I’ve seen a few posts here and there raving about the Apple TV box but it’s always occurred to me what’s so special about it?
A lot of my products are Apple and I’m starting to try and build a smart home (nothing crazy) but I have Sonos, Nest etc and I’m wondering what an Apple TV can offer me. I’ve read a few blogs but nothing seems to scream out at me.
Smart TV’s seem to have a lot of streaming apps and I gather I can AirPlay to it. One thing that I did find interesting though, I saw someone comment earlier that you can just chuck your AirPods on and it seemlessly connects (albeit very rare I’d need to actually do this, like it was suggested if the other half wanted to go to sleep I could carry on and watch tv with my AirPods).
What are the other worthwhile benefits?
Nothing. It’s a walled garden.
It has an attractive, familiar, easy to use interface. I like that it keeps everything I’m currently watching in the Up Next row. I can search and add shows from my phone and they will be waiting on the TV then next time I turn it on. I can set my HomePods to be the default speakers. I can use the AppleTV box without connecting my actual TV to the internet, so Samsung can’t spy on my viewing habits or show me any advertising since I never use their menus or the TV interface at all.
Most standalone devices are already an upgrade vs the built in smart tv apps. AppleTV is well liked because they’re fast, have a clean UI with no ads, are well supported by app developers, and have some nice synergy with your phone and other Apple products (using it as a backup remote/easy AirPods connections).
Because every developer in the world targets Apple’s platforms to make their very best apps. Everything else is an afterthought
It just makes life nice and easy that’s all
There are a few biggies for me:
- It’s just so smooth and fast. I’ve tried other streaming devices but none of them match the polish.
- Smart home integration, from setting scenes and querying status to getting a live feed of my cameras
- AirPods as an output source, if me or my partner are sleeping the other can just use their AirPods seamlessly. And in the event we have a guest who’s sleeping we can both use AirPods to make sure we’re not being loud if the guest is sleeping.
- Games- I know it’s not the best gaming platform but you can literally steam link to your Apple TV and play games from your PC- not to mention decent support for a variety of games from the App Store as well.
It’s not that the Apple TV will remake your entire life in some magical way, it’s just so many things it can do are just polished really nicely.
Let me ask you this- what’s better, your smart TV platform/UI or your iPhone?! When you get the appletv is just like your phone. Flawless and perfect!
The remote, mainly. Once you get used to it it’s just super slick and fast to move from app to app. Once you get it the box you’ll never go back.
I also do wonder what makes it special and if its worth it.
I have an LGC2 TV, the menu is smooth, everything runs smooth. It can airplay too to airpods or to maxes. Supports screen mirroring from my iPhone and MBA too…. tell me why should I buy one because im geniunely interested in Apple products.
Nvidia Shield TV Pro for me it just works
Simple. The speed out performs everything else in the market. Once you have it you can’t go back
If you only use legal streaming services and don’t watch plan to use HIDIVE if you are an anime watcher, AppleTV is great. It is fast, the UI is polished, apps work as they should (except HIDIVE), and Dolby Atmos and Vision content work correctly. You can even match color space and frame rate to avoid 3:2 pulldown and SDR->HDR tonemap issues.
If you plan to use “free” streaming services, get a AndroidTV device. Most of those sites work via the web browser or have an app. AppleTV has no web browser so only a native app or AirPlay is how you play videos.
If you are into the more “mature” content, getting a Roku or AndroidTV is the way to go as those work correctly there and have native apps for some websites.
Fast, can quickly toggle video apps without closing them, Apple Music app.
The “what did he say” feature, that rewins 10 seconds or so and engaegs closed caption for that span then turns it off is great and works across all the streaming services I have. Roku has a similar feature at the push of a button which is easier to use but for someone reason does not work on all streaming, specifically Netflix. Without other units having that feature, I use Apple TV.
I echo what everyone else has said. Smart TV UIs are usually slow and have poor design. Apple TV is also regularly updated and maintained. I view built-in Smart TV features the same way I view Smart TV speakers. While it’s good enough, it won’t be as good as a dedicated soundbar.
If none of that is important to you, then no need to spend more money on another device. The built in stuff is good enough for some, if not, most.