the design. Siri can be used for:
● Navigation.
● Personal assistance.
● Game controller.
APPLE TV 4K REVIEW. – DESIGN AND HARDWARE.
A simple device just like the fourth generation that fits easily into your palm. Inscribed at the top is the Apple logo. At the back:
● A gigabit ethernet port.
● HDMI 2.0A port.
● Another port for the power cord.
● Measures at 3.9 inches on each side.
● 1.4 inches tall.
● Weighs under a pound at 15 ounces.
● Replaceable fan.
● The processor is supported by eight exhaust ports.
APPLE TV 4K REVIEW. – PROCESSOR AND INTERNALS.
The tv is powered by the A10X fusion which is a much faster chip compared to the one that powered the fourth-generation model, with 2x the CPU performance and 4x GPU performance with a 3GB RAM to support 4K. This new chip allows the TV to run intensive games and apps smoothly with the game taking advantage of the 4K display.
It supports dual band regarding connectivity, (2.4GHz and 5GHz) 802.11ac WI -FI with MOMO and Bluetooth 5.0.
SIRI REMOTE
It has a built-in feature with a touch surface used as:
● A general select button and
● A touchpad.
● A menu button.
● A home button.
● A play/pause button.
● A Siri button.
● A standard volume button.
The Siri remote gets connected to the TV via the Bluetooth 4.0 connection and controls the TV elements like Bluetooth with an IR transmitter. The touch-based navigation is found on the touch surface of the remote that allow users to swipe through the app store, the home screen and content within the apps.
Siri mode is activated by pressing the button, it works the same way on the phone. Two microphones were built into the remote to connect with the commands and SIRI transmits the information to the screen.
The remote was redesigned in 2017 with a new white ridge around the home button. There’s a lighting port use for charging with a standard lighting cable at the bottom of the Siri remote. The remote’s battery needs to recharge every few months.
The remote serves as a controller for Apple TV games because of an inbuilt accelerometer and a gyroscope. The remote is only available in the following countries for now:
● Canada.
● United States of America.
● United Kingdom.
● Australia.
● France.
● Germany.
● Japan.
● Spain.
THE REMOTE APP
The TV can be controlled via the app, the layout is like the Siri remote which offers:
● Navigation.
● Access to Siri.
● Volume control.
4K AND HDR
The pixels produced by 4K are four times more when paired with HDR support comparisons to normal standards of HD (3840 x 2160 vs 1920 x 1080). 4K offers brighter and realistic colours in much greater detail. 4K and HDR are upgrades over 1080p high definition, especially with HDR. 4K offers more pixels because of ultra-high resolutions. It produces:
● Better red colour.
● Green colour is more vivid.
● Blues are brighter.
● Yellows are clearer.
● More contrast.
● Colour ranges in scenes with both dark and light elements.
A compatible 4K television is required for an Apple 4K TV to display a content on a 4K standard. An HDMI cable is also needed to connect the television to the Apple TV. You should get a cable that is compatible with HDMI and Dolby vision better still and HDMI cable compatible with Dolby vision mark.
In Europe a TV that supports 4K and HDR at 50Hz is required, although 60Hz will work with a 4K standard dynamic range, 4K high dynamic range and 4K Dolby vision. Apple TV will also work with TV that has 30Hz HDR refresh rate (25Hz in Europe) lower fresh rates might lead to choppy video. The advice regarding TVs that do not support HDR at 60Hz is to lower the resolution to 1080p at 60Hz which upscale to 4K.
4K STREAMING
A minimum connection speed of 25mb/s is recommended to customers who wants to stream content in 4K from:
● iTunes.
● Netflix.
● Other sources.
If a connection is slow for transferring 4K content, the video quality will be downgraded. 4K content cannot be downloaded from iTunes, but limited to streaming.
PHOTO AND VIDEO FORMAT SUPPORT
● Apple 4K TV supports.
● H.264.
● HEVC (H. 265).
● HEVC Dolby vision.
● MPEG – 4.
Photos can display images in the following formats
● HEIF.
● JPEG.
● GIF.
● TIFF.
AUDIO FORMATS SUPPORT
Audio formats that are supported includes:
● HE-ACC.
● ACC (320Kb/s max).
● Protected ACC.
● MP3 (320Kb/s max).
● MP3 VBR.
● Apple lossless.
● FLAC.
● AIFF.
● WAV.
● Dolby 5.1.
● Dolby digital plus 7.1 surround sound.
CONTENT THAT ARE COMPARTIBLE
4K content can be viewed from different sources because Apple made deals with movie studios in order to offer the widest selection of 4K movie title in iTunes for the same price as HD movies. 4K content can be streamed on Apps like Netflix and Amazon prime video release.
4K content can be streamed on YouTube, but not compatible with 4K Apple TV at this time, things will probably change. Apple does not support the VP9 format for YouTube 4K.
You get the best picture when streaming or playing 4K resolution TV and movies because 4K TV were designed for 4K content but not compatible with non 4K HDR.
CONCLUSION
The picture is crisper compare to a standard HD because it uses four times more pixel. HDR produces a brighter and more realistic colours in greater detail. The combination of the TV with a Dolby Atmos-compatible sound system immerses you in a super dimensional audio that transmits sounds around your environment. Apple TV connects with some of the world’s largest TV networks and broadcasters to bring you live content you mostly care about.
This cutting edge device provides the benefit of effortless high performance and comfort, thanks to an outstanding innovation. The secret behind this stunning device is the amazing design which provides much functionality with effortless power. The device offers an amazing feeling of comfort and control.