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   Apple Finally Enters the 4K Realm, but It'll Cost You

   Josh Centers

   Years after being beat to the punch by Amazon, Google, Roku, and
   literally every other company that makes a streaming TV box, Apple is
   finally releasing the [1]Apple TV 4K. It will be available for
   pre-order on 15 September 2017 and will ship a week later on 22
   September 2017. Pricing will be $179 for 32 GB and $199 for 64 GB.

   The Apple TV 4K will output video at 2160p resolution, with Dolby
   Vision and HDR 10 ' two competing standards for High Dynamic Range
   Video. Outside of improved video, don't expect much in the way of
   improvements. The new A10X Fusion chip, Gigabit Ethernet port,
   simultaneous dual band Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 5.0 support are nice
   additions, but they're not game-changing. Interestingly, Apple's
   [2]specs page doesn't mention a USB-C port on the Apple TV 4K, which
   leads me to wonder how developers are supposed to interact with it.

   But wait, what about improvements to the Siri Remote? Don't worry,
   Apple didn't forget about it ' the company's crack industrial designers
   added a white circle around the Menu button!

   [3][tn_Apple-TV-4K.jpg]

   Frankly, this hardware is an enormous disappointment. The
   fourth-generation Apple TV was already behind the curve when Apple
   launched it without 4K in 2015, and now that it has caught up with the
   competition, it's still about $100 more expensive than comparable
   devices. I think the Apple TV 4K will still be the best of the lot, but
   it's not worth nearly double the asking price of the others.

   Worse, 4K itself is largely a gimmick. You need [4]an enormous screen
   that supports 4K to appreciate the higher resolution, although I'm sure
   the Apple TV's interface elements will look much nicer all around in
   4K. The larger story here is support for HDR, which I can attest makes
   a big difference, providing far more vibrant colors than traditional
   color on TV screens. But unfortunately, the HDMI ports of many
   televisions do not support an HDR signal. For instance, my 2015 Sony
   supports HDR, but only via Android apps that run on the TV itself.

   The pricing is insulting. The old fourth-generation Apple TV is
   sticking around, but it still sells for $149 for 32 GB of storage. The
   Apple TV 4K starts at $179 for 32 GB, and you can opt for a 64 GB model
   for a whopping $199. Why anyone would invest in more Apple TV storage,
   I don't know, and Apple has never properly explained why that's even an
   option.

   However, on the software front, things are somewhat more interesting.
   Apple said that 4K movies will soon be available from the iTunes Store
   for the same price as HD movies, and your existing HD iTunes movies
   will be upgraded to 4K HDR at no additional charge! (Perhaps Hollywood
   studios are getting a cut of the Apple TV hardware sales?)

   Apple announced a few new features coming to the TV app that hadn't
   been mentioned before, specifically support for live sports and news.
   Sports will have its own tab inside the TV app, and the app will notify
   you if your favorite team is playing, or if the score is tight. You'll
   also be able to see thumbnails of other games with scores and time
   remaining. Additionally, Apple is launching the TV app in seven
   additional countries by the end of the year, including Canada and
   Australia later this month.

   [5][tn_TV-news-and-sports.jpg]

   Apple said nothing about when tvOS 11 would be released to those with
   existing fourth-generation Apple TV units, but I'm willing to bet that
   it'll ship with the Apple TV 4K on 22 September 2017. For more on what
   is promising to be an underwhelming update, see '[6]What's Coming in
   tvOS 11' (15 June 2017).

   And for those wondering, yes, Joe Kissell and I have agreed to update
   '[7]Take Control of Apple TV' with the minor improvements coming in
   tvOS 11 sometime later this year. Thanks so much to everyone who has
   bought the book over the years!

References

   1. https://www.apple.com/tv/
   2. https://www.apple.com/tv/compare/
   3. http://tidbits.com/resources/2017-09/Apple-TV-4K.png
   4. https://www.cnet.com/news/why-ultra-hd-4k-tvs-are-still-stupid/
   5. http://tidbits.com/resources/2017-09/TV-news-and-sports.png
   6. http://tidbits.com/article/17292
   7. https://www.takecontrolbooks.com/apple-tv?pt=TIDBITS

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