THE NEW TV 4K: CINEMATIC EXPERIENCE WITH A12 BIONIC CHIP & NEW SIRI REMOTE
CINEMATIC EXPERIENCE WITH A12 BIONIC CHIP & NEW SIRI REMOTE
Whilst it was the overhauls to the imac and ipad that got people talking at this year’s Spring Loaded event held in Cupertino, California, Apple also used the virtual keynote to announce a refresh to its popular Apple TV set-top box.
The latest iteration drives huge leaps forward in graphics performance, introduces the A12 Bionic chip to Apple TV, as well as an all-new Siri Remote, designed to take Apple’s cinema-athome experience to even greater heights.
TURNING ON THE ALL-NEW APPLE TV 4K
Apple’s television box has come on leaps and bounds in recent years, and though the company is yet to release its long-rumored smart stick, allowing consumers to access the tvos experience without the $99-plus price tag, Apple TV’S latest iteration goes a long way in transforming the living room. Speaking of the new product launch, Bob Borchers, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, said: “Apple TV 4K is in a category of its own, leveraging a deep integration of Apple hardware, software, and services that deliver a massive upgrade to any TV for the very best cinematic experience. With the A12 Bionic and the all-new Siri Remote, Apple TV 4K lets customers enjoy their favorite shows, movies, and more in the highest quality, with simple, intuitive controls. Apple TV 4K offers easy access to Apple services, along with thousands of App Store apps for more entertainment options.” First introduced back in 2007, Apple TV is now a staple in homes across the United States, and is growing in popularity in other territories. A year after its launch, Apple introduced the itunes Remote app on the App Store, allowing
consumers with first-generation iphones and ipod touches to control their television screen from their seats. Since then, the device has undergone a number of changes, transitioning to the A5 chip back in 2012, bringing HD to the Apple TV as well as tvos back in 2015, and launching the 4K-enabled Apple TV back in 2017. The sixth-generation, launched this month, has been long-awaited, and though the box may look the same as the previous generation, it’s what’s on the inside that counts, and Apple has created a device that really packs its punch and elevates the TV experience.
OVERHAULING THE TV EXPERIENCE
Perhaps the most interesting thing about the 2021 Apple TV is that it now ships with an A12 Bionic chip, which was first used in the iphone XS, XS Max, and XR in 2018, the 2019 versions of the ipad Air and ipad Mini, and the 2020 ipad. The new chip means Apple TV 4K can now support high frame rate HDR (High Dynamic Range) and Dolby Vision video, which enables fast-moving action at 60 frames per second - ideal for gaming on Apple Arcade.
The firm said it has been working with providers such as FOX Sports, Nbcuniversal, Paramount+, Red Bull TV, and Canal+ to stream their content in high frame rate HDR and with support for high frame rate via Airplay, videos from your iphone will appear in all of their glory on your television screen for the first time, whether it’s Youtube or a family-shot movie.
Apple TV 4K really comes into its own with Apple’s new innovative color balance process, which uses your iphone and its advanced
camera sensors to improve the picture quality in your living room. Through an onboarding process, your iphone’s light sensor can be leveraged to compare the color balance to the industry-standard specifications used by cinematographers worldwide, and armed with this data, the Apple TV box will tailor its video output to offer more accurate, popping colors and better contrast, without users having to manually adjust settings on their box. It means that, whether you install your Apple TV in your living room, bedroom, or office, you can experience the best picture quality, every time.
HEY SIRI, PLAY A MOVIE
One area where Apple has faced criticism for its Apple TV is the included remote, which has undergone significant overhauls every generation. The sixth Apple TV release features an all-new Siri Remote, which comes with a clickpad control that allows five-way navigation to offer better accuracy, and is also touch-enabled for the fast directional swipes Apple TV users love. It’s this design integration that makes
Apple TV so attractive - the familiar swipes and pulls are all possible using your new Siri Remote, offering you more control over your entertainment and making the often-difficult job of selecting a show or television network easier than ever before. Early reviews are overwhelmingly positive, too, with CNET saying
“Apple TV’S new Siri remote is one of the most requested updates” and praising the design, whilst Malcolm Owen of Appleinsider said that “There are certainly new features that will be welcomed, such as the mute button, the potentially easier-to-use click wheel touchpad, and the potential remote-finding functionality,” but argued for users who already owned an Apple TV, the remote refresh itself wasn’t enough to warrant an upgrade. What’s striking about the new Apple TV Siri Remote is that it features a stunning new one-piece aluminum design that fits comfortably in your hands, and it has a power button that controls a TV’S power, with another for muting the sound, which means you can forgo your television remote and use the Apple TV remote for everything.
And because the new remote features deeper Siri integration, it’s easy to search for specific shows or movies, as well as control smart home accessories, check sports scores or the weather, and much more. Siri also works on Apple TV in Austria, Ireland, and New Zealand, meaning that now 16 regions support Siri on Apple TV.
It’s likely that Apple will continue to roll out Siri integration in more territories, though demand will determine prioritized countries.
THE POWER OF tvos
The new Apple TV 4K comes with tvos as standard, the world’s most powerful television operating system, and with WWDC 2021 just around the corner, we’ll likely see new features come to the product. An imore article from Lory Gil has rounded up a great tvos 15 wish list, such as improved user profiles, deeper Siri integration, an overhauled Home app, and a
web browser on the TV. We, of course, won’t know for certain what features will be coming to Apple TV until the event takes place on June 7, though it’s tradition for Apple to introduce at least some new features to the TV every year. Apple says that the “tight integration with Apple devices and services gives everyone in the family a range of entertainment to enjoy from the comfort of their living room” makes Apple TV compelling, and we’d have to agree. Users are able to find their favorite entertainment on the biggest screen in the home, including content from Apple TV+, including “Ted Lasso,”“the Morning Show,”“greyhound,” and “Wolfwalkers,” as well as content from other video providers such as Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime. And thanks to tvos and Airpods, users can watch television without disturbing others, ideal for those living in apartments who have partners on night shifts, or children who need their sleep! What’s more, integration with Apple Music on Apple TV 4K allows users to turn their living rooms into concert halls, offering multiroom audio and time-synced lyrics for millions of songs, and the all-new Apple Fitness+ on Apple TV 4K offers studiostyle workouts to customers in the comfort of their own homes, featuring some of the world’s best trainers and fitness professionals, across ten workout types. Apple’s fitness service, which launched last year, integrates key metrics from Apple Watch right on the big screen to offer a personalized and immersive experience that keeps motivation high throughout every workout - the ideal way to look after yourself and stay fit and healthy in the era of COVID-19 and remote work.
Apple was keen to hammer home the value of Apple Arcade on the new Apple TV 4K, allowing users to enjoy unlimited access to a growing collection of more than 100 premium games, including original releases, award winners, and beloved favorites from the App Store, without advertisements or in-app purchases. The best part about Apple Arcade is that games can be started on your iphone or ipad, carried over to macos, and then played with the family on Apple TV 4K. What’s more, some games can be played via supported game controllers, with “NBA 2K21 Arcade Edition,”“songpop Party,” and “Star Trek: Legends” built with controllers in mind. Indeed, tvos 14.5 introduced support for Playstation 5 controllers, and some rumors suggest that Apple is working on its own gaming controller for a future tvos release. For the best experience on Apple TV, we recommend an Apple One subscription, which offers the easiest way to get all of Apple’s services in one simple plan, such as Apple TV+ for great content, Apple Music for unlimited music, Apple Arcade for fun new games, Apple Fitness+ to work out from home, Apple News+ for up-to-the-minute commentary on the latest goings-on, and icloud for storing your photographs and videos to stream on your Apple TV. With a single subscription, customers in over 100 countries and regions can enjoy their favorite Apple services across their favorite devices, and share their subscription with up to six friends or family members at home.
It’s not just games that you can enjoy on your Apple TV - with Airplay, consumers can effortlessly share videos, school projects, and other content from their iphone, ipad, or Mac,
directly to the TV. Apple says that videos can now be played in their full 60-fps Dolby Vision thanks to high frame rate support in Airplay, and the Photos app on tvos serves as a dynamic photo album for family members and friends to enjoy photos, videos, and Memories on the big screen - ideal when guests visit. Other tvos benefits include deep integration with Homekit accessories, allowing users to view their Homekit video cameras and doorbell notifications on the television screen, whilst multiuser support on Apple TV 4K means that family members can enjoy their own personalized recommendations for shows, movies, and music, access their purchased apps in the App Store or play games on Apple Arcade. The new Apple TV 4K marks another significant leap forward for entertainment and will start at $179 in the United States. The devices will ship in the second half of May, and a cheaper Apple TV HD with the new Siri Remote will be available for $149. For users who already have an Apple TV box, the new Siri Remote will be available separately for $59.