Overview

I published an article in early 2019 about the hardware and software functionality that I hoped the next version of the Apple TV would include. After a long delay, Apple finally released the second generation Apple TV 4K in May of 2021.1 Then, in the Fall of 2022, Apple unexpectedly released a third generation Apple TV 4K.2 The third generation Apple TV 4K now has two configurations: Apple TV 4K (Wi-Fi), with 64GB of storage; and Apple TV 4K (Wi-Fi + Ethernet), with Gigabit Ethernet, Thread for smart home use cases, and 128GB of storage. Below is my review of the 2022 Apple TV 4K’s capabilities, comparing them to my original wish list.

My updated takeaways:

• If you don’t already own the previous Apple TV 4K and you own a 4K UHD TV set, it is well worth the upgrade for the Dolby Vision HDR video quality. Similarly, if you own a Dolby Atmos home theater system or soundbar, the third generation model (like the second generation 4K model) delivers a great audio experience.
• If you already own the first or second generation Apple TV 4Ks, I now recommend upgrading for the beefier CPU, expanded memory, USB-C remote control, and new fan-less design. All at a lower price than the second generation 4K.
• If you are debating whether to purchase the entry-level, lower memory, WiFi only model, I recommend that you spend the extra money for the premium model primarily for the additional memory, though the Ethernet & Matter support are also valuable.

Our Multi-room Video Setup

In an effort to simplify the user experience across all rooms in our home, in 2020, I replaced all of our existing TVs, settop boxes, Bluray players, Logitech Harmony remote control hubs, and other legacy equipment with the following:

• LG OLED TV (2020 CX model)
• Apple TV 4K (third gen, 2022 model)
• Sonos Arc soundbar, Ones surround (2nd gen), and SUB (3rd gen)
• for a remote, we exclusively use the Apple TV’s Siri remote
• previously PS4, now two Sony PS5 Dual Sense wireless game controllers
• both the Apple TV and Sonos Arc are connected using Ultra High Speed HDMI (2.1 compatible, 48 Gbps) cables
• and the Sonos Arc is connected to the eARC port of the LG TVs

The benefit is that any family member or guest can move from room to room and continue watching videos or listening to music with a seamless user experience. We use our Apple TVs for everything: watching live TV & DVR with Channels DVR, viewing streaming services (including Netflix, YouTube, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, TED, Philo, and PBS), watching stored videos with JellyFin and Infuse, listening to stored and streamed music services (especially Apple Music, now that it supports lossless and spatial audio), viewing our Unifi Protect security cameras, and more. We also regularly use Apple Fitness+ with our Apple Watches to workout.

Finally, a Beefed Up CPU & More Memory: A15 Bionic & 128GB Storage

The new Apple TV includes the A15 Bionic CPU. This far eclipses the capabilities of peer streaming devices and places the third generation Apple TV 4K on par with recent (but not the latest) generation game consoles in a slim, fanless design. While this Apple TV isn’t competing directly with game consoles, it clearly is more capable than the prior generation Apple TV for gaming beyond smartphone ports. Further, while Apple TV’s with limited storage have supported the ability to swap unused programs for new ones, the additional storage is important because it has eliminated the frequent repeated logins caused by clearing the storage.

A Siri Remote with USB-C

The third generation Apple TV 4K includes an update Siri remote, now with USB-C. Similar to the prior version, it is larger than first generation remote, machined out of aluminum. It is asymmetric so you can use it without looking at it. It includes dedicated buttons for both “power”3 and “mute”. The switch from Lightning to USB-C is a welcome change as households consolidate on a single charging cable standard.

There are still some shortcomings:

• there is no U1 ultra-wideband (UWB) chip inside the remote4, which would have enabled a “Find My”-style remote locator, similar to Apple’s Airtags, and
• there is no page up/down button, which would be useful for changing channels similar to many cable TV boxes.

Improved Video Codec Support & Possibilities for HDMI

When it was released, the first generation Apple TV 4K was among the most advanced, supporting 4K resolution, Dolby Vision HDR, and HDR10. The latest model adds support for HDR10+. This is important if you own a Samsung TV, because they do not support Dolby Vision HDR.

However, most HDMI 2.1 features–apart from Quick Media Switching (QMS)–remain missing.56 In theory, the third generation Apple TV’s HDMI 2.1 features should be more robust because it now uses a new chip to convert DisplayPort 2.0 to HDMI 2.1.7 Unlike the prior generation Apple TV, it should be possible for Apple to enable Fixed Rate Link (FRL) transport, with up to 2x the bandwidth of the older HDMI 2.0 standard. This, in turn, enables higher resolution video, better chroma subsampling, and higher frame rate video. Additional desirable features Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) and Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM), which are supported by this chip.

In an ideal world, the Apple TV would 4K at 120Hz (120fps).8 The lack of  120Hz output means that judder is still an issue unless you configure your Apple TV to “match frame rate”. For example, when watching movies that were originally filmed at 24 fps, judder is particularly evident on scenes where the camera pans. Ideally, instead of a 3:2 pull-down that is then doubled by the Apple TV to 60fps and then doubled by your TV to 120fps, 24fps movie content would be rendered directly at 120fps either at native frame rate multiplied by five (5:5 pulldown) for a cinematic experience or motion interpolation could be used for smoother, more life-like playback.9 Similarly, television content could be played at either four times its original frame rate or use motion interpolation.

Other video capabilities that were on my original wish list remain unsupported:

• although Metal 3 includes MetalFX, there is no widely implemented, AI-enhanced, video upscaling of lower resolution content to 4K resolution and higher frame rates on the Apple TV 4K, as contrasted with Nvidia’s 2019 Shield TV. This could have benefited any application that renders 1080 or lower resolution content
• there is no hardware deinterlacer, though at least Channels DVR has now implemented a software version. This is valuable for watching over-the-air TV, especially sports. Networks that broadcast 1080i (interlaced) content include CBS, NBC, CW, and PBS10
• there remains no support for AOMedia’s AV1 codec.11 This codec permits higher quality video at lower bitrates (avg 20% lower bandwidth) than either VP9 or HEVC/H.265.

Dolby Audio

Currently, Apple TV supports either Dolby MAT 2.0 (eight or 7.1 channels of lossless audio including Dolby Atmos objects)12 or Dolby Digital (six or 5.1 channels of lossy audio) formats. If an audio stream originates in another format, it must be transcoded via software to one of these two formats. Additionally, each application developer must separately license desired audio codecs, passing that cost on to consumers.

Ideally, Apple would include either pass-through support or hardware decoding for additional audio codecs including DTS, DTS-HD, DTS-X, and Dolby TrueHD. Of these, lossless audio codecs would significantly improve the audio experience. Native decoding of these codecs by the Apple TV would compensate for soundbars and home theater systems (like Sonos) that lack support for these codecs. With HDMI 2.1, the Apple TV’s hardware decoding to Dolby MAT 2.0 would have enabled home theater systems and soundbars to play lossless audio regardless of whether that systems natively supported the original codec.

Better Wireless Networking with WiFi 6

Although virtually every room in our house is wired with Gigabit Ethernet, most homes do not have Ethernet adjacent to each television. So, most people necessarily connect their settop boxes via WiFi. Thankfully, the new Apple TV includes the latest version of WiFi, WiFi 6 with MIMO and simultaneous dual band (2.4GHz and 5GHz), based on the IEEE 802.11ax standard. If there is anything that stresses a wireless network, it is high resolution video–particularly when multiple TVs are in use.13We have one Apple TV connected via WiFi to our Unifi 6 Long Range access points and it works without any buffering.14

No Hands-Free Microphone

“Hey Siri! No hands!” The new Siri remote includes a button to invoke Apple’s virtual assistant. But there is no support for hands-free use, similar to Alexa and Google-enabled smart speakers and displays. In the absence of a built-in microphone in the Apple TV to enable “Hey Siri” searches, perhaps Apple can expose an API for smart speaker and soundbar manufacturers (like Sonos) to enable “Hey Siri” searches on paired smart speakers, with the results displayed on your TV by Apple TV.

tvOS Software Improvements

The New Matter Standard

The premium Apple TV 4K supports the Thread protocol and by extension the Matter smart home. Matter-certified devices support an IP-based communications across other smart home devices, mobile apps and cloud services.

Fixing Saved Passwords

My biggest headache using tvOS is entering and retaining saved passwords. Each application/service provider necessarily has its own password. For some reason, tvOS applications frequently lose their stored credentials and require them to be reentered. This happens across Netflix and TV Everywhere apps, in particular.

Yes, you can re-enter your credentials from a paired iOS device. But only the primary user can do that. This creates headaches both for the primary user to continually reenter credentials and for other family members when the primary user isn’t home to do that. Bottom line: saved credentials shouldn’t be forgotten. And, saved credentials should be centrally managed in the Apple Home app (leveraging Keychain) across all apps (e.g. Netflix) regardless of which Apple device first used that credential.

Support for Multiple Smart Assistants

Ideally, the Apple TV would enable third party voice assistants. Google Assistant, for example, is still far more advanced (intelligent?) than Siri. It would be straightforward technically to permit Google Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa to show results on the Apple TV. Obviously, Apple would default to Siri. But, each service could have its own keyword to invoke the proper smart assistant.

Dolby Atmos (beyond Streaming Services)

The Apple TV 4K supports Dolby Atmos, but only for Dolby Digital Plus enabled streaming services. If you are playing stored video with Dolby TrueHD that includes Dolby Atmos objects, application developers (such as Infuse) cannot passthrough Dolby Atmos via Dolby MAT 2.0.

Tips

• Map the TV button to the Apple Home screen
• Use 4K Dolby Vision, if possible
• Use Match Content > Frame Rate to reduce judder
• In Apple TV+ settings, use Top Shelf > Up Next
• In Apple Music settings, use:
  • Top Shelf > Library + Top Albums
  • Audio
    • Dolby Atmos > Automatic
    • Audio Quality > Lossless
    • SoundCheck > On
    • Use Listening History > On

Resources

• AVS Forum Apple TV Discussion
• Dolby Vision HDR resources from Dolby
• Dolby Atmos resources from Dolby
• Matter protocol on Github

Updated on April 6th, 2023