Review: Apple TV 4K (2d gen, 2021)

In May 2021, Apple released the second generation Apple TV 4K, and we upgraded all seven of our Apple TVs to the new model. After living with it, my verdict is this: the biggest upgrade is the redesigned Siri remote — larger, aluminum, and finally usable in the dark — but the new box disappoints in several areas, including an aging A12 processor and an HDMI port that’s 2.1 in name only. Continue reading Review: Apple TV 4K (2d gen, 2021)

My Wish List for the Next Apple TV & tvOS

It has been about two years since the Apple TV 4K was released, the average time between Apple TV refreshes. So, it is timely to consider what comes next. This is my wish list for the successor to the Apple TV 4K, as well as improvements to tvOS. It’s what I would build were I the product owner of Apple TV. As a videophile, I overindex on features like video and audio quality. However, my suggestions also are based on our family’s initial experiences with Apple’s new gaming service, Apple Arcade. Continue reading My Wish List for the Next Apple TV & tvOS

Plex’s New Video Player for iOS and tvOS

Plex recently released new versions of its iPhone, iPad (iOS) and Apple TV (tvOS) apps, which contain a new, advanced video engine based on the open source MPV video player. Previously, the Plex iOS and tvOS apps used Apple’s native AVPlayer. Because the Apple TV (and, by extension, AVPlayer) is primarily intended for the playback of streamed content, its codec support is comparatively limited (e.g. h.265 or h.264 for video and AC3 and AAC for audio). Continue reading Plex’s New Video Player for iOS and tvOS