As a TV enthusiast, I was hoping for more from the Apple TV 4K
The new Apple TV 4K and remote look just like the old ones and mostly have the same features. It's been four long years since the last Apple TV 4K was released, and in that time there have been lots of hopes and dreams for features in whatever comes next. A new chip, 4K/120Hz support, audio passthrough, a remote locator, better home control integration - the 2022 Apple TV 4K is a great box, but there's still plenty…
Key points
- Apple's fourth-gen Apple TV 4K now costs $300, with only a 128GB Wi-Fi and Ethernet model sold.
- New features include more processing power, Find My remote support, far-field Siri mics and an AV1 decoder.
- The box still lacks audio passthrough and 4K/120Hz output, which the writer had hoped for.
Apple announced its fourth-generation Apple TV 4K on Tuesday, four years after the previous model. The company dropped the cheaper 64GB Wi-Fi-only version and now sells only the 128GB Wi-Fi and Ethernet model, priced at $300.
The writer, a TV enthusiast, says the new box meets some long-held hopes but leaves out others. At $300, it costs at least twice as much as other major streaming devices on the market.
What the new model adds
The writer welcomes the extra processing power, Find My support for the remote, and built-in far-field mics for talking to Siri. The device also adds a dedicated AV1 decoder, which allows higher-quality streaming from apps that support it, such as Netflix.
Apple also lets users build a surround sound system by pairing HomePod 2 and HomePod Mini 2 speakers in matching pairs for fronts and surrounds.
I repeat, $300 for a streaming device.
— the article's author
What is still missing
The writer's main concern is home theater performance. Audio passthrough is still absent, so an external audio/video receiver cannot decode the raw audio stream instead of the Apple TV using its Continuous Audio Connection, which can cause playback issues.
The box also lacks 120fps output, which would have set it apart from other streamers that top out at 60fps and helped justify the price. The writer notes that for movies the 60fps limit matters less, since the box can output 24fps.
