Apple TV 4K

Happy MagSafe Monday to those who celebrate! Last fall, Apple added FaceTime to Apple TV 4K as part of tvOS 17. Now the company is selling a Belkin MagSafe mount for using the iPhone-enabled feature more easily. The accessory also makes video calling with iPhone on Apple TV 4K easier with apps like Zoom and Webex.

After bringing more capabilities to Webex for iPad, CarPlay, and more in recent years, Cisco has announced its latest expansion for its video conferencing software. The two new devices you’ll be able to join Webex Meetings from “soon” are Apple TV 4K and Apple Watch.

The latest Apple TV 4K has been available to consumers for just about a week, and we continue to learn more about the changes and improvements Apple has made with this year’s revision. The new Apple TV 4K is powered by the A15 Bionic chip, and new in-depth testing from FlatpanelsHD offers an interesting look at how this compares to game consoles like the Playstation 4 and Playstation 5.

Today, Apple refreshed its Apple TV 4K, adding support for Samsung’s HDR10+ standard in addition to the existing Dolby Vision. Apple also brought a more powerful processor and USB-C remote, but if you want your Apple TV to offer support for Thread networking – a smart device standard – you’ll have to dish out for the more expensive version with Ethernet and 128GB of storage this time around.

During the WWDC21 keynote, Apple introduced the new iOS 15, iPadOS 15, macOS 12 Monterey, and watchOS 8, but it actually never mentioned tvOS 15 by its name. Despite the lack of focus on tvOS 15 during the event, there are new features coming to Apple TV later this year.

One of the big changes arriving with the second-gen Apple TV 4K is the all-new Siri Remote. Along with the new design comes a dedicated power button to control not just the set-top box but also your TV and receiver. Let’s look at how to control power and volume with your Apple TV Siri Remote, including troubleshooting tips and more.

Reviews for the new Apple TV 4K are out today. While most of the articles focus on the new Siri Remote, which is a “must buy,” many pointed out that Apple’s set-top-box price is still prohibitive. Today, CNN interviewed Apple’s VP of Product Marketing for Home and Audio Tim Twedahl about the new Apple TV 4K.

The first pre-orders for the new Apple TV 4K and redesigned Siri Remote aren’t supposed to arrive until Friday, May 21, but one lucky customer’s order has arrived early. The Reddit user Makivivu says that their Apple TV 4K pre-order arrived today, a full 48 hours ahead of schedule…

Apple has announced a new deal with Peanuts Worldwide and Lee Mendelson Film Productions to bring new originals and classic Peanuts specials to Apple TV+. Starting this month, Apple TV+ users will be able to stream iconic Peanuts content throughout the upcoming holiday season.

Many people are reporting that Apple TV+ shows are no longer playing in Dolby Vision on Apple TV 4K, instead reverting to less-sophisticated HDR10 standard.

The reports say that this is affecting a number of shows which used to play in Dolby Vision but no longer do so…

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A new report details how a pirated 4K copy of Aquaman could be the first known example of Apple’s 4K iTunes content being hacked. While there could be other explanations, multiple signs are pointing to the film coming from iTunes.

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Update: Spectrum subscribers now report that the app is slated to launch on December 13th.

With tvOS 12, Apple announced a new feature it calls “Zero Sign On,” which simplifies the login process for TV streaming applications. Apple originally said that Charter Spectrum would be the first TV provider to support the feature, with a new Charter Spectrum app for Apple TV and Zero Sign On launching before the end of the year.

As we approach the end of 2018, we still don’t have any confirmation about when these features will launch, but there’s evidence to suggest it will be sooner rather than later.

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tvOS 12 for Apple TV (fourth-gen) and Apple TV 4K is officially out of beta and available for all users. The annual software update for Apple TV brings support for Dolby Atmos audio for movies on iTunes and other apps, screensaver details like location information, and a new zero sign-on feature for Spectrum TV and Internet customers (more providers coming in the future).

Zero sign-on automatically authenticates watch anywhere video apps from networks based on your Internet provider without the need to log in even once. Dolby Atmos brings support for more immersive audio from supported speakers and receivers; iTunes is automatically upgrading supported movies for free. This makes Apple TV the only streaming box with both Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos support.

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In an effort to get ahead with 5G, Verizon is looking to include YouTube TV or Apple TV as part of a launch promotion in its initial four markets.

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Apple has released tvOS 11.3 beta 3 for registered developers to test on Apple TV (fourth-gen) and Apple TV 4K. We’ll dig in to the new version and detail changes below.

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tvOS 11.2 is now available as a free software update for both Apple TV (fourth-gen) and Apple TV 4K. For the new Apple TV 4K, tvOS 11.2 includes new video settings for changing high dynamic range and frame rate dynamically based on content.

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Bring on the 4K HDR movie binge watching. The new Apple TV 4K is out today and we’ve got our hands on Apple’s new streaming box.

The reviews call it the best TV box on the market, but note its premium price means it’s not for everyone. Apple still offers the two-year old 1080p version for its same $149 price, and $30 more gets you a faster processor with 4K HDR support.

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Apple’s tactic of making advance review models available to selected publications, and setting an embargo on publication, means it’s able to control the flow of reviews so that they all get maximum attention.

On Tuesday, it was the iPhone 8 (including our review). Yesterday, the Apple Watch Series 3 (our review). And today it’s the turn of the Apple TV 4K.

The bottom-line of most reviews is that it’s an expensive device compared to alternatives like Chromecast, Fire TV and Roku, and only makes sense if two things are true …

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It’s happening. If you were early enough to get in on day-one delivery for the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, Apple Watch Series 3 with LTE, and the Apple TV 4K, then you’ve probably begun receiving shipment notifications from Apple.
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