Apple TV 4K Gets A15 Chip Along With HDR10+ Support

 Apple has announced the next version of Apple TV 4K, which will have A15 Bionic CPUs. Furthermore, HDR10+ compatibility joins Dolby Vision on the set-top box.

The new Apple TV 4K comes in two flavors: Apple TV 4K (Wi-Fi), which has 64GB of storage, and Apple TV 4K (Wi-Fi + Ethernet), which has Gigabit Ethernet for fast networking and streaming, Thread mesh networking protocol for connecting even more smart home accessories, and twice the storage for apps and games (128GB).

Customers can purchase the new Apple TV 4K with Siri Remote now for $129, with availability beginning Friday, November 4.

Apple Unveils New Apple TV 4K With A Redesigned Remote

Apple has announced the next generation of Apple TV 4K, delivering high frame rate HDR with Dolby Vision and a new remote.

Apple TV 4K comes packed with a A12 Bionic chip, which Apple says provides a significant boost in graphics performance, video decoding, and audio processing. With the Apple-designed chip, Apple TV 4K now supports high frame rate HDR (High Dynamic Range) and Dolby Vision video, enabling action at 60 frames per second to play more smoothly and appear more lifelike than ever before, according to Bob Borchers, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing.

The all-new Siri Remote has a one-piece aluminum design and features a click-pad control that offers five-way navigation for better accuracy, and is also touch-enabled for the fast directional swipes. Apple says the outer ring of the click-pad supports an intuitive circular gesture that turns it into a jog control that’s handy for finding a scene in a movie or show. 

The new Siri Remote also has a power button that controls a TV’s power, and another for mute, so it’s the only remote needed while enjoying TV. Using Siri, customers can search for specific shows or movies, control smart home accessories, check sports scores or the weather, and much more. Siri now works on Apple TV in Austria, Ireland, and New Zealand, joining the 13 countries and regions that already support Siri.

The new Apple TV 4K will be available starting at US$179 from apple.com, in the Apple Store app, and Apple Store locations. Apple TV 4K is also available through Apple Authorized Resellers and select pay TV providers. You can order the new Apple TV 4K beginning Friday, April 30, with availability beginning in the second half of May in more than 30 countries and regions, including the U.S.

The Apple TV HD with the new Siri Remote will be available for $149. The new Siri Remote will be available separately for $59,and is compatible with the previous-generation Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD.

Apple Reportedly Releasing New Apple TV In 2021

According to a newBloomberg report, Apple is planning an Apple TV set-top box with a stronger gaming focus, an updated remote and a new processor for 2021.

“Those changes will fix some of the Apple TV box’s issues, but the product will need to take another big leap to remain competitive in the long term. Either that or it needs to get a lot cheaper,” he writes.

Apple TV 4K With A12X Chip Rumored To Be Coming Soon

Known leaker Jon Prosser tweets that a new Apple TV 4K is ready to go and could be released at any time.

He says it will sport an A12X processor and come with 64GB and 128GB storage options. If Apple gives us more storage at the same price, the set-top boxes would cost US$179 and $199. The current Apple TV 4K costs $179 for a 32GB version and $199 for a 64GB model.

The current Apple TV 4K uses the A10X processor. Apple's A12X processor now powers the 11-inch iPad Pro and 12.9-inch iPad Pro.

Apple Releases tvOS 12.2.1

Apple has released tvOS 12.2.1. It’s compatible with the Apple TV 4K and the fourth generation Apple TV. The upgrade offers bug fixes. tvOS 12.2.1 is a free update. You can initiate the update via the Settings menu on the Apple TV.

tvOS 12 Adds Dolby Atmos, Zero Sign On And More

During Apple’s WWDC 2018 keynote, Apple announced tvOS 12. The Apple TV 4K already provides 4K HDR video and Dolby Vision; now sound will be amped up with support for Dolby Atmos sound. During the keynote, it was noted that all this requires to get surround sound from Apple TV 4K is a Dolby Atmos-compatible sound bar; a quick glance at Amazon shows that those sound bars aren't exactly inexpensive!

One cool thing brought up during the keynote is that a number of cable providers are now starting to use Apple TV as a cable box. CANAL + in France, SALT in Switzerland, and Charter Spectrum (coming soon) in the US are all either offering Apple TV or will offer it soon. With Charter Spectrum, that opens Apple's video streaming box to up to 50 million homes in the US. 

Last year's tvOS update brought single sign-on to Apple TV; this year it's Zero Sign On. If you are getting broadband from the same company that provides your cable service, you will not need to sign onto any of the stations on your device. Automatically, the Apple TV will know what channels you have access to. For iPhone owners, once the Apple TV remote app will automatically be added to Control Center. Passwords that have been saved in iPhone and iPad in iOS 12 will be available for auto-fill on the Apple TV as well.

One of the more attractive screen savers provided by Apple is "Aerial", which shows aerial views of a number of locations around the planet in 4K HDR. Apple worked with NASA and added views of Earth from the International Space Station that will make a fascinating screen saver. You'll now be able to ask Siri "Where is this?" when viewing an aerial screen saver and get an answer, as well as swipe between locations.

You Can’t Download 4K iTunes Content On Apple TV 4K, Only Stream

Though the Apple TV 4K offers both 4K and HDR support, you’ll only be able to steam 4K films, not download them from the iTunes store. In a support document, Apple says you can buy or rent movies from the iTunes Store in high-definition (HD) or 4K resolution formats. These videos might also feature high dynamic range (HDR) or Dolby Vision. Apple says you can download a local copy of an HD movie, and you might be able to download HDR and Dolby Vision versions, but you can’t download a 4K version. This is likely due to licensing issues with film studios. This despite a statement from Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services, that “customers will love watching stunning 4K HDR movies from an impressive catalog on iTunes, while also getting automatic upgrades of 4K HDR movies already in their iTunes library.”

Apple TV 4K Announced, Everything You Need To Know

During Apple's 2017 iPhone conference, Apple announced the  Apple TV 4K with 4K and HDR support. 4K is known as Ultra High Definition (UHD), while 1080P is labelled as High Definition (HD). As their names imply, 4K UHD has a considerably higher resolution than 1080P HD video. 4K resolution is exactly 3840 x 2160 pixels, whilst 1080P consists of 1920 x 1080 pixels. High-dynamic-range (or HDR) is a set of techniques used in imaging and photography to reproduce a greater dynamic range of luminosity than possible using standard digital imaging or photographic techniques. HDR images can represent more accurately the range of intensity levels found in real scenes, from direct sunlight to faint starlight, and is often captured by way of a plurality of differently exposed pictures of the same subject matter. 

The Apple TV 4K has an A10X chip supports both Dolby Vision and HDR10. Apple has been working with major studios to bring 4K HDR movies to iTunes as the same price as the HD titles. Even sweeter: those HD movies you’ve purchased will automatically be upgraded. Plus, a built-in high-performance 4K video scaler makes HD content look better than ever on a 4K TV. The Apple TV 4K always outputs to the highest resolution possible allows viewers to get the most out of their TV, whether it’s an older HDTV or the latest 4K Dolby Vision OLED. It also offers automatic detection of a 4K TV’s capabilities that optimizes setup for the best quality picture.

Apple’s TV app supports over 60 services on Apple TV and iOS devices, with more being added all the time. Cue says Siri is smart about 4K HDR, so it’s simple to find movies and TV shows in the highest picture quality across your apps (e.g., “Show me movies in 4K”). Apple TV 4K will also offer 4K HDR content from popular video services, including Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, coming soon

Starting this month, the TV app will be available in Australia and Canada, in addition to the US. And, by the end of the year, it will expand to France, Germany, Norway, Sweden and the UK.

The Apple TV 4K starts at $179 for 32GB or $199 for 64GB, joining Apple TV (4th generation) 32GB at $149, available from Apple.com and Apple Stores, as well as through select Apple Authorized Resellers and carriers (prices may vary). Customers will be able to order both Apple TV 4K models beginning September 15, with availability beginning September 22. For more information, visit apple.com/tv.