The redesigned Apple TV 4K now lets you watch movies and TV shows in 4K HDR. There is quite a lot of content in iTunes, and in other popular online services with multimedia content. With the advent of Apple TV set-top boxes, I began to show more and more interest in them, especially against the background of Chinese TV boxes, which have at least some kind of “sore” or “glitch”. New apple gadget will undoubtedly be able to slightly expand the scope of modern TV.
In 4K with HDR, the picture looks much sharper than standard HD, especially since HDR (High Dynamic Range) technology allows you to demonstrate realistic reproduction of colors and the smallest details.
The Apple TV Remote allows you to quickly find the content you need - just swipe on the surface of the Touch panel, and you can also adjust the volume of your TV or AV receiver. Thanks to Bluetooth, you can use the remote control from any corner of the room and from any angle. If someone says that this is a trifle, he has never dealt with crafts from Iconbit. Repeatedly dealt with these players, and the remote control is expensive and not old model iconbit XDS 94K made me come up with synonyms for a lot of swear words. Not to mention overheating. This delivered much more negative emotions than the inability to connect HDD with films to Apple TV, which is shouted at every step by those users for whom NAS is either a rapper or a branch of an American corporation.
Performance
In Apple TV 4K we got new processor A10X Fusion is quite a powerful platform for gaming from App Store with high demands and comfortable use of applications. When you connect a game controller or headphones, you will find out what else your TV is capable of. And if you have AirPods headphones, then tvOS 11 will connect to them in automatic mode(AirPlay 2 support). A similar filling is built into latest versions iPad Apple And new gadget definitely looks like a device that can handle UHD 4K streams smoothly. The device has 3 GB random access memory and this is a significant upgrade, especially when you consider that in current version The OP was 2 GB with the old A9 core.
Multimedia features
Looking for a fun toy on Apple TV? There you are Sky- it's romantic, captivating interactive game from thatgamecompany, which received the prestigious BAFTA award.
For the library, photos and videos from iCloud Photo Library or Shared Albums are easy to show on big screen. Memories automatically compiles your best photos and videos to watch in 4K on Apple TV. You can also connect Apple Music to your home theater, because you will have more than 40 million songs at your disposal. I recommend using the Plex app to manage your collection of movies, photos, and music, unless of course you have a .
tvOS 11
Apple TV 4K runs on the new tvOS 11, one of the features of which is a change in design from day to night. And if you have several Apple devices TV on one account, then the main screen is selected, and the rest of the devices will be synchronized with it.
Apple TV 4K price
The price depends on the built-in media. Apple TV 4K with a 32 GB drive can be bought for 13,500 rubles. Apple TV 4K with a 64 GB drive will cost the buyer 1,500 rubles more (15,000 rubles). I think it's a pretty reasonable price tag.
Along with mobile devices (iPhone and Apple Watch) Apple company updated this year and its media player Apple TV. Prefix received Apple name TV 4K, and already from this its main innovation is clear: support for 4K video. Let's take a closer look at how this works in practice.
IN Apple stories TV is the fourth update (respectively, the fifth generation), and compared to the one that came out two years ago and gave users the ability to install applications, and therefore expanded the functionality of the device at times, the changes in Apple TV 4K are not so great and are associated with the ability to view 4K . But, as it turns out, there is much more nuance here than it might seem at first glance.
Equipment
The Apple TV 4K box and its contents are not much different from the previous (fourth) generation model.
Inside we see the device itself, network cable, user manuals, proprietary remote control and Lightning cable.
The Lightning cable is needed to recharge the remote control and nothing else (although, of course, if you use any Apple mobile devices, it will be quite useful).
But what is missing, as before, is an HDMI cable. Moreover, in the case of Apple TV 4K, users need to be especially careful about choosing it, since an inappropriate cable (with HDMI standard versions older than 1.4) will simply not allow you to transfer 4K video. On the other hand, if you have a 4K TV (and if not, why do you need an Apple TV 4K?), then you most likely have a compatible cable.
Design
The appearance of the console has not changed much compared to the previous generation. It's still a heavy, thick black unit with rounded edges and a rubberized bottom that has slots for active cooling.
Not special distinction and in materials: as before, plastic is used for the main body part.
And here is the second key difference: Ethernet is now gigabit. Which, in general, is logical: for streaming 4K video, 100-megabit Internet may not be enough.
As before, all connectors are located on the back of the device, and there is an operation indicator on the front.
The appearance of the remote control as a whole also remained the same, except that a white bezel appeared around the Menu button - for easier visual (for example, in the dark) and tactile detection. Well, the surface of the remaining buttons has also changed a bit: before they were slightly concave, now they are even.
So, the design of the set-top box and remote control remained almost unchanged, with the exception of the disappearance USB-C port(but it was not particularly needed before) and the emergence of gigabit Ethernet.
Setup and connection
For full-fledged work Apple TV 4K requires a 4K capable TV and a High Speed HDMI cable (1.4 standard).
If everything is connected correctly, then the image will be, and in the Settings → Video and Audio section you will see "4K HDR" next to the word Format. Going there, we will see 4K HDR 60 Hz. You can also see the color. We had 4:2:0 at this point.
In addition to connecting to a TV set-top box, you can also “make friends” with iOS devices and Mac computers. The first is needed in order to use a smartphone or tablet as a remote control, and the second is to take screenshots.
Connecting to an iOS device is quite simple: select the appropriate item in the settings, bring a smartphone or tablet to Apple TV, enter four-digit code- and you're done. With a computer, it's more difficult.
In order to connect your Mac to Apple TV and take screenshots, you need to install on your computer under high control Sierra Xcode Development Kit, then connect your Mac to the same WiFi networks, in which Apple TV, open the Window / Devices and Simulators tab in Xcode, select among available devices Apple TV and click Pair.
After connecting, we will see the Take Screenshot button (with the help of which screenshots are taken) and information about the Apple TV. As you can see, the model we tested had a real storage capacity of 57.36 GB.
But back to taking screenshots, as this is a key tool for testing 4K. The resulting screenshot is saved in its original resolution on the computer desktop. And it is he who will be a clear display of what we really see on the TV screen when using Apple TV. Note that all screenshots, without exception - regardless of the type of content being played - had a resolution of 3840 × 2160, that is, 4K. In particular, the entire tvOS interface is rendered in 4K.
But in itself, this does not mean at all that video content is actually displayed in 4K. We decided to look into this.
4K viewing
As we noted in the introduction to the article, the functionality of the Apple TV 4K is similar to the previous generation, with the exception of, in fact, 4K support. We talked in detail about the fourth generation Apple TV in, so we recommend that you familiarize yourself with it. Here we will not repeat ourselves and focus on the issue related to 4K support. What types of content does it have? How accessible is 4K content? normal use Apple TV?
First of all, we describe the methodology that we used. In addition to trying to determine the quality of the picture simply by eye, we decided to display special 4K test videos containing areas with pixel-by-pixel alternation of black and white lines on a 40-inch Samsung UE40KU6000 TV connected with a high-speed HDMI cable to an Apple TV 4K in various ways. Such videos can be found on YouTube (for example,), we also have them - encoded with H.264 and H.265 codecs (download and respectively).
Further, after the picture was displayed on the TV screen via Apple TV 4K in one of the ways (there are several of them, and we will talk about this in detail), we took a screenshot by pressing pause or right during video playback (given that it is static , no difference).
To begin with, we tried to run one of the videos on YouTube. However, the screenshot showed that the resolution is HD, not 4K.
By clicking on the screenshot, you can see original image. So, although the picture itself is at a resolution of 3840x2160, the 1 pixel thick circles are solid gray. Whereas if the picture were really 4K, then black and white stripes would be visible in them, as in circles 2 pixels thick.
We click on Info and see that our suspicions were justified: the HD icon next to the duration of the video indicates that this is really not 4K, otherwise the icon would indicate 4K.
As an experiment, we tried to run the same video on a TV through its own application YouTube, that is, without Apple TV. And there, just the video stream was 4K, which could be understood both in circles with visible stripes and in Info. Therefore, the issue is with the YouTube app for tvOS. Apple has confirmed to us that the YouTube app for tvOS does not yet support 4K resolution.
At the same time, movies in 4K are about the same price as in HD. The only problem is finding them, because many very high-profile and very recent blockbusters are only available in HD so far. Take Alien: Covenant, for example. It would seem that the film is large, and the price is rather big (399 rubles), but only HD.
And, for example, "Mad Max: Road Fury" - in 4K and at a lower price (349 rubles). Why is that? Unclear.
We decided to try and buy and reproduce Mad Max. And everything would be fine, and it seems that even the picture there is quite 4K (although it is impossible to say for sure), but it was not possible to confirm this with a screenshot: when playing movies from iTunes Store taking screenshots is blocked - you will get just a black screen.
The situation is similar with Netflix, where, however, the choice of 4K content is wider. However, there we encountered another problem: in a number of series, even if UltraHD 4K is indicated, the apparent picture quality is clearly lower. That is, hypothetically, the video stream can really be 4K, but, as you understand, you can at least convert VHS to 4K, but you will not experience delight from the clarity and saturation of the image. We watched one episode of Mindhunter and saw that the image there is very imperfect. Alas, we cannot confirm this with a screenshot for the same reasons as in the case of iTunes.
Obviously, video services will gradually place more emphasis on 4K content and at the same time will begin to monitor quality more closely, but for now we have to admit that the 4K sign itself does not mean anything.
And we return to our attempts to display a 4K test video on a TV screen via Apple TV. And we try another way: using the Plex application. In an article about the past Apple generation TV, we talked about several applications that allow you to play custom videos on Apple TV. The essence of the work is the same everywhere: the video from the computer is uploaded to the cloud, from where it is already taken by the application on Apple TV and played back (since its own file manager and there is no option to download files to Apple TV).
One of the more successful options is Plex. We tried uploading two versions of a test video into it, playing it through Apple TV and taking a screenshot. And that's what happened. First, a 4K H.264 file.
The image quality is not bad (although you can notice small artifacts), but the main thing is that it's still not 4K. The gray squares at the edges of the central block should just be represented by black and white lines one pixel thick. Now we are looking at the 4K H.265 file.
And here we are in for a very unpleasant surprise. I don’t even need to comment on anything – everything is clear without words. Thus, Plex does not work correctly with the most promising 4K video format and cannot play 4K video in its original quality yet.
It is possible that you can find an application that will be more optimized for these tasks. But you need to look for them, and not expect that everything will work by default.
The most impatient readers have probably wanted to exclaim for a long time: “So, did you still manage to reproduce 4K so that it was really full-fledged 4K?”. And in order not to torment them anymore with a description of attempts of varying degrees of success, let's say: yes, we succeeded. And surprisingly in a simple way: Through the AirPlay function when playing a video in the browser on iPhone.
Simply put, we opened a link to H.264 and H.265 videos, then clicked on the icon that sends playback to Apple TV, and after that we took a screenshot from Apple TV. It turned out here is the image that you see above this paragraph. This is how it should ideally be.
Of course, you can also see 4K in some viewing applications that specifically collect beautiful videos in this resolution. For example, Sunlapse 4K is views of the sun. You can watch and meditate, or you can use it as a background screensaver. Obviously, there will be more and more such applications.
There are various collections documentaries and videos focused on 4K content - usually dedicated to nature. For example, Love Nature.
However, the question still arises as to how original quality content corresponds to 4K, that is, whether there is initially an appropriate picture quality. For example, here are screenshots of one video from Love Nature (video from the UltraHD 4K section). If you do not increase it, it seems to look great, but when you increase it to the original size, it becomes not so joyful.
Similar emotions evoke gaming applications. It is clear that no one will redraw them specifically for 4K, and it is hardly possible, but in the end it turns out that the same Asphalt 8 looks no better in 4K than in HD. And if you take a screenshot and view it in its original size, then the impression will be completely depressing.
conclusions
Before we pass judgment on the Apple TV 4K, let's go back 10 years. Then, in 2007, only Full HD video became widespread. In particular, there was a complete ambiguity with disc formats: the war between Blu-ray and HD-DVD was in full swing. The first players, which then just came out on Russian market, seemed slow, noisy and buggy, there were very few discs (and the prices for them were outrageous), and there were not so many alternative ways to get Full HD video. DVD seemed to be the de facto standard, and all these experiments with HD and Full HD were the lot of enthusiasts.
Today, with the penetration of 4K, the situation is similar, but in some ways progress is faster: at least Today, millions of smartphone users can already shoot 4K video themselves. Yes, and finding 4K content on the Internet is not so difficult, although, of course, not everything is available in this resolution. But there are enough problems: first of all, not all companies whose products are somehow related to video content are ready to switch to 4K. These are the creators of the actual films / series / videos, and application developers, and equipment manufacturers.
The second problem is the painful search for common formats and standards. Someone supports H.264, someone supports H.265, and this is just one example. This situation is inevitable, and it will be so in the near future, until 4K begins to gradually become dominant, and the entire industry begins to focus on it in the first place.
Actually, the new Apple TV 4K just demonstrates the heap of problems that exist with 4K. Someone “forgot” to add support, someone added “for show” without doing optimization, someone overtook content suitable only for HD to 4K, and so on. It turns out that, having bought an Apple TV 4K, we cannot just go and enjoy a flawless image in ultra-high resolution. We still need to find the very “honest” 4K and manage to reproduce it.
And today, the best way to do this is simply to broadcast video from a smartphone or tablet. Uploading a video to any cloud service, stream it via AirPlay to Apple TV 4K and enjoy. Another option is to buy movies with a 4K icon on iTunes, but the selection here is limited so far, and most movies (even relatively recent and big-budget ones) are only available in Full HD. At the same time, there is no doubt that the list of 4K releases will expand - after all, Apple is directly interested in this.
As far as tvOS apps go, there's a lot of 4K support so far.
And yet it should be noted: the appearance of Apple TV 4K - important point for the entire industry. Bet on HEVC format(H.265) to macOS High Sierra and iOS 11 is a signal for everyone: guys, it's time! The future has arrived! And we can hope that after some time (most likely a year and a half) 4K will really become basic option, and those who buy an Apple TV 4K today will no longer have to think about where to get a real 4K image.
The world of Smart TV is divided into 3 categories: WEB OS (already built into TVs), Android TV and Apple TV. When choosing a set-top box for a TV, many people have a question: Android TV or Apple TV. In the first case, in principle, everything is clear: classic Android, optimized to work with TVs. Movies, Apps, open access the internet is a classic. But there are not so many arguments for Apple TV, especially for Apple TV 4K. Therefore, in the article we will tell you what Apple TV 4K is, what it is for and how to connect it to a TV.
Apple TV 4K is the 5th generation of Apple TV set-top boxes. This set-top box connects to a TV via HDMI and allows you to access Internet services: a library of applications and movies.
Apple TV 4K unlocks 4K HDR technology and adds surround sound Dolby Atmos. The main thing is that your equipment (TV or TV + soundbar) supports these technologies. Dolby Atmos creates a lifelike sound experience that immerses you in the center of the movie. HDR (High Dynamic Range) is responsible for a realistic image.
Included with the console is a convenient remote control, made in a minimalist design. There is a special touch panel on the remote control. With its help, you can interact with the interface: manage the selection, enter text. You can also use your iPhone to control it. When you set up the set-top box with a smartphone in the panel iPhone controls the Apple TV app appears. Through AirPlay, you can quickly transfer any content from iOS devices on TV. Also, if you have a " Smart House”, it can be controlled using the TV (Although it is more convenient to use an iPhone for this task).
Why you need an Apple TV 4K
Apple TV 4K adds smart TV features to your regular TV. However, the set-top box can be purchased even if you already have a built-in smart TV, but for some reason it does not suit you.
Usually Smart TV is bought to get access to such services as Amediateka, ivi, MEGOGO, Netflix. Users pay a monthly subscription and watch series, movies or cartoons in high quality. You can also purchase movies from the iTunes Store, but the prices there are not the lowest. In addition to movies, Apple TV 4K gives you access to a huge number of applications, from fitness, sports to fast-paced games. Installed in the console powerful processor A10X Fusion that ensures smooth operation of any supported content.
FROM help from Apple TV 4K you can display any media content from your iCloud library: photos, videos or music. Thus, it is convenient to display vacation photos or make presentations.
How to Connect Apple TV to TV
To connect the set-top box, you will need Wifi (or an Ethernet cable) and HDMI cable(preferably version 2.0 or higher). The cable is not included, so be sure to purchase it separately.
Connect the device to a power outlet and to the TV. On the remote, press the touch pad to pair it with the TV. Specify a language.
Select setting: with using iOS device or manually. The first method is the most convenient for anyone with an iPhone or iPad. The prefix itself will load all the data from iCloud and make quick setup. In the second case, just follow the instructions on the screen.
You can read more detailed instructions for installing and configuring Apple TV at.
Do I need an Apple TV 4K
The disadvantage of the console is its limitedness. The situation is similar to iOS: you have a specific functionality that binds you. On Apple TV 4K, you get access to a huge library of movies and apps, as well as the iCloud library. This is where its functionality almost ends. In the same time advantage of Android TV at least is a browser. With a browser, you get access to all content in general: paid, free, licensed or pirated.
Even if you do not have a 4K TV, but Full HD, you can buy a set-top box, it will work and bring pleasure. Another question is the price: give 15,000 and not use main function 4K ... Here everyone decides for himself. In principle, if you plan to buy a 4K TV in the near future, then it’s better to immediately take the Apple TV 4K.
Conclusion: Apple TV for those who are willing to pay for content. If you are ready to buy movies and do not experience financial difficulties with this, take the Apple TV. Not ready - take Android TV.
Apple TV Specifications
In conclusion, we present a table comparing the main characteristics of the 4th generation Apple TV set-top box, which is still available for sale, and Apple TV 4K.
| Model | Apple TV (4th generation) | 5 generation) |
| release date |
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| CPU |
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| Memory |
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| Storage device |
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| Connection |
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| Video formats |
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- Not all content is available in 4K or 4K HDR. To view 4K content, a 4K capable TV is required. Dolby Atmos may not be available for certain movies in some regions. To listen to Dolby Atmos audio, you need a device that supports this format. Playback quality may vary depending on hardware and internet connection speed.
- Some content may require a subscription to access. Availability is not guaranteed. Some apps are not available in all regions. Application availability is not guaranteed.
- For iCloud work you need a device with iCloud support. Some features require iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra. Some features require a Wi-Fi connection. Some features are not available in all countries and regions. Access to some services is limited to 10 devices.
- For Apple use Music requires a subscription.
- The film is available on iTunes. © 2017 Alcon Entertainment, LLC., Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., and Columbia Pictures, Inc. All rights reserved. The film is available on iTunes. Copyright © 2018 Fox. All rights reserved. The film is available on iTunes. © 2018 Studio "Trite" by Nikita Mikhalkov. The film is available on iTunes. © 2017 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. All rights reserved. The film is available on iTunes. Copyright © 2017 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. and RatPac-Dune Entertainment LLC. JUSTICE LEAGUE and all related characters and elements are trademarks and copyrights of DC Comics. The film will be available on iTunes on June 29, 2018. Copyright © 2018 Fox. All rights reserved. The film will be available on iTunes from 04 July 2018. © 2018 WBEI, Village Roadshow Films North America Inc., RatPac-Dune Entertainment LLC and Village Roadshow Films (BVI) Limited. The film is available on iTunes. © 2017 Storyteller Distribution Co., LLC. All rights reserved. The film is available on iTunes. © 2018 Universal Studios. All rights reserved. The film is available on iTunes. Copyright © 2018 Paramount Pictures. Hasbro, Transformers and all related characters are trademarks and copyright © 2018 Hasbro. All rights reserved. The film is available on iTunes. © 2018 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved. The film is available on iTunes. Copyright © 2018 Fox. All rights reserved.
- Britannia© SKY UK LIMITED 2017 Series Masha and the Bear℗ & © Animaccord LTD, 2008-2017. The trademark is owned by Masha and the Bear LLC. midnight sun© Studio Canal 2016 Series "American Crime Story"(American Crime Story®) can be viewed on the Amediateka® app. The series is produced by Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. The Amediateka® service is owned by A Series LLC. Series "Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams"(Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams®) can be viewed on the Amediateka® app. Series produced by Sony Pictures Television. The Amediateka® service is owned by A Series LLC.
Apple talks about 4K and HDR as if it invented them today, which is quite funny: by the time the previous Apple versions TV in 2015, 4K technology was already widespread, but the company decided to ignore it.
But don't dwell on the past and lose sight of the whole picture. Apple support 4K and HDR is great news and a testament to their popularity. What's more, the Apple TV 4K comes with a 4K HDR movie library.
From afar, Apple TV 4K is no different from previous version Apple TV, but turn the case over - and you will see small cutouts that were not there before. They provide air cooling more powerful A10X chip. During operation, it heats up quite a lot, but it is quiet even during the game or when broadcasting content in 4K.
The case has a hole for heat dissipation from the A10X Fusion chip. The model has a fairly large cooling cooler, but its noise is not felt even during the launch of "heavy" games
The standard model for 13,490 rubles. only 32 GB of memory; the version for 14,990 rubles, which we are testing, has 64 GB. The numbers are not too impressive, besides the support external drives not provided; on the other hand, since Apple TV 4K streams movies, TV shows, and musical recordings no download, disk space is required only for applications. They are small (Netflix, for example, weighs only 41.6 MB), so 32 GB will be enough for most users.
Apple TV 4K comes with 32GB or 64GB of built-in storage
The ease of use of the media player is not inferior to other Apple models. If you have an iPhone or other iOS device, you can read information about account and Wi-Fi settings. After determining whether your TV supports 4K resolution, the player adjusts the output signal.
Apple TV 4K also checks for HDR support, and if it does, all content will be streamed to your TV in 4K HDR, even if it originally had low resolution or standard dynamic range.
The menu system is convenient, thoughtful and clear, as you would expect. The big advantage of Apple TV 4K compared to competitors from Samsung and LG is the availability voice control, at times very useful. Press the microphone button on the remote control, say "Show me action movies" - and you will be taken to iTunes library. Siri is pretty good at context these days: say "Only in 4K" then, and the list of action movies will dwindle.
Apple TV 4K works great, but its biggest draw is its 4K HDR movie library
Content Provider
Not only is Siri great at searching, but it can help the host as they browse. Missed the point of fuzzy dialogue? Ask "What did he say?" - and this fragment will be repeated with the included subtitles, so that you understand everything exactly. To the question "What is the name of this actor?" you will get a list of performers in the episode you are currently watching. All this is very convenient.
The Apple TV 4K interface is very user-friendly, as you'd expect
However, the interface is not perfect in everything. Search results (voice or text) don't include items from iPlayer and Now TV, which reduces its usefulness somewhat, and the touchpad on the remote control is rather capricious.
In the US, unlike Britain, Apple TV supports useful application under the strange name "TV". It combines the content of all applications installed and available under a subscription, and allows you to return to the last viewed material.
It also generates recommendations for later viewing based on your list of favorite movies and recent activities. The idea is good, but it is spoiled by the lack of full integration with Netflix. It is to be hoped that this service and the UK variants of iPlayer and Now TV will be supported at a later date.
It's worth noting that Amazon has yet to release a version of Prime Video for the tvOS platform. It should be released before the end of the year and will be fully integrated with apple app TV. ITV Player, All 4 and My5 are also missing, but some on-air content can be obtained from providers using the TV Player app.
It would be nice to have one device that organizes all available content; however, it doesn't make sense for it to duplicate the apps your TV already has - it's much more convenient if the media player can offer content that's hard to find otherwise, and that's exactly what the Apple TV 4K does.
Its main selling point is its 4K HDR movie library. It now includes nearly 70 films, including recent blockbusters like Wonder Woman, Alien: Covenant and Logan, all released on 4K Blu-ray only. The pay-as-you-go model is quite convenient, especially when you consider that you won't have to pay for "extra" pixels. And if you already bought a movie on iTunes and after that a 4K version appeared in the store, then you will automatically receive it without additional fee. All this will please those who need a lot of affordable 4K content.
However, not all 4K content is created equal, and live streaming with Apple TV 4K is not equal to a similar UHD disc in terms of image quality. In the Deadpool movie on 4K Blu-ray disc, the red costume of the antihero is drawn more clearly and in detail. Dark fragments of the picture are more energetic and detailed. These are all inevitable consequences of streaming. But the choice of this approach is obvious - otherwise the player would have to first download uncompressed 4K movies to the hard drive.
Still, 4K movies on iTunes look pretty good on their own. They noticeably surpass the Full HD stream in clarity and resolution, density and depth.
The detail is much higher, the textures of clothing, including the fur and skin of Wonder Woman's outfit, look more natural and expressive.
HDR adds even more impact to the image; it literally disappears from the screen. White is pure and bright color palette- lively and colorful, black objects - deep and dense. The picture becomes even more exciting.
So far, we've only talked about content in HDR10, but Apple TV 4K offers some movies in Dolby Vision, an enhanced version of HDR that processes every single frame with even more potential.
Full program
If you haven't seen 4K HDR content from Netflix yet, you're in for a shock. If it happened, the quality will approximately correspond to the TV picture. It is interesting to look at films or programs not originally created in 4K or HDR and evaluate the quality of upscaling and upscaling according to general settings Apple TV.
The result is not bad, although sometimes the picture turns out to be unnaturally sharp and bright. The problem could have been avoided if the Apple TV 4K didn't change the output format, but the company did away with that so the TV wouldn't have to constantly switch modes.
Apple's support for Dolby Vision along with HDR10 is great, but in this light the lack of Dolby Atmos looks even more odd. Why not include everything in full? Even Dolby True HD and DTS Master Audio didn't make the list. In addition, the Apple TV 4K does its own decoding, only streaming to the receiver in PCM or Dolby Digital 5.1, depending on the settings.
Perhaps Apple considers image quality more important than sound - and in some ways it is right: Atmos systems are not yet widely used. Nevertheless, Apple TV 4K delights with clear and weighty sound. When connected to a good system, the surround sound field is elaborate and atmospheric, but support for the Dolby Digital Plus bitstream would be in place.
Apple TV 4K is not as easy as it seems. On the one hand, it boasts one of the most comprehensive and affordable 4K HDR movie libraries. On the other hand, it lacks some popular applications.
It supports the most advanced HDR video format but ignores modern audio formats. For a network player it's too expensive, for a 4K Blu-ray player it's cheap. It is difficult to categorize him.
A library of 4K content alone would be enough for a quartet - nevertheless, the fifth star is currently unattainable for him. If the company builds support for Amazon and lazy-view services into the app, we might change our minds; but so far perfect new Apple falls short.
WHAT TO WATCH IN 4K HDR?
Blade Runner (Director's Cut 4K) / iTunes, 4K HDR
The new Blade Runner is very good, but the special 4K edition of the first film is just as spectacular. It's already available on iTunes.
Deadpool / iTunes, 4K HDR
One of best films Marvel has entered the first iTunes package in recent years. Too bad the Atmos audio found on the Blu-ray disc is not supported by the Apple TV 4K.
Daredevil / Netflix, 4K HDR, Dolby Vision
The script is interesting, the characters are convincing, the picture is luxurious. In 4K HDR, the dark and gloomy palette and bloody fight scenes make for a moment of distraction.
Jessica Jones / Netflix, 4K HDR, Dolby Vision
Netflix's Daredevil spin-off combines bar brawling, mind control, relationships and violence just as effectively. The 4K picture is great.
Pros:
+ large content library in 4K HDR;
+ image quality.
Minuses:
- no Amazon Prime Video;
- missing audio formats.
Verdict
A great way to get your hands on new content in 4K HDR, but the Apple TV 4K failed to capture our imagination.
Price: RUB 14,990
Final rating: 9 points out of 10!
