Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been refreshing my living room setup,
and as part of that process, I wanted something that would
integrate all of my favourite TV apps and services into a single device.
Hello, this is Semplist, and in today's video,
we are going to be taking a look at the Apple TV 4K 2021 version.
So we are going to be doing a quick unboxing, run through some of the key features,
take a look at the picture quality, and find out if the Apple TV is worth the price.
So starting with the unboxing, we have the Apple TV itself, the brand new Apple TV remote, a couple
of Apple stickers and warranty information, and finally the power cable. One thing I should
mention is that there is no HDMI cable included so you will need to purchase this yourself.
We have two different variations of the Apple TV. We have the 32Gb version which I bought,
and then we have a 64GB version. I paid £169 or $179 and the 64GB version retails at £189 or $199.
The Apple TV itself is fairly compact, it measures 3.9 inches in length
and width, and then 1.4 inches in height and weighs 425 grams,
so it’s actually the exact same dimensions as the previous model.
Looking at the ports over on the back we have the power supply port,
HDMI port where HDMI 2.1 is supported, and then an ethernet port too.
The Apple TV comes with the Apple A12 Bionic Chip
which allows HDR content at a higher frame rate which we will look at later.
The Apple TV remote has been completely redesigned,
and I’ve got to say just looking at it I am already a big fan.
There is a subtle nod back to the original Apple TV remote,
but this new aluminium design is really clean and the remote fits in your hand perfectly.
The new click pad has a directional button layout which I feel provides more control.
And it’s also fully touch-enabled so you can
still use the fast direction swipe seen on the last remote.
What I really like about this remote is that the outer ring can be used to fast forward
and rewind content which is great for quickly scrubbing through films and tv shows.
To use it just pause the content you’re watching, hold your finger on the outer ring,
and you will see a small icon pop up on the timeline and then just scroll through.
All the other buttons are what you would expect on a media remote such as the volume toggle,
mute, home, back.
But another feature that is really good about this remote is that the power button
will turn off the TV and the soundbar, so I like that Apple has kept this in mind,
I have one remote and it suits all of my needs.
The Siri button has now on the right-hand side of the
remote just like on the iPhones for easy access.
And then the remote is charged via the included Lightning connector charger and Apple actually
claim that a single charge will provide months of battery life with typical everyday use.
Like with any Apple product, setup is really easy. Once you have plugged in the power, HDMI and
ethernet if you are using it hardwired. You can go ahead and set up the Apple TV 4K via your iPhone.
It’s literally a case of moving through the menu screens and selecting your
preferences and then iCloud will begin to sync your existing apps.
Another amazing feature of the Apple TV 4K is the colour balance feature. So this will use your
iPhone’s camera and proximity sensors to enhance the overall colour grading of your TV’s picture.
The TV I am using is the 2020 LG 55 CX which as standard is an amazing TV.
The on-screen instructions will guide you to a target on your TV that will
use your iPhone’s camera to start measuring the colour.
And then using this data the Apple TV then automatically
configure the output and produce the best picture quality possible.
One note to make though is that this is only affecting the out from the Apple
TV 4K, and not the TV itself. So when you switch back to just using the TV
or a console, for example, you won’t get the same picture quality.
Looking at the user interface if you have owned the previous Apple TV there isn’t
much of a change to the overall OS, but I think Apple has always done a
really good job of providing really clean and user-friendly interfaces.
The Apple TV OS takes subtle design features from IOS such as the main dock,
floating app columns and the rounded corner design.
And very much like IOS you can swap and change the order of the apps to suit your
needs and you can actually group your apps into folders.
Lastly, Included within the Apple TV is Apple 4K screensavers
which are updated daily on a daily basis.
The Apple TV can handle 4K at 120 frames per second with HDR 10 and Dolby Vision,
and it does make a difference to the overall viewing quality.
As mentioned I am using the 2020 LG CX so coupled with the Apple TV it just produces
an amazing experience; achieving deeper, richer pictures whilst watching my favourite content.
In addition to Dobly Vision, the Apple TV also
supports Dolby Atmos which I have via my LG soundbar.
So the Apple TV 4K coupled with Apple Arcade opens up a world of gaming without
the requirement of a dedicated console, perfect for casual or younger gamers.
Rather than using the Apple TV remote as a controller,
you can even use one of the next-gen console controllers for an overall better experience.
This won’t replace your PS5 or Xbox, however a great addition overall.
The Apple TV has its own ecosystem of dedicated apps and its stand-alone app store.
It comes preloaded with plenty of apps, however, there is over 200 to choose from,
including your most favourite apps that have been designed natively for the Apple TV
including all of your expected streaming services,
sports channel and music streaming services such as Spotify and obviously Apple Music.
Most of my nights consist of watching films or TV shows and having a subscription to almost
every service I now have a dedicated device that gives me instant access to all of them.
Overall I have to say that I am surprised by the
Apple TV 4K, I think it’s a great addition to any modern-day setup.
And I can definitely see myself getting a lot of use out of it.