Of course there was the much vaunted HDR capability, and the offer that if you had already bought an iTunes movie in HD, and a 4K version had subsequently become available, you’d be able to stream this for no extra cost - but from what I read on the web around the launch, the overriding sentiment just seemed to be ‘about time Apple!’ - and the typical ‘it’s far too expensive compared with other streamers’!
It’s true that there are many other streamers that can do 4K on the market (and so Apple is seemingly slow to embrace this ‘feature’), but the reality is that 4K HDR is only just beginning to start maturing - and this seemingly simple capability comes with a number of related specifications, due to progression of standards such as HDMI and HDCP:
- 4K at 60 frames per second
- HDMI 2.0a
- HDCP 2.2
- 10-bit TV panel
When the Apple TV Generation 4 launched in 2015, the industry value chain was barely across these standards, and they certainly weren’t commonplace in the market - these days, should you buy a mid- to high-tier TV, you could reasonably expect some or most of these features baked in. But back to the key feature - HDR - because that has a story all of its own.....
For some time now, there has been more than one ‘standard’ for HDR (noting here that things are not always officially standards, but can become ‘standard’ by mass adoption). First, we had HDR10, backed by a handful of influential media chain partners - but then along came Dolby Vision, and following that, a more broadcast-oriented version of HDR named HLG (the product of the BBC and NHK working together). The relative merits of each are too much to go in to here (plus there are lots of great comparisons if you do some Googling...) - but the important thing is which the Apple TV 4K supports - and those are HDR10 and Dolby Vision. This makes sense, as key players such as Netflix and Amazon have deployed content encoded with these standards (Netflix has certain content in 4K SDR, some in HDR10, and some in Dolby Vision!)
So, with the 4K HDR pre-amble complete, what about the device itself? Starting with the hardware, there are just a few subtle changes from the ATV G4, namely:
- a vent in the bottom of the device - assumedly for heat management
- an ever-so-slightly re-designed remote, using different button materials and a lipped, highlighted edge to the menu button
Other than these small changes, you’d be forgiven for confusing this G5 device with its predecessor.
As other reviews have mentioned, setup of the device is a dream if you’re in the Apple ecosystem (as I am) - you hold your iPhone near the Apple TV 4K, and then get the option to copy your settings (eg WiFi) to the device to provision it - very nice and simple. In the initial setup, there is a screen dedicated to testing whether your TV can cope with HDR (fortunately my 2016 LG TV can handle all variants thanks to a SW update), and you’re off!
It’s true to say that homescreen looks fantastic in 4K HDR - but what looks even better are Apple’s video screensavers, which feature drone-heavy footage from across the world (cityscapes and nature). Whilst not an active feature, it’s one of the most stunning differences that the Apple TV with many other streamers - a sign of the effort Apple puts in to the smaller details.
A big question in many peoples’ minds I’m sure, would be how 4K streaming performs in the real-world, especially at the bitrates needed for a high-quality picture. Depending on the encoding profiles chosen (and the respective performance of the associated encoding algorithms) for the content, the delivery infrastructure you’re pulling through, combined with the available bandwidth you have with your ISP, the answer could be ‘variable’- I get around 30-35mbps from a FTTC (fibre to the cabinet) broadband connection, and so streams establish themselves with little delay, and at very high-quality - conversely though, variability in my connection bandwidth also choked out the 4K stream a number of times, which leads to a particularly disconcerting result whereby the Apple TV ends up having to pause playback.
On the positive, 4K Movie content in iTunes (both that which is marked HDR, and Dolby Vision) looks really great - as does similarly-marked content in the Netflix App. HD SDR content also looks good across both services. SD SDR (standard definition, with standard dynamic range) content doesn't look as great, at least in my view..
The Pros
+ easy setup and good UI
+ Decent initial range of 4K content accessible
+ HDR is generally a plus
+ Integration in to Apple ecosystem
+ Amazing video screensavers!
The Cons
- cost! £200 for the 64GB model ...!- Touchpad on remote can be indeterminate
- Integration in to Apple ecosystem mandatory!
- Chunky compared with it’s peers....
In Conclusion
I have been waiting since the advent of HDR, to get to a point where a tranche of Apple device releases supported 4Kp60 with HDR - and finally we got there - the iPhone 8 onwards all support this particular spec, as does the Apple TV - for someone that has been shooting video at HD1080p60 SDR for some time with iPhone, this is the next logical step up on the capture side, and now the playback side too. Likewise, premium TV and movie content created to this spec also looks really great.
In writing this review, I also managed to establish two really interesting other facts:
(1) HDMI cables don’t matter - until they do!
Yes, that’s exactly the statement I concluded, when trying to diagnose why my TV wouldn’t establish connection with my TV at certain formats. After much exasperating testing, I found that the HDMI cable needs to be a brand and retailer that you can put your faith in - in the event, I ended up choosing the Belkin Ultra High-speed HDMI cable, which supports HDMI 2.1.
(2) The 2016 LG TV that I have will NOT handle 4Kp60 Dolby Vision - this is a bit strange, since it will handle HDR10 at 60fps, and it will also handle Dolby Vision at 30fps. Having tested with a 2017 LG TV, it would seem that they are equipped to cope with Dolby Vision at 60fps!
In summary then - really great quality 4K streaming device - but a bit on the pricey side!
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